detroit70

Yes, since this is my 11th solo cruise (10 of them in the 5 years prior to COVID) all at double the charge, I definitely knew what it was going to cost. I’m only suggesting that they consider sharing some of that excess profit with me, based on lower food cost for a solo traveler. I don’t expect that will ever happen but, as one who used to manage the budgets and rate settings for an operation that has some (not all) comparisons, it seems only fair to see it differently. 😊

As I think I mentioned, it's understandable I'll need to pay for two beds; in fact, I once managed the budget for a 7,000 bed set of buildings and we also charged extra for a single room. My point is that we did not charge that person for a second meal plan as well. Thus my suggestion that perhaps they'd consider something of a break for the solo traveler. Just a suggestion to the industry by someone who has just booked their 11th cruise at double the total price...

I was generally agreeing with you about ethics vs. rights until I considered that, because I'm traveling solo, I'm paying for two complete fares so I could be considered as payng for that meal to pass along to someone on shore. No worries--I won't take food off the ship, but it does reinforce my concern about paying for double food, wine, etc. I get the part about needing to pay cover what would normally be two people in the cabin, but it does seem like there should be some kind of break for solo traverlers.😔

Thanks much! Traveling by myself, I’m grateful for a slider for moving breakfast to the balcony, for example, and avoiding disturbing neighbors if I don’t catch the door in time! 😊

I'm booked in a PV2 (5016) on Jupiter in August. How do i find out if I have a slider or a door?

I missed that because I left Detroit years ago when I went to college, but Detroit is still in my heart. That's especially true with the roar of the Lions this year! I would have loved to see the Expedition ships though!

Thanks so much!

I’m looking forward to my first Viking Ocean cruise next August after 16 Holland cruises across 9 years. With Holland I learned to rely on my “Personal Cruise Consultant (PCC)” for individual assistance with many of the booking details, problem resolution, and special requests like a fan in the cabin, and I kept the same PCC across several years. Does Viking offer something similar?

Ask your dining room server if you can order it for the next night. I had escargot every night on my last cruise by ordering every night for the next night. At the last dinner, the servers proudly brought me two!

On my last cruise 3 years ago (after which I took a COVID sabbatical) I had a couple awesome MDR stewards. I asked them fairly early in the cruise about whether it was true that I could have escargot every night if I told the the night before. They assured me that would work, and it did every night. By the end of the cruise, I was getting a little tired of escargot and thought I'd order something different the last night but, when I to to dining room, I was greeted by the two excited stewards who couldn't wait to tell me, :"Ma'am! It's a special night and we got you TWO escargot tonight!" So yes, at least 3 years ago, you could get it every night, and I'm hoping I'll find it possible again when I board my next cruise in August.

My late husband and I first boarded a Holland cruise ship in 2011, and in August I'll be on board the Nieuw Statendam for my 16th HAL cruise (I took 3 years off for the pandemic.) During each of those previous cruises, I'd estimate that I had my pre-dinner glass of wine enjoying the music of the Lincoln Center ensemble before probably 90% of those evening meals, while also often attending some of their afternoon and post-dinner performances as weill. When I discovered on this board that LC was apparently gone, a few days after paying the full cruise charge and SAS flight charge for my upcoming 14 day cruise, I seriously considered cancelling the booking, until I did the math and realized that, even with the platinum insurance plan, the amount of money that cancellation would cost me was way more than I was willing to sacrifice. I did write to my PCC though to register my very deep disappointment, and she wrote back to say "The Lincoln Center has actually been moved to the World stage and is more a “travelling” group now so it would be one or two nights during your voyage." My response was that I just need to figure out what to do the other 12 or 13 nights before dinner. I appreciate all the reminders that HAL leadership needs to know how many of their passengers regularly fill the lounge and spill over into the hallway for the evening LC performances. I found in recent years, pre-COVID, I had to make it a point to arrive early to get a seat and a glass of wine if I didn't want to stand during the performance. I will start sending those emails in the morning.

My PCC checked with guest services and reported back to me today that the “red chair” (or its equivalent) is standard SS furnishings on the NS! I’m relieved to know I’ll have a place to sit with my morning coffee and CNN before venturing out.

Thanks to all of you for your feedback on Vista Suite vs Signature Suite. Your posts persuaded me to book the Signature on the Nieuw Statendam for the 14 day Northern Isle cruise of Scotland, Iceland and Norway in August. I'm especially grateful for the pictures posted by Iamthesea a few days ago. I'm feeling much more confident about my choice after seeing those, and I'm putting in my request for the red chair or something resembling that for occasional tv watching--if it's not available, I'll move in one of those balcony chairs and foot stools! If anyone has further suggestions about the Nieuw Statendam and/or the Scotland, Iceland, Norway cruise, I'd love to hear that as well. Unfortunately the Norway portion has been reduced to only one port due to "operational concerns" but, since Iceland was my primary goal, I booked it anyway. Again, many thanks for your help!

I'm looking at cruises on the Nieuw Statendam and the Rotterdam and I'm finding the Signature and Vista Suites as options on those ships. So far I think the responses are leading me to book the Signature Suites. Thanks for all the help!

Your pictures and video are so helpful! Thank you! The "red chair" is exactly what I was hoping to find and I'm grateful for the video of the cabin as well. On a previous cruise in a signature suite, I persuaded the cabin steward to find a chair like that red one for me so that I could watch the tv without laying on the bed. I'm hoping that chair is now standard furnishings for a SS. The balcony pictures are also encouraging in terms of some reasonable space and comfortable chairs, plus a table. Again, many thanks for your helpful posts!