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

Cozumel port…a trip downtown

 I visited Cozumel but didn’t want to stay where the ship docked. The shops and restaurants are quite expensive there. The taxis now cost 10usd per taxi to downtown, regardless of number of people.  Downtown was like a ghost town even though there were 3 ships in.  Most passengers must of taken a shore excursion or stayed near the ship.  It was sad to see how dilapidated the town has become especially the central square. Things are cheaper to buy downtown, and vendors are struggling.  It’s doubtful that I would venture downtown again, but I was glad to help some of the vendors. Note there are pharmacies galore and the prices for aspirin, ibuprofen etc were much more than in Canada. I am not sure why they say it is cheaper?

Hope this helps

Marcia

Negril beach break shore excursion review December 2025

 Ours was the first ship docked after the hurricane in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Blue tarps on roofs, debris and downed wires were everywhere. I took the Negril beach break shore excursion, to the Boardwalk hotel. It’s a 5 hour excursion with 3 hours at the beach. The beach has been cleared and the water cool, but clean. The hotel provides chairs but umbrellas and pads are each 7usd. If your chair is under the almond tree you won’t need an umbrella.  The hotel has a bar and restaurant and a short walk up the beach you can find other places to eat. The hotel is undergoing construction but it’s not loud on the beach.  The guide was very informative and the ride both ways was interesting and comfortable. I would recommend this shore excursion that cost $54usd via Cunard. Note there are a few people selling things on the beach but they are pleasant and do not hassle you.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Kompose boutique hotel Miami airport pre cruise one night experience

 I booked the Kompose boutique hotel Miami airport for a pre cruise one night stay.  I did so as it had very good reviews, was walkable from the airport and pictures looked interesting. It was not expensive and came with a 30usd food/ beverage credit.

It is an easy walk from the airport. Take the Mia mover at door 9 to the bus/train stop. Walk to your right over the train tracks on 25th st for 3 blocks. It takes about 7 minutes to walk from the station. 

The hotel requires you to sign an online intimidating very long form at check in. The desk receptionist tells you to skip to the end and sign. They need your credit card and put a 150usd hold til you checkout. 

The 30$ credit is for either dinner or breakfast. I used it for dinner. It took them an hour to give me my Cuban sandwich as there were problems in the kitchen. You must still pay cash for the required 20% gratuity and taxes. The food was just ok

The breakfast is the carb heavy cheap paper plates and wooden utensils buffet the most hotels provide for free. It was 8usd. 

Checkout is 11am, and check in 4 pm. Again no the usual noon and 3 pm.

The room itself is large, clean, with metal decor, and a warehouse vibe. The shower is big with lots of hot water. The bed and pillows are very firm. The window is huge but the blind is see through not blocking out the light. They provide 2 small bottles of water and ear plugs as the air conditioner is very loud.

The staff at reception are friendly and helpful.

I would not stay here again as I don’t like the form, 150usd hold and the very firm mattress. The closeness to the airport was my reason for picking it.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Detailed review of Cunard Queen Elizabeth cruise ship

 I was on a 9 day Cunard Queen Elizabeth cruise to the western Caribbean in December 2025. Below is a detailed review of the ship, my cabin, the food, entertainment and staff. It was my first, and very likely my only cruise with Cunard.

Embarkation: I had watched a video on u tube from a man who has taken several Cunard cruises. He said Cunard always gives late boarding times to Britannia passengers their lowest class on board. He said he always arrives at about 1pm, waits about 20 minutes in line to board. This was my exact experience. No one reviewed my boarding pass for the time, and it was quicker than many other cruise lines. However it took over 3 hours and much searching to receive my luggage. Lots of misinformation and searching and I finally found it minutes before dinner at 5:30pm. My first impression of officers and staff was horrible.

Cabin: I had a solo ocean view on deck two. First impression for cleanliness and comfort were good. But the cabin was warm and no air coming from the vents. I called and maintenance came quickly to fix it. The bathroom is small with a cloth curtain and fixed shower head.  Overnight black flakes and soft black mould? Could be found with water at the bottom of the shower. This happened nightly. The steward always cleaned it, and said it came from the pipes.  I didn’t drink the water from the tap due to this issue.

The room is a good size with 3 large windows. Lots of storage. The bed is slightly bigger than a twin size and very firm. You get 2 pillows. The comforter is heavy, and no top sheets.  The steward didn’t show so I called to get ice delivered daily. When I asked him to clean the room in the mornings he ignored me. I only saw him 3 x during the cruise.

I had air conditioner and ventilation issues and a broken phone on days 3 to 5. I had to go to the purser’s office 4 times before they were fixed. I heard maintenance say I wasn’t a priority. However the desk supervisor told them to make it a priority on my 4th visit. All was fixed on day 5. I wrote a letter to the hotel director telling him what happened. He did not respond, instead the desk managers both called on day 4 but I couldn’t call back. 

I received a Veranda steak house dinner for two, and some tins of tea and treats for my troubles.

Entertainment In the theatre was excellent. West end London quality production shows.  The music around the ship was fine but not exceptional.

Dining: excellent in the Veranda steak house. Service and taste was amazing.

Dining in the lido buffet ok for breakfast and lunch. The same food every day offered for breakfast. They had the same, not fresh maki every lunchtime. Indian food quality poor. dinner at night in the Britannia restaurant was just weird. Service was excellent but many dishes including deserts were either tasteless or weirdly combined ingredients. Hard to find something edible at night so I made sure I had a good lunch.

Dining at the Pub was excellent. The ploughman lunch was delicious as was the sticky toffee pudding. The hamburgers stand had excellent onion rings.

Afternoon tea was excellent with great tea and treats.

Ship decor… and over abundance of wood and art deco. Lots of ship and queen Elizabeth memorabilia. The promenade deck was just ok as many of the deck chair pads were ripped or dirty.

I took 2 shore excursions and both were excellent and well managed. I will write about them in a separate blog.

Passenger mix was old American, English or south Asian for the most part. A few children and younger singles or couples. 

Overall I am one and done with Cunard. The pre marketing info of luxury and refinement is not to be found for this Britannia passenger, except for the Veranda restaurant. It’s simply a mid sized ship with ok service, weird food and full of people searching for the British history of transatlantic luxury, only to be somewhat or very disappointed.

Hopes this helps

Marcia