operabob

8 hours ago, jpsykes said:

We actually bought more cruise stock when it hit the bottom and are still in the plus side 

 

Don't use a cruise line credit card so can't answer that one

 

We have had 2 cruises cancelled and have already got FCC and/or been told we would get credit card refunds soon 

I actually bought 200 CCL shares when the Italian Captain tipped the boat. When it doubled sold 100. Not sure what the current dividend is (expect it will be cut) but collected many increased dividends in the interim. So still ahead of the game! ;-)

21 minutes ago, tipofthehook said:

 

A Photograph is a good value, once every four or five cruises, especially on formal nights to choose from multiple backdrops. The quality of the finishing too is excellent, I find. No pressure to buy anything though, if you don’t like. No studio fee.

Or you could wait until the last day and go to the draw which very few people do. I got my magazine column headshot that way. LOL!

I have always thought that the extra cost is worth the insurance of not being left behind if the tour runs a little over.

Many of the non-affiliated tour companies provide insurance/guarantees to get you back to the ship on time now.

Discussed how prices offered elsewhere seemed vastly different from direct booking with an agent, especially when I click on last minute pricing and it takes me to a higher price.

She responded:

1. The come on price is most likely "Live Pricing" (best price at an independent at the moment).

2. Company agents are restricted by what they can display online but if I see a better price to call her directly as they usually have better offers they can't advertise openly.

Disregard.

Good Recs Put!

nails,

You're nearby a ton of good restaurants all price levels.

If you're thinking higher quality this was considered a top pick but it's been about 5 years since I've been so can't comment on it's current ratings:

http://www.joefortes.ca/

If you head just west of the BH there's a very good chinese retsaurant. I can't quite remember the name. Someting like "Ohoo". Looks like a giant diner from outside but it's an open kitchen so you can watch them cook and the food is good (IMO).

While it is a long day,

Thanks Put,

I should have phrased that better.

By "long" I mean(t) you don't want to spend a few hours here. You want to spend many hours here.

Friend of mine will joining me for the Sept 2013 Coastal Cruise from Vancouver and looking for a nice place to stay for two women precruise in a nice area, with restaurants nearby. Thank you

Someone mentioned the Blue Horizon on Robson Street a few posts back.

http://www.bluehorizonhotel.com/

It's a bit further from the Cruise Ship Centre (1/2 - 3/4 miles) but there are countless restaurants around it and a lot of foot traffic to keep you entertained.

The Westin Bayshore is probably the most famous hotel in Coal Harbour:

http://www.westinbayshore.com/

It's on the edge of Stanley Park (a must see) but there's not a lot of street activity unless you head over to Denman Street.

The BayShore is famous for a particular guest:

http://www.miss604.com/2012/03/howard-hughes-at-the-bayshore.html

In addition to the exhaustive list provided above I would suggest that you may care to plan a day trip to Victoria

I was born and raised in Vancouver but have lived the last 20 years in Victoria.

Plan for a long day in Victoria. People who only come for a few hours kick themselves later.

Really, you should stay over night!!!!!!! Minimum! :)

Same here!:D

Ditto! :cool:

Thanks

Kwaj,

What card offers this kind of insurance?

http://www.bmo.com/home/personal/banking/insurance/travel/year-round

I read an MSN article suggesting getting coverage through your credit card could be less expensive, so even if you're not Canadian research cards where you are.

I used to get coverage through CAA/BCAA. Low age coverage was about 4 times more expensive with the next age level starting at 60. The BMO plan is $99 for the family up to age 65 and has the same coverage as the BCAA. I saved the $99 cost of the card and more.

American Express was more expensive.

I'd add too, that I write for a financial magazine and moderate a couple of boards with everything focusing on how to keep costs down and money in "YOUR" pocket. Normally, I wouldn't pay for a credit card. In this case though another added benefit of this card is that I get an automatic 25% reduction in the number of AirMiles needed for flights and I know how to accumulate AirMiles to my advantage. So $99 spent saves $100s in medical, cancellation and flight costs.

Definitely!

I get my medical and trip cancellation through my credit card (best deal BTW).

Trip cancellation only works for what I buy on the card.

Well how good are all you tightwads? Just thought I'd post a quick example of our next quickie:

We'll likely do the September Princess 2 day coastal Vancouver to San Francisco again as a quick little getaway.

1. 2 and 3 days are a quick way to boost yourself to the next highest level of service so we'll get credit for a whole trip even though it's only 2 days.

2. I write a column focusing on reward programs especially AirMiles. The column is different from others as it estimates the actual value of an AirMile to a consumer then factors that into purchases to determine any advantage over buying elsewhere from merchants who offer other programs. As a result you can determine "free cash" difference. For example, is it better to buy a $4.99 product with 10 bonus Airmiles at Safeway vs. the same product for $4.57 at Wal-Mart (The answer is Yes BTW). The advantage provided by the AirMiles is equivalent to free cash.

3. The return flight from San Francisco is paid for by the free cash AirMiles.

4. I use free cash AirMiles to purchase Best Western Gift Cards and use them on business trips. As the AirMiles came from personal purchases I can claim the charge to the gift card as an expense for tax purposes even though I never paid for them in the first place. (PS: I've stayed 14 times at BW so far this year on AirMile gift cards).

5. Best Western runs a Stay 3 Times Get a Free Night anywhere promo twice a year. I'll have enough in for the free night for the San Francisco visit. The 3 stays were in the $100 range. One night at the BW @ Fisherman's wharf in September is about $300 after taxes (no charge).

6. As a shareowner in Carnival Cruise Lines I'll get $100 shipboard credit on the 2 day trip.

7. 2 day coastal balconies @ same price as inside.

End result: free flight and hotel plus shipboard credit.

How do you do it?

so I'll probably log on to the ship internet each day long enough to send out a reassuring email. (At 75¢ a minute, it better be only a few minutes!)

If you take a portable device (laptop, tablet, etc.) wait until you hit a port. You can often pick up free or inexpensive Internet ashore.

nit,

Operabob,

Too formal! Call me OB. ;-)

I won't agree to free but I will commend you for being a great tightwad like myself. LOL!

I'll have to learn your skills with the phone. Being Canadian I'm not sure how it would work for me in the US. I do use a Blackberry with Internet. Last time I wondered about getting a disposable when sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale but didn't know if I could get Internet on it.

I take a netbook and an antenna and about half the time can pick up WiFi in port. Was thinking of using a Pringles tube to increase the range.

I saved tons of $$ buy using our prepaid cell phone to get emails and surf the web while on board. The speed is slow but it's free.

Not free.

Less expensive.

10. I managed to bring on board a magic bullet blender (its nice and compact). Its perfect for daiquiris. It will save you a fortune over the $10 drinks they serve at the bar…..You can pick them up from $20-$30 on eBay. I put this in my laptop bag surrounded by all my laptop cables. It went through fine. I put the accessories in my “metal” suitcase (see part 7)

I've mentioned this one before: My friends hit a used store before boarding and buy a blender for a couple bucks. When they disembark they leave it.

29 starve before boarding. Don't spend big money at Denny's before you come on board on embarkation day you are wasting your money. Save those $$ and eat when you get on board. Its free!

Not free.

Pre-paid.

Seeing the comments about the CDs I thought I'd mention this item:

http://www.alteclansing.com/ae/us/ipod-iphone-speakers/orbit-m-imt227/invt/imt227/

It's currently out of stock but you can still find them around. Pringles even had a version for free after buying 3 (??) tubes of chips.

My wife and I are certified ballroom dance instructors and I use one of these in small studios. It's small enough to fit inside my shoe. We take it on cruises with our iPOD and have access to thousands of songs. For some of you it might be more convenient than carrying CDs and a device to play them.

$1,999 all taxes, etc. in. 15 days, Oceania, Lisbon to Rio.

OK, $1,999 doesn't seem that cheap but the price included return air fare Vancouver - Lisbon and Rio - Vancouver. Taxes, etc. all in.

How do you get on board credits

Your TA often includes travel credits when you purchase. These can come from either the company or the TA might purchase them and include them in the package.

With Princess (and others I assume) if you put a $100 down payment towards your next cruise while onboard you get travel credits based on the length of your next cruise (minimum 7 days I recall).

Another way, which several lines offer, is to become a shareholder, for example, CCL (Carnival Cruise Lines) is trading today at $30/share. If you buy a minimum 100 shares ($3,000 US) you get travel credits based on the length of your cruise. 7 days and less is $100 I recall. CCL pays a quarterly dividend of $0.25/share. On 100 shares that would be $100/year so if you took 1 cruise a year you'd recover $200 of your investment/year.

CCL seems to be a fairly cyclical stock trading between $20 - $60 over the past 10 years ago so it's in a low cycle at the moment. Also, it will face litigation over Costa's recent troubles but I think a lot of that is factored into the price already. You have to make your own choice. Being a bit of a contrarian I recently became a shareholder but that's my comfort zone for risk which might not match yours.

Also, sometimes TA's will throw in travel credits as an inducement to purchase if you indicate someone else is offering the same cruise for less. However, please be honest with your TA.

Loving the comments on this thread and like Danceman my wife and I are certified instructors (although definitely jealous of DM's accomplishments which far outstrip ours :)). Even though I'm 61 I still like to compete.

When we go cruising we accept that the live music will be off tempo, sung seriously under pitch and we will be social dancing. However, I usually take my music with me (and it is all current strict tempo). In the past we have just approached the activity directors and asked if we can use the ships sound system for a bit of practice in a down period. Usually the ship personnel are very accommodating and we get something happening. Word spreads quickly and by day 3 all the practiced ballroomers have come out of the woodwork and the ship establishes a daily "Ballroom Practice". We include Westcoast Swing so all the Westies show up too. This leads to a lot of interaction with people from all over the place. We usually get 30+ dancers and double that for an audience.

Worked very well until our February cruise on the Emerald Princess. It was fully booked and so all the rooms were fully booked with activities all day long. We got to practice less than 30 minutes total over 10 days. Such is life but we still had fun.

If you're ever passing through Victoria, BC on the way to Alaska contact us through the Victoria Ballroom Dance Society and we can direct you to a lot of dancing while on land.

http://www.vbds.org

I enjoyed the comparison, especially as a financial writer helping people save money. Even if it is a simple comparison it's a good starting point.

Couple other things to consider:

1. Tickets for 2 to a Broadway Show/Entertainers $200 x 7 nights = $1,400. OK, the shows aren't as good as Broadway and realistically where are you going to get Broadway tickets for $100/person so lets discount that 50% and say $700 for 2 or $350 added into the equation for each person.

2. Consider sea days. Would you want to hang around a hotel all day? Perhaps...

I like your idea of the basic cost of a 7 day vacation.

I've a friend who spends 6 months of the year living like a king (in his mind) in Thailand for what we pay for a 2 week cruise (airfare included). It's all how you look at it.