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What is best site for booking mexico/jamaica etc???

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by sweetcanadian, May 6, 2014.

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  1. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    I am just in the very very early "looking" stage for a vacation we can take with my whole immediate family next year.

    When you book mexico, jamaica etc what site do you go through? Do you prefer a travel agent instead?

    We would be in different ports so it is real hard to say where flying from so i want best deal possible.
     
  2. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    I almost always book my travel independently. For a couple of cruises, I've used Costco Travel, but that's only to get the better price & onboard credit because I've already done all the work myself (picking out the itinerary, cabin choice etc) Then I'll do my own air. The main reason I don't tend to like packages is that I want to book my own air! (and the price savings don't seem to be worth it for my departure location and desired destination).
     
  3. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    We book a lot of private rentals through vrbo and others. So packages and agents don't come into play. And I don't know that we've ever even booked a package since we love the research process and the mix/match. I guess if we knew it had to be cruise A or Caribbean resort B we could end up with a package or an agent since we'd just price it out all three ways. Other than one flight -- Australia in '03 -- we just end up never using agents; the market is simply so strong for the a la carte shopper.

    Guess what I'm saying is just ask all the relevant questions/do the research and then let $$$ win out, all else equal.
     
  4. gguerra

    gguerra High-Roller

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  5. rooster42000

    rooster42000 Goat of all Goats , My Hero

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  6. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    thanks for the links.

    For where we fly out of packages are ALWAYS cheaper. We have one of the higher priced flights in the country. We can get direct to mexico though, so that is what steers me there.

    My husband and my step dad both drink enough to make the all inclusive definitely worth it for both sets of couples vs putting together our own package. I can drink my husband under the table but i only drink a day or 2 and the rest water and he will go from morning to night in a setting like that, same with my step dad.

    It is also easier for me to convince him to go when he knows exactly what he is spending first. Easier sell for me that way because he has this thing where vacations are kind of useless. He hates to spend money on them, usually enjoys himself though, but sees it as a waste of money. He wants a beach vacation so that will where we go next.

    I told him he knew i loved to travel when he married me and i did not get married just to be now stuck at home doing nothing all the time. I also said i did not get married to go on vacations by myself so this is how i will get my vacation and him get his beach lol.
     
  7. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Several of my colleagues from the great white north vacationed in Cuba, eh. Have you been?
     
  8. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    Nope, never overseas yet at all. we have us from the middle and some from the west coast flying out of Vancouver. Cuba is not a direct flight from here.
     
  9. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    So? If you want to go, I'm sure it's not that complex. Check prices & resorts:thumbsup:

    (I have wanted to go to Cuba for soooooo long! I have some colleagues who have worked there and I could probably find a medical group to travel with, but I'd prefer just to vacation:peace:) And I'm not really even a beach person:eek:
     
  10. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    I would like to check out Cuba as well, and I'm not sure exactly why, except that its forbidden fruit which always tastes the sweetest. Maybe go to the original Bacardi distillery and get the real thing. Pack a fuel pump for a '56 Chevy and trade it for a couple of dinners. My colleague said it was beautiful and very reasonable.

    Besides, don't you Canadians take two weeks off for summer holiday? This would be a trade off for expensive or inconvenient air travel.
     
  11. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    WestJet serves three or four airports in Cuba, so seems like an EZ-PZ trip. Winnipeg to Toronto and down.

    Seems like way more of my Canukistani friends have been there than not. Had a lot of gringo friends go in through Mexico. Silly America.

    But I think a turnkey -- I didn't necessarily say package -- excursion to elsewhere in the Carib or Mexico might be easier given what the OP has told us.
     
  12. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    I am a manager, i don't take 2 weeks off lol. I took 8 days when we went to vegas and the place was NOT in the condition i left it. I also had to imput everything when i got back so i couldn't imagine what it would be like going away for 2 weeks.

    My husband also has a job where it is just him & his boss, 2 weeks isn't easy for him either. 10 days max mostly.

    I want to go to cuba eventually, i love the heritage aspect of it around havana. I also want to go to atlantis but it is expensive.

    With this group though cuba just wouldn't really work. We need more mainstream. I hate spending a full day travelling. We did it for our florida trip and it sucked lol. With mexico we have direct flights and i want to go in the low season, about this time of year. After spring break, before summer and not in hurricane season lol.

    That cheap Caribbean has lots of stuff. I love that you can choose many places and check out the prices.
     
  13. lotso-bear

    lotso-bear VIP Whale

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    Personally, I never book packages since they cost more than booking everything individually. Usually, I just got onto Kayak.com to get an idea of the prices.

    If you’re into luxury resorts then I recommend reaching out to a Virtuoso travel agent, since they specialize in the luxury travel market. If you need some contacts than let me know since I know a few of them.
     
  14. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    I am into cheap. I wish i could get luxury for cheap.

    From here, airfare is over 1/2 the package price. I have never found it to be cheaper. It really depends where you live.
     
  15. rvallez6

    rvallez6 MIA

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    The problem I have had with websites like priceline or hotwire.. The cheapest price is usually the least convenient. If you go and change your flight to one that makes sense, the price shoots up quick. Also, not all airlines are partnered with the sites. I like to check out smarter vegas for promo codes and then compare prices through mlife or CET. Pick the best rate and then find the best value for the flight.

    Booking the packages seems cheap but you may end up flying out at 6 AM or I've seen some where they say the flight is between 6 AM and 10 AM..
     
  16. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    that is to vegas though. i am talking elsewhere.

    The direct flights to mexico from here are at decent times and i found them on cheap carribean.com. I am not booking anything yet as we not put it off a year but the prices were ok for me. Our direct flights (which most will never find) to las vegas were decent as well. 3pm leave here, 5 pm leave vegas.
     
  17. tatterdema

    tatterdema VIP Whale

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    I have booked most of my Mexico vacations through flightcentre.ca. They discount their hotels pretty well, especially for 1 person. Sometimes 1 person is 1/2 the price of 2, but you have to really play around with their website, and its not the most user friendly.
     
  18. Terry Benedict

    Terry Benedict VIP Whale

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    We have used vrbo.com
     
  19. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    will check that out too, thanks
     
  20. Slotchick

    Slotchick High-Roller

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    When booking our Mexico trips we have used both packages and booking the flight/hotel separately.

    The best deal we have gotten is booking separately but flying out of Seattle as the flights were unbelievably low. Last year we found West Jet to be cheaper than any other carrier and flew with them. I know what you mean about flight pricing in Canada, and we were shocked to be flying out of Canada the past few years to Mexico as the pricing was lower than Seattle even with the taxes and fees.

    Last few years we have been booking Hotel/flight separately as it's cheaper; usually going through VRBO. We start looking 8 months or so in advance and book the vacation when we are happy with the price.
     
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