Beware - RCL USD to CDN$ exchange is bad and you can not book flights in USD on a CDN$ booking

 I just booked my flights for an upcoming cruise on Harmony of the Seas transatlantic.  After checking several websites (airlines, Expedia, Flighthub) the best flight cost I could find was thru Royal Caribbean.  It was an overall about a  $600 CDN savings to any of the other websites. However if you book your cruise in CDN $ you must also book your flight with them in CDN $.   This is where the issue lies with RCL USD to CDN exchange rates.

The flight cost in CDN $ that I chose (even with exchange rate and the 2.5% extra that my credit card charges) was significantly higher than if they had let me pay for the flights in USD. The flight in Canadian $ was approximately $150 CDN more than if they had allowed me to pay in USD (1.50% plus exchange rate).   That is a 11.5% surcharge- really bad.  When I asked why the rep said he had no idea, but had heard this complaint  many times before.  His guess was that it was a Delta/KLM thing as RCL books it KLM flights via Delta.  

If I had of booked the cheapest flights they had to offer it would have been a reasonable exchange rate (at 1.37%)  but the TAP airline flights only allowed a 1 hour and 15 minutes transfer time in Lisbon which is too short and RCL's website clearly stated  it was a short transfer time.  Having missed transfers before I went with the more expensive option of the KLM flights return (a 2.5 hour transfer time)  and this is where I experienced the gauging exchange rate. 

The rep told me to keep watching the flight costs and if it goes down before final cruise payment billing they will give me the cheaper rate if seats on this flight were  still available. 

The good - My guess is that this flight won't go down sufficiently to merit re-booking and its still significantly lower in cost than the book on your own alternatives. 

This is a same day flight to the cruise and I am protected by RCL if there are flight issues.  Also the flight is fully refundable until final cruise payment is due. Of course I ca not book my seats until RCL has received final payment and issued the flight tickets.  Annoying but I still hope I can find a decent seat for the transatlantic portion of the flight.

The other cost saver was the transfers  RCL provides  (to and from the ship) were significantly lower at $100 CDN than the other shuttle alternatives in Houston and Barcelona.  The best shuttle I could find was almost $150 USD for one person from IAH to Galveston.  In Barcelona I could have taken the bus for about $20USD but it is quite involved with walking to the bus stop (about 20 minutes after the port shuttle) and the bus is often quite crowded.  I have taken this bus many times before and it's a great option if you are staying in Barcelona.  But on a same day transfer the convenience of a RCL transfer wins out. 

I just wanted to caution all Canadians booking via RCL to convert the rates on the flights they quote from USD to CDN to see if they are reasonable before booking with them.  

My guess is with the transfer savings and the final amount versus book on your own alternatives I am still doing ok with the cost savings.   I don't really have an alternative. 

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Royal Caribbean "ROYALUP" does it work?

I was just solicited by RCCL to use the Royal Up process to upgrade my cabin.  The ship according to almost all travel sites is totally sold out except for suites. I am hoping that there are enough people upgrading or cancelling last minute to give me a chance.

 When I booked over 6 months ago all that was left at a decent price for a solo was an Interior Promenade View (connecting). I have never tried a promenade view room and didn't want a connecting room but the timing was perfect for my trip to Lisbon.  

I have only once had a connecting  ocean view cabin on NCL and it was loud thru the door as the cabin beside had a baby and young child that screamed all the time (night and day). I have tried to avoid this type of cabin ever since. 

I know people who have stayed in the Interior Promenade view rooms and loved them. I followed their instructions and got a cabin on 7th floor above customer service (it is on fifth deck).  I am told given the cabin is not over the main promenade or bars that it is much quieter than other cabins. You are on a floor with a cabin above and below.  I brought earplugs just in case.

But if possible I would really like an ocean view, so I am trying for the first time the Royal Up process. Most people are not successful in getting an upgrade so I am not holding out a lot of hope.  I was told to bid above the minimum but not above what I think the cabin is worth. Also given I travel solo, what ever price I choose to pay I must double it.   I chose the next level up which is a standard ocean view cabin which could be on various decks but likely decks 2 or 3 that have the most of this cabin type.  The prices for spacious ocean view, balconies and suites were way too high for a solo passenger even at a minimum bid. I am hoping that passengers who bid will want to move up so this seems like the best option. 

All that the RCL confirmation email says is that the acceptance or decline of my offer will likely come 2 days before the cruise and up to 2 hours after the cruise sails.  You can cancel or change the amount of the bid right up until the acceptance or decline offer.  RCL will only charge the credit card that you must give when bidding if your offer is accepted. Most people on sites online state that this timing has been the case for them. 

 I will keep you posted on the success or failure of this attempt at an upgrade. 

Hope this helps

Marcia

Why is getting a Royal Caribbean Cruise Shareholder Benefit so difficult compared to Carnival cruise lines.

 I only go on Royal Caribbean once a year. Every year the process to get an onboard shareholder benefit changes and gets more difficult.  I own the required 100 shares of RCL stock and know I must provide a copy of a statement showing ownership that is no older than 3 months.  I learned this year that  it is many steps and

1.  you can only request the onboard credit no earlier than 3 months prior to your cruise and no later than 3 weeks prior to your cruise departure.  That's new from last year when I could submit the request any time after paying in full.

2. A picture of your statement is no longer valid - it must be a PDF (and a small size). My first PDF was rejected as the size was too large.  Note you must convert the picture (jpeg to a PDF).  Or if you have an apple IPAD you can scan the document as a PDF. Note the latter size is too large for the online submission. You will get an error message.

3. They want you to black out any personal information such as account number on the statement and any non RCL info. However the page you submit MUST have the date, Your investment firm and YOUR NAME on the page. Guess what -my monthly statement only includes my name and firm on the first page and the US stock holdings is on page 7.  It got rejected as my name is not on page 7.  So I had to write to them (in response to the rejection) and I  have submitted a 1 page copy from my quarterly statement that includes my name via the online portal.  Note upon submission I got another error message (9 times) stating my submission is rejected, please refresh the page. I cleared the history and refreshed the page but no luck.  I then just responded to their rejection email with a PDF copy of the quarterly statement page and am waiting on their response.  I now have the OBC 2 days later - they send you an email (which you must print out in case they dispute the OBC on board and you can show it to customer service). 

4. I am also going on a CUNARD cruise and submitted the same exact monthly statement info (a picture not PDF) and it was accepted by StockPerks the app that Carnival owned cruise lines use.  At least it says verified and I have to check my Cunard account in a few days to see if it's been added. Whoops this is a three step process. Once Stockperks send the "VERIFIED" email, you. then must redeem your credit on their app and they say it will take up to 5 business days for Cunard to respond.  It took 6 business days to get a confirmation email from Stockperks.  The email states I now must contact my travel agent to get an updated booking confirmation that shows the OBC being applied to my booking. I sent an email to my agent requesting it and was sent an updated invoice within hours. 

4. The other annoyance is RCL and the other cruise lines give $100 for a 13 night cruise and I noticed many of their transatlantic are now 13 days vs. 14. They really should give more for 10 to 13 days. But with all the cutbacks I don’t think they will.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Can you trust Cruise Critic, Cruiseline and TripAdvisor Reviews on Ships and Hotel Rooms?

 The quick answer to whether or not you can trust Cruise Critic, Cruiseline and TripAdvisor's reviews of 

Cruises - is Sometimes but your better options are RECENT Cruise Passenger Videos posted on u tube. 

Heres some suggestions if using the cruise passenger reviews on the three major Cruise Critic, Cruiseline and Tripadvisor sites

- Only a few passengers post their review on these sites. Most of the typical 2000 plus passengers on any cruise don't post about their experience.  So you are not  getting the full picture of what your might experience 

- You mostly get the extreme points of view on these sites - they loved it or hated it. The haters have usually had a bad experience with their cabin, their bill or the food. The lovers are often newbies or frequent guests for that cruise line.  

- Most cruisers review the food offered and I always think that is to personal taste so don't pay much attention to them .  I do listen  to whether or not the service or temperature of the food was good. I often find that reviewers are right about speed of service and food temperature.  They also give you forewarning on the buffets (crowds, variety of food). 

- Most cabin reviews are about the size, cleanliness, room steward service, showers and bed comfort.  I like the tips people provide on getting bed toppers (always as must on MSC and RCCL as they have very hard mattresses).  Whether or not showers leak and provide good hot water.  Very few passengers have issues with Room stewards, but when they say they never see their room steward or its poor I make sure I watch for this onboard.  I prefer the walk thru videos on cruise mapper or u-tube as these are usually in-depth. I find the Harr Travel videos on cabins particularly useful.

- Overall ship reviews often help you with how badly maintained a ship is including rust, old furniture, old mattresses and whether or not they have a decent promenade deck.  

I like the videos posted on line the best as you can visually see the cabins, shared spaces and often they show menus and the food. I find the commentary is sometimes helpful but not always.  Look for the most recently posted videos and avoid the ones posted by the cruise lines as these are professionally shot and often don't depict current  reality.

As for Hotel reviews I like the ones on Booking.com and Expedia as they are from guests that have stayed there. Again go for the most recent reviews and watch for tips on location, how to get to the hotel from the airport, restaurants nearby and of course any issues with cleanliness and or bed bugs.  I also like posted videos and pictures of the rooms and area around the hotels.  I always book hotels with average ratings of 8 and above out of 10.  I also always read the worst rated reviews as these give you insights on possible issues. 

I hope this helps

Marcia

 

How a solo can get a 2 week cruise for under $2000 Canadian - its about timing and research

 I have tried to keep my cruise cost to under $2000 CDN  including taxes for each cruise this year. Not an easy feat for a solo traveller who likes ocean view or balcony cabin.  This year cruise costs have risen dramatically especially on Princess HAL and RCCL.  These are the three cruise lines I have used the most.  I don't use NCL, Costa nor Carnival anymore as I have experienced serious cleanliness and mechanical breakdown issues on each of these cruise lines.  

Transatlantic, TransPacific and Hawaii (one way cruises) are always a cheaper option for Solos. This year my HAL ocean view transatlantic for 14 nights was the most expensive at $2000 CDN, The RCL interior promenade view for 13 nights transatlantic was $1700  (as its ocean view was sold out) and my 9 night solo ocean view on Cunard in western Caribbean is $1600 ($1188 USD).  Note all came with $50 to $75 USD OBCs.  So it is still possible for a solo traveller to get a decent price on a cabin.   

Below are some tips

Book at least 6 months before the cruise departs.

Watch for sales with OBCs as they will help pay for your Gratuities (note I always pay the gratuity unless the service has been truly awful).  Note as does the stock ownership benefit which I have. 

Sign up for the cruise line promo emails or texts to watch for deals

Use Expedia or Vacations to Go as they will often have OBCs (on board credits) and other offers.

Don't be loyal to just one cruise line as yes there are some on board loyalty perks but you will pay a higher overall price for the cruise

Compare Cruise line offered flights and doing it on your own.  I have used both with success when I compare and book  the cheapest or most convenient.  Note I have kept transatlantic flight costs to under a $1000CDN and US to about $600 CDN (including seat choice and baggage).

Be flexible on time and cabin type but AVOID guarantee cabins. Note now with the up bidding process the cruise lines give the guaranteed cabin reservers the absolute worst cabins in the category.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

 

Who am I - updated to 2025

Strangely I ca not update the "who am I"  section of this blog that I first completed in 2018.  So I am adding a new post.

I am a frequent solo traveller with over 40 years of travel, about 100 countries visited and over 50 cruises completed including a world cruise.  I am not a professional travel agent and therefore if you read my blog you are just learning something from a fellow traveller.  Please use professional travel agents for expert advice.

 I like to travel well but not expensively. I really enjoy cruises (particularly a yearly transatlantic), and in-depth city escapes.  I often combine them.  I use a combination of travel agencies and do it on your own techniques to get the best price as travelling solo comes with  marked up prices especially on cruises.  I find hotels are better for decent pricing for solos. 

I am always trying new airlines, cruise companies and hotels to get a better view of my travel options.  As for cruise lines that I have tried they include Costa (don't recommend), Carnival (don't recommend),  NCL (don't recommend), Princess (as an elite level member I recommend them and their loyalty program), Holland (not my favourite as I have experienced issues with my cabin on the last 3 cruises), Royal Caribbean (recommend but with cautions), P&O (recommend but  hard to book for North Americans).  I will be trying Cunard this year and will post about it.

As for airlines, Canadians have limited Canadian airline choices - Air Canada (expensive), West Jet (unreliable and not a lot of flights out of Ontario), Porter (not tried yet) and Air Transat which I have had good experiences but the flight times often don't work for me.  I have used American Airlines and Delta both which were good and United which I also seem to have problems on. I seldom take the US or Canadian cheap charter airlines as I have had the same delays and bad experiences that you read about. 

As for European Airlines I like British Airways, Iceland Air and KLM (but not their inter Europe flights  with this airline as they have very old and problematic planes).  I am trying TAP later this year.

I have only taken Singapore and Malaysian Airlines to the Far East. 

I like to use this blog to review my experiences of specific cruises, cities and hotels. I hope you find it helpful.

Marcia

Why are ship shuttles to and from the airport now more expensive than taxis

 I had a shock yesterday when I learned the Cunard airport transfer to and from the ship in Miami was 70usd each way per person. A cab or uber runs 40usd plus tip for the car. So it’s much cheaper especially if there is more than 1 passenger.  Recently I found that in Fort Lauderdale again it was 45 cdn and the taxi with a 5 usd tip was 25 usd for a taxi. There were 3 of us so we gave him 30usd.  Please do your homework as before ship shuttles were a better more convenient deal than taxis.  Ask your travel agent for the cost of the shuttle and then use a taxi fare calculator online and compare. I always add a 10% buffer in case of tolls/delays on taxis.  I don’t use uber in the USA in these ports as when ships are in there is always surge pricing. 

Hope this helps 

Marcia