GaryT-UK

I did a repo from Vancouver to LA - a great itinerary. I entirely agree its a great way to see some different ports.

If I can it's a b2b - it takes me a week to unwind, but 7 days are better than none. I like land based holidays too, but I don't know how people go from an all singing, dancing, eating, exciting cruise to just the same hotel for week 2. Good poll though - maybe I'm going to find out :)

I once arrived back in my cabin ( not Celebrity) to find a tray of mini cakes "compliments of the chef". It wasn't a special occasion & for all I know everyone else got the same, but I still remember a little treat like that made me feel special & I'm sailing with them again. I've had odd treats off Celebrity too - everyone loves a freebie. Whilst I enjoy seeing the waiters singing Happy Birthday in the MDR to someone, I'm sure random unexpected treats to everyone are far more likely to keep people coming back.

Have to say this was a great question - I'm finding it really interesting to see how many different things people find important on a cruise (& how different they are to my own attitude to cruising) - well done OP!!!

Much as I would like to try a balcony I travel on my own so am usually paying a big supplement before I start. I'm quite happy in an inside, but will pay a bit more for a window if its not too much. As soon as the extra costs start adding up to the price of another holiday somewhere else then that settles it. I'd much rather have 2 cruises in cheaper cabins, than one in a better cabin and lucky me that's what I am doing this year (I even get a window for one of them!!) :D

I'm not sure I'm open to being seated in the dining hall with a table of people I don't know. While I'm not really an introvert, I just fear the awkward convos: Why are you so young to be traveling alone? (I'll be 29) I've also considered that there will be a solo travelers meetup the first night so I've got my fingers crossed for meeting some other folks that wouldn't mind doing dinner/lunch together. What other options are there otherwise? Plant myself at bars with my reading device and hope I hit it off with other travelers. Not many people my age travel alone just after Thanksgiving/Beginning of December.

I've read a lot of solo threads on these boards and often it sounds like people think because they are travelling solo they can only ever talk to other solo travellers. I generally book my 2 week summer holiday in the middle of July because I know most people my age are couples with kids and they travel in school holidays, so if I want to meet people my age that's when they are travelling - though when I meet singles too that's a bonus. I've also often been adopted by other people, because quite often they aren't used to spending so much time in each other's company and I find they are glad of someone new to talk to.

On my first cruise I went to the buffet every night as I could sit on my own and hide from the stares. Actually noone cared and I chatted to lots of nice people. Now the buffet is for breakfast and lunch and I go to the MDR for a proper dinner most nights. If I want to be on my own I ask for a table for one (reading device optional), but if I'm feeling adventurous I'll ask to share - its only for one meal and who knows who you'll meet!! One of my best dinners ever was sharing with 2 elderly ladies, who kept me thoroughly entertained with their stories.

I've read a lot of good things about the solo cabins on NCL though, and it sounds like you have a good chance of meeting a bunch of like minded travellers too, so you will probably find its even better than you imagined. :D If all else fails though there's absoultely nothing wrong with planting yourself at a bar to see who you meet. Enjoy & let us know how it goes on the Breakaway!

We're like you - have been on Thomson cruises since 2009 & have already booked for this year which we are looking forward to but it will be 'Bye Bye' Thomson from us - we are jumping ships & lines from now on....

I've really enjoyed my Thomson Cruises, and am off on another in a few weeks because I know I'll have a great time. But having tried NCL & Celebrity too I'd highly recommend mixing it up a bit. They are totally different cruising experiences. You clearly like Thomson, so I wouldn't give up on them, but it never does any harm to try something new every now & then.

I'm on the opposite side of the pond and the Med is much easier for me. I'm revisiting some places this year, but happy to have new ports to go to as well. I've done the west coast US, and am booked for my first (Western) Caribbean cruise in October. My top 10 cruises to do include Alaska, Hawaii, East Coast US & N, E& S Caribbean amongst others - I've got a plan to tick off all the US states (currently at 6 + DC :) ). But I've also got the Red & Black seas closer to home & a few random ports like Santorini that I haven't managed yet. I love getting the brochures and checking out all the itineraries there are - I don't have enough holidays a year to do them all, but maybe one day. For now I'm just enjoying the ones I have planned, but always thinking which I'll do next. Planning is half the fun and it's the one part that doesn't cost anything :D Hopefully I'll never get to the point where I take it for granted how lucky I am.

I don't know if this happens on RCI, but other ships I've been on often advertise the cocktail of the day & mocktail of the day in the ship's newspaper. Personally if I'm having a non alcoholic drink I just ask for a fruit punch or something similar & the drinks guys are great & always know what you mean.

I can't say Helsinki was my favourite port in the Baltics (just because there are some really great ones), but I'd bought a guide book beforehand which included a walk around the city. It took in the Cathedrals, parks and I extended it to include the Olympic Stadium & tower with great views over the city, and then went on to the Sibelius monument. It was a long walk, but I found it interesting and a good way to see the city - I like to see more than just the famous sites. I made the mistake of walking all the way from the ship though. I think a shuttle to the centre would have helped as it made it a very long walk. Guess it depends what you find interesting too.

A solo cruiser on my last ship had a little laminated card she'd made which said, "Hi! I'm not gone, I'll be right back!"

That is a brilliant idea - I may change the wording a bit, but I'm going to try that!!

On my first cruise the ship had a traffic light system of red cards and green cards to show whether you had finished or not - I guess that relies on passengers being good and remembering to change them when they leave though.

Gibraltar is quite easy to do yourself.

I went on the Thomson trip in Tangiers which included Cap Spartel - where the Med meets the Atlantic, the Kasbah and a few other stops. It was all quite spread out, hopping on an off the bus with a bit of walking and busy. It was my first stop in Morocco & not a place I'd have felt confident doing on my own, so I thought this was a worthwhile trip. I never considered DIY so I'm not sure how easy it would be.

For those that have done the Thomson Venice on your own - how flexible are the timings? Do you have a fixed start time and a fixed return time as with normal shore excursions?

Last time I visited (different cruise line & a few years ago) they had a water shuttle service, so I walked in but just got the ship's boat back when I was ready (think they were running every half hour all day). I presume Thomson doesn't work like this?

This time I want to get to St Mark's Basillica reasonably early - last time I got lost on the walk in, which I highly recommend doing as you see allsorts in the back streets of Venice - but I'd also like to take my time with breakfast and getting ready.

It sounds like the vaporettos may be the more flexible option.

When I booked my next two Thomson cruises the Thomson TA told me the same, head office have said they could NOT match the online price. Their price had to be at least £25 higher.

I always go armed with the online price (I've usually decided where to go), but use a different TA. They can often at least price match even if they can't give much more discount. Everything else is exactly the same.

One thing I noticed sailing from the US, on the first night the Cruise Director asked the audience to cheer if they were from Europe, Asia, S.America or the US. On Thomson they ask if you are from England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland! The less formal entertainment (game shows, quiz nights...) tends to be more geared to a UK audience, but people having a laugh can be funny in any language. I also think as the ships are smaller the venues feel fuller, so it seems like everyone is joining in with the fun, which is not always so obvious on the bigger ships. I loved sailing on Celebrity as a more formal cruising experience, but I keep going back to Thomson because I know I'll have a great time.

I did an excellent ships tour that covered the Blue Mosque, Hagai Sophia & Topkapi Palace. We had a good, informative guide & I would recommend it. However I was surprised how compact and close to the ship everything was & if I went back I think I'd do it myself - but that's knowing I've seen some of the really good bits already.

Cruising is my absolute favorite way to vacation, but I have a difficult time finding friends or family to go... After reading these posts I am thinking that I WILL try cruising solo. I have a little anxiety about it...but I think I want to try. I think I would feel perfectly safe cruising solo, just a little worried about feeling lonely.

Chances are you will have a day where you feel lonely. It'll be one of those days where you are feeling a bit off, everything seems to be going wrong, everyone else looks like they're having a better time than you and the only person there to pick you back up is yourself. So you will, because you have to!!

For the rest of the time you'll be so busy seeing the World, having a good time, meeting new people, enjoying the party..... they are the days that make it all worthwhile.

On the other hand you could spend your life sat at home on your own, waiting for friends who can never travel when you want to, or can't afford it, or don't want to cruise, or do want to do all of the above but don't invite you!! That for me was a more scary thought than travelling alone :eek:

And if you try it and its not for you - well at least you tried :)

They always greet us when they see us in the hall, and are always asking if we need anything. When they see us headed to our room, they will often rush over an open the door for us.

I generally take this level of service for granted and I've never tipped up front, but as others have said I don't often have special requests either. I tend to pre-pay tips, I might give extra to the odd other person, but I always give extra to my cabin steward on the last night, as they are the one person who I always see as looking after me day to day.

I'm off to the W Caribbean later this year (Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel). In Europe I normally take a small amount of each local currency for souvenirs, drinks & snacks etc, with Euros and my cash/credit cards for emergencies (I prefer not to have to use my cards).

Would it make sense to do the same in the Caribbean or does everyone accept US Dollars?

Some are not in a position to wait 4 weeks/last minute to book their holiday/cruise

Once you start the new year and start thinking about holidays its a bit of a dilema about how long you wait to book when you've seen the cruise/itinerary you want. I'm limited to the times I can have off work and if I'm set on something I don't want to miss out. Even in Jan/Feb the prices changed up and down by upto £150 for 1 person over the course of a few weeks. When they dropped back I booked. I'm already thinking about a cruise for July 2015 (not Thomson) so had a look at the prices for the same cruise in Jul14 and Jul15 and the 2014 booking was over £400 cheaper by leaving it late. I'm thinking I'll not set my heart on anything next year and just take the risk that there will be something available somewhere!! To be honest I'd be less bothered about a loyalty scheme if I knew I was getting a fair price whenever I booked. In the end though once I've booked at a price I'm happy with I stop looking at prices - there's no point worrying about it after that.

Agree with everyone else, had a great time. Rendezvous Bar, Molecular Bar & grabbing a takeaway tea at the buffet on sea days to drink at the Celebrity Life talks were my favourite on board activities :)

I've just been looking back at my photos and remembered that I'd read somewhere about taking a hat - not something I'd ever think of for July holidays normally. It kept my ears warm hiking in the Faroe Islands and out at sea on the boat trip in Iceland, and was small enough to just throw in my bag the rest of the time. If you plan on doing something similar I'd recommend it :)

I can't comment on private tours, but on a Celebrity trip last year our bus broke down and I know I was more worried about whether it would be fixed in time to see the Waterfall I'd gone to see, rather than worrying whether the ship would sail without me. I have also been back on board more than once and the ship has been delayed sailing because the tours were late back, so for me peace of mind, plus having it all planned for me is worth the cost.

I like the fact that you are effectively in a 4 or 5 star floating hotel, where you wake up in a different place every day, and every night have wonderful meals and a wide choice of entertainment. It has every benefit of a land based hotel, and often more, but with the added variety of multiple destinations.

However I also like to take land based holidays to visit places that need more than a couple of hours to see at their best, or sometimes because you can stay in a hotel/resort for a much cheaper price.

I'd pay more for a cruise because of the perception that almost everything is included, and there is an element of luxury that you only get in more expensive hotels, whereas on land I might be happier to settle with a cheaper hotel. But even so there is a limit to how much of a premium I'd be willing to pay for that luxury, as with anything else in life.

I travel alone, so always choose the ship's tours, if it's not an obviously DIY port, as I want the security that the ship won't go without me, and more often than not the tours are informative, well thought out and a good way to see a lot in a few hours. However I would say the herd mentality still exists (not exclusive to Celebrity) though I'd hope not to get all of the problems the OP mentions on the same trip! The ones who tend to irritate me are those who book a walking tour in a Med port & then complain it's too hot and they didn't realise there'd be a lot of walking!!! I think that's the price you pay for a larger group, but I can cope with a bit of minor irritation and I tend to end up making friends with others on these trips, so for me they are well worth it.