The Festival of Sail is an annual event with something for everyone. The event is held over Labor Day weekend each year and starts with a bang! Cannon fire will salute the entrance of the tall ships from all over the world as they parade around San Diego Bay passing by Harbor Island, Shelter Island, Seaport Village and the Coronado Bridge ending up at the Maritime Museum's docks.

The five day event includes live entertainment from a variety of genres including; Contemporary Rock, Sea Chanteys, Mariachi's, Steel Drum Bands, local community groups, etc. We will have a petting zoo where kids can get up close and pet a variety of animals. Cruises on San Diego Bay, cannon battles, sailing on racing yachts, over 150 arts and craft vendors, multitude of food options, interaction with pirates, and more...

Cannon Battle Sails: Sail a Tall Ship into battle! Fight the Enemy from a Tall Ship available on Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday.

Historic Bay Cruises on the 1914 Pilot Boat: Enjoy a 30 minute guided tour of San Diego Bay on our historic Pilot Boat. Tickets are $5.00 per person (in addition to the passport purchase).

America's Cup Boat Sails: Cruise the bay on America's Cup boats! Stars & Stripes and Abracadabra will be heading out for a sail to view the tall ship's cannon battles and Festival of Sail from an on-the-water perspective.

For more information visit:

How many bests can you enjoy on a cruise aboard the new Philadelphia Belle? The spectacularly renovated riverboat herself--able to accommodate up to 1,000 guests in comfort and style--certainly leads the list. Add the city's best rising entertainers, cuisine inspired by Philadelphia's finest restaurants and top chefs, and unique water views of historic Philadelphia landmarks. However you define the best of Philadelphia, you'll enjoy it aboard the new Philadelphia Belle.

Create your own cruise experience. Options include a cruise and dine package that includes almost everything or a cruise-only package with a la carte food and beverage choices. Enjoy cruises that include historical sightseeing cruises, moonlight cruises, and buffet lunch, elegant dinner and grand weekend brunch cruises.

For more information visit http://www.philadelphiabelle.com/

Courtesy cbsnews.com:

Thanksgiving or Christmas in August? Well, when it comes to searching for reasonable airfares, the time may actually be perfect to do that holiday and winter shopping.

First the bad news: Airlines are now generating revenue from every possible source, and at least two, American and Delta, have already implemented peak-travel surcharges for November 19-29 and December 17-31, excluding Christmas Day.

The deals are certainly not happening like they were in 2009, when the industry was reeling from the recession.

According to Priceline's data on 2009, Thanksgiving fares started to increase after mid-September and didn't look back. Christmas fares spiked in mid-September, then dropped before climbing back up in the beginning of October.

This year, with reduced capacity (fewer planes and flights), waiting until the last minute to purchase your holiday tickets probably won't get you the best fares.

But the good news is that the carriers and other travel providers are trying to lock in travelers by rolling out the deals NOW.

Tip: Most of the time, the best time to travel is when everyone else isn't. And in my opinion, holidays like Thanksgiving are nothing more than an obligatory dysfunctional family get-together. So instead, look for deals that fall around the holidays, but not ON the holidays.

Several airlines have launched fare sales through mid-December.

For example, American Airlines is offering a domestic fare sale from $44 each way through December 15, but you must book by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on August 24. We're talking savings on travel between major cities like Atlanta to Miami from $69 each way, and Dallas to Ft. Lauderdale from $89 each way. link=http://www.aa.com>www.aa.com

Always, always read the fine print before you book: Those advertised prices are for one-way travel, but you're required to purchase a round-trip ticket. Blackout dates apply over Thanksgiving and other peak days (specifically Nov. 20, 23-24, 27, and 29). Advance booking is required, taxes and fees are not included, and for the lowest fare, travel must take place Monday through Thursday and Saturday.

Budget carrier AirTran has a similar deal, but with one twist: no round-trip purchase is required. Book by Aug. 24 for travel by December 15, and prices start from $49 each way. Blackout dates are Nov. 23-24 and 27-29, and of course, the standard advance purchase and weekday travel apply for the lowest fares. (Note that sale dates for certain routes may apply.) www.airtran.com/sale

Delta has also launched a fare sale, from Atlanta and Minneapolis. Same deal here: Book round-trip tickets by Aug. 24 for travel by Dec. 15, with blackout dates Nov. 23-24 and 26-29. If you can deal with the restrictions, you'll be rewarded with fares as low as $44 each way between Minneapolis and Milwaukee, and Atlanta to Chicago from $60 each way.

Or, you can skip seeing your demented uncle and crazy aunt altogether and head to Europe this fall! Delta is offering sales from New York and Atlanta to major European cities from $239 and $339 respectively, each way. www.delta.com/planning_reservations/deals_offers/index.jsp

Continental has a similar sale if you're traveling BusinessFirst to Europe -- and this deal includes holiday dates! Departure must take place Nov. 21 - 27, 2010, returning Nov. 25 - Dec. 1; or depart Dec. 20, 2010 - Jan. 7, 2011, and return Dec. 24 - Jan. 13. This deal is valid on Continental as well as its partners, such as Air Canada, Lufthansa and United. www.continental.com/web/en-us/content/deals/offers/businessfirst.aspx

My advice: There will likely be one more airfare sale that will sneak out on Sept. 8, two days after Labor Day. But after that, my guess is there won't be another major airline sale for the rest of the year that will apply to holiday travel.

Then, there are the deals being rolled out by specific properties, based on the same philosophy that you'll be rewarded if they can lock in your business now.

Several RockResort properties, including The Lodge at Vail, Keystone, The Osprey at Beaver Creek, and Hotel Jerome in Aspen, are offering a free night of lodging during the holidays when you book by Oct. 31, 2010. The Holidays on Us program means you can book two nights and get the third for free on Thanksgiving Day, MLK Day, and Easter Sunday; buy three nights and get the fourth free over Christmas Day, Valentine's Day or President's Day.

For example, at Keystone, a studio condominium rental that falls over Dec. 21-26 will cost about $664.64. When you factor in the one free night, that works out to $119 per night for five nights. Not a bad deal, especially when you consider the package also includes free activities like admission to an ice-skating rink, a snow bike lesson and yoga classes. www.holidaysonus.com

And, going back to the theory that if the going gets tough, the tough go to Europe, Uniworld is offering discounts for early birds. Book a European holiday river cruise by Aug. 31, 2010 and save up to $300 per person. uniworld.com/Destinations/Offers

If you're in the market for cruises, here's what you want to do: Sail in early December.

Courtesy nytimes.com:

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it was downgrading its rating of Mexico's oversight of civil aviation from Category 1 to Category 2 because Mexico had failed to meet the international safety standards of the United Nations agency for civil aviation.

Because the decision, which came late last month, hampers partnerships between American and Mexican airlines and it bars Mexican carriers from adding any new routes to the United States, it effectively reduces the options for air travel between the two countries.

The downgrade came shortly before Mexicana Airlines filed for bankruptcy, suspending ticket sales and several flights. Not only will other Mexican carriers be unable to make up for the loss of Mexicana's service in the United States, the move also halts several code-share agreements, which allow domestic airlines to sell tickets for routes that Mexican carriers operate. (The reverse can still occur.) The affected code-share arrangements include one between Delta and AeroMexico and one between American and Mexicana, although the latter has been further complicated by Mexicana's bankruptcy.

The downgrade also temporarily scuttles planned code-sharing deals between Continental and Aeromar and between Southwest and Volaris.

The F.A.A. says that it will work with the Mexican government to help the country regain its Category 1 status. If that happens, said Olga Romero, a Southwest Airlines spokeswoman, "It would be a good thing for the whole industry."

A restored World War II troop landing ship that went ashore on D-Day in 1944 will depart this weekend for a monthlong trip on the Ohio River, leaving from its home port in Indiana with stops in West Virginia, Ohio and Pittsburgh.

Dozens of volunteers have been preparing the LST 325 with fresh coats of paint, a cleaning of its fuel tanks and a stocking of supplies for the 40-person crew of Navy veterans and others who'll make the trip starting Saturday.

Volunteer Jack Stephenson of Moline, Ill., has donated 2,000 hours of his time to the ship, which was brought back from Greece in 2001 and has been permanently moored in Evansville since 2005.

"This ship is alive," he told the Evansville Courier & Press. "Everything on it works. I've been on a lot of cruisers and aircraft carriers that are cold iron. They're dead."

The LST 325 is one of the few surviving American vessels that went ashore on D-Day, according to the National Park Service, which gave the ship a National Register of Historic Places designation last year.

The LST 325 is schedule to arrive in Wheeling, W.Va., on Aug. 26 and be open for tours Aug. 27-30. It will then travel to Pittsburgh, arriving Sept. 1, with tours and cruises planned Sept. 2-7. The final stop is planned for Sept. 8 at Marietta, Ohio, with tours Sept. 10-14.

The ship is expected to arrive back in Evansville on Sept. 18.

While World War II and Korean War veterans remain active, the ship is starting to see Vietnam-era veterans take over, said USS LST 325 Memorial Inc. president Kenny Adams of Covington, Ohio.

One is Jerry Howe of Indianapolis, who as the ship's "fuel king" estimates it will use 1,200 gallons of diesel a day making the 9 mph voyage.

"We have enough fuel to go up and back, about 23,000 gallons," he said, adding with a laugh, "We're looking for credit cards!"

Where would you go if you could All You Can Jet™ on JetBlue Airways? Today through August 20 members of TrueBlue can purchase the classic AYCJ-7 Pass with no day-of-week travel restrictions for $699 (a), or buy the new AYCJ-5 Pass, excluding travel on Fridays and Sundays, for $499 (a). Passes are only available online at www.jetblue.com/aycj. Customers must enroll in TrueBlue, the award-winning airline's customer loyalty program, at www.jetblue.com/trueblue before purchasing a Pass.

Customers who purchase the popular #AYCJ Pass will have no boundaries - every available seat on every flight between Sept. 7 and Oct. 6 (a) will be available with no blackout dates - to travel to more than 60 international and domestic destinations in JetBlue's route network as often as they like. TrueBlue members will receive 4,200 points with the purchase of the AYCJ-7, or 3,000 points for the AYCJ-5. With one-way Award Flights starting at just 5,000 points, customers who purchase a Pass will be almost half-way to another roundtrip JetBlue flight.

"Last year, our AYCJ Pass inspired customers across our network with the idea of travel without boundaries, whether they set out for more face time with important clients, planned to visit 30 cities in 30 days or lived inside the walls of airport terminals across the country," said Robin Hayes, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for JetBlue Airways. "We look forward to seeing how this year's community of Jetters use the Pass and create memories that will last a lifetime."

Customers may book new travel or make changes or cancellations to #AYCJ reservations online at www.jetblue.com/aycj without a fee up to three days before departure. Changes or cancellations made less than three days before departure will be subject to JetBlue's $50 change/cancel fee. Customers can upgrade to Even More Legroom seats on each flight for as little as $5 extra, depending on the flight. Other terms and conditions apply (a). Additional information is available at www.jetblue.com/aycj.

All #AYCJ travel must be booked between Aug. 23 and Oct. 3 (a). On the first day of booking, Monday, Aug. 23, a welcome email will be sent to all Jetters with exclusive offers from partners including Hertz car rentals and JetBlue Getaways hotel properties, to add to customer savings and enhance the #AYCJ experience. The Pass is inclusive of taxes and fees for all continental U.S. flights. Additional taxes and fees for Puerto Rico and international flights are not included. Customers must be TrueBlue members to take advantage of the Pass, and each #AYCJ Pass purchased is also eligible for TrueBlue points. Enrollment in TrueBlue is simple and free for all customers. For more information about TrueBlue, or to enroll, visit www.jetblue.com/trueblue.

Courtesy latimes.com:

Question: Do airlines still offer special fares for passengers who have to fly to a funeral? I vaguely recall "benevolent fares" were available in the past. Does such a thing still exist? If so, what proof is required to get such a fare?

Answer: Some airlines do offer "bereavement fares" or "compassionate fares," but they're sometimes more expensive than an (already sky-high) last-minute fare. The best place to find that information is on the airline's website.

United, for example, offers a 10 percent discount off any published fare for tickets purchased within six days of travel, a spokesman told me. Your ticket must be booked in person or by phone, and you need to provide "the name of the family member who is the reason for your travel; his or her relationship to you; the name, address and telephone number of the hospital, hospice or funeral home; and the name of the family member's doctor (if applicable)."

With the United ticket, you won't pay a change fee if you must move your travel date, but you will pay the difference if the fare is higher on your new date of travel.

Thomas Smith of Atlanta ran headlong into this dilemma in mid-June, when he and his family wanted to visit his sister, who was dying. "The situation was economically not viable in that the airline was going to charge $1,000 per person for my family (three paying passengers and one infant) to fly from Atlanta to Los Angeles," he said in an e-mail to me. "The one concession they were offering is there would be no penalties for making changes in travel plans on the return flight. My reaction to that wasn't one of excitement, I can tell you that."

He said he found flights for $500 less online, but of course, those come with change fees, which can be as much as $150 a ticket. He ended up using 80,000 frequent-flier miles per passenger ("No," he wrote, "that is not a typo"), not including the infant, a total of 240,000 miles.

Are such fares fair? George Hoffer, professor emeritus of transportation economics at Virginia Commonwealth University, said they are "just one more tool ... the airlines have always used to engage in 'price discrimination,'" which results when the airline tries to "estimate the price elasticity of demand ... to maximize revenues. This, unlike the other tools that airlines use, is what economists call first-degree price discrimination. The airline can leave no money on the table and still get credit for being compassionate."

Financial analysis is not what you want to do when a loved one is ill, but, unfortunately, you may need to do just that.

For airline travelers, it's heartache all the way around.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/16/2152510/bereavement-fares-available-but.html#ixzz0wmgjcRuH

Courtesy Yahoo News:

Steven Slater's Monday probably started off no different than yours or mine. He might have hit snooze once or twice on his alarm clock before crawling out of bed. He probably had a cup of coffee on his way to work. In other words, to the outsider, Slater's life probably appeared painfully ordinary.

But the way Steven Slater's Monday finished was anything but ordinary. In fact, Slater's Monday turned into something out of a John Waters film, what with a public profanity-laced tirade and an escape down a slide onto the airport tarmac.

He is now, for better or for worse, THE JetBlue flight attendant, with the now-infamous tarmac incident dominating the list of top Yahoo! searches. (Among the variations: "jet blue flight attendant," up 9,175% in one day; "steven slater jet blue"; and "fed up attendant jet blue.") And the term "JetBlue flight attendant" is still the top search term on Twitter as of this writing at noon Eastern the day after the fact, not to mention the outpouring of support he's received on Facebook.

And as is the case with anyone who stumbles upon sudden infamy in the digital age, Slater has been the subject of much discussion in the past 24 hours or so. To many, he's a working-class hero in the mold of the fed-up Peter Gibbons from the Mike Judge cult movie hit "Office Space." As David Allan Coe advocated in song, he took that job and shoved it. But to a few others (who seem to be in a scant minority), he's a psychopath, a man who lost control in a job where losing control is absolutely forbidden. Still others suggest he's just a funny, crazy wild man. Here's a random sampling of reactions from around the Web:

Rocks Reserve, a 163-acre wilderness park with RV and tent camping sites, will offer "Star Party" packages for guests who want to view the Perseid Meteor Showers, from Thursday night, August 12, through Saturday night August 14.

The park is located at an elevation of just under 4,000 feet, near Boulevard, California, approximately 65 miles East of San Diego along Interstate 8. Far from city lights, the property offers a clear vantage point from which to view the stars. The peak of this year's meteor shower is predicted to be between August 12 and 13, with as many as 40 meteors streaking by per hour.

The "Star Party" package includes a 50% discount on tent and RV site rentals during those three nights, a community bonfire and marshmallow roast at 8:00 pm and star viewing from the park's 300 foot "Stargazer Plateau" at 9:00 p.m. Guests are welcome to bring telescopes, lawn chairs, chaise lounges (for easy viewing) and sleeping bags and stay out on the Plateau as late as they wish. Reservations are suggested. For information, call: 619-766-4480 or visit: www.sacredrocks.com

Sacred Rocks Reserve is located at 1331 Shasta Way, Boulevard, CA, 91905. 151 extra large RV sites with complete hookup facilities are available, as well as a tent camping area, bunkhouse, general store, clubhouse, and shower facilities, and an outdoor pool and spa and Wifi service.

We will also be offering the same 50% discount on the night of August 27, 2010 for the "Double Moon" phenomena when Mars will be so close to Earth that it will actually appear as if there are two moons in the sky!

Courtesy examiner.com:

Americans traveling to Spain, or other European countries via Spain, might want to reconsider travel plans. Spanish air traffic controllers have announced a nationwide strike that will result in delays, and cancellations affecting travelers to and from Mediterranean destinations.

A three-day strike has been planned and is expected to start on either the 18th or the 20th of August. The union is to meet on Wednesday to decide on the exact dates.
The strike comes at the height of the summer season in Europe, when millions of Europeans take their summer vacation.

Long Island travelers are urged to check the cancellation policies of their flights, and how it will affect cruises, tours, and/or accommodations. Rules regarding delayed or canceled trips vary and travelers might have a difficult time obtaining a refund, even if the cancellation is completely out of the traveler's control.

Strikes are usually considered a Force majeure, meaning an act beyond the airlines' control therefore, not obliged to issue refunds.

Contact your airline for updates.

Courtesy Huffingtonpost.com:

On August 27th, Disney World will go to the dogs when the Park plans to open Best Friends Pet Resort, a hotel exclusively for pets, according to the Associated Press.

The resort boasts 50,000 square feet of space--half of which is outdoors--and has room for 270 dogs, 30 cats and other animals such as birds and small mammals like hamsters (no reptiles allowed). Rooms start at $37 for dogs.

You can always get your pet upgraded, too: have them join a play group, have, um, bedtime stories read to them, and even rent a villa where they can watch movies on a flat-screen TV ($59) or a 226-square foot suite with private outdoor play areas ($76).

Pets can also be left for the day without overnight boarding, so you can drop your pet off on the way to Park. The chain operates 40 such places around the U.S.

"We know that people who bring their pets with them to Disney want to see their pets," said Deb Bennetts, spokeswoman for Best Friends, told the AP. "If they were simply going to board their pet, they would board their pet at home. They want to see and interact with their pet while at the resort, so we've made it easy for them to do that with all of this wonderful outdoor space."

Best Friends Pet Resort will replace the five kennels existing around the Disney area.

Courtesy LATimes.com:

Domestic airfares across the nation increased nearly 5% in the first three months of 2010 from the same period in 2009, and yet the trade group that represents the nation's airlines calls the numbers good news for passengers.

The latest airline statistics were released last week by the U.S. Department of TransportationThe Air Transport Assn. points out that, when adjusted for inflation, the average $328 round-trip fare is 25% lower than in the first quarter of 1999, which was the highest first quarter since the Transportation Department began to keep track of airfares in 1995.

"Travelers certainly appreciate a bargain, and today's airline customers are getting just that, a bargain," Air Transport Assn. President James May said in a statement last week.

The group also notes that compared with the pre-recession levels of 2008, fares have grown only 0.4%.

But what the trade group left out of its statement is any mention of the many fees that airlines have begun to charge passengers over the last two years to check bags, change reservations and buy snacks, pillows and blankets. Many of these extras were provided to passengers free of charge in 1999.

These fees generated more than $7.8 billion for the nation's top 10 airlines in 2009, according to the Transportation Department. Of the 32 air carriers ranked by the percentage of total revenues generated by fees, Spirit Airlines was the highest, at 21%.

David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Assn., defended airlines that charge such fees. "The growth of ancillary fees," he said, "is what has allowed the base fare to remain low."

He added: "If you don't check a bag, you don't pay the checked-bag fee and you still benefit from the low fare."

The government's latest financial statistics for airlines offered some good news for Southern Californians.

Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and Long Beach Airport were among the nation's five airports with lowest average airfares for the first three months of 2010.

The average fares may be lower at the Burbank and Long Beach airports, aviation experts say, because both are served heavily by low-fare airlines such as Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways, flying primarily short-haul routes.

The average round-trip domestic fare was $208 at Long Beach Airport and $241 at Bob Hope Airport.