Disney Raises Prices Past the $90 Mark, So Your Summer Vacation to the Mouse Will Cost More Cheddar
Posted on 06/03/2013, 6:00 PM
The Mouse has roared again. Each year it raises prices on us, and it did it again. A one-day, one-park ticket to its Magic Kingdom park now costs $6 more, or $95, and kids (which in Orlandoland are only children until age 9) cost $89. Interestingly, it is not hiking its other three Florida parks to the same level. They will be $90 adults/$84 kids. Disneyland broke the $90 wall, too. That's no...
Would You Believe That Bangkok Has Edged Out London as the World's Most Popular City?
Posted on 06/02/2013, 9:30 PM
Here's an assertion that will cause most observers (including myself) to rub their eyes in wonder. According to the prestigious Global Insights Index, Thailand's Bangkok now receives more yearly visitors, more airline passenger arrivals, than London, and thus enjoys the title of "world's most popular city". At first glance, I for one can't imagine how that can be. For one thing, ...
In the Battle of the Golf Booking Sites EZLinks and GolfNow, Golfers Score As the Winners
Posted on 05/31/2013, 9:30 AM
In April, the golf booking website EZLinks.com, founded in 1995, got a new CEO. He came over from Redbox, the DVD rental jukebox that took over seemingly every grocery store lobby in town. His objective is war. He wants to make EZLinks the dominant player in the online golf reservations game. Think of his site as an OpenTable, which match-makes customers with reservation times. There are othe...
From Frommer's Forums: A Website That Compares the Value of Pre-Paid SIM Card Plans Worldwide
Posted on 05/30/2013, 10:00 AM
Frommer's community member Drobert360 posted about a little-known tool for international travelers that could potentially save them hundreds on phone charges. The website is http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com, and country by country, it lists the major available SIM card providers that provide data plans (for Android, iPhone, and iPad) and the ins and outs of each one's plans. Being a wiki, it's ...
It Now Seems More Probable Than Ever That Some of Those "User-Generated" Reviews Were Written by Hotel Executives, Lauding their Own Properties and Condemning Their Competitors
Posted on 05/29/2013, 11:45 AM
A news item richocheting around the Internet tells of a top p.r. executive of Accor Hotels (world's largest hotel chain) who has admitted to writing 100 fake reviews for submission to TripAdvisor, praising his own hotels and castigating his competitors. The news was revealed by a British p.r. firms called KwikChex, which has set for itself the task of defending hotels and hotel chains aga...
Add this Website to Your Vacation Planning Bookmarks: Hotel Coupons.com Can Halve the Going Rates
Posted on 05/29/2013, 9:45 AM
Think about the times you have been on a road trip and you pulled over for a quick meal at a chain restaurant. You know those piles of free booklets piled by the door of seemingly every Denny's, Waffle House, or Perkins (and thousands of other places) in America? Don't ignore them. Pick one up. One of the biggest titles is published nationwide by HotelCoupons.com, and its "Green Guide" newsp...
Add this Website to Your Vacation Planning Bookmarks: Hotel Coupons.com Can Halve the Going Rates
Posted on 05/29/2013, 9:45 AM
Think about the times you have been on a road trip and you pulled over for a quick meal at a chain restaurant. You know those piles of free booklets piled by the door of seemingly every Denny's, Waffle House, or Perkins (and thousands of other places) in America? Don't ignore them. Pick one up. One of the biggest titles is published nationwide by HotelCoupons.com, and its "Green Guide" newsp...
For Summer Road Trips, a Smartphone App That Avoids Traffic and Finds the Cheapest Gas
Posted on 05/28/2013, 11:15 AM
Last week, at the Webby Awards, which is like the Oscars for online ventures, an interesting travel app took home the "Best Connected" prize. Here's what it can do: If you leave it running while you drive, it uses data from everyone else who also has it open and it determines the fastest route to your destination. So if there's an accident between you and your goal, when it finds out, it re-r...
Viking River Cruises Are Moving Into Ocean Cruising--And With a Different Approach That May Cause the Other Lines to Mend Their Ways
Posted on 05/27/2013, 2:00 PM
In an interview which we conducted yesterday on the Travel Show (wor710.com) with the marketing vice-president of Viking River Cruises, we learned about plans they have to correct one of the most controversial policies of the longer-established ocean-cruising companies. A great many travel pros were surprised by last week's announcement of Viking River Cruises that it is building a ...
In Sharp Contrast to Other European Travel Products, Mediterranean Cruises Are Slow to Sell This Summer, Opening Up All Sorts of Opportunities for You
Posted on 05/25/2013, 4:15 PM
"Carnival Cruises is pulling out of the Mediterranean". That was the surprising headline of several days ago, indicating that the world's largest cruise line is facing tough sledding in selling cabins on its cruises of the storied Mediterranean. Though the pull-out willl not occur until the spring and summer of 2014, the fact that Carnival is already acknowledging defeat is a big item of...
