Don’t Be An On-Board Revenue Generator

Gene Sloan of USA Today’s Cruise Log blog points out an interesting remark by Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein in an earnings call Wednesday.

Questioned about passenger spending on the cruise line’s new mega-giganta-ship, Oasis of the Seas, Goldstein said the ship “has proven to be an even stronger onboard revenue generator than we had foreseen.” Passengers are not only paying premium rates to sail on this massive ship, they are spending quite merrily on extras when aboard.

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Free Embassy Tours In D.C.

The embassies of nations from around the world will offer free tours, cultural programs, entertainment and refreshments in Washington on the first two Saturdays in May. (Thanks to Arthur Frommer for the heads up.)

On May 1, embassies from Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas will participate in the Around the World Embassy Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can hear live didgeridoo music at the Embassy of Australia, for example, or learn to prepare African cuisine at the Embassy of the Republic of Botswana.

On May 8 it’s the European Union’s turn. Embassies of its member nations will host the European Union Embassies’ Open House Day. Try some port wine at the Embassy of Portugal or listen to Hungarian folk music at the Embassy of Hungary.

And it’s all available at my favorite price — free.

Flying To Nearby Cities To Save On Airfare

I was just looking at the Deal Finder page on FareCompare and I noticed that the lowest airfare from Bradley to Seattle was listed at $346 while the lowest fare to Vancouver was $690.

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Four-Night Caribbean Cruise, $213

At least a couple of online travel agencies are offering four-night Caribbean cruises on Carnival’s Imagination for $159, plus taxes and fees for a total of $213  per person, double occupancy.  That’s $53 per day, not the lowest rate I’ve ever seen but pretty close.

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Spirit Introduces Non-Reclining Seats

Could Spirit Airlines have accidentally done something right? For the wrong reasons, of course.

Spirit has introduced new aircraft with seats that don’t recline, a cost-saving measure because the seats are lighter and easier to maintain. (Remember, this is the airline that brought us $45 fees for carry-on bags.)

Surprisingly enough, I like the idea. I think reclining airline seats cause more trouble than they’re worth. My very first blog post three years ago was a rant on this subject, which I called “the recline of civilization.” And I haven’t changed my mind.

I’m still not going to fly Spirit. I just hope, for once, that its idea catches on.

Airfares Continue Rising

Airfares are heading back up, according to the Wall Street Journal’s Travel Watch, with summer fares to Europe now 29 percent higher than they were last summer.

The airlines have been itching to raise fares for years, but have been stymied by two factors. First, they were undercut by the industry’s super-competitive pressures. Even when they began losing money at an alarming rate, airlines continued to undercut each other on price in an attempt to grab market share. Then, as the recession deepened, they could not cut capacity fast enough to match the drop in demand.

As the economy recovers and demand grows, the remaining Big Five domestic airlines and Southwest could keep waging fare wars against each other. They could try to expand their routes, pursuing the battle for market share or moving to cripple a wounded competitor. Instead, they’re talking mergers. At this point, they just haven’t got much in the way of reserves to fight with, and that includes the relatively healthy Southwest Airlines.

As Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said in an earnings call Thursday: “… until we’re comfortable that we’re getting our profit targets it makes no sense to grow the fleet.”

An Old Favorite Departs My Price Range

About 20 years ago I paid about $1.50 to get into the Balneario Tabacón hot springs in La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica. Today, daily admission costs $85.

And today I got an email announcing that in celebration of being designated the best international spa in the Luxist Reader’s Choice awards, the Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort is offering three-night spa packages for $1,487 per person, double occupancy. Ayurvedic meals are included.

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Travelzoo Stockpiles Travel Deals

When you confront the question of where to travel for an outrageously cheap vacation, Travelzoo may have the answer.

Travelzoo specializes in travel deals the way Overstock specializes in remaindered merchandise. Every day the site adds new bargains: reduced hotel rates, last-minute cruises, airfare sales and discounted vacation packages.

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JetBlue To Start Hartford Flights In November

JetBlue will begin nonstop flights Nov. 17 between Bradley International Airport and two destinations in Florida: Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.

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Coach Class Speaks

I’ll be speaking this Thursday, April 22, 2010, at the Burlington (Connecticut) Public Library about the best websites for bargain travel.

The session begins at 7 p.m. It’s free, and I’m told there will be refreshments. I’m aiming to share a load of practical tips on how to save money on travel, and to answer as many questions as time permits.

The library asks that you register here, or by calling 860-673-3331.

The librarians also ask that you not treat this as a drinking game where you knock back a shot every time I say something bad about Spirit Airlines. Apparently this would violate several library regulations.