journeymore

I have done it before about 4 years ago but with Celebrity. I was to board in Civitavecchia but due to a family death and funeral I boarded in Athens. It was a matter of two phone calls and some paperwork. 

It is not a one time thing. I don’t know if it’s combinable with casino etc. 

So hurt you didn’t choose Galveston to sail from. Lol. I’ve cruised solo on Carnival and my table mates were all solo. Someone in the roll call did a cocktail 2 hours and I got to meet quite a few people. I think it cost about $30. It wasn’t a bad cruise at all. 

Walking the plank to board the ship

Sitting on my balcony watching the sky and ocean

Martini bar

Sitting on deck people watching 

I l&s yesterday because final payment was due and I doubt the Apex December cruise will happen. I didn’t want to chance l&s not being an option after September 30th. 

I’m a solo cruiser. I’ve taken 3 TA cruises one being a b2b. I spend my sea days reading and attending the lectures. Join the roll call and join some of the private tours. Some don’t mind solo travelers. There is always a good crowd at the martini bar in the evening willing to tell you their story. Nice people watching spot also. Be mindful with the new normal things maybe a lot different. 

I retired 12/31/19. My plan was to travel most of this year. We all know how that went. I usually travel solo and thought booking a suite for just me was a waste of money. I’m going to book a suite. I’m going to watch the sun rise. I’m going to live my best me. 
 

Now I’m going sing happy birthday to the little guy in the photo. He is 13 today. 

On 7/5/2020 at 1:36 PM, farmersfight said:

😢

Hello fellow solo cruisers! Happy "day after" 4th of July. Thought I would share the "hot deal" that I recently found on Cruiseplum.com. This deal applies to solo cruisers (I mock booked it on RCL with 1 person). The cruise is a 15 night TA from Civitavecchia (port for Rome), Italy to Galveston, Texas on Nov 26, 2020 on the Jewel OTS. The cruise stops at a port in Spain (I can't remember which one), Gibraltar, Grand Canary Island and Nassau. The base fare that I got (not including taxes/fees or gratuities) was $1,517. This works out to just a little over $100 per night! Quite a bargain for solos, eh?

 

The BUT in this though (and it is a BIG BUT) is this darn corona virus. If there wasn't this virus situation (or a vaccine was available), I would book this cruise in a heartbeat! However, I am not going to tie up any of my $$ (not even a deposit) with RCL with these times so uncertain. I'm starting to believe that cruising won't resume at all for the rest of 2020 😢. Anyway, just wanted to share this really good deal with you fellow cruisers.

That sounds good all but the Covid19. 

On 7/6/2020 at 7:26 PM, coastcat said:

With fingers crossed (and masks worn properly), let's hope cruising returns in a reasonable form in 2021. It's planning time! Here's what I have booked right now...

 

Booked but almost certainly not happening:

• December 2020: NCL Breakaway, Western Caribbean, solo mid-ship balcony. The way things look right now, I'll most likely just cancel this before the final payment date in mid-August.

 

Booked for 2021:

• April 2021: NCL Escape, 15-days transatlantic, solo mid-ship balcony. This is NYC to Southampton with stops in the Azores, Spain, France, Belgium, and England. I'm wondering if all of those locations will be open to cruise ships by then - or maybe the question is if these ports will be open to U.S. citizens by then. If I apply my current FCC balance to the final payment due, only a very small amount of extra cash (less than $200) would be required.
• June 2021: RCL Quantum of the Seas, 7-days Alaska, Studio Balcony. Okay, I feel pretty certain we'll be cruising by this time. An affordable balcony in Alaska, hurray!
• September 2021: Celebrity Solstice, 15 days transpacific: If you're a solo cruiser, RCL/Celebrity has bargains available! This is a 15-day transpacific cruise from Vancouver to Tokyo. I booked a solo Aqua Class balcony cabin - with exclusive restaurant, unlimited access to the thermal spa, priority boarding, and other category perks - for $2800. Whoa. That's the no-extra-perks price (although you can pick your cabin location). They do have a deal now with unlimited beverages and WiFi plus pre-paid service charges, but selecting that version would have been DOUBLE the price. Uh, no thanks, I can buy my own occasional cocktails.
• December 2021: NCL Spirit, 17-days Singapore to Sydney, solo mid-ship balcony. I'd hate to cancel this one because the itinerary is amazing and I booked at a fare about 1/3 less than the current rate. While I have a good chunk of vacation time (and can carry over a lot from this no-vacations year), taking off for a 2+ week cruise after already taking 5 weeks off for the earlier cruises seems a bit much. If I don't use my FCC on the Escape TA, it'll cover a little less than 1/2 the remaining balance on the Spirit trip. Ouch. That's a lot of money for just a normal balcony cabin. I could do a similar land-based vacation there for less, flights included.

 

Considering my first cruise of 2021 is scheduled to be the Escape transatlantic, I'm wondering if it makes more sense to cancel the Escape TA and wait for June to get back onboard - the June Quantum cruise allows more time for the industry to test out its protocols, is a shorter trip with a domestic itinerary, and is departing from my home port of Seattle. If I keep the Escape TA, I'd want to cancel the Spirit cruise. I'd rather do the Spirit cruise but the price is steep for a solo traveler. I know that longer cruises often drop considerably in price and solo supplement after the final payment date, and thus can be great for bargain hunters with flexible schedules. However, that was before we had a year without cruises and a dedicated core of cruise enthusiasts with a lot of FCC that needs to be used before it expires. I think it could be harder to find solo bargains for a year or two.

 

Another option is to cancel both of the 2-week NCL cruises and apply all of the FCC to a 7-day NCL Caribbean cruise in November or December 2021. Heck, that should get me into The Haven. All 4 of my CruiseNext certificates currently holding cruises are valid through January 2024 so no rush in using them.

 

I'm keeping my nicely priced RCL and Celebrity bookings, though.

 

So many decisions to make. I'm inclined to cancel all the NCL bookings, then book a Haven cabin for fall/winter 2021 to use up the FCC. Thoughts?

I have been looking at the September transpacific cruise on the Solstice and the cruise after that. I’m booked on the Apex in December but I think it’s 50/50 weather or not she will sail. 

My original hope was September. I have a cruise booked for December 26th and looking at what’s going on here in Texas my bet is April 1, 2021 for $20. 

If I understand correctly, isn’t this the travel agent’s problem? Don’t they have insurance for mistakes they make?

4 hours ago, Argo. said:

Optimists beware.  Take off your rose colored glasses.  Let's look at some facts.  This is not a feel good thread.

I want to connect with all the pessimists out there who also think that the cruise industry is about to have a fundamental shift in attracting discretionary spending and achieving profitability.

1. Look at the stock price.  Put your money where your mouth is.  Are you buying stock in the industry? I already had RCL & yes I bought a 100 shares of CCL.
2. Look at your stock portfolio.  How much has it suffered this month?  Do you feel that you still have enough to indulge in cruising?  It's bleeding BAD. I feel life is short & I have more good day behind me than in front of me.
3. Have you lost your job? Retired 12/31/19. Has your salary been cut?  Can you still afford that cruise you booked months ago? As of today yes. Tomorrow may be another story.
4. Have you been on a ship with a confirmed Covid-19 case?  No Have you been tested as a result?  (My wife has)
5. Do you know any of the passengers on a stricken ship such as Princess or HAL? No Would you trade places with them? No
6. How many Celebrity ships have had a crew member or passenger tested positive?  (and one death on Infinity) IDK
7. Do you think Celebrity has been honest with passengers and crew about active cases or incidents onboard? IDK probably as honest as government officials have been.
8. Are you happy with an FCC when you can't get a doctor's certificate because you are over 70 and you have health issues? NO
9. Are you a Canadian who now has to pay 50% more for a cruise because Canadians depend on exporting oil to support the $.
10. If you are a Canadian who has spent thousands of dollars in Florida as  a snowbird or a cruiser, did you appreciate being called a foreigner and denied help in getting off HAL's stricken ships?
11. Celebrity has consistently underestimated the severity of this pandemic in their tardiness in canceling cruises.  May 11th sailing.. in their wildest dreams. I can't blame the cruise industry because we are in uncharted territory. Them as well as us are dependent and at the mercy of the governments. As we can see, information is changing daily & also we get mixed and conflicting information.

 

People are poorer, people are scared, senior cruisers are dying, companies are bleeding cash.  How is this going to end well before the end of the year? Sometimes the universe, god, God, aliens, or who/whatever has a way of bringing us to our knees or at least entering our comfort zone. I'm optimist that this too shall pass. 

 

Welcome to solo cruising. You’ll be fine. It happens more frequently than you may imagine. Enjoy. 

I did a New Year cruise on NCL 2019/2020. Never again unless it’s free. Just to many children. I’m trying Apex this year. 

I started in my 30’s. I’m now 62. 

I called Celebrity 3 times and got 3 different answers. Has anyone purchased the wine package? Is it wine only or do you get water and soda too?

3 minutes ago, Roce48 said:

Do all occupants of a cabin need to purchase the drink package if one person does?

No. One person in the cabin can purchase and not the others.

Enjoy your cruise. I’m also thinking of doing Australia and New Zealand in 2021 or 2022.  

On 9/6/2019 at 10:42 AM, FlamingJune1967 said:

Yesterday I booked our 10th cruise and today I purchased trip insurance for the first time ever!  I feel so adult right now! 🙂 
I hope I never have to use it, but I just feel like this is a huge "cruising" milestone.  I know insurance is widely recommended on the boards, but I've never met anyone in real life that actually buys it, and I am wondering if this is something that most cruisers do, or just the ones on cruise critic?
 

I usually travel solo and I buy it. I've used it twice. Once for the death of my sister & a few months later my husband's father passed. My daughter & her family are cruising this year and I suggested she buy insurance and she did. 

I'd love to hear how this turned out.

I was so hoping for a trip review.

Just tuning in to this and the question may have been asked but where does Bayport fit into this? I know ships aren't using it right now but it's further north than Galveston.

so that is not allowed on this site's boards? I do know about Cruisemates.com and Travel Companion Exchange, does anyone know if using Fodors or Frommers boards one can find cruise companions or know of any other sites one can use? I do NOT think using Lonely Planet's boards would be a good idea, they would look down on cruises because they are TRAVELERS NOT tourists LOL :rolleyes:!!!

You're right, asking for a room mate is not allowed in this forum. I think there are a few groups on FB that may have what you're looking for. Personally I'm not a fan of finding a stranger to room with. Try one of the cruise lines that has solo cabins. Just my opinion. Enjoy your cruise and be safe.:cool:

bat butt anything to do with this.

I haven't heard that since Scobby was a pup. :')

I will need a ride from POM to FLL in September. I would appreciate someone sharing Fritz's # 57traveler@sbcglobal.net

After my husband passed I solo traveled. I'm newly married and we will go on our 1st cruise together in September. I guess I should mention I went solo in October for 26 days.:D He was fine with it. I'm sure most of my cruising will continue to be solo but we're both fine with it.