katmu

My only other cruise on Princess was on the Sky in the Caribbean, and after that cruise I certainly felt that a ship that size was too big for me. Granted the Island Princess is much smaller, but I’m not sure that the extra activities would be as important to me on a European cruise as that would on an itinerary where I’m mostly looking to relax. For Livorno, I would likely spend the night overnight in Florence so I can spend more time there. For either cruise, I would be doing both pre- and post- cruise stays in the embarkation and debarkation cities. So the 7 night cruise would end up being more like 13-14 days, and the 10 night would end up being probably 16. I’m not someone that flies in only for the cruise. That is why they are both one way itineraries.

I am planning to do a Mediterranean cruise this winter, sometime between late November and the end of February as a solo cruiser. I am limited by my job as to when I can travel so Fall and Spring are out, and I really don’t like the crowds and heat in the summer in the Med. I’ve traveled to Italy and other parts of Europe in the winter but this will be my first Mediterranean cruise. I really enjoy seeing new destinations, so I do not want a mega ship or a lot of nightlife. Food should be good but doesn’t need to be gourmet. When I was originally looking, I was deciding between a 10 night on the Island Princess in November from Athens to Rome and an 8 night on Celebrity Infinity from Barcelona to Athens. I ruled out the Celebrity due to the solo pricing on this particular sailing. I could have booked a fake 2nd passenger I guess, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing that. So that left me with the Island Princess and I went ahead and made a $99 deposit on an oceanview cabin. The itinerary is below: Day 1 Athens (Piraeus), Greece. 7:00pm Day 2 Mykonos, Greece 8:00am 6:00pm Day 3 At Sea Day 4 Limassol, Cyprus 7:00am 4:00pm Day 5 Rhodes, Greece 9:00am 6:00pm Day 5 Ephesus / Kusadasi, Turkey 7:00am 5:00pm Day 6 Crete (Heraklion), Greece 7:00am 5:00pm Day 7 Olympia (Katakolon), Greece 9:00am 6:00pm Day 8 At Sea Day 9 Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm Day 10 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 6:00am So naturally, the travel agency I use sent me their newsletter and of course there is another cruise that I would never have looked at because it’s on Windstar, a line I would have assumed to be out of my price range. It’s a 7 night from Barcelona to Rome on the Star Legend. I could do an oceanview cabin for the roughly the same price as my Princess sailing, granted it’s 7 nights instead of 10: Day 1 BARCELONA Day 2 BARCELONA 4:00 PM Day 3 MARSEILLE 9:00 AM 6:00 PM Day 4 NICE 8:00 AM 10:00 PM Day 5 GENOA, ITALY 8:00 AM 10:00 PM Day 6 LIVORNO 8:00 AM Day 7 LIVORNO 6:00 PM Day 8 ROME 8:00 AM If I went with Princess, I would eventually do a Western Mediterranean cruise in a year or two, and if I went with Windstar I would also do an Eastern Mediterranean in a year or two. Rome is the only place on either itinerary where I have spent significant amounts of time. I know the many of the negative reviews on Island Princess focus on the extra cabins that were added. I was looking forward to Athens, Ephesus and Sorrento / Pompeii on the Princess cruise but I also would love to see Barcelona, Nice, Genoa and the overnight stop in Livorno has me excited about the Windstar cruise.

I spent several months last year looking for a travel backpack that was smaller than the maximum carry-on size. I ended up going with the Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC 30L bag. I’ve been super happy with it. It weighs less than 3 lbs, has a laptop sleeve, exterior water bottle pocket, and I really like the organization overall. https://www.patagonia.com/product/black-hole-mini-mlc-convertible-backpack-30-liters/195699382879.html

We’ve decided on the Rotterdam cruise. The 2 days in Stockholm ended up being the deciding factor.

Both ships are listed as Stockholm not Nynashamn, as that was one of the first things I was looking for. I was planning that for either cruise we would spend probably 3 nights in Amsterdam pre-cruise. The Holland America cruise ends on a Saturday so we would look to fly back either on Sunday or Monday so I would need to decide to do with the extra time. We have Prussian (Pomeranian) ancestry so exploring the area near Warnemunde is something that interests me.

My adult son and I are looking at 2 Baltic cruises for 2025. I prefer the Holland America Rotterdam itinerary as it has an overnight in Stockholm, a late night in Tallinn and stops in Oslo. He prefers the Celebrity Eclipse itinerary as it leaves from Amsterdam instead of Rotterdam, and visits 7 ports in 12 days vs. 8 ports in 14 days. The itineraries are below. Holland America Rotterdam Day 1 Rotterdam 3:00 PM Day 2 At Sea Day 3 Oslo, Norway 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM Day 4 Aarhus, Denmark 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Day 5 Warnemunde, Germany 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM Day 6 At Sea Day 7 Tallinn, Estonia 9:00 AM - 11:00 PM Day 8 Helsinki, Finland 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM Day 9 Stockholm, Sweden 8:00 AM - Day 10 Stockholm, Sweden - 5:00 PM Day 11 At Sea Day 12 Kiel, Germany 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Day 13 Copenhagen, Denmark 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Day 14 Rotterdam, Holland 7:00 AM Celebrity Eclipse Day 1 Amsterdam 5:00PM Day 2 At Sea Day 3 Warnemunde, Germany 9:00 AM - 11:30 PM Day 4 At Sea Day 5 Gdansk (Gdynia), Poland 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM Day 6 Visby, Sweden 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Day 7 Tallinn, Estonia 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM Day 8 Helsinki, Finland 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM Day 9 Stockholm, Sweden 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM Day 10 At Sea Day 11 Copenhagen, Denmark 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Day 12 Amsterdam, Holland 6:00 AM Thank you.

I can understand that Celebrity is looking at it from a perspective that on average, a cabin with a solo cruiser may have spend less total over the course of a cruise than a cabin with 2 adults but there are other factors. I tend to book more cruise line excursions when sailing solo than I do when sailing with friends or my family. I also tend to spend more money at the spa on things like massages or thermal suite passes, as my solo cruises can be time to relax. For me my biggest issue with Celebrity’s policy is that many solo cruisers don’t always cruise solo. I sometimes cruise solo, and sometimes cruise with friends or family. I am generally the planner of the trips with my friends and family, and I can tell you I will not be looking at Celebrity if they are not going to welcome my solo business as well.

Have you checked out the mini-suites on Princess. My friend and I shared one on Sky Princess and found it spacious enough for 2 people. The website says for the newer ships that category is about 320 square feet. Sapphire Princess and Coral Princess, smaller ships, also shows 320 sq. feet.

This does raise a good point about St. Maarten as I still have an issue there it seems. On the day the Eurodam docks in St. Maarten, there are 2 additional bigger ships in port that day so there will be over 10,000 people arriving. Any suggestions for a busy day? Eurodam arrives before the big RC ship so I may get off for a short bit and get back on the ship once things get busy. The good news is that for the moment anyway, the other ports don’t look to be as crowded. Even St. Thomas will have only a Crystal ship besides Eurodam on the day currently scheduled.

I’m waiting for my TA to complete the booking on the Eurodam. For people who are saying the ports are better on the Eurodam, what is the opinion on St. Maarten? I’m most excited about St. Lucia and Antigua. Half Moon Cay looks more my speed than Perfect Day as well. I need to do more research on Dominica and St. Kitts.

Hello- I am in my early 50s and will be cruising solo. I’m looking at Eastern and Southern Caribbean cruises in either late November or early December. Both of these lines would be new to me, although I am booked on a HAL cruise for next May with my family. I was looking at these 2 cruises for different reasons. The Royal cruise is a hosted singles cruise. I’m not particularly interested in dating but a cruise where I know there will be well-attended events for solos does appeal to me. I’m not as excited about the big ship, potential for lots of kids on board, and it’s obviously 7 days vs. 11 days. Price wise, the base fare of the 7 day on Symphony of the Seas is cheaper but once I add gratuities, internet, and the non-alcoholic drinks package, it really only saves about $200. HAL includes a full drinks package, 1 specialty dining, 2 shore excursions and $300 OBC though as well. The HAL itinerary appeals to me more, but I know HAL has cut back on some of their music onboard recently so that is a bit of a concern. I’ve been reading the Midwest thread on the HAL board that’s showing the daily events on the Eurodam currently, and I think there are enough events that interest me to keep me busy. I do want time to relax on the sea days as well. I’m hoping to hear from people who have sailed on either of these ships on adults only cruises, or people who can give me experience with both lines. I have been to Miami and Fort Lauderdale for previous cruises, but all of the ports on both of these cruises would be new to me. Symphony of the Seas Day Port Day 1 Miami, FL 4:00pm Day 2 CocoCay, Bahamas 7:00am 5:00pm Day 3 At Sea Day 4 San Juan, Puerto Rico 10:30am 6:00pm Day 5 St. Maarten 8:00am 6:00pm Day 6At Sea Day 7At Sea Day 8 Miami, FL 6:00am Eurodam Day Port Day 1 Fort Lauderdale, FL 3:00pm Day 2 At Sea Day 3 At Sea Day 4 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 9:00am 6:00pm Day 5 St. Kitts 8:00am 5:00pm Day 6 Roseau, Dominica 8:00am 5:00pm Day 7 St. Lucia 7:00am 5:00pm Day 8 Antigua 8:00am 6:00pm Day 9 St. Maarten 7:00am 3:00pm Day 10 At Sea Day 11 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 8:00am 3:00pm Day 12 Fort Lauderdale, FL 7:00am

I’m looking to book a Signature suite for my sons and myself so being able to use the shower at the gym would be a plus.

Sorry if this has been asked before but I searched and I couldn’t find a clear answer. On the deck plans, it shows that there are bathrooms near the gyms but are there showers there as well? Or do we need to purchase the spa pass to gain access to the showers?

There wasn’t a lot of detail in that thread as to why Nieuw Amsterdam was recommended. Hence, why I started a new thread.

I read that thread. I’ve ruled out the Noordam as it doesn’t have Tamarind and BB King which would be 2 things that would make me lean towards HAL.