John78259

We returned from this cruise two weeks ago. We had a great time. Made lots of friends on board. The daily planner had social time scheduled daily around 6p. Enjoy! 

This is my first time on Oasis class so It will be an adventure. The largest I have take is Freedom class. Looking forward to it. My partner doesn’t like to cruise so he is staying home with the dogs. This is my time to unplug and recharge. Safe travels to the port!

Any guys going on this same sailing?

I'm looking forward to this cruise. It should be a blast!

I very frequently got more, and more pointed questions, when traveling solo, particularly from US Immigration (moreso than when I travel elsewhere in the world) - though now that I've got a Nexus card, it's much, much easier (best $50 investment I've ever made). I understand why, but I don't doubt that it's real. Yes, they are "picking on" solo travelers solely because they're traveling alone -- pattern recognition and assessing risk is part of their job, so there's no point in denying it. It's a common experience among anyone traveling solo (and there was recently a thread in the Solo Cruisers forum about it).

Do they accept Nexus when coming back from a cruise? I have it. A few years back, I had Global Entry and they said this was only in airports. IO have a cruise in a few weeks and am curious if I should bring my card.

I already did two solo cruises, and each time, I found myself getting heavily screened at customs. The agents were being total jerks, asking me detailed questions about what I do for work, purpose of my travel, who I'm traveling with (were they being rhetorical?), purpose of some things I packed for my cruise, etc. During one of the cruises, I was even picked out for more detailed screening. It was a quick, but irritating experience, and when the agents found nothing, they begrudgingly sent me on my way.

 

I ran into two of my cruise friends after getting through Customs; we were waiting for our buses in the same area. They told me that it was because I was traveling alone. While that won't stop me from cruising solo again, the reason is quite unsettling. Compared to my experience with Border Patrol, the TSA agents at the airport were almost as nice to me as the Carnival crew members. If you believe the news articles, TSA is supposed to be really bad.

 

So on with my question: just how common is it for solo cruisers to get the third degree at Customs? Do they screened and questioned more thoroughly than couples and families? Has there been a history of people using cruise ships to smuggle drugs from countries like Jamaica? If you've had similar experiences or can suggest an answer, please go ahead. If it makes a difference, I'm male, age 29.

I cruise solo al the time and have never run into trouble with customs. I just get funny looks when I go to dinner, am taken to a table for two, then the servers realize that nobody else is coming. Have fun!

To be safe I would not book a flight before about 10:30-11:00. Not sure about you, but I prefer to not worry about making my return flight while cruising. ;)

If you take your bags off, I agree that 11:00ish would be OK. If you plan to put them out the night before and pick them up in port, I wouldn't book flights until after 1:00. Bags roll out with the release sequence.

You might be able to set up a port to airport transfer through RCCL and they can tell you the best time.

I am embarking right after you leave and booked a 4:00 return flight and a post-cruise excursion that include airport transfer.

Bon Voyage!

Good advice! This happened.

 

 

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The secret to not getting locked out is to make sure you "exit cruise planner" and not just leave the site. If you do, you get locked out for about 15-30 minutes.

I had that happen too. The website is a mess while they rebuild it. After loggin in, there should be a button to add a cruise to the profile. I booked a cruise the other day while logged in and the C&A number didn’t attach to it. (Which explains why I also had 0 cruises.) I was able to connect it to my profile, but couldn’t add the number until time to check in. Hope this helps.

I often use this site to search cabins before booking. You have to give an email address to see the review, but they don’t spam you. http://deckplangenius.com/CruiseShips.aspx

I am looking for airfare for next fall. We will be traveling from Philadelphia to Barcelona to board the Symphony. What are your thoughts on using air 2 sea? What seems to be a fair price? We have never been to Europe and just starting to research. Thanks for any help or advice given.

I use it often. The fares are similar to airline sites. The good thing is the guaranteed arrival. If there are problems or delays, they make sure you got on board... even at the next port. Peace of mind. I had a cruise where there were flight cancellations due to ice storms. I changed my reservation and flew out a day earlier. The next day, they were calling to see where I was and make sure everything was OK.

Hi,

On the old Royal Caribbean mycruises site once your set sail pass was ready it had a link to print your luggage tags.

 

I’ve got two cruises coming up. Both with set sail done and can print that but no links to tags! Am I missing something or is it missing?

 

Cheers.

 

 

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You will find it in two places. It’s part of your eDocs and is usually around the last page. When you do the online check in, there is also a link to print. I just printed mine for an August cruise.

My wife and I are going on our first cruise over thanksgiving break on our own. I'm nervous about us traveling alone at the ports but not sure if its just the nerves of not knowing or if i should actually be worried. We are going to Cozumel , Jamaica and the Grand Cayman.

I encourage you to take a ship excursion if this is your first time. You will have fun, be cared for, and the activities are vetted by the cruise line...especially in Cozumel and Jamaica. Cayman is easy to navigate and explore.

I often cruise solo and never have trouble meeting others. All cruise lines have nightly social events for FOD (Friends of Dorothy). On my last Norwegian cruise, it was on the daily schedule. On Royal Caribbean, it's usually on the message/bulletin board by the excursions desk. I usually meet some great people and get together for drinks, see a show, or hang out. Since most come with a partner/spouse, you will balance with your own time...Which I enjoy as well. Happy sailing!

John

Exactly my point, hence the question . How sociable are the single gays in the Norwegian epic in the Mediterranean in June? Look like the 7 day cruise for me

 

Do I prepare to be left to amuse myself or drop all my plans to follow my hundreds of new friends plans?

 

 

 

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I will be there on the 2015 repo trip. Looking forward to it!

It's pretty easy to make friends on board. Look for the Friends of Dorothy (FOD) events as that's a great way to make connections and break the ice. I did that for the first time in last month's Alaskan cruise. We met every day of a few drinks and see a few shoes together. Since my partner doesn't like to cruise, I often go alone.

Not at all. Just got back from an Alaskan cruise and had a great time. We use the same set up. I only get funny looks when I cruise solo.