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Today more than every before people are in a constant scramble to get cheap airfare. The price of everything seems to be going up quickly, but flights are worse than just about anything else since these added fuel surcharges keep going higher and higher. The easiest way to save money on flights is to check a few different websites and then keep your itinerary flexible.
My favorite site is Kayak because it actually checks prices from every other online source it can find and then sends you to the cheapest source it reveals. If you use a site like Travelocity you’ll often have to pay an extra $5 per ticket if you are lucky, but the prices can be much higher than that if the site is unable to find the cheapest seat on some budget airline. Those sites don’t all find every flight, but Kayak probably does the best job of all of them. But don’t stop after checking just one site.
After I check Kayak I’ll almost always check Priceline because they are the cheapest of the regular booking sites, and occasionally they can offer prices even lower than Kayak. Once you’ve checked at least two sites you can book with confidence.
The first port for our Royal Caribbean cruise of the western Caribbean was Labadee, Hispaniola which is actually a part of Haiti. This specific port is leased out to Royal Caribbean so only their cruiseships come here. Labadee is actually a peninsula with a few beaches. Getting to land from the cruiseship is by tender.
There is a small section for kids with floating fake icebergs to climb and water slides but they charge an admission fee. Flotation mattresses are also available for rent for those who just want to float in the ocean. There are also locals who help with getting beach chairs for you but they expect tips. So things here are a money grabber. The cruiseship did have optional tours for snorkelling, parasailing, waverunner and kayaking tours but we thought that they were overpriced. Most passengers just spent the day relaxing around the beaches. The area around Labadee was pleasant enough but the beaches and shores themselves were fairly rocky so wearing sandals in the water would be advised. Royal Caribbean had organized a beach BBQ at an outdoor picnic facility which was okay but nothing special. There is a market there consisting of two buildings. One is a store where the souveniers and items have marked prices and the other building is like your typical market where locals try to hustle you for business. The locals inside the market were aggressive but polite. If you don’t mind haggling, you could get some pretty good deals but if you dislike this type of pushy atmosphere, then you best avoid the market except for the fixed price store.
One big difference between this port compared to others is that since it is pretty well being used as a private beach, you will not be hassled by locals. The vendors coming around with drinks at the beach locations are actually Royal Caribbean staff so if one wishes to buy a drink, the cruiseship passcard is all that is required. As for concerns about being in Haiti given the poverty and political situation, Labadee was not a problem because the entire site is enclosed by a high steel fence. Other passengers later told us that they wandered off near the perimeter of the site and saw many Haitians along the fence begging for handouts and food. The fencing was mostly concealed in the distance from the main tourist areas.
We found Labadee in general to be a bit of a waste of time for us. The beaches were too rocky and we didn’t have access to inexpensive activities since everything was run by Royal Caribbean. If one wanted to just go lie on the beach all day and not much else, then Labadee would be a suitable place. For those who want to experience some culture, do water sports without going through the cruiseship, or shop duty free, Labadee would not be the place to go. We decided to stay on board the ship after the BBQ lunch for the rest of the afternoon.
I like Royal Caribbean and would definitely cruise with them again but would not want to go on an itinerary that included Labadee in the future.
Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca , an online gallery specializing in Inuit Eskimo and Northwest Native American art including carvings, sculpture and prints. Also numerous information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit art and Native American Indian art.
A mother’s bracelet is a personalized bracelet that celebrates the most important woman in your life, mom. It makes for the perfect gift for many gift occasions from birthdays and anniversaries to mother’s day and gifts to the new mom.
A Mother’s bracelet is a top gift idea for any mom. Mom’s enjoy gifts of all sorts - candy and flowers to drawings and breakfast in bed. A Mother’s Bracelet is a gift that will last a lifetime. A mother’s bracelet is a gentle reminder of the most important things in her life - her children. Mother’s bracelets are great for mothers of all ages, from mothers of little children or adult children, to new mothers and grandmothers.
Mother’s love to talk about their children, grandmother’s love to talk about their children and their grandchildren, it’s a known fact. The subtleness of a birth month Mother’s bracelet is sure to be a reminder of memories.
Each time she looks upon the bracelet, she is reminded of the bond she shares with each child. The bracelets are designed with the birth month stone for each child along with silver spacers. Bracelets can be created with just the birth stones of children or include one stone for everyone in the family and make it into a family bracelet. Mother’s bracelets make perfect gifts for Mother’s Day, however they are also great for birthdays, anniversaries, and other life events.
Always unique in color and design, these personalized bracelets are fun and easy to wear with anything. Because there is a meaning behind the bracelet, dress them up or down, they can be worn all the time.
Each mother’s bracelet is personalized so there is no right or wrong way to create a design.
about the author:
Gina Mahony is a gift store owner and is constant seeking out unique gift ideas to give and receive. You can visit her store at http://www.abernook.com or email her at gina@abernook.com for more gift advice.