Dreams or Secrets for Christmas?

Pssssst.... that's just the names of the resorts I'm going to talk about.

Yes, there's a whole chain of resorts called "Dreams" and another called "Secrets." Both are all inclusive, both are 5 star luxury chains, but Secrets is Adult only. I guess what you do there on a vacation will remain your secret.

Both are on-sale right now and have Christmas availability. So, rather than jewelry this year, you might opt to wish her away on vacation.

About $2000 per person, is a great deal on these resorts. And they are direct flights, from Winnipeg.

These ultra all-inclusive resorts are located in Huatulco Mexico.  Offered by Sunwing Vacations you can purchase these packages directly through them (www.sunwing.ca) or from a local reseller like Sell Off Vacations. (8th Street in Brandon, or online)

Don't forget to look them up on Trip Advisor to see that this splurge is right for you.

Speaking of dreams, this would be it for me... to pack up and head to Curacao for a week right now. Any of these resorts would do quite nicely. But for me, the biggest bargain on the list is the 5 star Renaissance at $800 plus tax. (That hotel will typically set you back $1700 or so, per person.) The packages are available through Air Canada and include flights from Winnipeg.

This certainly isn't an apple to apples comparison to the two above. (It's not Christmas and not all-inclusive.) But it would definitely go on my Christmas wish list, if I had such a thing. 

Christmas in Cuba (Dec 20-27)

There are very few Christmas bargains that line up with the school break, but I found one for your consideration.

I've used a search criteria of 2 adults and 2 kids. It's 4.5 star, and all inclusive. Flights are direct, and convenient from Winnipeg. December 20th to 27th, 2015.

I haven't been to Cuba, or this resort, but it certainly does read and review well. (If you're considering it, do your research or ask your own travel agent for more info)

$4300 for a family of 4, all inclusive, over Christmas is an excellent deal. I expect this will be snapped up and full in no time.

If you don't have your own travel agent, feel free to call mine.

Sheri Kines (204) 596-8483
skines@selloffvacations.com

Get it on the grid

Do you like seeing your options?  Let's check out the possibilities for a reggae Christmas with the help of Trip Central. It's a Canadian site with one of the very best searchable realtime databases, IMHO.

Since we all agree, we like 4 star (or better) vacations, I used that as a criteria.

The first screenshot shows all their holiday package destinations.

Then I chose Jamaica. The only city option with All Inclusive offerings was Montego Bay. This second screenshot gives you a basic overview of what it would cost to go in any month of the year. Keep in mind that it's the same hotel, the same flight, the same everything, just the cost is different based on the time of year. (Supply & demand)  

Next choice I made was for December, to plan a reggae Christmas. This screenshot shows the dates available and the lowest cost. 

This final screenshot shows you all the different hotel options and their specific prices. My recommendation would be to look at your budget and the price you are comfortable with, then go to Trip Advisor and read recent reviews for that particular hotel. You may read that it is perfect and meets your expectations, or you may read that it's not your kind of place at all.  

Vacations are very personal. Each person will have their own set of expectations, interests, and family circumstances. And, at least, I have found that at different times in my life, and depending on who I am travelling with, I want very different things. 

My golden rule, is never let price be your ONLY deciding factor.

**Note, I have actually been to Jamaica this year. So if you have detailed questions definitely ask!

Fast Five Travel Tips: Lousy gifts for travellers

Do you love an explorer? Does he or she live for the open road? Well here are a few gifts I think you ought to steer clear from.

5 Lousy gifts:

1. Tickets to the symphony. Whoa.... Are you saying travellers don't like the symphony?  Ok, tickets in general. I'm just saying you should not shell out big money for tickets or anything that is date specific, because you never know when they'll be hitting the road for their next travel fix. How about a hand-written coupon from you with an offer to go out to the symphony, Oilers' game, Emerson Drive concert or the like, when it is convenient for them?

2. Knick knacks and table ornaments. You don't want to weigh down that free spirit. Maybe a wall map or a custom wall canvas made from one of their own photos instead?

3. Cooking lessons. Don't sign them up for any class that requires weekly attendance. We can learn the lessons of regional cuisine while we travel. In fact, we prefer it that way. What about a gourmet gift basket of treats that reminds them of a favourite destination?

4. A big sweater. Do you know how much they weight and how hard they are to pack? Boo! A quick dry, light and versatile zip-up is a much better choice. 

5. Luggage. Unless your favourite traveller is 18 and moving away from home, luggage is a lousy choice. It's too personal. If I'm going to drag something around the world and back, I'm going to want to choose it myself. A gift card is a better choice. 

Psssst... Christmas in California?

Celebrate an early Christmas with your little one, at Disneyland California! They work their Disney Magic in the park each November and turn it into a glorious Christmas celebration. Young and old alike will be enchanted by the characters' Christmas parade! Nothing gets you in the spirit, like an early Christmas at Disney.

And the real bonus..... the park is quiet. Oh, so quiet. Early Christmas avoids all the crowds, and your flight and hotel are half the price too!

Your shuttle from the airport to the Disney area hotels is separate, but very easy to book and will cost about $60. 

If you have Air Miles, you can pick up your park passes this way. It's one of my best tips. Disney park passes are a pricy treat, and never really discounted by much. Trading Air Miles for passes is an excellent use of miles in my opinion.

Disneyland California is perfect for a 3 day adventure. The park(s) are much smaller than in Florida, and are located together, so to me, it's one large park, even though they are "technically" divided into the main theme park plus "California Adventure."

2 Hours Too Late

You have probably already heard about the glitch in Delta Airlines' booking system that happened on the morning of Boxing Day. But if you haven't, it's worth the read. It's a travel junkie's dream come true. It's like winning the lotto.  (Search "Delta Glitch" and you will find lots to read.)

#Deltaglitch also became its own trending hashtag pretty quickly.

Some people booked first class tickets to Hawaii for $86 round trip, all fees included. Other domestic fares reported as low as $20.

It seems that for 2 hours prices on an incredible number of routes were accidentally reduced to mere pennies on the dollar. By the time I heard about it, there were only traces left, but no deals. You could search and find the deals (like through Expedia.com) but once you selected to purchase, the updated prices were revealed. Delta took the drastic step of taking their own website offline in order to fix the error.

Look at these screen shots form my Expedia search. It's enough to make you salivate, isn't it?

Such programming errors have happened before with other airlines. With precedent set, Delta really had no choice but to honour all the fares booked at these rock bottom prices.  In the days to come, some may argue that it was a brilliant and well timed (Boxing Day) marketing ploy, but I would argue that simply would be some clever after-thought marketing to cover up what was likely just a "little" human error.

Regardless, Delta just bought a whole bunch of publicity (with the error), and a whole bunch of good will (by honouring purchased fares).

I would also bet big money that Delta.com will see their web traffic counts skyrocket at bargain hunters troll the site into the foreseeable future looking for any deal that resemble the Great Delta Glitch of Christmas 2013.

See the price Delta was offering, as compared
to what you would consider a normal price.

Look at the bottom corner for the price change!
Ah, what could have been!!!

Expedia just taunting us with what could have been! 

2 Weeks in Maui

Take advantage of this Air Canada deal through Expedia.ca and you will be home in time for Christmas! Here's a sample: Be sure to check the nights included. They range from 4-14.

I spied the best value, in my opinion, from December 9-23rd, staying at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel and taking Air Canada flights from YWG. It's a 2 week package, inclusive of taxes, flights and hotel.  It might be just what you need! Reviews are excellent! I've been to Maui, though I stayed at the Maui Coast Hotel.

Weather is always good in Maui. It's a non-topic. Don't even joke about the weather at breakfast... You'll just get a puzzled look from the waitstaff. Seriously, nobody talks about the forecast. No one has even heard of windchill values. LOL

Relax, enjoy the sand and surf and you'll be on Aloha time. Your best December ever!

One week will cost about $1350. So you may as well ante up the extra $400 and stay the extra week in paradise. You can do your Christmas shopping at Duty Free on the way home! Perfume for everyone!

Is Cruise Just a Song Title Now?

Have cruises fallen out of favour? Has the Carnival Cruise line done enough damage to the industry in 2013 that travellers are steering clear?

With prices sinking like the Costa Concordia, is there any hope for an industry plagued by bad press?

Look at these vacation prices and tell me.... would you go?  Would you consider cruising a gamble now?  Or is it a risk you are willing to take?

Prices current as of August 4, 2013 sourced at the itravel2000.com website.