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Travel - Bad Economy, Strong USD, Good Deals
11-26-2008, 03:53 AM
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#1
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,072
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Travel - Bad Economy, Strong USD, Good Deals
DW and I will do our part for the US economy. We will take a Domestic vacation.
However, International travel is beginning to look like it will be a bargain in the near future.
- The USD has strengthened.
- The Economy will force the Leisure Industry will cut prices to entice travelers
- Oil/Fuel prices will go down (transportation expenses). Fuel surcharges will be coming off.
- Airlines are apparently no filling the reduced capacity
- Some Foreign Govs will create incentives to entice travelers.
I have noticed that cruise prices are down.
Anyone looking into international travel in the next 6-12 months?
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11-26-2008, 04:55 AM
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#2
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Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 23,038
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We are planning to go to Sicily for a week in February. I expect we will rent a car and travel on our own around the island.
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Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
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11-26-2008, 05:06 AM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,072
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 Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby
We are planning to go to Sicily for a week in February. I expect we will rent a car and travel on our own around the island.
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Gumby - A few place I have been that are fantastic:
- Mount Etna (live Volcano) - Ski and/or site see
- Siracusa - Created by the Corinthians then later settled by the Greeks
- Taromina - Greek and Roman Ruins
- Palermo - OK... but would be a bit lower on my list if I revisit.
There are many more places that I did not visit.
What sites are you planning to visit?
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11-26-2008, 05:26 AM
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#4
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,065
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We got a good deal on a long weekend cruise for this Thanksgiving weekend to Cozumel. Leaving tomorrow - woo-hoo!
__________________
simple girl
less stuff, more time
(55, married; Mr. Simple Girl, 59. FIRED 12/31/19!)
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11-26-2008, 05:47 AM
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#5
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,072
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simple girl
We got a good deal on a long weekend cruise for this Thanksgiving weekend to Cozumel. Leaving tomorrow - woo-hoo!
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Did the cruise company tack-on the fuel surcharge? The last one I looked at still included a fuel surcharge that was a sizable % of the cost of the low-cost cabins.
Still the deals were pretty good. 
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11-26-2008, 06:21 AM
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#6
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,065
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chinaco
Did the cruise company tack-on the fuel surcharge? The last one I looked at still included a fuel surcharge that was a sizable % of the cost of the low-cost cabins.
Still the deals were pretty good. |
Yes, still had the fuel surcharge, $36 per person. All in all, though, IMO, a good deal, especially when you consider it is travel over Thanksgiving weekend. We got an oceanview cabin for $230, port tax $99, govt tax $24, fuel $36 (all per person, for a 5 night trip over the holidays). I've certainly seen cheaper, but not for a long holiday weekend.
__________________
simple girl
less stuff, more time
(55, married; Mr. Simple Girl, 59. FIRED 12/31/19!)
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11-26-2008, 06:31 AM
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#7
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,072
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simple girl
Yes, still had the fuel surcharge, $36 per person. All in all, though, IMO, a good deal, especially when you consider it is travel over Thanksgiving weekend. We got an oceanview cabin for $230, port tax $99, govt tax $24, fuel $36 (all per person, for a 5 night trip over the holidays). I've certainly seen cheaper, but not for a long holiday weekend.
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That is a good deal. The least we have paid is $299 (several years back).
Have one of those fancy umbrella drinks at the pool. 
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11-26-2008, 07:03 AM
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#8
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,065
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__________________
simple girl
less stuff, more time
(55, married; Mr. Simple Girl, 59. FIRED 12/31/19!)
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11-26-2008, 07:09 AM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 5,105
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I'm going to look into RVing in Europe - Italy first.
__________________
Sometimes death is not as tragic as not knowing how to live. This man knew how to live--and how to make others glad they were living. - Jack Benny at Nat King Cole's funeral
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11-26-2008, 07:16 AM
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#10
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Nowhere, 43N Latitude, NY
Posts: 9,037
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we will pay the full balance due in April 09 for a 12 day Mediterranean in July, planned for over a year now. this will be our pre-ceremony honeymoon while we are still young enough to do 10 ports in 12 days. 
and yes, we got a balcony.
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"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
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11-26-2008, 09:25 AM
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#11
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,483
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Glad to see you are partying BEFORE marriage, sounds like the right thing to do......... 
__________________
Consult with your own advisor or representative. My thoughts should not be construed as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results (love that one).......:)
This Thread is USELESS without pics.........:)
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11-26-2008, 09:41 AM
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#12
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 7,746
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We recently booked a 7 night cruise to the Bahamas (sailing in 2 weeks). Something like $350-400 a person all fees included. And that is for an outside cabin (with ocean view). Fuel surcharge was still tacked on for $77 per person, but they obviously lowered their base fare significantly to ameliorate the fuel surcharge.
So we are doing our part to prop up the Bahamian economy. Those poor Bahamians... 
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11-29-2008, 07:13 PM
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#13
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Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 23,038
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chinaco
Gumby - A few place I have been that are fantastic:
- Mount Etna (live Volcano) - Ski and/or site see
- Siracusa - Created by the Corinthians then later settled by the Greeks
- Taromina - Greek and Roman Ruins
- Palermo - OK... but would be a bit lower on my list if I revisit.
There are many more places that I did not visit.
What sites are you planning to visit? |
We are preliminarily planning on flying to Palermo, then driving to Taormina, Siracusa, Agrigento and back to Palermo, which should be a circumnavigation of the island if my map is correct. I am very much interested in the historical sites, ruins, etc. The young wife is much more into food and culture. So any suggestions in either area would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Gumby
__________________
Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
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11-30-2008, 11:20 AM
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#14
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Dryer sheet aficionado
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 25
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We are headed to Mazatlan, Mexico on Christmas Day--the exchange is 13 pesos to the dollar--the best in a long long time! Yippee!!
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12-01-2008, 10:33 AM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: North Oregon Coast
Posts: 16,483
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Quote:
Originally Posted by catdance62
We are headed to Mazatlan, Mexico on Christmas Day--the exchange is 13 pesos to the dollar--the best in a long long time! Yippee!!
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Wow. When we were there it was usually about 10 to 1.
This is a great time to travel if you have a stable, recession-proof income stream. Hopefully I'll be able to take advantage of that sort of thing some day.
__________________
"Hey, for every ten dollars, that's another hour that I have to be in the work place. That's an hour of my life. And my life is a very finite thing. I have only 'x' number of hours left before I'm dead. So how do I want to use these hours of my life? Do I want to use them just spending it on more crap and more stuff, or do I want to start getting a handle on it and using my life more intelligently?" -- Joe Dominguez (1938 - 1997)
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12-01-2008, 02:17 PM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,015
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DH and I are joining some friends on a seven night southern Caribbean cruise in February. Signed up for an oceanview cabin, got upgraded to a balcony cabin -- saved about $1000. Doing our part for the travel biz....
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12-02-2008, 03:00 PM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Thousand Oaks
Posts: 1,111
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there's a rick steves sicily episode that was interesting as i recall
that might be worth ordering the dvd for..
Quote:
Originally Posted by chinaco
Gumby - A few place I have been that are fantastic:
- Mount Etna (live Volcano) - Ski and/or site see
- Siracusa - Created by the Corinthians then later settled by the Greeks
- Taromina - Greek and Roman Ruins
- Palermo - OK... but would be a bit lower on my list if I revisit.
There are many more places that I did not visit.
What sites are you planning to visit? |
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12-02-2008, 04:45 PM
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#18
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Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 23,038
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mh
there's a rick steves sicily episode that was interesting as i recall
that might be worth ordering the dvd for..
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I'm not familiar with Rick Steves, but I'll try to look it up. Thanks.
__________________
Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
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12-05-2008, 03:01 PM
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#19
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Confused about dryer sheets
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 6
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Rick Steves has great tours. I like the one-city tours because I hate motor-coaches (bus). If you don't want to take his tours, try the guidebooks. I once gave a bunch of tourists an impromtu tour of Tallinn, Estonia. I was reading to my husband and a bunch of strangers started following me. If you are in the Seattle area the Rick Steves people will put an itinerary together for you for fifty bucks an hour, which sounds like a lot, but I don't want my ex-corporate husband to freak if things aren't all planned out like marching orders. You can also see a bit of info on his dvd's (if you are on netflix, just rent from them.)
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12-06-2008, 04:49 AM
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#20
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,072
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I am beginning to see lower cost airfares.
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