Planning a Vacation Isn't What It used to Be

Planning a Vacation used to be a big part of the fun of going on a vacation. Now it is a real pain unless you get the help of a Travel Consultant or Agent. vacations at every level, whether it is a family road trip or a trip to far away places with strange sounding names.

I think in the past I have mentioned in these pages that my first cruise ever was on the Queen Mary and all that was involved with a Cunard sailing. In fact, it was a round trip transatlantic crossing.  Two years later I would do it again. From my earliest days I experienced "cruising" where the service was superb and you never had to ask "How much?"

I also remember when I first started flying how impressed I was that we were dressed to the "nines" for their flight and our meal was served "piping hot" on real plates with real silverware and included a glass of wine in addition to any other drink you were having. We got all that and no extra charges. Oh yea, that was in coach (now called economy).

So, early in my travel life whether you were on a transatlantic crossing or a long flight when you bought your ticket you got not only transportation but you received a kind of all-inclusive travel experience as well. In fact, we actually looked forward to our trips from the day we bought the ticket. There was no anxiety, other than our own phobias (fear of flying or water etc.) as we anticipated out trip or vacation.

Then the airlines began to be run, not by the visionaries who started them, but by functionaries who knew little or nothing about flying. They were corporate types not interested in building a great airline but building a flying empire. They even take credit for saving the airlines which as accountants they did on the backs of the creditors through a series of bankruptcies.

Somewhere through all that flying went from being a passion of its C-executives (CEO, CFO, COO etc.) gave way to C-executives for whom they are simply a channel through which they would build an ever more profitable business that allowed them to advance their personal corporate prestige and create stockholder wealth. Their exuberance in this area knows no bounds.

As a result they have not only done away with the amenities mentioned in paragraph two as cost cutting measures but they have been charging for virtually everything but the air we breathe on a flight. So much so that 2013 was the most profitable year in the history of the airline industry. and fully one half of that profit (a whopping 4 billion dollars) came from what they call "ancillary fees," Seems to me the leisure traveler is caring the airline industry on their backs.

So let me ask, "Do you look forward to having to fly?" I can't begin to ell you how many times a potential cruise client has opted to do something else because of not only the cost of flying but the hassle involved. I myself turned down a 15 day Mediterranean cruise because the airfare was going to cost more than the value of the cruise. I had a wealthy client cancel a cruise on principle because he in good conscious could not spend more for airfare than he did for the virtually all inclusive cruise he had booked. Fortunately for me he was a man of integrity and made us whole financially for the work we had done on his behalf. Essentially he paid us to not take the vacation.

I know this is all now ancient history regarding the airlines and trust me, it isn't going to change for the better any time soon. However, it is also becoming the standard for the cruise industry. With the advent of Carnival Cruise Line in 1962 and Micky Arison's vision of putting cruising in reach of the average person. His idea of a low cost cruise (paralleling the beginning of "low cost" airlines) that had affordable fares and everything else you had paid extra.

Soon what we might call the "legacy" cruise lines began to cut corners. They didn't particularly lower prices but they did begin the process of "nickel and diming" passengers for all the little "extras" that once were included in the ticket price. Now they have added the idea of "charging extra to let you eat in a smaller room that requires a reservation.

Now, Royal Caribbean is suggesting that maybe passengers should pay for entertainment some of which is going to be on big screens and not in person. Carnival, again is the one who started this with their recent Carnival Live series.  When I first started selling cruises just 15 hears ago the cruise lines stressed their separate branding and the distinctive nature of their individual cruise experiences. We were told to compare them to an all-inclusive resort vacation and show how they a better value. I think the expression one of my Reps used was, show them that they are getting more "bang for their buck." Now I have to advise clients to expect out of pocket expenses on their cruise to be at least equal to the cost of their ticket.

Well, Dorothy were not in Kansas anymore. Or as William Shatner used to say, "This isn't your father's Oldsmobile."  In fact, in 2004, a brand that had been around since 1897 (107 years) is now a relic of the past. 

Flying isn't what it once was and cruising is fast becoming something other than a pleasant experience. The "Golden Age of Cruising" is past unless you mean the gold going into the cruise line bank accounts. Truth is, cruise ships are becoming resort destinations where you pay to play.

Generations Resort

This brings me to my recommendation. Fly if you must. Take a cruise when you can. But when it comes to a major vacation take a look at the all-inclusive resort hotels. They offer everything that a cruise offers and the final price tag is about the same. I just returned from the Riviera Maya and a week at Karisma's Generations resort. I was greeted with champagne; I was escorted to my suite; I had great food (gourmet) at no extra charge in my choice of five of more six restaurants; I had butler service, a great beach, my own private plunge pool cool entertainment.  Best of all when I checked out I got the same royal treatment as when I checked in and no account to settle up before leaving.

There is so much to do and see. I also could spend a day shopping, a day at the Talum Mayan ruins, eco-parks and a hundred other things. So before you swipe that credit card take a look at this alternative to a cruise. Let's see if an all-inclusive isn't more what you want.