Fall Fun in the Sun: Emily Kaufman has Ways to Save on a Florida Vacation in Ft. Lauderdale

Fall is here, but in case you’re missing the summer weather, ’tis the season for fall fun in the sun and some great off season travel deals. The Travel Mom, Emily Kaufman has the latest on some fall vacation and getaway ideas.

Fall is a great time to travel since the weather is terrific, the summer crowds are gone, and you can get incredible travel deals. Also, airfares tend to be lower and now, gasoline prices are low making a fall road trip a good value. Greater Ft. Lauderdale is a great fall travel destination because it’s a short flight or a short drive from many mid-west and east coast locations.   With over 27 miles of beaches, 300 miles of waterways, and lots of fun things to do when you get there, it’s a great fall getaway.

 

Travel Promotions for Sunny Florida. The fall season is typically the shoulder season in travel so you’ll find lots of great vacation deals.   Here are two that really give you a lot bang for your buck.

See You in September Promotion. Free hotels are always a great savings, right? With Greater Ft. Lauderdale’s “See You in September” promotion you can book two nights at exclusive hotels in Greater Ft. Lauderdale and get the third night for free. Rates start at $95/night at the Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach and you can stay at other beautiful hotels like the B Ocean Resort, Courtyard by Marriott, and more. Here are some of the deals you get right now:

• B Ocean Resort Fort Lauderdale – rates start at $139/night
• Courtyard By Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach – rates start at $169/night
• Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach Resort – rates begin at $95/night
• Hollywood Beach Marriott – rates start at $159/night
• Neptune Hollywood Beach Hotel – rates start at $99/night
• Riverside Hotel – rates start at $129/night
• Sonesta Fort Lauderdale beach – rates start at $159/night
• W Fort Lauderdale – rates start at $229/night

It’s available through October 12th and go to sunny.org/september for all the details.

Vacation Like a VIP Program. Everyone prefers to Vacation Like a V.I.P. and this program has affordable pricing at some of Greater Ft. Lauderdale’s top hotels and resorts like the Ritz Calrton, W, Marriott, and Hyatt Regency plus a lot of extras when you stay.   You can get the V.I.P. package through October 12^th and it includes complimentary room upgrades; $100 resort credits for spas, golf, food & beverage services; a $25 American Express gift card; and the Summer Savings 2-for-1 Card, valued at $2,000 in savings on over 70 attractions in the area. To find out more, go to sunny.org/VIP.

 

Things to Do When You Get There. Greater Fort Lauderdale’s fall events calendar is filled with festivals, celebrations and shows so there’s always something to do. Some can’t-miss events include:

Duende Festival – To cap off its centennial celebrations, Broward 100, Broward County will host Duende, a three-day public celebration of the arts, culture and community from October 2-4. Duende, which means “a quality of passi​on and inspiration; a spirit; having soul, a heightened state of emotion, expression and authenticity,” will feature street festivals, performance arts, concerts and a Broadway-style show featuring multiple Grammy Award-winning entertainer Jon Secada, recording artist Linda Eber and talent from hit shows including ““So You Think You Can Dance,” “The Voice,” and “X-Factor”

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show – Greater Fort Lauderdale, with its 300 miles of navigable waterways, is known as the “Yachting Capital of the World” and the “Venice of America.” From November 5-9 the destination will host the largest boat show in the world, the 56^th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. More than a billion dollars’ worth of boats, yachts and accessories from every major marine manufacturer will be displayed throughout the destination.

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival – Movie buffs will want to check out the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, November 6-22. The highest rated film festival in the state of Florida, FLIFF is a competitive film festival showcasing independent cinema from around the world, in an art house movie setting.

Visit www.sunny.org for more information.

 

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The Latest Fall Travel Tips and Trends from The Travel Mom, Emily Kaufman

Even with soaring airfares and gas prices, ’tis the season for great weather, great fall foliage and great off season travel deals. The Travel Mom, Emily Kaufman, has the inside scoop on what everyone needs to know about great fall vacation ideas from getaways to cruise deals and more.

Emily Kaufman – Ft. Lauderdale in the Background.

 

The fall is a great time to travel since it’s shoulder season and you can get great deals and the summer crowds are gone.

Cruises are one of the best vacation choices today.   Cruises offer terrific value, let you see many exciting destinations in one trip without packing and unpacking and most everything – including meals and entertainment – is included in one, very affordable price! The fall is a great time to take or buy a cruise – especially during Cruise Lines International Association’s “World’s Largest Cruise Sale,” taking place October 6-13. This is when all the top cruise lines, – including Carnival, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line – and thousands of travel agents across the U.S. team up to offer spectacular savings on more than 200 cruise ships.

There’s a cruise for everyone and every budget available during CLIA Cruise Week – from Caribbean cruises, to river voyages in Europe, romantic cruises in the Mediterranean and even adventure cruises in Antarctica. Some of the very special cruise offers that you can get during CLIA Cruise Week include:

• Carnival Cruise Line – Great rates, plus 50% reduced deposits, plus upgrades and $50 onboard credit
• Royal Caribbean – Buy one guest; get the second guest at 50% off; plus 5% off the line’s ChoiceAir air fare bookings
• Norwegian Cruise Line – 10% off cruise fares with onboard credits for specialty dining, shore excursions or spa treatments
• Avalon River Cruises – a savings of $1,300 per couple for river cruises in Europe

Just go to cruising.org/vacations for a full list of CLIA Cruise Week special offers and to find a CLIA trained and certified cruise specialist travel agent near you who will make booking your special cruise a breeze!

Look for areas that are popular during the peak seasons to get the best deals in shoulder season. Greater Fort Lauderdale in South Florida not only has beautiful beaches, but it’s also known as the “Yachting Capital of the World” so you’ll want to check out the 55^th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show that is the world’s largest in-water boat show and features nearly $4 billion dollars’ worth of boats and sea vessels of all sizes.

Greater Fort Lauderdale kicks off its 100^th Centennial this October with a year-long calendar of special events and happenings throughout Broward County.  For the next 12 months, Greater Fort Lauderdale’s Centennial celebrations will include music and dance performances, concerts and festivals, art exhibitions, museum tours, and many events for children and families.

And, if you want to take a cruise on a really big boat, check out the cruise ships sailing from Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades and the destination’s “Cruise & Play” program with special offers on pre and post cruise hotel packages and discounts at attractions and restaurants. Visit www.sunny.org for more information.

Emily Kaufman’s Insider Fall Travel Tips

Here are the latest insider secrets about the best ways and places to get the best travel deals and values for getaways for the entire family or anyone eager to take advantage of empty travel destinations.

October is a Great Time to Find Deals on Cruises.  Fall is a great time to travel since it’s shoulder season, you can get great deals and the summer crowds are gone.  It’s also the perfect time to plan a cruise vacation because you can get lots of incredible deals and special incentives this time of year, for the holidays and next year, too.  CLIA, the Cruise Lines International Association, is celebrating National Cruise Vacation Week from October 21st through the 27th with “The World’s Largest Cruise Sale” where 25 of CLIA’s cruise line members and over 7,000 travel agencies throughout the U.S. and Canada team up to offer spectacular savings and value on a wide variety of cruises – including “Virtual National Cruise Week Events” where you can go online to get information and even book your cruise. You’ll find amazing deals around the world across all cruise categories – on major cruise ships, smaller and adventure cruise lines, luxury cruises, and even river cruises in Europe and Asia. Just go to cruising.org for a full list of special offers and to find a CLIA-certified travel agent.

Here are two great deals:

Carnival Cruise Lines: Gives you up to $200 Cash Back per stateroom and accept 50 percent reduced deposits on select sailings through December 2013. With prices starting at $259, this is a great value for cruises to The Bahamas, the Caribbean– great choices for short or seven-day vacations. In fact, for Carnival’s 2013 European cruises, travelers can save up to 20 percent, and only have to put $99 per person down as a deposit.

Celebrity Cruises: Take a seven-night or longer cruise to Alaska, the Caribbean, Bermuda or Europe between January first and April 30th and get up to $250 in Onboard Credits to be used in restaurants, the spa or for other shipboard activities.

Use Technology to Organize Your Travel Details. Whether you’re planning a family cruise, ski trip or international vacation this fall or winter, you can use your smart phone and apps to organize so many things for your trip.  Just program the numbers of airlines and hotel contacts into your phone so if you need to rebook a flight or hotel because of travel delays, the numbers are right there.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance When You Travel. And you don’t want to get caught with extra fees for flight delays or lost luggage, so you need to think about travel insurance.  TravelGuard.com offers many comprehensive travel insurance plans that typically include coverage for things like trip cancellation, interruption or delays, lost or stolen luggage, and emergency medical expenses.  They also provide 24-hour travel assistance and emergency services and even have a popular Gold Plan that includes free coverage for kids under 17. You can find out all the details at TravelGuard.com.

Tourism Websites are a Great Resource for Savings and Freebies at Your Destination. Do your research and subscribe to email alert lists from travel, airline, hotel and tourism websites so that you’re alerted to travel deals when they’re published.  Here’s a great deal for Los Angeles Tourism.  They have a fall program called “Museums LA” from October 1st to November 11th and you get FREE admission to LA’s leading museums like the Huntington, Getty Center and Getty Villa, even the Grammy Museum.  And when you book two nights or more at any participating Los Angeles area hotel on DiscoverLosAngeles.com/cultureLA , you get FREE admission for two people and museum store discounts at 30 of LA’s top museums—a savings  of nearly $500.  Also, check out 100 Free things to do in Los Angeles.

Bundle Your Trip to Save More. Also, look for ways to bundle your trip to save.  If you purchase your vacation as a package with your airfare, hotel and car rental together, you can usually save a couple of hundred dollars on your trip.  Cruises are a built in bundle of value since they include accommodations, meals, and entertainment.