By Charles (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Sunday, April 2, 2006 - 4:14 am: |
Hi all,
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By Barb Paepke (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Sunday, April 2, 2006 - 9:38 am: |
FF mileage this late is highly unlikely, especially with the Easter vacations and school spring breaks coming up, but many airlines (CO, Delta, AA) let you check for the availability of FF seats on their own websites. That will tell you if anything is still available at this time. If you opt for going later, you should check FF availability as far in advance as possible as seats are very limited and the airlines seem to be cutting back on the number per flight due to financial porblems.
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By Jerry Gauron (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #483) on Sunday, April 2, 2006 - 12:41 pm: |
Welcome Charles!
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By Bea and Marvin Jones (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #110) on Sunday, April 2, 2006 - 1:01 pm: |
Log into AA with your FF info and see what is available - just say you are using your miles for a reward. We used FF last year, booked in January and our trip was in April and it worked, but I would think you would not be able to use your FFmiles this close to when you want to fly.
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By seb (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2752) on Sunday, April 2, 2006 - 2:33 pm: |
Interesting range of opinion. I used to fly AJ out of JFK, but I became leery of them after their problems last year, and coach is very tight seating if you are at all large. Sometimes when booking a package you can get very cheap 1st class airfare on AJ. Their schedule is the nicest.
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By Charles (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Sunday, April 2, 2006 - 4:20 pm: |
Wow, this is all great info, I guess we'll have to suck it up and pay a premium if we are to go in April, otherwise we'll just wait, plan more thoroughly for a later date using FF miles. I did hear about the nonstop Continental flights rumor, that would definitely be awesome if they actually started that route. I checked AA with my FF miles, and saw that earliest award travel dates are November, would that be a good time to go? Are there any times when it would be bad to go? I would be going there with my girlfriend. Thanks for all the replies!
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By DIVER DEBBI (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #470) on Sunday, April 2, 2006 - 10:07 pm: |
we used AA FF and got as far as Curaco..everything else was booked up...you will have to be very creative this late in the game but where there is a will and some time there is a way...so try different departure cities and then get to Curaco or Aruba , then pay for flight on Divi Divi to Bonaire..good luck
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By Mary Mueller (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4440) on Monday, April 3, 2006 - 12:28 pm: |
Charles - I just booked a trip late in April using FF miles to get to Curaco (from RDU to Miami) - and them am flying to Bon on Divi Divi - just like Debbi suggested. It seemed wide open at that time
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By MONTY FORBESS (BonaireTalker - Post #40) on Monday, April 3, 2006 - 5:34 pm: |
I do have a suggestion if flying aa through san juan, be sure and check when the next scheduled aa flight is, we did not get our luggage and made several unnecessary trips back to the airport the following day and the next, there was no one whom we could talk to, to discuss when our missing luggage might arrive, if we had checked prior to leaving as to when the next aa flight would arrive in bonaire, then we wouldn't have checked back so many times, no one at the airport, including the offices in the back would help at all and no aa rep was there either, this year, if our luggage doesn't arrive, we know not to check back for 2 days at 8:00 pm,
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By Barb Paepke (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Monday, April 3, 2006 - 5:48 pm: |
Flying thru San Juan on AA is always interesting as many of the planes leaving there are quite small, so they often have "overweight" problems, which means you may go but your luggage may not. Last year we were waiting for a flight to St. Kitts and sw the same people trying to get to St. Croix board and unboard the plane twice because of overweight problems (they were still there when we left). For our flight we were called to board the bus to take us to the plane and got to the bus door before being told to go back to the waiting room. We were told it was a mechanical issue but later found out that it was more likely too much weight. Fortunately we arrived with all our luggage but our friends, who came two days later, did not. Also, if you're meeting an someone coming in on an American Eagle flight, you may find that your friends are not on it, as we did when on friend tried to join us in ST. Kitts. If there is any glitch in weather or any type of delays, people can miss their flight in San Juan and since the planes are small, there isn't always room to accommodate them on the next plane, which may not even be until the next day, depending on what island you are flying to. This is particularly problematic if flying during the popular vacation periods around school breaks.
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By Frederick Lee (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Monday, April 3, 2006 - 6:13 pm: |
Question; With all the interruption of flights to Bonaire, during this time period.Is it less/more of adventure flying down in the mid October time period. Like 12 Oct to 21 Oct.
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By Grasshopper (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #17711) on Monday, April 3, 2006 - 6:39 pm: |
Fred, you should be fine in October. Here are some great San Juan Airport tips.
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By Barb Paepke (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #6) on Monday, April 3, 2006 - 6:48 pm: |
I'm sure you'll get various opinions about this but October IS hurricane season so even though Bonaire is pretty far south and less likely to get hit by a hurricane, if you are flying AA thru San Juan or AJ thru Jamaica, you could have problems. Hate to be the bearer of bad news put the preliminary reports are for another "active" hurricane season this year, with something like 17 tropical storms and 8-9 becoming hurricanes.
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By Grasshopper (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #17712) on Monday, April 3, 2006 - 6:59 pm: |
Barb, please don't say that 'H' word when talking about flying ;-) [wink]
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By Frederick Lee (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Monday, April 3, 2006 - 8:47 pm: |
Grasshopper,Gracias.
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By Grasshopper (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #17717) on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 10:13 am: |
Fred, good luck! And as we like to say, start your vacation when you get on the plane and don't let anything "crush your groove." As someone who has "lived through the worst" on a vacation (most know what I'm talking about)...make the best of any snags as they are just that, little snags, snip them and make the best of it...it sure beats working
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By Barb Paepke (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #7) on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 10:44 am: |
Fred,
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By Charles (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #3) on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 3:36 pm: |
Thanks again for all the suggestions, we'll decide in the next day or two whether to go there or not. Saw FF awards available in on April 19 to Curacao, coming back on the 27th, but that would mean sacrificing extra vacation days and going mid week. Currently leaning towards going to Bonaire later, maybe November or next year, and maybe going somewhere else in April - any one have experience with Honduras (Roatan or Utila), or Dominica? Heard those places were also good, maybe not as good as Bonaire, but still pretty good marine life.
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By Mary Mueller (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4448) on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 3:51 pm: |
Charles - just as a heads up - I have never been able to use FF miles going to Bonaire on the weekend - I have used them on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. But you may have more luck than me!!!
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By MONTY FORBESS (BonaireTalker - Post #43) on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 4:02 pm: |
HI CHARLES, we've been to both roatan and utila, stayed at anthony's key on one side, and then a small resort on the other side of the island called the reef house, we both loved roatan but it has been several yrs since we were there, there wasn't very much fish life then, but the verticle walls on the reef house side were incredible, the critters such as the beig eels and crabs were enormous, people ext friendly, anthonys is a very very beautiful place to stay, utila was less devel but a great exp, went there to have a chance to snorkel with the whale sharks, but weren't fortunate stayed at a new resort, can't remember the name but it was really nice the owner was named troy bodden, who was a wonderful local with worlds of knowledge of the sea around utila, but, utila also seems to be somewhat fished out, once we went to bonaire, we just haven't been able to escape
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By Lorraine Meadows (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #988) on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 8:23 am: |
Try Kim @ Caradonna Tours (1-800-328-2288)
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By DIVER DEBBI (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #473) on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 4:29 pm: |
Hey Monty...sorry to hear Honduras has lost its dive appeal..I thought that when we saw alot of fish being collected for aquariums and speargun fishing..commercial Red Lobster has alot of boats there...but we had some great times at little Reef House, i always called it scuba camp, because it reminded me of summer camp being so basic...I sure hope the Marine Park preservation in Bonaire will keep it's rules and regs..it makes a difference
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By MONTY FORBESS (BonaireTalker - Post #45) on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 5:39 pm: |
HI DEBBIE, didn't know anyone would know of reef house, what an experience, 2 sets of divers all week long was all that was there, take you anywhere you wanted and then drop you off to dive back into the lagoon, it's hard to go to places like cayman or coz after those types of exp.
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By Charles (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Thursday, April 6, 2006 - 1:22 pm: |
This is great, didn't think I would be getting so much great info on Honduras from a board on Bonaire!! My girlfriend actually is thinking of going to Honduras now, but not sure if she wants to do Roatan or Utila - maybe both? we would have up to 9 or 10 days available. Also it should be easier to get to than Bonaire, no? Thanks again everyone!
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By Andy & Dave Bartlett (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #443) on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 2:31 am: |
Charles
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By DIVER DEBBI (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #474) on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 10:29 am: |
I can recommend Laguna Beach resort in Utila...good diving, great boat set-up and whale sharks, all meals included, house reef..you can drink the water there...still see more fish and shore dive from Bonaire,but sometimes you have to check out something different. There are actually smaller VERY cheap and basic rooms to be had in town of Utila if you are adventurous, and then dive with Utila Dive...have fun and safe diving where ever you go....
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By Charles (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 7:48 pm: |
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. As of now, we have decided to postpone Bonaire until the Fall when we can use our frequent flyer miles and plan better. We are now looking to go to the Galapagos in the first week of May. It won't be a diving vacation (unless I can squeeze a couple of dives in somehow), more likely we'll go to see the wildlife on land this time, maybe do some snorkeling, as my girlfriend is not experienced enough to handle the currents diving there. Will definitely go back again someday to hopefully dive with Hammerheads and whale sharks! Maybe we'll get lucky and see some while snorkeling! Thanks again!!
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