REAL DEALS

Mexico & Central America, Air/Cruise, 8 Nights, From $878

Stay a night in New Orleans and then set sail for Mexico, Honduras, and Belize.

Chankanaab National Park, Cozumel, Mexico (Courtesy MedioImages/Corbis)
(Courtesy MedioImages/Corbis)
Chankanaab National Park, Cozumel, Mexico (Courtesy MedioImages/Corbis)

The Real Deal Round-trip airfare to New Orleans on a national carrier; one night at the InterContinental New Orleans; seven nights' accommodations in a inside cabin on the Norwegian Spirit with stops in Mexico (Costa Maya and Cozumel), Honduras (Santo Tomas De Castilla), and Belize (Belize City); all meals and nonalcoholic drinks; 24-hour room service; transfers; and fuel surcharges and port charges, from $849 per person—plus $99 in airport taxes.

When Apr. 4, 2010; add $50 Feb. 7, 21, 28, Mar. 7; $150 for Mar. 14, 21, 28.

Gateways Dallas; add $20 for Atlanta, $100 for Chicago, $130 for St. Louis, $150 for L.A., $176 for San Francisco.

The Fine Print Does not include taxes of $99 per person. Based on double occupancy; single supplement is $474. Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal.

Book By No deadline; based on availability.

Contact Travel Themes and Dreams, 877/870-7447, travelthemesanddreams.com.

Why It's a Deal Booking each component separately would cost at least $1,019; this exclusive price saves you at least $91 on the Feb. 7 sailing.

More Add nights at the New Orleans Sheraton from $65 per person per night. Upgrade to an ocean-view cabin for $100 per person or a balcony cabin for $250 per person.

MORE DEALS BY:

Destination: USA and Canada | Europe | Caribbean | Mexico and Central America | South America | Asia | Africa | Australia and New Zealand

Interest: Cruises | Romance | Resorts | Shopping | Food and Drink | Islands | Adventure | National Parks

Lifestyle: Family | Hip and Trendy

Price: $0-$500 | $501-$1,000 | $1,001-$2,000 | $2,001+

Have you booked a Real Deal? Tell us how it went at RealDeals@BudgetTravel.com.

>> All Real Deals

Note:This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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Travel Tips

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Planning
360262

Sending a flat-rate Priority Mail box costs $8.10, no matter how much it weighs or which state it's going to. After accumulating too much stuff to fit in my suitcase during a trip to Atlanta, I filled a box with laundry, souvenirs, and gifts for my grandchildren, and mailed it to my home address.

— Eleanor Waterhouse
Tagged
Technology
539560

Making international calls back to the States can be confusing if you're using a calling card and you're dialing a number by its catchphrase, such as CALL ATT. Obviously, many countries don't have the English alphabet on the telephone keypad. My solution? I create my own small keypads on a computer, print them out, and attach them inside my wallet, to my passport, and to my calling cards.

— Peter Morris
Tagged
Planning
362263

Play Let's Make a Deal when you're shopping for vacations at travel shows or expos. Go armed with your own research and a credit card.(You're likely to get a better price if you know what the vacation is worth, and if you're willing to buy it on the spot.) I picked two Caribbean cruises and headed to the New York Times Travel Show. After haggling with the competing cruise lines, I was offered the first cruise for $50 less than the best price I'd found online, and they threw in free trip insurance. In the end, I chose the second—$30 off with a free upgrade to a balcony stateroom—and truly got a bargain.

— Michael Marcarello
Tagged
Shopping
346263

It helps to have a calculator if you plan to do a lot of shopping in foreign markets. When you find something you like, hand the seller the calculator and ask him to enter his best price. It's easy to convert the response into dollars so you know what you're spending. If necessary, the calculator can be used to haggle, especially if you don't speak the language.

— Becky Sapp
Tagged
Packing
365239

Use the shoeshine mitt often found in hotel bath- rooms to store your sunglasses. They fit nicely inside the pouch, and when you take them out, you have a soft material to clean them with. For extra protection while traveling, I store my sunglasses inside the shoe-shine mitt, fold the end closed, and then place it in my glasses case.

— Dan Coviello
Tagged
Packing
409584

If you plan to travel to a less-developed country, pack an extra suitcase with hand-me-downs of all sizes. Housekeepers and other resort workers make so little money that the clothes are greatly appreciated. On your way home, you can use that empty suitcase for souvenirs.

— Rebecca Oberg
Tagged
Technology
393275

Tell me I'm not alone: Almost every time I park my car at the airport, I have trouble finding it when I return. (I even reported my car stolen once after searching for hours, only to discover I was in the wrong lot!) I now use my cell phone to leave myself a message as to where I've parked my car.

— Perry Babel
Tagged
Planning
325270

I have the words "hotel" and "taxi" on my cell- phone speed dial. On a trip, I change the numbers, but leave the preprogrammed titles the same--instant access and no more little slips of paper everywhere.

— Isabel Burk
Tagged
Packing
342244

Shout Wipes take up very little space in your purse or backpack and are invaluable for treating stains. While traveling on an airplane, I gave one to a most grateful Italian after he spilled wine on his tie. Our friendship extended through customs, and we're now e-mail pals. Great stuff!

— Marilyn Rogers
Tagged
Packing
371298

My husband cut an old contact lens case in two and uses the halves to carry his medication when we're traveling. He prefers them to regular pillboxes because lens cases are watertight and compact enough to carry inside a shirt pocket.

— Jean Holtmann
Tagged
Technology
396282

We always e-mail our itinerary--including flights, hotels, and confirmation numbers--to ourselves and to family members. If our luggage is lost or our wallets are stolen, all of this essential information is just an Internet café and a few quick clicks away.

— Courtney Fuller
Tagged
Hotels
428334

Many tourist information offices provide discounted same-day booking services for local lodgings. My husband and I discovered this when we accidentally left a midweek gap in our travel plans between my husband's conference hotel and our B&B in Charleston. Instead of adding another night at either location, we stayed at one of the more elegant inns (normally over $200) for $70, courtesy of the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

— Audrey E. Vance
Tagged
Photography
372277

I enjoy off-peak travel best--rates are cheaper, lines are shorter--but the weather can be iffy. To combat Mother Nature's unpredictability, I always pack a roll or two of black-and-white film. While dreary-day color photos bring only consoling remarks from friends, black-and-white film tends to lend a mystique to gray landscapes and creates some very dramatic Ansel Adams--esque shots.

— Ed Danyo
Tagged
Planning
348283

If I plan to travel to several countries that use different currencies, I pack a few cloth change purses: U.S. dollars go into one, British pounds in another, euros in a third, etc. When I'm sightseeing, I carry only the money I need; the purses that I'm not using are locked away in the hotel safe. I avoid fumbling around in shops and mixing up coins that look alike. Plus,I always know exactly how much cash I have.

— Peg Welch
Tagged
Car Rentals
353261

I've saved lots of money using AAA. In addition to providing excellent roadside services (help with stalled cars, lost keys, etc.), most AAA chapters offer discounted tickets to Disney World and a preferred parking pass that enables you to grab specially designated spots near the entrances. It's a dollar saver, and you don't have to walk far or take the trolley in the parks!

— Judy Small
Tagged
Packing
373303

Put your perfume and cologne bottles inside pairs of rolled-up socks to keep them cushioned during your journey.

— Joia Starks
Tagged
Safety
431312

Traveling to non-English-speaking countries can be daunting for people with food allergies. Find someone fluent in the local language to write out what you are allergic to, the seriousness of the allergy (we had a friend include the phrase "this could kill me"), and what to do if you fall ill.

— M. Thompson and K.A. Fares Bannon
Tagged
Technology
367286

Priceline was a total pig in a poke for me, so I never used the web site, until I found out about biddingfortravel.com. This helpful Web site gives potential bidders an idea of prices that are being accepted (and declined) on priceline.com for particular dates and properties (or airfares or car rentals). I got the Hyatt Regency Miami for $35 per night because of this!

— C. Sue Mecham
Tagged
Shopping
330228

When my husband and I visit places like India or Thailand, we pack only one extra change of clothes. When we arrive, we hit a local market and buy local attire--woven shirts, saris, sarongs, etc. Not only does this make packing easier, but we get a better cultural experience and end up with lots of wearable souvenirs!

— Alice Fraser
Tagged
Planning
369265

When we visit places we think we might return to, we collect copies of free tourist magazines. At home, we write the address of each magazine on a postcard. Six to eight weeks before our return visit, we send out the cards asking for a current copy. The magazines are full of useful information.

— F. Richard Leininger
Tagged
Air Travel
473613

It's often cheaper to buy a ticket to London and then fly onward within Europe via a regional low cost airline. Last summer, my husband and I bought consolidator tickets to London for $397. From there, we flew EasyJet to Nice for $72. The total cost was $469—much less than flying directly to Nice, plus we enjoyed a stopover in London.

— Jasmine Tata
Tagged
Family Travel
369279

Give your children a coach's whistle in case they get lost; put it on a ribbon so they can wear it around their neck. The piercing sound may be annoying, but you'll definitely find them quicker!

— Chandra Huang
Tagged
Technology
377287

When overseas, I carry a "cheat sheet" that includes exchange rates and metric conversions. Currency conversions are available at oanda.com.

— Carol Vela
Tagged
Safety
515574

If you start to feel a painful blister coming on, put some lip balm or Vaseline on the hot spot--it'll help stop the rubbing.

— Donna Benesch
Tagged
Air Travel
378273

Though they're often the best deals around, don't assume that packaged vacations always offer the biggest bang for your buck. My wife and I were ready to book an air/hotel package to Maui when we noticed a sale on Aloha Airlines ($280 round trip from Oakland). I added up the total cost of the trip if purchased separately and saved $400 over comparable packages from various tour operators. We used the extra money to stay in a nicer hotel and to rent a convertible!

— Kleem Chaudhary
Tagged
Planning
399254

When on vacation, I split my cash into envelopes, one per day, so I can keep track of how much I'm spending. If I need to dig into the next day's cash, I'll know that I've overdone it, and if I want to stay on budget, I'll have to cut back the next day. Any money left at the end of the day goes into a separate envelope. I've actually come home with money this way!

— Wendy L. Phiel
Tagged
Dining
334243

While traveling abroad, I've frequently encountered some appallingly bad (and often very funny) English translations of menus. In those cases, I simply offered to clean up the translations in exchange for a meal. This has worked quite a few times.

— William Boyle
Tagged
Hotels
426311

A shoe organizer hung over the bathroom door is my solution for hotel-room clutter. The compartments are perfect for stashing everything from room keys and travel documents to toiletries and, of course, shoes. The extra storage space came in especially handy on a recent cruise, when we needed all the room we could get in our tiny cabin.

— Jane Tague
Tagged
Planning
370267

When we come home at night, my wife and I each take a dollar from our wallets and put them in a special spot. We deposit what we've collected into a travel account at our bank every few months, so at the end of a year, we have $730 toward our next vacation—not counting interest.

— Wayne Block
Tagged
Hotels
438350

Instead of dropping my laundry off at the front desk, I take a walk around the block and look for the nearest dry cleaner--probably the same one the hotel would've taken it to. By cutting out the middle man, I pay a quarter of what they charge at the hotel!

— Amy Paks

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