Time 2 Cruise

When it comes to cruising and flying its easy to see the price increases. They pretty much happen one of two ways. Either the price is just higher which is easy to notice, or as we have all been seeing recently, they tack on these fees that may not affect everyone but still is an increase. But have you noticed the hidden price increases that have been happening closer to home when you are at the grocery store? Next time you are are at the the market looking at some of your favorite packaged goods, take a look at the size. you may notice that the sizes have been shrinking while the prices have not. In essence you have just witnessed a price increase. The new size is on the package, so the company that made it has not really hid it from you but its not like it was widely advertised that there was a change. Where I first noticed this was in the ice cream isle. Everyone is familiar with the traditional half gallon containers. While they have become easier to work with over the years with l...

Hurricane season is now in full effect and Fay is still wreaking havoc on the Eastern coast as I type this. The last report I read stated that 5 people have died because of Fay. Before Fay hit reporters were swarming around Southern Florida interviewing shop owners who were preparing . What was interesting is the number of people that were not prepared or even worried about the weather. Do people forget the past or even trust the news? It seems to me that many if not most people trust their gut feelings over what they are told. Just about every time there is a natural disaster, there are news stories about people that refused to follow directions and end up paying the price for their actions. Here in Phoenix we go through monsoon season every year and every year there are multiple reports on what not to do when the road is flooded and again every year there are reports of someone getting stuck and having to be rescued from a car stuck in the middle of a flood. There are times...

In the past it was common practice to wait for deals when looking for airline tickets. That just doesn't fly anymore. With the number of flights being decreased by all major airlines it means that the total number of seats available for most destinations are now fewer than before. With the law of supply and demand that means that prices are going to be higher to begin with and for popular destinations it also means fewer if any deals popping up. So waiting for a deal now could mean not even getting the flight at all. I have yet to try the sites that allow you to say how much you want to pay and see if you can get your flight but if you noticed, most of the commercials lately have been geared toward hotels and not flights. Coincidence? I don't think so. With the way this has been going, its easy to understand that some experts are even saying that now is not to early for booking flights for the holidays. And the now more than ever is it true that being flexible can h...

I have an idea, lets charge the airlines for all their "baggage". This time its American Airlines that has been caught flying planes that were in need of repair. The FAA plans on fining the airline. Now these breaches of protocol in plane maintenance are from 2007, prior and not new in the sense that they did not happen in the months after other airlines have been fined. As a passenger, it does not give me confidence in the FAA as well. Why is it taking so long to find these lapses? That in itself is almost as bad as the infractions themselves. We can only hope that due to the recent findings and fines that things like this will not happen again in the future.

My wife wanted to travel to China and see the Olympic Games in person this year. But we got carried away with other adventures and we ran out of time off and vacation funds. So, she has already started thinking about the 2010 winter games in Vancouver and the 2012 summer games in London. It made me think that difference between the next two host countries and the current host country is language and politics. I had previously asked friends, family, and co-workers if they would have gone to the games if they could. It was interesting to me, how many people said no, just because the games are being held in China. Some said they did not think it would be safe, a few did not agree with China's views, and many said the bad air quality that we all hear about is the reason. Now that the games have began people are starting to have a different view. The same people who were totally set against going, now are saying that they wish they were there taking part. I have yet to talk to...

There is nothing worse than starting off a trip without a toothbrush or an extra pair of undies. I will never forget the woman I met on a cruise whose bags were lost. She kept getting phone calls from the airline that they would deliver the bag at each port. They never did. I felt sorry for her on formal night - she was sitting there in one of her husband's polo shirts and the pair of shorts she wore onto the ship. With the exception of Southwest Airlines, just about every airline now charges a fee to check each extra bag. The fees range from $10-25 for a second bag and mostly apply to coach passengers. This is supposed to offset fuel costs, but don't you think it should go to ensure that my bags reach their destination? Of course, I try to pack some of my necessities in my carry on. Another trick is to pack some of my clothes in my wife's checked bag and vice versa. That way if one bag gets lost at least we both have "some" of our belongings. I also kee...

One of the great things about blogging is working with other bloggers within the community and especially the ones that share the same topic. I was lucky enough this past week to write a guest post over on DeboHobo .com which shares the same passion of travel as we do. It is an awesome subject to blog about probably because of the research that we get to do. There is a sense of satisfaction in sharing our "research", tips, and tricks that we gather and hopefully helps others when making their own vacation plans.

Vacations equal good times. Or do they? Have you ever noticed that the majority of reviews you read online are negative? There is a simple reason for this. When people have a good experience, they tell their friends but when people have a bad experience, they want to tell the world. Reading these reviews can be funny, interesting, and even educational. The negative reviews usually stem from one or two instances that cause the entire trip to spiral into the abyss of ruined trips. I can relate - when something goes very wrong , I sometimes cannot think about anything else except that issue. I usually accept whatever resolution is offered, and luckily my wife is always there to talk me down and set me straight. Unfortunately for others, she isn’t there to help their situation. Thus ensues the ultimate rip of the vacation, hotel, cruise ship, or whatever entity has become the enemy. There are three types of complainers: Those who complain and accept the resolution without letting it ruin t...