What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment below.

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Welcome to another episode of Travel Tip Tuesday, this is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com. In this week’s episode we talk about taking a bike tour of Toronto Island in Toronto, ON, Canada. First you rent a bike from Toronto Bicycle Tours, then they take you by ferry over to the island, then you bike around the island. You can personalize the tours to suit your individual needs.

The tour takes you around the set of islands just off the coast of Toronto. If you are luck, an airplane will come very low overhead as it lands at Toronto City Airport (YTZ).

If you’d like you can even go to the beach on the island and if you prefer, you can use the clothing optional beach. These are clearly marked so you can’t make any mistake.

My Guides were Terence and Will who took expert care of us.

Watch now!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Disclosure: I received this tour compliments of Tourism Canada.

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Welcome to another episode of Travel Tip Tuesday, this is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com. In this week’s episode we talk about taking an Ontario Wine Country Tour. Tourism Canada took me on a tour a few weeks back and I was able to experience wines from the following vineyards.

• Henry of Pelham
• Creekside Winery
• Rosewood Estates Winery
• Peninsular Ridge

You can charter a local coach to take you down and do the wine tour or stay in local hotels in the area. I’d recommend not driving to the vineyard so you can enjoy a good day of wine tasting. Instead take taxis or rent coaches for the tours.

Watch now!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Disclosure: I received this tour compliments of Tourism Canada.

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Welcome to another episode of Travel Tip Tuesday, this is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com. In this week’s episode we talk about using the Trams in Toronto, ON Canada.

Watch now!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Disclosure: I received two All Day Passes during my tour of Toronto; however, I paid for all the other times of my one week stay.

The post How To Get Around Toronto, ON Canada Using the Trams – Travel Tip Tuesday appeared first on Travel Tips for Travelers - Cruisinaltitude.com.

Welcome to another episode of Travel Tip Tuesday, this is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com. In this week’s episode we talk about why you should get a Rotterdam Welcome Card when visiting Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Watch now!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Disclosure: I received a welcome card from the Rotterdam Tourist Board. It does not in anyway influence this video.

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Welcome to another episode of Travel Tip Tuesday, this is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com. In this week’s episode we talk about another way for you to complete your GLobal Entry Application

Watch now!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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As I boarded an Airbus A319 on Thursday morning as UA795 from Atlanta to Houston, I was even more excited to see that the side of the airplane had the word “WiFi” on it. “This was going to be a great flight,” I mused.

I said hello to the flight attendants at the entry door adding that I’m told there’s complimentary Wifi on this flight. She added that there is United WiFi, but its not complimentary, smiling as she did so.

I went to my seat, got settled in and opened up my laptop. I looked for the signal, but instead, I got the gogo wifi from the Delta airplanes nearby. I looked in the Hemisphere magazine, but got no additional information.

We pushed back and headed for the runway and was airborne in what seemed like forever. Apparently, it was busy time in ATL, but being the aviation geek, I loved it! As soon as we hit 10,000′, I opened up the computer and saw the United WiFi and connected to it; yeah! The flight attendant said that we could turn on our electronic equipment, but place them in airplane mode which was funny to hear since in that mode I could not use the Wifi feature. I guess they need to modify the announcement just slightly.

It took a while to connect, about 11.5 minutes, but finally I connected and saw that it was $6.99 for standard speed and $10.99 for 3x the standard speed. I chose the cheaper option and after a few tries was charged and connected.

I was asked to sign in using my MileagePlus number or create a guest account, but I was disappointed that I still had to enter a new credit card when I already have one in My MileagePlus Account. I hope these two systems are integrated in the future so that when you sign in using your MileagePlus number, you are able to use more than one device by just signing in again.

I started communicating with my friends on Facebook and checking e-mail, but it was all so slow. The lady across the aisle was having issues logging in with her iPad, so I gave her a hand. She was already connected, but there was no start screen, so I brought up a Safari window and typed in cnn.com and then the United WiFi home page came up. Now she was all sorted out. I then explained how it worked to her and the Flight Attendant who was passing by at the moment and had been attentive to our needs throughout the entire process of signing in.

The service allows you to see united.com for free as well as see where you are, and how fast you were going; a nice touch.

One of my facebook friends as me to run a speed test, so I obliged. After two tries, I got it to work. Apparently my connection was not very fast. At the same moment, another friend was flying on American and sent me his speed test (25mb download and 6mb upload). It was much faster than my connection. It was funny as other friends were also sending their Internet networks’ speed test results as well.

As advertised, I was able to sign into another device. I signed into my iPad, which immediately signed me out of my MacBook. I was able to use the iPad without any issues. As I was running out of power on the MacBook, I could not sign back in. I think in-seat power should be added to these planes when they do the Wifi installation.

My flight time was 2:02, but between takeoff and climb, connecting and the descent, I may have had only about an hour of surfing time if that much. Not sure if that was worth my $6.99 considering that the speed was so slow and I got very little accomplished, except to test the service.

Have you tried the new Wifi from United? What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment below.

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As a disclaimer, I worked in the airline industry from 1994 until June 2011 primarily in the Customer Satisfaction area. I started on the ramp loading bags in the cargo hold and when I left the industry, after stints in Route Planning, Revenue Management, Distribution, Ecommerce and Marketing ended up helping customers when they have issues. You know the ones that you now see all over the Internet. So I get it. I’ve heard the best stories and the worst stories. Some are funnier than others. People are very creative sometimes.

However, I do believe that some customers want a little too much at times; i.e. their expectations are out of line. I mean, if you paid only a few dollars for your ticket, then that’s the level of service you should expect. Many airlines go above and beyond that. Others just that. This is the same as in most other industry I think.

Also, I read where customers complain about the service on low cost carriers; really what were you expecting? They give you the full details on what to do and because you did not follow those instructions, the airline sucks. Well that is just not fair. I know that most people don’t read the rules as most people don’t even know what is the Contract of Carriage, do you? this is the document you agreed to once you bought your airline ticket. I’ve flown those low cost carriers, followed the rules and no issues. Some of the rules are quite ridiculous and crazy, but I wanted cheap so I complied.

Some people spend all their money on shopping and then expect the airlines to allow them to take their overweight bag at no extra charge. Remember that the airline is a business with expenses just like any other. So plan ahead and manage your expenses.

Now, I do agree that some airlines are not as good as others, but that is the business. Customer service is tough. But as consumers you do have to be held accountable as well. It is not a one way street.

I’ve had my bags delayed, heck, my mom had an airline lose her bag and I went through the painstaking process of making a claim. A little less demanding than filling out an insurance claim, but close. Yes, the system could do with some overhaul.

I know you may not be happy about this post, if that’s the case, leave a comment below, please tell me why do you hate the airlines? I’d love to understand where you are coming from. You see where I’m coming from here.

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Of course I was bitten by the bug so in 2006, myself and another work colleague made our way to Turin, Italy for the Games as well. It was difficult to get tickets, but we queued up in the cold and eventually got tickets for the Women’s Ice Hockey game (seeing a pattern?)  We actually had to walk all the way across town to see the game, but it was a lot of fun to visit that city as neither of us had been there before.

In 2010, I really wanted to see Apollo Ohno skate on the ice, so myself and three other colleagues journeyed to Vancouver, BC Canada; our goal was to see ice skating, but alas, we got no tickets at all, not even for Ice Hockey; duh, we were in Canada! Instead, we ended up partying downtown Vancouver all night and having way too much fun. We partied until it was time for our early morning flight back to Houston, TX.

And so, this brings us to the games in Sochi, Russia which are to be held next year (2014) from Friday, February 7, to Sunday February 23, 2014. Unlike other trips, this will take some planning as there are visas to be had. I really want to go to Sochi as I’ve not been to Russia, although I may end up there before the games next year. Luckily the visa rules are not as difficult as they used to since September 2012 for U.S. citizens.

Visa Information
If you are planning on going, you will more than likely need a Russian visa. There are may visa services available out there, but I suggest you start with the U.S. State Department if you are in the U.S. If you are outside of the U.S. find the similar service that is provided by your country.  This will give you information on Russia and the requirements for your country’s citizens to visit there.

Some notes for U.S. citizens applying for tourist visas:

• You are eligible for a 3-year multiple entry visa
• It is no longer necessary to get a sponsorship letter
• You must have advance accommodations
• You must have tour operator information
• Carry your passport and visa with you at all times when in Russia
• You may be required to show proof of medical insurance, employment; the consulate will advise you once you contact them on all the required documentation
• Your visa must still be valid when exiting Russia; other you must re-apply for a visa which may take up to 20 days; usually visa are granted for up to six months
• The Application form can be found here; fill it out, then print it out
• There are several consulates in the U.S. contact the one closest to you for details on the application process as well as the cost of your visa:

• Embassy of the Russian Federation

  Consular Section
  2641 Tunlaw Rd. NW
  Washington, DC 20007
  Tel. 202-939-8907

  Additional Russian Consulates:
  Houston, TX: 1333 West Loop South, Ste.1300, Houston, TX 77027, Tel. 713-337-3300
  New York, NY: 9 East 91 St., New York, NY 10128, Tel. 212-348-0926
  San Francisco, CA: 2790 Green St., San Francisco, CA 94123, Tel. 415-928-6878 or 415-202-9800; and
  Seattle, WA: 2323 Westin Building, 2001 6th Ave., Seattle, WA 98121, Tel. 206-728-1910.

Tickets
Tickets went on sale in Russia for Russians on February 7, 2013 and will go on sale in the U.S. on February 11, 2013 from a company called CoSport. This is the same company that sold the tickets for the Summer Games in London, England. Tickets go on sale at noon ET and will start at $22 if you can get them.

Go to www.sochi2014.com if you are from other countries to see how to procure your tickets. If you can’t get tickets, its still alot of fun to visit an Olympic city during the Games. And remember, you need a Visa card as they take no other.

It’s a little different in Sochi as you will also need a Spectator Pass in addition to your tickets to gain access to the stadiums; you can get this pass by applying on the Official Sochi Web site.

One other way to get in, is to be a volunteer. Information can be found here.  But hurry you only have another 18 days it seems to enter (by the end of February 2014).

Getting There
So where exactly is Sochi, Russia (AER) and how does one get there?

Sochi, sits on the coast of the Black Sea, just north of Georgia in the south western part of Russia. Check out Google Maps here. It is served by the following airlines at the moment:

• Aeroflot (SU)
• Air Moldova
• Alitalia (AZ)
• KLM (KL)
• S7 Airlines
• TAP (TP)
• Turkish Airlines (TK)
• Ukraine International
• Ural Airlines
• Uzebekistan Airways (HY)
• Yakutia Airlines

View Larger Map
There will be many cultural events leading up to the Games, hop over to the special Website set up for this for additional details.

Will you be in Sochi for the Games? Have you ever been to an Olympic event? Please leave a comment below; I’d love to hear from you.

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