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  The Society for Consumer Advocates and Mavens

News You Can Use!

VACATION PACKAGES HOTEL ROOMS CRUISES

Beware of non-refundable terms which you may not be told of upfront! Otherwise you may get stuck with everything from questionable accommodations to standby airfare with no guaranteed seat! If the company offering the vacation package is located out of town beware of potential pitfalls.

Also, you can possibly get a better hotel room rate by making a long distance call direct to the hotel at the actual location where you want to stay and not by calling the hotel's national toll free 800 phone number.

Hotels that offer 1/2 price rooms may drop this discount at any time so always call ahead for a 1/2 price room reservation. Otherwise, you may show up at the hotel front desk expecting a half price room and find no rooms available at half price especially if the hotel gets unexpectedly busy!

If you want to go to New York City during the "peak" tourist seasons you may still be able to find hotel rooms at up to 50% off even during peak tourist seasons by calling the "peak season" hotline, which to date, was at 1-800-846-7666.

Beware of so-called cruises to paradise in exotic locales at bargain prices. Even the brochure or video may be deceiving! If you blindly send in your money or charge it on your credit card you may be in for a big surprise.

The beautiful room with a view may turn out to be, in your opinion, a dump with the only view being that of a barbed wire fence apparently being used to keep out the thieves and robbers. Furthermore, you may still be miles from any ocean view!

Also, beware of hidden charges or costs that greatly drive up the cost of your vacation, all of which may not even include airfare. For example, some port charges may cost you almost as much as the cruise itself! Passengers think port charges are government fees but only 1/3 of this fee may go to the government with the rest going to the cruise line!

You may end up having to spend twice as much as you expected to pay once you arrive at your so-called paradise destination and just try and get your money back once you arrive! The vacation or cruise company may claim they settle all disputes quickly but do not count on it. Consider checking with the Attorney General's office in the state where the vacation, tour or cruise company is located for any complaints existing on the company BEFORE you buy!

Even if the company has only one complaint against them you may want to reconsider going at all even if their sales presentation is sophisticated and their sales materials are "slickly" produced! Moreover, if you are asked to check-in early you may be asked to endure a sales pitch from somewhat "seedy-looking" local tour operators.

If you are unhappy with the paradise vacation when you arrive, the cruise operator in this exotic 3rd World country may tell you, "Well, what did you expect from a 3rd World country?" Your answer will likely be, "A lot more than this!"

One interesting note, it is illegal for Americans to travel to Cuba from a U.S. departure point but many are doing so by traveling elsewhere, like the Cayman Islands, then flying into Cuba because Cuba is one of the cheapest, best vacation spots in the world, especially if you are a male looking for female companionship. The economy is so depressed in Cuba that getting tourist dollars is like winning a lottery to the local citizenry!

SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCES: CNBC-TV STEALS AND DEALS 8/1/96, 10/31/96 and 3/20/96 and CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 1996 and OCTOBER 1995 and WSVN-TV NEWS 11/13/95

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