Independence of the seas - tales of woe

Day 2::: For an older ship Independence of the seas looks to be in good shape.  The promenade outdoor deck is wide, freshly painted and lots of loungers. However one side of this deck is entirely devoted to smokers. So unusable to non smokers,  same with the pool deck.  It’s just wrong.

My first cabin had an infestation of Asian lady bugs on the couch. They  pince your skin. While sitting on the couch I saw them and called housekeeping. They came and tried to tell me it was a lady bug. They moved me to a lesser cabin.. adjoining ocean view that has very loud air conditioning at night.  I didn’t notice that one had pierced my ear lobe until it swelled. I took Benadryl and put the cream on.  It’s still throbbing. Maintenance said it was likely the work they do at night in Studio B above me that caused the noise It is fine during the day. I am told to call if I hear the loud noise tonight. Of course they are wrong as when I turn the knob to heat there is no noise. I have asked for compensation.

I had booked and was confirmed for early dining. But upon boarding, I was given open dining at 6:45 pm.

After waiting in a very long line, I was able to switch it for my friends and I. Tip do this as soon as you board the ship. 

The first dinner in  the dining room was good but took long for service. The food was hot but hot drinks lukewarm. Tip ask that your table be served first among their tables for faster service. 

The ship is full of primarily retirees as it is a 9 day cruise to New England and kis are back in school. As always trivia is packed as the use one of the smallest venues on the ship.

Hope this helps

Marcia

Why you should avoid booking WestJet flights to the United States

 I have just spent several hours on the phone with travel agencies because of WestJet unreliability in keeping the flight schedules to the United States.  Since I booked flights in the spring to the USA for a multi city , Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in October and just Fort Lauderdale next April, WestJet has changed the flight times for all 3 flights.  The flights which were supposed to leave in the morning were changed by more than 8 hours later.  The worst of this is they DO NOT send updates to you when they change the flight schedules. When I called my agency apologized but WestJet offered no help. 

For my flight next spring it was changed to 2 hours later. I will still get there in time for my cruise.

So below are tips

- do not book WestJet to the USA. There have been several news stories saying they are reducing flights to the USA. They do not send email updates when they change the flight times. You have to check their app daily.

- if you do book them, make sure it is fully refundable. I did this and was able to book on air Canada instead for my October trip

- book thru a travel agency. Expedia helped me for the October flights and yes it cost me more but I feel better about air Canada.  I used flights by RCL for next spring and the rep confirmed that the new flights were within their boarding parameters. Also Delta sent an update as soon as WestJet changed the flight times. the Rcl flights rep also said if they had changed the flight arrival outside of theier 2 pm arrival they would rebook me on a different flight.

But overall, WestJet is too risky to use when you are taking a cruise . 

Hope this helps

Marcia

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