The problem with people tasked with putting up signs is that they already know where they are going.
That means they are not approaching the job from an end-user’s point of view. And that’s why a lot of people get lost and frustrated.
So it was for me today as I tried to negotiate my way off the Costa Diadema and on to a shuttle bus to Barcelona. Continue reading Rant: sign of the times
Marseille is magnificent, but if you’re arriving by cruise ship, you’ll need to negotiate, by vehicle, through a huge industrial pot complex before you get to the heart of this city.
The city embraces a smaller harbour, where pleasure craft mingle with fishing vessels, and anglers bring in their catch for direct sale. Continue reading Marseille? Magnifique!
Savona is everything Genoa promised to be, but wasn’t for me. The harbour area has been rejuvenated beautifully, with the old and new blending to make a chic dining and residential area. Continue reading My Savona
As of right now, I am blogging my holiday. Unlike last time, I will make each entry a separate post, making it easier to read (you won’t have to start at the bottom to follow the thread). Continue reading The journey begins
I’ve just booked my next cruise — for next week (I don’t muck about) — and it will mean travelling on the flag ship of the Costa fleet, the Diadema.
With a capacity of 4,947 passengers plus 1,253 crew, a length of 306 metres, and a gross tonnage of 132,500 (all according to Wikipedia) — and, apparently, a stunning art collection — it’s a mighty vessel, though in most metrics smaller than the Norwegian Epic, on which I cross the Atlantic two years ago.
I’ll be flying into Munich on Etihad on March 10 and then making my way, probably by train, to Savona for the March 12 departure. The itinerary takes in Western Med ports including Palma Mallorca and Barcelona.
This will be my fourth Costa cruise in just over two years. I was hoping to travel with another company this time, but the dates didn’t suit my schedule. And, as usual, Costa had a great last-minute booking deal.
Of course, I will be updating my progress here.
Anyone who has followed this blog since its inception — and I am pleased to note that that is not a class of one — will have noticed its evolution.
It began as a place for me to rant about what was going on, or not going on, in my life, and to make observations about stuff in general.
Rather quickly it evolved to its current focus on travel, and in particular my interest in flying — I do believe that the flight is a big part of the experience, not something to be endured before the fun begins — and cruise ships. (Mind you, I do reserve the right to rant occasionally.)
While the original URL of brettdebritz.net is still active, I’m encouraging people to access the travel stuff via www.planesailing.co — a name that reflects the content and new mission statement.
Of course, there are thousands of travel blogs and websites out there, but this one is different — really!
In a nutshell, it is not a site for young backpackers who want to find the cheapest flight, cheapest drink and cheapest hostel. It’s a site for more mature people (and by that I’m referring to outlook more than age) who want to travel in some comfort, take their time, and immerse themselves in the experience.
Of course, I will be looking out for bargains, but more along the lines of frequent-flyer point deals, specials and booking tricks that, for example, allow you to take a business-class flight for two-thirds of the going rate.
While I’ll be reporting my own experiences first-hand, I’ll also be publishing a selection of news that I think is important. And, yes, there may be some sponsored content along the way, but it will be clearly identified.
Let me know what you think, and how I can serve you better. You can comment below, or email me.
Happy trails!
When is the best time to book your next holiday? Actually, that’s a trick question, because there is no “best time” to book a holiday.
It depends on where you are going and when. And it often comes down to luck.
I’ve been noodling around online over the past few days trying to find something to do in March. Yes, I know that’s only next month, but the same problems arise whether you’re booking for next week or two years hence.
For reasons that are not really important, I have a flight to Munich booked for March 10 and a return flight from Munich booked on March 19. As yet, there is nothing in between, not even a hotel booking.
I am thinking — and this will not come as a big surprise to anybody who knows me — of taking a cruise. There’s only really one that suits is a seven-day return trip from Savona, which is relatively accessible by plane, train and automobile from Munich.
The problem is that the itinerary is very similar to a cruise I took a year ago. The difference would be the ship, which I haven’t been on before. So that’s one dilemma: do I want to go or not?
The second dilemma is, if I do decide to go, do I book now or wait?
The risk with waiting, of course, is that the cruise might sell out altogether, or the cheap cabins will all be gone and I’ll be forced to pay more than I am comfortable with.
The risk of booking now is that something better might come along closer to the date, and that if I book now, I’ll have to pay now. Also, price may drop, and I could get a better deal with a last-minute booking.
In any case, isn’t the money better off in my bank account than in the cruise line’s. So, for the time being, I’ll wait.
My advantage, of course, is that I am booking for myself and I am flexible about what I do. If you are booking for more people — say a family holiday — and your holidays are fixed, or your heart is set on a particular trip at a particular time, then the best advice is to book as early as you can, and be prepared to pay a little more for the sake of securing exactly what you want.
When I speak or write about cruising, some people roll their eyes. Their minds automatically trip to that stereotype that says cruises are for boring old people.
It’s a shame, because while it’s true that the demographic on many ships is 50-plus — and some companies specialise in catering to that age group — there are plenty of young people setting sail.
A day ago, I received a Facebook message from a guy in his 20s who had always gone on family cruise holidays and wanted some advice about taking his first sol adventure. He didn’t know, for example, that some ships offer singles studios with a special meet-up lounge for their unattached guests.
I have relatives in their 30s who go cruising, a former colleague in his early 40s takes his family cruising regularly, and a friend in his 50s has recently caught the bug.
On board ships, I’ve met train drivers (a group of them who work on the London Underground), IT workers, teachers and lawyers. People from all walks of life.
These are people from all sorts of backgrounds on board boats. Some like the convenience of having only to pack and unpack once and not worry too much about the itinerary. Others like the thrill of being in a different port, often a different country, every other day. Some just love the onboard lifestyle: the bars, restaurants, casino, theatre, gym, spa, pool and so on.
For many people, it’s the affordability of a cruise — especially those that are all-inclusive — that’s the decisive factor.
For me, as a solo traveller, it’s a way to explore parts of the world I’ve never been to, or that I already love, and to have a balance between doing my own thing and meeting other people.
On some cruises, I’ve kept pretty much to myself, on others I’ve been “adopted” by couples or small groups and joined in with their activities — from trivia contests to pub crawls (all safely supervised by crew members).
I always talk to the bar and service staff, as well as fellow passengers, and I almost always end up with at least one more social-media friend after every trip.
I’ll admit that cruising may not be everybody’s thing, but I’d urge people to check it out a bit more thoroughly before dismissing it outright as a holiday option,
Costa Fortuna, Dubai, Muscat Khasab, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jan 15-22, 2016
I’ve already written about the full experience in my cruise diary, so here are the headlines, which may be of help to potential future passengers: Continue reading Review: Costa Fortuna
A now-completed blog of my cruise on the Costa Fortuna sailing from and to Port Rashid, Dubai via Muscat, Khasab and Abu Dhabi. New posts at the top.
The term “bucket list” gives me the creeps. Not because it references death — in that it’s used to describe the places we want to go before we die — but because it’s so limiting.
Of course, I understand the idea of drawing up a list of places you want to visit before you shake off your mortal coil, but to me, the perfect travel itinerary should include places you’ve never even thought about.
While I’ve had a ball ticking off the wonders of the world and must-see attractions, ranging from Disneyland to the Treasury at Petra, I’ve had an equally good, or even better, time visiting countries and attractions that were never even on my radar.
The best example I can think of is Belarus. Ten years ago, I’d have given it no thought at all. But then I met someone online, and that led to an invitation to visit, and suddenly I was entranced by Minsk (and by my new friend, but that’s another story).
I discovered the charms of Glasgow, and Scotland in general, because a friend suggested that I might be able to find work there. And a free trip to Manila, which came via a colleague, has made me eager to see more of the Philippines, which did not previously figure highly on my wish list.
My point is that circumstance can often throw up something new, and you most certainly should grasp it when you can. You may always have Paris, but you may never again get the chance to see Svetlagorsk.
Forget the bucket list, go where the four winds take you.
It’s been nearly five years since the United Nations declared access to the internet as a human right. But having something as a right and being able to afford it are two different things.
I acknowledge from the outset that what I’m about to address is a “first-world problem” given that many people don’t even have the devices they need to connect to the net let alone broadband access.
What I am addressing is the wildly fluctuating price of internet access for those of us who travel. It can range from free — totally free where it’s provided by governments (at bus stops in parts of Italy for example) or sponsored by corporations (such as at airports), or free-with-a- purchase, as it is at many, bars, cafes and coffee shops — up to well, name a figure and double it.
A friend once came back to Australia after a couple of weeks in New Zealand with a bill for more than A$1000 (which was then worth about US$1000) because he’d forgotten to turn off data roaming. If he’d signed up for a plan before hand, it would have been less than a tenth of the cost. Given that the actual cost of providing the service was the same, the only difference was the mark-up applied — and perhaps the way the providers in New Zealand and Australia divvied up the spoils.
As readers of this blog know, I sail a lot. One of the few things that annoys me is the high cost of internet access on the high seas. My conviction is that although satellite internet is not cheap, passengers are paying too much above the actual price of provision. Why? Because costs differ between cruise lines. What costs about US$55 with one company costs $150 with another. It’s a similar situation with airlines, if internet access is offered at all.
The simple fact is that providers and the middle-men are having a laugh at our expense. Phone companies and other internet service providers around the world have agreements on sharing costs when a customer from one country visits another; just as banks have agreements on interchange fees when I use my debit or credit card abroad. Certainly there is an additional cost, but it is marginal. However, when they can, big corporations will take advantage. And it’s time for travellers to complain enough about it to get governments to act on capping prices to this essential service.
Update: I am now at a hotel that wants to charge me more than $5 for an hour of WiFi access. They’ve got to be joking.
I’m going on a winter holiday cruise, a roundtrip from Dubai, taking in Muscat, Kashab and Abu Dhabi. This post will trace my steps from booking to getting on to the ship. It will be updated regularly until I’m onboard on January 15. New posts will be placed above the old ones, so read from the bottom up.
Thursday, January 14: My cruise starts tomorrow, Friday. I’ll be blogging it, of course, on this site.
Wednesday, January 13: I’m checking the final details of the cruise and the paperwork seems to confirm a boarding time of 8pm on Friday. That’s a little unusual, as all other cruises I’ve taken have embarkation times in the early afternoon. It means I have more time to get from home base in Abu Dhabi to Dubai, but it also seems to mean that my cruise will be several hours shorter than I thought. Even if I do get extra time to disembark on Friday week, I have an appointment that will mean an early trip back to Abu Dhabi.
Monday, January 11: I’ve received an email receipt from Costa. My itemised account notes total services worth $3,373.65, with $17 for insurance an $165 for port charges. It also notes a discount of $2,455.70, meaning my final bill is $1,099.95. A great deal for seven days of full board, accommodation with a balcony and ocean view, and unlimited drinks, plus stops at four ports. Of course, I will end up spending more if I decide to take excursions or make other purchases either onboard or at the port, and I will have to find my way to and back from Dubai, but that’s still a solid bargain.
Thursday, January 7: I’ve written elsewhere about the price of internet access for travellers, but it’s worth noting again in the context of cruises. Its website quotes a rate of 48 euros or US$65 for a three-hour package, with a 3-euro set-up fee. That’s not cheap, but cheaper than the others. NCL, for example, charges $75 for a 100-minute package and has introduced unlimited daily use for between $24.99 and $29.99 a day, depending on the length of the cruise. (Apparently there are some great new deals going round, and there’s more on the subject here.)
Tuesday, January 5: The new documents for my cruise, reflecting the addition of the beverage package, have arrived by email. They include the form I have to sign and present as I check in (along with, I am fairly confident, a declaration that I have not displayed signs of cold or flu for the past few days — a move designed to limit the threat of norovirus), the small print that I must agree to, and my baggage tags. So far, so good.
Monday, January 4: I’ve just noticed this news story about plans to modernise Muscat’s waterfront. It won’t be ready for my trip, of course, but it will hopefully augment an already quite-beautiful spot. I like Muscat because it is more laidback than Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I hope it doesn’t lose that charm.
In other news, I finally relented and rang Italy to book my beverage package. I still can’t work out why it couldn’t be done online, but the upshot is that I had to pay US$223.95 for premium coffees, beer, wine and spirits for the entire 7-day journey. It’s a good deal — especially since it includes perfectly made Illy coffees, which are the best I’ve had at sea. And the man who answered the phone was very pleasant and helpful.
Update: I just did the sums on that. The total price per day, for cabin, all meals and all drinks is about US$157 a night. For about the same as the room-only rate for a four-star hotel well away from the action in Dubai, I get a balcony with ocean room, a choice of entertainment, pools, gym and other activities, and stops in Dubai, Abu Dabi, Muscat and Khasab. It’s hard to beat that value.
Friday, January 1: Although the beverage package isn’t bookable online, shore excursions are. I have taken these trips on previous cruises but my understanding is that many frequent travellers don’t book excursions offered by the cruise company. These reasons given are that they are too expensive and not flexible enough to cater for personal tastes. The “in-the-know” people, apparently, book excursions from other operators, including those who flog their wares at the cruise terminal. The downside to these is that you may be ripped off by an unlicensed and/or unethical operator and, as the ship’s excursion department is sure to tell you, the boat won’t wait for you if you arrive back late. I don’t think I’ll be taking an excursion in Dubai, and I certainly won’t be taking one in Abu Dhabi, where I have lived for the past almost-four years. But maybe I’ll book something for Oman …
Thursday, December 31: An email reply for Costa says I can buy the beverage package on the ship, which I really don’t want to do because I know it will be a hassle. I might make the phone call. Meanwhile, the paperwork for the trip arrives by separate email.
Wednesday, December 30 (later): The website won’t let me book the beverage package — about 25 euros per day for all-you -can -drink coffees (it’s an Italian ship, so the coffee is great), and selected beers, wines and spirits. So, I email Costa and get a reply telling me to ring them in Italy. I email back asking if there’s any way I can do it without having to make an expensive international phone call.
Wednesday, December 30: I’ve opted for a cruise on the Costa Fortuna.I’ve been on this ship and this itinerary — Dubai, Muscat, Khasab, Abu Dhabi, Dubai — before, and I enjoyed the experience. Using the Costa Cruises website, I’ve secured a cabin with balcony for US$876. The price includes all meals and accommodation for seven days, plus insurance, making it much better value than a hotel stay in Dubai at this time of the year. The low price reflects my membership of the Costa Club, which benefits frequent passengers, but a newbie could probably secure a similar deal because it seems there is plenty of availabilit. Significantly, the price is for single occupancy. Couples can be pay that amount each to share a cabin. Bargain hunters might want to note that inside cabins — those in the middle of the ship with no windows — can be had for about $200 less.
Tuesday, December 29: Call me greedy but the first thing I did after arriving back at work after two weeks in Australia was to secure a week off in January to take a cruise. Cruising is a relatively recent interest of mine, and it’s still a passionate one. Because I’m watching my budget, and I didn’t want to add too much travelling time to my holiday, I opted to “go local” and take a cruise from Dubai — which is just up the road from where I currently live, in Abu Dhabi. I expect that many of my fellow passengers will have flown in from Europe or elsewhere, and the cruise will be an add-on to adventures in the UAE — especially the glitzy attractions of Dubai.
I was a latecomer to cruising, but I have really embraced holidays on the high seas. With nine cruises under my belt in less than three years, and another two planned already for the first half of 2016, I’ve learnt a few things about booking cruises and making the most out of them.
This is the first in a series of posts for newbies to cruising. Hopefully, I’ll encourage a few people to take the leap into unknown waters without hitting their head in the shallow end.
The truth is that all cruises, and all cruise companies, are not the same. All cruise ships are not, as one friend of mine put it, “floating working-men’s clubs” — although some of them certainly are.
There are a lot of different operators out there (although, ultimately, they are owned by just a handful of companies), and they target different clientele. They offer different experiences and in different price ranges.
The first thing a newbie has to ask himself or herself is: what kind of experience do I want to have? Do you want something familiar, or something exotic? By this, I mean, if you are, for example, British, do you want to be on a boat that sticks close to home and whose passengers are mainly also British? If that’s the case, you’d probably be looking at sailing out of Southampton or another UK port with Fred. Olsen, P&O, Cruise and Maritime Voyages, Thompson (TUC) or Princess.
Americans tend to favour Carnival, Holland America, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian (NCL), sailing out of various US ports, most of them in Florida. The Germans have Aida, the Italians have Costa and MSC, the Spanish have Pullmantur, and so on.
Of course, just about any cruise line will take your money and if you speak English — which I presume you do because you’re reading these words — you’ll get by on just about any ship. The difference will be that you may have to wait a little longer to hear an announcement you can understand, or — if you’re particularly fussy or xenophobic — you may have a problem with the food and/or the entertainment program.
Most modern ships in the affordable category offer similar creature comforts, but it is certainly worth Googling any vessel you intend to travel on to see that it has what you expect in the way of pools, spas, beauty treatments, casino, bars, restaurants… whatever.
Of course, you may be more interested in the stopovers than the ship itself. The ports of call can make all the difference. I’ll go into excursions in another post, but let it suffice to say that there are good arguments for and against booking the trips offered by the cruise operator as opposed to those you can book independently. From my many onboard conversations, I gather that experiences cruisers tend to do their own thing.
If you have a lot of money to spend, you’ll be looking at the high-end offerings of Windstar, Seabourn, Silversea and other small but luxurious lines. If money’s a little tight, then you really need to shop around.
I do all my own searching online, then book directly through the cruise company’s website, but you may find it easier to go to a travel agency or to use an online comparison site.
The one thing you should do is ensure that the experience you’re buying is the one you want. An experienced travel agent with a reputation to defend will do her or his best to steer you in the right direction. Websites such as cruisecritic are also very handy, because they include reviews from previous passengers.
A word of warning: some people are hard to please, have had an unusually bad experience or are malicious, so their advice may be tainted. Equally, others see the world through rose-coloured glasses and are so happy to go with the flow that they overlook things that make others angry. So, try to read between the lines and seek out several independent reviews before you are persuaded or dissuaded.
That’s enough for now. There’ll be further tips in future posts.
I was sorry to read that more than 180 passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas were struck down by what the Australian media called a “stomach bug” on a recent cruise into Sydney.
I sincerely hope the inconvenience of being ill doesn’t put these people off taking further cruises. I feel their pain, because it happened to me during a cruise down the Suez Canal, but I can assure them that Royal Caribbean will look after them, and work hard to prevent a repeat.
Cruises are very polarising. Some people are obsessed with taking highly organised, low risk adventures on the high seas. Others, often those who have never taken a cruise*, would rather book in for an unnecessary and unmedicated session of dental surgery.
Like many people of my generation, my interest in cruises was first piqued by the fly-on-the-wall documentary series, Love Boat, which, from memory, was a kind of modern-day I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, except on a ship**.
In any case, I’ve taken nine cruises in the past three years, so I guess I’m among the addicts.
Apart from a very short — just hours long — sampler P and O cruise in the line of journalistic duties several decades ago, my first ocean-going journey was from Barcelona to Dubai, via the Suez Canal, on the Royal Caribbean ship Mariner of the Seas.
Since then, I’ve been on other Royal Caribbean cruises, including in the Caribbean, and on cruises operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines (including a trans Atlantic journey on the fabulous Norwegian Epic) and Costa Cruises.
While each operator has their distinctive approaches — Costa is more geared towards Italian travellers, which is reflected in the great onboard coffee and the colourful interior design and entertainment offerings — what they have in common is comfort, conviviality and (almost) hassle-free travelling.
It’s hardly original but it must be said that the biggest advantage of a cruise holiday is that you only unpack once and the destinations come to you.
While I’ve been to some fabulous places — Tallin, St Petersburg, Giza, Petra, Ephesus, Split, Dubrovnik, Montenegro, Falmouth (Jamaica), Funchal, Valleta, Palma, Muscat, Miami and many more — I’m equally happy just enjoying the ambiance of the ship.
Boats like Mariner and the Epic (not to mention the new, larger ships I’ve yet to experience) are like small cities, populated with interesting places and people. On almost every cruise I’ve met wonderful people, several of whom I remain in contact with over social media.
Cruising is often promoted as a couples or family adventure, but I find it’s a pretty good option for a solo traveller too. It allows me to do the two things I like doing best: being on my own, and mixing with other people.
* Yes, I am aware of David Foster Wallace’s essay, A Supposedly Fun Thing I Will Never Do Again. I clearly disagree.
** This is, of course, a joke. But wouldn’t such a show be awesome? Are you paying attention, Endemol?
Footnote: If you’re wondering about the picture; it was taken from a ship I was on of I ship I’ve not been on.
When I go on cruises — which has been quite often in the past three years (eight and counting) — I play a little game with myself called Cruise Ship Song Bingo. I have in my mind a list of popular songs and I tick them off when I hear them played onboard.
It didn’t take long for me to work out that cover bands of all stripes seem to gravitate to certain material. And while there may be a dozen or more nationalities on a ship, there are some songs that most people know. And by “most people”, I mean those people who are in the frequent cruising demographic, which is, generally, those 40 years of age and older. And, on some cruise lines, the average age is more like 60 or 70. So, that means a lot of music from the 1960s and 70s.
So, what numbers are top of the pops at sea? In my experience, over any given cruise you are guaranteed to hear the Beatles’ Hey Jude, YMCA and In the Navy by The Village People, almost anything by Abba, a lot of Queen, disco songs by the Bee Gees, Gloria Gaynor and their contemporaries, Country Roads by John Denver, Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond and, quite often, I’m A Believer by the Monkees. If it’s an Italian ship, then you can throw in That’s Amore and Volare, and anything or everything by Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. If it’s British,or a reasonable number of passengers are, Living Next Door to Alice is a no-brainer. In Australian waters, you’ll get Cold Chisel’s Khe Sanh and The Angels’ Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?
Of course, there’s always something a little more current, if you consider Pharrell Williams’s Happy current. (It also suits the narrative of how one must feel on a cruise.)
Why are these songs so popular? It’s the audience participation aspect. The chorus of Sweet Caroline, for example, is memorable and simple, there’s even a flourish the audience can add that isn’t in the official lyrics (the repetition of “so good” for Americans and, for Brits, the curious line “I don’t believe it, you’re having a laugh.”) And, while I thoroughly disapprove of karaoke (except when I’ve been roped into it, when my My Way will bring down the boat), I am fully in favour of people picking up a song and running with it.
I’ll be honest, the only Falmouth I knew about was in England, until I saw the name included on my itinerary for a Caribbean cruise.
This one is the capital of Trelawny parish in Jamaica, and it’s a popular excursion point for visitors who like charming colonial architecture and wonderfully friendly people — and those who want to zip around to nearby Montego Bay for some seaside fun.
Here are a few pictures to give you a taste of the place:
I was late to the party when it came to Barcelona. My first visit was just two years ago, and I immediately wondered why it had taken so long for me to get there.
As advised, I spent a lot of time wandering up and down the main street, Las Ramblas, and its fascinating side alleys. Tapas and a cooling libation while people watching .. it doesn’t get any better than that.
Oh, and one of the stag-do Brits in the final pic is a ring-in.
