3rdGenCunarder

I do that if it's a port I've been to often and don't really care for. I don't need to go to St Thomas again, but it's a fairly common port stop, so I give it the been there, done that treatment and stay on board. I love the peace and quiet of days like that. I can get a lounger by the pool without having to get up at 6 AM!

Fred Olson's business model is based on buying "pre-loved" ships. They've been successful for many years. Perhaps because their passengers know they'll be on an old (but well kept) ship, they don't expect too many bells and whistles. So many people want the newest and biggest with the most restaurants and amusement rides. I don't mind an older ship. I always said QE2 was the love of my traveling life, and she was nearly 40 when I said goodbye to her (and cried).

Cunard has been doing this for years, with several different options in rotation. Like Canaletto, it's in a section of the buffet that can be closed off from the rest of it. I have two long (for me) cruises on Zaandam next year. 21 days and 24 days. I would love to be able to have some version of Tamarind available.

Just a place holder???????????? If that's all it was, they should never have taken full payment. I can see doing a deposit on a cruise that might happen if it's special. Cruise lines sometimes do that for a maiden voyage when a new ship is joining the fleet. But only a deposit, and it's always refundable. You can complain to whatever agencies you want, but your best move is to dispute with your credit card. Stories like this make me nervous about my cruise in June. AQV sounds like Jeckyl and Hyde. IF your cruise goes as scheduled, it's great. IF they cancel, you have to scratch and claw to get your money back.

I didn't upload a pic. I think the kiosk took it because nobody else did.

Carnival corp has a history of re-using designs. HAL has 4 Vistas, Cunard has 2, Costa has some (sadly, minus one). I don't know how many others are out there. And the Signatures (not Pinnacles) are basically stretched Vistas, not a start-from-scratch design.

I wasn't asked about vaccinations, although I did carry my card just in case.

In my two times on the K, I was upstairs. Once at a 2-top by the railing with a view of the lower level, and once way back near the corner. The 2-top wasn't bad, but the large table at the corner was good. We could hear each other speak easily. On embarkation day, the first time I was on the K, we sat at the back on the lower level and it was too loud. It was hard to hear other people speak, so we had to talk louder. Of course, that just adds to the overall noise level...

I don't know how many times I've been to Halifax. I love the gardens and the museum and just walking around the city. But since we had been so many times, we tried the tour to Lunenberg. It was disappointing--too long on the bus, and not enough time there. You can have lunch or see their maritime museum or walk around the town. Two out of three, but not time for everything. Our guide was terrible. We did part of the drive off the faster highway so we could go by the area where Tom Selleck has a house. And when we got to Lunenberg, he recommended a restaurant where his name would get you right to a table, no waiting. I suspect he got a little something for that. I had done my research and we found a place for a quick lobster roll.

Don't make light of the dearth of GM. On my QE cruise last June, it was a scarce commodity in the bars. I think the Grills had grabbed the whole supply for making crepes suzette. It does seem a shame to burn off the alcohol, though.

Good for HAL to be so caring. This must be shattering for the other entertainers. They work so closely together and now they will have to go on without one of their group. Every time they rehearse or go on, they will feel that loss all over again.

You did well. I haven't seen anything below $50 per day. When my TA priced out cruises, the difference between advantage fare (refundable deposit but no extras) and HIA, the difference was $50 per day. The nice thing was, although the cruise fare was double for a solo, the price for HIA, either as the cruise fare or an add-on was only for one.

I asked the woman if I still needed that tiny slip of paper and she said no. Good thing I kept it handy because that's what they wanted to scan at the ship. (I'm used to showing the boarding pass I printed at home) She should have been telling everyone that. I did see people on the gangway searching pockets for that paper.

I agree that a more quiet cruise would be the better choice. Your family will work hard to make sure you have a good time, and that might make you feel bad that you were interfering with their vacation. And it might not be the atmosphere you prefer. I agree with @Icand1923, the crew do pay extra attention to solos. I noticed it particularly on my Eurodam cruise. The steward always asked how I was doing, did I need anything, how was my day in port, etc. I know they do that a lot, but I felt he made an extra effort with me. I've been thinking about this thread, and it occurred to me how many singles, especially widows, commented here. You won't be the only widow on board. Sometimes, when you travel, it seems like the world is Noah's Ark, everything is set up for two by two. But on a cruise, there will be other solos. We tend to gravitate toward each other on tours. I had the nicest chat with a woman on the tram ride to the stable at HMC. Just one widow being friendly to another.

One more step. In Jan, the kiosk step gave a little paper slip as a boarding pass. Then, as I entered the seating area, I was given the boarding group card there. I had to tell her I'm 4* to get the priority card. The pass did say "Loyalty Tier 4S," but it isn't obvious.

Yes, security first, and then the kiosk. I think it must be linked to a passport data base, because the only thing I recall being scanned was the barcode on my boarding pass. IF it cooperates, the kiosk prints a little slip of paper, like a receipt from a store. That becomes your boarding pass for getting on the ship. In my case, the kiosk bounced me to a check-in person, who I think scanned my boarding pass again. Or maybe it was my passport. It was all so quick that I don't remember. This was Port Everglades. They do want to see ID as you enter the port, and boarding pass and/or passport at the door to the terminal. I've done it so often that I just have everything ready to show and don't pay attention to what is checked where. Returning to PE, Immigration had facial recognition kiosks. No need to show a passport. There was an agent at the kiosks to see that people cleared and then we were just sent on our way. Easy!

Have you tried going through the "change your cabin" steps? (choose deck, chose forard/mid/ aft, etc) It seems that HAL shows a greater number of available cabins than they used to. You won't know for sure if what you see is all that's available, but it will give you some idea. If you see fewer than 10, that probably is all that's left.

This one is so port intensive that I'll probably be grateful for those days, and just sit with my feet up! (and a cocktail)

I would start small, with 7 days, maybe 10. Look at itineraries and see if there's a port or two that you haven't been to before--maybe it will get you excited about going. Or, if too much unknown makes you uncomfortable, do a repeat of an itinerary you like.

OP, your preferences sound a lot like mine. I like a fairly low-key sort of cruise experience. DH and I did a lot of cruising, and we enjoyed our winter escapes in the Caribbean. When I would ask him about this island or that port, he was say "All I want to know is will it be warm?" When he was ill, I thought about a cruise that friends were taking, thinking it would be part of his recovery. But it didn't turn out that way. And then I thought, that cruise could be MY recovery, my return to travel. So three months after he died, I was back on QM2. I might not have cruised again so soon, but the idea of going with friends was good for my comfort level. Going with them was the best thing I could have done. I had company at times, and time on my own. I had some "moments," and when you return to travel, you probably will, too. Mostly they were being on my balcony watching the arrival or departure at a port we always enjoyed. The pipers at Halifax made me cry. Since then, I have traveled quite a lot, but it has rarely been totally alone. I've gone to a few conferences, but mostly I've cruised. Cruising is a wonderful cocoon--you're cared for very well, and on HAL, the service is comforting, especially that friendly "hello" from the stewards you pass in the hall. You'll have time with other people and time on your own. I always get fixed dining, large table, so I meet people that way. If the roll call is active, that's another way to meet people. I haven't gone to solo gatherings on board. No particular reason, I just haven't. I am more inclined to do ship tours than independent tours, unless it's something with a roll call group. I do find some security in a ship's tour now that I'm solo. For example, I did a ship's tour to a beach in Curacao rather than take a taxi to a resort. We were herded into "our" area at the beach, so I felt like it was okay to leave my stuff on my chair and go in the water. If I had a rented chair at a resort just by myself, I'd have been uncomfortable leaving things. That sounds paranoid, I know, but I pay a lot of attention to logistics and how do I do this or that on my own. I've always been the travel planner, so in that sense my role hasn't changed. I don't always do tours. In ports where there are interesting things to do and see close to the ship, or within reasonable mass transit or Uber, I will do that. Often, I just grab my camera and wander. I'm an avid photographer, so that gives me something to do and not notice I'm alone. I agree with Ruth. Just as everyone grieves differently, everyone has to find his/her own way back to travel--and living in general. And yes, cruising is expensive because of the "single supplement." Adding HIA or CO does not charge double, so that's a small mercy. As you can see from the responses here, you aren't alone in your concerns about solo travel. I've been there and you have my sympathies. The first trip will be the hardest, but it does get easier.

New ships, expensive contracts with ATK, BBK, LC, etc. Shareholder dividends...

Thanks! I will keep an eye on the construction situation. It's also possible that the cruise line will offer a direct bus and I'll keep it simple with that. It's years since I've been to Toronto, and it would be nice to stay a few days (see the Hockey Hall of Fame!). But this is tacked on to a conference I'm going to in the Chicago area. With a few days gap between the conference and the cruise, the trip is about as long as I can stay away.

If you look closely, there's probably fine print that says prices are subject to change. It isn't just HAL. I have a trip booked on American Queen, and the content and pricing of the excursions differs greatly from what's shown in the itinerary (the content you see before you book) and what's showing up as excursions now that they're available to book. Sure enough, the teeny tiny print on the itinerary had the "subject to change" disclaimer. I just hope the new internet provider is enough better to justify the increase.

That depends on which item(s) they drop to make room for new ones. I have no special favorites in Canaletto, but I am curious to see what the new offerings will be.

Premium isn't faster. It just has access to more apps. If social and surf are slow, premium will be slow, too. I had the surf package last month, and sometimes it was as fast as at home for checking email and things like that. Other times, nada.