calliopecruiser

That wallpaper is pretty scary.....I think the seats look like they could be fine, though. The squared tables give it a little more "restaurant" than "hangout" feel to it, but that will probably change as people use it.

I'd much rather have a larger shower, and I prefer the walk in option to climbing over the side of the tub.

Thanks for the reminder - I got a single cabin for the December 2024 trip I'd been wait-listed for.

You can go to the bars, even if you don't drink alcohol (unless you're too tempted by an addiction, in which case I'm sorry for an inappropriate suggestion). They can make any number of "mocktails" like a Virgin Mary, Seedlip and tonic, or a Nojito, or you could just order an iced tea or soft drink while sitting chatting, reading, or watching the crowd.

My first question is what do you want from a cruise, particularly as a solo cruiser. My goal is to be treated no differently than any other cruiser......I don't want solo gatherings or lounges, because I am no more interested in meeting solo people than non-solo people. I'd rather have a nice central cocktail lounge near the dining room, where mingling with people coming and going is easier, regardless of whether they're travelling solo, as a couple, or as a family. A nice library or coffee lounge is good too. I just want staff and servers who look at me, and not past me to see whom I'm there with (which is no one) or whether there's a couple waiting for a table instead. I've sailed multiple times on the old Crystal, and only once on Seabourn. I have solo cruises coming up on Azamara, the new Crystal, and Silversea.

I do it all the time, and I love it.......Depending on whether or not I've been there before, and how expensive a location it is, I stay 1-5 days at the front and back end of cruises when travelling solo (and I almost always travel solo). NY city, San Francisco, Miami, Athens, Tokyo, Lisbon, Dubai, and once I did a 10 day road trip in New Zealand after the cruise. Yes, I go out wandering the neighbourhood, and I find places to eat that look popular, are well rated on line, or just catch my eye. Even if they don't speak any English (Tokyo was the toughest in that respect), pointing and some charades usually does the trick. I research some sites or neighbourhoods beforehand, then go out and catch public transit or Uber and see them (I'm a big fan of public transit when I travel). I have done several long solo land trips (not part of a tour group), a couple before I started cruising solo (3 weeks in Portugal, 2 weeks in Spain, 4 weeks in Italy). It's not hard if you think of it as an adventure that might not always work out smoothly, but will always be interesting. A few thoughts: Learn at least a half dozen words in the local language, including please, thank you, excuse me, and sorry. Probably also learn to say "do you speak English" in the local language. You can use Google Translate for a lot of stuff, but showing people you're willing to learn at least a few words in their language really helps. I'll admit, I kind of failed at that in Japanese; fortunately, they're big on pictograms. Ask at your hotel for the local phone number for police emergencies (here it's 911, but it varies worldwide) Trust your gut, and that goes for everything from deciding on a restaurant to judging safety. Have a general plan, but don't be afraid to "go with the flow" of what looks interesting that you never knew about, or something you thought would be great but isn't and you want to leave early. In Tokyo, I found something in a different neighbourhood every day to see, and that got me to see different neighbourhoods. In Dubai I thought I'd love wandering the souks (local markets) but I hated them and left quickly for an early lunch.

Not if you're a TA, but for those of us shopping itineraries on the internet, we didn't know what the solo supplement would be. They said one thing on board, but it was often not the case as it varied with (something) - I suspect it varied with the popularity of the cruise.

Yes - I will be alone in the cabin, and I wondered what it would cost me to sail in a midship cabin (a "double" cabin for a solo person), as opposed to a cabin very forward (a "single" cabin for a solo person). You can consider the solo cabins as having zero supplement in as much as the price you see is the price you get. It's higher than the per-person price with two people sharing a cabin, but at least there's no mystery about what you'll pay.

Yeah, exactly. Which is why anyone claiming they always sail with great service and food is lying, because you never know til you get there. Someone can say they always enjoy going there, but that's a different thing. I wouldn't rush to go back to a restaurant who had that kind of inconsistent service and food quality that they never acknowledged, let alone apologized for.

I had my travel agency price me a solo spot on the same cruise for a solo window cabin, a double window cabin, and a double veranda. I won't get in to the specific price because that will vary by voyage, so lets price the solo cabin at $100: Solo window $100 Double window midship $174 Double veranda midship $196 A different cruise: Solo window $100 Double window midship $148 Double veranda midship $167

Of course. I'm not in a rush to sail with them again: the food ranged from inedible to excellent, and the service ranged from horrible to good (with the exception of one excellent lounge). I'm throwing my opinion into pot, but - more importantly - I'm pointing out that everyone's experience may vary regardless of the reputation or what experiences others have. Isn't that the whole point of these threads? Now, I had a lovely cruise and thoroughly enjoyed myself, able to laugh about the time they forgot about our orders and had to scramble to get us our meals.......but I don't want to spend a lot of money to be in that position again. I'll give another cruise line my money instead and see if they can offer me a lovely cruise with better service and food. YMMV.

Neither of those things matter to me much.......I enjoy relaxing in the middle of the ocean without a shoreline in sight, in comfort and with good food. I often enjoyed lectures, but usually from my cabin before bed or while dressing - I didn't go to the lectures in person, and I virtually never went to evening shows. I know, I'm - ahem - unique. Yes, even if a third of the days were sea days, I'd be happy - a half, and I'd be very happy. Staying on the ship while in port isn't the same for me.

You never know til you get there.......I cruised with Seabourn and, in spite of their reputation, found them just barely above mediocre.

What's an attractive or interesting itinerary will vary from person to person. I personally am not terribly impressed with the itineraries so far, because I favour lots of days at sea; I'm disappointed not to see any straight transoceanics. I cruise for the sea days and the ship, not the ports. My favourite Crystal itinerary involved 15 straight sea days from Hawaii to Aukland - it was heavenly.

That's true, but picking a cabin location is less important than picking a ship and itinerary. I'd rather cruise on a great ship in a forward cabin, than on a mediocre ship with a great midship cabin location. Particularly if the itinerary you want is typically calm - you might think the Magellan Strait is part of a great cruise itinerary, while I think a long voyage across the placid Pacific Ocean is a great itinerary.

I have so far not been impressed with the other companies, but YMMV. I haven't yet tried Regent, which is probably about the same cost as a Crystal Veranda cabin for a single. However, I was assuming an almost 100% supplement -- if History & Wine is right, and there's a 50% supplement on the few mid-ship window cabins on deck 7, that would be better.

I don't mind not having a balcony, since Crystal has so many nice public areas outside, and I would be perfectly happy with a small window cabin (which is what I previously booked). I am miffed about the very forward location, though, but that's pretty much all that's available unless one steps up to a balcony, and I feel that paying the price increase for a small balcony on the same sized room on Crystal is a waste of money. (Worth it on other cruise lines that only have crowded and noisy public spaces, but that wasn't Crystal past and probably won't be Crystal 2.0).

So do I, and in research for a trip to Amsterdam this August, I have found two contemporary art museums in the same Museum Quarter near the Van Gogh Museum - the Stedelijk and MOCO. I haven't been to either, but I intend to when I visit, so it's a suggestion, not a recommendation.

I did get to Meteora, and it was worth the hundreds of stairs I climbed that day. I also had a burning desire to see the Museum of the Future in Dubai - the coolest building I've ever seen - and it didn't disappoint either.

That's still the way it is -- the stem isn't about formality, but to avoid handling the bowl of the glass and thus warming the wine.

This is sad to me - I was just lamenting the lack of a dedicated library onboard Seabourn (though there are books on shelves in one of the lounges that can be "borrowed"), and Saga was one of the cruise lines I was considering for future cruises. It's not that the library is a deciding factor, but the reason they don't have a library might be. I believe on Seabourn it's done for space, not cost, reasons.

That is true, at least based on my recent voyage on the Encore.

That seems not to make much sense to me - if there's one site I want to see, it doesn't make much sense to plan an entire land based vacation around visiting that one site for one day. Particularly if the port is part of a cruise trip that looks interesting........if I want to see one historic or archaeological site in a country, I probably wouldn't plan an entire 2 week vacation in the country if I could also get there by cruise.

I can find very little information on spa facilities on the Encore that aren't linked to specific therapies. Is there a steam room, sauna, etc that are available for guests who aren't getting a treatment and aren't in the Retreat?

I got news last week that my Seabourn cruise from Greece has been changed to a "standard" Covid protocol, which means testing is no longer required if the cruiser is vaccinated Standard Protocols This specific booking and/or voyage follows our COVID-19 Standard Protocols for vaccination and testing requirements. Vaccination Requirements We highly recommend all guests be up to date on their vaccination status. Vaccinations, however, are not required. Testing Requirements Fully vaccinated guests are not required to take a COVID-19 test prior to embarkation. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated guests 5 years of age and older are required to take a COVID test prior to embarkation PCR COVID-19 test within 3 days before embarkation Medically observed or self-administered at home COVID-19 antigen test within 3 days before embarkation.