LOVINCRUIZIN

Hi all!

Just back from an amazing Iceland/European cruise, now it's time to plan and (patiently) wait for this one!  Did the Venezia on her 1st NY sailing.  Hopefully some of the kinks are worked out, but she's beautiful.  Can't wait!!

On 9/18/2022 at 9:45 PM, irvington said:

I travel a lot for work by myself and basically enjoy it, but for me it is a bit of a respite from working where I need to be "on" for others all the time.

 

That said, I'm trying to psych myself up for a solo cruise, and I think I'm mostly worried about the dining. What do most of you do while you eat? I usually cruise lines that seat people with their own party, not strangers. Honestly, I'd rather not be foisted on someone but I don't want to eat in the buffet the whole time. On my business trips, I usually eat at more casual sit down restaurants where I don't feel wrid being on my phone or looking at a book or work papers. But that seems a bit gauche for the fancy restaurants on Celebrity and HAL (where I've usually cruised).

 

I don't have a problem having a drink or watching a show or live music by myself, but I feel really shy about the dining.

 

I don't know if this makes any difference, but I'm looking at cruises in Europe and Asia that will be pretty port-intensive.

Totally agree.  Just booked my first solo to Europe this summer and the dining is the part I am slightly concerned with.

Same problem...for December

CArnival has a lot of cruises that dock at both ports.  We are doing both in December as well from  Horizon

I will be going on the Anthem in November, so can't speak specifically for RCCL, but, I've done cruises on other lines and really, it's subjective. My experiences in the main dining room have been mostly positive and I've always found something good to eat. We are not very picky and I find most MDR cruise food to be at least on par with what you would get at a decent to good chain restaurant on land. So, is it worth it to spend a premium on for the specialties? if you are the type that eats fine dining a few times a year on land, then I think you will like the specialties. If you have had great experiences in the MDR, then maybe it's just not worth it. For us, unless there's some specialty I really wanted to try, I skip them. There's SO much food on board all day long that I find that sometimes I just am not hungry enough to really enjoy them and I feel like I'm wasting my money. We haven't done them the last couple of cruises, but this being our first RCCL we decided to splurge and do Jamie's. But really, when you think about it, you paid for food, and now you are paying again. It's a nice racket these cruise lined got going :)

I generally agree with you. On Norwegian, they often have a dining package as a promo, so we get to try a couple of specialty restaurants. On Carnival and RC, we generally find the MDR food just fine. We do the steakhouse one night each cruise, just as a little treat. In December we're doing it to celebrate my daughter's Sweet 16. But, as you stated, in general, the food is plentiful and decent with no extra fee.

Yes..there are tons of folks, but other than when shows let out, or prime eating times, or the pools on sea days...you won't "feel' like it's that many people.

hi cb! we've sailed together and i've seen you all over these boards, but it's been a while since i've lurked. so hello ;)

They will only allow you to do it once per sailing. You are required to have a reservation doing this ahead of time insures you get a spot booking it earlier in the cruise helps if weather makes them close it. It is always sad when people wait until the last day to do something and weather screws them up.

 

They used to allow a standby line but that was gone on our June cruise

thanks for the good info. another thread someone reported being a "stand by" or walk up right after embarkation since it was empty, then going at their reserved time for a second turn.

appreciate your feedback!

Depends on how many kids and how many adults you have. ;) :D

That would be two...which leave a mom-beverage:D

We sail in December and I booked online a couple of months ago. I think I read somewhere that each person can only do it once per sailing. IS that so?

Going in December - thanks for sharing!

When in doubt, ask.:beer-toast:

Great news! That'll be one soda with dinner for each of my kids on Anthem in December!

Just got our upgrade email for Breakaway next week. We were in a mini suite. We bid $705 CDN (each) to upgrade to the Haven courtyard penthouse with balcony (H5). I am shocked that they accepted it. It was in the poor range on their 'bid-o-meter' but a lot of other people on my roll call are saying they also got upgraded today, so perhaps the ship isn't very full. I fear this will ruin us for ever sailing in non-Haven cabins if we like NCL - this is our first time with them.

Congrats! We sail May 13 on Escape and are hoping for the same upgrade at $705

Crossing my fingers for a better experience on Friday.:eek:

me too! see you there :D

Just curious, did you get a email from Royal asking you to board by deck number?? Anyone?? Might this have helped the boarding issues??

 

Thank you

Nope - boarding Friday and have had no such communication. Sounds to me like an isolated situation due to the number of ships in port. I am expecting a smooth process Friday!

I've sailed with my kids since they were young. Perhaps we are not that fussy. We just improvise. My daughter did not like the pack and play when she was very young, so we kept the mattress pad and she slept on the floor for a week and was happy!

We grabbed extra boxes of cereal at breakfast for snacks.

At dinner we got a couple of glasses of milk for night bottles.

We also arranged a staff member to babysit several nights so we could have some adult time out.

That there ARE differences in cruise lines. And that I alternate depending on the mood I am in and the experience I want to have.

I am sure you will have a great cruise, I am not a fan if Miami but still booked Navigator for 2017 since we love this ship ( wish it left from NYC)

We sailed on Explorer many times, so I am sure we will love this sister ship. Explorer used to sail from Bayonne NJ. Now we have a mega-ship that I have not yet tried.

Hope you have a great Spring cruise - we'll take care of her for you next week;)

They should have just a complaining website so the constant whiners can complain to themselves instead of frightening future cruisers into thinking what they say is accurate for everyone who was on that same ship, or, who will be going on that ship.

 

I don't really give a rats pitunia about your experience that your trying to pass along as the way it will be for everyone.

 

Everyone will always have a different opinion, experience, complaint, and compliment based on their personality and expectations.

 

 

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woohoo ---a New Yorker speaks up!!! I am boarding Navigator in three days...and I already KNOW I am going to have an awesome cruise!!!

Read all of the responses. Having sailed 20+ times with my kids, best advice I read was this...relax...once you get onboard and assess, you'll stop worrying!

VERY similar experiences - I would choose the extra night :)

The Oosterdam is nowhere near brand new, but she was just refurbished. Legend was refurbished 2 years ago.

 

When it comes to Oosterdam or Legend, go with whatever cruise line suits you best. There's a big difference between HAL and Carnival.

This has not been mentioned again...but IMO this is the key ingredient. HAL and Carnival are night and day. And OP has to consider what passenger set he/she prefers to align with. Otherwise, there may be some shock and disappointment.

I did one HAL. It was fine, but I much prefer the pace and activities on Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian.

I am 40-something and have a few cruises under my belt. I bounce around between Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival.

For a couples cruise, I think Norwegian is great. The dining is more intimate and IMO better quality.

Look at Escape or Getaway. They have availability in January and balconies are around $800 for a week.

I prefer Caribbean ports to Bahamas. Choose the cruise - you'll find lots of things to do in Caribbean ports.

Have a blast!!!

That's an individual choice.

We always choose standard late dining. That's our family time - my kids get freedom and flexibility during the day.

And I prefer not to rush back to the ship to shower and eat.

And I like to have continuity of dining room staff, and know our table is ready.

For me, I am a planner. I prefer to board the cruise with most decisions made, so I can really relax the mind and just let go!

Whatever you choose....have an awesome time!!!

I have always wondered what makes a cabin 'not ideal'?

 

To me any place on the ship is ideal.

Only time we had a "not ideal" cabin was on deck 1 directly above where the garbage was kept and it was very very stinky the whole cruise. Can't even remember the ship, but it was pretty "not ideal" :eek:

Don't be concerned with the weather out of Bayonne on the Anthem. It is a cold weather ship. There are 3 pools on the deck. The outdoor pool, the solarium (no kids under 16) and the indoor pool....where your kids can go if it is chilly. There are tons of "indoor" venues for your children. Check it out. The fares may be higher out of Bayonne, but you are saving $$$ on airfare and dealing with the agony of an airport. Good luck with whatever you decide. PS. I don't find Celebrity to be snooty at all. :)

We;ve done this many time and I completely agree! Factor in the stress and money for flying. And your first sea day is great and you'll be busy exploring if it's a little cool. And your last sea day is a good last day of relaxation. You'll be home and still be relaxed without having the craziness of a day of travel.