Why I like Norfolk as a cruise port

 I had never been to Norfolk on a cruise. I really liked it. It’s a very quiet and laid back city.  Almost Everything is free to see. Must dos

- no need for a tour

- get off the ship early as it’s hot in Norfolk

- walk the cannon ball trail. It is easy and flat but in the historic district be prepared for cobblestone and uneven pavement. Lots of historic homes. Go into the Hunter house . It’s free and interesting 

- go to the Chrysler art museum. Again free and 2 floors of great art

- go to the Mcarthur memorial. Free and interesting

Skip the mall… very few stores. 

I did not do the Wisconsin ship nor the harbour cruise. But both were recommended by those who did.

Watch the sail in or out to see all the navy ships

Hope this helps

Marcia

Boston cruise port Is it walkable?

 From Flynn cruise port it’s walkable but long and confusing. Here’s some suggestions 

Take the free SL2 bus when you leave the port building.  It is a 2 minute walk

to the stop. It is free from the ship to south station. Note it is not free on the way back. It’s $2.40 a ride.  

From south station it’s a 15 minute walk to Quincy market  on Altlantic ave or if you want same distance to Boston common going north on congress or Oliver street.

Shopping for souvenirs is everywhere but mostly in the Faneuil hall market. 

Regular stores are on Washington st.

I didn’t like that the water is now blocked by condos and hotels.  Columbus park still has the best views of the harbour.

Mikes pastry on Hanover street still has good but not great Cannolis.  They are $7 each and while still good, the one I had limoncello was not great.

So yes you can and will walk all over Boston, but take the free sl2 bus to save your steps for downtown Boston

Hope this helps

Marcia

I was sad that 

Newport Rhode Island what to do in port

 Newport is a tender port so get off early to avoid a long wait 

There is a free trolley, number 67 that goes from the harbour to the mansions, cliff walk and old town. It begins at 8:40 am and run about 12 hours. It’s every 10 minutes starting at 10 am.

The cliff walk is free, paved and great views of the water and mansions. 

The Newport art museum is small and $10 for seniors. I felt like I gave a donation as it took less than 30 minutes to see everything . The building is beautiful and the exhibitions change frequently 

Newport is extremely busy on weekends so you will knock elbows with lots of people

Shopping is expensive with tee shirts starting at $30 usd, and it’s not a souvenirs stop

The harbour is terrific with multiple sail boats and yachts. Just sit on the ship or on a bench in the harbour parks of which there are many. You will see sailboats racing 

The synagogue is worth a visit as is St Mary’s church where JFK married Jackie 

Lovely port to visit

Hope this helps

Marcia 

Island princess review June 2024

 On an 11 day Canada and colonial New England cruise out of NYC.   Here’s  my review

Overall a nice, but old ship. Very comfortable ship, and so small that it’s easy to get around. Note given its age the layout is very different from all the newer princess ships. There is no international cafe and you cannot print out your statement from a kiosk. Their financial system doesn’t work. If you have a refundable credit it shows it as non refundable. There front desk says they can’t fix it but won’t give you the refund. They say it Will be fixed by there finance department and a check sent. I don’t believe them.

Other things to know

- old ship that is clean but frayed carpets, lawn chairs on balconies needing to be replaced, lots of rust and stains, rusty mirrors in bathroom and toilets that will likely need to be repaired multiple times. It’s been repaired once already.

- Sheets are discoloured and mine had holes

- has the smallest shower I have ever been in

- staff not communicative but gets the work done

- food is tasty but the most limited variety in the buffet of all Princess ships. The air conditioning is poor in the buffet so I was worried and rightly so as I got stomach issues.

Note I have enjoyed the food as compared to the Regal princess, this is really good especially in the dining room. 

- a mix of ages with lots of multi generational families 

- beds on Princess are really comfortable

- cabin stewards very efficient but not particularly talkative 

- if you want to do sea crafts go a half hour early as they limit supplies. Very annoying that they turn passengers away instead of opening up another box of supplies

- tender service slow, so go early

- cruise director disappears after 8 days and all of his team useless except for Robbie

- entertainers ok with the  4 Production shows different, but the cast familiar from other ships. Note the theater is quite small and you can only access it from deck 7. Go about a half hour early for an aisle seat

I would not take this ship again

Hope this helps

Marcia

UPDATED July 2026 Is there a way to get an upgraded cabin on a cruise ship? Mostly when you pay more thru their upgrade program

 I have taken about 50 cruises (stopped counting so am not sure) and have gotten lots of upgraded cabins.  

But that has changed a lot since the paid upgrade programs were instituted. Why

1. I typically take a guaranteed cabin in the cabin category I am willing to live with during the cruise. I prefer an ocean view or balcony and am not bothered if either are obstructed. If picking an obstructed cabin number I check on cruisedeckplans.com.  

to see if they have pictures or videos of the view.  If I take a guaranteed obstructed ocean view I have found that Princess, NCL and HAL have given me a "within cabin category" upgrade. This means I will get a better location on the ship or often an unobstructed ocean view.  I only once got upgraded on HAL to a  balcony from an ocean view guaranteed cabin. But I will never do an ocean view guaranteed on HAL's newer ships as I got burned with an ocean cabin below the rock music last time. 

Why am I recently getting the worst cabins?  Because all of the major lines have a PAID upgrade program that starts about 85 days before the cruise.  You will pay double what the price offered is for solos.   It's a per person rate.  With this program if the ship is full its unlikely you will get an upgrade even when its paid unless you offer the max and even then its doubtful.  

I have learned that the guaranteed cabins are assigned last and you will get the left over cabin that no one has selected orignally or via the paid upgrade. Your loyalty status or how much you paid  DOES NOT play into the decision. Its random.

2. When I have taken an inside guaranteed cabin I have also gotten a "within category" upgrade but never an ocean view or balcony as I have paid a low price.  I have a guaranteed inside on an upcoming Enchanted Princess cruise and don't expect an upgrade. With the IF guaranteed cabin (there is no such thing as this category I will likely get the IE or maybe better within the category but not an ocean view or balcony. I will be getting the left over cabin. Note on this ship none of them are bad locations as I like the front of the ship and these cabins are always last to be chosen

3. As I get to higher levels in the loyalty programs of the cruise lines I was hoping the they have taken into account my level as recently I have gotten upgraded from ocean view to balcony but I also think this is due to the two other things... the ship being older and the sailings have not been full.  This is key as you will not get an upgrade if the sailing is popular.

4. Cruise lines definitely take into account how much you paid for your cabin. The more you paid the more likely you will get an upgrade as long as the ship isn't full. As I typically use the cruise lines' air, buy an internet package and do the transfers and one or two shore excursions, this also adds up to the total spend.

5. I own the cruise line stock (100 shares), and this gives me onboard credit but it doesn't favour me an upgrade.

6. I use a travel agent and the cruise lines like to keep them happy. I have not gotten an upgrade when I booked directly with the cruise lines. I wonder why as then they keep all the money?

7.  Don't try asking for one, just have your travel agent tick the box that your open to an upgrade. I have never gotten an upgrade by asking for one unless I was willing to pay.

Hope this helps

Marcia

Can solo travellers get a fair price for a cruise? Yes some tips updated for 2026

 I am always asked how to get a deal on a cruise. Note a deal in my way of thinking is paying as close to the double occupancy rate for one person. This is hard to do as all cruise lines prefer two people in a cabin, as this way they maximize their other services such as drinks, excursions and specialty restaurants earnings.  When I see a double rate highly discounted, I start to look for solo deals on the ship as there must be cabins available and all ships want to have ideally a 100% occupancy.

So below are my tips to get that solo deal

- timing is key. If you have a specific destination in mind start watching the price about 6 to 9 months before departure. This is updated as I am finding I need to book earlier in order to get On Board Credit and lower price. Check both the double rate and solo rates, then I track the cruise every few days to see if the ship is selling out.  if you book 6 months ahead you will still get reasonable air prices and all the shore excursions aren’t sold out.  But you will get some updates to your flights but usually only a couple of minutes. And if they change planes your seat will be changed

- book older ships as the newer ones are always premium priced. 

- book a ship that’s about to go into dry dock or just coming out of it.  Note sometimes you will encounter issues when the ship just comes out of dry dock such as plumbing or air conditioning.

- yes you can get deals last minute which is usually 6 to 8 weeks before departure but it’s usually guaranteed cabins, or inside cabins or yucky locations.  Just remember you will pay more for the flights so it’s total cost you should look at.  Also some of the better flight times may be sold out.  And the best shore excursions are often sold out.

- are solo cabins a good deal? Not most of the time as they are very seldom at the double rate for one person. In fact most of the time they are also much higher, and inside cabins. The few balcony ones they have are usually sold out quick.  I hated the solo cabin on NCL, too small and bad ventilation. The RCL one with the virtual balcony was better ventilated but really small. I tried  their balcony one because you get another 50 to 75 feet of space on the balcony and fresh air. The Rcl solo balcony was great. I would highly recommend it. 

- watch for airline sales. It should not matter where you save the money. I was able to save a few hundred on a transpacific flight thru a sale directly with the airline.  if The cruise line does not offer  direct flights option it’s a no go.  I usually only book thru the cruise line if it’s a same departure day flight and it’s lowered priced. 

- watch for sales.. Holland and Princess do last minute sales.. 6 to 8 weeks before and this is how I have gotten good deals on balconies. MSC and RCL are best at the 4 to 6 month before departure.

- use a travel agent for the booking. They will often give you a small on board credit. 

- own the cruise line stock in your portfolio. You need a 100 shares. It’s a good deal for carnival stock as I have already paid for the stock in on board credit. RCL is expensive stock, but it’s doing well and the onboard credit pays the gratuity and or shore excursions.

Hope this helps

Marcia

Mont Saint Michel shore excursion from Cherbourg review

 I paid $140usd for a shore excursion to Mont St Michel. It was worth the price.

What you need to know:

You will leave early at 7am

The bus ride took 2 hours and 10 minutes going and 1 hours and 50 minutes coming back

You will see The monastery from the bus about a half hour before you arrive. Sit on the right side of the bus

It’s a lot of walking. The steps are varied in size and with the crowd you have to keep walking. If you have a walking stick, it will help on the way up and down.  They say it’s 350 steps straight up but it’s not all stairs.  It didn’t feel like that many steps. 

The guide doesn’t stop on the way up, as it’s too crowded and she is saving her energy.  Her comments were ok but the guide book in the official store for 2 euros by the tram stop in the parking area is worth the money

The views everywhere are amazing especially at the top. 

I wasn’t impressed by the inside chapel etc. it is crowded and light even on a sunny day is poor.  It’s the outside that is the most impressive. If I went back I would skip the guided tour and walk at my own pace.

The shops sell the same stuff and are expensive. 

The beauty of this place is beyond awesome. But the crowds are overwhelming and the hurried pace annoying. It was a bucket list place for me and it was a cold but sunny day. I am glad I went on this shore excursion.

Hope this helps

Marcia