Ultimate Vacations News, Reviews and Photos

Part 2 of our All-Inclusive Blog Series - The Evolution of the All-Inclusive Are you looking for some luxury with your All-Inclusive experience? How about a resort concept that is tailored to your wishes? Karisma Resorts very likely has an All-Inclusive resort perfect for your vacation, honeymoon, anniversary or destination wedding. Karisma Resorts also offers exclusive themed All-Inclusive Resorts like Nickelodeon ... and Coming Soon - Margaritaville All-Inclusive Resorts . Karisma Resorts developed the El Dorado brand exclusively for adults. Azul Beach Resorts are designed for families as well as couples. Generations has multi-generational families in mind that need larger and connecting accommodations. Nickelodeon of course features all the great characters it is famous for. And Margaritaville , when it comes available will be an All-Inclusive escape for Parrot Heads. Only Karisma Resorts can offer you All-Inclusive Overwater Bungalows in Mexico, romantic Casita

There is Family Fun & Learning on Kauai, The Garden Isle Kauai is known to offer the most dramatic scenery of the Hawaii islands. It can also be a very fun family vacation destination offering unique fun and informative experiences for the entire family. Yes, even the kids.  I have zip-lined on Kauai and all I can say is Wow. If you thought Mexico or the Caribbean were fun experiences from a previous zip-line experience - are you in for a treat. The terrain, valleys, landscape and of course soaring mountain peaks make Kauai the ultimate locale for zip-lining. Kids with an adventurous side will love it and remember it for the rest of their life. Waimea Canyon waterfall, Kauai Waimea Canyon , dubbed the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific," is actually set in a state park and delivers a spectacular and free experience. The 18-mile drive to the top of the canyon has multiple stops for hiking and ever-increasingly fabulous views of the Pacific Ocean below. Near t

Great Things on the Horizon for a Leading River Cruise Line New Itineraries for 2018 AmaWaterways will offer over 30 itineraries in 2018, ranging from eight to 21 days in Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia. Eight of these itineraries will be completely new. AmaLea will become the newest AmaWaterways ship to launch. We love the innovation expected from AmaLea - featuring connecting staterooms and triple accommodations, both much needed in the river cruise arena. AmaLea will carry on with signature twin-balcony staterooms, multiple dining venues, a sun deck pool with swim-up bar and a lot more. AmaLea coming online in 2018 While complimentary beer and wine have long been included with lunch and dinner on AmaWaterways , the line will introduce a complimentary daily "Sip & Sail" cocktail hour before dinner.  Combining the above two topics of itineraries and drinking, AmaWaterways will host 50 wine-themed cruises. Destinations have been designated t

MAJOR HOLIDAY EVENTS AT DISNEY WORLD'S FOUR PARKS It's not too lat to plan a Disney World Vacation around the multitude of celebrations the folks at Walt Disney World in Orlando have planned. Pretty exciting stuff. Here's a quick glance. Disney's Hollywood Studios: A new Sunset Seasons Greetings features projections of Mickey, Minnie and more Disney characters sharing their favorite Christmas stories as a snowy Sunset Boulevard twinkles with holiday decorations. At night, the Hollywood Tower Hotel becomes a giant pile of Christmas gifts, a gingerbread house and a frozen winter-land. "Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!" is a nighttime fireworks show featuring state-of-the-art projections, special effects and Christmas music, topped off by a message directly from Santa. Contact us to book your "Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!" Dessert Party (Nov 9 - Dec 30) that features a visit from a Disney character. Epcot: The Epcot International Festival of Holida

Southwest Airlines Despises Bag Fees As Southwest Airlines grows its map to include the Caribbean and Mexico ... and soon Hawaii, it is important to remember the value of not having to pay for checked bags as you travel for a vacation experience.  At ULTIMATE VACATIONS we often recommend Southwest flights as part of Funjet Vacations and Southwest Vacations vacation packages. For a traveling couple, or especially for a family, the value of free checked bags can be very advantageous. Most carriers charge $25 per checked bag, per direction. So-called "low cost" carriers charge much more than that, and often restrict or charge fees for carry-on bags. We know. We just flew on Frontier last week to Cancun.  We recently read a quote from Southwest chief revenue officer, Andrew Watterson that seemed on point. And made us laugh a little bit as well. Way to go Southwest. "It is terribly inhospitable to charge bag fees," Watterson said recently. "It d

Universal Orlando Celebrates the Holiday Season Beginning November 28 and running until January 6 Universal Orlando Resort will deliver more holiday-themed experiences than ever. It all starts with a Harry Potter Christmas.  This is the first year Christmas and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter team up. This year both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley will feature Christmas-themed decorations, holiday-themed food and performances. Be sure to catch the evening festivities when state-of-the-art projection mapping and lighting wrap Hogwarts Castle for a Harry Potter inspired Christmas. Universal's Loews Royal Pacific Resort The "Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular" comes to Seuss Landing in Universal's Islands of Adventure . The Dr. Seuss holiday classic features the Whos from Who-ville celebrating the true meaning of the season.  The new Universal Macy's Holiday parade at Universal Studios Florida presents more than a dozen new balloons and more than 15

Part 1 of our All-Inclusive Blog Series - The Evolution of the All-Inclusive The all-inclusive resort concept has evolved from its infancy days of all you can eat buffets, all the beer you can chug, and tiny rooms with no televisions. Today's all-inclusive resort wouldn't even recognize it's prehistoric predecessor.  Today your stay at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico or the Caribbean could include an in-room Jacuzzi for two, a private rooftop terrace with a private plunge pool, a swim-up pool at your patio, up to 10 gourmet caliber a-la-carte restaurants, an infinity pool on your balcony, bars dedicated to martini's, mojitos, or tequila, mini-fridges with Heineken and/or Budweiser in your room, romantic candlelit dinners on the beach, complete liquor set-ups or liquor dispensers in your room, access to exclusive lounges, butler service, take a sunset cruise or snorkel by catamaran, and you can now even stay at an overwater bungalow at an all-inclusive resort in

Southwest Intends to Begin Hawaii Service. It has been mentioned, and recently hinted ... but now it has been made public. Southwest Airlines announced it has acquired new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft for overwater flights and will begin Hawaii service. Though Southwest has been noncommittal on routes it is known that the first Hawaii route will originate from Phoenix where Southwest maintains a large operation. The only timetable provided is 2018 to begin service. Southwest has applied with the Federal Aviation Administration for Extended Operations Service authorization, a regulatory requirement for such flights.  Of course, once approved Southwest flights to Hawaii will be available as flight and hotel vacation packages with both Southwest Vacations and Funjet Vacations - and that is the best way to book. ULTIMATE VACATIONS will keep you updated and have these packages available to book as soon as they become available.  Akaka Falls, Big Island Hawaii

GENERATIONS RESORTS ARE PERFECT FOR MULTI-GENERATIONAL VACATIONS Leave it to the owners of El Dorado Resorts to bring the quality of their Adult-Only El Dorado Resorts to Families of all sizes who wish to share one space. Generations Riviera Maya is an all suite, all butler, all ocean front gourmet all-inclusive resort about 30-minutes south of the Cancun airport.  It's comforting to know that Generations Riviera Maya was voted #2 Resort in Mexico by Conde Nast readers with an astounding 99.07 rating. The Why, would be due to its luxury accommodations, attentive butler service and luxury suites ranging from Jacuzzi Suites to 3-Bedroom Suites - all facing the ocean and beautiful secluded white sand beach.  Generations Riviera Maya resort-long pool Generations Riviera Maya is perfect for families, particularly large, extended, or multi-generational varieties. The entry level Jacuzzi Suites has a frosted sliding privacy door that separates the bed from the living ar

EL DORADO ADULT-ONLY ALL INCLUSIVE RESORTS FOR ROMANTIC OCCASIONS For ULTIMATE VACATIONS one resort has always stood above this crowded competitive field. El Dorado Resorts cater exclusively to adults seeking a luxury all-inclusive resort that pampers them from the champagne greeting through their entire stay - all minus children. Private Pool Swim-up Casita Suite, El Dorado Casitas Royale Ocean Front Infinity Pool Suite, El Dorado Seaside Suites But why El Dorado?  1.) El Dorado is an original - one of the first All-Inclusive Resorts in Mexico dedicated to Adults-Only. 2.) El Dorado is not a franchise. Each resort is under the same single ownership today as it was their first day. And the owners are ever-present and extremely hands-on. 3.) El Dorado Resorts are part of the Karisma Gourmet All-Inclusive family of resorts.  Consistency is the bottom line. El Dorado Resorts do not change hands - they simply evolve, always pushing the envelope whether re

Take Advantage of Our Exclusive Vacation Sale It's time for our Exclusive Sale of Funjet Vacations products and destinations. Frankly this is our favorite sale. Why? Because you can take advantage of this sale and travel beginning tomorrow and all the way through April 23, 2018. That gives you the remainder of 2017 and the most popular times for the Get-Out-of-The-Cold Winter Season. This is a prefect opportunity to save $100 on the normally higher priced prime time winter dates.  SAVE $100 PER RESERVATION Applies to All-Inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean , as well as Hawaii (sorry, no all-inclusive's in Hawaii). Yes, there are some blackout dates over prominent holidays.  DOUBLE DIP SAVINGS Take a look at Funjet Vacations weekly sales, they operates Non-Stop flights with weekly vacation deals from Baltimore / Chicago - O'Hare & Midway / Cincinnati / Cleveland / Dallas Fort Worth / Denver / Kansas City / LAX / Milwaukee & St. Louis . F

THE PLAIN TRUTH Much has been publicized recently about the alleged dangers of vacationing in Mexico. There were reports of alleged "tainted alcohol" followed by a state department warning. So let's examine these specific concerns factually. First, we are ULTIMATE VACATIONS , based in the Kansas City area with operations in St. Louis, Omaha and Alabama. We specialize in vacation packages including all-inclusive resorts to the Caribbean and Mexico. We arrange vacations for our clients to Hawaii, Europe, Alaska, Disney and Cruises. Ours is a big world. If one method of travel or a particular destination appears risky we are nimble and knowledgeable enough to make alternative recommendations. TAINTED ALCOHOL It all began as clickbait on a web site. A story about 3 or 4 individuals who allege they were served tainted alcohol. How do they know this? They blacked out. One drowned face first in a pool after normal pool hours. Let me repeat - they blacked out. How m

Iconic Caribbean Islands Fall to Irma & Maria As Hurricanes Irma, Maria and possibly other ravage iconic Caribbean islands one after another, we at ULTIMATE VACATIONS stress over a multitude of tragedies. Meanwhile the list of decimated islands grows by the day. This past Spring I took my first Windstar Cruise . For years I longed to sail upon a sailing ship like the Wind Surf and visit some of the iconic Caribbean islands often overlooked by major cruise lines and big name hotel chains.  So let's review my cherished itinerary, the damage since inflicted on them recently, and share a photo for each battered island taken in a happier time. St. Maarten - We sailed out of Philipsburg and spent a post-cruise night on island after our cruise. Today it has been demolished by the force of Hurricane Irma.  Barbuda - Two weeks ago most people thought we mis-pronounced the name and must mean Barbados and Bermuda. Last week most people learned that this island now, a

Introducing 20 New Windstar Itineraries 40 Europe Itineraries in all for 2018 Windstar Cruises has just introduced 20 new European itineraries for the 2018 season. Eight new itineraries will serve Norther Europe while 12 brand new itineraries will entice sailing fans to the Mediterranean. If you like variety, sailing into popular ports as well as fascinating ports a bit off the beaten path, Windstar Cruises may be for you. 2018 could be the perfect time to explore these 40 marvelous new itineraries in Europe alone.  Windstar now has six intimate yachts - 3 that are fully motorized catering to only 212 guests in all suite accommodations; and three that combine both magnificent sails and motorized power - two accommodate 148 guests while their largest vessel accommodates still only 310 guests. With a limited number of guests you enjoy personalized service as well as the ability to explore ports where larger ships simply cannot get to.  Dubrovnik, Croatia. Phot

Coming in 2018 Explore Iceland's Rare Beauty Escorted by Disney Beginning is the summer of 2018 Adventures by Disney will add tours to experience the rare natural beauty of Iceland. This 7-night Adventure Through the Land of Fire and Ice will feature all the attractions of Iceland's Golden Circle.  Dramatic is the only word to describe Iceland's scenery. Dramatic coastlines, landscapes, waterfalls, valleys, glaciers and volcanoes. All of which you will experience first hand on this tour. Of course Adventures by Disney are designed to engage, enlighten and educate the entire family. This particular tour has a minimum age of 8. Godafoss Waterfall, Iceland TRIP HIGHLIGHTS Southern Iceland's Glaciers - Get up close and personal with glaciers on land and sea. Take a zodiac to a massive glacier adrift. Horseback Ride in the Grand Circle - Ride along the cost on a unique breed of house introduced to Iceland by the Vikings Take a Natural Bath in

PLAN YOUR ALL-INCLUSIVE HONEYMOON Use an Experienced Honeymoon Travel Agent Who's Been There Your honeymoon is important. You will likely spend more on your honeymoon than any other trip you have taken yet. And hopefully it's the only honeymoon you will take. Or if it is not your first honeymoon - you have found the ultimate partner making this honeymoon the most celebrated of all. In any event it's important to get it right. ULTIMATE VACATIONS specializes in honeymoons. It is a major percentage of our business model, and after years of meeting personally with engaged couples at bridal shows and in our offices we know what is important. First, we listen to your ideas, dreams and consider your budget. Then we research available options based on our first hand experience with those resorts and/or destinations and the feedback of thousands of our clients before we make customized recommendations for you. One size does not fit all .  Infinity Pool Suite at El Dor