Brewgator

Whenever I travel to Europe it takes me a week or 10 days just to acclimate to the taste of Coke Light (and I never REALLY do) and then it is time to go home. People just don't understand there is a big difference.

I think the reduced single supplement, while not going away, is going to become less and less available as cruise lines optimize booking early and filling ships to over capacity. Unfortunately solo travelers are getting marginalized, as shown by Celebrity's recent pricing changes. While I commend the provision of single cabins, even these are usually either interior (e.g. NCL) or obstructed view (Celebrity Edge class). The only line I have seen offering a standard (unobstructed) balcony solo are the new Oceania ships. I lucked out and booked a waived single supplement cabin on Celebrity Beyond for next summer but that was last spring. I do not anticipate being able to do much, if at all, in the future. Too bad. Celebrity has always been my go-to line and I am Elite status.

Oh I'm glad somebody else brought this up. I went through a recent cruise (on another line) where it was all Coke Zero as the diet drink. I tolerated it but really need my Diet Coke. Fingers crossed this holds true for my upcoming Explorer Japan cruise.

I agree with many of the previous posters. I alternate cruises with DIY vacations (usually domestic travel) and that seems to suit me really well. Furthermore, I have a hierarchy when doing a cruise. If it is a port intensive foreign itinerary, I will always go with Viking and/or Regent. Would be willing to give Oceania a try at some point just to see and will probably go with Silversea for an upcoming Galapagos cruise in couple of years. For what I call a 'relaxation cruise' (i.e. I just want to be on a ship and relax for a few days) I go with Celebrity or HAL. For these I get a balcony cabin and rarely get off the ship. I live in Florida so access to Port Canaveral, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami are pretty straightforward. I've been to all of the Caribbean ports-of-call so I just watch everybody else get off the ship and then relax by the (empty) pool for the day. It's great!!!

We are relying totally on a well reviewed local guide through Tours by Locals. If you go to the site, there are, I believe, more than 75 guides. It is a bit of comparison shopping but most have detailed reviews and the tours they provide are fairly well detailed. Most will tailor the tour to your particular interests. What we did was provide a list of desired outcomes (eat like a local, local crafts people, etc. in addition to regular tourist sites) and let the guide tailor the itinerary as best she sees fit. We appreciate the ease of the pre-tour stay from Regent such as the booking of the hotel, transfers and breakfast every morning. Getting there three days early allows for acclimation prior to the cruise itself. We have simply chosen to substitute our own tours for the ones being offered as part of the pre-stay package. Like I said, win-win.

This is what we are doing. We are taking advantage of everything BUT the tours including the transfers to the hotel and, on the third day, the 1/2 day tour that ends up at the cruise dock (in essence a glorified transfer from hotel to ship with a tour stop in between). On the two full days we have hired a private tour guide to show us around Tokyo. Best of both worlds.

Oh good, it's not just me!!!! 🙂

I am a Viking enthusiast (with two ocean and one river cruise in the pipeline over the next two years). I believe they offer a superior product at a (somewhat) reasonable rate. I agree with previous posts that they really should go inclusive with the tips. If we are going to pay it anyway, why not include it and adjust cruise price accordingly? I posted elsewhere that I met Mr. Hagen on a recent cruise and, had I been thinking, I would have sought clarification on Viking's attitude toward single cruisers. Obviously it has been a conscious decision to not market to single customers either through the provision of (limited) single cabins or by offering discounted single supplements (at least on a wider basis). As a businessman I am sure he has thought this through and they can make the numbers work without doing this (in other words it is not their business model). But even a half dozen single cabins on their newbuilds would pay some sort of lip service to a rapidly growing population segment.

I was on this trip and can confirm that the crew on board were fantastic and the scenery in Iceland and Norway never disappoints. Have done 5 Viking river cruises but this was my first ocean (although I now have 2 more booked) and I cannot say enough good things about the experience. On a side note, I was in in the Explorer's Lounge early one morning for my waffle (entering the fjord going to Flam). While waiting for it to be served I went up to the front and looked out over the gorgeous fjord. I said out loud 'I could look at this forever. It's just so beautiful' and a very familiar voice said 'It certainly is' and I turned around and sitting there was Torstein Hagen himself. I guess he boarded at Alesund either to check out the ship or, as I suspect, for a meeting of some sort. I was wondering why the executive chef was loitering around at Mamsen's at 6:30 in the morning.