Are you buying an airline ticket soon?

Today I want to talk about air travel, I actually do not sell air only, however many of my clients need air for their cruise or other types of travel, so I purchase air for my clients and myself.  

Recently we heard about our local airline leaving clients at their international destination because they no longer flew that route, my opinion-not cool!  And domestic flight delays, overnights at the airport, the list goes on.  I do want to share an experience my daughter just had over the weekend, and it might make you read the fine print, and think twice about which airline you want to spend your money on.

This is a learning experience, not a great one for my daughter.  I won't give every detail but this is how it went, she left MSP on her way to New York City, flying into LaGuardia Airport, now that is a easy flight not like she was flying to a city in the middle of no where, most airlines fly this route many times a day.

But then the weather became an issue, so they ended up landing in Pittsburgh, then all the flights to LaGuardia Airport were cancelled, leaving my daughter to overnight in Pittsburgh!  Now at first they said because of the weather no hotel or food vouchers would be given, but then it came out the flight crew could no longer fly so she received $79 for hotel and $12 for food, good deal if you had unlimited time to get to your destination and wanted to spend your friday night in a cheap airport hotel in Pittsburgh.

So let's look at this first part (yes I said first part)!  Did you realize if your flight was cancelled or delayed due to weather the airline is not responsible? Well yes I know it but I actually never think about it when booking my ticket.  

Now she was scheduled to return to MSP on tuesday, so back to the airport, and on the plane, wait no we are back in the airport because the flight was cancelled.  She had sent me a text while on the plane so I found another flight with the same airline, yep go figure that was cancelled also.

So back to her friends apartment but lets look at this she paid an Uber to get to the airport, then back to friends place.  And back to the airport the next day! Yes another Uber.

Now we are back at the airport Wednesday morning, she arrived early to find out her flight was once again cancelled, really!!!  But they were able to get her on a flight to Dallas, and back in MSP that afternoon!

What a weekend!  So I want to share a few thoughts that might make your next flight enjoyable and not the nightmare she experienced!

First, this is huge, no matter where you are flying you might want to consider travel insurance, I usually add it to my flights.  But I will be honest when I add it I am thinking incase I have to cancel not what happens if we have bad weather!  That way if you have a weather delay you can save your receipts and submit a claim.

Next, look at your airline schedule do they fly to your destination several times a day, every day? Let's say you select an airline that has one flight a day to your destination and not every day!  That great price might not be worth it. 

I just wanted to share this so hopefully you will be picky when selecting your next airline.  Remember to prepare for your flight and be prepared when you fly for a unexpected delay.  Make sure you have all medicine in carry on, phone chargers, snacks.  Sometimes travel can be stressful but plan ahead for a stress free vacation!

I plan to sit down with my daughter and we will write a letter to the airline because I have never heard of so many issues with an airline.  I will keep you posted, hopefully they will at least acknowledge they made a few mistakes.

Have a great day!


Cindy
cindy@vacationsrspecialtravel.com
763-878-2763

Highlight on the Bahia Principe AquaMarine in Punta Cana

Hi everyone, I hope you are enjoying your summer, remember soon the snow will fly and you will be looking for that 2019 Winter Escape!

Recently I was working on a vacation for a client and I  discovered this resort, set to open in November 2018, it is a rebranding of Bahia Principe Ambar Green. So if you are looking for that special vacation you might want me to price this one for you.

The AquaMarine is part of the Bahia Principe Complex in Punta Cana, other resorts in this complex are Bahia Principe Esmeralda, Bahia Principe Bavaro, Bavaro Premier, and Bahia Principe Punta Cana.

The AquaMarine is not oceanfront, it has it owns restaurants but also shares some with the other resorts.  

You will not be bored here with the water sports, paddle surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, volleyball, dance classes, soccer, tennis and even karaoke!

Let's talk about the dining, right at the AquaMarine you have the main buffet, they have a Pool Restaurant with International Cuisine, or the Beach Restaurant, which is seaside dining no reservations for any of these restaurants in the AquaMarine.

However we are not done!  Try these adults only, and reservations are required, Mashua Nikkei ( Japanese and Peruvian fusion), El Olivo Gourmet, Capriccio Restaurant (Italian).

Now these ones are not adults only Maiko (Japanese), Tex Mex Santa Fe (Mexican), BBQ Restaurant in the Olas, which is buffet, El Pescador (Mediterranean), Garden Grill (Steak House) and Los Corales (Dominican).

As for the rooms at AquaMarine, you can select a Jr Suite which will have a king or two double beds, sofa, hydromassage tub, and wi-fi these are just a few of the amenities, if you upgrade to a Jr Suite Superior you will have a king bed along with the amenities.  

This resort will be a great match for couples, and couples that travel with friends.  Give me a call for pricing.  And of course these details are subject to change.

Have a great day!


Cindy Kissinger
763-878-2763
cindy@vacationsrspecialtravel.com

August Newsletter

At Vacations R Special Travel we are always looking for ways to keep our clients informed.  Which is why I am working with different social media outlets, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and email Newsletters.

Today I sent out a newsletter to my clients if you would like to view this then click on the below link
http://conta.cc/2M9jlvu

I will soon start sending emails and updates for travel so sign up now.

You should be able to sign up to receive my newsletters and travel information if not please email me at cindy@vacationsrspecialtravel.com


Enjoy your summer I will be back with another blog soon!


Thanks,

Cindy

Special Savings for my Clients

I want to cover just a few of the savings out there for my clients, it is never too early to plan your next vacation.  If you are looking for a certain vacation let me know and I will keep checking the pricing for you.

This week I want to share a few. 

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has another BOGO sale starting, save 50% off the second person in your cabin. 

Delta Vacations has special savings on Mexico, Hawaii and Caribbean travel just to name a few!  Also I love Delta's Flexible Group travel, call me to get your group started!

Royalton in St Lucia

Viking River Cruises has several offers going on and the savings are great!

Apple Vacations and Funjet Vacations also have some great pricing.


I always tell my clients to start looking early for your travel.  All you need to do is send me an email with your travel needs and I will make sure you are getting the best deal, no service fees. 


Remember these are just a few of the travel savings out there!

Fun in San Diego

I feel like it has been along time since I updated my travel blog, but living in Minnesota we have to take advantage of our summer!  I spend as much time as I can at our summer place so that keeps me pretty busy!  However I recently spent a long weekend in San Diego visiting my son who lives in the area.  I always talk about international travel, but I loved San Diego so much I wanted to share my experience.

The San Diego Airport is really nice, I used Super Shuttle for my transportation to our hotel, I was really impressed with the service.  Of course they had my flight info and sent me a text letting me know when I had my luggage to text them my location and they picked us right up! 
I booked the Embassy Suites Downtown Bayside for several reasons, the location was perfect, free full breakfast and a Managers Happy Hour were great!

I mentioned the location of the hotel, here is a picture from our window.  Isn't this amazing?

I could not have asked for a better location, we were right across the street from the bay and so many things to do and see, in the four days I spent in San Diego I walked more than 20 miles.  We also took many lifts, and the train.  We spent on afternoon at Mission Beach which is beautiful.

I had to add the photo of the sushi burrito!  My daughter Paige went on this trip with me, and it was her birthday during the trip.  She really wanted a sushi burrito and we tried to find that for her birthday but we could not.  So when my son was taking us to the airport she found a place and finally she had her sushi burrito.  I am not a sushi fan but she loved it so if you go to San Diego give it a try!

I had been to San Diego one other time, and we stayed in the Old Town area and loved it but I was excited to see more of San Diego and it did not disappoint.  We spent time in Old Town, Gaslamp, Mission Beach, Little Italy, and the Bayside area where we were staying.  I felt the city was very tourist friendly, clean, and I always felt safe, however we never stayed out too late at night.  And I felt safe because my son is a Marine!

If you are looking for a fun trip I would recommend San Diego, there is so much to do and the weather was beautiful!  

Give me a call for more information 763-878-2763, or email cindy@vacationsrspecialtravel.com 

Looking for a European Vacation?

I went to Spain a few years ago, and loved it!  It was not on my travel list however my daughter(Paige) was doing the study aboard program in Salamanca Spain, so i just had to visit!  It just happened my other daughter (Lynsey) just graduated with her undergrad so why not go to Spain! 

I recommend booking a flight with Delta and selecting the Delta Comfort seats, we had only 2 seats in our area so that was very nice.

As I often say with travel "mistakes were made" this was no different than most vacations and they are great learning moments.  For example when traveling in Europe do not over pack, you are moving that suitcase off planes, trains and buses!  Someone in our group took the large suitcase (not me)!  And when you arrive after your overnight flight do not go to bed!  Yes we did, on the plus side I booked a hotel so when we arrived we would have a room.  However napping all day was not really my plan!  Another mistake was booking a hotel with a shuttle but not knowing how to contact the hotel, and the taxi got lost!  Okay a few more mistakes were made but I do not want to spend the time on mistakes.

We arrived in Madrid, slept, then headed out on the bus the next morning to Salamanca which is a beautiful place with so much history (like all of Spain).  I loved the hotel we stayed at because our balcony was huge, more like a deck, and views of the cathedral! 

Then off on the train to Madrid, then overnight train to Barcelona, now that was an experience!  I loved Barcelona, we did the bus tour which basically kicked us off when they were done so we had to figure out where we were.  Lots of walking, lots of drinking amazing wine, and you can't forget the food!

I loved my trip to Spain, and even if "mistakes were made" it was a great destination. 



If you are interested give me a call at 763-878-2763 or email cindy@vacationsrspecialtravel.com. 

Vacation Option Mazatlan

Hi everyone!  I hope you are enjoying your summer, but before long it will be time to start planning that winter escape!
One of my favorite destinations is Mazatlan!  I have been there about 3 times in the last few years, the first time I went on a FAM.  A FAM is a trip Travel consultants take to get to know a destination, resorts and tours.  I liked this destination because I loved the old Mexico feel to the area.  They have a great boardwalk, great food, and some really fun tours.  My husband and I have went twice, the last time I went with a group of friends and we stayed at the Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay which is a beautiful resort just a short ride from the main area of Mazatlan.  They have a shuttle that you can take to their sister resort the Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan which is right in the middle of the fun! 

Just a few fun pictures, we did the sunset cruise with our group and it was so much fun, I would totally recommend it!  The resort is landscaped beautifully, I loved the small water ponds and falls with beautiful flowers.  We upgraded to the Master Suite and it was huge, 2 bathrooms and a kitchen.  However we spent little time in the room.  They had great dining and you could also visit the sister resort for dinner which had great options.  They also had an adults pool with a bar, and the main pool had a swim up also.  If you want more information about this destination or the resorts please let me know I have been to most of the all inclusive resorts.  Contact me at 763-878-2763 or email me at cindy@vacationsrspecialtravel.com.

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