Arthur Frommer's Blog, page 34

Opportunities for Cuban Travel in the Next Several Months Are Underwhelming

It is now nearly a year since the Obama Administration announced it would permit religious, cultural, or educational tours of Cuba as an exception to the general embargo against travel to it. But despite an initial belief that substantial numbers of people would arrange for such trips, the results have been disappointing. As best I can tell, seven companies -- Austin-Lehman, National Geographic, Witness for Peace, Globus, Abercrombie & Kent, Friendly Planet, and Insight Cuba -- have announced they would each operate relatively small programs (five or six departures per year, in most instances), but one of those companies (Abercrombie & Kent) has decisively cancelled the program after learning further details of the regulations, and two other companies (Globus and Austin-Lehman) have been extremely tentative in describing their vague intention of going into the Cuba market. Globus, for instance, has said it is still waiting for a license that it would enable it to operate the program.
 
So you have only four tour operators with remaining, small programs on the books. And three of those operators charge so much for the trip -- at least $4,000 in high season (not including airfare) per person, based on double occupancy -- that the market for their offerings seems slight. Even Friendly Planet is charging over $450 a day per person for its four-day program to Cuba.
 
It's apparent to me that the fierce opponents of any "opening up" of relations with Cuba have effectively (or at least partially) closed the door to any major travel movement. These include Cuban-American members of Congress from Florida, and New Jersey's Senator Robert Menendez.
 
As in so many other fields, we'll have to await political developments -- namely, the national election in November of 2012 -- for further clarification. Until then, and unless you are willing to make large expenditures for the trip, you can put aside those hopes for travel to the Caribbean nation.

Oustanding January Bargain: $799 All-Inclusive, One-Week Stay in Punta Cana -- Including Round-Trip Airfare

So frequent are the bargains offered by Apple Vacations (tel. 800/517-2000; www.applevacations.com ) to tropical destinations that it seems almost foolish to single out a single one. But Apple has just announced a particular high-season sale to a large all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic that deserves mention. It is available from now until end-of-the-day on Thanksgiving (November 24), and flies you in most of the month of January from numerous U.S. cities to the Sirenis Resort Punta Cana Casino and Spa for a 7-night stay, for a total of $799 including all three meals daily and unlimited drinks. Such a price permits a total vacation at such an affordable price that it should be considered.

[image error] Photo Caption: White sand beaches in Punta Cana. Diblain/Frommers.com Community
 
The price is valid for stays from January 7 to January 31, and is as follows from the following cities:
Cincinnati, Cleveland and Philadelphia $799Atlanta $879Chicago and Minneapolis $899Washington, D.C. $949St. Louis $1,169Dallas $1,239The four-star, beachfront Sirenis Resort Casino and Spa has 812 rooms, four swimming pools, 9 restaurants and 5 bars, and is an excellent value for the air-included $799 price.

A Groupon Wannabe Named Yuupon Has an Almost Unbelievable Post-Thanksgiving Travel Sale

Black Friday is November 25 and Cyber Monday is November 28. On those days -- and those days only -- a new Groupon imitator named Yuupon ( www.yuupon.com ) will be offering:
50% off an airline gift card90% off Vegas shows$2.50 for a $25 gas card$1 for $10 restaurant cards$1 movie tickets90% off Florida tours$2 for a $20 Yuupon credit... plus numerous other travel deals going live from 9am to 9pm on both days, all priced at 90% to 99% off.
 
And what is Yuupon? How does it differ from Groupon? First, Yuupon deals only with travel bargains and travel deals, nothing else. Second, Yuupon doesn't require that a certain number of people sign up for the deal in order for it to become valid. But, somewhat like Groupon, you're told at the end of the day whether your offer has become definite; and only then is your credit card charged.
 
So there it is. It's called the "Not a Typo Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale". And if you're a bargain hound, you'll want to sign up. Read what's going on sale at www.yuupon.com/BlackFridayTravelDeals.
 

One Potential Presidential Candidate Has Pledged to Abolish Amtrak

The future of Amtrak -- whether it will continue to grow and improve, whether it will supply the basis for high-speed rail in America -- is a travel question, and not simply a political question. And it is therefore appropriate for a travel writer to report news that either endangers or aids the development of Amtrak. A leading aspirant to the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney, has recently -- and on several occasions -- included an intention to do away with Amtrak in his policy proposals.

[image error] Photo Credit: Seattle, Washington. A.Rios/Frommers.com Community

He did so recently at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., and more recently in a speech he delivered in Des Moines, Iowa. Referring to Amtrak among other government programs such as public broadcasting, he said "these are wonderful things, but I'm not willing to borrow a billion dollars to pay for things we don't absolutely need."
 
Ironically, the pledge to kill Amtrak coincided with an announcement by the national passenger rail corporation that it has carried a record-breaking 30 million passengers this past year, 44% more than in the year 2000. At the same time, the nation's airlines reported a 4% drop in passengers during August of this year. Apparently, the public is swinging to the use of rail transportation in significant numbers.
 
Americans will need to confront the question of whether our transportation options will henceforth be limited to airlines, and automobiles and buses; and whether the U.S. will soon become the only advanced nation to lack a viable public railroad system.

Want Frequent Flyer Miles? Apply for More Credit Cards

You would not expect the ultra-solemn Wall Street Journal to convey advice on obtaining free air fares by piling up signing bonuses on multiple credit cards. But that's exactly what its "Middle Seat" ( http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat ) columnist, Scott McCartney, discussed in a recent article appearing in that publication. And Pauline and I interviewed him about this unusual strategy on yesterday's broadcast of The Travel Show.
 
Pointing out that many credit card issuers gave you a bonus of from 25,000 to 50,000 miles if you simply signed up for one of their credit cards, McCartney used the example of an employee of a Boston tv station who periodically applies for as many as a dozen new credit cards. Amassing the mileage he then receives by way of the signing bonuses he receives for each such card, he and his wife then fly -- free of charge -- to Paris and beyond.
 
But won't the owner of a dozen new credit cards destroy his credit rating by applying for such an unusual number of cards? Actually not, say McCartney. Though the issuance of each such card will deduct 50 to 60 points from your industry-wide credit rating, that -- he claims -- will simply transform an "excellent" rating into an "average" rating -- not enough to badly damage your right to obtain free air transportation. And a year or so from the time when you reduce your score by that many points, your credit rating will repair itself, going back up to its previous level.
 
You obviously don't engage in the multiple-credit-card ploy if you're on the brink of applying for a new mortgage. Or if you're about to submit your credit rating for another such purchase. But if you don't plan on any such major use of credit reputation, then applying for 15-or-so new cards, and thus gaining mileage bonuses that amount to nearly a thousand miles towards a trip, is an entirely safe procedure, according to the Wall Street Journal.
 
I wonder how many people actually use this tactic for obtaining frequent flyer-type mileage. It may be more people than you would normally expect, and nothing else explains why such an august publication would reveal this approach to getting something for nothing.

Pay Full Price for an Antarctic Cruise and Bring a Friend for Just $1

The news of this remarkable flash sale (which, in effect, cuts the cost of an Antarctic cruise by half) won't be released until Monday. But I'm jumping the gun because the press release I've received bears no embargo date -- no stern admonition not to spill the beans until then.

It's quite a dramatic announcement, from a leader in polar expeditions called Quark Expeditions (a subsidiary of the giant, German travel firm TUI), which apparently is having difficulty filling its Antarctic sailings leaving on November 13, November 19, and November 29. These are:
November 13 on the Akademik Sergey Vavilov from $5,390November 19 on the Clipper Adventurer from $4,890November 29 on the Clipper Adventurer from $4,890Those cruises normally sell (as noted above) for $5,390, $4,890 and $4,890 per person, respectively. But if you'll call starting at 8:30am (Eastern time) on Monday, and thus take advantage of this sale, your companion will pay only $1 to accompany you on a cruise for which you've paid full price.

What's equally exciting is that if you're a single traveling alone, you'll pay only 50% of the normal single rate for this full-scale expedition to commune with the penguins on the Antarctic peninsula, a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience.

Remember that you heard it first here (and I'll probably never again be sent a premature Quark Expeditions press release). For further information or to book, call to speak with one of its "Polar Travel Advisers" at tel. 888/892-0171 or go to www.quarkexpeditions.com (but not until Monday).

If You Can Leave From New York on the Thanksgiving Weekend You Can Enjoy a 7-Night Cruise for Under $50 a Day

Mind you, the itinerary is a dull one: You spend three days at sea simply going to and from Manhattan, one day in Port Canaveral, Florida, one day in Grand Stirrup Cay, Bahamas (a so-called private beach), and one day in Nassau, Bahamas. But you can eat till you burst, enjoy various onboard recreations, and sleep until noon, on one of the cheapest cruises ever offered: $349 per person for seven nights in an inside cabin occupied by two people. That's the distress price that Norwegian Cruise Line is permitting Vacations To Go ( www.vacationstogo.com ) to offer for the November 27 sailing of its Norwegian Gem from New York City. Even when you add tipping, you spend a small total because port charges are already included in the $349 price.

It will never get cheaper than this.

Would You Change Into Pajamas, Bathrobe, and Slippers on an Overnight Flight?

On last Sunday's broadcast of The Travel Show presented by my daughter and myself (go to www.wor710.com, click on The Travel Show, and go to the podcast of the opening of the first hour on October 30, 2011), we interviewed Seth Kugel, the Frugal Traveler of The New York Times, about the study he recently conducted on how to sleep in economy class on an overnight flight. The use of cervical neck pillows was among his key recommendations (they support your head and prevent it from falling forward when you fall asleep and thus awakening you), as was a trip to your doctor to obtain a prescription-only sleeping pill; according to Kugel, the over-the-counter sleep remedies are usually ineffective, but several prescribed drugs are potent, but are to be used only if your doctor approves (as they can have dangerous side effects to persons suffering from various conditions).

He also suggested that you might bring your own woolen blanket aboard, avoiding use of those polyester varieties that "don't breathe" and thus make you overly warm, which is not conductive to sleep. And then he seemed to make a more startling suggestion, which I may have misunderstood, but which seemed to me to be a recommendation that economy class passengers put on pajamas as a method of inducing sleep. The reference was not clear and I may have totally misunderstood it.

But I have often wondered whether I would have the nerve to go into the lavatory in the course of an overnight, economy class trip, and change to pajamas, bathrobe and slippers, walking back to my seat with those sleep-inducing garments that first class passengers apparently don on their overnight flights to Asia in a First Class cabin.

Why not? Would other passengers be offended? Would I be jeered at? Made to get dressed conventionally? Would I become notorious, the subject of comical tabloid features? I'd be grateful if readers would respond (by way of a comment below) as to whether they have ever changed to comfortable middle-of-the-night clothing in the course of an overnight economy class trip. Have you ever even considered doing so? Ever seen another passenger switch to pajamas? How would you react if one did? And should we all start a movement to encourage public approval of such a practice? Perhaps: Smart travelers wear PJs!"

The World's Cheapest Trans-Atlantic Airfares May Be On Turkish Airlines this Winter

If I were asked why it is that Turkey's airline has suddenly slashed the prices so dramatically for a round-trip flight across the Atlantic (and most of the continent of western Europe), I'd attribute that decision to the recent tragic earthquake in eastern Turkey, which has so badly affected both tourism and business travel there.

But if I were then asked why the airline has limited such discounts to flights from Chicago, I'd draw a blank. I can't fathom why.

But despite my puzzlement, here are the irrefutable rates (announced last night):
Chicago round-trip to Istanbul: $506, including fuel surcharge and all government taxes, for purchase between November 1 and November 15, for travel between January 10 and March 10 of 2012.Chicago round-trip to Athens, Tel Aviv, Cairo or Dubai: $720, including fuel surcharge and all government taxes, for purchase between November 1 and November 15, for travel between January 10 and March 31, 2012.And those prices are so low for a tax-included trans-Atlantic flight from Chicago, that they really should set off dreams of a winter vacation to one of several colorful, exotic destinations. Subtracting the taxes and fuel surcharge from the price charged, you find that Turkish Airlines is charging as little as $300 and $500 round-trip to fairly remote European and middle Eastern destinations.

So there it is, friends: the basis for a remarkable winter vacation trip. Go to www.turkishairlines.com , which also lists similar bargains to still other cities. 

One Travel Writer Claims He Can Get Las Vegas Hotel Rooms in Mid-December for As Little As $12 a Night

Over the past several weeks, I've had a lot of fun revealing the number of days in November and December (a total of nearly 30) when the super-deluxe Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas is charging only $105 or $109 a night for its elegant suites. But I'm a piker when compared with the bargain-seeking travel writer Roger Wade. From his residence in Kas, Turkey (how cost-conscious can you get!), he's been sending me e-mails exulting in the even lower prices of other Vegas hotels which he has discovered by simply making test bookings at them for the night of December 13.

So weak is the demand for Sin City rooms in portions of the late fall and early winter that some properties, in their desperation, are offering rates as low as $12 a night on December 13. In a website triumphantly titled Price of Travel ( www.priceoftravel.com ) he proudly lists the Fiesta Rancho Station Casino Hotel as having $12-a-night rooms (it's described as located close to the Southern Nevada Zoo). But for $18 a night per room at the Palace Station Hotel, you "can stay in a rather nice three-star hotel at the edge of the Fremont Experience in downtown Las Vegas." And by visiting Las Vegas in the first half of December, you can eat at any restaurant or buffet without standing in line and see any show you desire at a discount.

Making test calls for the night of December 13, according to Roger Wade, you can get rooms for the following rates:
$15 at Hooters Casino Hotel$18 at Palace Station Hotel and Casino$18 at Plaza Hotel and Casino$24 at Circus Circus Hotel and Casino$25 at Imperial Palace Hotel-Casino$25 at Riviera Hotel and Casino$29 at Stratosphere Tkower at Casino and Resort$32 at Excalibur Hotel and Casino$35 at Flamingo Las Vegas$35 at Harrahs Las Vegas$38 at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino$38 at Luxor Hotel and Casino$42 at Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino$45 at Bally's Las Vegas$46 at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino$50 at New York New York Hotel & Casino$51 at The Palms Casino Resort$54 at Hard Rock Resort and Casino$55 at MGM Grand Resort and Casino$56 at Tropicana Las Vegas$58 at Treasure Island Resort and Casino$60 at Mirage Hotel and CasinoMeantime, what about those deluxe suites at the Vdara Hotel, which its own website lists for $105 on December 13? That's the price for even a one-night stay. In his article, Wade lists the Vdara for only $99 a night on December 13, which I assume is the price he obtained by phone for a multiple-night stay.