Air Canada phone help is 2.5 hours wait, but the reps are great

In the past two days I have had to call Air Canada customer service to get a seat reinstated when Royal Caribbean had to change my flights.  Royal Caribbean is to blame for the second call both to them and to Air Canada as they did not issue the flight tickets even though I paid in full.   Always request they issue the ticket when you have fully paid. They do not do this automatically.

I checked on line and AI said the average wait time to speak to an Air Canada rep would be between 2 and 3 hours. Air Canada touts it has a call back feature but on both calls this call back was not offered to me.  So expect at least 2 hours to speak to a rep.  The only way I could get me seat reinstated was to speak to an agent.

But when I finally go through to the reps on both days they were great. The first one told me RCL had not issued the ticket and call RCL back. The second rep acknowledged I paid for the seat for my flight and wondered why RCL had changed the booking number. (It appears they didn't have to????). Anyway the cost of my seat had gone up so they couldn't give it back to me at the same price. When there was an issue with the system accepting my credit card (for 9$ - so it must be their system). The rep told me to hold and then did something so I didn't have to pay the extra.  She was awesome in her help to me. 

I also want to acknowledge the Air Canada  rep at the Newwark airport. I advised the RCL had changed my flight to a later one and she got me on the earlier flight (my original) and refunded what I paid for my seat. Again awesome.

Some tips:

- don't use RCL air to sea if you can help it... they are mixed in helpfulness if you have an issue with your flight on a same day cruise (read my other post) . 3x they didn't help me and once they did. Use with caution.  I used them as it was for a transatlantic and could not find flights that leave from Florida and return from Barcelona for RCL's price. 

- Book direct with the airline ... they are more likely to help you if in need. Also they offer more flexible re-booking options if you purchase the flex flight option that includes seat selection and 1 checked baggage. Note this is always the cheaper option if you need to pick your seat and have a checked bag.

- Go in a day earlier than the cruise departure... yes you have to pay for a hotel but its really worth the no hassle. 

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Why you have to go in a day early for a cruise - Especially RCL

 Well I have just re-booked my flights thru Flights thru Royal for my cruise next spring in order to go a day early. 

As mentioned in other posts, I have had many issues with flying in the same day for an RCL cruise.

My flight in March to Houston was significantly delayed due to high winds and I barely made the last RCL shuttle on the day of the cruise and missed out on the first day The Key benefits.

My flight in September was cancelled by Air Canada (they said in the email due to weather - but the weather in Toronto and Newark was great. (I think the plane was not available due to bad weather the day before).  I was in luck that RCL could get me on an early flight because I live close to the airport. I only made it with 15 minutes to spare. 

Now I am rebooking my flight for the RCL cruise next April to the day before as I cannot have another panic attack when the flight is cancelled of delayed the day of the cruise.

I am having to pay a 117 CDN penalty for changing the flight and now I realized that they changed who they booked thru for the same return Air Canada flight. It is code shared with Lufthansa so they used Luftansa instead of Air Canada and the booking was cancelled. I had paid $88 for a seat selection and am currently on hold with Air Canada to see if they will honour the seat selection. 

I have been waiting for  over 1.5 hours to speak to someone from Air Canada customer service. 

So don't go day of and have a panic attack... go in  a day before 

Hope this helps

Marcia

Marcia

Fortress of Louisburg New Brunswick - don't go on a rainy and windy day

 I booked the shore excursion to the Fortress of Louisburg in New Brunswick. The day was rainy with 50 mph winds. But they did not cancel the shore excursion.  It turns out that Louisbug is often windy and rainy. This makes for a yucky shore excursion, even though I was dressed for the weather in a rubber long raincoat and warm clothing underneath.  

Louisberg fortress is mostly an outdoor tour as it has many outer buildings. Walking in the rain/wind is tricky.  While the buildings are dry inside they are NOT heated so you will not get warm.  A lot of passengers went back to the bus to get warm.

There is a lot of history in each of the buildings and I would recommend seeing this fortress but only in good weather due to the amount of walking involved outdoors.

Tips

- wear a heavy duty rain coat.  You will not be able to use an umbrella with the winds.

- wear several layers of clothing under the raincoat and gloves... I was there in early September and it was really cold. 

-  There is only one coffee shop and the coffees start at 4.50 can ...expensive. So bring water or a drink with you

Did I enjoy this shore excursion - not really as the weather made it impossible to enjoy.  

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Portland Maine is walkable but distances farther than you think

 I walked from the cruise terminal to the Portland art museum. Google said it was a 15 minute walk. At a quick pace it took 30 minutes. The town is hilly and has lots of cobble stones. Shopping is all over, but go a couple of streets up from the harbour for better prices. I paid 8 usd for a t shirt that was 25 usd near the harbour.

The art museum is a gem. The Winslow Homer exhibit was the best I have experienced. It’s 4 floors and $18usd for seniors.  Well worth the fee.

The harbour was busy, but fun with lots of restaurants and shops.  The marina is very pretty.

Warning there are a lot of homeless people. They won’t hurt you but constantly ask for change.

Hope this helps

Marcia

Saint John New Brunswick a very walkable port if you like hills.

 If you’re coming to Saint John, you dock right at downtown. Get the walking map and follow it to see the highlights. This is a very hilly town and some of it has broken pavement.  It’s a very compact downtown so it doesn’t take long to get anywhere 

I enjoyed the following:

Loyalist house $5 cdn . It takes about 20 minutes to go through it. 

Two Anglican churches are open and trinity is quite beautiful inside. Both are free.

Old city market… small but the building is the draw

The architecture is quite old and photogenic.  Just walk a few residential streets, especially Germaine Street 

Shopping is plentiful but expensive . I found the street vendors to have better prices and more handcrafted souvenirs. But if your American use a credit card for a better exchange rate.

They take cdn or US dollars for purchases 

There is a great walking path along the harbour… you may see harbour seals. It goes all the way to the reversing rapids.

Overall a nice port for walking and browsing. The hills are everywhere but they are not steep.

Hope this helps

Marcia

St Martin and bay of fundy shore excursion excellent value in Saint John NB

 Rcl’s 6 hour St Matin and bay of fundy shore excursions was an excellent tour.  You will see the reversing rapids twice .. once at low tide ( first stop) and later in the day at high tide. 

They take you to Caves restaurant in Saint Martin and the cave and water views are spectacular. You are served a choice of seafood chowder(amazing) with a tea biscuit. Also baked cookies and pop.

You have time to walk on the beach

The third stop is in Saint Martin with a few shops and 2 covered bridges.

The fourth stop was Saint John city market where you are given time to shop.

Then you see the  reversing tide at high tide.

The guide Jane was funny and informative.

Overall I would highly recommend this tour

Hope this helps

Marcia

Independence of the seas - tales of woe overcome

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. The only good thing is if it’s cold or windy the smokers stay in the casino.

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 of the bugs had pierced my ear lobe until it swelled. I took Benadryl and put the cream on.  It took a long time to heal.  

Maintenance said it was likely the work they do at night in Studio B above me that caused the air conditioner 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. Turns out they had to replace a motor to fix the air conditioner.  For the rest of the cruise the cabin was great. I was lucky that the neighbours were quiet. 

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 as early seating fills up quickly. 

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.  Service got better and the food continues to be good. I had a very friendly group of  people at the table. 

The ship is full of primarily retirees as it is a 9 day cruise to New England and kids are back in school. As always trivia is packed as they use one of the smallest venues on the ship. It’s an RCL thing. 

For the rest of the cruise service has been excellent. The food in the dining room at breakfast and dinner has been cooked well and served hot.  I think the dining room food and service for all meal times has been the best I have experienced on all of Rcl ships I have been on. 

Entertainment is typical cruise fare.. all repeat acts  from other Rcl ships. There are no broadway shows on this ship.

Overall one of the better Rcl ships. It’s the staff and responsiveness that makes the difference. I would take this ship again.

Hope this helps

Marcia