3rdGenCunarder

I agree that a more quiet cruise would be the better choice. Your family will work hard to make sure you have a good time, and that might make you feel bad that you were interfering with their vacation. And it might not be the atmosphere you prefer. I agree with @Icand1923, the crew do pay extra attention to solos. I noticed it particularly on my Eurodam cruise. The steward always asked how I was doing, did I need anything, how was my day in port, etc. I know they do that a lot, but I felt he made an extra effort with me. I've been thinking about this thread, and it occurred to me how many singles, especially widows, commented here. You won't be the only widow on board. Sometimes, when you travel, it seems like the world is Noah's Ark, everything is set up for two by two. But on a cruise, there will be other solos. We tend to gravitate toward each other on tours. I had the nicest chat with a woman on the tram ride to the stable at HMC. Just one widow being friendly to another.

One more step. In Jan, the kiosk step gave a little paper slip as a boarding pass. Then, as I entered the seating area, I was given the boarding group card there. I had to tell her I'm 4* to get the priority card. The pass did say "Loyalty Tier 4S," but it isn't obvious.

Yes, security first, and then the kiosk. I think it must be linked to a passport data base, because the only thing I recall being scanned was the barcode on my boarding pass. IF it cooperates, the kiosk prints a little slip of paper, like a receipt from a store. That becomes your boarding pass for getting on the ship. In my case, the kiosk bounced me to a check-in person, who I think scanned my boarding pass again. Or maybe it was my passport. It was all so quick that I don't remember. This was Port Everglades. They do want to see ID as you enter the port, and boarding pass and/or passport at the door to the terminal. I've done it so often that I just have everything ready to show and don't pay attention to what is checked where. Returning to PE, Immigration had facial recognition kiosks. No need to show a passport. There was an agent at the kiosks to see that people cleared and then we were just sent on our way. Easy!

Have you tried going through the "change your cabin" steps? (choose deck, chose forard/mid/ aft, etc) It seems that HAL shows a greater number of available cabins than they used to. You won't know for sure if what you see is all that's available, but it will give you some idea. If you see fewer than 10, that probably is all that's left.

This one is so port intensive that I'll probably be grateful for those days, and just sit with my feet up! (and a cocktail)

I would start small, with 7 days, maybe 10. Look at itineraries and see if there's a port or two that you haven't been to before--maybe it will get you excited about going. Or, if too much unknown makes you uncomfortable, do a repeat of an itinerary you like.

OP, your preferences sound a lot like mine. I like a fairly low-key sort of cruise experience. DH and I did a lot of cruising, and we enjoyed our winter escapes in the Caribbean. When I would ask him about this island or that port, he was say "All I want to know is will it be warm?" When he was ill, I thought about a cruise that friends were taking, thinking it would be part of his recovery. But it didn't turn out that way. And then I thought, that cruise could be MY recovery, my return to travel. So three months after he died, I was back on QM2. I might not have cruised again so soon, but the idea of going with friends was good for my comfort level. Going with them was the best thing I could have done. I had company at times, and time on my own. I had some "moments," and when you return to travel, you probably will, too. Mostly they were being on my balcony watching the arrival or departure at a port we always enjoyed. The pipers at Halifax made me cry. Since then, I have traveled quite a lot, but it has rarely been totally alone. I've gone to a few conferences, but mostly I've cruised. Cruising is a wonderful cocoon--you're cared for very well, and on HAL, the service is comforting, especially that friendly "hello" from the stewards you pass in the hall. You'll have time with other people and time on your own. I always get fixed dining, large table, so I meet people that way. If the roll call is active, that's another way to meet people. I haven't gone to solo gatherings on board. No particular reason, I just haven't. I am more inclined to do ship tours than independent tours, unless it's something with a roll call group. I do find some security in a ship's tour now that I'm solo. For example, I did a ship's tour to a beach in Curacao rather than take a taxi to a resort. We were herded into "our" area at the beach, so I felt like it was okay to leave my stuff on my chair and go in the water. If I had a rented chair at a resort just by myself, I'd have been uncomfortable leaving things. That sounds paranoid, I know, but I pay a lot of attention to logistics and how do I do this or that on my own. I've always been the travel planner, so in that sense my role hasn't changed. I don't always do tours. In ports where there are interesting things to do and see close to the ship, or within reasonable mass transit or Uber, I will do that. Often, I just grab my camera and wander. I'm an avid photographer, so that gives me something to do and not notice I'm alone. I agree with Ruth. Just as everyone grieves differently, everyone has to find his/her own way back to travel--and living in general. And yes, cruising is expensive because of the "single supplement." Adding HIA or CO does not charge double, so that's a small mercy. As you can see from the responses here, you aren't alone in your concerns about solo travel. I've been there and you have my sympathies. The first trip will be the hardest, but it does get easier.

New ships, expensive contracts with ATK, BBK, LC, etc. Shareholder dividends...

Thanks! I will keep an eye on the construction situation. It's also possible that the cruise line will offer a direct bus and I'll keep it simple with that. It's years since I've been to Toronto, and it would be nice to stay a few days (see the Hockey Hall of Fame!). But this is tacked on to a conference I'm going to in the Chicago area. With a few days gap between the conference and the cruise, the trip is about as long as I can stay away.

If you look closely, there's probably fine print that says prices are subject to change. It isn't just HAL. I have a trip booked on American Queen, and the content and pricing of the excursions differs greatly from what's shown in the itinerary (the content you see before you book) and what's showing up as excursions now that they're available to book. Sure enough, the teeny tiny print on the itinerary had the "subject to change" disclaimer. I just hope the new internet provider is enough better to justify the increase.

That depends on which item(s) they drop to make room for new ones. I have no special favorites in Canaletto, but I am curious to see what the new offerings will be.

Premium isn't faster. It just has access to more apps. If social and surf are slow, premium will be slow, too. I had the surf package last month, and sometimes it was as fast as at home for checking email and things like that. Other times, nada.

Islands I haven't been to before sold me on this cruise. I will miss the hydropool, but other than that, I'm fine with the smaller ship. The vista "suite" isn't much of a suite, but I think HAL calls the veranda cabins that in order to give double Mariner points and take a bit of the sting out of the price.

Thank you! I didn't know about that fund, but I will check it out. I booked a cruise for next summer on the early booking promo. I have HIA including "crew appreciation" and $400 OBC (plus the shareholder OBC). If drinks, tips, and some excursions are paid for (and I will pre-book and pay for other excursions), I didn't know what I would do with so much OBC. But now I do!

On Eurodam, it was Bigelow. I drink black tea and theirs are dreadful. The Lido did have PG Tips, but they were tagless bags stuffed into a glass container with a lid. Easy to overlook. Some people I saw didn't seem to know what they were. The coffee/bar up in the space-formerly-known-as-the-crow's-nest had Tazo, but that wasn't free. Oh for the days of HAL's own brand Darjeeling.

My Great Lakes cruise ends in Toronto. The ship offers a bus tour/transfer option, but all I want is to go to the airport. Googlemaps tells me it's about an hour by car around the time I would be going, which could be a very expensive taxi/uber ride. The UP express train looks like a faster/better option. I have lots of flight options, so I don't have to rush to make a particular flight. I have a few questions. 1. The cruise will probably dock at the large commercial port. Does anyone have experience with arrivals here? Are taxis likely to be waiting, or would I have to get an Uber? 2. I know Union Station is huge. Does anyone know if there's a direct entrance from Station Street to the UP Express area? I know I would have to go up to the skywalk and down to the platform, but is going through the main station the only option? 3. The UP website says they check on the train that you have paid. So if I tap in with a credit card, how can I prove I paid if train staff ask? TIA!

Bad info from HAL phone reps is not a new thing.

The only "multimedia programs on Eurodam were the history of HAL program and the BBC Earth videos. Because it was a Panama Canal cruise, there were documentaries about the canal shown on a few afternoons. In addition to Ask the Captain, the CD did interviews with performers--Step One dancers, Lincoln Center, Billboard duo, etc. It gave a nice glimpse into life as an entertainer on board. When she asked the dancers what they missed from being at home, one of them said "Just getting in a car and driving around."

Wait for the eggs Benedict. Cunard puts them out to grab and go. Trust me, wait for something freshly made.

Emergency drill has changed to watching the video in your cabin and going to your assembly station to check in with a crew member who will scan your card. Sometimes they do a little talk. Other times they just scan the card. On my cruise last month, the drill was from 1:00-3:00. All aboard was 2:30 (for a 3:00 departure), so even someone on a B2B would be back on board before the check-in time ended.

This makes SO MUCH sense. Which is probably why HAL didn't think of it... My next HAL cruise isn't until next winter, but I'll be watching for more info on Canaletto here. I'd like to see some new options.

Don't count on internet being good 24/7. I've had good luck on crossings on QM2. I'm not online a lot, but I check email and occasionally go online to look something up. Ironically, when we were close to land last fall on a Canada/New England, QM2's internet was so bad that they were refunding when people complained.

Welcome to HAL! I don't know about phone service at sea. Others can answer that. But I can tell you that an internet plan can be shared. The wifi intranet is free. You can use the Navigator app to check the daily program, menus, etc. If you want internet service, you have to pay for it. If you both don't need to be online all the time, you can share a plan. HAL describes the plans for "one device," but it's really one device at a time. You must log out of the internet service before she can log on. It's your first cruise. Try to enjoy the sea and the ship! I know that a lot of people need to stay in touch with work. But you're on vacation. Cut the cord for a few hours a day.

Well, I hope it's more of a library than I saw on K'dam.

There have been reports that flavored water has been confiscated.