Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[Ethaniel]

Is there any deals to LAX/Disneyland Packages that you can come up with for end of Feb Start of March?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Ethaniel

Is there any deals to LAX/Disneyland Packages that you can come up with for end of Feb Start of March?

Personally, I think a 'Disney package' just has all kinds of markup for suckers that think they're getting a deal because it's a package. And actual Disney hotels, well, they're not exactly cheap.

You can likely do much better just looking for the cheapest flight, booking your hotel separately, and buying discount Disney passes.

Flight prices will dictate the bulk of the cost involved. At the moment it looks like Delta is cheapest at $392 roundtrip after tax. Feb 24 to March 1 for example, to LAX and back. Or on Air Canada, direct, for not much more, same dates.

Then just go on Orbitz, whatever, and look for a decent hotel deal. If you actually want to stay on the Disney property, it's not likely to be cheap, but there are plenty of hotels in Anaheim close to Disney that are reasonable.

Just sort by price and go down the list until you find one that gets good reviews on TripAdvisor.

MouseSavers will tell you where to find decent prices on park passes:

http://www.mousesavers.com/dltickets.html

To get the total cost of your trip down, the flights would need to come down in price (park pass prices aren't going anywhere, hotels...maybe.). One used to be able to find flights to LAX for $250 roundtrip after tax (or even less on occasion) but they seem to have been stuck around $400ish for a while.


That being said, WestjetVacations *does* have a promo on right now where 'kids fly free' to LAX and Orlando. But it's only for flight + hotel packages up to February 16th.

http://www.westjetvacations.com/kids...ee-fall-winter

Here are my thoughts on that promo:

So, is it a good deal? Well, don't forget you're still paying the taxes, fees, and surcharges on the flights. Those make up a significant portion of the flight cost.

A typical flight to Orlando or Los Angeles is $400ish after taxes (whether you're an adult, or a child, doesn't matter). WestJet is still making you pay the taxes/fees, which are about $120. So you're actually saving about $280/per child.

Still sounds pretty great right? Well, the other thing you have to consider is whether the WestJetVacation package is priced well to begin with. It may be. Or it may not be. If it's well overpriced relative to what you can get it for somewhere else, then a $280 savings per child may not be such a great deal. Maybe they've inflated the hotel cost? Or maybe the WestJet flights aren't as cheap as other airlines?

That being said this promo could be well worth a look for families.

cM

[Ethaniel]

Thanks for the help on this information.
Best i can find essentially is around the same for the flight and I was surprised it is that pricey (400 bucks).

Thank you and it looks like this one will take some more work.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Ethaniel

Thanks for the help on this information.
Best i can find essentially is around the same for the flight and I was surprised it is that pricey (400 bucks).

Thank you and it looks like this one will take some more work.

Yeah, I think basically it will just take WestJet or AC offering a deal on fares to California. They seem to have had no reason to do so in quite a while.

That, or watch for a really good hotel deal.

[corporatejay]

Anything from Calgary to China in April?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Anything from Calgary to China in April?

Beijing looks to be cheapest at $1001 roundtrip after tax, using United. April 5-13 for example.

Air Canada has a promo code out for 15% off flights in the spring, which would probably bring them down to about the same.

http://www.aircanada.com/en/offers/a...na_spring.html


There's also some 'multi city' flights for under $1000.

Try YYC to HKG on April 5, and then PEK to YYC on April 12th, on Orbitz for example.

Comes up as $923 roundtrip after tax.

Or April 5 -12, to PVG and back is $962 on United.


Or April 12-20 to PEK is $955 on United.

$925-$1000ish roundtrip after tax seems to be about the bottom.

cM

[oxygen]

Hey cmyden,

Going to New Orleans March 22 or 23 to 27 for March Madness. Flights were about $800 in August and they've come down to $677 today. Do you have any insight on whether the price will come down more in the next couple of months?

Thanks.

[Ozy_Flame]

Hey cmyden, this is a great thread, your efforts are much appreciated.Anything on for a deal going to Japan in the next two months? Just curious to know, as I know there's a direct flight to Tokyo now.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by oxygen

Hey cmyden,

Going to New Orleans March 22 or 23 to 27 for March Madness. Flights were about $800 in August and they've come down to $677 today. Do you have any insight on whether the price will come down more in the next couple of months?

Thanks.

Ah, damn, the WestJet 'Blue Tag Thursday' deal would have been perfect for you yesterday.

I should have mentioned it on here I guess, but they only last for a few hours. It's a new thing they've started doing, offering 1 great deal each week for a few hours.

The first one was Vegas, but it was pretty weak (and just bad timing with the Expedia deal coming out the week before).

New Orleans isn't a place that goes on sale all that often from Calgary, although this year Westjet has had some really good prices from Toronto, lowering it down to $300ish roundtrip after tax on occasion. And it was down to $200 during that blue tag sale.

Nobody can tell you for sure whether $677 is the lowest it will go or not. I could tell you one thing, and then all of a sudden an airline could decide to have a massive fare cut. It's truly unpredictable for the most part.

Taking a look at fares that are 2 months ahead from now, which is usually about the time you see the most decent prices to most destinations, the prices are a *bit* cheaper at $525 roundtrip after tax. So there definitely could be room for them to fall.

An event like March Madness certainly can have an impact on fares. Planes will fill up faster, etc. You *should* usually be safe to watch fares up to 8 weeks ahead, in theory, without worry of them going sky-high and not coming back down.

cM

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Hey cmyden, this is a great thread, your efforts are much appreciated.Anything on for a deal going to Japan in the next two months? Just curious to know, as I know there's a direct flight to Tokyo now.

Thanks Ozy,

There hasn't been anything to Tokyo all that great in a while. Fares seem to hover around $1000ish roundtrip after tax for the cheapest flights these days.

Air Canada does look cheapest though, at $1030 roundtrip after tax. Try January 12-19 for example.

I actually don't see a non-stop flight at the moment, although I remember AC had one. Maybe it's seasonal?

Ah, yep, looks like non-stop comes back around May.

Anyone remember those $300 flights to Tokyo? Good times.

cM

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Beerfest

Any good deals on flying down to the Cancun for the Great Parnassus?
Id be leaving on Jan 28th and returning Feb 4th, the earlier the flight on the 28th the better.

Thanks

The best deal I can get comes to a total of 1700 dollars or so.

Hey Beerfest,

Is that per person, based on 2 people? Or just one person?

Per person you should be able to get it for around $1489 after tax, based on 2 people in the room. But you might have to depart on the 29th.

cM

[Beerfest]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Hey Beerfest,

Is that per person, based on 2 people? Or just one person?

Per person you should be able to get it for around $1489 after tax, based on 2 people in the room. But you might have to depart on the 29th.

cM

Ill be going with 4 other people, they booked around a month ago. So ill be booking by myself and likely in my own room, unless we upgrade or something when we are there. Ill also likely be having to take a seperate flight down. They are leaving on the 28th.

Ill probably have to pay the full $1700 though.

[Byrns]

Hey cmyden,

Me, my wife & 1y kid would like to go to Hawaii, Florida, or somewhere else warm in February for about 10 days. Any suggestions? Only place that's out is Mexico. (she's a bit paranoid about the violence)

Doing my own checking it looks cheaper to fly to Florida, but that's with United (ugh).

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Beerfest

Ill be going with 4 other people, they booked around a month ago. So ill be booking by myself and likely in my own room, unless we upgrade or something when we are there. Ill also likely be having to take a seperate flight down. They are leaving on the 28th.

Ill probably have to pay the full $1700 though.

The Continental flights could get you to Cancun for $500 roundtrip after tax, and they leave early.

The Parnassus is $166/night for 1 person on Bookit.com, which comes out to $1200 for a week. So yeah, there might not be much cheaper way of doing it unfortuntely.

When 2 people stay in the room, it's $104/each per night. If you can find someone else to share the room with you, it would be a fairly significant savings.

cM

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Byrns

Hey cmyden,

Me, my wife & 1y kid would like to go to Hawaii, Florida, or somewhere else warm in February for about 10 days. Any suggestions? Only place that's out is Mexico. (she's a bit paranoid about the violence)

Doing my own checking it looks cheaper to fly to Florida, but that's with United (ugh).

Wow, everyone on CP must be travel planning today!

Try Feb 7-17 on Air Canada to Orlando, should be around $360 roundtrip after tax.

The cheapest to Honolulu looks to be around $530 roundtrip after tax, Feb 2-11 for example, also on Air Canada.

Both are approximately the bottom to either destination these days. Sometimes Orlando can dip down to the lower $300s. Honolulu can occasionally dip just below $500.

You're not overly likely to find a warm destination cheaper than Florida.

cM

[Byrns]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Wow, everyone on CP must be travel planning today!

Try Feb 7-17 on Air Canada to Orlando, should be around $360 roundtrip after tax.

The cheapest to Honolulu looks to be around $530 roundtrip after tax, Feb 2-11 for example, also on Air Canada.

Both are approximately the bottom to either destination these days. Sometimes Orlando can dip down to the lower $300s. Honolulu can occasionally dip just below $500.

You're not overly likely to find a warm destination cheaper than Florida.

cM

Friday afternoons have that effect on me.

Thanks for the info I'll check it out.

[cmyden]

[PROMO CODE] WestJet: 10% off flights (to/from any city) if you book with Mastercard - [expires: December 26]

Found this on the MasterCard site:

https://www.mastercard.com/ca/person...day/index.html

At the bottom you'll see a '10% off promo'

Promo code: MCH06

Coupon code: OFSKZQA

Note: You might want to copy and paste these into the Westjet.ca site. In the promo code it's a 'zero' and in the coupon code it's the letter 'O' so it can be tricky.

It's valid for travel between January 6 and March 31.

I'm not sure if this code is dynamically generated, or if it can be used more than once. If it doesn't work, you might want to try the link above to generate a new one.

I'm also not sure if you *really* need to book with Mastercard after the code is applied on the Westjet site. The fine print says you do though!




Should work from every destination to every destination.


I think the codes are dynamically generated, so each code may only work once.

The first part stays the same...

Promo code: MCH06

But the second part changes whenever you load the Mastercard page above. Here's another one...

Coupon code: OFSKZQA

So if you're finding that the code doesn't work for you, try generating another Coupon code.

cM

[red sky]

Hi Chris and others,

On the topic of Honolulu, I will be heading there this week for the marathon on the weekend. Its been a while since I have been there and I was wondering if anyone can suggest some 'must sees'. We'll be heading to Duke's after the race so that is covered. Haven't done really anything touristy there before (i.e. Pearl Harbor). Any help would be great.

Thanks!

[Byrns]

Hanuma Bay, Polynesian Culture Center, North Shore are the first touristy things that pop in my head...

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by red sky

Hi Chris and others,

On the topic of Honolulu, I will be heading there this week for the marathon on the weekend. Its been a while since I have been there and I was wondering if anyone can suggest some 'must sees'. We'll be heading to Duke's after the race so that is covered. Haven't done really anything touristy there before (i.e. Pearl Harbor). Any help would be great.

Thanks!

Hanuma Bay, Polynesian Culture Center, North Shore are the first touristy things that pop in my head...

Yep, Hanuma Bay, Pearl Harbor, and hiking up Diamond Head are the 3 touristy things that I did when we went for a friend's wedding.

Pearl Harbor Memorial is worth it in my opinion, if you're into history at all. Kind of amazing that the USS Arizona is still leaking oil after 70 years. You walk out on a boardwalk to see the sunken battleship.

Hanuma Bay was great, if you're into snorkeling. Followed a sea turtle around for quite a while.

Maybe check out the list of things to do in Honolulu on TripAdvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...hu_Hawaii.html

Will you have a car? Take a tour around the island, going up to the north shore if you can to check out the big waves. Most of Waikiki is just a city, like anywhere else.

cM