Disney Adventures + Holidays

[trip style = adventure + sun + beach] It appears Disney is playing on their 'family fun' and 'adventure' pillars to expand their business beyond theme parks and cruising, and into the adventure travel and resort sector with the announcement of their first family resort.

Disney Vacations' Newest Property Now you can hang out with Mickey and Mini Mouse in Paradise. The upcoming Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii just got a name: "Aulani" or "the place that speaks with deep messages." Located 20-miles outside of Waikiki, Oahu, Disney's $800-million resort is expected to open in 2011. This mega-property will include 350 hotel rooms in two 15-story hotels, two restaurants, a Disney kids' club, a lazy river where guests can weave their way through volcanic rockwork and a caldera, a saltwater lagoon for snorkeling, an 18,000-square-foot spa and an 8,000-square-foot conference center. Sales are expected to start in summer 2010.

Adventures by Disney Another major Disney undertaking is their foray into guided family travel with 'Adventures by Disney.'  Offering a multitude of trip options (over 24) spanning the globe, the tours promise families "expertly planned" opportunities to become "active participants in incredible stories, experiences and cultures."

Rates are not cheap. You're paying for: Disney's Name; a targeted, itemized itinerary; an adventure you don't have to plan; food and accommodation. Flights are extra. In trying to choose the itineraries that looked most appealing, I gave up. They all look interesting and enriching. Commenting on the "Viva Italia" adventure, one Trip Advisor ddd said this: "It was fantastic and worth every penny. You get a lot for your money so be sure to compare apples to apples if you think it looks too expensive. Our kids are 13 and 11 and had an absolutely fantastic time. It was great for us 40-something adults, too."

In the future I'd be more likely to book an Adventure by Disney than a stay at Aulani.  The resort mock-ups look beautiful, but I'd prefer to have a more authentic Island experience elsewhere in Hawaii.

Planning a Ski Weekend

[trip style = ski]

TGIF.  About to whisk yourself away to Whistler, Vail or Chamonix this weekend?  If not and the idea of skiing, apres-ing and hotubbing sounds parfait, then this post is for you.  Below you'll find the quickest ways to plan ski vacation in advance or last-minute.

We're in the height of ski season frenzy.  January's web searches confirm this too.  According to HitWise, people searching for ski vacations online is way up this month.  Looks like the masses were waiting to see how the season would shape-up before committing to the slopes.

HINT - Based on year-over-year ski resort bookings, Hoteliers say that most people depend on the prior year's weather and ski conditions when making a determination regarding a present-day booking.  Ironically, the present year's weather is not necessarily an indication of next year's weather.   Either way, this is an opportunity for the savvy traveller: a) book your vacation once you're aware of the present year's ski conditions or, b) if the previous year was bad, expect bookings to be down and savings to be big!

Planning a Ski Vacation in Advance

• Season & Cost ($ - $$$$$)
  • nov - mid dec:  $
  • mid dec - early jan:  $$$$$
  • early jan - early mar: $$$
  • mar (spring break): $$$$
  • apr - jun: $
• Weather
  • nov - mid dec:  can be sketchy, but also amazing. better to book this micro season 1-month to 1-week prior to arrival.
  • mid dec - early jan: usually good conditions.  best to book far in advance to get desired booking/price for Christmas & New Years.
  • early jan - early mar: typically best conditions of ski season.  best to book in advance.
  • mar (spring break): decent conditions. book in advance to secure desired destination/room amid family spring break frenzy.
  • apr - jun: secret season.  good snow mid-to-high mountain as well as good deals.  can book last minute.
• Where to book
  • ski resort direct
  • hotels direct (hint - join your fave hotel's loyalty program for bigger savings and first-to-know promotions)
  • ski condo booking websites: vrbo.com, alluradirect.com, ownderdirect.com (best options if you want a kitchen to lessen cost)
  • travel resellers like skicentral.com, expedia.com, ski.com or skiresorts.com
• Finding the best deal
  • early and late-season most hotels and condos are liable to provide the best deals
  • many hotels and now using Twitter to post advance or super last-minute deals, so follow your fave hotels in your ski town
  • when there, check in the local newspaper for restaurant promotions and special happy-hour pricing

Planning a Ski Vacation Last-Minute

• Best Last-minute Micro Seasons
  • nov - mid dec:  the best snow coverage in early season is mid-to-high mountain.  resorts are eager to fill rooms and kick start the season's buzz, therefore are more willing to offer lower prices.
  • apr - jun: known by many ski resort locals as 'the secret season' when vacationers leave and locals play.  good snow mid-to-high mountain and good deals.  can book last minute--even 1-2 days prior to leaving.
• Where to book
  • ski resort direct (search for website's last-minute booking section)
  • hotels direct (hint - join your fave hotel's loyalty program for bigger savings and first-to-know promotions)
  • reliable ski condo booking websites: vrbo.com, alluradirect.com, ownderdirect.com (best options if you want a kitchen to lessen cost)
• Finding the best deal
  • get a group together and book a condo that's not slope-side.  condos farther away from the ski hill offer significant savings and booking with a group allows cost-sharing for accommodation and meals.
  • the instantaneous nature of twitter has given hoteliers the best opportunity to offer last-minute booking deals; I follow many ski resort hotels on twitter and frequently see twitter-only rates and promotion codes for online booking, etc...

US-Bound Passengers from Canada Now Allowed Carry-On Luggage

Thank Goodness. In a rather surprising move, CATSA annouced carry-on luggage would be re-allowed on US-bound flights from Canada from January 20th. In addition to one carry-on bag (not to exceed 40cmx55cmx20cm), U.S.-bound passengers may also bring a purse, diaper bag, laptop, or camera bag. Books, iPods and medicine must be stored in the carry-on bag.

Here's a link to a video refresher on what's allowed on carry-ons and in what quantities.

Vancouver 2010: Free Activities

[trip style = urban]

As Vancouver and Whistler launch into their final preparations to welcome the world, the Olympic Games are just over 20 days away!  As a Vancouverite, I'm in the 'excited for the games' camp.  For the vast majority staying in town, the general buzz is one of  pride and anticipation for what's to come.  Overnight, our lifestyle-driven, sea and mountainside turf will go from modest Canadian city to budding metropolis.  Normally you have to travel to experience an overnight change this significant, but in this case, both locals and visitors can travel together!

If you don't have tickets to any events, no worries, there is a host of free 2010 activities going on in and around Vancouver and Whistler.  For a full list of free Olympic Activities, check out http://www.citycaucus.com/2010freevenues

My Top Picks: Free 2010 Activities

• Vectorial Elevation :: A giant consumer generated light show over the Burrard Inlet :: dusk to dawn :: English Bay/Kits
• Laser Waterworks Show :: Nightly :: David Lam Park Yaletown
• Ice Skate at the GE Plaza :: Robson Square :: open 12 - 9pm daily :: skate rentals $3
• Heineken House :: Celebrate Dutch athletes and drink beer :: Minoru Arenas 7551 Minoru Gate, Richmond
• LiveCity Downtown :: See demonstration sports, entertainment and on-screen programming :: Georgia & Beatty
• LiveCity Yaletown :: Live arts, entertainment, pavilions, sponsor tents, refreshment and on-screen sport highlights :: David Lam Park
• Nightly Medal Ceremonies in Vancouver and Whistler :: not free but reasonable - tickets from $22 :: featuring athletes and world-renown singers :: BC Place and the Whistler Celebration Centre
• O-Zone Richmond :: 60-acre celebration :: Ice art, outdoor skating, athletes, virtual reality, food, fireworks :: Canada Line Brighouse Station
• Vancouver Art Gallery :: BC, Canada Pavilion :: 9am - 9pm daily :: catch the Renoir exhibit too!

Hidden Travel Costs...and How to Avoid Them

Travel is a discretionary activity subject to the economy, natural disasters, health scares and the like.  When times are tough, it's one of the first things to get cut from people's annual budgets.  With hotels and airlines constantly riding the wave of the masses' elective spending, in the past 10 years MANY hidden costs have crept into the overall cost of vacationing.  As a result, the total cost of hidden travel fees could be its own line item in your travel budgeting!

Here are the Major Hidden Costs of Travelling:

• Booking Online:  Whether you are booking through expedia, travelocity, priceline or hotwire, there's a always a service fee applied.  This is the cost of doing business with a travel re-seller, yet sometimes, the cost of booking through a travel discounter can be way lower than booking through the hotel direct.  Travel re-seller's service fees can run somewhere 10 - 20% of your booking's cost.
  • How to avoid it: Search via Kayak, who will send you to the Airline or Hotel's own website which won't likely have online booking fees.
• Travel Insurance: I am including this in the hidden fees of travel because it's something people often forget, yet is a necessary expenditure.  This small investment in your well being can cost between approx: $1-2/day depending on your age and health.
  • How to avoid it: Many travel credit cards have travel insurance included for up to 8-days or more.  Check with your travel credit card for complete details.  You want to be sure about this!
• Airport Parking/Cab to and from Airport: Because this is not often an exorbitant fee, getting to and from the airport is not always a cost people account for in their vacation's budgeting.  Cab fares can vary, but airport parking can run from $5 - $20/day at most airports.
  • How to avoid it:  Get a ride to and from the airport, take public transit (some cities have better transport than others) or opt to park in the lot further away from the airport for slight savings.
• Airline Baggage: Most airlines are now charging for checked baggage as well as checked baggage that's over the weight limit (which seems to get smaller everyday).  This cost is usually from $15 - 40/bag.
  • How to avoid it: Travel with a carry-on, but also be aware of carry-on weight limits as well. One other option, best for frequent travelers is an annual bag fee program. For $249 a year, you can check an unlimited number of bags on all United flights. So far, no other carriers have come out with a similar program.
• Airline Food: For domestic and some international travel, most airlines are scrapping meals unless you're flying Hawaiian, LAN, Turkish or the like.
  • How to avoid it: Eat beforehand or bring a snack.  Recently I was leaving for a week-long trip, travelling on a 7-hour international flight with only pay-for food service.  Realizing that I couldn't leave much in my fridge, I brought along brie cheese, carrots and bread sticks --a much nicer snack than you could buy on the plane anyway!
• Hotel Resort Fees: Upon check-in, most resort-style hotels now charge a non-negotiable resort fee ranging from $15 - 20/day.  Sometimes this includes parking, a drink and a daily newspaper; worst-case scenario you just pay the fee to use the hotel's facilities...isn't that what your original hotel fee is for?
  • How to avoid it: Paying resort fees is largely unavoidable, however, if you book your travel through hotwire, priceline or the like, hotels are supposed to give the option to decline the resort fee. Also consider booking a condo through vrbo.  Many condos have free parking included.
• Hotel Parking:  It's now rare to find a hotel that doesn't charge an extra fee for parking.  Sometimes they are kind enough to include it in the resort fee, but if you're not staying in a resort-style hotel, then you're likely going to pay between $12 - 25/day to park.
  • How to avoid it: Book a business-oriented city hotel on the weekend.  Most hotels who largely welcome business clientele tend to discount or offer free parking on the weekends to fill rooms when business travellers are at home.  Most motels don't charge for parking.  Otherwise, you could look into other parking options on the street, etc..
• Hotel Internet: With generation Y aging into independent traveling age and expecting included internet, my prediction is that in 10 years hotel internet fees will be a thing of the past...if hotels want to compete.  But in the meantime, hotel internet charges run from $10 - 20/day.  Note that wireless is sometimes included in resort fees.
  • How to avoid it:  Most hotel loyalty programs offer free wireless.  Otherwise, go to a nearby coffee shop, restaurant or mall to pick up a wireless signal. Note that most US cell carriers have very reasonable packages for inter-us calling and data, but Canadian companies are 'behind the 8-ball' on this topic and charge the moment you leave your city.

Approximate Totals (3-day domestic trip) Online Booking ----50 Travel Insurance --6 AirportParking---30 Airline Baggage---30 Airline Food-------15 Hotel Resort Fees-60 Hotel Parking-----45 Hotel Internet----30 Total------------$256 Finally, here's a VERY HELPUL Airline Fee Matrix (bags, food, pets, seat assignment) comparing many major airlines.