paddy Anne

27 minutes ago, SeaSirenVoyager said:

Hi Everyone, I am a solo cruiser and have been cruising with NCL mostly because of their no single supplement and daily activities for Solo cruises. You can get a Studio cabin, or sometimes even other cabins with no single supplement.

 

My question is, are there any other cruise lines that offer cabins with no single supplement and have daily activities for solo cruisers just line NCL? Appreciate your input!!

Definitely not celebrity. They don’t even charge double but instead charge MORE THAN double. It’s crazy. 

33 minutes ago, GOQ said:

I have done about 17 cruises by myself, Mediterranean, Canaries, Caribbean and Scandinavia. They have all included  a transfer from the airport to the ship, so it gives me a little bit of confidence as a solo traveller I won’t get lost and will be looked after by the tour/cruise operator.

 

I would like to be a bit more adventurous and have Australia, Brazil, more USA and Asia on my bucket list, however because these are long haul to far away places (from the UK) they seem to involve a pre- cruise stay of 1 or 2 nights in a hotel offering Room Only or Bed and Breakfast accommodation. 

 

Staying in a RO/BB hotel by myself makes me a little bit nervous as I would presumably have to go out and about looking for places to eat and drink in a strange foreign place.

Have any of you solo cruisers had experience of this sort of thing and how do you handle it.

 

I do it all the time. I live roaming foreign cities doing what I want when I want. If I don’t feel like sitting in a restaurant I do a patio to counter food to go. I love it!

I am looking to book the bus/coach from Heathrow to Southampton.  I am going to buy the flexible fare in case my flight is delayed but you need to pick one time to start.  Roughly how long from when plane lands to get to coach?

On 10/11/2022 at 8:16 PM, opuscat1 said:

Yeah I think about that one too I do prefer mid or mid-aft ship and never the front.    Some lines have better single rates than others there's threads here for that too.   I'm thinking of holding the rate I just got until xmas and after that I have to decide or not for the full refund.    Part of me thinks eh just wait and see and if it's there great I'll book it more last minute.  I think the worst thing that could happen would be to catch covid and have to be stuck in an inside cabin for a week. And right now covid is everywhere again so maybe that's straining my logic.

 

I cruise solo a lot.  For the most part prices drop after everyone's final payment is due.  Having said that if there is something you really want book it.  I do both.  I am booked for Iceland next Aug.  It's pricey, especially when paying in Canadian dollars, but it's a cruise I want.

As for Covid.  I have done two since covid started and am lucky both where during lower peaks.  It is crazy right now and glad I am not going.  Plus there are those entitled people who do not respect rules.  ie on excursion in closed areas where they say "you must wear a mask" and people don't. 

I say if you find what you wank ahead book it and start saving.  If you want to wait, it will likely drop but then flights could be an issue.  Best of luck.

I have traveled in some ports in europe alone.  Get an app called Rome2Rio.  It's awesome.  It tell you all the different ways to get from one address to another.  Europeans are far better set up than north america to get around and way less reliant on cars.

I imagine you will hear different opinions. I always sail in the inside or balcony. There are still the solo groups you can attend AND I also meet lots of people who aren’t in solo rooms. 
I like the bigger room and the less money 🙂

That's defiantly a twin and that would be a no for me.  lol.

On 4/1/2021 at 1:41 PM, farmersfight said:

 

Have you looked at Windstar Cruises? They have the small cruise ships & I think they offer good solo supplement discounts.

Thanks I will take a look.  Cheers

14 hours ago, Lois R said:

I am way over 50--- 63 actually. My favorite line is Silversea. Why? I LOVE the small ship experience, with food and service that are always amazing.😃

I have sailed with them 3 times and have deposits down on 3 more.

I am hoping all 3 will be able to sail.

 

I sailed Mass Market for many years (Celebrity) and for larger ships they were fine but once

I stepped out of that genre? I love the small ships too much to go back to those big ones.

 

I also love River cruising.......have sailed on both Uniworld and AMA Waterways....totally

different experience than ocean cruising.......even smaller!

That's great to hear.  Are you able to get deals on single sailings or are you always paying for two.

Thanks

I have a king bed at home so going to a single is just too small for me lol

27 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

 

I've also got cruises also booked in 2022 & 2023 (see my expanded signature block). I'm hoping cruising is back up and running by summer or even early fall so that my Oct 23-30, 2021 PoA cruise will go, as well as my Dec 18-26, 2021 Mardi Gras cruise. Fingers crossed 🤞.

I have my fingers crossed for you.  

2 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

 

Agree. And the price for either experience is also WOW. I find it amazing that solos book these suites. Can you imagine paying double (100% solo supplement) for a Haven or YC suite? Ouch...

That's true but it sounds lovely.  Maybe for a BIG birthday. 

I just want to get something on the books. I have 2022 and 2023 booked but think I need something this year,

1 minute ago, farmersfight said:

 

You had me at this point, lol. How does NCL's Haven experience compare to MSC's YC experience, in your opinion?

Right?  They are both sounding WOW.  

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

The YC is an exclusive area mostly in the forward part of the ship that has its own dedicated pool/pool deck/pool grill for breakfast, lunch, and snacks during the day.  It has its own restaurant and lounge.  It encompasses the decks above the Bridge, on the Bridge deck, and a deck or two below the Bridge.  All the staterooms are suites.  All have a Butler and an Assistant Butler.  All of the suites have a stocked mini-bar that is replenished as one uses its contents.  A welcoming bottle of Proseco on ice when one arrives along with the largest bowl of fruit that I have ever seen on a ship that is refreshed as needed during the cruise.  The Lounge is served by Butlers.  The restaurant is staffed by properly trained Stewards and has two Maitre d's overseeing the service.  All beverages are included; an additional extra cost beverage package is available for really premium beverages.  (No need for that in my opinion.)  Priority embarkation and disembarkation with Butler escort to one's suite upon boarding.  Disembarkation with a Butler turned out to be somewhat disappointing for me.  My Butler handed me off to a member of the crew who handed me off to a member of the shore staff.  But, that shore staff member obtained a Porter, gathered my luggage, and got me to my car parked in the Garage across the street from the pier.

 

There is very low key entertainment in the YC Lounge at night.  But, a YC guest has the same ability to access other areas and venues on the ship as they wish.  Access to the YC area is electronically controlled by a device that you receive on boarding.  That device is also supposed to be able to command elevators to come to where you are and speedily get you to the YC area.  I found that feature to be difficult to use.  

 

There is a Concierge that will assist with any requests/reservations for shows or an alternative restaurant as one wishes.  In the Main Theater, there is a dedicated seating area for YC guests with a Butler stationed there to keep the seats for the YC guests.  If one wants, a Butler will escort a guest to the show.  

 

MSC YC is definitely not a routine cruise experience on NCL, Carnival, Princess, or even on HAL in their Neptune or Penthouse Suites.  

 

 

Ok that seems pretty special.  I wonder if it would be better for traveling with someone that solo.  Just wondering.

I am currently looking at NCL.  Habits die hard.  Basically the same price for an inside transatlantic so 15-17 days, or solo cruise area for 7 day Caribbean.  So many cruises, so many choices. 🙂

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

The cuisine on Celebrity Eclipse in her main dining room was ho-hum; nothing special.  Her specialty restaurants, Tuscan Grill, particularly, excellent.  One of the best ship specialty restaurants for lunch or dinner in which I have dined.  Her buffet restaurant was as disorganized (in my opinion) as QM2.

 

I am thinking that you are considering an upscale experience that exceeds the Cunard, Celebrity, etc. experience.  Seabourn?  Silverseas?  Crystal?  

 

To be very honest with you:  my 2020 experience on MSC Meraviglia in Yacht Club was as upscale of a cruise experience that I have had.  If I am able to book a cruise again, it is more likely to be with a MSC ship in Yacht Club or a Seabourn or a Silverseas cruise than on any of my previous cruise lines on which I have sailed.  If I were to book a Cunard cruise, I would try to book one of the Grill staterooms.  As you seem to be intending to do by expanding your cruising horizon, booking such cruises by me would be expanding my cruising horizons.   

I supposed I could look this up but you are detailing so nicely :).  What is the MSC Yacht Club?

4 hours ago, farmersfight said:

 

Roger. I caught that. I just brought up the Single Infinite Verandas on Celebrity Edge (or Apex) because they seemed to meet what you were looking for in a more upscale solo experience.

 

I'm not sure at all how "solo friendly" Cunard is.

Yeah Celebrity is not what I am thinking is upscale but I have heard the food is to die for!!!  I love upscale food too lol.

49 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I am unsure how helpful I can be in discussing Cunard.  Only two cruises, one a trans-Atlantic on QE2 that was the most disappointing of my cruises.  That was due to the ship having labor problems that impacted the guest experience.

 

The other cruise was a 10 day Caribbean cruise out of New York on QM2 about 2 years after she came into service.  So, my Cunard experiences are rather dated.  But, I will provide what information I can that might be helpful for you.

 

1.  I did not find sailing solo on QM2 to be different than sailing solo on any other ship.  I do not recall that there was a singles program, but there may be.

 

2.  Dining room service:  I was seated at a round table for 6 in the Britannia Restaurant next to a window with a view of the staircase coming into the dining room.  Great location; the Stewards were efficient and pleasant.  The Table Captain was an officious jerk (all of us at the table agreed) and he and I had some words when I had had enough of his act.  He cleaned up his act afterwards.  Waiting around for a tip the last night while I provided an extra gratuity to the Stewards, he got nothing.  

 

3.  Cuisine:  Menu selections at dinner were fewer than on Princess, HAL, or Carnival.  Food was well prepared and good.  Their breakfast menu had the most choices.  King's Court, their buffet restaurant, had many different choices of cuisine and all that I tried was good.  It's layout, however, left much to be desired.  I have heard that it's been modified, but, I have no information about that--if it is true.  A Pub Lunch is offered in their "pub" type lounge and ought to be tried, at least once.  

 

4.  Tea in the Queen's Room is an event and not to be missed.  As a solo, I was seated at a table set for 2 and my service was as good as others around me who were at tables for 2 or 4.  

 

5.  Entertainment:  not as many options as on Princess or Carnival; about the same as HAL.  Don't recall anything really outstanding other than their Planetarium that offered different programs on different days. 

 

6.  I booked an in-hull veranda cabin.  The cabin was well appointed as was the bathroom.  Linen quality was excellent as was the cabin service.  But, the in-hull veranda was a disappointment.  Plenty of room on the veranda, but, when one sat in a deck chair, all one could see was sky.  Your straight ahead view was blocked by the steel hull.  I would not book this type of cabin again.  

 

7.  Dress:  Maybe it was because it was a Caribbean cruise, but the evening dress was no different than on Princess, HAL, or Carnival.  There were formal evenings where a coat/tie for a gentleman was appropriate.  There were some who wore formal wear.  Most of the evenings were smart casual.  Wearing shorts in the dining room for breakfast and lunch was OK.  The impression that  I now have is that dress has become more "dressy" than it had been.  Maybe with the arrival of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, the dress code has changed.  I would advise that you begin reading the Cunard message board and asking questions there. 

 

8.  Cunard's ships are somewhat "class" ships:  there are different facilities and a small number of open decks that are exclusively for guests who have booked Queen's Grill or Princess Grill staterooms.  

 

I think your willingness to explore other options than NCL is to your spirit of adventure.  Looking at your signature, you have sailed on Royal Caribbean, so you ought to be a member of their loyalty program.  Celebrity recognizes one's patronage with RCCL.  There might be some "perks" there if you would book Celebrity.  

 

An experience on Celebrity, Princess, or Holland America ought to be different than your past cruise experiences.  I would expect your experience on Cunard might in some ways be quite different than on NCL.  Again, I urge you to get connected with the Cunard message board; explore the Cunard web site; if you use a travel agent, talk to that person about the Cunard experience.  

 

Enjoy deciding:  Cunard's old advertising slogan was "Getting there is half the fun".  For me, the planning is "the other half".    

Thank you so much for the detailed response. It’s disappointment to hear your experience on this line. It my imagination it was so much better. Lol

We will see my journey takes me. 
cheers

1 hour ago, farmersfight said:

 

It's called retirement, lol. I have designated cruising as my "RAC" (Retirement Activity of Choice). As you can see from my booked cruises, I'm booked on Celebrity Apex. For an upscale solo cruising experience, you may want to consider booking a Single Infinite Veranda stateroom on Celebrity Edge or Apex. (You know it is upscale when they call the balcony, a veranda).

 

I found this video on YouTube that shows and describes the difference between a Single Infinite Veranda and a regular Infinite Veranda stateroom on Celebrity Edge;

 

 

 

It was Cunard not Celebrity I was wondering about 🙂

On 3/15/2021 at 3:24 PM, rkacruiser said:

paddy Anne,

 

 

If you look at my signature, you will see that I have sailed on many cruise lines and have sailed solo on the majority of them.  I feel the same as Mo Jito on every cruise that I have sailed.  HAL, Carnival, MSC, and Princess being my favorites.  And, for the same reasons that Mo Jito stated.  Some of the ships have a more structured cruise program for solo cruisers than others.  I sometimes will participate; more often than not, I won't.  

 

If a solo cruiser wants to socialize, the best place to be/sit is at a bar in a lounge that gets much patronage.  On HAL, that would be the Ocean Bar,  Crooners on Princess, the Atrium Bar on a Carnival ship, the forward lounge on MSC (Meraviglia Lounge on MSC Meraviglia) or the mid-ship pool bar.  Those have been my "hang-outs".  

 

Other questions/concerns?   

Sure.  I would love to know you experience on Cunard.  Thinking of spoiling myself.  I am not new to solo cruising and am able to find lots of people to socialize with.  I just have never done Cunard and want to try an upscale experience but wondering what that is like for solo's.  thanks

On 3/15/2021 at 5:49 AM, farmersfight said:

 

Hi paddy Anne. Yeah, I'm over 50 🙄 and recently retired. I haven't cruised solo yet but I've got numerous cruises booked that I will be solo (see my expanded signature block).

 

I understand that NCL is "solo friendly". How did you like your solo cruises on NCL? I'm booked in a studio cabin on Norwegian Encore & Norwegian Getaway, so I'll get to try the NCL solo experience.

 

Also, I'm finding that RCL & Celebrity are "solo friendly". RCL has those studio balcony cabins on their Quantum-class ships and Celebrity has those Single Infinite Veranda staterooms on Edge & Apex (16 on Edge & increased to 24 on Apex). Additionally, with RCL, I was able to book a couple of cruises when they were running their 60% off the 2nd guest sale. This essentially lowers the solo supplement down to 40%. Much better than having to pay double.

 

Sorry I couldn't share any of my solo cruising experiences because I don't have any yet. But, I'm interested to read your solo experiences on NCL. Take care...

Holy crap I want your life!!!  I only have two future cruises booked.  I have enjoyed solo cruising a great deal.  Sometimes the solo cruise gathering are a bit young or immature for me but I always meet people and have traveled with many again.  It's not that I don't live NCL but just looking to expand a bit.  I am thinking an upscale on a Cunard could be a lot of fun. 🙂

Hello wonderful solo cruisers.  I have done multiple solo cruises with NCL.  I am looking to branch out and if you are over 50 would love to know your experiences.  What is your favourite live and why?

Excited to see your responses.

Cheers

Maybe. there were cruises for the fall and now there is none. I doubt they are full so maybe going in for a much needed redo.

Help for Fakarava please. I will be there next month and the ship offers no excursions. The fakarava dive lodge and Fakarava Excursions are both booked. Can anyone recommend others or are there usually tours when I get off the ship. I am traveling on my own so don't really want to wonder on my own.

Thanks

Come on guys; some of you have played craps on Norwegian ships other than the Jewel, Gem and Star.

 

What can you tell me about the table bounce on some of these Norwegian ships? I don't want to book further Norwegian ships if all I'm going to find is extremely bouncy tables. I don't enjoy playing on tables like this and it usually takes me 4 days before I can adjust my throwing to where I can start making some money.

 

 

Dicenator

Can you truly do that? Seriously?

[

Do a 4 & 5 hopping bet after every rolled 3 on the dice. Seems to pay out more often than most think it would. Just picked it up on trip to Vegas seeing guys cash in big on it. Kept it a part of my game ever since.]

Looking forward to playing some craps soon. What is a 4 and 5 hopping bet?

thanks,

PA