Earl Colby Pottinger

12 minutes ago, Funsinger75 said:

I’m booked on Enchanted Princess March 27, 2021 to the Caribbean. REALLY good price on their newest ship. Also, Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas to Alaska in June 20, 2021 has a really good price on solo virtual balcony cabins

The Alaska cruise I found says it sails June 21, 2021 for $1947, is that the one you got?

I done solo on the Epic twice.  Each time I had an interior room, not a solo.  But I still got to enter the solo lounge.

It is a great ship for solo cruiser.

PS. I spent way too much time in the blues bar.  The music paid for the trip itself.

Carnival used to be my go-to cruise line for cheap solo cruises, but lately they do not seem to have any.

However, if I check the NCL website everyday, I often find interior cabins (not solo) at the cheapest prices, not only do you have the extra room but on the last two cruises with them I was allowed to use the solo lounge (I have heard others were not allowed) but if you are like me not needing others to be with you an interior room is great.

Notice, you can still get good deals if you book a cabin for four or more on Carnival, I did that for my landlady and her sisters - they had a great time, but I was also invited along and since I did not want to share a cabin with four sisters I looked at getting a solo on the same ship --- it was only 25% less for just me as what they asked for the four women.  They really want to pack as many people as they legally can in a cabin.

I have done solo on NCL and on Carnival.  On NCL I was able to get an inside cabin with 0% supplement.  And one cruise in the future there was a sailing where the balcony was cheaper for a solo than an inside or solo room!

On Carnival I usually paid 50% supplement for an inside cabin but I have paid 0% supplement on one cruise and on another cruise the supplement was only 23%, mind you those are now far and in between. But one thing I had on Carnival is a room with only one single bed in it. The room you have inside the room then is amazing.

On 12/13/2018 at 10:53 AM, bob brown said:

If you're going to want to live on the Atlantic, it would seem from a cruising perspective, Fort Lauderdale would be my choice...

Lots of cruises from there and close-by Miami.   And withing driving distance is Palm Beach, Tampa, Port Canaveral, and even Jacksonville....

 

If warm climate all year is not to your liking, New York, with its three cruise ports isn't bad, either...also within driving range of Boston, Baltimore, Montreal, and Norfolk....

My condo which I just sold last week is in Broward County midway between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.  It made it very easy to get cruises for both Fort Lauderdale and Miami, but I also drove to the Space Coast for cruises. I never sail out of Tampa but I had driven over to there a couple of times (easy but boring trip).  Also flights to New Orleans were not too long.  Look in that area, prices are still not too high if you are not by the coast.

i have sailed solo on royal, carnival and ncl. i prefer royal. but if you are going strictly to meet other solos ncl is probably best.

Yes, I forgot to mention them but both solo trips on NCL using inside cabins (not solo cabins) were great too.

That sounds pretty cool to me! Do you have a Central Park view or Boardwalk view?

 

 

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Central Park view.

I not only go solo cruising, I have gone on camping trip solo, I have gone on cabin vacations solo, I watch the Solar Eclipse by myself and because no-one would go with ms, so I had to watch the amazing Leonids showers of 2008 and 2009 by myself.In most cases I really wished someone would come with me to share the experience, but no-one would spend the time.money with me.So I had two choices, sit at home and vegetate and see nothing new in my life, or go out there and sample this world in all it's glory.Also a word of warning, when I was very young I thought it was not worth going to places without other people, so I did not go. The results.I did not go to the Emerald Garden in Montserrat when I could, today the volcano has wiped it out.I did not go to the Hole in the Wall in Canada, today it no longer exists as it collapsed.I did not go to Devil's Bridge in Aruba, it collapse before I got there.Basicilly, if you wait saying you can always see it later, it may not be there anymore.

I am going to Florida on business next week, this now makes it even better. I can add a short cruise in as well.

Lynda, I may be a young one to you at 61 but I remember on my solo trip on NCL Epic I talked to a fellow solo who was 84 years old and it was her first cruise in her life.In other words you are still starting young compared to others out there.Enjoy your solo cruises, I did on Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean. Again, in other words, it does not matter who you go with, you can have a fun time going solo.So Enjoy Yourself!

Please note that you don't have to be in a Studio cabin to socialize in the Studio Lounge. When I was on the Escape the solo coordinator propped open the door at 4:45pm every day so all solos could attend. The solo meeting was at 5pm every day and at 5:30 for those that wanted to eat together went to the dining room. Those that didn't just went on their way.

My trips were over two years and one year ago, but I did solos with an inside cabin (not the solo cabin) and I had no problem getting to use the solo lounge either or joining the groups for meals.

The only problem, was one girl was travelling in a solo room and the rest of her family thought that meant they could raid the solo lounge for food and drinks. They were corrected by the second day they did that.

SmoothFlying, it sounds like a suggestion that you want to go to Paris without her will result is a hospital just from her looks?

I never did Princess, but Carnival, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and NCL all gave me single tables when I requested one (no charge), I doubt Princess is any different.

I never married, but when I travel solo I often meet people of which only one member of the couple go cruising, sometimes because of work, sometimes because one member does not like ship life. But in all cases they seem very happy - go for it.

Has Carnival done something different in the last year or so?

My last three cruises with Carnival were not solo, but before that I did a number of solo cruises with Carnival and I have had single supplements of 25%, 33% and 50% depending on which cruise you are talking about.

Also I did one cruise with Carnival when I paid double for the cabin but went solo for $800 for a 21 day back-to-back cruise. That was test cruise.

When did they change it so you pay double all the time?

On both Carnival and Royal when going solo in a standard cabin I was able to have the extra bed removed. This gave me a very large room to myself. I loved it, give it a try.

I have done 5 solos on Carnival and one on Royal Empress of the Seas.

First, I always had a great time on Carnival and I have requested both solo shared tables and at other times a table just by myself. There has been no problems either way. If I had to pick a ship I would say Carnival Dream is the one to take. Just remember to make sure you are walking in the right direction, at first I would find myself at times at the wrong end of the ship and it was a long walk to the other end.

Because I have done 12 cruises on Carnival I know where the best food is, On Royal it was all new. I was pleasantly surprised, I enjoyed the quality of the food on the Lido deck. I did not enjoy the dining rooms as much as Carnival but like I said this was my first trip with them.

In December I will be doing Royal's Symphony of the Seas and next year Carnival's Horizon so you see all the ships are fun.

12 Carnivals

2 NCL

1 Holland America

1 Royal Carribean

I just booked a Studio cabin on the Harmony, it is on Deck 4. It is not a mistake :)

How much? How long? Which trip?

Carnival did not have a very good onboard shopping selection compared to RCCL (yes we like to shop in the ship's stores)

I loved my Carnival cruises, but that is one thing I never understood. I travel with a few items as possible, for both weight and going thru customs reasons - the less you have the better. I also buy items to show I have been cruising. But often I find I have to get off the ship at ports to buy the simplest of items I want.

To me it is a lost revenue stream, I don't buy chains, jewelry, watches so why is so much floor space taken up with them. Even the camera section is sparse, it should offer a large range of SD cards, flash cards and an option to get your picture that they take just on flash cards. Charge half the price that you do for a printed photo and I probably will buy more than twice the number of photos I presently get.

I started solo cruising at 57 (I am presently 61). I started to solo cruise because I noticed that I constantly missed cruised I wanted to go on because the two girls who I normally travel with were getting busier and busier with work, or did not want to go to the same places as me.

So I bit the bullet and started doing solo cruises.

Sometimes I miss having someone to share an experience with, but over time I realized there are a lot of things I would miss out on if I was always waiting for someone to have free time to travel with me.

Go solo, and enjoy life.

I have do solo on the Breeze and Dream as a solo.

I have only one complaint. If you mix up directions you can walk the entire length of the ship only to find what you want is on the other end of the ship which means another long walk. :)

Both times I was on big table at mealtimes with nothing but solos so we all had something in common, but they did come from all walks of life.

There were tons of things to do on the ships that even with one cruise was 21 days and the other was a 8 day cruise I still did not get to do everything there was to do on-board.

And once you go solo you can't go back.

After going solo the first time is freedom, even now when I travel with a friend we now get separate rooms. That is what I will be doing on my next resort trip to Cuba, the trip to Eagle's Nest in BC was also separate rooms, and to the Florida Keys.

We found having separate rooms means you sleep and wake on your own schedule, and that really makes a vacation a real vacation.

I have been alone or at a large table, both were my choice.

At the large tables everyone was traveling solo. The one time there was a mother and daughter at the table it turned out they were traveling solo with each in their own cabin.

I did NCL Epic twice as a solo.

Ages ran for 20s to the 80s, you will always find some one to talk to,

The younger crowd often are at the meetups in the solo lounge and spend time often planning what to do late into the night but for evening before and at dinner time there is a good mix of people.

I never found a single woman scared because I was the only other person there.

Also, there are little parties some time held in the lounge and all the solos are invited.

Has anyone here booked one of the interior facing balconies on the RCI Oasis class ships? I think these are generally listed as interiors, but they actually face either Central Park or the Boardwalk. They are less expensive than ocean-facing balconies. Also, they periodically offer a special for 50% off the second passenger. I have a cruise booked on the Navigator of the Seas in January to the ABC islands, in an interior with a window looking into the promenade. I booked during one of the specials, so I paid 150%. This will be my first cruise with RCI.

 

 

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I am not going solo, but next year December, I and a friend do have an inside facing room booked on the Symphony of the Seas. That means instead when at sea we see the same ocean we can people watch instead.

I have done 2 solo cruises. The first was on MSC and I booked thru a "well-gnome" agency and paid for both beds in an oceanview and they upgraded me to a balcony. It was lovely! 2 months ago I booked a sweet deal on an inside with NCL, paying 150% iof the discounted rate. Total for the cabin before the taxes was $269 for a 5 day cruise.

 

Those solo cabins look like hell. Shop around. On the exact same boat you can often find a traditional inside cabin for less money. And it's bigger. Don't be afraid to bypass the perks and book a guaranty cabin. They are a LOT cheaper and really, how much booze are you going to drink? Two people in a room? No brainer- get the regular room and the booze package. Solo or non-drinker? Get the GTY and roll with it. Much nicer price.

Let me double that up, twice I have sailed on NCL as a solo and I booked the inside cabins for less than solo cabins.

I got more space, big bed and room to swing a cat. On my first trip I got to use the meeting area all the time and on the second trip I was at the meeting to go to the group meals (which are fun by the way).

You don't need to get a solo cabin to go solo.