I post to inform, not to ruffle feathers.

 As a business, when I post on my Facebook page or in this Blog, I am doing so to pass along useful information and/or also to promote an offer. I don't post false information and I make sure my information is verifiable. If it clearly is a rumor or opinion, I will make sure that is know.  If I post a tip as useful information, I don't get paid for it. It shows that I do indeed have useful/helpful information and am beneficial to hire for your travel needs. That's right you are hiring me, not the other way around.  I am very upfront on how I get paid and do my best to not Nickel and Dime people on things that carry no value to you as my client. My Travel Agency is 100% based commission, I don't see you as a sales goal or dollar signs when you contact me. I see you as a person that wants assistance in travel and I will help you mesh out the details and book your travel for you. I will stand by you as advocate, wealth of information, and many of my clients become friends in process. 

I have a unique perspective and insight when it comes to travel. Not only am I the owner of this travel agency , I also work as supervisor for legacy airline and get to see travel trends real time and what they are trending to in the future( more on that shortly). Mix that with my travel experience and get a pretty resourceful person. I do my best to manage expectations on real information, but like everything in life, I don't make the rules(sometimes shake my heads at the rules) or the terms and conditions for my suppliers or businesses I work with or book with. I do however work within the suppliers rules and terms/conditions they set forth. If they have something vague, I will respectfully challenge it for clarification and do what I can for you as a client based on what my Suppliers will allow. My last challenge was a with cruise line that posted contradictory policies and applied those policies differently to clients on the same cruise. I went pretty far up the food chain in that company to get the issue resolved and it took over the course of a week to make it happen.( yes this verifiable and if those clients wish to make it known they are more than welcome to). I am guy that normally doesn't like to toot his own horn and let my clients do that for me in the form of testimonials or recommending me to their friends. I am fortunate to work for several client over the course of many vacations because they know if I can't help them or if they are better off booking something on their own, I will honestly let them know.(yep, I don't make a penny on  doing that).  

As you may have seen, I posted about Spring Break 2021 and even more recently important information about the Park Reservation System at Disney and what has been trending at Universal Orlando based on facts. This is what is happening in real time thrown in with what is trending forward. Things are changing quickly, just like they did a year ago this week last March 2020, when the world shut down. Travel right now is not a set in stone and planned months ahead as it has been. MANY people are booking 2 to 3 Weeks out(some even days out) either because they have been vaccinated and feel ready to travel or are weighing their risk to see if they are willing to travel. This poses very unique challenges on many fronts but most importantly of  WILL YOU LOSE MONEY if you are not able to travel or if something closes. What you see available today or 5 Minutes from now may not be available when you look again. More so the closer you get to peak travel periods, like Spring Break time. Right now for a lot of travel we are past full payment date for Spring Breaks and that means NO REFUNDS no matter how much you complain, yell, stomp your feet, act Karenish, or bully an employee or manager. Sorry, it's in the those terms and conditions that you agree to and many people don't read or understand. Travel insurance can help, but there are even more terms and conditions you have meet for that to happen.

So forward thinking based on FACTS and trends I see in real time through the airline industry and  travel industry.

DisneyWorld and Universal Orlando(along with other places of entertainment and theme parks)  for the foreseeable future WILL have Limited Capacities until the COVID Pandemic ends. Those capacities  are either mandated by Local,State,or Federal Governments,also Disney or Universal can decide to limit capacity to a level less than what the Government mandates.   Hence the Park Reservation system is active until at all of 2021 and 2022 at Disneyworld and take the guessing game out f you can get in. Universal on the other hand..... Just show as early as possible and hope for the best.  Over at Disney with that level playing field,  YOU MUST have a reservation to enter the parks based on the Ticket type(off site ticket only, on-site ticket package, or annual pass) to get in. As the pandemic continues, it is becoming more rare for a person to show up at the gate and be able to purchase their ticket then walk in to a park. This EXTREMELY factual for peak periods of travel. Do not cheat the system by trying to get in on a different ticket type, you will be disappointed with the end result.

 As stated several time before on my facebook page, Just because you have a ticket, that does not guarantee you entry. Be sure to read the terms and conditions when you purchase your tickets or package. If you arrive and cannot get in because you don't have your park reservation, don't blame Disney or Universal( well maybe Universal because you are playing the odds since there is no reservation system). Don't blame your travel agent(unless they didn't impress upon you that you need reservations....I keep a paper trail).  

Here are some pics of what March 2021 and April 2021 looks like currently for Disney as of March 9th 2021. Remember this can change quickly and as you can see if it is yellow, 1 or more park is not available for entry. 

I hope you find my post informative and useful. I hope the information helps in showing the advantages of using a travel agency over booking on your own or at a travel "discount" website(remember you get what you pay for). I do offer information that can and will be politely blunt to manage expectations. I would hate for you show up some place and have the Mouse, Moose or Minion out front tell you the park is closed leading to you to lose a lot money and full of disappointment. 

Thanks for being here and continuing to support Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations! 

Spring Break 2021 Part 2

Over the last 3 weeks I have had inquires about where to go for spring break and have surprised people. I have had people that misunderstood that since people are starting to get vaccinated it  is now 100% safe travel. People that were unaware that mask policies are still in effect at the theme parks. People that were not aware that Delta is t he only airline blocking middle seats. People unaware that they may travel to someplace and having to quarantine.  If you have not read part 1, Be sure to find it here PART 1  

Please understand with all this, I am trying to impress on you that I get that you want to travel. I want you to be informed. I want you to understand the risk YOU take and the risk you bring back to your community. If you travel you assume all risk associated with your travel and understand the consequences it could have on your community. The Pandemic is far from over, the vaccines are helping, but letting our guard down will undermine any progress we make. I will help book your travel. I will give you the best information about what is happening with your destination and getting there. Ultimately the final decision to travel is yours. 

What is open? What do I need to know? Should I go? What will be different?  Part 1  I think did a good job displaying that there are inherent risk for traveling during the pandemic. Basically, if there are people present, COVID-19 or a variant is present.  Common sense says, the more people in area, the more COVID-19 is the area. 

I am going to keep this honest, quick, and to the point. 

What is open? 

Just about everywhere you go, something will be open. Unfortunately, the amount of places that have "more" open is based more on Politics and Denial than Science and Fact.  Just because things are open, doesn't mean you are getting the full experience or that you will be able to get in.  Let's Take Disney and Universal Orlando for example. Both are open but have limited capacity.  The limited capacity is moving bar.  

Breaking Disney down a little more,  you are still paying full price even with a "discount" but only getting about 60% of the experience. What brings it to full price even with a discount is the discontinuation of the Dining plan,limited resorts, limiting the restaurants that are open. That is right they limit what your choices are when it comes to choosing what you can eat because now more than ever you are a more captive audience due limited capacity( do you dare leave and risk not being able to get back in). They are gradually opening more locations but it sporadic. It's also important to note, they still have several hotels shut down. That means they are limiting the number of value resort rooms available to you with only pop century( at the top end of pricing of a value resort) open and only one of the All-Star Resorts opening in late March 2021. That leaves a large portion of rooms of the value resort level closed.  Then you move to the Moderate Resorts that are open that are at the higher price range while they keep the family friendly Port Orleans- Riverside and French quarter Closed. Stepping up to the Deluxe resorts, the resort  that prices out just above a Moderate resort,Wilderness Lodge, is also closed.Wilderness Lodge is supposed to re-open in June.So you choice are limited and are in higher price ranges. Yep, even with a Discount you are paying close to full price. What else is missing for your experience at Disney? No more extra magic hours for resort guest(its being replaced with early entry), the shows are on Hiatus until later this summer, no fireworks shows, no parades (only character calvacades), No character meets only distanced appearances, Reduced hours, and this is a big one..... No Fastpasses.  It also important to note, Disney is very strict on their mask policies so if you can't wear mask or if anyone in your party can't wear or wont wear mask, don't go, you are going to get booted from the parks. Disney has recently ended social distancing spacing on most rides. 

Lets take the journey across town over to Universal Orlando now.  You are going to get a more "normal" experience here. There is still a limited capacity and they have been reaching that limited capacity quite early in the day on the weekends and during holiday times. They don't have the luxury (yet) to be spread out over 43 square miles like Disney is. That means there are more people in a more compact space. Universal is running most shows including Cinematic Spectacular on select nights. Most restaurants are open and you can still purchase express passes or get them for staying at the Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, and Portofino Bay resorts.  You will Find Cabana Bay fully open in the moderate priced hotels but will find Sapphire Falls and Adventura Closed. You will also find one of of the sections of the Endless Summer Resort closed but opening soon.(Dockside will re open soon) Endless Summer resort offers some the best prices in town but, even though its an onsite hotel, its not onsite hotel. I can explain that more if you ask.  They too, do have mask policies that they enforce and  they  have eliminated social distancing on most of the rides but not at the shows that are open.  

What is important to know about Disney and Universal: Just because you have purchased a ticket, that does not guarantee you entry......if they reach the limited capacities set forth, you WILLNOT be allowed in and 99% of all cases you will have no refunds available. 

Other players in Florida include SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Legoland Florida, FunSpot Parks, and the beaches. SeaWorld,Busch Gardens, and Legoland have kept off the radar but have mask policies, limited hours, social distancing, limited capacity and select attraction/show closings. FunSpot parks.... well lets say they have been hit with violations over covid more than once..... When it comes to the beaches, it really is smorgasbord of polices  unfortunately based on politics. Miami has even suggested to Spring Breakers to head to Las Vegas where Vegas COVID policies are more lax than the beaches are in Miami.  

So what about all-inclusive resorts? Yes they are open. No they are not offering very many discounts. When if comes to regulations at the resorts its going to be based on the country the resorts are in. You will meet a plethora of travel requirements and restrictions. The U.S. State department is recommending you reconsider travel to most places as you can see from the picture up above.  Some countries  DO NOT want american citizens to travel to them(even for business travel).  You will need a negative COVID test to board a flight back to the U.S. which means you could be stuck some place until you  test negative. That may cost you Thousands of dollars and you may not have access to very good health care if you need it. All-Inclusive resorts have been having outbreaks of Covid, unless you are in the tavel bizz you don't hear about them,That is due number of issues we have here. Some resorts have not been very forthcoming their outbreak. They want your money......... Lets not forget about another huge thing if you are looking for an all-inclusive resort. You may be required to quarantine to your room for a period of time when you arrive. If you can't afford to quarantine where you travel, don't go. You will more than likely end up detained.... more than likely detained in a covid mixing bowl......

That is  the to the point version. If you have questions about specific places, Please reach out to me. I will be upfront with you.  Again I understand you want to travel. I will be willing to help you if you assume all risk.