Time 2 Cruise

Renting a Flat in the U.K.

2011-06-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from a 2 week stint in the U.K. where we spent one week in Edinburgh and one week in London. There were 4 of us and when we did the math on 2 hotel rooms for 14 nights, the numbers got scary! So we started to look at other options. Hostels were an option but not something my mother in law was going to go for. So we looked at renting furnished apartments and BINGO! A 2 bedroom, 2 bath flat in Edinburgh was a little over $1000 for 7 days. A standard hotel ran about $150 a night and we required 2 rooms. Talk about freeing up some vacation fundage! Now London was a little more expensive, but so were the hotel rooms there. So if you are planing a vacation for a group of 4 or more, I strongly suggest you check into renting a furnished apartment.

Cruising with a Rock Band take 2

2011-06-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I was talking about cruising with a rock band while also sharing one of my favorite songs by my favorite band Sick Puppies. Since that post, they have been added to the line-up for the 3rd annual ShipRocked cruise! That's right, I actually get to experience first hand what I was just talking about just a few months back. The cruise itself is a 5 day, leaving on November 14th out of Port Everglades Florida, making stops at Costa Maya and Cozumel Mexico. Along with Sick Puppies will be Queensryche, Buckcherry, Hinder, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Candlebox, Filter, Living Colour, In This Moment, Lynam, Broken Teeth, Rival Suns and 2 unsigned bands that have to win their way on. The cruise is not only popular with the fans, but with the bands as well. Lynam is making their 3rd appearance already.

Cruising with a Rock Band

2011-03-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

A lot of bands and artists do this now. If you watch VH1, they have been advertising one. If I was to pick a band to have on a cruise, it would be Sick Puppies! Don't let the name fool you. They are a rock band that can energize any crowd. And with a song like Riptide, their current single, it is just fitting. Check out this link: http://t.co/nhcvqXf to see a lyrical video of Riptide. I don't know about you but "I think I'm doing just fine"!

Ensenada Wine Tour the Second Time

2010-09-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

So a year later and the same trip. It was decided that we would do the same cruise and tour. Its amazing how things change in a year. Some for the best and some not. We were on the Carnival Paradise again and yet at times it felt like a different cruise. As far as Carnival and the Paradise go, everything was great and met or exceeded our expectations. The thing that every cruiser knows and most dread is the life boat drill and even that has been improved. Rather than make people bring their life vest from their cabins, they are tole adamantly to NOT bring them. This was the start of what was many changes, most subtle that really made an impact with us. I can only hope that this is something that is being done across the fleet, if not all cruise lines.

For the excursion, we chose to repeat the wine tour we did last year. The tour consists of going to 2 different wineries with a tour and tasting. Last year we went to 2 very large wineries. This year, the second winery was replaced with a small family store that sold pizza, jelly, sea salts, and had a few bottles of wine for tasting. The store was right on the edge of the property of the first winery. We could even see the second winery from last year across the road. We felt like it was a tourist trap. The prices were way more Americanized and not what we expected. All in all the first winery tour and tasting was as good if not better then last year. The second stop I wouldn't even call a winery and would not recommend it. To bad you can't pick your stops. You never know what you get. Will we do this again next year? Not sure. It changed once, hopefully they make another change before we decide.

You Need To Log In At Carnival If Your A Past Guest

2010-07-14T18:32:00.001-07:00

Carnival cruise lines is runng a new special they are calling 1 - 2 - 3 Go which includes cash back and free upgrades. But many past guests of Carnival don't log in when they visit the site and are not seeing the best prices. After logging in you could see as much as $30 per person per night less than listed for non members. Looking at a 3 night Mexican Baja we found it to be $80 cheaper per person for past guests. Add to that another $30 per person on board credit and its very very tempting. So tempting that we will be booking our yearly 3 day this week.

Ensenada Wine Tour

2010-07-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

We have been down to Ensenada Mexico plenty of times and have tried a few of the tours that the cruise lines offer. Our favorite (adults only tour) one has to be the winery tour. Depending on the time of year you go, the tour is different. There is going to be more activity near the harvesting season but even in non harvest season you can really have fun. Most tours whether thru a cruise line or booked as a bus tour from San Diego usually include a minimum of 2 wineries. Our last trip we had probably one of the best tour guides. After boarding the bus from the ship, we we off to our first stop. Not one of the wineries, but a bakery where we got fresh baked bread to take with us. The first winery we went to was also an olive farm. The bread was for sampling the olive oil pressed fresh on site. All I can say is they are smart. More olive oil was sold because of the bread and this was before the wine started to flow! And flow it did. I think the wine was good but I really do not remember to be honest. The second winery also made brandy. Brandy is an acquired taste. Either you like it or you don't. Most in our group did not. I thought it was good, on the dry side. But after half the tour decided they did not want theirs and I ended up with 8 or 10 shots. Our tour of the second winery ended with everyone getting a gift bottle of wine. We have done the cruise so many times that we actually pack VERY light for a 3 or 4 day cruise and had no way to bring our bottles home with us. So the tour guide got enough cups for our bus and our bottles were uncorked for the ride back to the ship. Its a 45 minute ride and that was plenty of time for a bus of 20 people to polish off 2 bottles of wine even after all the wine that flowed that day. Our friends who live not far from the port of L.A. bought enough wine from both wineries to make up for our lack of purchasing for sure. So, if my long paragraph didn't show it well, what I am trying to say is, when in Ensenada, we recommend the wine tour for adults. We are going back this fall and will be repeating the tour ourselves.

Preping For Vacation Does Not Only Mean What You Pack

2010-07-09T17:59:00.001-07:00

When planing for vacation, there is a lot more to think about than if your bathing suit fits. Setting up things at home cannot take a back seat. Even if you are going away for a weekend, there are things to do! Well of course you say. But it is really easy to forget something. A great way to help see to it that you don't forget something is to make a list. This is no great secret. Snowbirds have been doing it for years. Not remembering to shut the water off and drain the toilets just once is all it takes to make a list. It also gives peace of mind. How many vacations are not spend wondering, did I shut off this or locked that? It is amazing how powerful a simple list can have.

Cell Phones and Vacation

2010-07-07T12:08:00.001-07:00

I am asked often by people if they can use their cell phone while on vacation. The answer depends on the carrier, type of phone, and the system where you are traveling. Currently most cruise lines have equipment that work with both GSM and CDMA phones but you should check with the cruise line of your choice before going. If traveling outside the country, call your carrier and ask if your phone will work. They will know, and if it does not, they may have agreements with the local carrier and can rent a phone to you for your vacation. Be aware that you would want to find this out early because the rental is usually mailed to you. Also pay close attention to the pricing. These plans can be VERY expensive. Another option is to see if you can rent a phone from a company in the country you are traveling to directly. It may be a lot cheaper. But many countries are more expensive than the U.S. for cell minutes, so no mater what be prepared for sticker shock.

Hurricane Season 2010 Has Begun.

2010-07-03T11:56:00.001-07:00

The first named storm of the season, while weak is causing problems in the Gulf of Mexico. Alex has been downgraded but that does not mean it is gone. The storm caused major problems for the city of Monterrey Mexico on Friday. The national weather service over the winter gave a prediction of up to 13 named storms, 7 of which are expected to grow to hurricane status and Alex as the first of the season has already done so. Alex did not get as close to the oil problem currently going on in the gulf as it could have, but still managed to cause problems for the clean up efforts going on. The quantity and frequency of the future storms may cause even more trouble. So for anyone planing vacation in or around the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean, now is the time to pay very special attention to the weather.

Think Safety when Traveling to Mexico for the 4th

2010-07-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

It's 4th of July weekend and many Americans will be venturing away from home to celebrate. Those on boarder states like to drive to Mexico where the resorts cater to us and will have celebrations and fireworks. To quote an old cliche "getting there is half the battle". There has been a lot of negative activity going on just south of the boarder with gang fighting. They are fighting with the police, the locals, and the tourists! As a tourist you have to be aware of your surroundings no matter where you are, but if you are traveling to Mexico right now, you need to be even more aware. Simple rules such as safety in numbers and staying in the touristy areas can mean the difference between having a fun weekend or ending up in a situation that no one wants to find them self in. Have fun but don't become a statistic.

Volcano's, Oil, and Floods, Oh My

2010-05-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

Just in the last week, the Volcano in Iceland is billowing more smoke again, a terrible disaster struck an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and Tennessee is seeing horrendous flooding. The smoke and ash from the volcano is threatening to wreak havoc on more flights in Europe. The oil in the gulf is threatening wild life, fishing, and beaches and getting worse by the day. And land mark buildings in Tennessee have seen 10 feet of water and people are loosing their homes to the damage. These are all things that have a huge impact on the travel and vacation industry as well as the economy. If you have the ability to do so, please help. You can do so by donating to one of many relief funds and non profit agencies that will see your money put to good use. I am not going to suggest any specific sites as all are worthy of your help so they can continue to do what needs to be done. In the end it really does benefit us all.

Android on Vacation

2010-04-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

You have to admit, when it comes to Iphones and Android phones, what you really have is a mini computer you are carrying around with you and when vacation time comes its time to put that computer to work. Its a trip organizer, GPS unit, and a search tool all in one. On a recent short weekend trip we were able to leave our laptop and regular GPS unit at home. On my previous post here at Time2cruise, I mentioned the trip organizers and how useful they can be. The GPS part of modern cell phones is going to make it hard for one to think about buying a stand alone unit. Except for long trips, ours looks like its going to be collecting dust now, but its not going away just yet. I have to experiment with the usefulness when in areas that don't have good cell coverage before giving up on my other unit. But, wait, there's more.... My new mini computer is also my mp3 player, a translator (awesome on foreign vacation) and the quickest access to search anything. Need a restaurant, taxi, hotel etc... Well it sucks when you do, and don't have that at your fingertips. Now if I can figure out a way to pack a change of clothes in it, and I wont even need luggage.

Keeping all my travel plans together

2010-04-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

When it comes to going on vacation or even a business trip one of the hardest things for me is keeping all my confirmation numbers, contact info, and other paperwork together and at the ready. Most people just print out all their email confirmations and have to shuffle thru them when the time comes to find the right one. It can be a pain when trying to find the email from the rental car company and having to flip thru all the airline, hotel and whatever other emails to find it as the last piece of paper in the pile or worse not finding it. Some people have gotten more organized. They create one sheet with all the info they need either by hand writing out all the info or typing it up neatly in some program and printing it out which alleviates a lot of stress in the long run. However, now there are companies that try to do all the work for you, and whats better yet is they are free, or at least have free options. The one that I started using, works as an application on my cell phone. I forward all my email confirmations to a specific address from the one that I used to set up my account, and the software on their end does the rest. These programs are set up to recognize the email format of all the major companies (air, car, hotel, online travel agent etc...) and formats the info accordingly. My upcoming trip that I set up by sending 4 different emails is now neat and clean on my phone. The reason for 4 emails was, the car, hotel, and flights were all purchased separately. Opening the application on my phone and refreshing it, I now have a trip all planed. The software even automatically added directions from the rental car agency to my hotel and link to a map of the area around my hotel. Opening each item on the list gives confirmation numbers, all contact information and even what I paid. Flight even has an option for check flight status. Oh how I could have used that a few months ago. In all, this looks like its going to make my weekend travel as paperless as possible and relieve a little stress.

There are a few companies that offer what I am talking about. You just need to find the one that works for you. To find them just search for trip planner. Keep in mind that some charge and others don't. Know what you want it to do for you. So far I am happy with what I have found and look forward to using it for all my future trips.

Not every vacation is a cruise.

2010-03-28T13:00:00.001-07:00

Our last cruise was 8 months ago in August. And yes I am jonesing for a new one but its not that we haven't been on vacations. Right now we are on a concert kick and have been traveling following our our favorite bands. I'm not going to get into what bands because people have different musical preferences. However, whatever your choice is, this can be a fun trip. In early February we did an east coast trip that lasted week. Started out as a 4 concert in 5 day trip. But the wonderful weather altered the trip and ended up 5 concerts in 7 days. Being flexible helped when we got snowed out of Philadelphia made it difficult to get home. It was great though. We are ready for the next one. Or better yet.... get our favorite bands on a cruise!

Would You Put Yourself in Danger for Vacation?

2010-01-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

Silly question? Think about just a couple of popular vacation ideas. Skiing and scuba diving. These are not things you tackle without care. There are even lessons required for both and in some places you cant play untill you have been certified to do so. O.K. that is not really where I want to go with this, but wanted to get you in the right mind set. Danger and Vacation. I was thinking more of the where than the what. Like skiing a mountain called Devils Canyon or suba diving in shark infested waters. There is a thrill to it and there are thrill seakers out there (I think anyone that sky dives). And this is not a bad thing at all if thats what you are into. But recently there have been news reports of people taking their lives in their own hands in a way I just can't imagine. Going into hostile teritory of third world countries to hike. Iran picks up hikers quite often that don't belong there and threaten to put them on trial. Not that that's bad enough, but if you run across a shoot first ask questions later if at all type of person, then what? Not much I guess. There is thrill seeking and then there is stupidity. I'm all for the former until it becomes the latter.

My Christmas Gift

2009-12-30T13:28:00.003-07:00

Its been a crazy year. Hard to write about travels when the economy is in the dumps like it is. We still managed to get a few trips in since September. No more cruises, but a couple of trips to California for concerts and a Christmas trip to Vegas to play with my new gift. For Christmas I got a Sony DSC-H20 camera and the one thing I can say for sure is that a better camera does encourage more picture taking. The H20 is a 10X optical zoom 10 mega pixel camera and is still small enough to just fit in my jeans pocket on the fly. Yeah there are cameras out that are better than 10 mega pix out right now and others with better than 10x zoom, but for my size does matter and in this case it was the smaller the better. When doing the research, I narrowed it down to 4 different cameras, but I am a Sony fan so that was a big factor in my decision. Above that, we wanted a camera that is adaptable, small as mentioned before, and simple. One of the worse things that a person can do is just impulse buy something like a camera. If you have an idea of what you want/need, then list them and do your research, and hopefully you will be as happy as I am with my new toy.

(This is not an advert for the camera, just a testimony to the fact that researching my purchase was well worth the effort. I have friends that are not happy with the same camera I have but because they were not looking for the same thing I was, but bought without thinking.)

Comparing a Cruise to an All Inclusive Resort

2009-09-09T18:06:00.004-07:00

The month of August was crazy for us filled with weekend trips but ending with a whopping 9 day vacation at the Wyndham Resort and Spa in Cozumel Mexico. For us this was the first time in an all inclusive resort and it was not hard to compare the experience to cruising. So that's what this is going to be all about. The compare and contrast of a typical cruise vacation to my resent resort stay.

First thing that jumped out at us was that is was "all inclusive". From a cruising experience the main difference was drinking. Drinks were flowing all week and then some at the resort. I have talked to people who said drinks are watered down and all I have to say about that is order a double. We had no problem getting strong drinks. When it came to food, of course meals are included while on a cruise as well. Now I am biased here and say that the cruise ship won this one compared to my first experience at the resort. But it may have been the resort itself. The part that hurt the Wyndham was that the menu never changes. So if you are a picky eater you may really limit your choices every night. Now the Wyndham had 4 restaurants on site but because it was "low season" many were closed nightly, they required reservations daily, and after 10pm there were no options for food.

When it comes to activities, a cruise ship has tons of options that are usually laid out in some sort of daily newspaper. The resort has many beach toys and non motorized water sports to chose from at your leisure. Our resort had an indoor theater that had shows but not to the caliber of a cruise ship. But we like to snorkel (newly found hobby) and were able to do this daily without risk of time frames which was great.

Location when it comes to vacation is a big part of everything. One of the best parts of a cruise is that you get to sample places and wake up the next day in a new place to play. One of the worst parts of a cruise is that if you fall in love with your new found place you have to say goodbye to soon. With the Resort we got to spend a lot more time exploring and finding hidden little gems that we would not have had time to when on a cruise ship. But depending on local and lifestyle that be a quick thing for some (it wasn't with us). We left our vacation after 9 days knowing we fitted all we could in and still had things we wished we could have had time for.

Tipping is a fact of life when it comes to cruising. Everyone who has been on a cruise knows the drill of the daily per person gratuities added to the room tab at the end of a cruise. All Inclusive Resorts are different. Most state that the tips were all included when you booked already. And many of those even go as far to state that it is not allowed to tip extra. The resort we were in Mexico did state tips were already included but had no rules on extra tips. We found that with some staff tipping extra did bring better service while with others it seemed as if the extra tips were expected. We even had a case where we tipped the staff that stocked our minibar fridge along with a request to get specific things. It worked for that day but for the rest of the week we got nothing almost as if we now had to pay to get our fridge filled. I don't think that the request that we had was all that extraordinary. We asked to get diet soda instead of regular and extra bottled water.

And the last thing I want to compare and contrast is the friendliness of the staff. For the most part this is a very subjective topic. Individuals can have a bad day anywhere so when I talk about friendliness of the staff, I am referring to getting answers and solutions. On our cruises we have always had good luck with the wait staff, bar staff, and hotel staff. The management (pursers desk in this case) has been hit and miss. At the resort I would have to say that it was a similar experience with wait staff. They were eager to please. Bar staff was hit and miss. Hotel staff in our case seemed to get worse as the week went on. Hotel management seemed to be disturbed when we had problems or questions, and we had more than a couple over the course of 9 days. And this was not just our experience. Other guests had major problems this week.

In all, we had a great time, and would do an all inclusive again in a heartbeat. By no means will it replace cruising for us completely. We are branching out with our vacation plans not changing them and currently we are not deep in research for the best way to do England that fits our style. When we do, and we go, you know I will talk about it here.

The Orbitz Lowest Price Deal Explained

2009-08-09T09:08:00.003-07:00

Most of us have seen the commercials. Book your hotel with Orbitz and if the someone else books at a lower price, they will refund you the difference. You don't have to do anything yourself. Cool right. The thing that the commercial does not mention is that you have to only book the hotel with them. Package deals that include flight and or car rental don't count. So if the hotel portion goes down there will be no refund coming. This works well for the company because most people are getting package deals. We booked a package deal for an upcoming vacation months ago with friends. The price has gone down. Our friends who kept an eye on the prices contacted Orbitz. The answer they got was "Package deals would be to difficult to keep track of which part actually decreased." I actually understand the explanation, but think that something than tiny print on a TV or osmosis is the way to explain that to customers. We are still happy with what we paid, otherwise we would have never booked our vacation in the first place. But to anyone who is thinking of using Orbitz because of their guarantee, just know that it only works if you only book the hotel.

Summer Vacation Time?

2009-06-14T09:31:00.003-07:00

Its hurricane season again. For those that are not familiar with the time frame, the season runs from around the end of May beginning of June all the way through November. The seasons on average ramp up slowly and have a peak in late August early September and then start to calm down again. As I just said, its on average. Each season is different and the only thing that you can count on is that the season will happen. Now with every season comes the seasons predictions and this one is no different. The predictions for this year seem to point to an average season, lighter than in the recent past which is a good thing if the predictions hold true. So as travelers, what does this mean to us? The way we look at it in our house is this. Its a great time to find bargains, and this year is no exception. In fact, this is the year to find the bargain of bargains. Hotels, resorts, and cruise lines are worried with the economy and are doing just about anything to fill their rooms. We have a vacation booked that was just one of those things that we couldn't let pass because of the price. A trip to Cozumel for 8 days in an all inclusive resort for $900 a person which includes flight. And you know what, there are others that even did better than us.

Now, being hurricane season, there is one thing that we make sure to do that we sometimes have let slip in the past. We got trip insurance. When doing this, you have to be very mindful of what you want and what you need. We wanted insurance that covers trip cancellation and what is called trip interruption. This way we can get any unused portion of our vacation reimbursed. Currently with the swine flu problems that have not been making things better for airlines, hotels, or vacationers alike, it just adds another reason to have insurance. And the best thing is that the insurance is affordable. We got all the coverage we wanted for about $40 a person. That's paying right around 5% of the cost of the trip for peace of mind. Alone, that makes me feel better.

Hurricane Season Predictions Are In

2009-04-08T19:09:00.002-07:00

The experts have consulted their crystal balls and are predicting an average season for the Atlantic. Storms to hit land that progress to getting names is expected to be around 12 with half making it to hurricane size. Of those, only 2 are expected to be a category 3 or bigger. This should come as good news compared to years past as the cruise lines struggle to get passengers on board. The decrease in numbers comes from the cooler temperatures in the waters where the hurricanes usually form. I wonder what the over/under is in Vegas on the numbers?

Great Cruise Deals Easily Found

2009-03-24T19:35:00.002-07:00

Just poking around, I have found 4 day cruises for under $200 per person. That's $50 per day! We all know why the deals are there and yes they are working. Carnival Cruise Lines recently announced its January and February numbers and bookings are up slightly. Don't think that the cruise lines are hurting to much. If they aren't filling ships, they will be hurting, but so far that has not happened and the deals that are out there are the reason. They know that once on board, that most passengers will make the best of the discounted rate with alcohol purchases, pictures and souvenirs. Carnival also announced a profit over the last quarter, which means that people are spending on board. It may not be as much as in the past, but they are still spending, and like I mentioned previously, they have a little more to spend when they got a good deal on their cabin. Many people budget a set amount for vacation that they plan on spending, so if they save on one area, the money usually get spent in another. The cruise lines are betting on savings on the cabin being spent on board the ships and you know what, it works for everyone. As passengers, its fun to have a little more to spend on board and you can have more fun for the same amount of money. So if you have the time, and are looking for more bang for your buck, a cruise is a great way to go and you don't have to search far for those deals that used to be elusive.

Think Safety at Spring Break

2009-03-11T21:08:00.002-07:00

It's that time of year when all the college students take off to burn off some steam. And as with this time every year, you have to think safety first when on spring break. Whether you are in Daytona or Mexico, its a good thing to pay attention to your surroundings. If traveling outside the county, check and see if there are any warnings for the area you are going. Play it safe this spring break and make it a good one.

House Swapping is Big

2009-03-05T19:48:00.002-07:00

You may have read recently about how people are doing house swapping as a way to sell their homes. Well, its not just for sellers and buyers, it is for vacationers as well. If you live in an area that has attractions that may appeal to others, you may be able to swap homes with someone that has a house where you want to visit. There is a membership site called homelink that allows you to do just that. The site requires an annual fee so it isn't for everybody. But for those that do it, it can be a great way to decrease expenses when on vacation. Imagine swapping houses with someone from Europe or South America. It can happen if that's what you are looking for. You may be worried about your house and I have to agree that is a valid fear to have however you have to remember that the other family is doing the same thing with their house for you. Still it would be smart to put away things that you don't want touched etc... Like I said, this would not be an option for everyone, but for some, it could save major cash in hotel costs.

Carry On Luggage Problems Continue

2009-02-26T19:44:00.002-07:00

It has been over six months since the airlines have been charging for checked luggage. Since this has happened, people have been more app to pack as much in their carry on luggage as possible. We all know that the airlines have policies about the number of carry on luggage that people are allowed to have with them. But have you noticed that this is not enforced until late in the boarding process? This past weekend, we were flying on American Airlines with a layover in Dallas. On the second leg of our journey home, we had boarding zone 6 and there were only 6 boarding zones in total. People in the early boarding zones had two and sometimes 3 bags. When they got to boarding zone 6, people were told that there was no room on the plane and all remaining luggage would have to be checked unless it fit under the seat. This was on a MD S80 which only has 5 seats per row in coach yet has the same amount of luggage space that a plane with 6 seats in a row would have. So what does all this mean? Its actually quite simple. If you don't want to have your carry on baggage taken from you, then try to make sure you get a seat in the rear of the plane which puts you in an early boarding zone, or if you don't mind, then don't worry, because they (so far) don't charge you for checked luggage based on their fault. If they break their own system then why should we be the ones to suffer.

Negotiating Prices

2009-02-14T17:38:00.003-07:00

Right now cash is King no matter where you go. And its as good a time to haggle when shopping. So, could one negotiate a price when booking a vacation such as a cruise? The answer could just be yes. But given the current prices that have been popping up lately, you may not have to. Deals like $599 per person for a 7 day Alaskan cruise with a balcony is not unheard of. But who knows, even that could be negotiated.