lcand1923

Viking sent an email on January 23 advising passengers on the April 18 sailing that they were being moved to the Octanis cruise which sailed on April 13. We had until January 31 to accept or reject the offer.

You will figure out what works for you regarding meals. I had to travel a lot during my work life so am used to eating solo in restaurants without conversations between tables. On a cruise ship, however, things are much more relaxed. Conversations between tables AND “would you like to join us?” invitations are standard. If you don’t want to talk or join, bring a book. If you, SMILE!

The 14 Day cruise out of Seattle is wonderful! I did it in June. I’ve also been on cruises in Alaska in May and September. The BEST weather, for me, was in May. I do not remember much rain on that trip and I spent most of my time without a jacket — sunny and warm. In September, I encountered quite a bit of rain, but the ports were fairly empty, since it was the end of the season. Do not let the months of May and September deter you from traveling to Alaska.

I answered this question before, but now want to add a couple of additional thoughts based upon what others have written. You have to do what is comfortable for YOU. I’ll research the port and what there is to see and/or do there that interests me. If language/distance/time/safety are barriers, I’ll stick to the ship-sponsored shore excursion. If they aren’t AND I can find a good map, I’ll venture off on my own. As I’ve said before, the crew tends to adopt the solo cruiser. More than once, I’ve been wandering around a port and was flagged down by members of the crew who asked how I was doing. After chatting a bit, they told me to make certain I saw XXXXXX before returning to the ship. Back onboard, we had another shared experience to discuss.

It is BASEBALL OPENING DAY!!!! I know the stadiums in many parts of the US will be cold and windy, but YYYAAAYYYYY! (RedNeckBob, I’m so glad that doctors worked their magic 10 years ago. The Daily would not be the same without you!)

I’m a worry-wart, so stick to ship excursions. I figure that they will get me there and back on time. Some have been good, some just so-so. I do, however, if I know i’m in a safe area, will walk around on my own. Again, I am a worry-wart and will watch my time closely to make certain I am back onboard on time.

WOW, Rich! I do hope the Captain is successful in accomplishing that feat! What a memorable day you are having onboard the Zuiderdam. Enjoy every minute!!!

Thank you so much, Graham. I know my Dad would be enjoying The Daily every day. He “caught on” to the Internet and Cruise Critic long before I did.

If my Dad was living he would have been 100 years old today. His brother would have been 102. (Yes, they were born on the same day, 2 years apart.). Both of these men had wonderful senses of humor and were always making people laugh. How appropriate that their birthday is “Let’s Laugh Day!” Miss you Dad! Miss you Uncle Joe! I know you are laughing, and making others laugh, in heaven!

0106 — I agree with the others that the South America/Antarctic Cruise is on of the best! I did it from Chile to Argentina. If you do it, please consider adding a post-cruise at Iquazu Falls. I still get chills when I think of those falls. They are outstanding!

How wonderful to read of VSAN’s NCL cruise with Grandson and CaroleSP’s cruise with children and grands! I know both will be difficult, but both will be major steps made easier because they are accompanied by folks who love them and will understand if alone time is needed. PLEASE let us know how things went when you return. Love and Prayers to both of you!

The first thing I would do is list the places you would like to visit, then look at the cruise lines that go there. I really enjoy Uniworld. I’ve been on Celebrity, Princess, Cunard, Regent, Oceania and HAL. HAL has some smaller ships and I find the atmosphere on it to be similar to the atmosphere on Uniworld — friendly crew, outstanding service, casual style. They are building larger vessels and have casinos, but the atmosphere is similar to Uniworld’s. Oceania ranks next in my estimation regarding atmosphere comparable to Uniworld’s. Both of these are not all-inclusive, but you can buy packages that help with the end-of-cruise bill. As far as size, Regent is the smallest of the ones that I have sailed. They are a more formal than HAL or Oceania, but are all inclusive. I would avoid Celebrity, Princess and Cunard. I think your husband and you would find them much too big and the atmosphere is VERY different than Uniworld.

All of you who keep The Daily going are AWESOME!!! So maybe we should call today “The HAL Daily Awesomeness Day!” All of the girls in one branch of my family have their Mother’s Name as their middle name. All of the boys in one branch of my family have Joseph as their middle name. This tradition is up to its third generation, so it may just stick. The weather forecast looks like winter may finally hit. We have blooming trees and jonquils and new grass everywhere. I just hope it survives the nastiness that is forecast for this weekend. Stay Safe, Everyone!

I consider Sitka the must see port in Alaska. It is a lovely walking town and you get a good sense of the Russian influence in the settlement of Alaska. I would suggest that you look at Anne Vipond’s “Alaska by Cruise Ship” to get a decent overview of what is available at the various ports and help you make a decision. I’ve just booked my sixth cruise because I still haven’t seen enough of this gorgeous state!

WOW!!!! Thank you so very, very much. Your Grand Voyage FAQ is Fantastic!

I’ve booked a cabin for the Grand Australia Cruise in 2024. I’m trying to anticipate how I will handle “all the stuff” that happens at the beginning of the year (taxes, birthdays, holidays). A question just occurred to me. How does HAL handle your Onboard Account? Do you get a bill every 30 days, or do you get a Grand Bill at the end of the Grand Cruise?

It is somewhat ironic what happens when you cruise solo. Twice now, while on a Shore Excursion, I’ve struck up a conversation with someone. As we talk, I’ll discover that the person is a member of Cruise Critic. As we talk, we’ll mention our “handles” and continue the conversation about some threads that we’ve been on. I agree with the comment that cruising solo is easier on a long cruise than on a short one. You have a greater opportunity of seeing the same folks over and over again. Short cruises tend to attract families, too.

On my first HAL cruises (1999 through early 2000’s), HAL would have Arts & Crafts activities on Sea Days. The sessions usually started out with maybe 10 guests. We’d do different things. (I remember folding menus into boxes, which was really neat.) By the fourth or fifth session, the crowd would be in the 20 - 30 people range because it was so much fun. I’ve gone to needlepoint and cross-stitch sessions on other cruise lines and have always enjoyed the chance to meet other passengers, but nothing matched those HAL Arts & Crafts sessions.

My Dad and I travelled together for many years. After he passed, it took me about a year to “jump in” and try a solo cruise. I booked one that he and I had planned to take but had to cancel when a health issue appeared. Several River Cruise Lines offer “solo special” rates. I’ve never found them on an Ocean Cruise line and definitely not on HAL. What cruise line makes solo cruising easy? In my experience it is HAL. The crew is wonderful!!! They are always friendly, but seem to kick it up a notch when they know you are traveling solo. It may be my imagination, but they seem to go out of their way to watch out for you. I stick with ship sponsored shore excursions. I have never participated in a Meet & Greet and have only attended Solo events on other cruise lines because I am not much of a “joiner”, but have always had a wonderful time cruising solo.

Rich, As you meet your fellow passengers, have you gotten a feel for how many have taken a lot of World/Grand Cruises? Are many of the guests “first timers”? Have you met anyone who has only taken short cruises prior to this one? If so, did they have any problems adjusting to a lot of Sea Days?

As you all know, I’m a lurker. I read The Daily each day but don’t post often. Once in a while, though, I just HAVE to post. I no longer make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese (a favorite) because of a disaster I had. We had just updated the Alarm System in our house to add a “notify fire department immediately” when a smoke detector went off. I made my Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese and spilled some on the bottom of the overn. It caused CLOUDS of smoke. I opened windows and doors, turned on fans, but the smoke kept pouring out of the oven. All of a sudden, I remembered the alarm system upgrade. I called the alarm company with and begged them to quickly call the fire department and tell them it was a cooking accident. There was no fire and all was well. I heard sirens coming from the direction of the fire department station house. I felt terrible about wasting their time. The sirens kept getting louder and louder, but then stopped. I opened the front door and they weren’t in front of our house. They had stopped one block away. There was a Medical Emergency in that block. I tossed my Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Recipe.

Good Morning, Everyone! I haven’t been on The Daily for about a week. The retirement community where I live has four very large Flea Market Sales each year to support various on campus charities. During Sales weeks I am up early and work through mid-day setting up, restocking, selling and straightening up getting ready for the next day. I am exhausted and it takes several days afterwards to get “back to normal”. I am so sorry to read of all of the challenges that the members of The Daily Family are facing. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are will all of you.

Rich, Thank you for taking the time to do this thread. I am even more grateful for your thoughtful assessment post. I have a Grand Cruise scheduled for next year and, as a solo, was wondering if it would be a fit. Reading your assessment post, I think I will be fine. Continue to post and, if possible, do another assessment post, or two, later in your journey. ENJOY!!!

Thank you so much for following up with me. I got a similar email late yesterday. My Travel Agent is following up with Viking on my Cruise Cancellation. (The Octanis dates don’t work for me.)

I reached out to my Travel Agent again this morning. She reached out to her Viking contact. No email had been sent regarding my booking to either one of us. I had been on a Viking River Cruise in the early 2000’s and thought they had done a great job. Family matters kept me from traveling until very recently. I was quite excited about trying the “new Viking” and booked this and a Mississippi River cruise. I am questioning my decision.