Roz

The 2023 Holiday cruises are indeed on the HAL website, but haven't been loaded onto the major TA website yet. I just did a mock booking for a 14-day Christmas cruise. I want an inside cabin, and was surprised to see all the forward inside cabins labeled as Sold Out. I don't want to be forward, but it makes me wonder why they're all sold out.

There's a CO DR on the Rotterdam.

@LoriAB, have you checked out the articles @Host Jazzbeau has posted at the top of this forum? Before I went on my first river cruise I found two of his articles especially helpful - New to River Cruising??? and What To Expect on a River Cruise.

@LoriAB, I agree with everything @Gourmet Gal and @hoosier2017 already posted. Why not try a combo trip for your first river cruise outing? Maybe an 8-day cruise followed by travel on your own? I find arranging and figuring out travel every day to be physically and mentally draining, and takes up a lot of time. With a river cruise you don't have to concern yourself with how to get from A to B and then over to C. Not eating fish or seafood should be of no concern at all. There are always options for entrees at lunch and dinner.

I've sailed Uniworld 3 times, and I've often worn my daytime clothes to the DR or maybe if I was wearing jeans, just changed my pants. I'm not sure why people have the idea that Uniworld is "formal" because it's not. Passengers dress nicely, but I wouldn't call it dressy except for gala dinners.

@beachbum45, that stinks royally. I agree with you that Viking should be giving you a full refund and then some, which I would take and book with another line.

I wouldn't be able to travel for 15 days with only carry ons. Are you planning on doing laundry on the ship? I wear the same items of clothing 2 or 3 times, especially outfits I wear at dinner that I'm only in for a few hours and not getting sweaty.

Very short distance between FLL and Port Everglades. I've never had a problem finding transportation. There are plenty of places to sit in the terminal. No more walking required than at an airport. There are sometimes 6-7 ships in port so you may encounter crowds. Depending on when you arrive at your terminal, there may be a lot of passengers waiting but the lines keep moving in my experience.

Of all the embarkation ports I've been to, San Diego is my favorite. So easy, and so much to do within walking distance of the terminal. Worth the cross country flight.

I've not sailed Avalon, but most cruise lines will allow you to drop your bags so you can sightsee unimpeded.

Besides the horribly long flights in a sardine can (which can be a challenge at any age), to me the biggest issue with European travel is the lack of accessibility if one is unsteady on their feet, uses a cane, walker, or wheelchair, etc. I'm able bodied, but those big cobblestones can really tear up your feet and legs. They're something a lot of Americans aren't prepared for. To the OP, I say go for it, but be prepared for there to be some limitations.

As a solo cruiser, price is very much a consideration, as 100% single supplements can eat your wallet alive.

Initially I wasn't a fan of open seating when it first started, but once I tried it, the advantages outweigh any disadvantages.

Hi @rachiem. Those are both great itineraries, in my opinion. Since you're in England, getting to Amsterdam is a lot quicker than getting to Budapest, so that may be a consideration. On another line, when the cruise ended in Basel, we flew out of Basel. Does Scenic fly you out of Zurich? Keep in mind that Christmas cruises are very popular, so I'm not sure waiting to do a last minute booking next year is a good strategy. Also, there's a lot of pent up demand due to cancellations and deferrals from 2020 and 2021. I'm sure others will come along to offer their opinions and advice.

In retrospect I should have asked to be reassigned, but I kept holding out hope things would improve, and they didn't. I haven't abandoned fixed dining altogether, but once I tried open seating, I found out there were other advantages that work for me as a solo cruiser.

Yes, this line of questioning happened on HAL, on the Noordam. It was the weirdest assigned table I've ever had. It was that cruise that made me branch off into open seating.

I post in, and monitor, the River Cruising forum here at CC on a regular basis. No reports of "rampant" Covid from returning river cruisers. Don't know why Covid would be any more prevalent on a river cruise vs. an ocean cruise.

I love cats, so we'll have lots to talk about. 😺

As a solo female cruiser, I've had several very inappropriate questions directed at me. For example: Why are you by yourself? Don't you have any friends? Why aren't you married? Why didn't you have children? Do you not like children? Do you not like men? Need I say more?

As a solo cruiser, Viking's pricing never works for me. It's always double. I can book "aquarium class" on Uniworld or Tauck for no single supplement on a lot of their cruises, or a reduced supplement in other cabin classes. Always comes out cheaper than Viking's solo pricing. Plus, lines like Uniworld and Tauck are more inclusive. I usually book my river cruises 1-2 yrs. in advance, and don't want to tie up thousands of dollars with a cruise line earning no dividends or interest on my money.

Good, broken in walking shoes.

Viking's upfront full payment policy is a sticking point for a lot of river cruisers. One of the reasons some of us sail other lines.

@CPT Trips, Uniworld will definitely set up open jaw flights. Every one of my 3 river cruises with them involved open jaw economy flights. Don't know about a city that's not an embarkation or debarkation port.

I'm confused also.

@albingirl, I'm another fan of Gulf shrimp vs. farmed raised Asian shrimp. @rkacruiser, lots of people go ga ga over jumbo shrimp but I think they're only useful when you're going to stuff them. Small to medium sized are more tender and flavorful in my opinion.