SoloAlaska

Thinking about a b2b, s2s, broken etc for 2026 to Australia and NZ. It would include a transpacific crossing as well. Hope to be gone for about 2-3 months and include some time camping in NZ and AUS.

Finally got my scale working again and I lost 1.8lb this week. I’m 1/3 of the way to my ideal weight. I’ve never lost this much before and always yo-yo loosing 15 or so lb before putting it back on. This group has really helped me stay on track and I look forward to Thursday weigh ins. holidays are just over a week away here but everything in moderation

That’s what I was told by a friend who is staff. They use to have midnight buffets for staff of the food that didn’t sell that night but that no longer happens. She said there is a lot less food waste since the change. also confirmed by someone who went on the galley tour 2 weeks ago.

I much rather pay on my drinks than on the original value of the package. Also how would you calculate based on when at sea vs in port, what if a port is missed then would you receive a refund on the vat? paying vat sucks especially when it’s new and a rule change but the contracts do include provisions that make it ok to happen.

I need to start eating more again. My meds make it easy to just not eat but my body needs nutrients to power it. Last week I gave myself food poisoning 🤦🏼‍♀️ which was a first but not fun. Im seeing my doctor Monday about my weight loss. It’s been 3 months since I started and my life has completely changed. No more knee or hip pain just going up the stairs. Even my gate has started to change as my thighs start slimming down. The one thing that is driving me nuts is that no one seems to notice how much I’ve lost. Im not sure if it’s just because it’s impolite now to comment on those things but I wish someone would comment on how much I’ve lost. In 3.5 months I’ve lost almost 30lb while still enjoying life and not feeling deprived. my scales battery died so I couldn’t weigh this morning. I’ll weigh myself tonight and tomorrow morning to see what this weeks progress has been.

That’s part of what I meant by the “quality has gone down”. My problem is with the menu and it’s execution instead of number of options.

Yes they do and it’s also available late night which is nice. Sometimes they have stir fry or ramen in the evenings.

Last year my assigned table was alone against a wall on the 5th and I hated it. Solo cruising I didn’t want to feel like I was put in a corner especially since waiting between courses can be quite long in the MDR. The high back chairs also help with privacy, feels like a cone of silence.

The smaller menu makes sense especially since celebrity cooks to order each ticket. Not sure when the change happened of prepping dishes ahead of a service to made to order but if having less options makes a speedier service I have no problem with it. Now my problem is the quality has gone done, presentation has gone down, and service is still slow. The menu being smaller is not new news but having cruised a year apart on the same ship I can say the changes go beyond the smaller menu.

Since you haven’t gotten a response here you may want to ask on the carnival board. I don’t cruise Carnival so I am of no help sorry.

If your on the same TA as me will have to make sure the bar crawl is on a day that doesn’t have VAT.

The behind the ear patches are no longer available in Canada which is why I tried Emeterm. Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you, I hope you find your solution soon.

I was worried about the seas on my upcoming TA so I got myself an Emeterm bracelet and tested in on my Alaskan cruise a few weeks ago. Worked like a charm and yes I get monitor sickness and sea sick.

I wish I had the schedule right now where I could do that TA to Europe and then back. It’s a great deal if you like lots of sea days.

You can’t bring a keurig since it has a heat element. There’s an amazing hand pressed espresso maker though that works Nespresso made by wacaco if your looking for an option.

I have never seen tax applied to a gratuity. That is indeed very odd. Might be because it’s also considered a “service charge” which might be taxable. I pay tax on everything I buy at home so this isn’t outlandish to me but taxing on gratuity is very odd.

Sunscreen I am very picky with. If anyone knows the brands of sunscreen in duty free on NCL I’m all ears. I bought some on my last Celebrity cruise since they have my brand and a better selection than Sephora. One thing to note is each county has different rules for meds so always carry what you want in original packaging just in case. My basic kit has antihistamines, Sudafed, muscle relaxants, Advil, Tylenol, heartburn chews, plus things like a few bandaids etc. from home (Canada) plus I bring Dramamine less-drowsy from the US. When we got to port in Vancouver a bunch of Americans where surprised to learn they could buy muscle relaxants OTC in Canada and had directions to the nearby pharmacy. I’ve been stuck in the US without them and will never travel without. The rest I can easily grab at a US pharmacy so on land trips I don’t pack too much OTC.

Love the addition of the bars but I would also recommend bringing an electrolyte replacement if you want to be even better prepared. Also love the pulse ox.

I originally booked guaranteed interior for my upcoming TA (15 nights) but when the price dropped I’m upgraded to FAS OV and couldn’t be happier. I like waking up to natural light and with jet lag and all it will be a good perk to have a window. Price dropped again so I’m adding the drink part of FAS now. I usually cruise interior without any problem but I’m solo and it’s a good way to make me get out of my cabin and enjoy different spaces onboard.

I hadn’t thought of this for my upcoming cruise of September 4-19. I’m not a big Christmas person and find the holidays hard. Might have to play into it in a fun way.

I did the same cruise on the same ship a year apart and the difference was very noticeable. We still enjoyed our meals but the menu is more limited and some of my favourites where gone. The meat was lower quality from what I saw in my plate. Yes lots of mash potatoes now. Presentation was basic at best, it missed the detail and garnish it had even a year before. It’s not a bad meal but only one dish did I consider fantastic and “inspired”.

I’m not a buffet person either but on my Millenium at least the omelet station also did toast so just need to grab fruit and your good. It surprisingly wasn’t too crazy and with a smaller group it was always easy to find an available table. MDR didn’t open on some days till 7:30 which when you have an earlier port day and wanted to get going wasn't great. The apple pancakes are delicious though, I had them most mornings.

Exactly and I for one will not. Just did my review today and stated unless there is a major change for the better they have lost my business. I have 40 plus years of cruising ahead of me and will find a line that I like the value of.

I haven’t been on the princess boards but this thread was specific to being charged more than double as a solo traveller. Other lines aren’t charging more than double that I’ve looked at. My NCL cruise coming up has no single supplement and my Royal in 2025 at least isn’t charging a full double. Celebrity is charging anywhere from a little more than double up to 4 times more for solo travellers. When it comes to the changes in the industry they are all over I agree. I just got off my cruise last week and the quality was worse than I expected on Celebrity. Prices have skyrocketed since last year and that includes many things I was surprised onboard by. Eg my scotch of choice last year was $11 and exactly a year later is $15 plus gratuity of course.

Bring a copy crossed out with the right number just in case. Could make life a lot faster depending on how your getting to the port. Our train handled the luggage and people who waited for the porters to write tags made the process much slower.