Posted by David Porter on June 24, 2017 · Leave a Comment
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Delta Airlines Now Offering One Suite and Delta Premium Select
For those of you who have been reading our website for any length of time, you know that I (David) refuse to fly long distances in the cattle-car section of any modern airliner.
I’ll put up with it for shorter flights around the U.S., but for those longer flights? Nope. Not gonna do it. Wouldn’t be prudent. 😀
Therefore, when we fly overseas, we’re forking out fairly good sums of money to fly on the newer lie-flat business class seats.
However, the first time we did it, I had to chuckle. When I got up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, the business-class section of the airplane looked like a huge slumber party. There were arms and legs bestrewn over some parts of the aisle, some folks were snoring, there was the occasional foul smell permeating the cabin, and I think I even saw a little drool here and there. YIKES!
Thankfully, to make all of this just a little more comfortable and civil, Delta Airlines has just announced new lie-flat suites. These new suites will not only give you more privacy as you slumber, but it will also keep everyone’s private sleeping habits confined behind a new closed sliding door.
Yay, Delta Airlines. Next time I fly across the pond, I’m going to see if we can enjoy these new cabin suites.
Want to know more? Here’s the press release from Delta Airlines:
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Delta began selling its Delta One suites and Delta Premium Select fare on June 17. The new Delta Premium Select cabin and the Delta One suite product enhancement will debut on Delta’s first Airbus A350, due to enter service in fall 2017 with its first flight taking place on Oct. 30, 2017, from Detroit (DTW) to Narita (NRT). Delta will be the first U.S. airline to take delivery of the A350, which provides better fuel efficiency and customer-friendly features designed to improve the flying experience.
In addition to the DTW-NRT flight, Delta Premium Select will be sold on select flights from DTW to Incheon (ICN) for flights scheduled Nov. 16, 2017, and beyond, as well as on select flights from DTW to Beijing (PEK) for flights scheduled Jan. 17, 2018, and beyond.
These enhancements are part of the airline’s multi-billion dollar investment in the customer experience that includes a cabin modernization program featuring new seats, seatback entertainment systems with free entertainment, high-capacity overhead bins, access to Wi-Fi on nearly all flights, free Main Cabin meals on select flights, upgraded free Main Cabin snacks, chef-curated meals in Delta One, a seasonal wine program, an Alessi-designed collection of serviceware in Delta One and First Class, and more.
Delta has also made significant investments in the customer experience on the ground, in addition to plans to add nearly 250 new aircraft to its fleet in coming years. These include new Delta Sky Club locations in Denver, Atlanta, and Seattle; Club renovations in Nashville, Dallas, Newark, and Minneapolis-St. Paul; airport enhancement programs in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York and Salt Lake City; and the testing and implementation of an enhanced boarding process in Atlanta.
Designed with an emphasis on exceptional customer comfort and privacy, the Delta One suite will offer each customer a private space accessed by a sliding door with thoughtfully designed personal stowage areas, an advanced in-flight entertainment system and premium trim and finishes to create an unparalleled business class experience with a comfortable, residential feel.
In addition to the existing Delta One service and full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access that have been part of the Delta offering for over eight years, the Delta One suite will feature
- A full-height door at every suite
- Sliding privacy dividers between center suites
- In-suite, customizable ambient lighting
- Dedicated stowage compartments for shoes, headphones and laptops
- Contemporary design featuring premium trim and finishes
- Memory foam-enhanced comfort cushion
- An 18-inch, high resolution in-flight entertainment monitor, among the largest in its class
- A universal power outlet and high-powered USB port at every seat
Delta One service also includes the features Delta customers have grown to expect, such as chef-curated meals, wine pairings by Delta’s Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, Westin Heavenly In-Flight Bedding, noise-canceling LSTN headphones, TUMI amenity kits featuring Kiehl’s Since 1851 premium skincare, and in-flight loungewear on select flights.
Delta Premium Select will feature:
- More personal space with up to 38 inches of pitch, up to 19 inches of width and up to seven inches of recline. Delta Premium Select seats will also offer adjustable leg rests and head rests
- Westin Heavenly In-Flight Blanket and pillow; TUMI amenity kit featuring Malin+Goetz Travel Essentials; noise-canceling LSTN headphones
- Pre-departure beverage service followed by fresh, seasonal menu selections presented with Alessi serviceware designed exclusively for Delta
- An up to 13.3-inch, high resolution in-flight entertainment screen that is among the largest in its class, allowing customers to stay entertained with Delta Studio’s industry-leading library of complimentary movies, shows and games, and noise-cancelling headphones
- In-seat power ports for large and small devices and convenient storage to keep them within reach
- Sky Priority service, which includes faster check-in, accelerated security, premium boarding and expedited baggage service.
In 2014, Delta began introducing differentiated experiences for customers through a well-defined range of options, allowing customers to tailor travel to their specific needs. All cabin experiences offer a high level of service and Delta’s unmatched operational reliability.
The long-range Airbus A350 will continue Delta’s optimization of its Pacific network, operating primarily on long-range routes between the U.S. and Asia. The jets are expected to generate a 20 percent improvement in operating cost per seat compared to the Boeing 747-400 aircraft they will replace.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on June 24, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Ready to book that dream cruise, tour, or resort? Be sure to know the terms and conditions of cancellation.
OK. You just booked that travel experience that you’ve been dreaming about for years. Congratulations!
But, do you know the terms and conditions in the unlikely event that you need to cancel the trip in the future?
What could be more frustrating than having to cancel a trip that you’ve been dreaming about for years? Well, having to cancel your trip and having to pay a large cancellation fee.
And what’s worse, depending on when you cancel, the cancellation penalty could well be 100% of your travel investment.
Know Your Travel Cancellation Policy Before Booking
Whenever you make a travel booking, besides simply looking at the price tag, you should also scroll to the bottom of the quote to fully understand the terms and conditions. And, this is especially true when it comes to the travel provider’s cancellation policy.
If you’re booking a cruise or land tour, there will be a sliding scale cancellation policy that puts your travel investment more and more at risk as you near the date of departure. And ofttimes, when you reach the 90-day window, your investment is 100% at risk if you must cancel.
With hotels and resorts, the cancellation window is much shorter. Here, you’re likely to find a 100% cancellation penalty if you cancel a day or two before your check-in. However, there’s a growing trend to move these dates forward, and you will also find that trendy resorts in busy destinations will have a much stricter policy.
So, rather than being upset later, go in with your eye wide open and clearly understand your travel provider’s cancellation policy.
Lastly, because life is full of uncertainty, we highly recommend that you protect your travel investment with travel insurance.
I know. I know. All of this negative talk is absolutely no fun. You’re dreaming of sipping wine in a sidewalk cafe on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and I’m poking a hole in your daydream. However, if you are forced to cancel your dream vacation, you’ll thank me later.
OK, now back to your daydream! 🙂
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on June 16, 2017 · Leave a Comment
President Trump spoke today in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Florida today to announce his widely speculated changes to the former administration’s policies on Cuba and travel.
The travel industry was concerned in particular as many cruise lines have made considerable investments to make Havanna, Cuba a stop on their Caribbean itineraries.
So. What has changed? Let’s look at the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) FAQ for a few answers:
What is individual people-to-people travel, and how does the President’s announcement impact this travel authorization?
Individual people-to-people travel is educational travel that: (i) does not involve academic study pursuant to a degree program; and (ii) does not take place under the auspices of an organization that is subject to U.S. jurisdiction that sponsors such exchanges to promote people-to-people contact. The President instructed Treasury to issue regulations that will end individual people-to-people travel. The announced changes do not take effect until the new regulations are issued.
Will group people-to-people travel still be authorized?
Yes. Group people-to-people travel is educational travel not involving academic study pursuant to a degree program that takes place under the auspices of an organization that is subject to U.S. jurisdiction that sponsors such exchanges to promote people-to-people contact. Travelers utilizing this travel authorization must maintain a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities that are intended to enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities, and that will result in meaningful interaction between the traveler and individuals in Cuba. An employee, consultant, or agent of the group must accompany each group to ensure that each traveler maintains a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities.
How do the changes announced by the President on June 16, 2017, affect individual people-to-people travelers who have already begun making their travel arrangements (such as purchasing flights, hotels, or rental cars)?
The announced changes do not take effect until OFAC issues new regulations. Provided that the traveler has already completed at least one travel-related transaction (such as purchasing a flight or reserving accommodation) prior to the President’s announcement on June 16, 2017, all additional travel-related transactions for that trip, whether the trip occurs before or after OFAC’s new regulations are issued, would also be authorized, provided the travel-related transactions are consistent with OFAC’s regulations as of June 16, 2017.
Does the new policy affect how persons subject to U.S jurisdiction may purchase airline tickets for authorized travel to Cuba?
No. The new policy will not change how persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction traveling to Cuba pursuant to the 12 categories of authorized travel may purchase their airline tickets.
Is authorized travel by cruise ship or passenger vessel to Cuba impacted by the new Cuba policy?
Persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction will still be able to engage in authorized travel to Cuba by cruise ship or passenger vessel.
While I’m certain that we’ll hear more about all of this over the coming weeks, for now, if you’ve got something booked, you’re good as the announced changes do not take effect until the new regulations are issued. And, if you’re considering booking Cuba in the future, be certain that you understand these new restrictions completely.
To read more of the FAQ on President Trump’s Cuba Announcement, go here: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_20170616.pdf
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on June 16, 2017 · Leave a Comment
With ISIS grabbing international headlines from their isolated terrorist attacks from time to time, some U.S. travelers begin to wonder about their travel investments if an event strikes at their intended destination. And, if so, would travel insurance protect them.
Well, the not so simple answer is, maybe.
When our travel agency clients are headed on a journey that we’ve booked for them, we always provide them with a travel insurance quote. There are many reasons to consider the purchase of travel insurance, but for this conversation, let’s limit our discussion to terrorism coverage.
One of the companies that we have in our travel insurance collection is a company called TravelEx and one of their most popular policies is called Travel Select. So, let’s take a peek at their coverages for terrorism.
The first thing they do in their policy is to define a Terrorist Act as it relates to their policy:
“Terrorist Act means an act of violence, other than civil disorder or riot, (that is not an act of war, declared or undeclared) that results in loss of life or major damage to property, by any person acting alone or on behalf of or in connection with any organization which is generally recognized as having the intent to overthrow or influence the control of any government.”
OK. Now that we know how this particular travel insurance policy defines a terrorist act, what is covered if one occurs? The information below is found under their Trip Cancellation and Interruption Covered Reasons:
“a Terrorist Act which occurs in your departure city or in a city which is a scheduled destination for your Covered Trip provided the Terrorist Act occurs within 30 days of the Scheduled Departure Date for your Covered Trip or during your Covered Trip;”
In our conversations with a few travel insurance companies when researching for this article, some also declared that a terrorist act is not a terrorist act unless the U.S. Department of State declares it so. So, if this is a concern of yours, it’s a good idea to read the policy carefully and ask questions if it is not clear to you.
Now. Let’s take a peek at a real-life situation with the recent car attack in London. As this was clearly defined as a terrorist attack, if you had purchased this policy and were planning to travel to London within 30-days of this cowardly act, you could file a claim and be covered. Further, the policy describes coverage if an event happens during your covered trip.
Lastly, it is unlikely that you will break your leg when you travel overseas. And further, statisticians tell us that it is significantly less likely that you will suffer a terrorist event when you’re traveling. Nonetheless, travel insurance is here to provide us all coverage when the greatest of unlikely events do occur.
Moral of our story? Always buy travel insurance and protect yourselves and your investment. Carol and I always buy travel insurance when we’re traveling overseas.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on June 16, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Virtuoso Travel Advisors Reveal Their Top Destinations and Best Insider Tips for Seamless Summer Vacations
As part of the Virtuoso Travel Agency Network, Roaming Boomers Travel has hundreds and hundreds of folks heading all over the world this summer, with a large percentage of them headed to Europe for river cruises.
Back a few weeks ago, Virtuoso sent us all a flash survey with a few questions about our favorite 2017 summer destinations, our favorite close-to-home destinations, and our best travel tips for traveling during what is certain to be a hectic summer travel season.
And now, drumroll please, here are the results of the survey just issued in this recent press release.
NEW YORK (June 14, 2017) – A new survey by international luxury travel agency network Virtuoso® unveiled this summer’s must-visit recommendations from professional travel advisors as well as insider tips on how to successfully manage trips during the busy season.
Carol and I enjoying a German beer in Heidelberg.
Respondents to the newest Virtuoso Flash Survey revealed their favorite worldwide destinations for the summer of 2017. The love for Europe endures, and it factors prominently on the list due to interest in cultural trips. This summer is the ideal time to venture to the continent due to the low Euro, and experience:
- A river cruise down the Danube where tucked-away villages and historic highlights converge in countries such as Hungary, Austria, and Germany
- Portugal, a less crowded and more affordable option than other Western European destinations
- Iceland, an emerging destination popular for its adventure and family travel opportunities
- Peru’s Andean Explorer, the new luxury train
- Ottawa, Canada’s capital, to celebrate the country’s 150th birthday
- The Galapagos Islands, especially for trips with kids
Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan
For those planning on staying closer to home, Virtuoso’s expert advisors also shared their picks for best U.S. destinations this summer:
- National parks, especially in the West: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion and Bryce Canyon. Reservations may be difficult this close in, so contact a travel advisor to plan now.
- Ski destinations such as Park City, Utah or Aspen, which feature great deals on accommodations during the off-season
- A beach vacation: Hawaii is ideal year-round
- Northern Michigan for its scenic parks and lakes, as well as resort communities such as Mackinac Island
- The Bluegrass region of Kentucky, to take in its famed horses, scenic drives, and heritage sites
- Maine, with its beaches, recreational opportunities, and quaint towns
As well, Virtuoso advisors also revealed their best secrets for traveling successfully during the busy summer season:
- Plan ahead to secure the best airfares and avoid squeezing in a last-minute trip during August before school starts, as this is the busiest time. In fact, it is not too early to start thinking about summer 2018 travel.
- Stay in the least expensive room in the best hotel, and enjoy the enhanced service, amenities and overall experience at a better price point
- Allow a minimum of two hours between connecting flights. The extra layover time may help you make your plane if summer storms wreak havoc on airline schedules.
- Seek off-the-beaten-path destinations for better value and fewer crowds
- Arrive at the airport a minimum of an hour before boarding, not an hour before departure. This is a newer rule and should be heeded during the busy summer season.
- Splurge on a hotel that is closer to the sights and activities you have planned. It will save you precious time and travel costs.
- Book economy seats, but use miles to upgrade to business class
- Arrive at your hotel at check-in time (3:00 pm). You will have more options available then to change your room than later in the day after more guests have arrived.
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About Virtuoso
Virtuoso® is the leading international travel agency network specializing in luxury and experiential travel. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 800 travel agency partners with more than 15,200 elite travel advisors in over 45 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Drawing upon its preferred relationships with 1,700 of the world’s best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premier destinations, the network provides its upscale clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. More than (U.S.) $21.2 billion in annual travel sales makes Virtuoso a powerhouse in the luxury travel industry. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
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