Fouremco

Until a few years ago, Canadian TA's gave next to nothing. Perhaps an inexpensive bottle of wine in your cabin or some meagre OBC. Then the big-box store opened its travel department here, very much a game changer. While they don't offer any particular deal on booking fees, charging the cruise line going price, you will receive a shop gift card that runs in the 8% range of your booking fee, plus 2% cash back at the end of the year, for a total return of 10%. We booked with them for the first time in 2018. We had attended a cruise fair hosted by our then TA, a cruise specialist with offices across Canada. For the particular cruise and cabin category we were after, they couldn't offer a better price than if we were to book directly with the cruise line, and the best perk they could offer was a bottle of wine. We went home and I phoned the big-box TA, booked exactly the same cruise/cabin, and received a $500 shop card and $145 cash back. Needless to say, we've been with them ever since. For an upcoming cruise we have a $925 shop card and will get a $230 and change cash back. During the first years of COVID, with cancellations, FCC's and rebookings, a simple call to the TA resolved any and all issues, and they've handles every question or concern we've had with aplomb. As has been pointed out in other threads, the major potential disadvantage is that they don't handle all cruise lines. With Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean and other mainstream lines you should be ok. One benefit in booking with any Canadian TA, or with a very small number of US TA's that will take bookings in CAD, is that you know exactly what you will owe when it comes time for final payment. With today's economy, I wouldn't want to book for a couple of years in the future in USD not knowing what will happen with exchange rates.

Our upcoming family cruise includes a stop in Curaçao. We will be renting cars and heading out for a beach day, and we're trying to decide between these two beaches. DW and I have visited both in the past, and we lean towards Cas Abao, but it's been a few years since our last visit, and things can change. And our daughter says today that members of a Curaçao social media site that she frequents leans towards Porto Mari. Other than amenities, which seem quite similar, what makes one beach better than the other? Also, which one tends to fill up earliest in the day? By the time we get our cars and head out, I imagine we'll get there around 9:15 or so, hopefully in time to rent some chairs in a shaded area.

Amazon also sells a pretty wide range of holders. My thoughts too. I'd love to have a broader use of my iPhone wallet.

Having lost our 17 year old Coton de Tulear just a couple of months ago, we know how upsetting this is and hope that all will work out for your dogs. Is there any possibility of hiring a dog sitter?

You can also buy a wrist strap and wear it like a watch.

Thanks all. That's what I would have assumed, but I just wanted to make sure.

What currency did you use, the Haitian Gourde (HTG) or USD?

What is the vendors' preferred currency for purchases made in the Artisans' Village, the Haitian Gourde (HTG) or USD?

As eTA's have increasingly come into vogue over the past number of years, different countries have developed different approaches on their use. Double checking is definitely a sound precaution. Enjoy your cruise!

That isn't quite accurate, as many countries issue a variety of visas unrelated to the recipient moving to the country. Take Canada, as an example. Citizens of select foreign countries do not require a visa when flying into Canada as a tourist. British citizens, for example, can apply for an eTA instead of a visa. Tourists from all other countries must apply for a visitor visa. And an eTA is only valid when arriving by air, so you still need a visitor visa, not an eTA, when arriving by car, bus, train, or boat, including a cruise ship. Different rules apply to US residents.

November 30, and both of our new cards arrived in today's mail. That's just 9 days following the second announcement of renewal approvals. Quite frankly, we were lucky that the cards even made it at all, as neither envelope was sealed and it would have been quite easy for the contents to have slipped out while they were in transit. Oh well, all's well that ends well.

Oh dear, direct flights from Halifax to Fort Lauderdale are few and far between. If you are worried, you might want to book fully refundable seats on another airline. If the strike is on in April, you'll still get to your ship without a worry. If the strike doesn't happen in April, you can fly Air Transat and cancel your other tickets for a full refund.

When booking a cruise close to or past final payment date, changes to the exchange rate won't have much, if any, impact on the price comparison. But when it comes time for the final payment for your 2025 cruise, there could be quite a change in the exchange rate, and the (then) lower fare offered by the US TA when booking is now going to cost you more than had you booked with a Canadian TA in CAD. There is a certain peace of mind for me in knowing exactly what I'll pay a couple of years down the road, particularly with today's rocky economy. Exchange rates aside, I'm very pleased with my Canadian big box TA, where the perks generally work out to about 10% of the booking price. I've compared numerous cruises with some of the better known US TA's and have seen no reason to book south of the border. The only drawback for some is that the TA doesn't handle all cruise lines, but that hasn't been an issue for us as we can book our three preferred lines.

Air Transat flight attendants have voted to strike as early as January. We have a family cruise in January, with different members holding bookings on WestJet, Porter and Air Transat. Hopefully the labour issue will be resolved by then, or the strike is delayed until after our return date. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/air-transat-strike-mandate-1.7040842

While going through a bit of an email backlog, I opened a message dated November 21 from the Trusted Traveller Program unit at US CBP telling me that "There has been a recent change to the status of your application" and asking me to "login to the Trusted Traveler Programs Website (https://ttp.dhs.gov) for more information." Just to recap, DW and I had applied for renewal on August 9. Then we received correspondence dated September 13 stating "We are pleased to inform you that your U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), NEXUS program membership has been approved." Given this approval over two months ago, we've been waiting patiently for our cards to arrive. Naturally, the notice this week saying that our status had changed was a bit worrisome, and I immediately logged in to determine what the change was. Had they cancelled the approval? Had they decided that one or both of us now required an interview? No, instead it was a new notification dated November 21 that my applications had been approved. Why they would notify us of the approval, having already done some 10 weeks earlier, is somewhat of a puzzle. Of note, however, is the fact that the initial notification letter had the signature block of the "Director, Trusted Traveler Programs, U. S. Customs and Border Protection" but had the Ottawa Airport address of the CBP. So, did it take 10 weeks for this approval to make its way into the TTP website, or was there some other reason for the second approval notification? I also wonder if the creation and eventual delivery of our new cards was triggered by the initial approval, or were the cards only ordered once the approval was entered on the website. With our next travel starting 2 months from today, it will be interesting to see whether we'll still be using our old cards.

EPIRB's and SPOT's are two very different pieces of equipment. While they share some functionality, the underlying technology is quite different and they operate on different satellite networks. Also, EPIRB's are designed for use on water, while SPOT and similar satellite messengers are designed for use on land, although both can be used interchangeably. Google EPIRB vs SPOT vs PLB.

You might want to consider renting a car and having a DIY excursion. There's lots to see and do, and you can spend as much time as you want instead of following an excursion's set time table.

No, still no sign of them. I'll let you know when they arrive.

There are 3rd party companies that will enable you to complete part of the renewal process with them online - for a hefty additional fee - but even then you will be required to mail certain documents to the Canadian government, including your current passport, as part of the application process. The regular process isn't onerous and you won't really benefit from the 3rd party's involvement, so save your money and do it yourself. All the necessary information can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/renew-adult-passport.html

When I made the booking and again upon final payment, my confirmation made no mention of the OBC, just the dining credit. However, when I decided to pay the gratuities and avoid the increase, the OBC appeared on the confirmation as well as on the RCI website, with no indication as to whether it was NR OBC from RCI or R OBC from the TA. In any event, I've made the dining reservation and could use the OBC, so I'll assume that it was a gift from RCI.

We have a $50 USD Dining Credit from our TA that I had planned on using when making a reservation for an upcoming cruise. However, while I'm given the option to use some of my OBC, or credit card, there's no obvious way to use the dining credit. Given the current Black Friday 40% off sale, I'd obviously like to book now rather than waiting until we're aboard. Does anyone know an easy workaround? If I book now using OBC, will I possibly be able to have the dining credit applied retroactively at Guest Services in place of the OBC, or is that just wishful thinking?

Our only reaction was to say "Oh, good, they're touching up the varnish on the railing." I then opened the door, thanked the maintenance crew member for the good work he was doing, and asked about the drying time.

LOL. Back on January 4, 1999, 38cm fell on Toronto. On January 12th, another 21cm fell. The following day, Mel Lastman held a press conference and called for help from the Army to dig the city out. In 2004, while still living in Halifax, we were hit with White Juan and saw 96cm fall in under 24 hours! No calls for help, and the city simply went about clearing the snow away, just as other Canadian cities would do.

Poor Mel Lastman will be forever remembered for calling in the Army.

Here's a map of the airport: https://www.admtl.com/sites/default/files/2023/MAP-DEPARTS-ARRIVEES.pdf?panel=filters&dcenter=45.454073,-73.748789&dczoom=16