As most of you know, Spirit Airlines decided to charge for carry-on luggage (up to $45).   This is in addition to the $18 it could cost to reserve a seat number (per segment).  In Europe, Ryan Air decided to take it a step further and charge people to go to the bathroom.  In order to add more seats to its planes, Ryanair will also, on some 168 aircraft, eliminate two out of three lavatories, leaving but a single one to service up to the 189 passengers on a flight.  I am not making this up!  

By the way, coffee is still served at no cost.   Unlimited coffee!

Airline fees are nothing new, CLICK HERE to watch Carol Burnett’s idea of a NO FRILLS AIRLINE.

AND CRUISE TO BERMUDA!

Kick Off Party and Huge Networking Event
All local Chambers of Commerce, MODC, Rotary, LeTip, BNI and more!

Tuesday, May 18th from 5:30pm-8:30pm at Branches Catering, 123 Monmouth Road, West Long Branch, NJ.

Here is WHY: 

Excel Travel offers the 1st Annual Kick Cancer Overboard Cruise to Bermuda.   Join cancer survivors, their families, friends and supporters on this unique and exciting celebration of life to Kick Cancer Overboard.  Prices start at $525 for a 5 night cruise.

On 5/18/2010 we will kick it off with presentations by Royal Caribbean International, Bermuda Department of Tourism, American Cancer Society and….well you’ll have to be there to find out more.

And oh YES, there will be live music and libations, beach balls and streamers.
And oh YES, you will get to watch videos, and even be your own star-in a brand new video!
And oh YES, there will prizes (how about a free stay in Bermuda?).

To help us Kick Cancer Overboard we ask for a small donation of $15 (cash/check please).  All other details are top secret until 5/18, but we have many surprises planned!

We expect a full house, so PLEASE RSVP ASAP to goaway@exceltravel.comor call (800) 392-3588…. and bring LOTS OF BUSINESS CARDS!

Greetings!
Yes, you could certainly book your own cruise. All you need to do is pick a date and choose a ship. It’s sooo simple… But beware:

In 2007, Royal Caribbean named their newest ship LIBERTY OF THE SEAS, even though Carnival Cruise Lines already had a ship called LIBERTY. The year before, Carnival named their ship FREEDOM, right after Royal Caribbean named their newest ship FREEDOM OF THE SEAS – to make sure there was NO confusion. Please!
In the same year, Princess Cruises named their newest ship CROWN Princess, NOT to be confused with a ship by a competitor: the Norwegian CROWN

Then there is also:
The Norwegian STAR and the STAR Princess;  The SUN Princess and the Norwegian SUN.
The Norwegian SEA and the SEA Princess.
The DAWN Princess and the Norwegian DAWN.
And the Norway was the third France – if you know what I mean.
The word PRINCESS was used in the name of 27 different ships.
The word PRINCE only by 4 of them, and all are very small. Go figure.
The name Rotterdam has been used by six different cruiseships.
The name Nieuw Amsterdam 3x, and Amsterdam twice.
Cunard made it simple, they call them Queen Mary and Queen Mary 2. But they also have two Caronias and three Carinthias.
The Noordam was taken out of service, and then replaced by a much, much larger ship — named Noordam, again! Same name – different ship – different size! The same thing was done with the Westerdam – more than once!
Then there is the Island EXPLORER, the EXPLORER, the Pacific EXPLORER, and the EXPLORER of the Seas.
The Norwegian DREAM, the DREAM, the DREAM Princess and the Holiday DREAM.
The JEWEL of the Seas and the Norwegian JEWEL.
The Norwegian MAJESTY, the MAJESTY of the Seas and the Ocean MAJESTY.
The Seabourn LEGEND and the Carnival LEGEND.
Pay attention – take notes please.
The Seven Seas MARINER and the MARINER of the Seas.
The NAVIGATOR of the Seas and the Seven Seas NAVIGATOR.

Confused???   This explains why way too many people end up on the wrong ship every year.
Call us …
You have nothing to lose and the world to gain. Not only will we shop around on your behalf AT NOT COST TO YOU to make sure you get the best price – GUARANTEED, we will make sure that you will end up on the right ship or in the right hotel … and have a fantastic vacation!

Here are some little known facts the airlines don’t want you to know about:  

1. “Airport luggage scales often lie.” It’s bad enough that the airlines charge a fee for overweight luggage, varying from $25 to $300 per bag industrywide. But it’s galling that they may also hit you with the fee by mistake. At JFK last November, New York City’s Department of Consumer Affairs found that 14 percent of the airport’s scales were not properly calibrated. At Boston’s Logan airport, 10 percent of the scales recently inspected gave incorrect readings. The South Florida Sun–Sentinel has discovered numerous busted scales at area airports. And the list goes on. What to do? Stand up for yourself, especially when a scale barely tips the balance into the “overweight” category. Brandon Macsata, executive editor of the D.C.-based lobbying group Association for Airline Passenger Rights advises passengers to weigh their bags at home first, and if the airport scale comes up with a different number, insist that your bags be weighed on a different scale. Yes, it’s come to that. 

2. “That nonstop flight you booked? We can add a layover to it—without explanation.”  Think you scored a sweet fare on that transcontinental flight?  Think again. You may be making a previously unscheduled layover.  Airlines can cancel your nonstop and rebook passengers onto flights with connections, which are obviously less desirable.  Advises Brett Snyder, author of The Cranky Flier and a former pricing analyst at America West: As soon as you find out that your nonstop flight has been canceled, check to see if there’s another nonstop option.  If there is, call the airline and ask—nicely—to be put on it.  But if nonstop service on the route has disappeared, threaten to switch to another carrier for the trip. Major airlines will typically agree to refund your money without any fees if you refuse to accept a new, multistop flight that will arrive at your destination more than two hours later than you were originally scheduled.

3.”When we let you pick your seat assignment, we were only joking.” As the airlines decrease the number of seats they fly in an attempt to eke out a profit, they’re swapping out larger planes for smaller ones more often. Whenever fliers are put on a new plane, seat assignments are scrambled. A traveler may end up in a middle seat he or she would never have selected. If it happens to you, there’s not much you can do—airlines aren’t obligated to honor any seat assignment. “Passengers are actually purchasing a fare and not a seat,” says Macsata of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights. Checking in online 24 hours prior to departure is often the best you can do to boost your chances of getting the seat assignment you want. Print your boarding pass with your seat assignment on it before you get to the airport as proof in case you need to argue with a gate agent over a last-minute switcheroo.

4. “Your ticket might not be with the airline you booked.” Two airlines may sell seats on the same flight, a sales strategy called code sharing. You may think you’ll be traveling on one airline, but you actually fly on another. The situation seems harmless enough but can cause major headaches for passengers. For example, most major airlines farm out their short, commuter flights to regional airlines. “By and large, you haven’t heard of Chautauqua or Republic, but you may be flying them when you click to buy a ticket on Continental,” explains Randy Petersen, publisher of InsideFlyer. “With two airlines involved, there’s a constant passing of the buck. Worse, many regional carriers operating on code shares are exempt from reporting their on-time statistics. And God forbid if you need to file a claim with them for lost baggage.” 

For all the above reasons, it is important that you reconfirm your flights 24 hours prior to departure and arrive at the airport no later than the requested check-in time. And remember: Getting there is half the fun (hopefully)!

And at least with Excel Travel you are assured that help is never more than a phone call away (24/7)!

We all know what can happen to your luggage when you trust the airlines to take it from point A to point B.  CLICK HERE if you think you have seen/heard it all!  

And then, consider this: 
The airlines have raised their fees again, so I think the time is perfect to consider an alternative.  Why deal with the airlines, when UPS Ground and FedEx Ground offer better tracking, insurance and security, can be much cheaper in some scenarios, and will actually refund your shipping fee if there’s a delay or loss?  No waiting in line at the airport!  No pilferage!  No schlepping!

As you can see from this chart, depending on route and method, the cost savings achieved from shipping vs. schlepping range from little or nothing to dramatic.  Even if the costs are the same, airline vs. ground shipping, consider these advantages of shipping:

Better tracking:  You can track your shipment online step by step. Try that with an airline.
Safer: There’s less chance of something going missing or getting damaged.
Convenience: you can breeze through the airport without waiting in line to check bags.
Responsibility: If an airline loses or delays your bag, they’ll keep your fee and play the blame game. FedEx and UPS will at least refund your shipping fees. Plus, airlines refuse to take responsibility for losing or damaging anything they consider “valuable,” such as electronics or business items. You can insure these items with the shipping services for a small additional fee.
Less schlepping: True, you have to either drop off your shipment at a post office, UPS office or store, or FedEx or Kinko’s location (or you can arrange for pick up for a small fee in some cases), but let’s face it, fighting for overhead space is no fun, and lugging luggage through mile-long airport concourses is no fun either.

Even for international itineraries, shipping costs are surprisingly competitive with the airlines’ fees for checking bags on international routes.  And even if you’re the carry-on type, shipping on your next trip may reveal the joys of not fighting for overhead space and saving yourself a shoulder injury from hoisting a heavy bag into same. 
 
Give shipping vs. checking a try next time you fly.