Fun Family Travel Vacation

You can enter online to win a grand prize vacation for two to a, Indiana.   The vacation sweepstakes grand prize includes: a 2 night stay in one of the suites at JW Marriott Indianapolis, air travel to Indianapolis, ground travel while you are in Indianapolis, Dinner for two, and tickets to an attraction or event of the winners choice.

Visit http://www.jwindysweeps.com/index.php to enter.

It has been on the headlines repeatedly about how an Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, hit rocks off the coast of Italian and resulted 14 death.   The ship is now partially submerged and clean-up is expected to last at least 10 month.    Survivors of the incident are now being offered $14,000 in compensation plus the cost of the loss of their possessions.   Most, if not all, have refused the payout.   Several passengers and crew members have filed lawsuits against Costa Crociere , Italian company that sailed Costa Concordia, and Carnival Cruise Lines, which is based in the United States.

Carnival is already reporting that it net income for the 2012 fiscal year will drop from $175 million to $155 million.

Source:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577193113977266528.html

http://articles.cnn.com/2012-01-27/world/world_europe_italy-cruise-ship_1_cruise-ship-damages-costa-cruises/2?_s=PM:EUROPE

Holland America Line is giving away an Alaskan Cruise vacation for 4. You have until November 30th to enter for a chance to win the seven-day cruise. Like about everything nowadays, this cruise sweepstakes is being done via social media. To enter you must become Holland America fan on Facebook.

The winner on the sweepstakes will be selected in December 2011.

Holland America Line Facebook page

VisitFlorida.com is conducting a new contest this spring which gives the winner a free vacation with car rental, air fare, and hotel stay to Jacksonville, Florida.   Along with the vacation prizes the winner also gets a brand new car. 

Official Prize Details:

One winner will receive a trip to Florida that includes round trip air transportation for two (2) from the major airport closest to the winner to Jacksonville, Florida and four (4) days rental car usage from VISIT FLORIDA; plus three (3) nights’ accommodations for two (2) at the Radisson Hotel Butler Blvd, two (2) tickets to the Alhambra Theatre & Dining and one 2011 MX-5 Miata Touring from Mazda North American Operations (Sport equipped with standard options).

You can enter the contest by visiting VisitFlorida.com/contest.

Adventures by Disney brings families to exotic places and gives them tours and information that would not be able to get if traveling alone.

In a press release the Adventures by Disney Tour to Egypt was described:

Picture arriving in Cairo and embarking on a privately guided tour of the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities with its extensive trove of mummies and ancient artifacts. Families will then take an unforgettable excursion to Giza for an up-close view of the Great Pyramids and the fascinating Pharaoh’s Boat Museum. And what is a trip to Egypt without a camel-ride past the pyramids.

Journey to Southern Egypt with your fellow travelers and highly trained Adventure Guides on a three-day Nile River cruise and visit the riverside towns of Aswan and Luxor, as well as privately guided tours of temple ruins, including pharaohs Tutankhamen and Ramses VI.

Whether discovering how the ancient Egyptians created papyrus or learning how to write their family’s name in hieroglyphics, there is something for everyone regardless of age on this new itinerary, as well as the additional itineraries available through Adventures by Disney.

Families can choose between a 7 night and 9 night tour of Egypt. According to current pricing on the Adventures by Disney website the price for an adult on 7 night tour is $3,999 – $5,249. For that same tour the cost for a child is 3,599 – $4,739. Obviously a trip like this does not come cheap and would cost a bit for a family. It may mean skipping a few other vacations and saving up before you can take this Adventures by Disney vacation.

The United states State Department has issued a travel alert for US citizens. The State Department is cautioning all US citizens that there may be some backlash from the planned burning of the Quran by a church in Gainesville, Florida. The burning has been cancelled, but the State Department says that Americans should still be on alert.

More money was spent on travel during the first part of this year than last year around that time. There was actually a 4.5% increase in spending on air travel from the first quarter of last year. This occurred at the same period when the prices of air travel rose by 13.3 %. . Travelers also spent more on accommodations even though, while the cost of travel accommodations decreased.

Does this translate to more travel for you and your family? Our family has gone on two mini-vacations that were one tank road trips from our home. Each was a long weekend stay at a hotel but fun everyone. For families with kids, travel can be a lot more expensive so we all try to find the best deals, no matter if the economy is going up or down. We tend to travel more when the hotel deals are better. Many hotels and travel destinations offer special deals for residents in the state. Sometimes those deals will extend to residents in neighboring states.

It is positive to that there is more spending on travel, but that does not translate more employment. Although there was increased spending on travel there was a decrease in employment in these areas. Air travel employment saw a 1.4 % decrease and travel accommodations saw a 1.5% decrease in employment.

With the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, tourism in the Gulf States is taking a hit. What that will mean for the final tourism data is left to be seen. Although some of the beaches in these areas are affected by the oil spill some still have not be touched. With the oil spill deterring tourists, hotels in these areas are offering more discounts. There are still some fun options and activities for families to enjoy.

But wherever your family decides to travel this summer, or the rest of the year, have fun and I hope you get deep discounts.

Source:BEA

Hotels.com is holding a photo contest that has a grand prize of a vacation for life.  Contestants submit a photo that is supposed to show why they need a vacation.  Web site visitors vote on the photos.  The grand prize winner gets a $102,250 toward a lifetime of vacations.   Those that vote and do not enter a picture are also entered for a daily drawing to receive a small handheld camcorder.  

That is seriously a great prize.  I would probably use some for a vacation, pay bills, and then save whatever is left over.  This is of course after paying the tax on the prize money.

With the purchase of two full-priced adult tickets one child can travel for free on Crystal Cruises.  The offer is good for the 14 day holiday cruise to the Caribbean on Crystal Serenity.  As of this post, the starting cost of a ticket is $7,995 and can be as much as $46,930.  The cruise starts in Miami and visits several of the Caribbean islands: St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, Curacao, and Turks and Caicos. 

Crystal Cruises –Crystal Serenity Itinerary

Sundance Vacations is giving away several different vacations for two. Nomination are submitted on Facebook and votes come from Facebook friends.  Winners of the Mother’s Day Cruise Giveaway have already been announced.   You can still nominate someone for the Father’s Day Sundance Vacation Cruise Giveaway or an Armed Forced Force Appreciation Giveaway.

To nominate someone for one of Sundance Vacations’ free cruises, members of the Sundance Vacations’ Facebook community simply submit a photo of their nominee and a brief essay that explains why that person should win. The nomination period will last two-weeks for each contest and Sundance Vacations’ Facebook friends will have one week to vote for the winner of each contest on the Facebook Fan Page.

Each of the six cruise giveaways is based on upcoming holidays including Armed Forces Appreciation and Father’s Day. Nominations for the fourth contest, in honor of Armed Forces Appreciation, close on May 26 and voting starts on May 27; so join Sundance Vacations’ Facebook Fan Page, tell your friends, and enter now to win!

Winners of the Sundance Vacations Cruise Giveaway will receive:

• Sundance Vacations voucher for a four-day, three-night cruise for two;
• Cruise leaves from ports in Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, or Los Angeles;
• Round-trip airfare for two (not to exceed $800 total) to port city;
• One night’s stay in the port city.