MorganClark

On 7/9/2021 at 3:31 PM, chengkp75 said:

Well, if you are going to use a foreign flag ship, then you would need to round trip from the West Coast, so it would be 5 days out, 7 days in Hawaii, and 5 days back, for 17 days.  Most lines that do the West Coast to Hawaii, are 14 day, with 4 days in Hawaii.

Thanks. Another poster on this thread pointed out that it would have to be a "closed-loop" cruise (as you also point out above). For a one-way cruise, a foreign flag cruise ship would have to call at a "distant" foreign port, that's why for the one-way cruises to/from Hawaii, the foreign flag cruise ships embark/disembark in Ensenada, MX or Vancouver, BC.

Heck, I'd love to do a 17-day R/T ("closed-loop") cruise to Hawaii from say LA or SD (with Ensenada, MX being the required foreign port call). I think just 4 days in Hawaii is too short.

56 minutes ago, ericfromri said:

well, i shall see you on Allure than in april may 22   adventure was the first rc ship i went on

Cool 😎.  I'll meet you at one of the many bars/lounges onboard and buy you a beer.

3 hours ago, ericfromri said:

have fun,        if the adventure is your only RC experience, please dont judge the line by that ship

Thanks. Adventure of the Seas will not be my only RC experience (by far). Besides Celebrity Edge in Oct, here's my upcoming bookings after my Adventure of the Seas cruise (fall of 2021 to spring of 2022); Oasis of the Seas (Nov 2021), Anthem of the Seas (Jan 2022), Symphony of the Seas (Feb 2022), Odyssey of the Seas (Feb/March 2022) & Allure of the Seas (Apr/May 2022).

As a solo cruiser, I have already found RC to be very "solo-friendly" (with their 60% off the 2nd guest promo and their studio balcony cabins on their Quantum class ships). Celebrity, as well (with their Single Infinite Veranda staterooms on their Edge class ships).

6 hours ago, coastcat said:

The square footage comparison also doesn't take into account the size of the beds; a Studio cabin's bed is comparable to a twin-sized, IIRC. Remind me to bring a tape measure on my next cruise!

 

The design of a Studio - minimalist modern design, storage solutions that keep most stuff out of sight - brings a more airy feel to the space. It's still small, though, and someone with claustrophobia should probably avoid it (or at least tour a cabin before booking). Me, I love a cozy space. I'm on NCL in August 2021 (Encore), October 2021 (Bliss), Sept 2022 (Prima), Jan 2023 (Breakaway), and March 2023 (Prima again) - all Studios. If I want to relax in a larger space there's the Studio Lounge or, well, the whole rest of the ship...

 

 

I like the way you think (and book cruises, like me lol). I'm looking forward to trying the NCL "solo experience" (with the array of exclusive studio cabins in their own key-carded area and the studio lounge). I am sure I will be fine with the small sq ft of the studio cabin. As a cadet in a maritime academy my junior year, I had a very small room on our training ship. The school was allowed to use the training ship as a dorm during the school year. IIRC, the room I was in was the radio operator's room up high on "O" deck, right below the bridge deck. I remember that I could almost stand in the middle of that room and stretch my arms completely out and touch both bulkheads on both sides of the room. When I was in the room, I would always keep the door open to "give me more space" (lol). But, I actually liked that room the semester I was in it (one thing was - no roommate).

Ironically, my first 7 out 8 cruises is with RCI & Celebrity (due to RCI's 60% off the 2nd guest ongoing promo & their studio balcony cabins on their Quantum class ships and Celebrity's Single Veranda Staterooms on their Edge class ships). So, RCI & Celebrity are very "solo-friendly", imo. My first NCL cruise in a studio cabin is not until Oct 23, 2022 on the Norwegian Encore. But, it's a long 21-day "ocean-to-ocean" repo cruise from Seattle to Miami. So, I'll have 3 weeks to enjoy my little studio cabin on Encore!

1 hour ago, coastcat said:

If I recall correctly, Haven cabins include a Nespresso machine. 

At those Haven prices, each Haven cabin should come with your own personal coffee roaster along with your personal butler...

4 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That's funny.  Hopefully a bit of humor is okay....

Just trying to adhere to our "you know what" charter (to not take yourself too seriously).

2 minutes ago, GonzoWCS said:

Nah Florida just from Toledo and grew up with the RWs

Toledo is close to the Michigan line and to Detroit, so it can be considered Red Wing country...

Just now, ChiefMateJRK said:

Freezer??  🤣

Nice..errrrr, I mean "ice". 😂

1 hour ago, oteixeira said:

I plan on trying Celebrity in the next year or two myself, this is exactly the kind of information I am looking for.  Great post, can't wait for experienced (with both products) cruisers to chime in.

I'll be on the Celebrity Edge Oct 2 - 9th, but in a Single Infinite Veranda. No Retreat (or Haven for that matter) for this solo cruiser; too rich for my blood (having to pay double).

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I'm pretty sure that I've always had orange juice and coffee at Breakfast and never paid a penny.  Sometimes, the orange juice is in the form of a screwdriver....

But how do they turn a liquid into a solid?  😂

49 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

Prima, currently, is not my future.

She is mine. But, booked way out, Sept 25 - Oct 5, 2023. Cruise is from Reykjavik, Iceland to Southampton, UK.  👍

55 minutes ago, hungry1 said:

The Prima studio is slightly smaller at 95 square feet/9 square meters. 

Yaay! Smaller studio cabins....just what we need. Thanks NCL 🤪.

1 hour ago, ggTexasGal said:

I'm fairly certain that when someone talks about a "Single Suite" on NCL, they have booked an actual "Suite/Haven Suite" and paid the Single Supplement price.  But, maybe Prima will have something new that I haven't learned about yet!

Man, a suite or Haven suite with a 100% solo supplement? Ouch. Too rich for my blood.

32 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

LOL - That’s lucky to last us during lunch! 🤪🥂

Nice. (Cheers!)

4 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Not that I disagree, but what didn't you like about Princess vs. NCL? (I've never sailed Princess)

Actually, I thought Princess did a great job in Alaska, both on land and at sea (we did a cruise tour). That's the one and only time I sailed with Princess  So, since I haven't sailed with Princess outside of Alaska, I may have mis- spoken and prejudged them. If I ever wanted to cruise to Alaska, I wouldn't hesitate to go with Princess again.

3 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Not that I disagree, but what didn't you like about Princess vs. NCL? (I've never sailed Princess)

59 minutes ago, GonzoWCS said:

Very interesting discussion here.  Thanks to everyone for the information!

 

Cheers

Thanks. Btw, I like your CC avatar. I'm a Red Wings fan also. Do you live in Michigan?

1 hour ago, GonzoWCS said:

Very interesting discussion here.  Thanks to everyone for the information!

 

Cheers

*duplicate post*

57 minutes ago, GonzoWCS said:

Very interesting discussion here.  Thanks to everyone for the information!

 

Cheers

Thanks. Btw, I like your CC avatar. I'm a Red Wings fan also. Do you live in Michigan?

1 hour ago, OctoberLace said:

I'm wondering if the NCL Studio cabins would be too tight for someone with claustrophobia.  I've only had a problem with that when I had an MRI, but I'd hate to book a cruise and have a similar response to tight quarters.  My late husband and I booked an inside cabin years ago on RCCL's Sovereign of the Seas, and after one night I asked if there were any outside cabins available and got moved for only $50.  I could have tolerated it, but that was 120 sq. ft., so 97 sq. ft. including shower seems tight.  On the other hand, I've had absolutely no problem when I've booked an inside cabin on Cunard and Celebrity.

 

I've seen a lot of comments saying NCL's Single Suite is great for solo travelers, and NCL seems to do a lot of my bucket list destinations at really great solo rates.  Any input on your experience with these cabins will be greatly appreciated!

NCL's single suite? Is that different from NCL's studio cabin?

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

A couple of bottles of wine doesn't go very far,,, unfortunately. 

They do for one night, lol.

1 hour ago, coastcat said:

LOL!

 

I had decided that yes, it would be silly to book the Bliss cruise. And then I when I got the daily mail, there was an unexpected refund check (pre-paid services on a car I traded in earlier this year, forgot all about it!) which was about the same amount as a Studio plus beverage/dining package gratuities.
 

Clearly the universe wanted me to take the Bliss cruise. 
 

Slightly bummed that I won’t be on the March Edge cruise in a Single Infinite Veranda. Very happy that I’ll be on the January Edge cruise in an aft balcony for about $600 less. Oddly enough, flights to Fort Lauderdale are also significantly cheaper in late January than during Spring Break, go figure…

I'll be on Celebrity Edge in a Single Infinite Veranda (SIV) on Oct 2nd. I'll let you know how it was. I'm also booked on Celebrity Apex in Dec 2022. Eventually, I also want to book the Celebrity Beyond. Btw, Beyond is supposed to have 32 SIV staterooms! Apex has 24 SIVs and Edge has 16 SIVs.

1 hour ago, saltsandknit said:

I’m lucky and surprised  I don’t get motion sickness my mom and sister struggle with it. A lot of sick people on the ship. That cruise.  Unfortunately it was just so boring. I like sea days usually and longer cruises. I didn’t much care for Princess either. 

Yeah, I agree about Princess. I sailed with Princess to Alaska. But it's "one and done" for both Princess and Alaska for me.

1 hour ago, BoundForSea said:

You’re gonna LOVE it. We stepped off Millennium, and were just blown away and said u less we take the family, NCL just got voted off our island (no pun intended)

Thanks! Oh, I forgot to add, Celebrity Edge will be my 2nd solo cruise (I'm booked in a Single Infinite Veranda). My 1st solo cruise is next Sat (7/17) on the Adventure of the Seas out of Nassau, Bahamas.

52 minutes ago, BoundForSea said:

Being a long time NCL Platinum client, many times in Haven and on BA, BA+, Sun, and Gem classes, we just did a B2B on Millennium (Retreat) in June from St Maarten. Here’s my big take-always (keep in mind there was 30% capacity at around 500 passengers): 

 

1.  Activities much better on NCL

2.  Entertainment much better on NCL

3.  Retreat on Millinnium was a big waste of $$. Unlike the Haven on a BA class ship, the experience on the ship was exceptional. The food in MDR is superb and if same quality as Luminae. The lounge was small and meh (pretty but uncomfortable tbh). Sun Deck was completely unusable, as with 90deg temps near equator in Summer, there is zero shade and no airflow up there. They forgot to put breaks in the glass surrounding the space so it’s like the surface of the sun up there. Totally unusable. You could boil pasta in the hot tub up there. Trust me, skip it. 

4.  Food experience was outstanding. MDR Quality was on par with specialty on NCL. Skipped specialty for two weeks, just not needed!!! The buffet quality of food was just amazing. It was not uour typical NCL buffet quality. The food was just 10/10 incredible folks. 

5.  Ship staff was the most amazing we experienced ever in 20 cruises. I mean consistently just amazing humans everywhere. Did exceed by far my experience on NCL which can be hit or miss. You will see. 

6.  Drink selections much much more extensive especially with Premium package. Beer, wine, spirits, etc many many more. First time we found a ship have Diet Tonic!!!! I was shook. Amazing. 

7.  Compared to the Sky or Sun (similar age) ship was much more beautiful (it went through the revolutionized refit in 2019). I liked the Gem better in layout though (same size) and found it a little more beautiful. 

8. No nickel and diming, for example the coffee shop, Il Bacio is on par with a Starbucks on BA+ and in some ways exceeds it, but all drinks and ALL the morning pastries and goodies and all nightly desserts in the glass case are included. The only thing you need to pay for is Gelato and a slot machine, and anything in a store. The stores were very nice, typical, but all the stock on the ship was leftover from 2019 due to covid and hadn’t been restocked since the shutdown. I was told this was being fixed when she arrives in Seattle later this month. 

 

Here’s the bottom line: Dollar for dollar you get much more for your money on Celebrity and I wasn’t even on an Edge class ship, Beyond and Apex are just incredible and take this to a whole new level. You just get more for your money. Now if you have kids, stick with NCL. If you are a “fun ship” person, stick with NCL. We sailed with the kids for years on NCL and in and out of Haven and it was a perfect fit. As 40something empty nesters, Celebrity is the sweet spot for us. 

 

I will now consistently choose Celebrity to see the world as we now expand our scope of travel to Europe, Asia, Middle East, Antarctica, and Baltics. It’s just a better product, and experience in my opinion. Don’t get sucked into Retreat like me though. You don’t need it, maybe on Edge it’s a better experience, but on Summit Class just skip it. No thermal spa so Aqua is kinda a bust too. The food in MDR is just incredible guys, truly. 

Thanks for this informative post about Celebrity. I'm on the Edge Oct 2 - 9th, so looking forward to her even more now. I'm literally "on the edge' (well, not yet, lol).

50 minutes ago, saltsandknit said:

I wasn’t sick. I don’t get sea sickness. It was so rough we couldn’t use the pool or some of the bars the first few days. Perhaps i would have enjoyed it more if there had been more to do. I loved Hawaii Maui in particular but next time I will fly and do a land vacation 

Gotcha. You lucky sea dog that you don't get sea sick (I wish I had that "problem", lol). Yeah, Hawaii is definitely on my bucket list.