calliopecruiser

I can't recommend a luxury hotel, but I do recommend staying near Tokyo station.

At that price (<$200 per day) you are not going to get a luxury cruise; you might not even be able to find a premium line (Azamara, etc) at that price (though there might be sales)

Ha, that's the assumption that my weight has ever been in check. I haven't been a "normal" weight since I was, well, born.

I'll be solo on Silversea in 3 weeks. I've looked at Regent, but the solo cost is pretty high and I've been reluctant to push that button and commit.

I don't think fancy has anything to do with luxury, per se, because fancy doesn't equal top quality. All the lobster (ick) and caviar (meh) won't make for luxury dining if they're not good quality, well prepared, and well served. Maybe it was on Ponant (I've never sailed with them), but "fancy" or expensive items alone don't make for luxurious food or dining.

What blurring? Single is unmarried, and solo is a description of someone currently without company. If it makes you feel any better - even though I cruise solo, I don't go to solo gatherings.

The first - Sydney to Auckland. More sea days, and I haven't seen the southern island. The second cruise has more time in Hobart, which I would like, but also overnights in Napier, which holds no interest for me.

I don't think so, but I'm not sure I'd know.......I just do what I need to do to get where I want to go. Give yourself lots of time, and if you are concerned about getting ripped off by local transport, you can always book a driver service for a pre-arranged price.

I consider myself travelling solo, even if I know other people on the cruise. I might have friends on board, but I make my own arrangements, have my own cabin, and choose my own excursions (or not). The last time I was on the same cruise as friends, we sometimes chose to dine separately, each eating with different people we'd met on board.

.That's nice, because good food is really important to me; my last 2 cruises were somewhat lacking in the service sector (didn't ruin the cruise, but were not what I was hoping for). You know me......entertainment isn't a big issue, but food and service are

Cruising is the best way to start travelling solo, because everything is arranged for you -- you don't need to plan where to go to dinner, or worry about walking into a bar alone; there's entertainment options all nearby if you want them, but safe and quiet places to go if you don't. You will see the same people around the ship so often, they won't be strangers for long, and that will make it easier to strike up conversations with them, and you will all have some shared experiences (which are great for starting conversations). I think a 10 day trip is a good one to start solo cruising -- cruises of 7 days or less tend to have more of a party vibe, and cruisers are more likely to want to hang with the people they came with. In a longer cruise, more cruisers are (in my experience) more laid-back, willing to talk with other travellers, and less focused on being busy all the time.

I'm interested to hear about your experiences as solo on Explora, which I'm also considering (solo). I don't cruise for anything less than 2 weeks, though - preferably 3-4, but they do have some interesting itineraries and I hear great things.

Been there, but a lot of it is very specific (food/decor/entertainment), rather than an overall experience vs. other lines. .

I'd love to hear about these new entrants to the luxury category.

I do some floor Pilates exercises and stretches that I learned years ago (I still take a twice weekly private Pilates class, but use equipment these days rather than floor stuff). Thoracic rotations, Psoas activations, and a variation of a "Figure 4" stretch with my feet on a wall. OK, sometimes I can't do it against the wall until I've done it with my feet on the ground first a few times to stretch my Piriformis enough. I prefer to do them in the gym if there's a decent amount of floor space available, but I can do them in my cabin as well. I also walk the stairs if it's 2 flights (sometimes 3) rather than take the lift. I'm there to relax, not do chores (i.e. exercises), so I do just enough to maintain.