Spirit Airlines

I flew from Denver to Ft Lauderdale, and then on to San Jose, Costa Rica on Spirit Airlines.

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Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about Spirit that's positive. They advertise low prices, but once you add in all of the extra charges, they aren't any cheaper than other airlines. You have to pay to reserve a seat, baggage fees (especially on international flights) are high and they charge for checked bags AND carry-ons (?), and there is nothing free on the flight. You even have to pay for water. To me, that is not cost effective. It's just plain annoying. 

Another downside to Spirit is the limited number of cities they fly through. I fly out of Salt Lake City, and since they don't come here, I had to fly to Denver on another airline and then take Spirit from there. On my way home I had two stops before Denver, and it made for a very long day. Definitely not worth the so-called reduced airfare.

I do have one positive thing to say. Spirit would rather delay a flight if they know a connecting flight is late than pay for someone to stay in a hotel, and because of that I made a connection that I otherwise would have missed. Still, not worth it. 

In the future, I choose to fly on an airline that doesn't charge for every little thing - even water - and doesn't expect me to clean the plane as I'm getting off or bother me throughout the flight about paying for their membership program.

#SpiritAirlines

Adobe Rent a Car

We rented a car from Adobe Rent a Car for our trip to Costa Rica.

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Before the trip we needed to make a small change to our reservation, so I sent an email with the request and all the information I thought they would need. I got a quick repsonse two days later saying the change had been made and everything was set. 

When we got to the airport in San Jose, we waited for a few minutes and the shuttle that was supposed to pick us up wasn't there yet, so a nice man offered to call Adobe for us. A few minutes later the shuttle came and that was really the only (very small) issue we had. 

At the office everyone was very nice and gave us information about all the options we had without ever pressuring us to buy anything. We decided to add GPS, and that was definitely the right decision. La Fortuna where we stayed was three hours away on very small roads that were not on our map, and there is no way we would have found our way without the GPS. They programmed our hotel and their office for us and showed us how to program any other destinations we might want.

Our car was some sort of Hyundai (I can't remember exactly), and it was great. It got good gas mileage, and we didn't have any issues with it. It met all of our expectations.

Returning the car was just as easy. We found our way back to Adobe easily with the GPS, and in just a few minutes we were on the shuttle headed back to the airport.

If you're ever in need of a rental car in Costa Rica, I would definitely recommend Adobe!

#Adoberentacar #CostaRica

JetSet Vacations

We booked a trip to Costa Rica with JetSet Vacations. They specialize in trips to Aruba, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Jamaica, Mexico, and Panama.

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We booked our trip on the website, and the next day we got a phone call asking if we wanted to change our flight. The representative who called said the flight time offered in the package we booked was not good, and we would be much happier if we paid a fee and changed our flight to a different time.

???

The booking process had been very easy and straight forward, but the phone call the next day made it seem like we were being scammed. When we said we would stick with our original flight, the woman told us not to call her when we were unhappy with our trip.

???

We couldn't believe it. Talk about horrible customer service. If they didn't think this trip was good and people wouldn't be happy with it, why were they offering it? 

That made me worry that we were going to have a lot of problems with our trip, but luckily - and surprisingly - everything was very smooth. We loved our time in Costa Rica and we were very happy with how everything worked out.

JetSet does offer good deals to some very enticing destinations. I wouldn't advise against using them to book a trip, but I would recommend speaking with someone on the phone first. Many travel agencies charge a fee to book a trip over the phone, so maybe the best way to go with JetSet would be to speak to someone first, then book the trip online yourself. Or pay the fee if you're more comfortable having them take care of the details for you. Either way, just be careful that you're getting all the details worked out before booking. A good practice in general, necessary in my experience with JetSet.

#JetSetVacations #CostaRica

Dan Dooley Car Rental

We rented a car from Dan Dooley for our Ireland trip.



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Our car was this cute Nissan Micra.

It was clean and in great condition, and we didn't have any problems with it at all. We had the car for a week and did a lot of driving, and we only had to fill the gas tank one time. When we turned it in at the end of the week, we only had to put about a quarter of a tank in to fill it. We drove from Dublin to Galway, Sligo to Cork, and everywhere in between, so that's really not bad!

Tip: We could only fit one suitcase in the trunk and had to put the other in the back seat. If you're traveling with more than two people, you may want to request a bigger car.

I had read some reviews before our trip saying people had to wait an excessive amount of time both at the airport and at the Dan Dooley lot, but that was not our experience at all. There was a short line at the airport but nothing we couldn't handle, and we did have to wait a few minutes for the shuttle, but again, nothing we couldn't handle. When we got to the lot, the shuttle driver dropped us off at our car, and we were off! It was so simple and quick, and dropping the car off was even easier. We parked, signed a few forms, and got in the shuttle to the airport.

Everyone we worked with was respectful and friendly. After we returned home I saw an unexpected charge from Dan Dooley on my credit card and sent an email to inquire. I received a response within a couple of days telling me it was a fee from a toll road that we had failed to pay.

Tip: Watch for toll roads! Sometimes you have to deposit cash in order to pass, but sometimes it's an electronic process that I still don't quite understand. Apparently we were supposed to get online after we passed a certain spot on the road and pay, but we had no idea. After the allowed time had passed and we hadn't paid, Dan Dooley was charged and in turn charged my card.

Update - March 2014
I just got back from another trip to Ireland and used Dan Dooley again. We had another Nissan Micra:

This time we did have to wait quite awhile at the airport, but it was because our flight landed at 3:30am and the Dan Dooley counter doesn't open until 5:00. Other than that this experience with them was pretty similar to the last. Our car was clean and in good condition, it got good gas mileage, and we didn't have any problems with it. We must not have been the only ones to ask them about an unexpected toll charge, because this time the woman at the counter told us about it and gave us instructions on how to pay it. I would definitely recommend Dan Dooley if you're in Ireland and need a rental car.

#DanDooley #Ireland

Kilronan Castle

We spent our second night in Ireland at Kilronan Castle in beautiful Roscommon.

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It's a luxurious castle surrounded by lakes and amazing scenery.

Our room was spacious, clean, and comfortable.

The impressive sparkling bathroom exceeded our expectations.

Beautiful lake view from our window

Our room was on the second floor overlooking the stunning lobby and reception area.

The cost of a hot breakfast in the dining room was more than we wanted to spend, but we were very happy with the selection of cold items. Don't skip the croissants! I had the best one I've ever tasted there.

The staff at Kilronan Castle was very friendly and helpful, even allowing me to use a front desk computer to check my email when the public computer wasn't working. The castle is in a pretty isolated area, but if you're looking for a restaurant, nightlife, etc, the city of Sligo is not far.

#KilronanCastle #Ireland

Cabra Castle

We spent the first of our 6 nights in Ireland at Cabra Castle in Kingscourt.

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 We couldn't have asked for a better welcome to Ireland!

It's a short (and beautiful!) hour drive from Dublin on narrow, winding roads.

With a friendly Irish Wolf Hound guarding the front door, it's just what you imagine a castle should look like.

When we wanted a picture, he came right over and posed, then returned to his post at the door.

Our room was on the first floor in the courtyard. It was spacious and comfortable - especially after a long overnight flight from the U.S. - and it had all the amenities you would expect.

The bathroom was clean and very nice. I loved the woodwork on the vanity, around the mirror, and along the front of the bathtub.

Inside the main castle you'll get a more authentic castle feel.

Spend some time exploring

There's something charming and new around every corner.

The old fashioned key was the perfect touch!

The service at Cabra Castle was great. Employees were friendly and helpful. We didn't ask for much, but checking in and out was quick and easy. Breakfast was not included in our package and we thought it was a bit pricey - 10 euros (in 2012) - but it was the standard "full Irish" we became very familiar with, and we enjoyed it. 

Although we were only at Cabra Castle a short time, we loved our time there and would happily recommend it to anyone visiting Ireland.

Tip: If you want a room in the main castle, be sure to ask for it when you make your reservation.

#CabraCastle #Ireland

Sceptre Tours

I recently returned from a trip to Ireland, so that's where I'm going to start this new blog of travel reviews. Over the next little while I will be writing reviews of all the services I used on that trip.

First up, Sceptre Tours!

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I knew when the time came to visit Ireland that Sceptre Tours would be a good travel agency to look at. They offer several trips to Ireland, Scotland, and Britain as well as European river cruises, and I had seen some really good deals advertised through the Travelzoo Top 20 (if you haven't already signed up for the Top 20, definitely check it out. It's a great resource for finding travel deals!).

The trip we ended up booking was the Castles of Ireland and it included round trip air from New York City to Dublin, rental car for a week, and 6 nights in 4 different castles around Ireland. It sounded like the perfect way to experience Ireland, and Sceptre Tours was offering a great deal.

The representatives at Sceptre Tours were great to work with. They made the booking process easy and gave us information about services we could add to our package without pressuring us to buy something we didn't want. We received our itinerary and the vouchers we would need for the rental car and castles in the mail quickly after booking.

A few months after booking the trip, we needed to change the dates because of some conflicts with work. We called Sceptre Tours and were given all the information we needed to make a decision, including comparisons of different trips we could choose from depending on how much we wanted to spend. We received great customer service from them and were happy with how quickly they responded to our many questions. 

We did think the change fees - which we knew we would have to pay - were pretty high, but we know all travel agencies charge more than seems fair and just figured there wasn't anything we could do about it. It made a great deal not so great anymore. We have traveled quite a bit without ever paying for or needing travel insurance, but I guess it's one of those things that you don't need until you do. We will consider it more seriously in the future.

A few weeks after we had changed the dates of the trip, the friend who was supposed to go with me had some unexpected medical issues and was advised by her doctor not to leave the country. We called Sceptre Tours again and were told that we could pay another fee to change her name and reservation to someone else. All we had to do was fill out a form with the new traveler's information as well as my friend's signature authorizing the change. It was a costly but relatively simple fix.

The only negative thing I would say, other than the fees if you don't have insurance and need to change anything, is the wait time when you call their customer service number. Once you get through the representatives are great, but there were a few times that I waited an excessive amount of time before finally connecting with a person. Their phones also seem to have a limit to how long a call can be put on hold, and more than once when I called to ask questions I sat on hold only to be disconnected after 15 minutes.

Overall, Sceptre Tours was wonderful to work with and I would use them again. Their options are fairly limited, but if what you're looking for is their speciality of Ireland, Scotland, Britain, or a European river cruise, they offer some great trips.

#sceptretours #Ireland