It is a shoppers right of passage to be in line at the stores at the crack of dawn on Black Friday, the day following the Thanksgiving feast.  Today it still is, but with the force of the Internet as a sales channel, has come the dawn of Cyber Monday.  Both days are meant as a way to jump-start the holiday shopping season.  Many retailers offer exclusive one-day sales at tremendous price savings. These savings usually cannot be found at any other point during the shopping season. Retailers entice you with an advertised price leader, usually at a loss, and they hope you upgrade.

As competition for shoppers becomes fierce, many retailers are opting to “leak” the information. There are many ways to find out about these deals ahead of time on the Internet.  You can go to your favorite retailers website and do a search for the keywords “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday,” you can check out their Facebook page and Twitter page to see if a deal or promo code has been leaked. You can also Google “Online Coupons” for promo codes from top brands including Apple Vacations.

So this Black Friday, do your research, check your favorite brands’ websites, Facebook and Twitter pages and hit the coupon sites.  If the deals aren’t there today, they surely will be starting Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  I’ve got my finger on the trigger and I am ready to click….are you?

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OK, I’ll be the first to say it. I know very little about planning a family vacation. As a single guy, the most important thing I need to figure out is who is going, and when can they go. However, I understand from co-workers and friends that finding the right kind of accommodations when taking your family requires a bit more planning.

So, we at Apple came up with the idea of creating a family- specific “microsite”, a scaled down version of our bigger website, to offer more in depth information to help address the different vacation needs of families.

Located at www.applevacations.com/familygetaways, our  site offers family specific information about several topics, including a variety of shopping options,  information on excursions, details about hotels and destinations, preparation tips, and specials offers and inclusions that are available at select times of the year.

We also understand that a family that travels together doesn’t necessarily want to spend the whole time “playing together”.  …Read More>>

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Two years ago, Apple Vacations made our first foray into the world of social media with our own custom-built program called “Take Your Best Shot”. TYBS is a site where Apple Vacationers can upload photos and video from their vacations and be entered for the chance to Win a Free vacation or receive up to $500 in Vacation Certificates for the runners up. To date, we’ve received over 7000 picture uploads and close to 200 videos.

Among the qualifications we look for in selecting the winners are …Read More>>

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When staying in the Cancun Hotel Zone, there is so much to do outside of the resort.  This week I’ll share a few ways to get around to the hot spots in Cancun at very little cost.  For organized excursions, you’ll still want the advice of the local Apple Resort Representative, but if you just want to head out for shopping, dining, or nightlife, there are a few inexpensive transportation options.

The cheapest among them are the local busses.  For just a few pesos per ride (about .50¢ USD), you can go from the southern end of the Hotel Zone through Punta Cancun, where you will find many of the nightclubs, local markets, and shopping malls. …Read More>>

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There are a number of ways to ensure that you are getting the best vacation package available on AppleVacations.com.  In last week’s blog I mentioned our “Last Minute Deals” search.  This week I’d like to share with you some tips on using Apple Vacations’ Quick Search.  Here are some quick and easy steps.

1. Enter the number of travelers on our homepage, destination, or hotel pages.  If you are looking to book multiple rooms, or more 4 adults in 1 room, we suggest you call your travel agents for assistance.

Money Saving Tip - Generally if you are traveling with a larger party, you will receive a reduced per person price for the hotel room, however, this isn’t the case at all hotels.

2. You’ll then get a list of hotels,  sorted by price, from the least expensive on up.  There are tabs at the top of the hotel list if you are more interested in searching alphabetically for a hotel you know, or by rating to enjoy a particular level of comfort. …Read More>>

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