TheaFromCDA

Hello Everyone, Been a while since I posted last but I did an impulse booking on Symphony of the Seas within the 90 day period. Sadly its the sailing after the RCBlog group cruise ?. For some reason, flights coming into Miami are anywhere from 100-200 more per person compared to FLL (one way). Although it's tempting to fly same day vs day before, I am going to heed Matt's (And many of y'all's ) advice about going in at least the day before. I could have sworn Matt did a podcast about travelling to one of the ports...though I think it may have been to FLL vs Miami. I saw that there is now that Rail Line that can take you from FLL to Miami (with a transfer or two), ride share and possibly car rentals? Since we are coming in the day before, and probably will only be getting in at night, what's the best way to get to Miami? There are only 2 of us so luggage shouldn't be too bad. Does anyone have any experience doing a one way car rental from FLL to a Miami location? Any particular recommended (preferably affordable) hotels in Miami as well? Thanks in advance

awesome! will read through

kinda a late reply but since I cross border quite a lot, at least for Sunoco and Kwik Ive been able to do that adding 00 system for when I used my Cdn CC

oh sorry :( you guys have waaay cheaper cell phone prices though? and a bunch of other things that I cant think of the top of my head? your Metro is more effective than the TTC? I had illusions of learning French and briefly considered moving to Quebec to learn lol.

May not necessarily apply since youre a teacher and your vacation is set (im guessing?) but on spur of the moment cruises, do you book flight then cruise? or vice versa? B/c matt did that show on last minute cruises and hes like... check the flights lol. or is it a simultaneous thing?

And you have no excuse for not seeing it back in the day! From the Wikipedia page: “The Tick was also shown on Teletoon in Canada as part of its Toonaholics Anonymous block in 2001.” I sentence you to a YouTube search for all things “The Tick animated”. ? Isnt this a new amazon show? the Tick?

LOL.. nice... given I don't think my SO would want to move to Windsor . hypothetically, so long as a massive winter snow doesnt hit... from his house is only 1 hr 20 min to BUF. Spirit flies out of IAG but I'm a bit scared to fly spirit considering they only have one flight out and if they cancel it... youre SOL :( When I was booking my flights it was actually either cheaper or the same to fly out of YYZ... now and then you catch a good Porter deal out of YTZ but I dont ever know if I should book flight then cruise (on "last minute" I just want to see sun spur-of-the-moment kind of feeling) or vice versa lol

LOL...sadly I have another 24 years before I can retire at age 55 LOL ...not to get political but I was listening to @Matt and his guest that wrote the Guide to Disney saying how much they expect sea levels to rise...Ill keep my fingers crossed they they'll sail some of the nicer newer ships out of Bayonne at least so we can drive there easier (supposedly only an 8 hour drive lol) Where further down the 401 are you suggesting lol? I thought we were doing so well being only a 2 hour drive to Buffalo

if you ever have any tips on how to save a $ let me know lol

My card is actually an Amazon.CA visa...UNFORTUNATELY, Chase Canada has elected to close all their Canadian credit card holdings (including Marriott's) BUT there is STILL one CC company that offers the 0% conversion fee and 1% cash back... (again not affiliated with them and I dont have their card but a lot of the CDN financial and/or credit card blogs mention them as a viable option.) HomeTrust Preferred Visa No annual fee 1% CashBack with no limits to your total rewards No restrictions on where you earn your rewards1 Roadside Assist membership at no extra charge No foreign currency conversion surcharges2 It doesn't stop there. The benefits of a Home Trust Preferred Visa include a range of other features that add great value all year round - whether you're shopping, travelling or looking for special offers. Purchase Security Insurance, so you can shop with peace of mind3 Visa Auto Rental Collision/Loss Damage Insurance4 Emergency card and cash replacement Guaranteed hotel reservations The Visa Zero Liability Policy for protection against fraud5 Verified by Visa for enhanced online shopping safety and security Apply for your Home Trust Preferred Visa with CashBack today, and say goodbye to everything you don't want, like annual fees and cash back limits or restrictions. http://hometrust.ca/preferredvisa.aspx

Whoops! so sorry all the data I typed up was me... though there is a likelihood I just havent found the posts that @gears may have posted that gave similar data. My degree is in something completely useless ...I just LOOOOOVE spreadsheets and im visual so it helps both in comparing side by side as well as historically. its kind of a 2 parter... Royal Caribbean Gift Certificates are charged in USD funds, whichever route you take.. now with regards to HOW I pay, whether its certificates or a TA or RC, I use a zero conversion credit card. I find it more favourable than a designated USD credit card. I have a USD CC but in order to pay that, you're eventually going to have to draw that amount from a Canadian source to pay off right? Even if you have a USD Bank account sadly (at least in the case of the card/ account I use) their FX is still MORE. For example, supposedly a borderless plan enables you to have a more "favourable" exchange rate... and dont get me wrong, it still does.... using the same example I did above: Example: 10,000 USD as of Feb 1/ Feb 2 at 10:01 am EST 0% conversion= $2,334 CDN bank to US account in CDN bank = $2591 2.5% Visa Conversion(was a live rate)= $2,642 2.5% Masterccard Conversion (rate from previous day) = $2,617 CDN Bank to US based bank = $2760 Borderless = $2,703 =-==-=

I posted my slightly nuts method on the Conversion rate for non US Cruisers ...I'd retype it but its wicked long . But for you @LetsTryThisTech if youre ever in an area with tons of snowbirds...say Florida , pop into any bank, ask if they have familiarity with dealing with Canadians, and they should happily open you one... just bring your SIN if you don't have an SSN and valid proof you're Canadian ( I say that because I dont know what stuff they expect from someone living in the Cayman Islands lol)

Thanks @Sabrinaklai for advising me to look up @Gears ...since I do a LOT of online shopping both in Canada and the US, I am always on the lookout to best leverage the dollar to get the most bang out of a (Canadian) $. Disclaimer: I am NOT a financial expert nor am I in any way affiliated with any of the institutions listed outside of being a customer...all my data is anecdotal from a personal consumer standpoint @LetsTryThisTech linking to you vs cutting and pasting to the other thread For those that would prefer a TL:DR - what I have done is use my credit card (depending on FX as seen on table below) in combination with (despite it clearly stipulating for US residents only) RC gift certificates using my CANADIAN credit card and address. I wasnt sure my modified address was going to work, so at first I tried it with a $50 GC. I was ALSO pleasantly surprised that not only did it work, when I DIDNT end up using the $50, I got cash back on the ship! Now mind you, maybe it was because it was only $50 bucks...not sure what their policy may be for higher currency but I'm sure you guys can find ways to spend on board . The reason for me going this route: - I get to save bit by bit so that like @Matt has repeatedly said, I dont get that sticker shock at the end of a cruise - one of my credit cards charges 0% foreign fx fee and still gives me 1% back. Since RC gift certificates can be applied to the actual fare or anything on the ship, I tend to buy them when the exchange is favourable. See specific concerns FX wise below. BIGGEST REASON I go the gift card route: as y'all know, when you BUY currency, they often charge MORE than when you "SELL" currency... IE if a refund has to be done. For example, right now (Feb 2, 2018 10:01 AM EST), to buy US it is 1.279 [screenshot below]...to SELL is 1.2028. For example, if you had to cancel and rebook due to a sale on something on cruise planner, you get a refund and a new charge: say purchase value is $500 USD. You would be paying 639.50 CDN but only getting back 601.40. thats a total of $38.10 you "lost out" on which may or may not lower your actual savings by cancelling and rebooking something on cruise planner... I have a pre-done spreadsheet that basically I plug how much currency I want and the rates...and I get a side by side comparison and decide how to charge accordingly. -=-=- MUCH longer winded explanation-=-=- I have the following: -a US Dollar account in a Canadian Bank -a US Based Bank and Credit Card - A no fee Canadian credit card that DOES NOT charge any foreign conversion fee...and still gives 1% cash back rewards... - Cards with rewards but have 2.5% conversion fee So for those looking for STRAIGHT convenience, this may not be the best route but Im normally in front of a screen an inordinate amount of time and looking up cruising is relaxing and fun. I I also have a nerdy spreadsheet where I break down cost because Im a nerd like that... I have this spreadsheet that before I start going through the sites I update so I have a baseline ... mInd you with currency the situation is so fluid it can change every time some financial news comes out. For example (though my budget is NOWHERE near that...) for those going the suite route... on 10,000 USD here's my spreadsheet for currency for Feb 1, 2018 or those that uploaded their currency by today (Feb 2 ie Mastercard is still on Feb 1 so thats what Im using). Also keep in mind that banks tend to do their exchanges live...while Visa or MC may wait to change their conversions. ALSO, for credit card companies, the actual rate you pay is when the transaction is POSTED vs actual date... so if in the 1-2 business days it takes to post, if the FX has gone up or down... your rates are also going to be skewed. GENERALLY: the cheapest route without factoring in the Rogers MC system tends to be using a card with a 0% conversion. Its still cheaper than me transferring from my CDN Bank to my USD bank (whether in Canada or the USA) Example: 10,000 USD as of Feb 1/ Feb 2 at 10:01 am EST 0% conversion= $2,334 CDN bank to US account in CDN bank = $2591 2.5% Visa Conversion(was a live rate)= $2,642 2.5% Masterccard Conversion (rate from previous day) = $2,617 CDN Bank to US based bank = $2760

all the positive feedback on MEI is so intriguing! and I think for my 1st (and only) cruise at this point, I think I lucked out because they did seem to block off a chunk of rooms under a group booking that the TA just put me on because when I checked RC, they had the room for 1.5x the cost

Thats amazing! good to know and Ill probably copy your routine of currency to currency! Oh havent seen that post from @gears... I will try to find it because I was about to create a question on dollar leveraging lol

LOL I am unfortunately a big online shopper... and because I do cross border quite a bit (even have Nexus lol) I actually have ebates.COM so depending on the vendor and rebates available, I use them interchangeably . I have a USD account at one of my Canadian Banks...as well as a US account and credit card with a US bank but like you, I do get my US funds routed to Paypal always interested in how everyone manages to save ...just means more cruising $$$

Um for those that have gone the e-bates/ online TA route...do you guys use something like cruisefish? Depending on the forum or even their own site, people either say yes they love it...or that its no longer being done... Or do you guys use another site like CruisePlum or VacationsToGo ? like Sabrina I dont mind managing my own bookings and having to go call the agent for a reprice rather than the excellent service i've heard that MEI does for their clients here...but having a tool to make tracking easier even daily would be appreciated

Thanks @twangster you are amazing! I really wish I could book via MEI but their pricing doesn't seem to be close to what I see on the other sites :( Based on what Matt says on the blog and podcasts though...the service he receives from MEI seems way better than the ones I got from the one I booked my previous sailing with... Dont get me wrong... they didnt do anything WRONG... but they also didnt seem to do the things that Matt says MEI does for him like constantly checking for repricing or better staterooms..given maybe the one I had was the best that was available and I'm just suffering the case of the envies

So sorry... just to clarify, would CHANGING the name of a passenger incur a charge on a NON Refundable Booking if the date and ship stays the same? Both pre or post final deposit?

if you werent so awesome and helpful I'd probably resent you :P

lucky :P

I live close to the Oakville area... so slightly farther out but honestly worth it to go hit up Walmart and Trader joes.. even the Costco in Rochester and now with Amazon locker pickups.. kinda a no brainer for some items that are 2x the cost on .ca vs .com Off topic but: Are you guys BOTH from Ontario, Canada still then? how often do you guys cruise per year then? I am so jealous of @Matt and the others that are within an hour's drive from a cruise port SEEMS simple enough... but would definitely be grateful for a walkthrough just in case That makes total sense..sadly I'm one of those with a serious case of FOMO when it comes to tech...which pretty much means all the time as technology is ever evolving

that makes total sense.. now that you point it out, I have TP Link as my router at home, as well as my smart plugs so maybe ill go that route instead and invest in a smaller portable pack... the one I tend to carry around with me is heavy ...maybe because its 20 or 30,000 mAh how often do you think these need replacing? Think companies will ever come out with a AC 1200 (or higher) for a portable unit like this one? I live in Canada and although those items ARE available to me..its cheaper when I order it via .COM... which means a road trip to Buffalo so returns arent exactly the easiest :S

What do you think of this one? https://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Wireless-10400mAh-External-Performance/dp/B074LHG47K/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1517494057&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=wireless+travel+router&psc=1 supposedly also serves as a portable battery pack so I dont know if it can power itself and save me having to connect.... or should I just copycat you and get the TL-WR902AC? when you say small battery pack...what mAh would you recommend?

Wow...I will look to invest in that Wifi Travel Router... It was a bit of a pain switching between devices and that was just when I didnt have to remote or call in to work Thank you again!