Officially booked and the countdown is ON!!! (Lessons learned so far)
Dec 17th, 2007, 08:38 AM
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Officially booked and the countdown is ON!!! (Lessons learned so far)
So, we have put down our deposits and our dream trip to Africa is officially a "go"!!
281 days to go!!!!!
I've been meaning to post to share some of the lessons we've learned so far, but life gets in the way sometimes and haven't had much time.
But, finally, here goes:
We decided to go with Eastern & Southern Safaris for our Kenya and Tanzania portion after reading many positive reviews, coupled with the fact that we felt like they gave us the best value for our money and were able to accommodate our wishes for itinerary and all lodgings.
They were also very responsive, friendly and answered all my questions promptly and thoroughly. Thanks to Ivy for all her help.
For our Rwanda portion (one gorilla trek) we booked with R&N Xplorer. Nyagah has been extremely helpful, reassuring and has met my every expectation so far!
When I first started working on booking this trip, I had many questions about frequent flier miles, and got lots of help here. Thanks to all for their excellent advice (Patti, for sure).
We've secured business class tickets as such:
-Delta - BOS-JFK (will be flying E190s next fall which do have first class)
-Delta - JFK-AMS
-KLM - AMS-JRO
-Kenya Airways - NBO-LHR
-Delta - LHR-JFK
-Delta - JFK-BOS
Here are just a few things I learned about booking frequent flier mile seats with Skyteam Partners:
I always called right at midnight 331 days out and found that Delta always had seats released, but KLM almost never did. The only luck we had with KLM was into or out of JRO. Trying to get seats on KLM into or out of NBO, there were never seats released. Even days or weeks after the 331 day mark, KLM still had not released any.
Bottom line, KLM seemed very stingy with their release of seats. Keep in mind that we were only searching for business class. I'm not sure if KLM opened up seats in coach.
I also found Air France to be the same stinginess-wise.
Kenya Airways was very good about releasing their seats.
For some reason I was trying really hard to get seats with KLM, assuming they would have the best types of seats and service, but since have read that Kenya Airways might actually offer a better, more comfortable experience. Now that's it's all said and done, we're glad we got the flight back on Kenya instead of KLM. And obviously, we'll have a mix of 3 different airlines. It'l be interesting to see how that all pans out.
Patti and sevendown, can't wait to hear your experiences as I know you'll both be leaving soon!
The other BIG lesson I learned was about those darned wire transfers.
I know lots of people worry a lot at first when they find out that a wire transfer is the only means of sending their tour operator their deposit.
We, too had this worry. But our fears were allayed after reading so many posts here from people who have done so with no problems.
It also helps to know that you are booking with reputable companies that have had many positive reviews here, too.
So, with a bit of trepidation, but trying to feel reassured, off went our money.
Then came the problems.
We used our credit union since they've always been really helpful with all our banking needs. They charged what turned out to be a reasonable fee of $35 compared to other banks we looked into. However, we realized quickly that the most important part of choosing which bank to use to send your wire is previous experience.
Our credit union did not have a lot of experience with foreign wire transfers, which they admitted to us right off the bat. This should have been our red flag moment, but who were we to know that it's not a cut and dried process.
Well, what should have taken only a few days (to maybe 5 at the most) took 3 weeks!
3 weeks of worrying, 3 weeks of thinking the worst, 3 weeks of back and forth between the credit union, Barclay's Bank, and our tour operators, desperately hoping each day that we'd finally hear from them that they got our deposit.
Turns out that the lack of experience on the part of our credit union was the sole cause of the problem. Apparently a third party wire transfer, which is what we had (credit union to Barclay's New York, then to Barclays in Africa) requires specific information entered into specific boxes on certain forms. Our credit union entered this information wrong. It was as simple as that, but created havoc.
It was Barclay's New York that figured out the problem and took all necessary steps to rectify the situation (kudos to them).
Anyway, our big lesson learned here was to use a bank that's experienced with these types of transfers. ASK them if they do many of them...if not, try somewhere else.
Barclay's NY did try to assure me throughout all of this that the money was not lost, and that it would eventually get sorted out. But the time difference meant each inquiry took at least a day or two to get addressed and you can imagine that each day that goes by and you don't know where the thousands of dollars you just sent are, is a bit nerve wracking.
But, the story ends well, as we did finally get the confirmation from both tour companies.
And it wasn't until then that I felt like the countdown could officially begin!
So, here we are, 281 days out and here is our itinerary:
Sep 23 - Dept US
Sep 24 - Arrive JRO Arusha - Kibo Palace
Sep 25 - Drive to Tarangire - Kikoti Tented Camp
Sep 26 - Tarangire - Kikoti Tented Camp
Sep 27 - Drive to Ngorongoro - Ngorongoro Serena
Sep 28 - Ngorongoro Serena
Sep 29 - Fly JRO-KGL - Gorilla's Nest
Sep 30 - Gorilla trek - Gorilla's Nest
Oct 1 - KGL city tour, fly KGL-NBO - Fairview
Oct 2 - Transfer to Wilson airport, fly to Samburu - Samburu Serena
Oct 3 - Samburu Serena
Oct 4 - Fly Samburu-Mara - Mara Serena
Oct 5 - Mara Serena
Oct 6 - Mara Serena
Oct 7 - Mara Serena
Oct 8 - Fly Mara-NBO - Depart for US at 11:50pm
We really tried to fit in 2 gorilla treks, but budget dictated that we keep it to only one
And the last day is a bit rushed as we won't have any free time in NBO, but otherwise, we think this is a really good fit for us and are so excited!!!
So, it feels like the hardest part is done, except for the waiting, of course
A really huge thanks to all who have helped so far! This forum is a life saver!
Happy, safe travels,
>- Lisa
281 days to go!!!!!
I've been meaning to post to share some of the lessons we've learned so far, but life gets in the way sometimes and haven't had much time.
But, finally, here goes:
We decided to go with Eastern & Southern Safaris for our Kenya and Tanzania portion after reading many positive reviews, coupled with the fact that we felt like they gave us the best value for our money and were able to accommodate our wishes for itinerary and all lodgings.
They were also very responsive, friendly and answered all my questions promptly and thoroughly. Thanks to Ivy for all her help.
For our Rwanda portion (one gorilla trek) we booked with R&N Xplorer. Nyagah has been extremely helpful, reassuring and has met my every expectation so far!
When I first started working on booking this trip, I had many questions about frequent flier miles, and got lots of help here. Thanks to all for their excellent advice (Patti, for sure).
We've secured business class tickets as such:
-Delta - BOS-JFK (will be flying E190s next fall which do have first class)
-Delta - JFK-AMS
-KLM - AMS-JRO
-Kenya Airways - NBO-LHR
-Delta - LHR-JFK
-Delta - JFK-BOS
Here are just a few things I learned about booking frequent flier mile seats with Skyteam Partners:
I always called right at midnight 331 days out and found that Delta always had seats released, but KLM almost never did. The only luck we had with KLM was into or out of JRO. Trying to get seats on KLM into or out of NBO, there were never seats released. Even days or weeks after the 331 day mark, KLM still had not released any.
Bottom line, KLM seemed very stingy with their release of seats. Keep in mind that we were only searching for business class. I'm not sure if KLM opened up seats in coach.
I also found Air France to be the same stinginess-wise.
Kenya Airways was very good about releasing their seats.
For some reason I was trying really hard to get seats with KLM, assuming they would have the best types of seats and service, but since have read that Kenya Airways might actually offer a better, more comfortable experience. Now that's it's all said and done, we're glad we got the flight back on Kenya instead of KLM. And obviously, we'll have a mix of 3 different airlines. It'l be interesting to see how that all pans out.
Patti and sevendown, can't wait to hear your experiences as I know you'll both be leaving soon!
The other BIG lesson I learned was about those darned wire transfers.
I know lots of people worry a lot at first when they find out that a wire transfer is the only means of sending their tour operator their deposit.
We, too had this worry. But our fears were allayed after reading so many posts here from people who have done so with no problems.
It also helps to know that you are booking with reputable companies that have had many positive reviews here, too.
So, with a bit of trepidation, but trying to feel reassured, off went our money.
Then came the problems.
We used our credit union since they've always been really helpful with all our banking needs. They charged what turned out to be a reasonable fee of $35 compared to other banks we looked into. However, we realized quickly that the most important part of choosing which bank to use to send your wire is previous experience.
Our credit union did not have a lot of experience with foreign wire transfers, which they admitted to us right off the bat. This should have been our red flag moment, but who were we to know that it's not a cut and dried process.
Well, what should have taken only a few days (to maybe 5 at the most) took 3 weeks!
3 weeks of worrying, 3 weeks of thinking the worst, 3 weeks of back and forth between the credit union, Barclay's Bank, and our tour operators, desperately hoping each day that we'd finally hear from them that they got our deposit.
Turns out that the lack of experience on the part of our credit union was the sole cause of the problem. Apparently a third party wire transfer, which is what we had (credit union to Barclay's New York, then to Barclays in Africa) requires specific information entered into specific boxes on certain forms. Our credit union entered this information wrong. It was as simple as that, but created havoc.
It was Barclay's New York that figured out the problem and took all necessary steps to rectify the situation (kudos to them).
Anyway, our big lesson learned here was to use a bank that's experienced with these types of transfers. ASK them if they do many of them...if not, try somewhere else.
Barclay's NY did try to assure me throughout all of this that the money was not lost, and that it would eventually get sorted out. But the time difference meant each inquiry took at least a day or two to get addressed and you can imagine that each day that goes by and you don't know where the thousands of dollars you just sent are, is a bit nerve wracking.
But, the story ends well, as we did finally get the confirmation from both tour companies.
And it wasn't until then that I felt like the countdown could officially begin!
So, here we are, 281 days out and here is our itinerary:
Sep 23 - Dept US
Sep 24 - Arrive JRO Arusha - Kibo Palace
Sep 25 - Drive to Tarangire - Kikoti Tented Camp
Sep 26 - Tarangire - Kikoti Tented Camp
Sep 27 - Drive to Ngorongoro - Ngorongoro Serena
Sep 28 - Ngorongoro Serena
Sep 29 - Fly JRO-KGL - Gorilla's Nest
Sep 30 - Gorilla trek - Gorilla's Nest
Oct 1 - KGL city tour, fly KGL-NBO - Fairview
Oct 2 - Transfer to Wilson airport, fly to Samburu - Samburu Serena
Oct 3 - Samburu Serena
Oct 4 - Fly Samburu-Mara - Mara Serena
Oct 5 - Mara Serena
Oct 6 - Mara Serena
Oct 7 - Mara Serena
Oct 8 - Fly Mara-NBO - Depart for US at 11:50pm
We really tried to fit in 2 gorilla treks, but budget dictated that we keep it to only one
And the last day is a bit rushed as we won't have any free time in NBO, but otherwise, we think this is a really good fit for us and are so excited!!!
So, it feels like the hardest part is done, except for the waiting, of course
A really huge thanks to all who have helped so far! This forum is a life saver!
Happy, safe travels,
>- Lisa
Dec 17th, 2007, 09:01 AM
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Lookin' good.
On the last day, with a departing flight at 11:50pm, you have time for
- lunch
- sightseeing: Blixen, Giraffe Center
- shopping: Kazuri Beads, Utamaduni or Collector's Den
- if you preadopt a baby ellee, visit Sheldrick Orphanage at 5pm to meet the chubbie and handlers
- dinner
- transfer to airport
Of course, you can arrange a day-room at Fairview (or other), but with a full afternoon into evening, you may not.
I'm sure E&S can arrange the above for you. Or, there's always Kennedy.
On the last day, with a departing flight at 11:50pm, you have time for
- lunch
- sightseeing: Blixen, Giraffe Center
- shopping: Kazuri Beads, Utamaduni or Collector's Den
- if you preadopt a baby ellee, visit Sheldrick Orphanage at 5pm to meet the chubbie and handlers
- dinner
- transfer to airport
Of course, you can arrange a day-room at Fairview (or other), but with a full afternoon into evening, you may not.
I'm sure E&S can arrange the above for you. Or, there's always Kennedy.
Dec 17th, 2007, 09:15 AM
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Congrats, Lisa! Your itinerary looks like so much fun -- and you'll be going the same time of year that we did, which was a really terrific time in the Mara.
If you want to add on activities for your last day in Nairobi, just ask E&S. We arranged our visit to Sheldrick's and the giraffe center through them, with our regular driver/guide, and it was no problem. We thought they did a wonderful job with the Kenya part of our safari, so it's nice to see them getting more business via this forum.
That's a good tip about asking your bank first whether they have experience with wire transfers. We attempted to do ours through the Wells Fargo branch near our house, but it turned into a Keystone Cops routine with three guys trying to figure it out, so we stopped the whole process. We ended up going to a different WF branch where someone actually knew what they were doing. Hopefully you will save someone else the stress and worry by pointing out that not all banks are as well equipped to handle wire transfers.
Enjoy the countdown process! This part is fun, too.
If you want to add on activities for your last day in Nairobi, just ask E&S. We arranged our visit to Sheldrick's and the giraffe center through them, with our regular driver/guide, and it was no problem. We thought they did a wonderful job with the Kenya part of our safari, so it's nice to see them getting more business via this forum.
That's a good tip about asking your bank first whether they have experience with wire transfers. We attempted to do ours through the Wells Fargo branch near our house, but it turned into a Keystone Cops routine with three guys trying to figure it out, so we stopped the whole process. We ended up going to a different WF branch where someone actually knew what they were doing. Hopefully you will save someone else the stress and worry by pointing out that not all banks are as well equipped to handle wire transfers.
Enjoy the countdown process! This part is fun, too.
Dec 17th, 2007, 10:21 AM
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Lisa,
Congratulations!!! I just computed the months you have to wait before you leave - wow! But they'll fly by because you'll keep busy reading this forum, collecting stuff for your trip, making detailed plans, etc.
We booked our trip with a 6 month wait and now we're at less than 3 mos. to go. Wheeee! The time has flown by - so much so that I'm starting to get a little panicky about some of the stuff we have yet to do
Enjoy the prospect!
-doo (Judith)
Congratulations!!! I just computed the months you have to wait before you leave - wow! But they'll fly by because you'll keep busy reading this forum, collecting stuff for your trip, making detailed plans, etc.
We booked our trip with a 6 month wait and now we're at less than 3 mos. to go. Wheeee! The time has flown by - so much so that I'm starting to get a little panicky about some of the stuff we have yet to do
Enjoy the prospect!
-doo (Judith)
Dec 17th, 2007, 11:01 AM
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Congrats on securing your return air and getting everything booked, Lisa! I'd been wondering how you made out.
Speaking of wire transfers, I've been using WAMU for the past year because they offer it as a free service and have experienced really mixed results. They don't offer online transfers so I have to go into the branch. I've tried 2 different branches on different occasions and their reps' familiarity with sending wires is <i>highly</i> variable. This past Saturday, I went in and the rep couldn't even figure out how to do it at all! So I've switched back to Citibank where for $30, I can do it myself online in 5 minutes. It's <i>so</i> worth the $30!
Speaking of wire transfers, I've been using WAMU for the past year because they offer it as a free service and have experienced really mixed results. They don't offer online transfers so I have to go into the branch. I've tried 2 different branches on different occasions and their reps' familiarity with sending wires is <i>highly</i> variable. This past Saturday, I went in and the rep couldn't even figure out how to do it at all! So I've switched back to Citibank where for $30, I can do it myself online in 5 minutes. It's <i>so</i> worth the $30!
Dec 17th, 2007, 05:10 PM
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Thanks for the feedback.
Sandi and MyDogKyle, the reason I say we won't have any free time in Nairobi is because this is how the itinerary looks on that last day:
"Day 15/October 8: Nairobi
Another morning game drive in Maasai Mara followed by lunch at the lodge. Later transfer to the airstrip for your scheduled flight to Nairobi arriving 17:15hrs. Met on arrival by our representative and transfer to the airport for you homebound flight. End of our services.
Meal Plan: {B, L}"
I guess we could skip that last game drive and take an earlier flight.
I'm assuming that this could be an easy change if we really wanted to do it, but I haven't asked them about it.
Something more to think about.
doohickey...YAY for you!! I know what you mean...I'm sure towards the end, time will really start to fly by as final arrangements are being made.
Have a great trip!
Patty, helps to hear that we're not the only ones that have to deal with this type of thing.
But now that we know, I think we'll be better prepared when it's time to send the final payments.
Regarding the Citibank idea, do you have to have an account with them or can you transfer funds from a different bank and just use them for the wire transfer?
Sandi and MyDogKyle, the reason I say we won't have any free time in Nairobi is because this is how the itinerary looks on that last day:
"Day 15/October 8: Nairobi
Another morning game drive in Maasai Mara followed by lunch at the lodge. Later transfer to the airstrip for your scheduled flight to Nairobi arriving 17:15hrs. Met on arrival by our representative and transfer to the airport for you homebound flight. End of our services.
Meal Plan: {B, L}"
I guess we could skip that last game drive and take an earlier flight.
I'm assuming that this could be an easy change if we really wanted to do it, but I haven't asked them about it.
Something more to think about.
doohickey...YAY for you!! I know what you mean...I'm sure towards the end, time will really start to fly by as final arrangements are being made.
Have a great trip!
Patty, helps to hear that we're not the only ones that have to deal with this type of thing.
But now that we know, I think we'll be better prepared when it's time to send the final payments.
Regarding the Citibank idea, do you have to have an account with them or can you transfer funds from a different bank and just use them for the wire transfer?
Dec 17th, 2007, 06:38 PM
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Lisa, congrats and WOOHOO!!! on booking your trip. That's just about how long I had to wait from initial plan to departure. Now, 18 days to go until departure. 
The wait is agonizing, but it really did go pretty fast. The good part is there's 9 months of something fantastic to look forward to. The bad part of actually leaving for the trip is that then the countdown starts for the trip to end. boohoo
Hope your 9 months goes quickly and smoothly.
Shane
The wait is agonizing, but it really did go pretty fast. The good part is there's 9 months of something fantastic to look forward to. The bad part of actually leaving for the trip is that then the countdown starts for the trip to end. boohoo Hope your 9 months goes quickly and smoothly.
Shane
Dec 18th, 2007, 07:25 AM
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CONGRATULATIONS on getting everything finalised! I finalised my trip a couple of months back and it felt great!
I didn't really want to do a wire transfer either - there's no consumer protection on that form of payment so I'd rather have paid by credit card. Regardless, I do trust my safari planner and the local operators so went ahead with wire transfer.
My local bank did it for me. I spoke to them a couple of days in advance to find out fees etc and they told me that they took a £16 fee and that the intermediary bank would take $15 US. They said if I needed to ensure an exact amount reached my recipient to just let them know when I called back to make the transfer. Which I did. But the transfer ended up $13 short! I called back and it turns out that BOTH the person I spoke to when getting my advance quote and the person who put through the actual transfer were using old reference manuals that give their fee as £16 when it should be £25 hence my transfer had gone through short when the higher actual fee was taken out. To their credit they agreed to refund the whole fee and I'll make up the $13 in the final payment rather than wasting fees transferring another $13!
I didn't really want to do a wire transfer either - there's no consumer protection on that form of payment so I'd rather have paid by credit card. Regardless, I do trust my safari planner and the local operators so went ahead with wire transfer.
My local bank did it for me. I spoke to them a couple of days in advance to find out fees etc and they told me that they took a £16 fee and that the intermediary bank would take $15 US. They said if I needed to ensure an exact amount reached my recipient to just let them know when I called back to make the transfer. Which I did. But the transfer ended up $13 short! I called back and it turns out that BOTH the person I spoke to when getting my advance quote and the person who put through the actual transfer were using old reference manuals that give their fee as £16 when it should be £25 hence my transfer had gone through short when the higher actual fee was taken out. To their credit they agreed to refund the whole fee and I'll make up the $13 in the final payment rather than wasting fees transferring another $13!
Dec 19th, 2007, 09:25 AM
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Thanks Kavey!
The wires do seem to cause lots of us alot of stress.
That's why I wanted to let people know that I think the best way to make sure it goes smoothly is to make sure you ASK them how experienced they are with them.
I guess it's possible they may tell you they are even if they're not, but hopefully you'll get an honest response.
Glad things ended up turning out alright for you.
>-
The wires do seem to cause lots of us alot of stress.
That's why I wanted to let people know that I think the best way to make sure it goes smoothly is to make sure you ASK them how experienced they are with them.
I guess it's possible they may tell you they are even if they're not, but hopefully you'll get an honest response.
Glad things ended up turning out alright for you.
>-
Dec 19th, 2007, 01:14 PM
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Dear Luv2 - I have 30 years of experience in banking operations, processing many internatioal wires for my clients. The US is so far behind in the wire transfer process. Our international clients are amazed that SWIFT is not commonly used. Most countries in Europe use the SWIFT system, this expedites the funds transfer greatly. Yes you are correct in using a large US bank such as BofA, Wamu or Wells Fargo. I am very surprised that WF messed up. When processing international wires always ask if your financial institution is online direct with the Fed and who their international corresponding bank is. Skip the small branches and go to the main office where they will have a larger volume and more experienced staff. I would never use a Credit Union for anything international even the ATM or credit cards. I have heard so many bad experiences from clients switching to our bank.
Enjoy your trip, we just booked our dream trip Tanzania two week safari for next Sept.
Enjoy your trip, we just booked our dream trip Tanzania two week safari for next Sept.
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