Blogging to Aruba

Possible Aruba Airport Strike

Link: Possible Aruba Airport Strike

Why Do Airfares Fluctuate?

Below is one of the best explanations I have found regarding airfare pricing as set by the airlines.

Why do airfares fluctuate over time?

"It's called yield management. The airlines have it down to an art form. The objective is to get the most amount of money they can from each flight.

At one time, the airlines sold all seats for the same price, but then decided that they could attract additional money by offering discounts for people willing to book far in advance. Those people tended to be people who didn't normally fly, so the airlines were able to attract additional passengers to their flights, along with additional revenue, without jeopardizing their base ridership.

The process has evolved to the point where the airlines know which days will attract more passengers, like the start and end of spring break, the Christmas holidays, and Thanksgiving. They price seats higher on those days. They also know the days when it will be harder to fill aircraft, like mid-week in February to Europe, when they will drop prices to attract additional traffic to fill their planes.

Their general strategy is to set an initial price, based on how many seats they expect to fill. They monitor how quickly the seats are selling, and adjust the price upward until they feel they will get the highest price they can on average, while still trying to fill the aircraft. Occasionally, they will raise the prices too quickly, and back off a bit as the date of the flight gets closer, but that doesn't happen very often. ...."

Taken advantage of in Aruba

Link: Taken advantage of in Aruba TOO cute!

A Day At Palm Beach Aruba

Here is a breakdown for our extended family of 10 for a day at Palm Beach.

2 big umbrellas $20 x 2 = $40
6 chaise lounge rentals $8 x 6= $48 (if the kids want to sit they can use their towels)
4 floats to pass the day away $5 x 4 = $20
Banana boat or tube ride for 4 kids $20 x 4= $80
Lunch (hamburger & soda $22.88 pp at the Radisson) for 10 people = $228.80
One hour rental of a Hobie Cat sailboat = $75
2 taxis for 10 people (2 x $20) roundtrip = $40
$531.80 for ten people= $53.80 per person for the entire day
(sandwich at Bugaloe instead of the Radisson with a pina cola $166.80) = $46.98 per person

Queen Mary 2

The Queen Mary 2 is a huge and beautiful ocean liner!!! The public rooms were the most comfortable I've experienced on any ship. My personal favorites were the Chart Room and the Champagne Bar next door. The Commodore Club was also a nice out of the way getaway. Overall I took about 2300 photos so there will plenty of photos of the ship and her interior. Christmas decorations were very nice, more plentiful than other ships we have sailed in the past and tastefully done.  By far the most gorgeous of other ships we have sailed. There were a lot of poinsettias. I saw some photos recently of the Caribbean Princess Christmas sailing and there was not a single poinsettia. Reggae Christmas music played through Christmas day on the P.A. 
 
Overall the cruise was like all the other "mass market" cruise lines.  Were we disappointed by that aspect, yes, a little. At one time the line may have been considered luxury, but unless you are a passenger staying in a suite, this was like any other cruise. From what I could figure out and in speaking with other passengers, if you are traveling in Princess or Queens Grill accommodations, you will have a more "upscale" experience, otherwise...it was like Celebrity and Princess EXCEPT it is BRITISH. American bacon or English or Canadian bacon? English sausage or American sausage. Baked beans, grilled tomato, sautéed mushrooms etc. as a side at breakfast, no problem. I love the tomatoes and always look forward to them at the breakfast buffet when we go to Aruba during the summer. The resort where we stay has a pretty big influx of visitors from the UK.

My Complete Review of the Queen Mary 2 holiday sailing.

Hiking in Aruba

Arikok National Park is a great place for hiking. The Aruban government with the assistance of the European Union is making improvements to the Park.

Aruba Nature Sensitive Hikers offers guided hiking tours. Good if you are not familiar with the park. It is a large area and most cactus and rocks look the same.

No matter where you hike, plan on bringing water, wear sunscreen and a hat.

Additional tips for hiking in Aruba.