NancyW12

Serious- have you considered 2 insides instead? 4 people sharing a bathroom- try that at home first before booking on a cruise. And if one of them gets up in the night and hits everyone else's feet on their way to the bathroom that everyone else will hear flush...might not be the bargain you're thinking of.

I work in the restaurant industry, make my living working with creative chefs...and I go to McDonald's and Hard Rock when I travel. There is no bad choice. The right choice is the one that allows you to experience an adventure. If you know you can get an American burger at one of those places later in the day, perhaps it gives you the freedom to try something unfamiliar at lunch. Explore and enjoy and do what's right for you.

It all depends on the ship, the destination, the time of year, and the economy. Case in point: last January, I picked up a 5 day Miami-Cozumel-Miami "cruise to nowhere" at the end of the month for $249 for a solo interior room. No freebies- I paid for my own drinks at that price. I watched for fire sale cruises for the rest of 2017 to see how the pattern worked. I saw a ton of European cruises going for $350 for 7 nights for one person two weeks out. Problem is, you can't get cheap airfare at two weeks out. This summer, I tried to game the system and booked my flight for the week I could go and then planned to wait it out until the prices dropped. Guess what? They haven't dropped on any of the sailings this year- cheapest interior has been $1398, so I went ahead and booked a solo at more than I wanted to pay but still at a fair price. I'm sure after I travel, the $350 sailings will pop up LOL. Also, two weeks ago, there was a $399 solo price 7 day from Boston, a $599 solo price 7 day from New York, and the transatlantics are always dirt cheap.

But if you want to go on the fancy ship to Alaska? You're going to pay for that.

I feel stupid LOL- on the Sagrada Familia website it has a link to mass.

The Archdiocese of Barcelona will be holding an international mass at the Basilica of the Sagrada Família every Sunday and on holy days of obligation.

The mass will be held at 9:00 am in several languages. There is no charge for attending mass but capacity is limited. The entrance to the Basilica is on the Nativity façade, Carrer de la Marina, from 8:30 am to 9:00 am.

Visitors are asked to dress appropriately and behave respectfully.

Trip Advisor says the space is in the crypt, underneath the main floor and only holds 200 people. I have not yet decided.

Rookie question- I booked a Studio- do they ever get an upgrade opportunity and if so, how would I know if I had that available? I would love a balcony of some sort.

keep them coming- heading out from Barcelona in august.

I couldn't find actual worship times listed anywhere. If there were, Sagrada Familia would be the slam dunk no brainer.

Tell me your favorite church to worship in- either one you have or one you wish you could have if circumstances had been different. I want to go to service on Sunday before embarkation.

Let me help out the OP here. Last night the internet has the Freccia train priced at 9.90E each way- aka, 9 euros.

Uncle Rick (Steves) had great audio tours for the Acropolis and for a general walking tour in Athens. I plan on using his for my Med trip as well. Also, there are so many tour groups up there, you could almost tack on to one where you like the guide and listen in. It's hard not to hear them as they pass by

You are the kind of guest I love..... Because as soon as I see that and/ or video on my phone, it is over. Off to demand a meeting with the Hotel Director and get it explain why the line puts bribery above guests who have already paid the contract in full, loop the Cruise Line Corporate Office and my representative in and things change very fast.

 

If the cruise line preforms and follows the legal contract we will have no problems. But break and they will and have felt the pain of trying to not follow the terms.

wow. Funny- I will soon sail again and I found in the FAQs the following:

all of our staff are encouraged to “go the extra mile,” so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them

I interpret that as it is just fine for me to offer a dollar bill with my sail card and for them to accept it. If they are looking at a sea of guests who all want a sailaway cocktail at the pool bar and happen to either serve me towards the front of that group or give me a strong drink, that's exceptional service in my book and I am fine with offering a cash gratuity.

I understand you might not be and that is your right as well, but it seems excessive to spend part of your vacation hunting down the Hotel Director to ask why a bartender accepted a cash gratuity that their rules say it is perfectly ok for them to do. And videotaping staff performance looking for service errors? Not my idea of a vacation, but YMMV.

For the other poster who asked about my "half priced drinks" comment- I have paid for every drink I have ever ordered at the bar. They were properly rung up on the register as the correct cocktail at the correct price. But, if a bartender gave me a strong pour (by my standards) and I chose to only purchase one drink instead of considering a second...aka double pour or half price cocktails.

Last time I went fire sale cabin and bought my own drinks. I guarantee you- a folded bill held up with the cruise card will get you served first. Did you already pay your bar tip? Yup- as did the other 1000 people on board who took the bar package and are all standing around the bar looking for their unlimited drinks. Who does the bartender go to first? The person with cash money intended for them. Also- pro tip- if you are paying for your own drinks and have a cash tip for the bartender, you will get a double pour. Or, half price cocktails.

Just booked for the 8/5 sail so following as well.

wished there was a way to get instant notified of $50/day solo cruises :(

pour your morning coffee

Log on to NCL

advanced search

date range within the next 90 days

how many days you want to sail

1 passenger

sort by price

book if one works for you

In July last Year:

 

One week on the Mediterranean from Barcelona in the Haven on the Epic around $9000 for two. Some people may think that is cheap but I think that's expensive.

If you have to sail in The Haven, of course it's going to be expensive! However, last January, I sailed as a solo in an inside cabin on a 5 day Pearl trip to Cozumel for $259. $50 a day for hotel, food, and resort accommodations? Sign me up!

 

Fwiw my plan b which I've never utilized but might in the near future for Med cruising was to book great airfare around a great cruise timetable....then book the cruise last minute and if that didn't work just turn it into a great land based trip

 

Actually, I did exactly this. I have a plane ticket into Barcelona in August and am waiting to see whether NCL or Princess drops to what I want to pay. I watched it last year and the fire sales started about 3 weeks out. I'm in a waiting mode now.

Uncle Rick (Steves) rarely steers you wrong. Pick up a copy of the blue and yellow bible and go for it. His audio tours (on iTunes) are really good also.

Do you realize that those freebees that everyone loves are why fares are up.

Precisely.

I travel as a solo on an inside guarantee, no perks. I can spend $1000 for my cabin and buy 2 drinks each night for $20 w/tip= $1140 for room and drinks.

I can buy a $1200 inside and get a perk and pay $200 more for the same thing. The math only works if you are going to drink like a fish. Same for the internet, the specialty dining, and the shore excursions.

It's not really free.

Norwegian Pearl- Jan 2017- My cabin was assigned about a week before sailing. I got an inside near a crew work area in the middle of the ship.

I watched last summer to see how this all went and noticed the super cheap cabins hit between 14-30 days from sail, but that's not realistic to get a good transatlantic flight. I have my plane ticket purchased to Barcelona and now I am waiting to see whether I end up on Princess or NCL for a matching cruise.

Anyone else ever done this and how did it work out for you?

I totally appreciate you Haven folk- you make it possible for me to pick up my $350 inside guarantee when the after-final-payment fire sale starts. I don't have a drinks package or a wifi or a specialty dining or a butler or a dedicated pool. What I do have is a hotel room for 5-7 days, transportation to a group of destinations, dining on demand in any of the standard dining rooms, pub style places, or a buffet, any drink I would like to pay for (pro-tip- a $1 bill tip will get you a double pour) without a fixed amount of gratuity per day. With the $2000+ I don't spend on a suite, I can pay for a specialty dinner if I want, buy the cocktails I choose to drink, have a spa pass, have a massage and on and on and get subsidized by the rest of you- serious!

So thank you- serious- for being willing to pay these very high rates for a suite and a butler and a private pool- it allows those of us in steerage to travel more often to a wide array of places and still fully enjoy all the very same boat has to offer.

On the NCL Pearl last year and the dining room staff would ask the question as "Just one?" like there was something unusual or weird about that. It was the only time traveling solo made me feel weird. I eat almost all meals in the MDR alone- I take the standard cruise with no specialty things as usually I can find a rock bottom guarantee cabin but it comes with no stuff. I prefer the MDR as I like the restaurant style service and courses as opposed to the free for all at the buffet. I just take my Kindle and enjoy. My husband of 25 years hates to cruise, so if I want to go, I go by myself- and we are both good with that!

Rick Steves also has some amazing cruise port books. For $20 (or a trip to the library), you could research your ports ahead of time and decide whether you would be comfortable doing your sightseeing yourself or with a group and go from there.

Let me give you one very important piece of advice on MSC. On my solo European cruise, they had assigned tables (5 years ago, not sure how much has changed). If you find yourself in that situation and you don't like your tablemates it is permissible and ok to ask to be reseated/reassigned. The maître d' thought as a single woman I would be pleased to sit with two families with children. I was not. We had nothing to talk about, but I didn't know until I got home that you could ask to switch. I spent a couple nights in the buffet because I really didn't want to go back to that table. Had I known, I would have been out of there. Also, they don't automatically serve water at the table, so they gave the American guests water coupon books for free water to use at meals. If they don't serve the water and want to sell you one at the first meal, check with guest services to get your free American water (I kid you not)

I was on the Pearl at the end of January and loved the thermal suite. In the women's locker room, there is a steam room and a sauna. The steam room needs some sort of clock or timer. If they haven't put one in, you can tuck your phone in a towel and it will be ok. The sauna is amazing- it looks out over the front of the ship- awesome views. There are wooden times on the walls but only the one to the very right works. The rest are gummed up. Bad safety, FYI on the timers. There are traditional chaise lounges in the women only side, but I didn't care for that area as the staff kept the broken TV on Cartoon Network and the button to turn it off was missing. Annoying to have cartoons playing in an adult's only area.

The co-ed section has the theralassopy (spell?) pool with the bubble chairs, a difficult to get into hot tub, more traditional chaise loungers, including some double sized for couples, and then the amazing heated stone loungers- like a full body hot stone massage.

Sign me up every time.