An update on cabins for solos - worst to best

 I have done over 50 cruises and have tried many solo cabins. Cruise lines don’t like solos as we are not as profitable as couples. They tend to put solo cabins on lower floors, near the front or tiny inside cabins and lack any chairs to sit on. You save money most of the time but not always so check regular cabins because with sales sometimes a regular cabin even with single supplement are cheaper and always bigger. Below is my ranking worst to best of the solo cabins I have tried 

Worst - Costa’s solo ocean view cabin. It was tiny with a hard bench vs twin size bed . It was a porthole vs a window. The worst was where it was on the bottom of passenger cabins beside the crew door. So loud between the engine noise and crew traffic.  My cabin had no air conditioning for a few days and their solution was to leave my cabin door open.

Next worst was NCL’s solo inside cabin. It’s less than 100 feet, bad air circulation and the dirtiest of all cabins I have had. The shower is in the cabin. I took the cleaning supplies from the steward and cleaned the cabin myself. The solo lounge was a joke. Seldom had supplies and no concierge. It’s the reason I have not booked NCL again.

RCL inside cabin was on a high floor but attached to another cabin. The layout was good but again tiny. I liked the virtual sea view and the bathroom was regular size. You can hear your neighbours. Ventilation was poor especially after a shower. 

HAL ocean view is at the bottom of the ship at the front.  You hear the anchor, engine noise and the theatre above.  It was an ok size, but no chair. Bathroom was regular size. Mine had no air conditioning for 2 nights. 

The best so far was RCL balcony. The balcony was almost the size of the cabin. The bed double size and comfortable. It’s on deck 4 and there are life boats immediately below. But by far the most comfortable.

The only one I would recommend is the RCL balcony one. The rest had issues with noise, size or poor ventilation.

I never give up and am trying Cunard’s solo ocean view in December.

Again always check the price of regular cabins. Try not to book a solo cabin unless the price is amazing.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Why I was pleasantly surprised by Icelandair

 I was surprised that I really liked my Icelandair flights. Below is why

- flight was $500 cheaper than the air Canada flight

- I was worried about the 1.5 hour stopover in Reykjavik that it wouldn’t be sufficient time, but it is a small airport and the pre email from the airline said to quickly go thru passport control and then you have an hour to shop and wait.

- I was worrying about the smaller transatlantic plane a 737 9 but i didn’t find it had any more bumpier than the larger planes

- they were on time for both flights

- my luggage arrived quicker than air Canada even though there was a transfer in Reykjavik 

- seat selection and baggage is cheaper than air Canada 

- there are no meals or food or drinks complimentary. But I bought a baguette in Cdg, and then pre ordered their open face sandwich for the longer flight. Water was served several times on each flight

Try ‘this airline. I think you will be impressed 

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Paris is long lines and crowds- tips for an easier trip

 I was in Paris last week for 5 days and it has changed for the worse as there are crowds, long lines and miserable locals everywhere. I started coming to Paris over 40 years ago and have typically visited every 4 to 5 years. This was likely my last trip as I hated the crowds, packed and delayed metro and trains, and the extra 30 to 40 minutes to line up for security before entering ALL touristy museums or sites. Note I had booked appointments for the sites but you will still wait the 30 minutes to an hour to go through security.

If you’re still wanting to visit after my rant. Here are my tips 

- buy a Paris visite card for the metro and Paris regional trains. It was 78 euros for 5/days, 5 zones. A bargain for the ease of use and unlimited use. It got me to fountain blue and Cdg for no extra cost 

- buy the museum pass..96 euros for 5 days and a must is to book your visit time for every site, even if it says no appointments necessary, as you will wait hours otherwise in line. You need to do this on each museums site

- get to each museum or church etc at least 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment as you will stand in line for security checks 

- have a travel on purse or backpack that locks as pickpockets are rampant. If you can secure you passport in the hotel safe

- you will need cash and a chip credit or debit card as many places don’t accept cash and only chip cards work

- pre check the site’s website for closures as the museum pass site is not up to date 

- make sure your hotel is on a train line direct from your airport or arrival train station, as almost none of the metro stations elevators and escalators were working. I stayed within walking distance of gate du nord and gate d’lest.  Use gare de lest vs gare du nord as its less busy and fewer undesirables

- walk when you can between museums as it faster

- go to the chateaus on the museum pass as they are beautiful and not as busy, except Versailles 

- for food, get the specials at cafes for lunch or dinner to save money. I had several great meals

- pack your patience, sun hat, sunscreen and a throw away raincoat

- have really comfortable shoes.. at least 2 pairs to change into

I visited the following in 5 days

Chateau fountain blue

Chateau Vincennes

Muss d’orsay

Saint chapelle and the government building and cloisters beside it

Momartre

Pompidou museum

Notre dame - go at 8:30 am to skip the lines

Jewish museum 

Marine museum 

Arch de triumph - go up to the top for amazing views

Tuileries 

Place de la Concorde

And walked at lot thru the marais and along the seine

Hope this helps

Eurostar Rotterdam to Paris -tips for this route

 I took the Eurostar from Rotterdam to Paris on kings day. That was my first mistake. It was so packed in both the station and train. The good news is I had booked six months before so the price was good. Below are tips:

- book early as this train which originates in Amsterdam fills quickly and prices become astronomically priced nearer departure. That is if seats are available. 

-try to travel from the first stop which was Amsterdam, as there will be almost no room for your luggage in Rotterdam . I was in premium class and economy passengers took most of our luggage space

- take as little luggage as possible as no one will help you

- get food before boarding as options are limited and very expensive on the train

- book premium plus as it’s less crowded and only 10/euros more per seat

- try not to go on a Dutch or French holiday

- get to your departure gate 20 minutes before as there will be info on where to stand for your train car

- print out your ticket as they scan the QR code 

Overall I was disappointed in Eurostar. My car was dirty, no toilet paper in the toilets, limited and expensive food options. And it was late, with no place for my 1 small luggage 

Hope this helps 

Marcia

Navigating Bermuda cruise port on your own very easy

 I always enjoy royal dockyard Bermuda as a cruise port, as it’s easy and safe on your own. You can take the ferry or buses everywhere. Note the day pass is 19 usd good for buses and ferries or two tokens are 9 usd at the tourist kiosk after you get off the ship. Note they don’t take cash anymore. Tips are below

- get a pass or tokens

- if going to Hamilton take the ferry one way and bus the return or vice versa as both are scenic

- visit the small historic museum in Hamilton.. interesting

- visit horseshoe bay via the bus to Hamilton 

- St. George is my favourite, but takes over an hour to get there by bus , two buses with a change in Hamilton. Has a great beach and historical church and buildings

- I have not been to the caves

- royal dockyard has a small beach and has a fee but gives you lounge chairs 

- the shops have the same prices as Hamilton

- love the roaming chickens and roosters at the dockyard 

- look up as there are white Bermuda long tail birds only found on the island

Overall a great island to visit on your own

Hope this helps 

Marcia 

Recommendations if taking cruise ship’s shore excursions - mostly don’t

 I have taken over 40 cruises so have taken more than my share of  ship’s shore excursions.  I mostly don’t recommend taking ship shore excursions but below are my reasons for when to take them and when not to

When to take a shore excursion via the cruise line

- when it’s to difficult to get to the key sites from the port. For example Mont Michel is far away from port and there is no easy public train or bus access or taxis are more expensive than the shore excursion 

- when what you want to see is far away from port and you want to to be guaranteed the ship will wait if your tour comes back late

- the port is known to be dangerous. There are several places where there are muggers etc. and it’s well reported on the internet. I personally found Martinique to be intimidating.

- when you are using up your on board credits. After I use up credits to pay for gratuities and the internet, I sometimes have enough to pay for a shore excursion.

When not to book

- you have done your research pre cruise and found there is easy public transport . It will always be cheaper and more interesting. Just print out the schedules and buy open return passes for trains so you have maximum flexibility 

- when you can share a cab with other passengers. In Japan I did this in several ports and had great experiences

- when the port is walkable. There are lots of printable maps on the internet

-you have read the online reviews of the shore excursions and they are universally bad

Overall, doing it on your own will be cheaper and more adventurous. 

Hope this helps 

Marcia

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Rotterdam cruise ship on a transatlantic cruise ..bland, packed and seniors galore

 I am on a 14 day transatlantic cruise on Rotterdam a newer Holland America ship. It’s about four years old. I am not impressed and don’t know exactly why, but below are the good and bad impressions .  an update …  7 days  in. They kindly changed my cabin to the back of the ship. It has clean windows, and is quiet and no smells. Hallelujah!  I have added more below

Good

- newer ship, so no worn out carpeting, chairs etc

- food has been good in the dining room and buffet.. really good

- new cabin at the back of the ship lovely and clean and quiet. I am very comfortable 

- some staff pleasant and others just miserable .. still true particularly some of the staff in the lido buffet

- tai chi class is led by a real person, not a video 

- entertainment has been great in the theatre but they have the performers on twice

- cruise director speaking shows in the theatre also good

- easy to get off ship in port…probably because of so many old people

- Dutch cafe has good free limited food selection but again no seats available ever and I have been there all times of the day

Bad

- cabin 1039 smells like an old ship, as do the pillows on the bed  cabin 1039 is to be avoided at all costs

- they haven’t cleaned the outside windows in my ocean view cabin so it’s hard to see out cabin 1039

- the ship feels crowded especially in the elevator and dining areas still true

- full of really old people meaning 80 plus years

- some of the Americans on board are nice to Canadians but the trump supporters are rude to us.., yuck 

- all activities are packed so they turn passengers away, and no change or additions to the scheduled daily 

- very few activities so I guess it’s why they are packed

- my guaranteed cabin  1039 was below

the rock venue so 3 times a night until 11:30 the music is so loud my cabin seems to shake with the bass. While I saved enough money on a guaranteed cabin to pay for the internet, I suffered nightly until they changed my cabin

Music at night is packed in every venue so no place to sit to enjoy the music. I was told passengers camp out after dinner in seats and don’t leave even for the theater show

Only have one guest speaker in day time, talking about war ships. Your better off taking a nap in your cabin 

Hope this helps

Marcia