Another cruise is coming up soon

So it is summer again, and it is time for another cruise. Having enjoyed so much the Mediterranean cruise we did last year, we decided to repeat this adventure this year as well. I thought I had all the flight squared away, booking on miles. Going to Barcelona through Frankfurt on LH Business class, and coming back through Frankfurt as well. I thought it would be a good opportunity to experience the First Class Lounge in Frankfurt, and I’ve managed to snag a First class on LH. Or so I thought. With Lufthansa having the entire airplane’s fleet refits with the new First class, the inevitable happened and a schedule change occurred. Not only a schedule change but a total change of the itinerary - coming back to JFK and not EWR. Unfortunately for me, it just would not work – it is hard to catch a flight at 8:00 in the morning (instead of the scheduled 12:30 pm) if your ship only docks at 7:00 in the morning.

So, looking at the CO page (all done prior to 3/3) I started to panic as there was not one way of getting back on my date (or any of the following dates) on business class. In order to make my options know, I even checked with AA who had nothing. Luckily, the CO agent I talked to managed to find alternative through Toronto on Air Canada. I lost the chance to visit the First Class Lounge,but at least I get home on the intended day, plus I got some miles back.

This time around we are going to stay at the Hilton Barcelona. The hotel just went through massive refurbishment and was closed for six months. I got an excellent rate through the Hilton weekend sale last January (for less than 100 Euros a night), and I am looking forward to experiencing the hotel.

I will be spending couple of days in Barcelona before the cruise. I booked some excursions with Spanish Trials. We took their tour last year (Bicycles and Wineries) and had a blast of a day. I am usually do it yourself type, but after the fun we had last year, as well as one of the itineraries involving a travel to the mountains, I trust them on those excursions. They are not cheap, especially comparing to doing it yourself; however with a group size of up to 6-8, a great guide, lunch included and the repeated customer discount I still think it is worth it to me.

I will promise to post a full review and pics once I'll get back.

A short visit to Richmond - Doubletree Downtown

This was a weekend gateway for me as Richmond is only 2 hours away, and I never been. Parking over the weekend near the hotel was very easy to find, and there is no need to pay the overpriced valet parking fee. At every time of the day I found parking on the street, no more than 2-3 minutes away from the hotel.

Checking in was not a pleasant experience. It seems that I have interrupted the check-in clerk in some sort of an important activity and all he wanted is to get rid of me. I have checked in online the night before, but my room was changed upon check-in. Why I do not know. I asked about the Gold breakfast, but the response was only Diamonds get breakfast. I send him to check with his colleague, which he did by shouting to the other side of the counter. Of course, Gold members get breakfast, no apology given, just a shrug of incompetence. I did not even get a cookie.

I did get somewhat of an upgrade. However, the rooms are old, tired. The furniture is dirty (see the picture), and the room is full with wires running all over the place. The bathroom is in dire need for renovation, although the water pressure was good, and there was always hot water. The layout of the room and bathroom was just strange, with a lot of unused space within the room and a very tight bathroom that left very little room for movement.

Breakfast was decent, and as a Gold member I received the buffet breakfast which had cold and hot items and was really adequate. Service in the restaurant was usually good, but they did get flustered with many people coming in at the same time.

The internet was free as a Gold member, and usually fast. Although there were times it just went down without any reason for 10-15 minutes at a time. There is a flat screen TV in the room, but it is small and not HD. Not really up to the standards I would expect. Air conditioning was loud but was functional, although it took a lot of finking with it to get it to the temperature I liked.

All in all, it was an OK stay for what I paid (got the room on the Hilton weekend sell). If I paid the rack rate, I would be highly disappointed. I really don’t know why it bears the Doubletree name. It is more suitable to what I expect from a Hampton Inn. I guess the room cannot be standardized so the lowest they could give it is Doubletree. However, I have been in many much better Doubltrees, and this one was a disappointing as one.

Dirty Furniture

Small, none HD TV

Wires everywhere

Wires everywhere