Read The Fine Print As Soon As Possible After Reading The Headline Hook

TravelOFFEN.com does not like fine print. The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) does not like fine print. But you still get it all the time when you are looking for vacation options.

We do not use many advertisements as they come directly from the cruise lines. They are too ambiguous and require too much time to interpret the doublespeak and cause deliberate misinterpretations to arise. Travel agencies in Ontario get these ads all the time. Some just pass them on and hope to generate business and then explain the extras later. Travel consolidators, wholesalers and cruise lines can advertise the misleading headlines as long as they have disclaimers (fine print) included. Of course Ontario consumers are also subjected to the American ads with misleading hooks and such that are not regulated in many of the originating states.

This advertisement headline Read:

Explore the Transatlantic

FREE AIR*

- and -

xxx Veranda Views

for the price of a xxx Oceanview Stateroom

The fine print at the bottom is below

†xxxxxxxxxxxx CRUISES RESERVES THE RIGHT TO IMPOSE A FUEL SUPPLEMENT ON ALL GUESTS IF THE PRICE OF WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE FUEL EXCEEDS US$65 PER BARREL. THE FUEL SUPPLEMENT FOR 1ST AND 2ND GUESTS SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN US$15 PER GUEST, PER DAY TO A MAXIMUM OF US$200 PER VOYAGE.

Applicable gateways: ATL, BOS, BUF¹, BWI, CLE, CMH, DEN, DFW, DTW, EWR, IND, JFK, LAS, MCI, MCO, MSP, ORD, PDX¹, PHL, PIT, SAN, SEA, SFO, SLC, STL, TPA, YUL, YYZ
¹BUF and PDX not available on JR 4/11/10.

*Rates are per person, cruise only, in USD, and based on double occupancy. Free air offer available for select gateways and categories, based on availability, and subject to change. Book a Veranda for the price of an Oceanview offer available in select categories and is based on availability. Both offers are valid for bookings made by March 31, 2010. Please book price code starting with xxx to take advantage of both offers, or price code starting with xxxxx to take advantage of complimentary veranda upgrade offer only. Voyage rates vary by ship, departure date, and category. Certain restrictions apply. Offer and itineraries subject to change without notice, and offers may be withdrawn at any time. Offers not valid for charters or contracted groups. Government taxes & fees are additional. Other terms and conditions apply. Please contact your travel agent or visit xxxxxxxxxxxx.com for more information.

• US dollars, check current rates. The actual conversion costs can often only be finalized at time of booking.
  • TICO agents advertise in Canadian dollars or clearly specify the USD pricing.
• Prices are starting prices.
  • TICO agents can not mislead with low entry bargains for limited or non-existent prices.
• Booking restrictions:
  • gateway
  • book before date
  • booking codes applicable
  • TICO agents must include specific itinerary information.
• Rates vary:
  • by ship
  • departure date
  • Quotes by TICO agents always include all variables and inclusions and exclusions.
• Government taxes and fees are additional.
  • TICO agents must include all fees and taxes in any kind of sales communication, verbal or written.
• Other terms and conditions apply. Find out what they are to determine the real cost of a vacation package.

If you book a vacation yourself, check out and tally up all the costs including Travel Insurance. TICO agents must advertise the total fixed costs in any quote.

See our contact information at top right of this page, to discuss your vacation plans with our travel consultant, Jennifer.

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If you want to go first class on a cruise vacation, you have to pay for it. Simple concept. I like having a balcony and concierge services on Celebrity cruises, I’ve been on. It costs more and it’s not the extras that some people want on their vacation. It’s always a matter of money. You have a budget and try to get the most of what you consider important and worthwhile for your hard earned dollars. One couples’ idea of a first class could be an unlimited casino budget, another might be the unlimited drinks, Spa treatments and pampering might be where another vacationer spends the budget. We all have out likes and dislikes, our wants and couldn’t-care-less abouts. Cruising has many levels of luxury and that’s not a bad thing, it’s choices within a budget.

This headline intrigued me and I read the article below.

Image via Wikipedia

If I added up the number of steps I must have taken on a one-week cruise recently, back and forth from my cabin to the pool deck or the main dining room, I could probably have walked from Livorno to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

As ships get bigger, the distances get longer. And while the gains include a wider choice of dining venues, more lavish spas and greater entertainment, it is inevitable that there will be a less intimate atmosphere.
MSC Fantasia

Club class: MSC has introduced the 100 Yacht Club on its Fantasia and Splendida liners

Certain cruise lines have found a solution – a ‘ship-within-a-ship’.

… Read the rest of the article here

Antigua says Carnival pullout is a $5.6 million blow

A follow up, although Carnival says it was in the works, to the arrest and trials of the 6 cruise passengers in Antigua. See “Antigua Cabbie Cops Cruisers Combat”

Tourism interests in Antigua stand to lose at least $5.6 million in annual revenue with the loss of the weekly cruise call by the Carnival Victory, according to the Antigua and Barbuda Cruise Tourism Association.

Carnival Cruise Lines informed local authorities last week that the Carnival Victory will stop making cruise calls in Antigua in 2010, replacing Antigua with St. Maarten starting with the voyage that departs San Juan on Jan. 3.

… More Details

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Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise ships collide in Cozumel

I’ve been to the Cozumel port and experienced the high winds. They can really buffet the cruise ships and ferries around. Nothing like a little excitement to make a cruise vacation more memorable.

A Carnival cruise ship pulling out of Cozumel late Wednesday collided with a Royal Caribbean ship docked nearby in an incident that has left both vessels damaged.

Carnival says the 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend had just untied from its berth at the popular Mexican resort town when it was caught by heavy winds and pushed into the 2,446-passenger Enchantment of the Seas.

… [more information]