Tag: frontierair

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Our Apple Vacation—Nuevo Vallarta

I’m on our flight home from Nuevo Vallarta and am reflecting on our trip through Apple Vacations. We stayed the previous week at Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallarta.

Here are what I consider to be the pros and cons of using Apple Vacations:
PROS

  • It’s relatively easy to put together your own trip on their website and prices are transparent. (You do have to pay for the entire trip to reserve.)

-check under flights to see when/if your airport has non-stop flights
-plug in the dates and location of where you want to go

  • Choose flight type and room upgrades.

-I only upgrade our room for special occasions or if they go on sale. For the amount of time we are in our room, a garden view is usually just fine

  • Add travel insurance if desired.

-I usually skip this as I get trip insurance elsewhere–see Why You MUST Buy Travel Insurance

  • You can add on desired excursions if you wish.

-I usually skip this as well, finding the prices on resort to be lower or negotiable

  • Apple always includes transportation in their packages.
  • I watch their sales and more often that not, they are priced better than the same trip on other travel sites.

CONS

  • While Apple does not have a loyalty program, they also own Amstar or AMResorts which offers a loyalty program for a certain group of resorts.

-the loyalty program gets presented as a way to get discounts on spa services and excursions–you just sit through a 90 minute meeting
-BEWARE–the meetings tend to last way more than 90 minutes and are pretty high pressure to sell you
-since AMResorts/AppleVacations own the loyalty program, it seems their resorts may be priced slightly better or given a higher rating. Comment below or check their link if you question which resorts are part of the group

  • AppleVacations tends to use different charters for their flights.

-bear in mind that these planes have more limited space and luggage limits (you may only have a 45lb suitcase limit instead of 50lb–do your research)
-the air upgrades may be worth it for the first on/first off perk, but for this trip (with Swift Air) it wasn’t worth it for the snacks and beverages. Even though we paid a little more for the Preferred Perks they were out of “snack packages” both legs of the trip and the cocktail selections seemed to be off brands. Additionally, there were no selections that were coffee mixable, similar to Bailey’s, Kahlua, etc
-if you’d like to see my more detailed opinion of Frontier Air, click here

Overall, I believe AppleVacations offers a good deal online as long as you know what you’re getting. You can easily price out their trips before you buy and it’s easy to find frequent sales. You may even be able to choose luxurious accommodations, but you likely won’t be air traveling in style. Additionally, beware of their group of resorts in the loyalty program. If you are lucky enough to sit through one of these meetings (regularly longer than 90 minutes) be prepared to give up some of your vacation time and either buy a plan, or end up saying no, A LOT, repeatedly, and then again. But if you’re fine with that, enjoy the freebies! You will have earned them!

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Frontier Air

They call themselves an American “ultra low cost carrier”. They fly to 54 domestic destinations and 5 international spots. 
They used to fly to more locations and they were the contracted charter flight provider for more international flights a couple of years ago. However, they’ve undergone this transition in order to pass along low fares to us. Some of their changes are good, but some of their changes probably haven’t been well received.
We recently flew Frontier to Mexico for a little autumn R and R. The first thing I noticed while walking down the aisle during boarding was how sleek and modern the seats looks. They weren’t the bigger, cushier chairs that other airlines still provide. They actually reminded me of really nice, upgraded, leather, patio chairs. Apparently, the chairs have a 17 inch pitch, which while I don’t know what that means, I DO know they don’t recline. They are considered to be pre-reclined, but didn’t really feel that way to me. It made for a very upright flight.
Additionally, you get a tray table that is about half the size of other airlines. The good thing is they just fold up, and you don’t have to latch them. But that doesn’t change the fact that they are so small. Seriously, maybe 6 inches by 12 inches. It wasn’t even really big enough to comfortably hold my mini-iPad.
The biggest change was the fact that snacks and beverages were available for a charge. That’s fine, if eliminating free snacks and beverages are going to be reflected in my ticket price, awesome! We typically bring along something to snack on anyway. But, I’m sure for those not familiar with that quirk of Frontier, or for those ready to start the vacation party, it would be frustrating. Especially, considering the prices. Four adult beverages for $23.97, and no chance of getting a “value” pour. And, your beverage isn’t going to fit on the tray table if you have out your mini iPad.
All in all, Frontier is a good brand. But if you’re looking to fly in comfort and style, you may be disappointed. You know how you really get what you pay for? With Frontier, you only get what you pay for, with no bells or whistles, but they will get you to your destination.