Paula's Journey to Alaska

Our first day of this dream vacation is coming to an end as we unwind here in our beautiful room at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront.

We began the day with an hour delay in Winnipeg due to the intense lightning storm that blew through the city at 5 am this morning.  Our flight was smooth once we did get off the ground and the amazingly friendly and very witty flight crew on board Westjet 307 made our two and a half hour flight a pleasant one.  We arrived in Vancouver, retrieved our luggage and had enough time to grab a quick Bacon'n'egger and Decaf Caramel Machiato before boarding the Quick Shuttle headed for Seattle Washington. I was unsure whether this was the best way to get here but the motorcoach was very comfortable and not having to fight the holiday traffic in the Seattle area was a blessing.  We also breezed through customs in about half the time it would have taken had we driven ourselves.

The Marriott Waterfront is a lovely hotel, directly across from Pier 66 (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Norwegian all cruise from  here) and about one block from the famous Pikes Place Market.  We spent a couple of hours wandering through this open air market taking in all the wondeful handmade artifacts being sold here.  The fresh cut flowers were amazing and so inexpensive. We stopped in at Kells Irish Pub for a delicious meal, traditional shepherds pie and a freshly baked apple tart, made with Washington Apples, and fresh whipped cream.  I was able to work off this big meal walking up and down some of the steepest hills I've come across.

  We are looking forward to an early start in the morning and hope to get another good walk in (to Starbucks!) before we head to Pier 91 (Holland America and Princess use this one) to board our ship, HAL's Rotterdam, for our 7 day Alaskan Cruise.

Stay tuned for more on my journey to Alaska.

What’s new with WESTJET……..

• Summer Brochure is out…Come see us at the corner or Donald and Wardlaw, Monday through Saturday.

• $200.00 Summer Early Booking Bonus on all 7 night summer vacation packages through WestJet Vacations, please ask us for full details and rules.

• 24 hour Careantee….Book any WestJet Airlines or WestJet Vacations package and cancel for a full refund, no questions asked when booked and cancelled within 24 hours.

• NEW Aircraft….5 new 737-800 series aircrafts have been gracing the runways around Canada. These new aircraft are larger; holding 166 new leather, ergonomically designed seats offering an additional 2 inches of legroom and a larger TV screen. Try one out today….get flying.

• Las Vegas DIRECT from Winnipeg, 2 days a week. Did you know WestJet Vacations is the # 1 Tour Operator into Las Vegas from Canada…..now there’s a little food for thought. Fuzzy dice anyone……I’m feeling lucky!

• Book on line any of your Westjet Vacation packages at http://www.renaissancetravel.ca/ or by calling 204-942-5000 or toll free 1-800-859-6354 or email us at info@renaissancetravel.ca
Safe Journeys Everyone!

Laura's Journey to Costa Rica

Just a quick note to say Hi! Made it to Costa Rica just fine although it was a bit of a long day of travel.


The resort, Riu Guanacaste, is really quite lovely despite being large. I don´t really like big resorts but this one is nice. There are not a lot of people here either which is also kind of great. The fringe benefit of travelling in off season. The staff are really good and you don´t have to wait for anything, which can be good or bad depending on how many drinks they are serving you!

It is super hot here. And quite windy. I highly recommend sunscreen that is not of the spray variety because it seems to end up everywhere but on the places you want it, which is why I have a bit of a sunburn on my back right now. The ocean is really nice, big waves. The volcanic sand is really hot so you have to do a bit of a sprint or you will burn the feet.

I took a long walk on the beach today and actually saw a little family of baby turtles, some were not alive but I think that there were a few that were okay. My first turtle sighting!

We are off to do a boat tour of Palo Verde tomorrow and I hope that we will see a few animals, birds, etc. On Wednesday we are going to Nicaragua.

Quebec City with Ron and Rae

Arriving in Quebec City, I think it's 1608!


We arrived at the airport about 1pm yesterday.

We were driven downtown by one of the conference organizers of SKAL, an International hospitality organization I belong to. He acted as our tour guide giving us the lay of the land and recommending places to visit beyond the city one we have seen the sights here.

As we drive up to the Chateau Frontenac, perched on a hillside overlooking the St Lawrence River, I am struck by the power of the structure and its sense of history in this even older historic city.

It's still present history in buildings and landscape have had it designated an United Nations Heritage City.

This truly is an amazing hotel, modern but overflowing with the memories of days gone by where the rich and famous, as they still do, flooded this city.

An hour later, after we have a chance to unpack a bit and freshen up, we are sitting in an outdoor patio of a traditional restaurant. Because it is a late lunch we don't go crazy with French cuisine.

My wife Rae has a simple Caesar salad, but I cannot come to Quebec without having a smoked meat sandwich.

Believe me you can buy smoked meat sandwiches around the world, but I guarantee you they don't taste as good as those created in this province.

We have a free day today so we have rented a car to head out to the Island of Orleans and beyond.

Tonight we will dine French style...and I will report on our discovery.

Good Hotel Deals Are Out There Again

I received a question about hotel prices in Canada given that fact Canada has not seen the hoped for upswing in US visitors as a result of a still stagnant economy.

In doing my research I found the results of a study undertaken by hotels.ca.

According to them, the average hotel room rate fell by eight per cent last year.

Called the Hotel Price Index, the study clearly spoke to the fact corporate travellers have not yet returned to the travel patterns of previous years.

The highest average prices in the country were in Quebec City and Halifax, not seen as major corporate destinations. Toronto, traditionally an extremely strong market serving corporate meetings and conferences, showed an average room rate of only $135, eighth on their list.

Likewise, other primarily tourist destinations like Lake Louise and Mont Tremblant were the most expensive.

This may bode well for the tourist industry this year, which has benefited from Canadians being willing to take vacations in their own country even as U.S. and overseas visitations were down.

There is some speculation hotel prices will go up this year. There may be optimism at the present time and, as long as forward bookings hold, new higher prices will stay. But should occupancy levels not meet expectations, the usual price war that comes in periods of tough economies will likely surface full-blown again.

Ron's Mediterranean Cruise... in Niagara Falls

Yes it would have been a cruise to remember.

Departing from Venice, our port stops included Dubrovnik, Pula, Olympia, Korfu, and Sicily, just to name a few. Yes I am sorry we got grounded by the volcanic ash like thousands of others, stuck in Toronto for the weekend. But, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

My wife had never been to either the Falls or Niagara on the Lake, so she really looked forward to the trip with a lot of anticipation.

At first it looked like rain might ruin the day, like rising and falling ash had ruined our bigger journey.

But as we drove, the drops became fewer, and by the time we reached Niagara Falls they had completely stopped.

It was not a warm day, but we were able to totally enjoy ourselves, enthralled in the majesty of a scene that has brought millions of tourists to Canada over the years.

It is still a honeymoon capital of the world.

   We wound our way on the quieter backroads to Niagara on the Lake, passing vineyards and fruit orchards, whose blossoms would only tease us as they waited for the warmer weather to create the day Ontarians call Blossom Sunday.

As we enter Niagara on the Lake, my wife really does get excited about the heritage nature of the buildings, and the sense of calm and serenity they seem to communicate.

We walk up and down the main street for several hours. We enjoy lunch and an ice cream, even though it really was too cold to enjoy walking around with the frozen cone.

We buy a few items (well perhaps more than a few) in the shops and work our way back to the QEW highway by driving along Lakeshore Road, a scenic but emotional drive for me having lived there for a period of time in my early 20's

I have been lucky!

I have travelled through many parts of this great country called Canada. And while I would have preferred to have been in Europe this time, I am pleased for the discovery my wife made, as we opened the doors to another wonderful piece of this exceptional nation.

Like always, whenever I go to a place, whether I have been there before or not, I always wonder when I will be back. And hope I can fulfill the promise to myself that I will return.

Ron's Mediterranean Cruise.... not

Grounded Down and Struck Out by Ash in the Sky...


4 Peaks and Valleys in Emotions from a Volcano Ruined Vacation!


Thousands of Canadians over the past few days have been stranded on one side of the Atlantic or the other as European airports closed and remained so for days.

I was one of those passengers, looking forward to a Mediterranean cruise on the Silversea Silver Wind out of Venice scheduled to sail on Tuesday April 19.

As a travel agent I have seen and helped dozens of people stranded by weather delays, most often caused by blizzards or wind storms.

Today I now have a much greater appreciation for what our clients have felt as they looked for means, any means, to get them to their destinations as close as possible to the initial scheduled times.


1. Excitement

It was to be an exceptional vacation; the first time my sister and brother-in-law, and my wife and I would have an extended holiday together. We planned our excursions, excited about the options in which we all shared an interest.

Before we boarded our cruise ship we would have had a day in Venice to experience the canals, the art, and the lifestyle of this water-bound city.

Before the trip, our wives shopped together to find the outfits that would be stunning during the formal nights.

It was going to be an exceptional journey, and the enthusiasm mounted with each conversation.


2. Disbelief

As I am shaving early Thursday, before we head the airport to catch our Winnipeg-Toronto flight which will connect us to our overseas flights, I hear the first report about the eruption in Iceland. The story does report that there is volcanic ash spewing into the air, but Iceland, I conclude, is a long way from Frankfurt.

Two hours later we land in Toronto and make our way to the departure lounge. As we walk I note from the departure monitors that some flights bound for Europe are going to be delayed, but not ours.

It’s really Heathrow flights that are most affected and we are certain that we will still be able to take off, even if the flight should end up being delayed somewhat.

Television broadcasts are starting to awake us to a different reality.

Exactly 3 hours before our scheduled departure time the word is official. The flight is cancelled, we will be put up in a hotel for one night, and we should call the 800 reservations number of Air Canada to rebook.


3. Hope

We are not that worried because of the one day buffer we had built into our plans, appreciating now how lucky we were to have done that. Venice can wait until the end of the journey.

The phone lines to Air Canada are backed up with callers on hold. Each wait on the line is longer than the one before, until my last call takes over an hour to be answered. The call centre staff were exceptional, using their best training to communicate empathy and understanding.
“We will try to reroute you through Rome or Zurich, because those airports are still open”. Almost as the AC agent speaks both of those airports are shut down.

Two days later we know that, not only will be not make cruise embarkation, but we will not even be able to join it enroute.

Even though we were preparing ourselves for this eventuality, the disappointment is crushing.


4. Resignation

Air Canada puts us on the next available flight back to Winnipeg. I have been on hold for approximately 8 hours over the past three days. I am now ready to go back home.

We walk into the empty house feeling happy we will not be cooped up for yet another night in a hotel room not of our choosing. Air Canada put us up for one night and we didn’t move because of the mistaken belief our layover would be a short one.

At home we get together with our would-be travelling companions, my sister and brother-in-law, for a commiseration dinner.

We drink a lot and cry in our wine, so to speak.

And as the evening progresses more and more of the conversation leads to rescheduling our original or a similar itinerary as soon as possible.

France Flight Update

CDG & 23 Other French Airports Closing Due to Volcanic Ash Cloud


Airports in northern France including Charles de Gaulle are closing in stages this afternoon and evening due to the spreading cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland volcanic eruption. Major transatlantic and European flight disruptions are expected to continue through Friday. Air Transat has advised that flights between Canada and the U.K. and France are delayed until further notice. At this time, flights bound for Italy are expected to depart on schedule.

 
...courtesy of OpenJaw
 

Volacano Causes Continent Wide Delays

As you've likely heard, an Icelandic volcano released an ash cloud high into the atmosphere last night. The cloud is floating across Europe and more than a dozen airports have shut down flights since engines and ash don't mix (KLM flight in '89).

Our own Ron Pradinuk, on his way to catch a cruise in Venice, is stuck in Pearson, waiting to find out if his flight tonight to Frankfurt is a go or no go.

Beyond the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of travellers affected by this, the issues in Iceland have been somewhat overlooked.

The section below comes courtesy of a Yahoo news story.

By Jill Lawless,Robert Barr, The Associated Press
In Iceland, hundreds of people have fled rising floodwaters since the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH'-plah-yer-kuh-duhl) glacier erupted Wednesday for the second time in less than a month. As water gushed down the mountainside, rivers rose up to 10 feet (3 metres) by Wednesday night, slicing the island nation's main road in half.


The volcano still spewed ash and steam Thursday, but the floods had subsided. Some ash was falling on uninhabited areas, but most was being blown by westerly winds toward northern Europe, including Britain, about 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometres) away.

"It is likely that the production of ash will continue at a comparable level for some days or weeks. But where it disrupts travel, that depends on the weather," said Einar Kjartansson, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office. "It depends how the wind carries the ash."

The ash cloud did not disrupt operations at Iceland's Keflavik airport or caused problems in the capital of Reykjavik, but has affected the southeastern part of the island, said meteorologist Thorsteinn Jonsson. In one area, visibility was reduced to 150 metres (yards) Thursday, he said, and farmers were advised to keep livestock indoors to protect them from eating the abrasive ash.

Cuba Insurance

INFORMATION FOR TRAVELLERS TO CUBA

The Government of Cuba decided last February 16, that all travelers, foreign and Cubans living abroad, coming to the island from May 1, 2010 and thereafter shall take out a medical insurance policy.

To meet such requirement, travelers shall have a travel insurance which covers medical expenses or a policy for medical expenses with coverage in Cuba.

The insurance policy should be bought at the country of departure. Travelers, who, exceptionally, do not have insurance at arrival, could obtain insurance and assistance from Cuban insurance companies at the airport, port or marina.

Travel insurance from Cuban insurance companies and most international insurance companies receive travel assistance services in Cuba from Asistur S.A, available 24 hours all year round.

Experience shows that over 80% of visitors to Cuba have insurance coverage, from companies at their countries of origin covering their medical expenses in Cuba.

Travelers that upon the arrival are subject to control, shall present a policy, insurance certificate or travelling assistance card valid for the time span they will stay in Cuba.

Visitors to Cuba will not only find the natural beauty of the island and the proverbial hospitality of its people, but also absolute safety, which includes, of course, welfare and health. In case of any medical emergency, the Cuban health system guarantees the necessary medical care through a network of clinics and hospitals, covering every corner of the island. Primary health care is provided in most of the hotels.

For more information when planning your trip to Cuba please, visit our web site or any Cuba embassy or consulate next to you, or any Cuban Tourism Office.

Likewise, you can visit (http://www.cubatravel.cu/) or Asistur insurance company at (http://www.asistur.cu/).



We have also provided, below, a letter from RBC Insurance.



UPDATE: Medical Insurance Imposed for Travellers to Cuba


As you know, the Cuban government recently advised that beginning May 1, 2010, visitors entering Cuba will be required to buy health insurance.

At this time, Cuba does not have a published list of recognized insurance providers, nor do we have confirmation that a list will be provided. The latest information from Cuba indicates that travellers coming to the island should take out travel medical insurance at the home country of departure. Upon demand after their arrival, travellers shall present an insurance policy, insurance certificate or travelling assistance card valid for travel medical insurance for their total duration of stay in Cuba. Please be sure that your clients travel with their Confirmation of Coverage document and that they have it available upon their arrival in Cuba. This document identifies their effective date of coverage and departure date, the insurance product purchased and displays Assured Assistance Inc. as the emergency medical provider.

Now more than ever, the RBC Insurance® travel medical coverage is critical to ensuring your clients can travel with confidence.

RBC Insurance has extensive experience in working with Asistur, the Cuban government’s assistance agency, to assist and settle claims for your valued clients travelling to Cuba.

Should we receive further details, we will provide you with an additional update.

Thank you.

Simon Gilmartin
National VP, Group & Travel Sales
RBC Insurance Company of Canada