Travel Updates
Sponsored by Discovery Cruise Lines

Freeport, Bahamas, Weather for April 2 to April 6

We had fun earlier with April Fools, here is the real. Water temps at 78°.

	Thursday April 2	Friday April 3	Saturday April 4	Sunday April 5	Monday April 6
Skies High Temp Low Temp Precip %	Partly Cloudy 80° 69° 20%	Partly Cloudy 81° 70° 20%	Partly Cloudy 81° 70° 20%	Partly Cloudy 80° 71° 20%	Isolated T-Storms 80° 66° 30%

Forecast provided by the Weather Channel and weather.com.

Discovery Cruise Lines
Departing from Fort Lauderdale

Posted 1/14/09
Bahamas Fun Day Cruise
Introducing Discovery's "Fed Up Fares™"! from only $29.99* per person
Florida Residents Special

• No Service Fees

• No Fuel Surcharge

• No Additional Cruise Fees

Rate effective January 5th 2009 - February 28th 2009
$20 Bahamian departure & harbor fees additional. Click here for offer details.

Until June 1, 2009, no Passport Required for U.S. Citizens* *Please visit www.discoverycruiseline.com for required travel documents & other terms & conditions, or call your Discovery Vacation Specialist. Includes the cruise and U.S. port taxes. Does not include hotel taxes and gratuities (except for all-inclusive rates), drinks onboard, port parking fees, transfers, shipboard gratuities, or the $20.00 per person Bahamian departure & harbour fees. One free conventional suitcase per adult passenger. Facilities & services are subject to change without notice. Advance reservations & payment required. Unless otherwise indicated, hotel package rates are per person based on double occupancy. Prices may be higher on weekends & holidays. Not responsible for errors or omissions in the content of this ad. Certain restrictions apply. Offer expires April 30, 2009 unless otherwise stated. Ship’s registry Bahamas.

Spirit Airlines
Register for their $9 flight program
Domestic Points of Departure - Direct flights from Florida Airports

Posted 1/15/09
That's Low...Low Fares From $1* Each Way
How low can we go? As low as $1* each way for $9 Fare Club members** and many more great fares that are available for everyone. All fares are based on roundtrip purchase and taxes, fees & restrictions apply. Click here for offer details.

Posted 3/29/09
Red Light Specials from $19* each way
The flashing red light means it's time to slow down for big savings. Be sure to check out the great list of low fares. These fares are as low as $19* each way and are based on roundtrip purchase. Taxes, fees & restrictions apply.

Red Light Specials
Individual travel-date specific fares must be booked on spiritair.com between 1:00 PM ET on March 26, 2009 and 11:59 PM ET on March 28, 2009 for travel on the dates as specified by individual market and by market direction. Other fares must be booked on spiritair.com between 1:00 PM ET on March 26, 2009 and 11:59 PM ET on March 30, 2009, the lowest of which are valid for travel on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between April 2, 2009 and June 17, 2009, with slightly higher fares available for travel on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between June 22, 2009 and September 30, 2009. These fares require a 7 day advance purchase. Please see the terms and conditions for complete restrictions and details.

Book Your Next Trip.
 

Expedia

Posted 1/31/09
Find your flight to Freeport backed by our Best Price Guarantee‏
Looking for a flight to Freeport? Let us help! Get the best price guaranteed, a huge selection, and 24/7 customer support.

Top Freeport deals
Here are a few of the great rates other Expedia customers found.
(Rates may change based on your actual travel dates and/or departure city.)
Flights from Columbus to Freeport $437

Best Price Guarantee
Get the lowest price every time--or we'll give you a $50 coupon.

Experience UNEXSO - Land and Sea

"Can You Hear Me Now? I'm in the Bahamas"

OK, you need to stay in touch with family and friends while on the island. I looked up some options but will have to admit I was biased toward my carrier, Verizon. Other carriers were similar but I hope to offer you some options that extend beyond the cell phone carriers.

Verizon international calling from the Bahamas using a CDMA capable phone is $1.99 per minute. This is the rate for incoming and outgoing calls. Talk to your rep about turning on international calling and make sure you have the latest software downloaded by dialing *228 from your cell phone and hitting 2 at the prompt for updating your preferred roaming list (PRL). It is recommended you do this once a month anyway to get the latest from Verizon. If you've ever sat next to someone who was getting service on their Verizon phone while you did not may mean they have a more current version. This is a free service and you get to listen to a lovely little song while it updates itself.

If you want to get creative you might try a Magic Jack that plugs into your USB connection on your computer. It has a phone jack that connects the phone to the Internet for free calling in the United States and Canada. It's basically a VoIP unit like those offered by Skype and Vonage.

Another phone to use on Grand Bahama Island is the Global Services for Mobile (GSM) phone. Get an unlocked GSM international cell phone with a prepaid SIM card. I have seen the phone only, unlocked and new, go for $29 on eBay. These are prepaid so there are no contracts to worry about.

One plan I found advertised coverage in over 130 countries. They advertised a phone with $5 of prepaid time for $39. The SIM card alone was advertised for $29 that was loaded with $10 of usage fees.

I looked up the rates for the Bahamas and found outgoing calls to landlines for $2.49, to mobile phones for $2.84, incoming calls at $2.29, outgoing texts for $0.79 and free incoming texts. The fine print explained their surcharges for calls to the US and Canada so be aware of them also. You may not want to use the phone for sharing recipes with someone else using a mobile phone but free texting might help someone who needed constant updates from a colleague in the states that wasn't as fortunate as you are to be in the Bahamas. A quick search on Froogle.com can point you to some attractive rates. I saw a Nokia with FM radio for $20. Verizon also has plans for GSM phones.

Or, you may do like I did on my last trip and returned all my calls when I stepped foot on U.S. soil using my Verizon cell phone. I missed a recipe or two.

New Passport Requirements for Caribbean Travel
New requirements in effect, Full implementation on June 1, 2009

Discovery sails daily to Grand Bahama Island making this the perfect way for divers to travel there. There’s plenty of room for your equipment and you don’t have to stop diving long before you leave. On board, you will enjoy all the amenities of a longer cruise on your trip there and back. Plus you arrive by 1 PM, in time to check-in and take your first dive! Diving in Grand Bahama is spectacular. It is famous for its “Blue Holes” and spectacular azure portals in the reefs. Grand Bahama has the second largest cave system in the world. You must be certified to dive in The Islands of The Bahamas.

Discovery features:
• 2 lavish buffet meals
• All shipboard entertainment
• Shows
• Casino with table games, including craps, blackjack and roulette
• Lots of slots
• Spacious sun decks & pool
• Games and activities
• Dancing & more

Travel requirements: passport, A.R.C., Canadian citizen ID, or U.S. original birth certificate with photo ID. Advance reservations and payment required. Please allow at least two hours for check-in. Passengers under eighteen years of age require notarized written parental consent for travel. Ship’s registry Bahamas. Rates, facilities and service subject to change without notice. Florida Seller of Travel Reference number ST36121.