Tag: travel

Top tips when cruising with MSC Cruises

I have been on two MSC Cruises and here are my top tips when cruising

  • Download the MSC for me app before you travel.
  • Make sure you check the MSC daily programme.
  • Before your cruise check out the theme nights during your cruise.
  • If you have cruised with other cruise lines make sure you status match with MSC voyagers club.
  • If your in the MSC voyager club make sure you take advantage of all your perks.
  • Prebook internet,drinks packages or any extras before you go as you will save the 15% service charge if you booked onboard.
  • You can use chat on MSC for me to message other family members for free and this does not require an internet package.
  • Buy a Mia Tui Sue Shopper great bag to take towels to pool area or trips ashore. Do check out their other bags for example Falmouth Beach bag, Isobel https://miatui.com
  • Buy a MSC for Me Wristband they are great for using when using slides or getting drinks and getting in your cabin.
  • When you are using the spa make sure you take your cruise card as you need to hand it in at reception. I made the mistake of leaving it in cabin. I therefore had to walk all the way back to cabin to collect it.
  • Remember your cruise card when getting off the ship.
  • Make sure you take your daily programme ashore as it has all emergency information.
  • Use the MSC shuttle buses as it will save you time and prevent you getting lost.
  • Check the departure time at each port to prevent you missing the ship.
  • Don’t forget to register your credit card at one of the activation points.
  • Take Sellotape to tape labels on suitcases we always put two on 1 on both handles just incase one label falls off.
  • Finally have a wonderful cruise and enjoy all the yummy food,drink and ports.

I hope you find this useful.

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My little Olly’s 1st adventure holiday to London

My little Olly’s 1st adventure holiday to London.  I went to London with my Mum,Dad and my Cavalier King Charles dog called Olly. My brother David  lives in the big city and travelled with us on this trip. I have visited London a lot either on my own or with friends and family. This was a special trip as it was Olly’s 1st time to London so we made a few adaptions as we did not want to overwhelm him with the crowds.

We travelled down by car as we had to take stuff for my brother and we felt it would be easier with Olly. It also saved us a lot of money on train fares for 4 of us. LNER does allow dogs free of charge.

West Hampstead

Our holiday started in West Hampstead and had a excellent meal at the Alliance pub. They were very welcoming and allowed us inside and had a very yummy fish and chips. I would highly recommend this pub if you are in the area.

We were a little concerned how Olly would cope with the busy traffic and cars as he sometimes barks at traffic. He actually was better behaved than at home so I think he prefers life in London.

When you have a dog you want to go to places that welcome them as much as you can. I found quite a few places that were very welcoming for dogs. We only visited 3 places that are mentioned in this review.

Hyde Park

We went to Hyde park via london bus as it nicer and you see more of London and Olly got lots of attention from other passengers. Normally you don’t talk to other people in London but when you have a dog it’s so different.

On our 2nd day I was very keen to take Olly to Hyde Park as it looked a perfect place for walking and seen so many photos on Instagram of other cavaliers . It was ideal and a met a lovely mother and daughter who made a lovely fuss over Olly.

We visited the Lido at Hyde Park for a quick coffee and they only allowed dogs outside. The coffee was excellent and they had bowls of water for dogs aswell.

While enjoying our coffee at Lido. My brother  looked for a pub for our lunch and found the Swan pub opposite Hyde Park on Bayswater Road. We had Roast Dinners and Beefburgers which were excellent. We were able to eat inside which was a bonus.

I really hope you enjoyed reading this blog of our holiday and found it useful. If you would like to read my other blogs here is the link

https://rosinaslifeisnice.co.uk/

Wells next the Sea in Norfolk

 Introduction 

Wells next the Sea in Norfolk is one of my favourite places in the UK. Its gorgeous and plenty of places to go and lovely walks.  The beach is massive and you can walk for miles we never thought we would get to the sea but we did an hour later  !!!. You could take thousands of photos there its that picturesque. I think I could live there.  I have spent quite a few holidays in Norfolk as we used to have a static caravan in Cromer.

Pinewoods Caravan site 

We stayed at Pinewoods touring caravan site which is 10 minutes walk through the static caravans to the beach in Wells next the Sea. This touring site is in an ideal location for both the beach and visiting the town and very modern toilet and shower facilities. They had very yummy croissants that were available from the shop onsite. . The only issue I encountered was the lack of WIFI. I had to use my parent’s data and tethered my phone. They have a little train that takes you from Pinewoods caravan site to Wells next the sea and back again and costs £1.50 per single journey. We went on our last trip but Olly our little dog was not very impressed and we were concerned he may jump out so did not go this time !!!!

Restaurants

We stayed for 4 days and visited a few local restaurants along the Norfolk coast. It was incredibly busy as there was an event at Holkham Hall. The weather was gorgeous as well.  French’s fish and chips in Wells were fantastic and the rest of Wells seemed to have the same idea as us that evening. We went to Ollies Restaurant on Sunday which was in an area we never knew existed but I would highly recommend this excellent and very welcoming pub. They also sell a collection of RNLI products and I purchased a travel mug and my Mum purchased some lovely greeting cards.

On Monday we went to a pub that I have wanted to visit for a long time. I have seen a lot of people mention it on Instagram.  I finally got to experience the amazing Hoste Arms in Burnham Market.  It exceeded my expectations and the meal was amazing.  We all had burgers which were massive.  All the staff were so welcoming and made a lovely fuss of our dog and even bought a bowl of water without being prompted.  We also visited the Beach Cafe at Wells beach which was very dog-friendly and plenty of bowls of water.

There are lots of dog-friendly places to go which is ideal for us as we took our Cavalier King Charles dog, Olly. My Dad saw several other Cavalier King Charles spaniels which Olly loved as he seems to know his own breed.

I hope you find this a useful blog.   If you have any questions please get in touch.   Click on the link below to read my other blogs.

https://rosinaslifeisnice.co.uk

Our Road trip = BBC Elstree Studios with Kate

On Wednesday 9th May I went for a road trip to BBC Elstree studios with my friend Kate. First of all I applied online for tickets to appear in the audience of This Time Next Year The Reveal with Davina McCall a few weeks ago. We were in luck as we both received tickets.

We looked at all the options of getting to Elstree. I thought  it would be easier to go via car as we did not know what time the show would finish. We left Lincoln at 9am and stopped halfway at the services at Peterborough for a drink and cake. On route  Kate and I then visited the David Lloyd in Bushey for lunch as we are both members so we can use other clubs. We had a little walk around to see where everything was and what they had to offer. The staff were all incredibly welcoming and we really enjoyed our visit. I wish we had a little more time as I would have liked to try their Prama class.

We left David Lloyd at 1.55 to get to BBC studios. It was only 15 mins away. I parked my car a 5 min walk from the studios. The car park was Brook Road Borehamwood WD5 5HQ . The cost of parking was £4.40 from 2.20 ish till 8.00 am the next day. We then walked to the BBC studio which was in the middle of a housing estate near McDonald’s.

If you would like to get tickets for future shows please click on this link.www.applausestore.com. If you put a promo code in when applying for your tickets you get a guaranteed ticket. If it’s a general ticket then you will not necessary get in to watch the show.

Most of all we really enjoyed the experience and fantastic that the tickets  were free. I will definitely keep looking to see what else is available. If you get the opportunity go along and I hope you enjoy watching the show.

Handy tips when caravanning

This blog will help you when caravanning away. My family and I have been on caravan holidays since I was quite young. We started off in a static caravan in Cromer, Norfolk and went most school holidays. We then stopped as it was not as convenient as we had a dog and the caravan site was not dog friendly.

As a family we had a break from caravanning for a number of years but decided about 8 years ago to get a tourer caravan as we could go to different places and take our dog. We basically bought the caravan for the dog, he is very spoilt. Olly our dog loves going on his adventures in the caravan.

Here are some tips I would highly recommend.

  • Check out the local area and see how far it is to the areas you want to visit.
  • Wifi. Some sites do not have great wifi  so always check 1st.
  • Read reviews of sites as it a good giveaway of what the sites facilities are like.
  • If you are sleeping on the bed that is made up make sure you turn the cushions upside down as you will not feel all the ridges.
  • For the best comfort get a duvalay they are so comfortable.https://www.duvalay.co.uk/duvalay-freshtec-sleeping-bag
  • Get a Mia Tui Alex bag to take over to the shower block. They fold up and a perfect size to take all your stuff to the shower block.https://miatui.com/collections/alex-folding-travel-bag-1
  • If you can choose your caravan pitch look at map before hand to see where you want to be.
  • Take spare blankets as some nights it can get quite cold.
  • If travelling with a dog have a box of all their stuff together.
  • Use shower as an extra storage. We always use the shower block for showers.
  • Use a old milk bottle and cut off the top to use as a bin.
  • Don’t forget your chairs to sit outside.
  • If you join the Caravan and Motorhome club and using your caravan several times a year and like using wifi join for the year as it is better value.
  • We always use Crocs as they are quick and easy to pop on.

Finally I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog. If you would like to read any of my other blogs please click on this link  https://rosinaslifeisnice.co.uk

Handy tips when cruising

This blog will help you on your 1st cruise. My family and I have been on a number of cruises. I always study the brochure very carefully to see where the best cabins are and what cabins you should avoid. I have cruised both P&O and Cunard. If you have any questions please get in touch.

  • Ring a number of different agents as the price can differ enormously.
  • Don’t accept an upgrade if you want to be in a specific area as you could be put anywhere on the ship.
  • If you are on your 1st cruise I would advise going midships and lower as you will feel less movement.
  • Take sickness wrist bands and tablets just in case you need them. They do sell them on the ship but they will be more expensive.
  • When looking at cabin deck plans look what is above and below. I would personally avoid been under the swimming pools or prom deck. This is so you do not get an early wake-up call when the crew are arranging the deck chairs
  • Each day they will give you a newsletter of what will be on the following day. We always look what we want to do the previous day so we don’t miss any important competitions.
  • If you are with a few family members we leave notes of where we will be at what time so we don’t lose each other. We sometimes leave notes in the letter holder outside the cabin.
  • If you do use the internet remember to log out, I forgot one time.
  • Don’t put your phone near your cruise card as it will stop you getting in your cabin. I was doing this constantly on my last cruise.
  • Check what evenings have which dress code as you don’t want to miss the Captain’s dinner. The menu on those evenings is really special and my friends unfortunately booked an alternative restaurant and felt rather cheated.
  • Don’t forget your pegs as they have a line in the bathroom.

Massive thank you to my readers

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I only started this blog a month ago so I am still learning every day which is great for my brain.

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Will I win my bid with Seat frog app ?

Has anyone had any success with the Seat frog app? I love travelling 1st class but some of the fares recently have been quite expensive. I downloaded the app several months ago and have not tried it yet.

How much has it cost you all to upgrade your tickets using the Seat frog app? I hear you can upgrade from £5.00. There is 2 options you can bid or upgrade now. Since writing this blog I have booked a standard ticket for one of my trips to see how much it will cost me to upgrade. I probably should have just booked direct but I wanted to see if I could save more money. When I have been on my journey in June I will write a blog on my experiences using the app and how much it cost me in the end.

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Handy tips on how to pack light

First of all this blog is Handy tips on how to pack light. Anyone who knows me well knows I do not find it easy to pack light but I have managed to find some easy solutions to have a weeks clothes in a carry on case. Here are my tips.

  • I use travel bottles for skin care products or if I can I will get some free samples from my favourite brands which pack even smaller.
  • These packing cubes which compress even smaller and much easier when you get to your destination. I have used these and they are brilliant. I got a pack of six in different sizes.


https://amzn.to/2HNnjaU

  • I use a small box with compartments for jewellery it’s really easy to use for earring, bracelets and necklaces. This product was bought from amazon and was incredibly cheap. My Mum saw how useful the box was that she asked me to order her one on our return from our trip.


https://amzn.to/2HLFMVp

Mia Tui has an excellent selection of bags for travelling. Some of their bags have a cabin compliant PVC bag which is useful going through security. You can purchase a pack of 3 bags all different sizes which is very useful for all occasions.

https://miatui.com

pvc bags

  • Buy a Go travel worldwide travel adaptor it has 2 USB charging plugs.

https://amzn.to/2jotiZ6

  • Pack your lightest shoes and wear your heaviest.

I love a bargain

I love trying to save money and apparently my Grandma was exactly the same, as me so I am following in her footsteps. My Grandma used to stock pile which is buy when it is on offer. I do the same if it is a product I use regularly. I watch programmes in America and some have a whole room dedicated to their stockpile. I have not gone that far as we do not have the space. I thought I would write a list of ways to save money.