Sometimes a travel advisor finds you a deal that seems too good to be true. But this was for real.
Thanks to my eagle-eyed Facebook friend Paul Cathcart, owner of Virginia-based Never Travel Solo, my husband and I ended up staying in a makeshift mini-suite onboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.
The eight-day Bahamas cruise from Cape Liberty in New Jersey was $1,200. And we got $200 in onboard credits.
It was a special deal on top of a special deal, posted on Labor Day weekend. Paul specializes in trips for singles, so he was drawn to a flash sale from Royal Caribbean offering balcony rooms at $599, with no single supplement.
Just recovering from a 15-day Covid quarantine, I looked at my husband and said, "For $599 a person, let's just go!"
Removing the barrier between balconies created one large space in the open air. Photo Credit: Cheryl Rosen
But Paul had an even better idea. Instead of booking just one balcony room, he said we could each book our own reservation, get two adjoining rooms and receive $100 in onboard credits for each room.
While in Florida's Port Canaveral, three days into our $1,200 vacation, our room steward took down the barrier between our rooms on the balcony so we have one huge space in the open air.
We have two bathrooms, two TVs, two hair dryers -- and tons of closet space.
My husband watched Monday Night football in one room while I worked in the other. I got up early; he slept late. (And no, the rest of the sleeping arrangements are not your business. But if he snores, I've got somewhere to go.)
So thanks, Paul Cathcart, for our mini-suite vacation. We owe you one!