Tag: Making

I Took An Alaska Cruise And These Were The 6 Mistakes First-Timers Were Making

[ad_1]

Share The Article

Last Updated 1 min ago

Are you planning an Alaska cruise this year?

Cruises to Alaska are extremely popular right now, and 2024 is expected to be a record-breaking cruising season according to Cruise Industry News.

Alaska is a unique and beautiful destination that is well-suited for exploration via cruise.

This is because it’s difficult or impossible to travel between many destinations in Alaska except by boat or by air. It’s a huge state (larger than California, Texas, and Montana combined) so a cruise is a great way to visit multiple destinations in a limited amount of time.

I took my second Alaska cruise last May, and these are the common mistakes I saw many travelers make. Be sure to avoid these mistakes to make sure you have a great Alaska cruise experience!

Choosing The Wrong Cruise

One common mistake that many people make is not considering the itinerary, dates, or cruise line for their Alaska cruise.

The Alaska cruise season runs from late April through early October, but July and August are the warmest and sunniest months for visiting Alaska.

If you want to see lots of wildlife like whales and bears, the best time to go is June through August. If you want to go salmon fishing, that window of time is also your best bet.

When it comes to itinerary, you’ll need to decide if you want to cruise the Inside Passage (usually a week-long cruise starting and ending in the same port) or see more on a Gulf of Alaska cruise (which usually starts or ends in Anchorage.)

As for cruise lines, I went with Holland America, which I really enjoyed — it’s more of an adult crowd (although still family-friendly) and focuses a lot more on the culture, history, and nature of Alaska.

Holland America along with Princess Cruises are considered the two best cruise lines for Alaska cruises.

Packing Poorly

Obviously, an Alaska cruise is nothing like a Caribbean cruise — you’re going to a destination that gets COLD, even during the summer months.

While summer is certainly the warmest time to visit Alaska, it can still be very chilly.

The key to a successful Alaska cruise is packing lots of layers. I often started the day wearing a base layer, a light jacket or sweater, and then my heavier winter coat. As it got warmer, I was able to shed a layer as needed.

One thing you should not forget? Lots of rain gear! I saw so many people who weren’t prepared for the frequent rain in Alaska.

Be sure to pack an umbrella, a rain poncho (this was a lifesaver!), moisture-wicking wool socks, and water-resistant boots or sneakers for your Alaska cruise.

You can also leave most of the formalwear at home. While your cruise might have one or two dressy nights for dinner, Alaska cruises tend to be a lot more casual overall.

Booking Same-Day Flights

A HUGE mistake that first-time cruisers make is booking a same-day flight for arrival day.

You might see that your cruise doesn’t officially depart until late afternoon and think that you can get away with arriving on a flight early in the morning and then heading straight to the cruise port. Wrong!

If your flight is delayed or canceled for any reason, you’ll miss your whole cruise. It’s not worth the risk. Arrive in your departure port city at least a day early.

For Alaska cruises, this will most likely be Seattle or Vancouver.

You can book your departure flight for the same day because you will most likely have to be off the ship early in the morning on departure day. But for arrival day, don’t even think about it!

Not Booking A Balcony Cabin

The temptation to save money and book an interior cabin or an exterior cabin with only a window might be strong, but I highly recommend booking a balcony cabin for your Alaska cruise if you can.

I normally don’t mind just having a window-view cabin on cruises, but I was extremely glad to have a balcony on my Alaska cruise.

This is because a LOT of what you do is scenic sailing. It’s not like your typical cruise where the only view for miles on end is the ocean.

On an Alaska cruise, there will be many times when you’re cruising past jaw-dropping scenery, like in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Yes, you can watch this from the public upper decks of the cruise ship, but it gets really crowded since everyone has the same idea.

It’s so much nicer to have your own balcony where you can relax on lounge chairs and watch the scenery glide by in comfort and privacy.

Waiting To Book Shore Excursions

One big mistake that many Alaska cruisers (including myself) make is waiting too long to book shore excursions.

I booked my Alaska cruise pretty last minute (about one month in advance) and most of the shore excursions through my cruise line were already sold out.

While there are some cruise destinations where you can wait to book your shore excursions, Alaska is not one of them. There’s limited inventory and many of the most popular excursions sell out in advance.

This goes for excursions offered by your cruise line and third-party shore excursion operators. So don’t wait to book excursions!

Overlooking DIY Excursions

Okay, now that I’ve talked about the importance of pre-booking your shore excursions, let’s talk about another option — DIY excursions.

Many cruisers don’t realize that it’s possible to visit many places independently in Alaska, saving you a lot of money compared to booking through your cruise line.

For example, in Ketchikan, I knew I wanted to visit Totem Bight State Historical Park. A guided tour booked through my cruise line would have cost $60 per person, but to visit it independently, it was a simple 25-minute bus ride on the local bus for $2 per person and $5 per person for the entry fee.

Similarly, I paid $45 per person for the Glacier Express bus in Juneau to visit Mendenhall Glacier, which included a round-trip bus ride from the cruise port and the glacier entry fee — a big savings compared to the $80 excursion through my cruise line.

Dale Peterson

Dale is a full-time traveler and writer with over 6 years of experience. She’s traveled to more than 55 countries around the globe and specializes in covering solo travel and digital nomadism.

↓ Join Our Community ↓

The Travel Off Path Community FB group has all the latest travel news, conversations, and Q&A’s happening daily!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LATEST POSTS

Enter your email address to subscribe to Travel Off Path’s latest breaking travel news, straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com

Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

[ad_2]

Source link

April 11, 2024
This Cruise Ship Is Making It Possible For Digital Nomads To Live At Sea – But What’s The Catch?

[ad_1]

Share The Article

A cruise ship might not seem like the ideal home for a digital nomad. With small cabins and notoriously bad internet service, it can be hard to imagine living aboard a cruise ship for any length of time, much less getting any work done. But Miray Cruises is launching a brand new kind of ship to do just that.

Their MV Gemini ship is being remodeled to become a long-term floating home geared towards remote workers. The ship will set sail in the fall of this year and will visit every continent throughout its journey, taking along over 1,000 lucky passengers.

Onboard Amenities

The company has gone to great lengths to adapt the ship to meet the needs of digital nomads. Along with high-speed WiFi throughout, the ship is equipped with a full-scale business center, offices, meeting rooms, and a business library and lounge. There is also a 24-hour hospital with medical visits at no extra cost. Passengers will be treated to more spacious cabins and onboard community-building initiatives for a more comfortable long-term experience.

Due to the extended nature of the cruise, there will also be longer stops at various ports throughout the journey. With 208 overnight stops out of the 375 planned ports, guests will have more time to explore onshore.

In addition to these welcome changes, passengers can expect all of the typical cruise amenities, such as a swimming pool, wellness center, sundeck, auditorium, spa, and salon.

Top 5 Travel Insurance Plans For 2023 Starting At $10 Per Week

Where Will It Go?

A better question might be, “Where won’t it go?” The ship is set to embark on a 130,000-mile journey, stopping at hundreds of ports along the way. There are 135 countries included on the itinerary, spanning all 7 continents. It is the ultimate around the world sailing trip.

The ship will stop at several ports throughout the Caribbean, sail the entire coastline of South America, up the west coast of the United States before hitting both Hawaii and then Alaska, and then over to Asia. It will then make stops in Japan and South Korea before continuing throughout Southeast Asia, then around Australia and New Zealand. Finally, it will pass India, loop the entire coastline of Africa, then make its way up to the Mediterranean and Europe.

How Much Does It Cost?

Cruises can range from very affordable to quite expensive, depending on the location, amenities, and level of luxury that you desire. You might think a cruise around the world would lean towards the expensive side, and for that, you would be both right and wrong. The Life at Sea Cruise is not a cheap vacation. However, taking all factors into account, it could come up to less than your life at home.

The lowest-priced room, a standard inside cabin at 130 square feet, comes up to $30,000 per person per year. That’s around $2500 a month, which is lower than the average rent for major U.S. cities like Los Angeles and New York.

It’s also not much more than what many remote workers already pay for coliving or digital nomad groups that move around month to month. On top of all that, this is meant to be both long-term and all-inclusive, so there are no grocery bills, utilities, or other similar costs people typically spend in their home country.

Prices do vary by cabin, with the largest being a 322-square foot balcony room at $110,000 per person for the year. The prices are more ideal for couples, but single travelers do get a small discount – 15% off the double occupancy rate. Financing options are available, but a pretty hefty downpayment of $45,000 is required. Although the monthly rate could be enough for some to handle, the downpayment might be a dealbreaker.

What’s The Catch?

The cost, itinerary, and amenities seem very straightforward. However, there is one very big catch. Travelers must commit to the entire journey – not one, not two, but three years. Yes, the ship will sail for a solid three years, and passengers are expected to sign on for the whole time. Though there is an option to split your cabin with other passengers (somewhat like a timeshare), even one year aboard a cruise ship is a huge commitment for most to make. Another drawback is that the Life at Sea sets sail from Istanbul on November 1, 2023, leaving very little time to get your affairs in order.

Traveler Alert: Don’t Forget Travel Insurance For Your Next Trip!

↓ Join Our Community ↓

The Travel Off Path Community FB group has all the latest reopening news, conversations, and Q&A’s happening daily!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LATEST POSTS

Enter your email address to subscribe to Travel Off Path’s latest breaking travel news, straight to your inbox

This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com

[ad_2]

Source link

March 6, 2023
Canadian Airlines Accused Of Making Up Excuses To Avoid Compensation For Travelers
[ad_1]
Share The Article

Last Updated 29 mins ago

Canadian airlines such as Air Canada and WestJet have been accused of making up excuses in order to avoid paying compensation to travelers. As anyone who has traveled over the past few months will admit, the travel industry is a mess right now. From spiraling flight costs to flights that are delayed or canceled completely – not to mention luggage going missing in great numbers – flying right now is a not an easy endeavour.

Yet whilst travelers can usually consider themselves protected against the worst, travelers in Canada have accused airlines of offering wishy-washy excuses to get out of paying compensation. Through a series of actions such as changing their stories and reasons for their delays and cancellations and not offering details, passengers have grown weary of airlines in Canada trying to get out of paying compensation – and they demand better. Here’s a closer look at this story, plus a recap of passenger rights and how they should benefit from flights that have been affected.

Airlines Making Excuses – What Travelers Should Know

Whilst passengers are seemingly well protected in the event of delays in theory, in practice the reality is quite different, as a growing number of Canadian travelers are beginning to find out this year. More and more travelers have criticized the response to their valid claims for compensation by large airlines such as Air Canada and WestJet, accusing them of making up excuses and stretching the truth in order to get out of their legal requirement to pay compensation to travelers.

Passenger Scott Aalgaard described what he called highly suspicious excuses from Air Canada for denying his right to compensation. He was first notified that his flight had been delayed on July 5th due to a ‘maintenance issue‘. Eventually the flight was cancelled due to ‘staffing issues‘.

Three days later when he filed for compensation, he was denied because his flight was cancelled due to a ‘labor dispute‘ outside the airlines control.

This isn’t the first time passengers have gone public to the media. One such traveler highlighted an incident that saw herself and her fiancé – who were on the same flight – filing for compensation after a delay of six hours on Christmas Day. Her partner was awarded $700 in compensation for the delay in line with the current legal requirements. However, she was left empty handed after Air Canada replied that the delay was due to a safety-related “technical fault”, thus making it outside the airline’s control and not warranting compensation. Two identical passengers, two wildly different outcomes.

That isn’t the only example of funny business that has been brought to the fore. Other passengers have complained of airlines flip-flopping between different reasons for delays and rejecting claims for compensation despite the reasons being within the airline’s control and thus worthy of redress, such as flight crew availability. Other airlines, such as WestJet, have been criticized for not providing travelers with adequate details of why their flight has been canceled, making filing a claim difficult.

This isn’t the first time that travelers have been suspicious of airlines trying to get out of paying compensation. An inquiry that finished in November 2021 stated that whilst they found no evidence the airlines “intentionally misled passengers,” they did however feel that information provided to travelers “was inadequate, terse and unclear.” The CTA has called on travelers to file complaints if they feel aggrieved.

Passenger Compensation – Information For Travelers

In the event that travelers in Canada are subjected to a delayed or a cancelled flight, they are within their rights to receive compensation from their airline. For large airlines, such as Air Canada or WestJet, the levels of compensation a are as follows:
- 3-6 hour delays – $400
- 6-9 hour delays – $700
- 9+ hour delays – $1000
Travelers on small airlines are also due redress for delayed flights, though these amount to sums of $125, $250 and $500 for the same respective delay lengths as above.

Compensation is only due to passengers who face a delay or cancellation that is within the airline’s control, and isn’t safety-related. Travelers have a year to make a claim for compensation and whilst airlines can offer alternative forms of compensation, such as flight tickets, vouchers or credit, passengers are within their rights to ask for it in monetary form. Such rights were enshrined in an update to policy from the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on December 15th, 2019.

Read More:

Canada Brings Back Random Airport Testing Despite Travel Chaos

Travel Insurance That Covers Covid-19 For 2022

3 U.S. Airlines Included In World’s Top 20 Airlines

↓ Join the community ↓

The Travel Off Path Community FB group has all the latest reopening news, conversations, and Q&A’s happening daily!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LATEST POSTS

Enter your email address to subscribe to Travel Off Path’s latest breaking travel news, straight to your inbox

Disclaimer: Current travel rules and restrictions can change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling. Travel Off Path does not endorse traveling against government advisories
[ad_2]

Source link
July 18, 2022