…. I travelled as their guest and stayed at the Epicurean Hotel Tampa (read review and book here) If you enjoyed this post: Follow Tips For Travellers on: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Sign up for the monthly newsletter. includes a free eBook to download every month. Never miss a post by signing up below and every new post will be sent direct to you. Subscribe to Blog via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this…
…rising omission when committing to weeks on a ship. Do your research, read reviews, talk to past passengers and your travel agent to make sure you’re going on the right cruise line and the right ship for you. Ideally, if it is a new cruise line for you, go on a short cruise with them on the exact ship and in the grade of cabin you are thinking of. Test it out to see if it is for you before you commit your precious time and money for a long voyage….
…ses and be refunded if they did not accept the requirement. If you want to review what the legal arguments and views are, here is a link to the article. Of course, we also need to see what the CDC decides on the role of vaccinations, if any, in their Framework For Conditional Sailing as roll out occurs. I am sure there will be much more news on this topic over the coming months, and much discussion and angst too. I will keep you posted. Alaska Upd…
…rogram will be accessed on the App and QR codes will bring up menus in the restaurants. Of course, not only does the replacement of paper daily programs, accounts and menus mean a more touchless experience, there is also an environmental benefit to this ongoing change through using less paper, ink and creating less waste. Many lines are also rolling out wearable devices, these are large coin-sized discs that are wearable as pendants, wristbands an…
…s until case rates on land are low. Canada and Australia have set dates to review bans, but not shown enthusiasm for lifting them So take a judgement call on when you think the authorities will shift as you consider about when to book. Ignore Advertised Cruises But even then, don’t book one of the currently advertised cruises. I am absolutely convinced that for the first few months after cruising is given the go-ahead, that none of those advertise…
…n have an Orange-themed night, so I brought something for that. Thirdly, I review my excursions to see if I need anything like hiking boots or other gear I may not usually take. Then I put all the ports on my phone weather app to see what I need. It was clear temperatures would vary so needed layers, waterproof outer layer, and warm hat. One other thing I check is are there any first aid kit items I should stock up on. I’ve been surprised how many…
…otic, as people on the Sun Princess delayed maiden complained about. Every review I’ve ever seen of a maiden voyage is about how frustrated people have been, or how things need time to bed in. And on top of all of that, it will cost you more, much more, to sail on a maiden voyage than going a few months later. They are in demand and the lines crank up the fares. So, to ensure a great experience, I stay clear of maiden voyages and let the ship bed…
…nd grouping them into closed off “Ship-within-a-ship” area, with dedicated restaurants, bars and pool decks. These include Celebrity Retreat, MSC Cruises Yacht Club, and Norwegian Haven. Cruise Cabins – Suites In The “Worst” Places On the subject of suites, one thing the lines keep quiet about is they chose to not have them in the best location on a ship. I once went to a cruise line hosted dinner and sat next to a ship architect. He said from a d…
…spending their hard-earned money on river cruising are rating the lines on review sites. I quickly discovered the rankings were not as I expected them to be and were different to those of the magazines and sites. So, I will let you in on the top 8 traveller best rated river cruise lines right now, and why. Why The River Cruise Lines Rankings Matter Why should these ratings matter so much to you when considering river cruising? First, it’s expensiv…
…an unfamiliar or new to you agent or company, you should search for online reviews and look at authoritative review sites like Trustpilot. That should flag issues. Second, they paid the fake agent via a cash transfer app and not with a credit card. That should have been a red flag. Real agents should be able to take cards, and credit card companies will have done some screening, and if the supplier is fake or fraudulent you can get your money back…
…rd credit. I recently used one when booking a Crystal Cruises Asia trip to review this newly relaunched line from Japan to Manilla. I could get a better cabin than the entry level one I could afford by using their limited-time upgrade promotion. Another trending promotion is driven by lines seeing more families and people sharing cabins, so the offers have the second, third or fourth person sharing a cabin free or at a huge discount. I’ve used thi…
