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.

Book early - at least a year out so there will still be cabins available for solos. 

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

Murcia Spain shore excursion not worth it if the cathedral is closed

 I took the Murcia on your own shore excursion via RCL. It was 60cdn for a 4.5 hour tour. As always with RCL on your own tours is just a bus ride to/from the destination. The guide only speaks to tell you when you arrive in Murcia where the Cathedral is and when to get back on the bus at the pickup point.

The cathedral is a five minute walk from where they drop you off. It’s one of two must sees in this town. I had about 10 minutes inside before they said they were closing..no explanation. 

The other place to see is the Casino Real about 5 minutes from the Cathedral. Ask for directions as it’s a side street. It is amazing outside and inside with the arabica tiles, sculptures and art. If you just go to the first floor it’s free. I paid the 5 euros to be able to go upstairs. It’s not worth it, as only one room is open.

The other thing to do is wander the streets for shopping and bakeries. Note I found only one souvenir shop across from casino real. This is not a tourist destination. 

The river that runs through the middle of town has a whale sculpture but the pathway is overgrown.

This excursion is only worth it if the cathedral is open. 

The drive to and from is just the highway with some fields. 

Hope this helps

Marcia

Alicante cruise port..how to have an easy day

 The ship will try to get you to take the port shuttle for 7 euros saying it’s 35 to 40 minutes to the port. It was exactly 4 minutes by bus or a slow 20 minutes walking. Don’t let them rip you off.  To have a pleasant easy day in Alicante below are tips

- go to the town hall first. It’s straight ahead from the ocean museum thru the old gate. It’s free and an interesting building. 

-next before the 10 am opening time go to the castle elevator. It’s across from the beach promenade about a 10 minute walk from the town hall. You will pass by their church which is not open to tourists. If you get there before opening you will have a quick wait for the elevator and it’s free for seniors. It 2.7 euros otherwise. Up at the top the views are great. Note it is the same view regardless of how high you climb. It’s really just remnants of the castle walls that are left. There are free toilets and a shop, and a small kiosk with ice cream.  You can walk back down through a colourful neighborhood but I took the elevator.

- I then walked along the beach promenade and sat on a bench people watching. It’s a very clean beach. If it was warmer water I would have brought a bathing suit.

- the main promenade across from the marina has restaurants and shops. The back streets are full of hotels, shops and restaurants. This is definitely a beach town more so than a cultural Mecca.

- the walk along the marina is scenic with many people with take out lunches having their food on a bench 

- they have set up a large market place with shoes, souvenirs, clothing and lots of junk for sale in the stalls

Then either take the shuttle or walk 20 minutes to the ship.

This is definitely a beach destination.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Malaga Spain walkable to main sites, beach and shopping

 If you love to walk this is the city for you. The ship docks on a lovely promenade. It’s a quick 10 minutes walk to the beach. Below are my recommendations for what to see if you’re not doing a beach day.

Centre Pompidou is your first stop just past the beach and before the main street. You can’t miss the checkered glass. The museum is underground and its 5.5 euros for seniors for the permanent and visitor exhibit. If you love modern art and interesting architecture it’s not to be missed.

Then turn left and walk on the park promenade about 10 minutes to the castle, cathedral and main shopping and restaurant area.  The cathedral had a huge line so I skipped it and I had been to the castle on my last trip here. 

On the way back walk along the waterfront promenade with lots of hand made crafts kiosks, restaurants and shops bak to the ship.

It’s easy to get lost in the maze of streets around the cathedral so just ask a local in the shops or restaurants to point you to the waterfront.

It’s become quite expensive to shop and eat in restaurants here, so a cheap lunch can be had by getting a sandwich or pastries at the bakeries and sit on the shaded benches in one of the parks or promenade.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Royal Caribbean The Key program not worth it unless it’s just a couple of dollars more per day over the internet price

 This is my first time getting the Key on RCL. It was only $32 cdn more than the price for the 16 days of the internet. So here’s my recommendations

- only get the key if you are definitely getting the internet package 

- watch for a sale for it when you book your cruise … RCL does surge pricing so the earlier you book your cruise the better the key and internet price will be

- only book it if the daily rate is $2 or less more than the standard alone internet price per day.

- you get a special lunch day one, free carry on bags to your cabin, special seating area for shows and preferred times for flow rider,etc. also a special breakfast on the last day. The chops grill lunch is 30 USD dollars value and the special seating area is great at shows as it’s hard to get a good seat on the mega ships

- only do it on the oasis or quantum class ships that are always crowded and over booked. You do not need it on the older and smaller ships

Hope this helps

Marcia