Lugger11

It's group travel, so there are group events that are exclusive to you, not available to other travelers on the ship. Mostly about dinner with the group, and cocktail parties and dances with the group. There are also excursions organized by the company, roomate finding service if you want it, and people tend to hang out together at the pool. It's a great way to meet people and make friends while not feeling isolated because you are single. There is a culture to them, a kind of celebration of being single, compared to the feeling you often get in the real world where being single is looked at as a problem that needs a solution. Age ranges vary each time. At 50, I was the youngest on my last singles cruise, but on others, I was right in the middle of the age ranges, with plenty of people in their 30s and 40s, as well as older. I would enquire about the demographics when you book. I regret going on the last one because of demographics, but I consider my previous ones some of the best things I've ever done, even therapeutic.

So.... to be clear.... only in an up-charge area? Nothing in the gym for everyone?

I've always been frustrated by the crappy American pop music and line dancing that is common on most cruise ships. I'm kinda hoping that there is a more international/European EDM scene in at least one night time venue on our Seascape cruise coming up in February. Can anyone advise?

I've been saying this for years, but on ALL cruise lines. This has always been an issue with everyone. I know at some resorts I've been to they have pina colada and strawberry daiquiri slushy machines and all the bartender has to do is add booze. It seems so obvious. Maybe there are some health/cleanliness reasons not to do this. But I haven't yet been to a poolside bar on a cruise that wasn't super-crowded pushy passengers, but with bartenders who were in no rush. I think best solution is to flag down a waiter and let them deal with it. I'll be over here chilling out in the sun.

I used a US-based online travel broker/agent and got a fantastic price. Paid in USD. HOWEVER, I couldn't sign up for loyalty club as the US site recognized my booking number, but wouldn't accept my Canadian address. The Canadian site wouldn't recognize my booking number. SIGH. Maybe if I get bored I'll deal with it on the ship, if they have a loyalty desk.

I'm guessing that a big part of the competitive price has to do with debt load. MSC was able to continue their commercial shipping business during the pandemic, while the other cruise lines had to shut down and incur debt. So now each cruise fare on the other lines includes a certain amount of debt repayment baked in, while MSC doesn't need to do so. And yes, they are essentially running promotional pricing to gain market share, and that probably won't last. And yes, they do up-charge a bit more than other lines, but that's for things I wasn't really interested in anyways (like VR arcade). And yes, the nightly shows are not Broadway or Cirque du Soleil quality, but I was never that big in to the shows anyway. And I've heard the buffet food is basically just stuff kids will eat, but that works for the US market anyways, who are thrilled to have unlimited pizza and pasta without having to dress nicely for the MDR. I'm also thinking they invest a bit more in the Casinos on their ships to try to recoup some $ there. I think that's one of the reasons Disney is so expensive, as they don't have casino revenue to offset the cruise fare. Just my thoughts

My upcoming Feb 2023 cruise on Seascape comes with free drinks package and internet package, plus cabin credit. Ridiculously cheap, especially given it's a new ship and other lines are starting to up their prices to recoup Covid losses. I think this might be the last of the cheap cruises for some time. I advise to take advantage while you still can.

What cruise line sells their drink packages for that low??? Halloween 2022 RCCL symphony of the seas was over $80 pppd (if you booked early) so almost $600 pp for 7 night cruise. At $7 per beer (including gratuity), and $11 for a glass of wine at dinner, it adds up quickly. Maybe you break even, maybe you even save a few bucks, but my main motivation for getting the drink package is the bill on the last night. I pre-pay drinks and gratuities, so I owed NOTHING walking off the ship. I've had bills on the last night of cruises without drink package or pre-paid gratuities that felt like a punch in the stomach. Not how I want to feel at the end of my vacation.

Halloween 2022 - RCCL Symphony of the Seas The short version: Yawn and ew... So, I know everyone is having staffing problems, and MDR service was always slow, so I'll just say, yeah it was slow, especially drinks. Not like I was ordering something fancy. Just wine off the wine menu. Shouldn't take 10-15 minutes to arrive. Disappointments: Escargot: came in a cream sauce instead of clear garlic butter. I know it's topped with garlic and whatever, but underneath I expected clear butter. Seeing the cream sauce made me think it wasn't done right. It tasted fine, but still unsure if this was right. Prime rib: it was ok, but there was no seasoning, no rub. Just plain. I guess some people don't like the seasoning so they just served plain. Sad for the rest of us NY strip steak: a go-to when you aren't in to anything else on the menu that night. Was over-cooked and cold when arrived. texture of shoe leather Up charge Lobster: For $36 extra, I expected something special. Instead, I got something so over-cooked the meat had shriveled up in to about 4 bites worth. So sad. Coconut Shrimp: Actually, this wasn't bad, but there was no coconut either. I think the same things as the prime rib. They are so afraid of offending people with flavor that they make it bland to be safe Cheesecake with Strawberry: The cheesecake was fine, but there was no sauce of any kind, just a small strawberry on top. So it was bland and a bit dry. Almost every meal came with some kind of deep-fried mash potato, but there was no gravy, butter, or sour cream. Just bland potato. Did I complain the waiter? No, because he was already over-worked, and anything he could have done to remedy the situation would have taken even more time. You know, the food is one of the main reasons I choose cruising over resorts, so if you fail at food, you fail on the whole. Not in any hurry to book RCCL again, and will be trying out different cruise lines instead of staying loyal.

Going on Symphony of the Seas over Halloween and considering getting a specialty dining package. The thing is, I generally love the food in the MDR, but some nights are better than others. So what I'd really love to see is a schedule of the MDR menus so I can decide how many nights of Specialty dining I want to pre-purchase, and what nights to book. For instance, I don't want to book the steak house the night they have Prime Rib in MDR, or the Seafood restaurant the night they have lobster tails in the MDR. I can't seem to find such a resource. Can anyone advise?

Also consider group travel for singles. Just google it, I'm not allowed to give more details on this forum. Benefits include roomate finder, if you want, although not mandatory. A guarantee of dozens of other singles onboard who are in the same situation, instead of always feeling like you're hanging out with couples and families. They also have their own hosts who arrange singles-oriented activities, including dining, dancing, games, karaoke, excursions. And they are well-attended because they are exclusive to the singles group. There is a bit of a hook-up culture to them, but it's no big deal if you aren't interested in that. It's a great community and many/most people end up making friends they keep in touch with afterwards.

To my knowledge, there are 3 Hosted Singles Halloween cruises, and I've heard that one is already booked up. I'm on the RCCL one and last I heard there are over 180 booked.