shippmates

I am excited about them adding the art/craft department. I am wondering what type of needlework they will be teaching. This is something to look forward to on my October cruise.

Yes you can get water and I believe ice tea.

I have sailed solo on Royal Caribbean and Cunard. Doing my first HAL solo with a friend, can not wait to see how I like them. I know between Royal and Cunard, I would rather sail on Cunard. With all the live music, planetarium, shows, lectures, The Golden Lion ( English Pub). The library has 8000 books are wonderful comfy chairs overlooking the ocean to read. I know sailing solo on the QM2 is pricey but when I was on her for 23 days I was not ready to get off. We all have to figure out how to adjust to cruising without our partners.

I am so sorry for the loss of your husband. I lost mine 2 weeks after our 50 anniversary very suddenly from Covid. My first solo cruise was with friends we had met on a cruise many years ago which was 6 months after his passing. I had also promised him I would continue to cruise and complete his last wish. i did a crossing out of NYC to Belgium, Netherlands and Germany on the Queen Mary 2. I also had his burial at sea. The captain did an wonderful service for him. I met the nicest group of people and we are planning another trip. I had a great time with my tablemates, but I also spent time on my balcony when I needed to be alone. It was the best of both worlds. When you plan your dining time, I recommend requesting a fixed dining time at a table for 6 or 8 person. You will know when you are ready to get back on a ship. Just a little warning the sadness will hit you at the most unexpected times. Do as much as you want and go with the flow.

Essiemom when I did the search that policy came up under emma cruises.

Here is the policy for departure day in the US. Guest lists must be submitted a minimum of 24-48 hours before the cruise sets sail to the appropriate local authorities and as a result, booking a cruise on departure day is not possible.

No you can not just show up at the port on departure day. This has to do with the turn around time the manifest need to be sent to the government.

I also love to cruise and have decided at my age and sailing solo Queen Mary 2 out of NYC is the best way for me to see Europe. You do the round trip so no flights and the atmosphere on the ship is so different than the main lines. More live music, lectures most day, an English pub, ballroom dancing.

I love being a on ship doing what I want, when I want. When we worked we did the 10-14 day cruises to the Caribbean. Now that I am retired, I have been sailing out of NYC to Europe on the Queen Mary 2. I love the lectures they have on the sea days, all the live music everyday, the movies, the Planetarium, the English Pub, the ballroom dancing and the English tea every afternoon. I also enjoy the free shuttles they offer into town in Southampton and Hamburg. I am counting down the days until my next crossing in May. I also appreciate by doing a crossing, visiting Europe, and then returning to NYC no long flights and NO jetlag.

I did my first real solo cruise in August on the Queen Mary 2. It was to be a milestone anniversary sailing but did not work out as planned. It was booked and planned so I just decided to go anyway. Had made a promise to my husband and I had to fulfill this. I had a wonderful time and met so many nice people. You must remember the demographics on this line are in the older/retired group. Cunard did a wonderful job of putting people at table. I was at a table for 6 and we were all singles and had a fantastic time. We spend many evenings together after dinner, met for drinks prior to dinner. Some of us are even planning a reunion sailing. The fares are high but it is such a different experience from any of the other cruise lines. I have my next sailing on QM2 is in May from NYC to Norway and back. 26 days can not wait.

Remember to close your drapes when you are in your cabin changing clothes. The cabins across the ship are able to see everything you do in your cabin.

I did a roundtrip crossing om QM2 in August and the sea was very smooth the entire sailing. It was a wonderful sailing and I am doing a crossing in May from NYC.

To me Royal Caribbean is more of a caste system. On most of the cruises which are many on Royal, you see passengers wearing there shirts, hats or any other visible items that all state they are Pinnacle. I heard someone stopping to a passenger and called them Pinnacle as they thought it was their name. I have no desire to advertise what level I am with a cruise line.

We always joke since we are not in a suite or above we were sailing in steerage. We had just as much fun as the suite passengers did. Am looking for my crossing from NYC including the Fjords in April.

Our Flam stop was May 13, 2023.

I am on a Norwegian Fjords cruise on the QM2 and the stop in Flam was of great interest to me. Several weeks ago, I received an email stating Flam was removed from our itinerary due to the changes in the protocols. I was disappointed but the other ports are still great.

I print mine every cruise. It is easier than standing in line searching on your phone looking for it and holding the line up behind you. I get frustrated when the person in front of me has been standing there for 5 minutes trying to find their copies. I am thinking why not move aside and let me go as my paperwork is in my hands, Sorry for the rant.

I am really excited also even if I am from the US. Hope we have a massive celebration when we are on board on May 6th.

You will enjoy your solo cruise. I have done several and it is nice to be able to do what you want when you want, see the shows, sit on the deck or your balcony and just watch the world go by in the quiet. You will meet other singles on your sailing and may decide to do some stuff together. Enjoy and safe travels.

You have to make sure you check both types of rooms. I have found on some cruises the solo cabin is more than paying the single supplement on a regular cabin.

I have done 3 solo cruises and did enjoy them. The 2 I did on Royal Caribbean where ok but not the greatest. I did 1 solo cruise on the Queen Mary 2 and it was amazing. I have my another one booked on QM2 in May. They had such great entertainment including guest speakers, movies, and beautiful artwork. There are many quiet places to sit and read and watch the world go by. I just wish the cruise lines would not charge so much for a single supplement. Enjoy your upcoming cruises.

I would go with the fixed seating. On my sailing on the QM2 in August, my first solo cruise I was at a table for 6. It was a group of all singles in the same age range. We all got along great and did things together during the day and after dinner. We would meet for a pre dinner drinks. We had a wonderful 23 days. We are trying to plan a reunion trip. Enjoy your crossing.

Charlene so sorry to hear about your home. Thank goodness your neighbors are safe. I really enjoyed you blog as I will be on the Rotterdam in October. Stay safe.

How easy is it to get around Alesund using a mobility scooter. I am visiting in May and do not want to be stuck on the ship and not see any of this wonderful port.

I enjoy the slower service in the MDR. I enjoy being served and meeting new people. I will once in a while go to Lido for breakfast if I do not want much. Eating in the MDR is one of my favorite things to do as I eat alone most nights.