When To Buy Your Airfare

This article may NOT contain the answer you are looking for, but I do hope it clears up some of the confusion and misinformation that is floating out in cyberspace when it comes to the best days and times to buy airfare for your upcoming dream vacation.

First, here is a fact about airfare prices,  they fluctuate on almost a minute by minute basis.  The fluctuation is due to computer algorithms that set prices based on the number of seats still available on a certain flight.  As seats sell, prices change.  Its good ole supply and demand, plain and simple.  There are a lot of detailed articles out there trying to give more detail into why prices are so different for the same flight on any given day, but it all boils down to economics.  If a flight is a popular route, you can count on the fact that prices will reflect it (i.e. supply and demand) and that won't matter if it is on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday etc.

Second, we get asked all the time whether it is cheaper to fly on a Tuesday vs a Friday etc.  The answer still goes back to supply and demand.  It very well may be cheaper because a lot of business travelers leave out on Sundays and Mondays and come back on Fridays or Saturdays.  But keep in mind that airlines know this and the number of flights reflect the busier days and routes which brings up the issue of availability and the number of connections.

Third, what you see when it comes to the published fare may not be the real cost of flight.  For example, you bought a ticket on "ABC Airlines."  Then when you went to choose your seat, the only available seat for the price was a middle seat near the back bathroom.  So you see that the seat is in an awful location but you also see there are other seats that you can upgrade to for the everyday low price of $60.   So you waited until Tuesday to buy that airfare that was $30 lower but ended up paying $60 more for a seat you actually want to sit in.

So with all of this said, here are the factors that should play into your decision of when you want to buy your airfare:

1) How committed are you to the trip?  If your trip dates are set due to vacation schedules and you are set to a certain departure and return date, you should consider buying your airfare as soon as you can. I say that because if your vacation destination is a popular one, the good flights (good times and connections) can sell out while you wait to see if the fare is going to drop $20 to $50.

2) Single vs multiple connection flights.  Let's assume there are no direct flights between where you are and your destination so you will have at least one connection.  You need to weigh the importance of the number of connections as well as the layover time.  Waiting to buy on a certain day of the week and at a certain number of days before your trip can put at risk losing the best connection and layover times. Was it worth the difference in airfare if you now have to stop at 2 different airports before reaching your final destination?  Each connection carries its own risks such as the chance for bags to get lost or issues with weather or airplane equipment.  The money you might save may seem insignificant if you spend the first two days of your vacation in the same clothes you started in.

3) Time of year.  if you are flying to a destination that is popular during a certain time of year (i.e flying to Europe in June or July), the prices will not only change rapidly, but again, flights can literally sell out.  The direct flight you wanted from Chicago to Rome not only could be sold out, but the longer connecting flight may also now cost more because you waited.

Let me summarize by telling you how we consult our clients when it comes to purchasing their airfare.  If we know that the client's dates are set and we know that destination is a popular one for that time of year, we always encourage them to buy as soon as possible with only a few exceptions.  We advise them to consider the single vs multiple connection.  We help them see that taking the last flight out may appear cheaper but it may not be worth it if that flight is canceled and there are no longer anymore options out that night.  We make sure sure our clients see that the cheaper flight may have a layover until the next morning which means there will be an overnight hotel stay which also now adds to the cost.  We make sure our clients know that if it is important that they are seated together, then we need to grab the flights and seats when we can to make sure that happens.

So do you see that waiting to buy airfare on a certain day or picking days of the week that you think will be cheaper may not be the best choice?  Its not a simple answer of "always buy on Tuesday because its cheaper."  Let professionals help you understand the pros and cons of waiting or not waiting.

Is the Grand Floridian Truly "Grand?"

Anytime I am about to write a review that is at all less than 100% positive when it comes to Walt Disney World, I feel the need to announce that I really am a huge fan of Mickey and his pals.  So let's get this straight...I am a believer in the Disney magic, period.

But being a believer in the magic does not always mean that I will cover my eyes or stick my head in the sand when it comes to writing an honest review of one of my stays at a Walt Disney World onsite property.  You can probably already sense where this is headed.  So let's just jump into the cold chilly waters at the deep end of the pool, shall we?

My wife and I enjoyed a long 10 day vacation in Orlando back in September of this year.  The trip was broken up into 3 nights at Universal Orlando's (Loews) Portofino Bay Hotel and 7 nights at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. I will write a separate review again of our stay at the Portofino in the coming days.  We had a WONDERFUL stay at the Portofino.  Because of that wonderful stay, we were thinking about how even more wonderful the last 7 nights of our trip were going to be.  I mean after all, we were headed to the creme de la creme of all of the Disney properties.  The grand daddy so to speak.

The resort is eye-poppingly beautiful as you drive up to the main entrance and step inside the main lobby.  It is one of the resorts that so many like to simply make a stop at so they can go inside and take pictures of the towering lobby and timeless decor.  The service staff is mainly made up of veteran and experienced cast members who know the art of service and especially "Disney" service.  So all started well with our arrival.  Check in went smooth as expected and we were escorted by golf cart to our room's building.  We were in a "garden view" room which meant we had a great view of a small section of Bay Lake and the monorail.  I actually enjoyed sitting out on our balcony sipping my morning coffee watching the monorail go by and hearing the train from the Magic Kingdom fire up it's whistle.  That really was the highlight of the room and that is where the positives of the room begin and end.

We noticed as we entered that the room smelled quite musty.  Frankly it smelled like dirty socks.  We thought maybe it just needed to be aired out but the smell did not improve as the week went on.  You are probably asking, "why didn't you go complain and ask for another room?"  Well for one thing, I hate moving rooms.  It is frankly a hassle.  And for another thing, I figured that if "mousekeeping" can't tell that our room smells like stinky socks, that possibly means a lot of other rooms smell like stinky socks. And the last thing I want to do is move to another room and find out the stinky sock smell is commonplace.  So we decided to stay put and made the best of it as we would return each day to our room and exclaim "home stink home."

The room size was average with other deluxe resorts we have stayed in.  The decor seemed faded which is not a big deal, but coupled with the smell, it just made the room seem like an old hotel room that you might find anywhere.  Mousekeeping did a good job of keeping things cleaned up but we did not observe anything that made us feel like we were at the top of the resort food chain.  We tip mousekeeping every time and it is becoming apparent that all you get from that is what you would get had you not tipped...a clean room, other than your standard Mickey head towel when you first arrive.

So let's throw in some positives before this becomes a totally negative nelly review.  Gasparilla's was great.  We enjoyed our snacks and meals there and had great service each time.  Cast members were friendly and helpful and we liked the food choices considering this is a counter service venue.  We also enjoyed the Grand Floridian Cafe for breakfast.  Food was good and the service was very attentive.  The shopping at the Grand Floridian is also plentiful and our pocket books reflected that when we returned home.  Their general souvenir shops seemed a bit slim compared to other resorts like the Polynesian or even the Pop Century, but overall the shopping options were great.  We did not try any of the other table service venues due to budget constraints so I can't include those in this review.

But I now must press on to the more negative aspects again.  You have to keep in mind that staying at the GF is not easy on a bank account.  You pay a premium to stay at this resort compared even to the other 2 monorail resorts (Polynesian and Contemporary).  The nightly rate is comparable to what you would pay at a Ritz property of even a Waldorf Astoria hotel.  So you go into your stay with a HIGH level of expectation.

So to get to some of the huge negatives that Disney has to address at some point, let's talk resort to park transportation.   To sum it up, it is the worst we have experienced to date.  Keep in mind we have stayed at every level of resort, value to deluxe, and this was the worst bus system by far.  For example, Monday's are usually extra magic morning hour at the Animal Kingdom.  So every trip we take, we plan on heading to the AK on our first Monday.  Our routine is that we usually get up and go eat around 6:45am or so and try to be at the bus stop no later than 7:30 to make sure we are at the park by 8am.  We actually got down to the bus stop by 7:15.  Another family was already there and said that a bus had already come by but it was for Hollywood Studios and they had yet to see one for the AK.  That was a tad odd since HS was not having extra magic hours, but ok.  7:30 came and another bus arrives and to our surprise, it too was heading to HS.  2 buses for HS, 0 for AK and we have 30 mins until rope drop for extra magic morning hour.  The family that had been waiting also had an 8am ADR at the Tusker House and you could tell they were starting to get a little nervous. 7:40 rolls by and you guessed it, another bus for HS and no bus yet for the AK.  A Disney "bus coordinator finally arrived around 7:45 and assured the large antsy crowd that was gathering that a bus was on its way.  7:50...no bus.  7:55...no bus.  Finally at 8am a bus for the AK finally arrives.  So families were late for their ADR's and we missed the first 30 mins of the extra magic hour for the first time out of our previous trips.  I was not happy, others were not happy and to make matters worse, when the bus finally arrives, it had already stopped at the Contemporary and Polynesian.  That's right, the GF is the last stop on the bus route which means you may or may not get to sit down depending on crowd levels.

Well...we made it to the AK and still got to do all we wanted to do, but as we made it back to the GF, my wife and I were talking about the horrific bus system and she was asking me if I was going to complain.  My answer to her was that it would be fruitless to complain to someone at the GF since it is really Mears who needs to get their you know what's chewed off for the terrible bus planning.  As I said that to her, a manager of the resort walked by and overheard and stopped us and wanted to know what had happened.  I explained the situation and told him that when you stay at the GF, you are expecting a lot since you are paying a lot.  I let him know that it will be hard for me to recommend the resort to my clients who like to also spend a lot of time at other parks besides the Magic Kingdom.   And heaven forbid the monorail breaks down (which it did twice during our stay).  It is not a pretty site when guests are trying to cram onto the boats to get to the MK or onto the newly dispatched buses for those trying to get to Epcot. But back to the manager.  He listened and acted very concerned.  He asked if he could do anything for us and we politely said no since we were not complaining to try to get a freebie.  But he insisted on taking our names and room number which then set up a little expectation in our minds.  Long story short...nada.  He did nothing.  It is a bad thing to set up expectations as if you are going to try to do something and then simply do nothing.  No bueno!

Well, to top it all off, we took one of the hot sunny days and decided it needed to be a pool day.  Now this is going to sound knit picky, but we had spent three days at the Portofino which has an awesome pool.  Their pool chairs are wonderful, their pool staff was attentive, the pool towels were large and in abundance.  We thoroughly enjoyed our pool days while at Universal.  So again, picturing that the GF was going to be even better, it turned out to be a tremendous let down.  The pool chairs were not that good (again compared to what you would get at a Ritz or Waldorf) and the towels were the size of hand towels.  We actually giggled when we grabbed their pool towels and realized that it would take like 4 of them to cover your chair and the pool bar cast member came by once and that was it, never saw him again.  Again...no bueno!

Now I know this sounds like a terribly harsh review and I am not happy about having to write it, but it is time for those of us who have been long time supporters of WDW to quit treating it like the a sacred cow.  When they mess up, they need to hear about it and people need to see that not everyone is turning a blind eye to their slips in service and overall experience.  This was the first time that we were ready for the trip to end and that saddens me a bit.  I want to always be able to go and be sad about leaving and I always want my clients to have the extra magical experience as well.  So when I have a less than magical experience at one of their resorts, I want them to know about it so maybe just maybe corrections can be made etc.   My fear is that first time Disney goers are being given an experience that is nothing like what so many of us experience several years ago and that is becoming the new norm.

So to sum it up, poor transportation, bad management follow-through, stinky room and hand towel-sized pool towels makes this a resort that we will not be returning to other than to visit for the day and enjoy one of it's restaurants.  Grand?  Not so much.  I would call it the "Pretty Nice Floridian Resort."

Hawaii Part 3: Which Island(s) Should I Visit?

This really is the #1 question I get asked by travelers who are looking into taking a Hawaiian vacation. It also is the hardest question to answer. Each of the Hawaiian Islands offers a completely different experience so the answer again depends on the type of vacation you are seeking.

If you are a first time visitor, it would be hard for me not to recommend a visit to Oahu. While Oahu is tourist-laden, it has some of the most popular Hawaiian experiences such as a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center, or a trip up to famous Diamond Head. And Oahu has one of the most emotion-evoking, historical monuments that anyone can plan on visiting…The USS Arizona Memorial. So if you are a first-timer, you probably should plan on spending at least a couple of days on Oahu.

If you are seeking a quiet and relaxing Hawaiian getaway, then Oahu and Waikiki may not be the right choice for you. As I stated in my previous post, Waikiki is crowded with LOTS of traffic and visitors, which sometimes is not conducive to relaxation. You may be more interested in visiting Maui, Kauai or the big island of Hawaii where things are a tad more serene and where scenery is the #1 attraction.

If you are on a tight budget, you may want to limit your visit to only one island during your trip so you can avoid the inner-island flights and extra transfer costs. If you are limited by time, then again you probably will want to pick one island and focus your vacation there. Remember, if you are traveling to Hawaii from states in the central or eastern part of the US, then you will be losing at least 2 full days of your vacation in transit to and from Hawaii. So you need to factor in the additional time you will spend in the airport and at the car rental desk when you plan a multiple island vacation.

I just wanted to give you some things to think about when you start planning your Hawaiian vacation. Simply determine the type of vacation you want and then put together a plan that accomplishes that goal. If you love seeing a bunch of sites and experiences, then you may want to mix it up a bit and do a 2-island trip. But if you enjoy the beautiful scenery and seek some quiet beach time, then you will want to choose an island that meets that goal so you have the best vacation possible.

Let me know your thoughts or questions. And as always…thanks for reading.

Hawaii: What You Need To Know (Part 2)

In my previous post, I started a short series devoted to traveling to the State of Hawaii. Hawaii is still one of the most popular destinations for tourists worldwide. As I stated in my previous post, Hawaii can seem like a foreign destination due to its distance from the US mainland as well as the diversity of scenery and culture that it offers.

In part 1, we started discussing some things you need to know as you start the vacation planning process such as the length of the flight and the overall time it takes to get from most major airport hubs (minus those located on the West coast).

In this installment, I want to discuss some of the logistics of getting around once you arrive you on any of the Hawaiian islands. I get this question a lot, “will I need a car in Hawaii?” Well the answer depends entirely on which island(s) you will be visiting. If you plan on visiting Oahu and plan on staying mainly in Honolulu and the Waikiki area, the resounding answer is NO...you will not need a car. The traffic in and around Honolulu is horrid to put it mildly. Driving can be a nightmare and that is not what we are seeking when we are on vacation. You also need to be aware that parking at most of the hotels in Honolulu can get very pricey (over $20 per day). The easiest and least expensive way to get around Honolulu is by public transportation such as shuttle buses or taxis. Most major tourist sites can be accessed by hoping on a shuttle bus near your hotel. So again, if you plan on visiting Honolulu and Waikiki, I would not recommend renting a car.

But if you plan on visiting one of the other islands such as Maui or Kauai, then you will want to consider renting a car. Driving and getting around is much easier and there are a lot of things to see and do that can be quite a distance from the resort and hotel areas. Having a car will give you more freedom to drive around and see some of the sites that are easier seen by yourself than in some form of shuttled tour group. But do keep in mind the cost of parking your vehicle at whatever hotel you decide on and make sure you budget accordingly.

So in conclusion, your decision to rent a car or not should depend solely on which area you will be visiting and staying in. A good travel agent will be able to guide you in the right direction and help you understand the cost differences of the various transportation options. Sometimes the option that seems the cheapest is not always the best.