Not feeling good about the cruise I have booked....

[OrangeAndBlue]

Which thread should we make the official one? BTW, I will be joining the Yahoo group for our cruise soon. Been so busy I didn't want to add another group until the weekend. Currently have too many threads and boards going on for too many cruises :)...

 

Paul

[dan1968]

Hi everyone. I saw your posts regarding the singles cruise and believe it or not, I'm also going on the Miracle Sept 4-11 with the same travel agency. So add me to your list of people you'll know before you go! I'm pretty easy to get along with. I'm 35, single, straight white male...love to kayak, parasail, and will be taking scuba class at the local college so I'll be certified on the cruise to go on a scuba excursion. Also love to swim, gamble, hang out at the pool/beach, go to the clubs til late in the morning, then wake up early the next day and do it all over again.

[OrangeAndBlue]

Welcome to the group and to Cruise Critic Dan. We all look forward to meeting you on the cruise. Is it still too far away to get exited?

 

Paul

[Dawn1965]

Hi All,

 

Paul, No Way on the "is it too early to get excited" and if it is than I'm breaking the rules! Seems this thread just keeps taking the form of a roll call.

 

Welcome Dan. Your idea of fun and mine are inline, although this confirms that I'll definetely need a day off to recoup from vacation. (My kind of vacation :) )

 

You said this is your 4th, have you been to the Western Carib before?

[OrangeAndBlue]

You're right Dan. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm with SC. Still doesn't mean we can't all hang out. There are just certain things that are reserved only for our group and probably the same with your group.

 

Paul

[Skibunny]

I worked...or is it work..for the company you have booked with as one of their onboard cruise directors. I know a lot of the folks sailing with each cruise, but I have met most of them on the different websites. It may seem like we all know each other, but we are just meeting on the private sites and forums like this. Beacuse Paul posted the message about the threads posted here, I popped in to say HI!

I have chosen the singles shared cabin usually, and I have never had any problems. For the most part, on all my sailings as a Cruise Director, it was very rare that anyone would have a problem with their 'fixed up' roomate. I lucked out on my 2002 cruise because I met a wonderful friend because of the roomate set up, and this will be our 3rd cruise as roomates again.

It's true, a lot of us past cruisers wind up going on another cruise as a 'cruise reunion'. Once you get onboard, you'll understand why. Kinda like an extended family. I actually picked this cruise so I can meet more newbies, and not the same ol' same ol'. I have friends from all over the USA, and Europe ..all from my sailings. We also have organized land reunions in Nashville, New York and Vegas..to name a few.

 

OK..I am going on and on...if you have any questions...feel free to email me NJSkibunny@earthlink.net

[SerenadingSarah]

Hi, Dan!

 

Thanks for the email! I'm so excited to learn there are others like me! :-)

I'm seriously considering this cruise! I've always cruised on NCL...would be interesting to see how another cruise line does things..I'll drop you an email soon. Thanks for all the info!!!

 

-Sarah

 

P.S. Hi to the rest of you guys, too!! Carrie, Dawn, Paul...

[carrieberry]

Hello all -

Just wanted to say hi to everyone posting and hope I meet you once we cruise! And, see you on the roll call threads :)

Carrie

[Dawn1965]

Good Monday Morning all,

 

From what I understand of reading these posts is that I don't think it entirly makes a difference if you booked through a TA or booked directly on a Singles Cruise website (Does it count if I separate SC ;) in order to conform with the rules? ). It's the SC that is coordinating and organizing the group/events. So in so far as I understand, we are all under the same umbrella for this cruise. Please correct me if I'm mistaken!

[OrangeAndBlue]

If you did not book through SC, then SC won't let you into their events. It doesn't mean that we can't mingle together, but only those booked through SC will be allowed to sit together during dinner (reserved section in the dining room) and be allowed into private pre-dinner and post-dinner events...

 

Paul

[Dawn1965]

Hi,

 

I think that I read in one of Dan's earlier posts (I believe deleted as it included the TA's name) that his TA booked through SC as opposed to booking it directly on SC website himself. That's what I meant w/ my last thread, although I probably didn't say it clearly.

[OrangeAndBlue]

Okay - that's good to hear.

 

Dan, come and join us for the Pre-Cruise Party Bus Excursion in Tampa. It looks like it will be a lot of fun. And everyone else out there is welcome to join us. But remember - there is only room for 30 people :)...

 

Paul

[dan1968]

I would love to get down to Tampa a day early, but with my 2 jobs I don't know if it's possible

[OrangeAndBlue]

Well, if not, we're still got 7 more days to party and have fun on the cruise :)...

 

Paul

[OrangeAndBlue]

Hey all - we've moved all discussions over to this thread so it will make everything easier to follow. Please join us on the thread below:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=169162

 

Thanks...

 

Paul

[MNJewels]

Paul, Carrie and Sarah,

 

So....how did the cruise go for you??? I am considering a cruise through the same organization and I am wondering about the age range, ratio of men to women, if there are cliques, lots of drinking, did you feel like an outsider, were you getting hit all of the time by the guys (if you are female!).

[carrieberry]

Jewels-

 

Today was the first time I've visited cruise critic since I got back from my vacation, and I was surprised to see a new post to this thread! To try and answer your questions.. I think there were maybe slightly more women than men, but it had to be fairly close. I'm 27 and felt like I was one of the younger ones, but there was a very wide age range. I did feel like there were some cliques in the group BUT I also found most everyone to be friendly and fun and happy to welcome new faces to their little groups. (Many who seemed to be in cliques had participated lots in precruise chats and had arrived to the port city a couple of days early to meet up; I didn't participate in any of that but realized by the end of the cruise that it is the best way to make connections) There was definitely a lot of drinking, esp. at bars in ports, but if that's not your thing, don't worry because you'll quickly figure out who else is more on your wavelength. As far as getting hit on, there were a few guys on board who came on a little strong, but most were more flirty than sleazy (does that make sense?). Anyway, definitely go! It was SO MUCH FUN. As soon as I can figure out how to pay for it, I'm booking another! I'd be happy to answer any questions I can and will check back on this board soon!

 

Carrie

[MNJewels]

Hi Carrie - thanks for the info. I did book a cruise as part of a singles group. I think it is the same one that you used - they say they are the #1 singles cruise group. I am going on the Carnival Destiny to the Southern Caribbean in March '06. I can hardly wait!:D

 

A few more questions for you...

 

Did the group go on excursions as a group or could you go on the excursion of your choice?

 

What were the planned activities on board?

 

Did you share a cabin? If so, how did that work for you?

 

Again, thank you! I appreciate your insight!

[carrieberry]

Hi Jewels,

 

As far as excursions, a few weeks before the trip the company I booked through (yep, gotta be the same as yours) emailed the name of an independent shore trip company that had some special options for the singles group - there was also a lot of discussion on the precruise chat site about what options people were doing. You could also book through the ship, which I did and regretted. I really enjoyed my excursions, don't get me wrong, but it would have been more fun with the group! It was definitely a mistake on my part not to participate in the precruise chats, etc.

There were some planned activities on board like ice-breaker games, etc., and they had several theme nights and predinner get togethers that were a lot of fun. Between the ships activities, the groups activities, and all the other various things to do, you'll probably have more options than you have time for ;).

Regarding the roommate issue; I did share with a stranger and to be honest it sucked a little. We got along alright at first, but it became all too clear that she had some hygiene issues that I won't go into.... Still, it saves a lot of money, I met plenty of people that got along GREAT with their matched-up roommates, and I would give it a try again. Besides, I was only in the room maybe a couple of hours a day anyway!!! :D

 

Carrie

[MNJewels]

Carrie - I booked my own cabin so I don't have to worry about the roommate deal. Your tip on going with the excursions of the singles group is a good one and I just heard that from another experienced singles cruiser. Thanks again for the insight.