How a solo can get a 2 week cruise for under $2000 Canadian - its about timing and research

 I have tried to keep my cruise cost to under $2000 CDN  including taxes for each cruise this year. Not an easy feat for a solo traveller who likes ocean view or balcony cabin.  This year cruise costs have risen dramatically especially on Princess HAL and RCCL.  These are the three cruise lines I have used the most.  I don't use NCL, Costa nor Carnival anymore as I have experienced serious cleanliness and mechanical breakdown issues on each of these cruise lines.  

Transatlantic, TransPacific and Hawaii (one way cruises) are always a cheaper option for Solos. This year my HAL ocean view transatlantic for 14 nights was the most expensive at $2000 CDN, The RCL interior promenade view for 13 nights transatlantic was $1700  (as its ocean view was sold out) and my 9 night solo ocean view on Cunard in western Caribbean is $1600 ($1188 USD).  Note all came with $50 to $75 USD OBCs.  So it is still possible for a solo traveller to get a decent price on a cabin.   

Below are some tips

Book at least 6 months before the cruise departs.

Watch for sales with OBCs as they will help pay for your Gratuities (note I always pay the gratuity unless the service has been truly awful).  Note as does the stock ownership benefit which I have. 

Sign up for the cruise line promo emails or texts to watch for deals

Use Expedia or Vacations to Go as they will often have OBCs (on board credits) and other offers.

Don't be loyal to just one cruise line as yes there are some on board loyalty perks but you will pay a higher overall price for the cruise

Compare Cruise line offered flights and doing it on your own.  I have used both with success when I compare and book  the cheapest or most convenient.  Note I have kept transatlantic flight costs to under a $1000CDN and US to about $600 CDN (including seat choice and baggage).

Be flexible on time and cabin type but AVOID guarantee cabins. Note now with the up bidding process the cruise lines give the guaranteed cabin reservers the absolute worst cabins in the category.

Hope this helps 

Marcia

 

Who am I - updated to 2025

Strangely I ca not update the "who am I"  section of this blog that I first completed in 2018.  So I am adding a new post.

I am a frequent solo traveller with over 40 years of travel, about 100 countries visited and over 50 cruises completed including a world cruise.  I am not a professional travel agent and therefore if you read my blog you are just learning something from a fellow traveller.  Please use professional travel agents for expert advice.

 I like to travel well but not expensively. I really enjoy cruises (particularly a yearly transatlantic), and in-depth city escapes.  I often combine them.  I use a combination of travel agencies and do it on your own techniques to get the best price as travelling solo comes with  marked up prices especially on cruises.  I find hotels are better for decent pricing for solos. 

I am always trying new airlines, cruise companies and hotels to get a better view of my travel options.  As for cruise lines that I have tried they include Costa (don't recommend), Carnival (don't recommend),  NCL (don't recommend), Princess (as an elite level member I recommend them and their loyalty program), Holland (not my favourite as I have experienced issues with my cabin on the last 3 cruises), Royal Caribbean (recommend but with cautions), P&O (recommend but  hard to book for North Americans).  I will be trying Cunard this year and will post about it.

As for airlines, Canadians have limited Canadian airline choices - Air Canada (expensive), West Jet (unreliable and not a lot of flights out of Ontario), Porter (not tried yet) and Air Transat which I have had good experiences but the flight times often don't work for me.  I have used American Airlines and Delta both which were good and United which I also seem to have problems on. I seldom take the US or Canadian cheap charter airlines as I have had the same delays and bad experiences that you read about. 

As for European Airlines I like British Airways, Iceland Air and KLM (but not their inter Europe flights  with this airline as they have very old and problematic planes).  I am trying TAP later this year.

I have only taken Singapore and Malaysian Airlines to the Far East. 

I like to use this blog to review my experiences of specific cruises, cities and hotels. I hope you find it helpful.

Marcia

Updated: Why are ship shuttles to and from the airport now more expensive than taxis in Miami and not in New Jersey

 I had a shock yesterday when I learned the Cunard airport transfer to and from the ship in Miami was 70usd each way per person. A cab or uber runs 40usd plus tip for the car. So it’s much cheaper especially if there is more than 1 passenger. 

 In actuality in Miami - a standard small cab on meter will cost about $40 to 45 USD and then tip.  If you get a van it's 50USD per person. I was ripped off by a Van Cab in Miami in December as he picked me up from the airport hotel and then half way thru told me he was stopping for more passengers and yet still charged me the $50USD. It added 45 minutes to the drive.  Be careful in Miami and only take metered cabs.

 Recently I found that in Fort Lauderdale again it was 45 cdn and the taxi with a 5 usd tip was 25 usd for a taxi. There were 3 of us so we gave him 30usd.  Please do your homework as before ship shuttles were a better more convenient deal than taxis.  Ask your travel agent for the cost of the shuttle and then use a taxi fare calculator online and compare. I always add a 10% buffer in case of tolls/delays on taxis.  I don’t use uber in the USA in these ports as when ships are in there is always surge pricing. 

Well another shock but in a good way.  RCCL is only charging me $40 CDN each way from EWR - Newark airport to Liberty cruise port for their shuttle. Supposedly it's a 15 to 20 minute ride from the airport.  I also booked my flights thru them as they were cheaper than Air Canada direct.  A taxi costs about $75 plus tip Canadian to get from the airport to the ship.  One piece of good news.

So... Miami take a metered cab and not a van. In Fort Lauderdale take a taxi.  In Newark take the ship's shuttle.  I also found Princess shuttle was about $45 Canadian from Laguardia to their New Jersey port.  

Hope this helps 

Marcia

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