Questions, anyone?
Friday, May 1st, 2009
I included the travel-to-Mexico questions you asked via Facebook and Twitter today in my interview with Pat Caraway, President of Caraway Travel in Shreveport. Here’s what he had to say.
-If a family member has been on a cruise within the last couple of weeks to Cozumel should there be concern? Caraway says depending on the date your family travelled, the Cozumel port might have been closed and the ship diverted to other ports. Most cruise ships have eliminated port stops in Cozumel into next week. Carnival is extending its Cozumel elimination on cruises to May 10th. -If I have a trip planned for next month, should I cancel or replan now? Caraway says if your travel is several weeks away, take a wait and see approach. The situation is fluid. You still have up until May 31st to make a decision with most airlines.
-Is he traveling to any of the “hot sports” or does he recommend his clients to? Caraway says that’s your decision. If you’re still a week or two off from your scheduled trip, hold tight…things can change.
-How does he feel about the V.P.’s statment about telling his family not to fly? Will that comment hurt the cruise industry also? Caraway says his interpretation is that the V.P.’s remarks might hurt the airline industry more, but that the V.P.’s people are now saying Biden wasn’t clear about what he meant…that he really meant you shouldn’t be travelling by plane if you’re sick.
-Does he see travel rates falling - will there be deals out there soon? Caraway says he wouldn’t be surprised that once this thing settles down, Mexico will become even more of a bargain than before in an effort to get people back in the mode of travelling there.
-Can I get my money back if I have a flight or cruise scheduled to Mexico soon?
Flights:
Caraway says first, go to the website of the airline you’re using for your trip and look for information relative to this issue. It should be easy to find. Generally speaking, if you are travelling between now and May 31st to most places in Mexico, you can cancel your airline trip and rebook within the validity of the ticket (one year from the date of issuance) to the same city and not pay the change fee (usually $150). Or you can cancel the ticket, pay the change fee and go somewhere else.
Cruises:
Caraway says they’re still on. Many of the ships are cancelling port stops in cities that are hot spots and offering perks to compensate the traveller. Many cruise lines will let you reschedule. Carnival just announced that if you’re not happy with missing your Cozumel stop, you can cancel and rebook prior to December 31st without having to pay additional fees.
