Time 2 Cruise

For the second time in less than a year, a pier in New York City has been struck by a cruise ship. The Norwegian Spirit struck the pier damaging the beams that support it. Officials say that there was no one hurt and no risk of collapse from the accident. Carnival had a similar accident with the Carnival Victory last summer that caused more damage to the nose of the ship than it did to the pier.

American Airlines is the first of the major airlines to tack on a fee for the first checked bag, but they wont be the last. It wont be long before other airlines follow suit. No one wants to be first but following the leader is a game they are all good at for sure. Jokes have been running rampant about what will be the next thing to cost extra. Some of the funnier ones to date have been a pay toilet paper dispenser and pay to use the overhead space for carry on luggage. Even if the airlines have not been thinking about it, reading may just give them some ideas. Realistically it looks like the beverage service will no longer be complimentary in the near future. We have been paying for alcoholic drinks for a while now, but soft drinks, water, and coffee may be requiring us to have correct change soon. Will this drive people away from flying? I doubt it. Given the alternatives, people will learn to either pay for their new found luxuries or to do without in many cases. Doing...

Norwegian and Royal Caribbean increased the rates on their fuel surcharges late last month. Now the Carnival collection of cruise lines have followed suite by upping the daily fee by $3 per person for the first 2 passengers. At $8 a person per day a 7 day cruise for 2 is now going to cost an extra $112. While its understandable that the cost of fuel is hurting the cruise lines, its hard to swallow the added cost for the average cruiser who is also feeling the pinch everywhere else. As with the Airline industry, there is an area where everything is going to work itself out, but its going to take time.

For those that remember flying back before the U.S. Government deregulated the airline industry, you may remember that there seemed to be less people flying and that for the most part it was a business thing more than a vacation mode of transportation. You may also remember that the average cross country ticket was way higher than what has been costing to travel in recent years. Now, after years of low airfare, the costs are going up. With inflation (lets not talk about the U.S. dollar being where it is right now) it is still cheaper to fly now than it was 20 plus years ago. Just like the cruising industry, where prices dropped or maintained the same level for the last two to three decades, it has become more affordable for the average Joe to fly. The question remains as to how high prices will go before planes start to fly without passengers. Supply and demand is a fragile system that works both ways and we the consumer are going to see a lot more tweaking of how airlines opera...

Its not a difficult observation to make. With gas rising at what feels like an exponential rate lately, the idea of a family vacation just does not seem to be as important right now. Some experts expect the cost of a barrel of oil to hit $200 by the end of the year. That cost not only has an affect on travel but puts the hurt on just about every aspect of family life. The groceries on the table are getting more expensive right along with it. Its unfortunate. However, this does not mean that you should give up the time to spend with the family. Maybe that cross country trip planned for over 2 weeks becomes an extended weekend staying closer to home and visiting attractions in your own back yard so to speak. There are many local attractions near any big city that are inexpensive and even free in some cases. We all need a chance to recharge our batteries and that's what a vacation is supposed to be for. Over the years tho vacationing has become an event that can be drainin...