Lift Lock Cruise Peterborough on Little Lake... just ok

 I took the afternoon (3:30 pm) lift lock cruise in the downtown (small) harbour. It is listed as a 2 hour cruise and ours was less than 1.5 hours.  The length of the cruise depends on how many boats need to go thru the locks.  Its in downtown Peterborough which is quite shabby and uninteresting.

The cruise is $33 CDN for seniors and $35 for everyone else.  Unless you have never been thru a lock before or are interested in how Locks work I would give this cruise a pass.  You only go thru two locks.  The first one is small and takes 15 minutes for the water to fill.  The gem is the large lift lock which only takes 4 minutes to fill up and you rise more than 90 feet.  It was a bit scary to see how many cracks there are in the walls on either side of this lock.  And the old boat move backwards when the engine starts worrying me it might tip over.

The captain give an intelligible commentary thru out the cruise. You can only hear him if you are at the front of the boat as they only have a few speakers.  It's not really worth listening to him as it's a boring diatribe that I think is supposed to be funny. I didn't hear any laughter ... either they didn't hear him or ...

So if you take this cruise .. expect 40 minutes waiting to go thru the two locks and the rest going a short distance thru the locks and the lake.  In the lake they have a huge fountain of water which boaters like to go thru the mist. They say two hours because if there are a lot of boats the wait for the locks will be even longer. 

The best thing I saw was a river otter successfully crossing a road to get back into the river.  

Hope this helps

Marcia

Canoe Museum, Peterborough Ontario is worth seeing

 I just came back from Peterborough and really enjoyed the Canoe Museum in Peterborough.  I honestly have no real interest in canoes, but this museum  surprise me in that it was really interesting. It costs 18 CDN for seniors or $20 everyone else. The building itself has nice architecture. There is a small art collection and then a big exhibit of canoes from all over the world and many different cultures. They are displayed nicely in a large exhibit hall on the second floor.  Then you can look thru the glass at several hundred canoes stored in the warehouse.  There is a small gift shop and a tasty if slightly expensive coffee shop on the first level.  Lost of washrooms and an elevator if you need it on the second floor.

Another worthwhile thing to do is walk outside to the back of the building down to the lake (less than 5 minutes) to see people canoeing. You can rent canoes and the lake looked calm. There is also a playground and a small beach for swimming with a life guard.

This is a not to miss in Peterborough.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

When is it a good thing to book a cruise via a US travel agency?

I have been looking for a Caribbean cruise in January 2027. It's hard as I wanted at least 10 days.  It has been a roller coaster.  I saw a great price for solo on a celebrity cruise out of Tampa but by the time I was ready to book (next morning) the rooms were gone and the price had risen by $400.  It's sort of a good thing as the flights to Tampa were both inconvenient and expensive $250 more than going to Fort Lauderdale or Orlando. 

So when I saw that Vacations to Go (US discount cruise supplier) was offering Enchanted Princess - guaranteed inside cabin at $1212 USD I thought it might be too good to be true. This is about $1700 CDN (exchange rate plus the credit card 2.5%)  for a 10 night cruise. I checked on the Princess Cruises site and Expedia and both wanted $2100 plus CDN for same cabin type.  All were offering $60 USD on board credit as this comes from Princess Cruises.  If I wanted to pick my cabin it was $50USD more.  However with an inside cabin I will likely get an in-category upgrade when they assign my cabin.  Note all inside cabins are the same size so it's just location.  

With a savings of  at least $400 CDN compared to all Canadian agencies I was able to purchase the internet for the trip (note as an elite member I get 50% off) so it was $125 USD. 

Also Air Canada is having a Black Friday in July sale with 10% off which saved me about $50CDN on the Flex Air price.  Note it's cheaper to go with the Flex air choice if you have to check luggage and want to pick your seat.   You will save about $50 off versus doing it on your own. Also if something happens you get one free flight change.

So when is it best to go thru a US agency - when the price is 25% off or more is always good.

Note I find Vacations to Go (David Roswell is my agent) much more responsive  than Expedia Canada.  He works Monday to Friday want will always get back to you quickly. 

Hope this helps

Marcia

Pros and Cons of Seniors day trips times two

 We have a senior centre about 5 minutes drive from my home. I have been receiving their e mailings for years offering senior day trips to places around Ontario. I took my first one last week to St. Jacobs and my most recent on August 12th. Below are the pros and cons you should consider prior to signing up for one.

Pros:

They are relatively cheap considering it includes your lunch (at a tasty restaurant with 3 choices), transportation and if necessary admittance fees.  Mine was $115 CDN for St Jacobs and $155 for the Canoe Museum and Liftlock cruise in Peterborough

They usually leave the senior centres at 8am or 8:30 and are back by 6:30pm - my first one was one time both ways and the second late by a half hour both ways.

On the first, The itinerary included 1.5 hours at St Jacobs market - although they advertised 2 hours in the email and then they shortened it.  1.5 hours for lunch and then a guided tour on the bus of mennonite country for 2 hours before leaving for home. 

The lunch was delicious at Anna Maes. 

On the second it included 2 hours at the Canoe Museum (too long) and then 1 hour for lunch and then over 1.5 hours at the harbour waiting for the 2 hour lift lock cruise.  You can walk the whole harbor in less than 15 minutes. 

The lunch was horrible at Square plates - most didn't eat it.

Cons:  

They only accept Mastercard or cash for payment 

The bus is usually full with 50 people on my first tour and 42 for the second tour.

They play silly games on the bus (both times)

You need to get there a half hour before they leave as seniors get there really early to get front seats on the bus. I was there 20 minutes early and sat right at the back.

You need to be able to go with the flow and not worry when they shorten times  or lengthen times in the places you are visiting 

The bus while newish had pretty uncomfortable seats for the long drive back and forth.  It was clean and had a washroom at the back (for both trips)

Given the good and then bad contrast of the two tours I will be cautious about booking another.  I would highly recommend you look up the restaurant and attractions and read the reviews before booking with them.

Overally they do several of these a year ... many are to plays/musicals with lunch, the casinos but there are also ones to attractions in Ontario.  You will be supporting the senior centre.

Hope this helps

Marcia

I found a Good Deal on Brilliance of the Seas Spring Transatlantic 2027

 Every time I travel on RCL, the long time Diamond Plus cruisers and dinner wait staff say their favourite "older" ship on RCL is brilliance of the seas.  I was determined to try it given the accolades re the staff, the dining and general comfort of the ship.  I particularly like ships with covered solariums and a promenade outside deck for the transatlantic crossings. This has both.  I am ok with older ships as long as they are clean, safe and comfortable.

 So as I was browsing for next year's 14 night transatlantic I found a terrific deal for a solo passenger in an Oceanview cabin (mid-front). The cost after applying the SAILSAVE promo ($50 off RCL promo that you sign up for before you book) was $1695. CDN.  

All other cruises on my favourite cruise lines (Princess, HAL, RCL, MSC) were significantly more .. all starting at $2500 CDN and most over the $3000 range.  By booking thru Expedia I was given a $50 OBC from Expedia and a $38 OBC from RCL.  

The itinerary is Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona with stops in Nassau, Cadiz (my favourite Spanish port), Malaga, Tangier, Valencia and Cartagena.  It departs April 23 and ends on May 8th.  Hopefully this means nicer seas/weather on the crossing. 

Yes its a year away and I had to pay a non-refundable $730 but its a deal that is hard to beat for a solo.

Hope this helps

Marcia

Are the cruise lines trying to dissuade solo passengers going forward? ABSOLUTELY

I have been watching various videos and reading blogs that are warning that the Cruises lines (all of them ) are now doing everything to entice more families and dissuade solo travellers.  I find it alarming but not surprising.  Royal and Norwegian do not have solo cabins on their upcoming new ships.  I also have found that only the luxury liners are offering 50% or less single supplement.  I find this sad, annoying and short sighted on the part of the cruise lines.  Given that solos that travel are one of the fastest growing traveller segments and have much more disposable income than most families and often travel more times in a year, the cruise lines will be losing out.  Here are some suggested ways to combat this off putting trend and the higher costs they are charging solos.   

The number one way is to only book when the cruise lines have 75% or more off the second passenger offers.  Or huge sales.  Yes they will limit the number of solo passengers that can take advantage and possibly your cabin options but you will not have as high of a single supplement for a standard cabin.

Choose the cruise line that offers the best itinerary and treats you the best while on board.  For me this excludes NCL as I have a lot of issues as a solo on their ships.  Princess and Holland welcome solos but their single supplement rates have been increasing significantly. It's often more than 100%, at 150% for a solo. 

Book early - at least a year out so there will still be cabins available for solos.  Most cruise lines are recommending at least 8 months out. 

If you have a destination in mind... browse the the ships going, track the prices and once a week (I like Thursdays/Fridays) see if there is any type of significant drop. If there is don't hesitate - book right away as now all the cruise lines are doing dynamic pricing (changing prices as demand increases/decreases) daily.

There are sites like vacations to go that importantly show the single supplement rate/percentage. They also offer single cruises, and cabin mate matches.  There are also other sites that do cruise cabin mate matches.  

Try more alternative vacations.  I have been saving a lot of money and enjoying city escapes as many hotels have single rooms especially in Europe.  I have also found the bus tour companies are waiving single supplements in the off seasons.  Globus and Cosmos tend to have the best offers. Sign up for their email newsletters.

Hope this helps

Marcia

Royal air to sea -good prices, disappointing rather No emergency service

 I recently used Royal Caribbean’s air to sea for my flights to Galveston and from Barcelona. While the price was better than would I could find on my own the support when there were issues with both flights was inexcusable. On the flight from Toronto to Houston due to high winds in Houston we were 2.5 hours delayed. There were 4 of us sitting close, that were going to the same ship. One of us called the royal air to sea emergency line to advise them of our issue.  Their phone message was there will be a 30 minute wait please call back later. We were going to land sooner than that. We all ran to the baggage area and I informed the rep that there were 5 of us and she said she would hold the Last shuttle for us all. She also allowed 2 without shuttle tickets who had missed their private shuttle to come with us. 

On the way home, late the day before my flight I got an email from KLM stating they were cancelling my first of two flights. Of course I went to customer relations and they called the emergency hotline and this time Royal air to sea stated the lines were all busy, please hang up. We called again but no one answered. 

Luckily as that was happening I received an email from KLM and Delta and I was now on a direct flight to Toronto. 

I received an email after I arrived home from Royal air to see stating they were aware that I had made “independent” arrangements?..

Would you trust RCL air to sea after this experience…not me.

I used them my Air Canada flight to and from Newark airport as I was going to use their shuttle as it’s cheaper. Air Canada runs several flights a day to Newark, so I am less worried about using them.

Still in the future I will not trust them.

Tips for mitigation include:

- fly a day early for the cruise 

- download the airline app with whom your flying and make sure the airline has all your correct information 

- take direct flights

- use reputable airlines… not the lowest cost one with very few alternative flights

Hope this helps 

Marcia