turtlerock1962

Dear Mel c sounds youve got humour like me I'm looking at western navigation world cruise p&0 Arcadia or world cruise with cmv Columbus .2020 Jan both ar £10,000 odd let me know john

After all the fuss trying to get a cruise mate that caters for sharing a cabin i can actually get a cabin to myself although I have to raise £2000 by January thanks to contributers

I've been dreaming of taking a North West Passage cruise ever since Hapag Lloyd ran the first expedition ship thru it some years ago...

When Crystal stunned the cruise world with its announcement of taking a full sized luxury liner, the Crystal Serenity thru it last year, I was really hooked, but it sold out very quickly. They repeated it for one more time (this year), and I was determined to book it. The only problem was, it was well out of my budget, to book solo. I asked everyone I knew, and no one else had the time or interest. So since CC does not permit soliciting for cabin mates, I searched elsewhere.

 

I placed an ad for a cabin mate, simply to share the expense, nothing else. I included a link to the Crystal website detailing the cruise and the high cost, and mentioned that, requesting for serious inquiries only.

I waited a week, and got no responses. I called Crystal to see if there was a chance of a lower than 100% single supplement, but they at first said not for that cruise. A few days later, they called me back and said they could do it with a 60% supplement. That was still a steep fare for one person. I looked at my ad again, and someone responded, asking if I would consider sharing with a female. I immediately answered that I certainly would, and gave my phone number.

 

I waited but another week went by, and got no call. I was actually dialing the phone to Crystal to try one more shot at a lower supplement, when my phone rang, and the ad respondent was on the line! We spoke for about an hour, and gave each other as much personal info as necessary to make a decision. I was strongly motivated to go, so agreed that we would 'research' it, and look for a travel agent to make the arrangements...to book it and collect the fares individually.

She called back a week later, with an offer from a travel agent that was for a guarantee ocean view, at a slightly reduced fare, and with some onboard credit thrown in. Plus the agent was match and add an equal amount of OBC.

So we booked it. A few days before the cruise, the agent gave us the good news, that she got us a free upgrade to a balcony cabin!

 

We didn't meet until I was already on board. I waited until she boarded, then we got acquainted, and we decided how we would divide the cabin, the closets, and storage, the bathroom (fortunately it had two sinks). She said she likes to shower before going to bed, I like to shower when waking up, so things were off to a good start.

I might add that until her her passing last year, I cruised with my mother, so I am used to sharing a cabin with a female, although I know that is not quite the same thing. I am very easy going, and fairly tolerant of other's idiosyncrasies, and I try to be inoffensive, as well...

 

Anyway, things went pretty well...we both were assigned to a dinner table for eight, but the rest of the time on board, or ashore, we went our own way. Although I am single, (and looking), I was not attracted to her. I had to make it clear to other's on board that we were 'not a couple'...even the cruise line did not 'get it'...they sent all correspondence addressed to us together, rather than individually. When they sent us one of an item, like the daily, or the passenger list, or whatever, I had to go to the desk to request another. They did give us individual lines of credit, however...that was not a problem.

 

The cruise was a fairly long one...32 nights. About a week into the cruise, she caught a flu-like illness, with a bad cough, and stayed in bed all day for almost a week. I was very careful to wash constantly, and except for sleeping or showering, I stayed out of the cabin. Miracle of miracles, I never caught what she had...there were a few others on the ship with similar afflictions...

 

The cruise was a dream come true, in all aspects. I was regularly on our CC Roll Call, attended the Meet and Greet, and posted on our "Live from the Crystal Serenity Northwest Passage" thread, if anyone is interested in reading that.

 

The bottom line...would I look for a "blind date" cabin mate again? Perhaps...

If it was a very expensive "bucket list" cruise such as this, that would 'bankrupt me' to book, I probably would.

But my next two cruises, more mundane two weeks in the Caribbean, I booked solo.

I am looking at the January 2019 World Cruise on the Oceania Insignia, 174 days, New York to New York...I am negotiating for a lowered single supplement, but if I can't get it, may look for a cabin mate again....:).

Bob come across your blog I'm trying to do the western navigation with p&0 Arcadia .99 nights it's my first cruise I have to pay £10.000 for one half single supplement when it costs £9999 for the full world tour

no replys yet just have a chat i'm married

John