Even if you’re on a budget, you can make travel plans to celebrate New Year’s Eve in style. CheapTickets has unveiled the top five cities for New Year’s Eve celebrations and nearby destination alternatives for cheap New Year’s Eve hotels.
From big cities to the beach, you can join the party and save big on your travel budget by staying just a little bit further from the action. The top New Year’s Eve destinations and cheap hotel alternatives are based on hotel bookings on CheapTickets for arrivals December 27-31, 2008. Check out the average daily rates for the big cities versus the alternatives.
TOP NEW YEAR’S EVE DESTINATIONS AND ALTERNATIVES FOR CHEAP HOTELS
Las Vegas Strip $154.50 / Las Vegas off-Strip $137.42
New York City $256.53 / Newark, NJ $80.95
Orlando, FL $93.43 / Kissimmee $75.32
Cancun, Mexico $289.74 / Cozumel $165.71
Miami Beach $197.22 / Ft. Lauderdale $91.81
LAS VEGAS STRIP/OFF-STRIP: If you’re planning to ring in 2009 in Las Vegas, booking one of the Las Vegas hotelsoff the Strip can save you up to 11 percent. Just take a quick cab ride downtown to partake in the New Year’s fireworks and live music on the Strip and at the Fremont Experience.
NEW YORK CITY/NEWARK: Newark is just a short train ride from Times Square, so you can take the train to see the ball drop and save an average of 68 percent on your hotel room.
MIAMI/FT. LAUDERDALE: Miami’s New Year’s Eve celebration is better than ever with Bayfront
Park’s free fireworks show, the annual Big Orange Festival — which
drops a 35-foot orange ball to a laser show and fireworks. Stay in one of the Fort Lauderdale hotels just 30 minutes away and celebrate average hotel savings of 53 percent.
‘Tis the season for holiday travel. And while that may bring visions of flight delays and long security lines, don’t despair. CheapTickets wants to spread some holiday cheer. We’ve compiled a list of free holiday events in a selection of cities across the country, and we’re sharing them here in a two-part series. Consider it our holiday gift to you.
If you’ve got airline tickets and hotel reservations for one of these warm-weather destinations, you’ll have plenty of ways to celebrate:
The Light of the Angels: This seven-minute multimedia light display runs nightly December 4-31 at 7, 8, 9 and 10 p.m. at NOKIA Plaza. A key feature of the program is a 37,500-pound tree with 11,000 lights.
Marina del Ray Holiday Boat Parade: A fireworks show kicks off the event just before 6 p.m.; then boats decorated with lights circle through the harbor. December 13.
DWP Light Festival: From Thanksgiving weekend to the end of December, this mile-long Crystal Springs Drive route in Griffith Park turns into L.A.’s most awesome display of holiday lighting. Open 5 -10 p.m.
SAN DIEGO — San Diego has a ready list of 25 free activities for holiday travelers to enjoy. Here are a few highlights:
Coronado Christmas Open House and Parade: Santa arrives by ferry, and a concert follows the parade.
Balboa Park: Free organ concerts with holiday music. Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. And don’t miss the "Whoville" decorations outside the Old Globe Theater in honor of the production "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
La Jolla Christmas Parade and Festival: December 7
Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade of Lights: Over 100 brightly lit boats parade along Mission Bay. December 13
Horse-drawn carriage rides: In Escondido. December 1, 8, 15, and 22; 5-9 p.m.
Cathedral Christmas Concerts: Local choirs perform holiday music in the historic St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. Select evenings at 6 p.m. from December 1-22.
Cooking Demonstrations: Celebrated local chefs share their secrets for making delicious recipes. Select days at 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. December 2-20.
Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Holiday Boat Parade: Thousands of illuminated boats float from downtonw Fort Lauderdale to Pompano Beach. (USA Today named it one of the top 20 parades in the world.) December 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Airfare to cities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico is on sale. AirTran Airways is offering cheap flights for fall and winter travel. So if you want to take a vacation, check out airfares like these:
Atlanta to San Juan: $244
Chicago to Miami: $204
New York to West Palm Beach: $184
Minneapolis-St. Paul to Dallas/Fort Worth: $264
Denver to Fort Lauderdale: $284
These cheap flights don’t include taxes and are for round-trip travel through January 30, 2009.
You could plan a long weekend in Los Angeles, or a relaxing getaway in Phoenix. No matter where you want to travel, you’ll save on airfare with this sale from AirTran and CheapTickets.
The holiday travel season is fast approaching, and if you’re planning to head out of town for Thanksgiving or take a Christmas vacation, take note: CheapTickets has identified the top 10 holiday travel destinations for 2008.
The list includes a mix of big cities and beach vacation destinations, with Florida and Mexico cities grabbing the most spots. According to CheapTickets’ data, Las Vegas hotels are the most popular for holiday travel, while travelers also have booked plenty of rooms in New York hotels and Cancun hotels.
The data is based on the average price for all hotel bookings on CheapTickets compared to the listed destinations for arrivals November 24 - December 31, 2008.
Travel to Fort Lauderdale this fall and enjoy specials at your favorite restaurants.
Dine Out Lauderdale, a six-week food fest, features three-course menus for just $35 at participating restaurants.
Jackson’s Steakhouse and 15th Street Fisheries are just some of the Fort Lauderdale restaurants offering specials during Dine Out Lauderdale. You also could try restaurants in several Fort Lauderdale hotels. 3030 Ocean at the Harbor Beach Marriott is serving a lobster appetizer, followed by seared yellowtail snapper and banana creme brulee. The Grill Room on Las Olas at the Riverside Hotel is offering a choice of duck, red snapper or filet mignon, with chocolate truffle torte for dessert. See the full list of participating restaurants.
Dine Out Lauderdale includes restaurants in Hollywood, Dania Beach and other area communities. The event runs from October 1 to November 14.
Here’s a tip: CheapTickets’ Fall Beach Sale offers an extra $100 off beach vacation packages of four nights or more, so you can save even more on your Fort Lauderdale vacation.
This week’s Deal of the Day is in Fort Lauderdale, a hot Florida vacation spot with beautiful beaches, and also great shopping, theater and art galleries.
One of the Fort Lauderdale hotels we’re highlighting is the three-star Inverrary Vacation Resort. Right now the hotel is offering 20% off its rates when you stay for two or more nights. I found discounted rates for $55 per night September 26-29.
Plus, with our Fall Beach Sale, you can save an extra $100 on flight + hotel vacation packages of four nights or more. Just book your vacation by November 23 and use the promotional code FALLBEACH100.
Finding cheap hotels just got easier. CheapTickets has identified ten beach vacation destinations where you can get great rates on hotels this fall.
CheapTickets’ Fall 2008 Off-Season Dealsinclude top vacation spots in Florida, Mexico, Hawaii and theCaribbean. You could take the family to Orlando, explore historic downtown Puerto Rico or enjoy the beautiful beaches and lush landscape of Maui. So if the fall chill starts to make you miss summer weather, just check out the low rates at hotels in these hot spots.
The top ten off-season destinations and average daily hotel rates in the table below are based on hotel bookings on CheapTickets for travel from August 18 through December 17, 2008.
Cheap airfares on AirTran make it easy to plan your fall vacation now. You can buy these cheap tickets by July 1 and travel through November 5.
Check out some sample airfares:
Boston to Chicago — $203
Detroit to Fort Lauderdale — $223
St. Louis to San Juan — $294
Washington to Orlando — $203
Denver to Atlanta — $243
These cheap airfares are for round-trip flights and do not include taxes and some fees.
So picture yourself in San Juan in September. Or imagine enjoying sunny Orlando in October. Plan your fall vacation now and save, with CheapTickets and AirTran.
When are cheap hotels even cheaper? When you book them during a less-than-popular travel time. And nowCheapTickets reveals these travel deals just in time for your summer vacation.
Phoenix, Arizona, known for its golf courses, spas and stunning scenery, can be a cheap vacation destination in the summer. The Carefree Resort and Villas is one of the Phoenix hotels with low summer rates. CheapTickets found rates of $67 a night when you travel July 14-17.
The bargain-hunter's resource for the most noteworthy CheapTickets travel deals, including hand-picked hotel offers, new sales, last-minute discounts and money-saving travel tips.
