First trip to Carribean-Senior Couple
Oct 30th, 2009, 07:42 AM
#42
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Well you can apply for passports right up until the time of departure...so we will see how everyone is doing then get there as fast as possible. Last year when we went to Jamaica last minute and realized my son's passport was almost expired we raced out with our travel documents in hand and got a rush on the passport...so they are quite accomodating in terms of timelines....if you can prove a trip!! HOWEVER!!!!
We no longer have a trip....as you were pointing out Signature has pulled its trips to St.Kitts and we are up a creek...which means inconvenience to us - but to St.Kitts...I CAN NOT IMAGINE!! How much of a negative impact will thsi have on the island...I am so sad for them...and of course very sad for us as you can see I have very positive feelings toward the island the accomodations we secured...
I am sorry for you too to not get the chance to see the island this upcoming January!!
What will you do?
We no longer have a trip....as you were pointing out Signature has pulled its trips to St.Kitts and we are up a creek...which means inconvenience to us - but to St.Kitts...I CAN NOT IMAGINE!! How much of a negative impact will thsi have on the island...I am so sad for them...and of course very sad for us as you can see I have very positive feelings toward the island the accomodations we secured...
I am sorry for you too to not get the chance to see the island this upcoming January!!
What will you do?
Oct 30th, 2009, 10:08 AM
#43
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Caribheart, did you get confirmation of that from Skyservice/Signature?
Will Signature/Sell Off Vacations refund your money?
I am unsure what we will do. One day I was all set to book Skyservice w/ Signature to St. Kitts, the next I noticed they were gone!
We will probably just go to Florida which is certainly no Caribbean holiday especially in February ( It's Feb, not January that we are going). The last week in Feb is when my son has his University break so I think I will go & book that now.
What about you? Have you considered Aruba? Go to www.tug2.net Look under Marketplace for a condo/timeshare.
Air Canada flies direct to Aruba. As mentioned earlier, that's where we went last year.
Will Signature/Sell Off Vacations refund your money?
I am unsure what we will do. One day I was all set to book Skyservice w/ Signature to St. Kitts, the next I noticed they were gone!
We will probably just go to Florida which is certainly no Caribbean holiday especially in February ( It's Feb, not January that we are going). The last week in Feb is when my son has his University break so I think I will go & book that now.
What about you? Have you considered Aruba? Go to www.tug2.net Look under Marketplace for a condo/timeshare.
Air Canada flies direct to Aruba. As mentioned earlier, that's where we went last year.
Oct 30th, 2009, 12:43 PM
#44
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Hi OceanBreeze1 - we did get confirmation from Selloff and signature and an independent travel broker....Signature dumped St.Kitts effective January 9th but this date is negotiable depending on who you speak to.
They are obligated to refund all of our money and we are lucky because unlike I normally do I only put a deposit...so we will get it back with our pay of Insurance....we will also be stretched to use Signature again from this negative experience!!
I know how you feel about being all ready and then one day it is gone...we can't quite believe that we are not going to SKB when that was our plan for months now. Hopefully another year another tour company will offer them again and we can go as we still love the island and the hotel and hope to be there one day - in the meantime we think that the most comparable vacation in terms of great island, hotel and overall cost is likely Grenada at the Flamboyant...so we are going to all get together tonight and see if we agree.
I did look at Aruba as per your advisement and although it looks beautiful...the cost is quite a bit higher than we were paying previously. We really need the financial perks of booking a package....maybe not another year but with the new baby and the financial implications of maternity leave - we are all about the packages....so that is that.
I do adore Grenada and probably spend as much time on this site talking up that island as I do SK and the last time we were there I was pregnant with my first child so maybe this is a wonderful opportunity - but to be honest I can't help but feel really sad about SK - what on earth will this mean for them as they rely so heavily on tourism and I don't think there are any other tour companys going there currently. People will really have to be compelled and financially stable to make the trek there.
I hope you have a wonderful time in Florida - although I understand what you are saying about not being a Caribbean vacation there are many wondeful features of travelling to Florida too....but there is always Grenada if you have not booked FLA yet....Air Canada flies there directly too!!
Keep me updated if you have the time and I hope you enjoy your travels regardless of where you go!
They are obligated to refund all of our money and we are lucky because unlike I normally do I only put a deposit...so we will get it back with our pay of Insurance....we will also be stretched to use Signature again from this negative experience!!
I know how you feel about being all ready and then one day it is gone...we can't quite believe that we are not going to SKB when that was our plan for months now. Hopefully another year another tour company will offer them again and we can go as we still love the island and the hotel and hope to be there one day - in the meantime we think that the most comparable vacation in terms of great island, hotel and overall cost is likely Grenada at the Flamboyant...so we are going to all get together tonight and see if we agree.
I did look at Aruba as per your advisement and although it looks beautiful...the cost is quite a bit higher than we were paying previously. We really need the financial perks of booking a package....maybe not another year but with the new baby and the financial implications of maternity leave - we are all about the packages....so that is that.
I do adore Grenada and probably spend as much time on this site talking up that island as I do SK and the last time we were there I was pregnant with my first child so maybe this is a wonderful opportunity - but to be honest I can't help but feel really sad about SK - what on earth will this mean for them as they rely so heavily on tourism and I don't think there are any other tour companys going there currently. People will really have to be compelled and financially stable to make the trek there.
I hope you have a wonderful time in Florida - although I understand what you are saying about not being a Caribbean vacation there are many wondeful features of travelling to Florida too....but there is always Grenada if you have not booked FLA yet....Air Canada flies there directly too!!
Keep me updated if you have the time and I hope you enjoy your travels regardless of where you go!
Oct 30th, 2009, 05:23 PM
#45
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Caribheart, AC flies direct to Grenada from Toronto? Thanks! I will check it out. Have not booked Florida yet but that is my fall back...Palm Beach.
You strike me as a pragmatist so you will figure out something.
When is your baby due...next week???
You strike me as a pragmatist so you will figure out something.
When is your baby due...next week???
Oct 30th, 2009, 06:44 PM
#46
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Hello Ocean!
Baby is scheduled to arrive November 9....phew!! Things are getting grouchy here!!
You are insightful - we are going to book Grenada via a tour agent this time - but it is an Air Canada package and if you search it through Selloffvacations you will find a better deal than on the Air CAnada site...As Liz pointed out the agents have access to these deals as well so the woman I have spoken to at Flightcenter will give us the booking as per Selloff but with a human being attached to aid us should things go sour again!!!
I hope you get your Caribbean trip too!!
Baby is scheduled to arrive November 9....phew!! Things are getting grouchy here!!
You are insightful - we are going to book Grenada via a tour agent this time - but it is an Air Canada package and if you search it through Selloffvacations you will find a better deal than on the Air CAnada site...As Liz pointed out the agents have access to these deals as well so the woman I have spoken to at Flightcenter will give us the booking as per Selloff but with a human being attached to aid us should things go sour again!!!
I hope you get your Caribbean trip too!!
Oct 31st, 2009, 05:27 AM
#48
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Air Canada Vacations...but not their website as it is marked up on the site.
I checked out selloffvacations.com, searstravel.ca, itravel2000.com and belairtravel.ca all showed the same price for Flamboyant two weeks January - February. Direct Toronto - Grenada....these prices were a bit lower than booking a package on line through Air Canada Vacations but STILL flying with AC.... I am going into Flightcenter today to confirm with a human being the details of this booking as a travel agent I emailed yesterday confirmed all of my research on the internet...but she was smart enough to point out that the early bird special ends today...adding $200.00 per person to the total....so God willing we will be boked to Gnd today. If they can't help me at Flightcenter we will head upstairs in our mall to Sears...but I need a vacation now...hehehehe
I checked out selloffvacations.com, searstravel.ca, itravel2000.com and belairtravel.ca all showed the same price for Flamboyant two weeks January - February. Direct Toronto - Grenada....these prices were a bit lower than booking a package on line through Air Canada Vacations but STILL flying with AC.... I am going into Flightcenter today to confirm with a human being the details of this booking as a travel agent I emailed yesterday confirmed all of my research on the internet...but she was smart enough to point out that the early bird special ends today...adding $200.00 per person to the total....so God willing we will be boked to Gnd today. If they can't help me at Flightcenter we will head upstairs in our mall to Sears...but I need a vacation now...hehehehe
Oct 31st, 2009, 12:13 PM
#50
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We are booked!! We went to Flightcenter and booked in peson with an agent who was really lovely! She provide all the assistance we needed and we feel that should anything go wrong this time we will have better guidance!
How about you OceanBreeze1 - any further developments in your bookings?
How about you OceanBreeze1 - any further developments in your bookings?
Oct 31st, 2009, 06:19 PM
#51
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Caribheart, Wow! You are fast! Good work!
I spent the evening in front of the fireplace as I flipped through CAA travel books & Fodors Caribbean 2010 book between hopping up & down to visit w/ the little ghosts & goblins @ my front door. The little ones are so cute!
Am thinking about St. Maarten (The Westin). Or, Florida.
Have you been to St. Maarten? Pros? Cons?
I spent the evening in front of the fireplace as I flipped through CAA travel books & Fodors Caribbean 2010 book between hopping up & down to visit w/ the little ghosts & goblins @ my front door. The little ones are so cute!
Am thinking about St. Maarten (The Westin). Or, Florida.
Have you been to St. Maarten? Pros? Cons?
Nov 1st, 2009, 05:10 AM
#52
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OceanBreeze1 - the marketing manager at TBR in St.Kitts just sent me some information regarding alternative in flights...to get to St.Kitts they happen to be the last week in February (which is a fit for you correct?) They don't seem to take too long and as you don't have a newborn I thought you might be interested with the one connection....see below.
Sat, Feb 27 US Airways 1961
Depart:
6:20am
Arrive:
8:30am Toronto, Canada (YYZ)
Charlotte, NC (CLT)
1 stop
Economy
2hr 10min
Boeing 737
View seats
Change planes. Time between flights: 3hr 0min
US Airways 1693
Depart:
11:30am
Arrive:
4:31pm Charlotte, NC (CLT)
St Kitts, St. Kitts and Nevis (SKB)
Economy
4hr 1min
Airbus A319
View seats
Total duration: 9hr 11min
Choose this return
If nothing else can you imagine that she took the time to find this information for us? We really can not make this choice this year as I am sure you can understand...but i ws still really impressed with her smart marketing and excellent customer service skills in workign this hard. It often seems customer service is a dying skill. Glad to see it thrives somewhere...especially in this difficult time for St.Kitts!
Sounds like a lovely way to spend Halloween... fire, and dreams of travel!! The little ones are so cute - they still have the magic of all the fun, festivities and holidays!!
I have been to St.Martin but we have not stayed on the Dutch side of St.Maarten.
We have been to St.Martin I think three times over the course of 20 years...two visits to the Grand Case Beach Club and one to L'Hoste on Orient Beach.
Pros -
The Orient beach is long and wide with white sandy beach. (it is a clothing optional beach - is this a pro or a con to you is a personal decision it was neither to us as we do not participate but do not judge others their joy)
Restaurants on the French side were wide in selection and mostly wonderful as they had the true France French flair.
Breakfast at both hotels were great continental but when done with the fresh Caribbean fruit and the French Baguettes and coffee - GREAT!
There was a location that was so special and unique I think called Anse Marcel - a small beach with one or two hotels...but I fear it is no longer a public beach and only has condo's...someone more knowledgeable would have to assist with this point.
The access to other islands from this one - Anguilla which is a totally different island for us as it is quite flat with LONG stretches of pristine white sandy beaches and high high end hotels and restaurants...we just took a Catamaran tour over there - it was short and smooth in ride and a heavenly day spent on a stunning beach. We also took a tour to Saba which is the EXACT opposite...small island with I think one sharp peak sticking out of the Caribbean sea - no real beaches...but incredible hiking and beautiful colourful little towns of old British / Caribbean flavour....little to no exploitation through tourism. You can also reach St.Barths - we did not and do not have any interest as it is an island that was (to my knowledge) never settled except by the French and is mostly a tourist (although very high end) island. But I hear the island is beautiful with stunningn beaches as well.
Cons - the Dutch side is VERY VERY built up in my memory....casino's high rise hotels and abundant restaurants including KFC, Mcdonalds etc...this is great for many people and therefore they get the tourists - it isnt our cup of coffee...
There has been much discussion of growing safety concerns of tourists on the island as there seems to be crime specifically targeting tourists. That is deeply unsettling for us now as with one or two or more children - everything changes. I am sure you understand.
I am a big fan / fanatic of the Caribbean / West Indian culture I prioritize an authentic experience 99% of the time...This last trip to St.Martin I was stunned in our location by how dominant the French culture was and the absence of the West Indian culture. Likely that isnt as much of a problem elsewhere but for us it was shocking - we could have been anywhere some days and evenings!
Phew - that was a lot. I am sorry I can not help you specifically with St.Maarten...I bet the Westin is fantastic...maybe do a quick search of those two terms on this site or Tripadvisor - I found one shocking story of two young women travelling to the Westin one evening in car...but who knows maybe the tales are overblown and really I find it very frustrating when someone beats up on an island as they rely so heavily on our tourism I think we as tourists have to be so careful about the stories we carelessly spread and the long range impact...as an example I love Jamaica and have travelled there twice regardless of the slanderous stories - however, I know many Jamaicans and have some sense of the realities... and just take care.
With that I have found some of the stories of St.Maarten / St. Martin unsettling - see what a terrible thing it can be...?
Let me know what you think!
Sat, Feb 27 US Airways 1961
Depart:
6:20am
Arrive:
8:30am Toronto, Canada (YYZ)
Charlotte, NC (CLT)
1 stop
Economy
2hr 10min
Boeing 737
View seats
Change planes. Time between flights: 3hr 0min
US Airways 1693
Depart:
11:30am
Arrive:
4:31pm Charlotte, NC (CLT)
St Kitts, St. Kitts and Nevis (SKB)
Economy
4hr 1min
Airbus A319
View seats
Total duration: 9hr 11min
Choose this return
If nothing else can you imagine that she took the time to find this information for us? We really can not make this choice this year as I am sure you can understand...but i ws still really impressed with her smart marketing and excellent customer service skills in workign this hard. It often seems customer service is a dying skill. Glad to see it thrives somewhere...especially in this difficult time for St.Kitts!
Sounds like a lovely way to spend Halloween... fire, and dreams of travel!! The little ones are so cute - they still have the magic of all the fun, festivities and holidays!!
I have been to St.Martin but we have not stayed on the Dutch side of St.Maarten.
We have been to St.Martin I think three times over the course of 20 years...two visits to the Grand Case Beach Club and one to L'Hoste on Orient Beach.
Pros -
The Orient beach is long and wide with white sandy beach. (it is a clothing optional beach - is this a pro or a con to you is a personal decision it was neither to us as we do not participate but do not judge others their joy)
Restaurants on the French side were wide in selection and mostly wonderful as they had the true France French flair.
Breakfast at both hotels were great continental but when done with the fresh Caribbean fruit and the French Baguettes and coffee - GREAT!
There was a location that was so special and unique I think called Anse Marcel - a small beach with one or two hotels...but I fear it is no longer a public beach and only has condo's...someone more knowledgeable would have to assist with this point.
The access to other islands from this one - Anguilla which is a totally different island for us as it is quite flat with LONG stretches of pristine white sandy beaches and high high end hotels and restaurants...we just took a Catamaran tour over there - it was short and smooth in ride and a heavenly day spent on a stunning beach. We also took a tour to Saba which is the EXACT opposite...small island with I think one sharp peak sticking out of the Caribbean sea - no real beaches...but incredible hiking and beautiful colourful little towns of old British / Caribbean flavour....little to no exploitation through tourism. You can also reach St.Barths - we did not and do not have any interest as it is an island that was (to my knowledge) never settled except by the French and is mostly a tourist (although very high end) island. But I hear the island is beautiful with stunningn beaches as well.
Cons - the Dutch side is VERY VERY built up in my memory....casino's high rise hotels and abundant restaurants including KFC, Mcdonalds etc...this is great for many people and therefore they get the tourists - it isnt our cup of coffee...
There has been much discussion of growing safety concerns of tourists on the island as there seems to be crime specifically targeting tourists. That is deeply unsettling for us now as with one or two or more children - everything changes. I am sure you understand.
I am a big fan / fanatic of the Caribbean / West Indian culture I prioritize an authentic experience 99% of the time...This last trip to St.Martin I was stunned in our location by how dominant the French culture was and the absence of the West Indian culture. Likely that isnt as much of a problem elsewhere but for us it was shocking - we could have been anywhere some days and evenings!
Phew - that was a lot. I am sorry I can not help you specifically with St.Maarten...I bet the Westin is fantastic...maybe do a quick search of those two terms on this site or Tripadvisor - I found one shocking story of two young women travelling to the Westin one evening in car...but who knows maybe the tales are overblown and really I find it very frustrating when someone beats up on an island as they rely so heavily on our tourism I think we as tourists have to be so careful about the stories we carelessly spread and the long range impact...as an example I love Jamaica and have travelled there twice regardless of the slanderous stories - however, I know many Jamaicans and have some sense of the realities... and just take care.
With that I have found some of the stories of St.Maarten / St. Martin unsettling - see what a terrible thing it can be...?
Let me know what you think!
Nov 1st, 2009, 12:02 PM
#53
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Caribheart, thx for the info. I know what you mean about becoming "unsettled". That happened with me when I heard about the woman from ottawa & her daughter-in-law who were attacked while strolling on a beach in Barbados last winter. The older woman died. I don't feel safe in Mexico, Barbados Jamaica...& now St. Maarten. Pretty soon I will have stay home.
Nov 1st, 2009, 12:13 PM
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No no - you wont have to stay home...there is always Grenada and St.Kitts...hehehe Someone here wisely pointed out to me that you can fly direct to Grenada with Sunwing (however, some merger has happened with Signature - my favorite....no) and the cost is amazingly affordable!!
I do understand what you are saying about BBdos...my best and oldest friend lives there and there are some issues...some wonderful aspects but also some significant challenges that sometimes people end up a part of - I had not heard about that woman and her DIL from ottawa...profoundly sad.
Mexico - sadly no - my husband gets so angry at all the confusing facts surrounding the deaths that we wont be going there either...
Jamaica - sort of like Bbdos I have an inside-ish scoop and a passion for the island and the culture that have me see beyond but I do know many people who are deeply uneasy about the island for travel....
But there is always GND and SKB....I wont ever shhh will I?
I do understand what you are saying about BBdos...my best and oldest friend lives there and there are some issues...some wonderful aspects but also some significant challenges that sometimes people end up a part of - I had not heard about that woman and her DIL from ottawa...profoundly sad.
Mexico - sadly no - my husband gets so angry at all the confusing facts surrounding the deaths that we wont be going there either...
Jamaica - sort of like Bbdos I have an inside-ish scoop and a passion for the island and the culture that have me see beyond but I do know many people who are deeply uneasy about the island for travel....
But there is always GND and SKB....I wont ever shhh will I?
Nov 2nd, 2009, 06:12 PM
#56
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greenie, it certainly was never my intention to "highjack" the OP's thread. The OP appeared to get the responses he was seeking, he thanked everybody & then he moved on. It was only after he had left(Oct 22) that we started chatting. Nevertheless, I do hear what you are saying & in the future, perhaps it is best to start a new thread when we embark upon travels extraneous to a thread.
Oceanbreeze1
Oceanbreeze1
Nov 3rd, 2009, 04:38 AM
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Heavens on earth greenie...that seems a rather intense reaction. Certainly it may seem that we have moved away from a broad interaction including the OP directly however, if you notice most of our posts still have relevant information regarding travel in the Caribbean and islands that are in fact recommended.
I am sorry you are feeling so strongly about this - in future maybe we should keep these conversations to the PM feature - however, much of the information would then no longer be available to the general public who might care...
Peace indeed.
I am sorry you are feeling so strongly about this - in future maybe we should keep these conversations to the PM feature - however, much of the information would then no longer be available to the general public who might care...
Peace indeed.
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