Harmony of the Seas…Shabby is my first impression

 It’s my second day on Harmony of the Seas and one word describes its appearance Shabby. Yes is due to go into dry dock for amplification but there is no excuse for all the scuffs peeling paint, and general ugliness of the ship, the cabins etc.  All the white paint on the ship is a greyish tone with scuff marks and general disrepair everywhere. My cabin didn’t have hot water the first day but the came and repaired it but is was Luke warm day two, so I asked the plumber to make it hotter.

The paint around my cabin window has peeled off. 

I will write more as I experience more on the ship 

Hope this helps

Marcia

United Airlines to Houston from Toronto.. it’s risky to go on a same day as a cruise

 I recently took United airlines from Toronto to Houston the same day as my cruise was leaving. Big mistake.  The cruises leave from Galveston which is a 90 minute drives from IAH airport. The only direct flight leaves at 6:10 am on UA. It’s supposed to take 4 hours and get you there at 9 am cst. I arrived at 11:20 am with an unscheduled stop at college town airport for refueling due to a slow down at the airport due to high winds. I am told the high winds are frequent. What I was mad at was UA not having sufficient fuel given this is a regular occurrence. 

I then almost mist the last RCL shuttle at noon but it was delayed to 12:45pm due to other passengers delays.  I arrived at the port at 2:45 pm.

The pilot and flight attendants were great and kept us informed, but I wouldn’t take a chance again by leaving same day.  The RCL emergency hotline stated it was a 30 minute wait time to speak to an agent. Not good either. I was lucky to get aboard as the porters were finishing up so they said take your own luggage. 

I missed the Key lunch but customer service said it’s scheduled again for passengers that missed it.

Go a day before. It will cost you about a 100usd for the shuttle and another $150usd for a hotel in Galveston but it’s probably worth it.

Hope this helps

Marcia

5 things cruise lines do to annoy solo travellers and how to mitigate them

 I always travel solo. While often friends are travelling on the same ship, I like my own cabin.  Cruiselines don’t cater or like solo travellers and I say this after more than 50 cruises. Below are my top 5 annoyances with all cruise lines. 

1. The price is always more for a solo. At worst 200%  of the double rate, and at best at least 20% more for the solo cabins. To reduce this, I wait for sales, book at least 9 months out, and have stopped taking cruises like norwegian that are always 100% or more . Always compare the rate they are offering for a solo to the double rate.  Interestingly hotels especially in Europe offer solos better pricing than doubles. 

2. Solo cabins are tiny and usually inside. and  very few cruise lines offer balcony or ocean view ones. I have yet to find a solo cabin that includes a comfortable chair or sofa.  Even the solo balcony on Rcl only has a stool.  You’re better to get a regular cabin on sale. I typically get an obstructed ocean view or regular ocean view as I find them quiet versus balcony.  Also they have very few solo cabins on a ships and even a year out, they are all booked. 

3. Seating in the main dining room is typically a large shared table in the middle of the dining room..no window views for solos. If you ask for early dining you will get the 5 pm vs 5:30 or 6pm regular early seating. They give the regular seatings and best placement to couples., regardless of your loyalty status. I go to the maître de on the first day after checking the seating and am willing to sit alone for better tables. 

4. Response times to issues has been slower for a solo. On Cunard I was told I was not a priority to get the phone and air con fixed. I always have to try multiple times to get things fixed on all cruise lines. . I have had to escalate to managers and the hotel director. Be polite but persistent until they help you. 

5. When booking a cabin for 1 especially on RCL and MSC, you will often get a message that states this type of cabin is not available, but if you change it to 2 people you will see cabins still available. The cruise lines try to limit the number of cabins offered to solos. You have to call or better yet have your travel agent call to get them to release the cabin for a solo. Note especially on msc, they would rather not have the booking unless it’s very close to departure. 

I hate to be a Debbie downer but this is what it is for solos.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Buyer Beware when booking a WestJet Flight to the USA

 I booked a WestJet flight for October 2026 when I booked my Carribean cruise.  Because the cruise is departing from Cape Canaveral and disembarking in Fort Lauderdale I needed a multi city flight. The only convenient flights were WestJet in at 7 am and returning at noon. Great... so I was going in a day early to relax before the cruise. That’s fortunate as i would have missed the cruise if they did this to me on the day of the cruise.  The only thing they would do for an earlier flight was a connecting one with delta but the elapsed time was 9 hours.  To say I hate WestJet is an understatement. I had issues years ago so stopped booking them and now again. Just beware of them as they have horrible practices and customer service.

Buyer beware

Hope this helps

Marcia

How to check the view of an obstructed ocean view cabin

I was surprised when my travel agent asked why I was so specific with my obstructed ocean view picks .

I told her I have a process that I use to see how obstructed the view really is.  For you use, go to 

cruisedeckplans.com ,  and enter the cruise line, cruise ship and then go to the deck with obstructed cabins.  Most of the time you will see a link to a picture or a video.  It will show the view from the window, particularly for Princess cruises

If a picture is not available I check sister ships with the same layout as often the view is identical.  You can search the web for sister ships of the one you're going to be sailing on.  I also check to see if there are any reviews or separate videos available on line, but my first choice is Cruise deck plans site.

I have been fortunate to find cabins with minimal obstruction as usually they appear in the middle of what looks like a life boat. The ends of life boats are usually more obstructed with wires and lifts. 

I hope this helps

Marcia

 

Turks and Caicos port.. a trip downtown

 As i have been to Grand Turk before, I took a taxi into town. It was $10usd per person in minivans ea each way. Expensive for a 10 minute drive. The town is just on Main Street with stalls, a few stores and restaurants. The beach was nice. If you venture into the neighborhoods you will see some donkeys wandering around.  Not much to see, but the prices for tee shirts and other junk was cheaper than by the ship. 

The beach has improved near the ship. Lots more chairs, shops and restaurants. But there are still too many people, its loud and expensive.  The water is a gorgeous blue and turquoise color and warm. 

Not my favourite port, but I did admire the water from the ship.

Note if you are a bird watcher, walk to the salt pond about 10 minutes from the ships compound.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Belize howler monkey sanctuary and zoo shore excursion is excellent

 I took the ship shore excursion in Belize to the Howler Monkeys sanctuary and Belize zoo.

Please wear insect protection all over your body, bring and wear a rain poncho. Even though showers were off and on the mosquitoes were prevalent as were bot flies. I didn’t get bit but my friend did and ended up at the doctors on antibiotics.

The guide was funny, informative and really helpful. You will go to the zoo first and it too is a sanctuary. I loved the Tapirs and the have lots of birds and cats. 

You will get a tasty lunch of barbecue chicken, rice and peas and salad. Then the best part is the howler monkey sanctuary. This is where I wore the poncho to keep off the bugs.  The guide picks some fresh leaves and this brought the monkeys down for great pictures. Don’t get to close as they are aggressive.

Overall well worth the 104usd and it was about 5 hours.

Hope this helps

Marcia