January 25, 2012
The good, the bad & the unexpected during a long journey
When I headed for Israel for the Society of American Travel Writers Freelance Council meeting, I knew the journey would be long, requiring an overnight near Newark International Airport (EWR). El Al is the only airline I can think of whose transatlantic flights leave the East Coast in the early afternoon, and there is no way to get there from Denver on same-day flights. I knew that the return trip would be long, because I would be starting in Eilat, the Tel Aviv-Newark segment alone is 12 butt-numbing hours in the air and then I still had to get to Colorado. But the odyseey was more orduous than I’d anticipated.
First Delay in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, January 26 –At 1:20 a.m. in Israel, I was supposed to have taken off 40 minutes ago via El Al from Tel Aviv (TLV) to Newark. Except there was a mechanical delay — plus the airport is closed to departures every night from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. I wanted to alert United, because I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to make my flight to Denver. I tried to do this online, somehow, but United’s website continued to give me a cyber-runaround — asking for my MileagePlus number again and again and not enably me to proceed from there to My Flights or My Reservations or anything else. the website was than My Frustration.
Fortunately, El Al invited SATW members into the Business Class lounge, and an agent there connected me to United’s reservation line and handed me the phone. The first recording said my call would be answered in 5 to 10 minutes. It was closer to 15. When an agent finally came on line, I told her that I was delayed for more than four hours in Tel Aviv and needed to alert them because I wouldn’t be able to make my Newark-Denver flight. She chose not to listen to the second half of what I said and switched me to the international desk, where the recording said the estimated time before my call would be answered would be 54 minutes to one hour! Last time I looked, Newark to Denver is not an international flight, but United’s reservationist chose to get me off the phone as quickly as she could. I wish I had gotten her name.
Continue reading “A Homeward Odyssey”
Posted in Airlines, Airports, Middle East |
January 22, 2012
Christopher Elliott is an award-winning consumer advocate on behalf of travelers, writing magazine features, a syndicated newspaper column, a website and more. His new eBook series called The Travel Troubleshooter is currently “in beta,” a version that is unformatted and therefore unpretty But to me, content is king, and each one is chock full of advance to make us all better travelers.
Every book in the series answers common questions about a specific topic, offers real examples of cases he resolved for aggrieved travelers and reveals the names and emails of executive contacts at travel providers. The first three volumes deal with car rentals, the TSA (which is about as fond of as I am) and travel insurance. He plans to add a new book each week, which is mind-boggling.
The Troubleshooter series will be available for purchase this summer, but it is completely free until May 28. He is seeking reader input, so if you download one of the eBooks and send feedback to elliottc@gmail.com, including style and grammar revisions, or contribute significantly to the creation of the series, he promises to send a free copy of the first version of the eBook and also credit you in the book. Or, if you buy a copy of his recently released book, Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles and Shady Deals, you’ll get a free copy of the first version of the eBook. As a bonus, if you buy Scammed on Amazon and write a review, he promises you get not only the series, but you’ll also have access to the updates for a year.
Posted in Book, Consumer Issues, Travel | Tagged Christopher Elliott, eBook |
January 21, 2012
Modest memorial honors 9/11 victims
By the time the World Trade Center memorial was dedicated with great fanfare on September 11, 1911, in Manhattan,, the considerably more modest 9/11 Living Memorial a few miles outside of Jerusalem had been open for nearly two years. Of course, it is thousands of miles from the World Trade Center site. The Israeli memorial is a bronze depiction of an unfurling American flag on a granite base that includes a piece of steel from the WTC rubble.
9/11 Living Memorial just outside of Jerusalem.
Located on a plateau in the Arazim Valley, this modest memorial sits in the middle of a broad hillside plaza lined with a low wall containing all the victims’ names. It was paid for largely by the Jewish National Fund, which is best known for its remarkable tree-planting program.
A main highway is nearby, as is an expanding bicycle path. When it was dedicated in November 2009, “the event drew a crowd of 150-200 participants, including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,” according to a local report of the day. U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham and Defense and Air Attache Colonel Richard Burgess took part in the dedication ceremony.
It is a worthy stop on a visit to “the golden city” of Jerusalem.
Posted in Middle East | Tagged 9/11 Memorial, Jerusalem attaction |
January 21, 2012
A century ago, in the days of railroad expansion, oilman and hotelier Henry Morrison Flagler built an over-water railroad from southern Florida to Key West. Today, people drive about 100 miles over a causeway to Key West. A couple of days ago, Key West — so changed and still so compelling.
Old postcard of steam train heading to (or perhaps from) Key West.
Causeways linking mainland Florida and the Keys all the way to Key West.
Key West has a reputation as a party town, so it's no surprise that the city threw a good one for the 100th anniversary of the Flagler Railroad.
Posted in Festival, History, Train | Tagged Flsglrrt, Key West |
January 20, 2012
Thinking travel? Think travel insurance
- Costa Concordia’s'precariously perch.
I am in Israel right now, and whenever I am in my room at el Aviv’s DAN Panorama Hotel, I turn on the television, I watch a news network — sometimes MSNBC, sometimes BBC, sometimes on a European channel broadcast in a language that I can understand. American television is obsessing about the Republican primary debates, but the European networks are still reporting on the “Costa Concordia” catastrophe: the bad judgment on the bridge that led to the foundering of the luxury cruise shop, the officers” refusal of rescue help, the cowardly captain, the possibility of an environmental disaster if the oil is not removed before the ship possibly sinks into the Mediterranean. The catasatrophe prompted
John Cook, president of QuoteWright.com, a travel insurance comparison website, sorted out the considerations for insurance that travelers should think about:
I read today that Carnival Corp, the owner of the ill-fated Costa Concordia has stated that they are providing “lodging, refunds and other support to people affected by the accident”. I instantly thought about what would have been covered by travel insurance if Carnival didn’t step up to the plate to do the right thing.
What could cruisers expect from their travel insurance depends on the coverage that they purchased and whether or not they were on the ship when it capsized or if they were scheduled for a later cruise. Let’s deal first with cruisers who were aboard at the time that it capsized what are the possible benefits:
1. Medical Expense for injuries that were sustained during the accident or evacuation.
Continue reading “‘Costa Concordia’ Catastrophe & Insurance”
Posted in Consumer Issues, Cruise Ship, Latin America | Tagged cruise disaster, travel insurance |
January 17, 2012
I arrived at Newark International Airport (EWR) at 10:55 p.m. with a reservation at the Best Western Newark Airport West. Its website boasts that it is a “stunning Newark hotel .” Before I even reach the hotel, I dealt with incomplete airport signage at baggage claim and elsewhere in Terminal B (just named by frommers.com as one of the 10 worst airport terminals) that doesn’t volunteer that you have to take a train to the P4 stop to get to the hotel shuttles. A pleasant customer service fellow in a red blazer clued me in.
I Took the train, reached the small waiting area and called the hotel, which promised a shuttle would be there in “10 mintes.” It was more like 20, but no matter. From the time I landed until I got to my room: 1 hour, 20 minutes – nearly as long as it took to fly from Denver..
Here are a few things that make this the Worst Eastern in my book — and was only there for a few hours:
- The first two key cards the front desk clerk handed me didn’t work. Of the two replacements, the second one worked.
- I asked the desk clerk whether they give points on any frequent flier programs. He said, “Ask when you check out. I don’t have the code.” I did ask before 8 a.m. today, and I was told no one could could help he until the manager got in “around 11.”
- The hotel boasts free Internet access via Natural Access, but it is so impossibly slow that I was willing to spend $4 on 45 minutes’ worth, but once logged into the free option, that slow service kept popping up even after I paid. I called AmEx to dispute that charge.
- The hotel is so poorly constructed that when the people in the room next to mine or upstairs from me showered, it sounded as if they were showering in my bathroom.
- The fan in the individual heating/cooling unit whined like a jet engine when it started up, and then the fan rattled as long as it was running. It was so loud that I turned on the TV so that there would a steady noise to mask the intermittent rattle.
Posted in Consumer Issues, Hotel | Tagged bad hotel, Newark airport hotel |
January 13, 2012
Costa Concordia grounding results in at least 6 fatalities
The “Titanic” sank in the North Atlantic in winter a century ago, but the Italian “Costa Concordia” with all modern technology available foundered under far gentler conditions. She ran aground Friday evening around dinner time near the island of Giglio off the Tuscan coast. She suffered major hull damage. The luxurious cruise ship’s grounding reportedly resulted in at least six deaths and 15 injuries
She reportedly hit a sand bank, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. I’m not a maritime engineer, but I don’t see how a sand bank could cause major damage to a ship’s hull. Rocks? Yes. Sand bank? I douvt it. Also, from the picture below, even if taken with a very long lens, it appears that someone wasn’t minding the store — because right there is a lighthouse. How could this be?
The ship, with about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew, according to the cruise line’s blog, began listing, which hampered evacuation procedures. Some passengers fell into the frigid waters during rescue, the news agency reported. ANSA also reported that up to 300 people were still on board early Saturday waiting for assistance .
Stay tuned.
Saturday morning update: According to an MSNBC report, “Survivors who escaped a luxury cruise ship that ran aground and tipped over described a delayed then panicked evacuation, as plates and glasses crashed around them and they crawled along upended hallways trying to reach safety. By morning Saturday, the ship was lying virtually flat off Gigio’s coast, its starboard side submerged in the water. Some 4,200 people were on board at the time, including 129 Americans, according to NBC News. Three bodies were found, officials said, and there were unconfirmed news reports of a total of six or eight deaths. New reports said 69 people were still missing early Saturday.”
Posted in Cruise Ship, Europe, Safety | Tagged Costa Concordia, cruise ship accident, Italy, Mediterranean |
January 7, 2012
The ice is nice in seasonal hotel in Quebec
The Hôtel de Glace (Ice Hotel in English) in Quebec City is open for the 2012 season, its 11th. One great thing about a structure that melts each spring and is rebuilt again the following winter is that it can be redesigned and re-imagined every year. The 2012 version, with its high ceilings and pointed arches is reminiscent of a Gothic church, but it is dedicated to northern Québec and the First Nations of this huge territory.
Gothic-inspired arches of Quebec City's Hôtel de Glace. (Photo: Hôtel de Glace Québec-Canada).
Through their art, culture, knowledge and values, visitors enter a journey between folklore and modernity that helps understand the survival skills and courage it takes to live in northern climes. Thematic weekends around the include festive evenings at the Ice Bar, Folkloric Sundays at the Sugar Shack and more, accessible to day visitors and overnight guests too. The Hôtel de Glace is also offering new outdoor activities for families including a 40-foot-diameter ice skating rink of 40-ft in diameter and the enormous covered Grand Ice Slide completely made of ice and snow.
Continue reading “Quebec’s Ice Hotel is Open for the Season”
Posted in Canada, Europe, Hotel, Snow | Tagged Canadian hotels, Ice hotels, Quebec City |
January 4, 2012
From gondola to VistaBahn to gondola in exactly 50 years
Vail Mountain opened in 1962 with a small gondola and a couple of chairlifts along U.S. Highway 6 in the middle of the Colorado Rockies. Back in the day, it debuted as one the country’s most extensive ski areas, and it has never lost its edge. It unquestionably is the largest ski area in the United States. Next year, skiers and snowboarders can expect to ride a fast new, state-of-the-art gondola from the heart of Vail Village to Mid-Vail, following the line currently served by the VistaBahn Express that itself follows the line of the resort’s original four-passenger gondola. Some things change a lot and some things change very little, and once in a while, they are the same thing.
Vail's original high-in-the-sky, four-passenger gondola.
To equate the progression of Vail’s ski lifts to cars, the original gondola is like a Model T Ford and the new one is like a BMW. Its 10-passenger gondola cabins will be designed with heated, cushioned seats and WiFi access so riders can stay in touch — or check their stock portfolios or whatever. It will be the first of its kind in North America. With a speed of 1,200 feet per minute, it promises to be the fastest gondola of its type in the world. I am not sure what “of its type” means, but given Vail Resorts’ penchant for quality, I’m sure it will exceed expectations.
Mock-up of new 10-passenger gondola car planned to be operational next ski season.
Despite the fact that the 2011-12 season has thus far been a dud in terms of snowfall (Vail Resorts’ four Colorado areas are not currently listing snow condidtions in the newspaper), construction is proposed to begin on this high-tech, high-priced lift immediately after the mountain closes in April. The new gondola is subject to Town of Vail and U.S. Forest Service approvaland is expected to be operational for November 12, opening day of the 2012-13 ski season – just in time for Vail’s 50th anniversary. The alignment will be very similar to the existing VistaBahn Express Lift (#16) and will allow for easier guest access at the base, a more functional interface with the Look Ma level of Mid-Vail and an easier downloading location from the top.
No price tag has been announced, but I’m guessing it’s high in the seven figures. But for fussy Vail guests, the heated seats, the WiFi and the speed will be priceless.
Posted in Colorado, Resorts, skiing | Tagged gondola. ski lift, ski resort, Vail |
January 3, 2012
Lava has been erupting from Hawaiian volcano for nearly three decades & still flowing strong
My friend Jessica Ferracane, who was not working for the National Park Service when I saw her in June but is doing so now, just reminded her Facebook friends that today is the 29th anniversary of the beginning of Kīlauea volcano’s east rift eruption. It has been going on since then. Volcanoes present nature’s most spectacular light show, especially at night when red lava glows in the inky blackness. You certainly don’t get a cake and candles for a volcano!
When the Pu’u ‘O’o-Kupaianaha eruption began on January 3, 1983, it was Kīlauea’s 55th documented eruption going back some six centuries, including 34 “eruption cycles” in the last 200 or so years. Madame Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess, is believed to dwell on (in?) Kīlauea, and native chants and oral traditions tell of the many eruptions instigated by an angry Pele. She must be very, very angry these days, yet in her anger, she has made the Big Island of Hawaii even bigger — adding something like 500 acres of lava fields. And January, it seems, is Volcano Awareness Month. Who knew?
Continue reading “29th Anniversary of Kilauea’s Eruption”
Posted in Hawaii | Tagged Hawaiian Volcano, Kilauea |
