Solo Cruiser's Roll Call

[farmersfight]

24 minutes ago, hallux said:

Bliss.  My 2 cruises embarked 6 months apart, almost to the day.

 

Thanks. As I mentioned before, I think NCL's Waterfront was a great idea. Having the windbreaks make it even better, so as you said, you can sit out there in cooler weather. Now that I think about it, I believe the Carnival Dream had the same type of windbreaks up on the adults-only "Serenity" (I guess Carnival's version of NCL's "Vibe" but without the extra charge).

 

On a side note, what's your opinion about the go-kart tracks and laser tag on select NCL BA & BA+ class ships? I'm not sure if Bliss has the go-track and laser tag or not.

[skipperanne]

4 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

 

Thanks. As I mentioned before, I think NCL's Waterfront was a great idea. Having the windbreaks make it even better, so as you said, you can sit out there in cooler weather. Now that I think about it, I believe the Carnival Dream had the same type of windbreaks up on the adults-only "Serenity" (I guess Carnival's version of NCL's "Vibe" but without the extra charge).

 

On a side note, what's your opinion about the go-kart tracks and laser tag on select NCL BA & BA+ class ships? I'm not sure if Bliss has the go-track and laser tag or not.

Yes,  Bliss has the go cart track and the laser tag.     The laser tag was fun,   The go carts,  most people wanted to do it,  but they didn't particularly enjoy the experience,  and didn't want to do it again.   It's a great "come on"  but in fact not the best use of all of that space,  in my observation.

 

I did studios on Bliss and on Epic,   I also did a balcony on the Epic.   The bed in the studio on the Epic is larger than on the Bliss, and makes the room just a bit too tight for me.    The Bliss also had virtual windows which was quite cool.   Epic had changing color lighting which was simply annoying imho.   I was back to back on the Epic,  which is how i was able to switch to a balcony.   It was lovely.  The employee who took me to my new room said if it was her stateroom she would never leave it.   I was pretty sick that cruise  (asthma)  so didn't leave it very much in fact.   The smoke that permeates the Epic made it a ship I will probably not cruise again,  though it had a fantastic crew.

 

People really like the bar in the solo lounge on the Epic.   On the Bliss,  a waiter came and took orders, so it was one, or two drinks each during solo meeting.    While on the Epic,  the bar was open for two hours,  and you could keep ordering as you pleased.   Like the rest of the ship;  the Epic Lounge was kind of dark.   Neither lounge had good sound absorbing qualities,   it go too loud to hear the person next to you all too often.

 

[GTVCRUISER]

I have not cruised on the newer NCL ships , I cruised on the Norwegian Sea , Norwegian Sun and the Norwegian Star 

[hallux]

31 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

On a side note, what's your opinion about the go-kart tracks and laser tag on select NCL BA & BA+ class ships? I'm not sure if Bliss has the go-track and laser tag or not.

I did the track and laser tag once each, total, on 2 cruises. 

 

On the Go-Karts I ended up stuck behind 2 karts that were going just slightly different speeds so they never really completed a pass and the marshalls never caught on.  Also - they didn't get the seat locked in place so every time I went down the hill to the start/finish I slid into the steering wheel, and up the hill I slid back.

 

Was it fun?  Sure.  Even met with some of the other drivers near the elevator after our time was up and had fun discussing the experience.  Would I like to do it again?  Sure.  Would the fact that the ship has that venue inform my booking that ship over another for the same trip?  I'm not sure THAT venue would do it, but others on that ship might.

 

The laser tag was also fun.

 

I did both on my Spring trip, so it was cooler weather.

 

It's kind of cool though to be able to say I've driven both bumper cars (did this on Anthem of the Seas in 2018) and go-karts on a cruise ship.

[farmersfight]

5 hours ago, skipperanne said:

Yes,  Bliss has the go cart track and the laser tag.     The laser tag was fun,   The go carts,  most people wanted to do it,  but they didn't particularly enjoy the experience,  and didn't want to do it again.   It's a great "come on"  but in fact not the best use of all of that space,  in my observation.

 

I did studios on Bliss and on Epic,   I also did a balcony on the Epic.   The bed in the studio on the Epic is larger than on the Bliss, and makes the room just a bit too tight for me.    The Bliss also had virtual windows which was quite cool.   Epic had changing color lighting which was simply annoying imho.   I was back to back on the Epic,  which is how i was able to switch to a balcony.   It was lovely.  The employee who took me to my new room said if it was her stateroom she would never leave it.   I was pretty sick that cruise  (asthma)  so didn't leave it very much in fact.   The smoke that permeates the Epic made it a ship I will probably not cruise again,  though it had a fantastic crew.

 

People really like the bar in the solo lounge on the Epic.   On the Bliss,  a waiter came and took orders, so it was one, or two drinks each during solo meeting.    While on the Epic,  the bar was open for two hours,  and you could keep ordering as you pleased.   Like the rest of the ship;  the Epic Lounge was kind of dark.   Neither lounge had good sound absorbing qualities,   it go too loud to hear the person next to you all too often.

 

 

Thanks. I'd probably be interested in doing the go-karts (for the novelty of it) but I'm not sure if I would do them more than just the one time. Guess it would depend how much fun I had on them. I don't think I'd be interested in the laser tag. I agree with you, I think the go-kart track (and laser tag for me) is a waste of valuable open deck space. NCL could've put in another pool and/or kept the Spice H2O.

 

Interesting comparison of the studio cabins on the Bliss vs the Epic. From what I could see in the pictures, those NCL studio cabins were tight anyway but having a larger bed (Epic) taking up more floor space would "take the cake", imho. No thanks. Yeah, I read that about the virtual windows and the changing color lighting in the different solo cabins. I agree, the virtual window would be cool and would give you the sense of having an OV, I suppose. I'm with you, I wouldn't be a fan of the changing color lights.

 

Great that you got to upgrade to a balcony on your B2B on the Epic. Especially if you had to stay in your room more due to asthma and the prevalence of smoke throughout the ship. I bet you used that balcony a lot. Wrt to the smoke, I know some of the cruise lines are trying to correct this by allowing smoking in only a smaller portion of the casinos and by having designated enclosed smoking areas on the ship. Sounds like the Epic didn't have these measures.

 

Yeah, I agree that having a bar in the studio lounge (Epic) would be much better than just having a waiter take drink orders. On the Epic, was the bar in the studio lounge open during the M&G's? That would be great if it was because I could "partake" during the M&G even if I was booked in a regular balcony cabin and not in a studio.

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by farmersfight

[farmersfight]

6 hours ago, GTVCRUISER said:

I have not cruised on the newer NCL ships , I cruised on the Norwegian Sea , Norwegian Sun and the Norwegian Star 

 

I have only cruised with NCL once, "back in the day" on the Sunward II out of Miami. So, I'm interested in giving NCL another try since the company seems to be solo-friendly. I like all the amenities the bigger/newer NCL ships have to offer (like the BA/BA+ class ships) but I would definitely cruise on the smaller ships so as to not have as many passengers on board.

 

When cruising resumes (come on covid vaccine!), you'll have to cruise on NCL's bigger/newer ships so you can "punch that ticket" and add to your already very impressive tally of cruises on a variety of lines (I'm jealous and envious at the same time!, lol).

Edited September 12, 2020 by farmersfight

[farmersfight]

5 hours ago, hallux said:

I did the track and laser tag once each, total, on 2 cruises. 

 

On the Go-Karts I ended up stuck behind 2 karts that were going just slightly different speeds so they never really completed a pass and the marshalls never caught on.  Also - they didn't get the seat locked in place so every time I went down the hill to the start/finish I slid into the steering wheel, and up the hill I slid back.

 

Was it fun?  Sure.  Even met with some of the other drivers near the elevator after our time was up and had fun discussing the experience.  Would I like to do it again?  Sure.  Would the fact that the ship has that venue inform my booking that ship over another for the same trip?  I'm not sure THAT venue would do it, but others on that ship might.

 

The laser tag was also fun.

 

I did both on my Spring trip, so it was cooler weather.

 

It's kind of cool though to be able to say I've driven both bumper cars (did this on Anthem of the Seas in 2018) and go-karts on a cruise ship.

 

Thanks for sharing that funny anecdote about the go-karts. I'm not sure I would like the laser tag but I wonder why NCL had to use up valuable deck space for that when it could be done indoors? Speaking of venues, it will be interesting to see the roller coaster on Carnival's new Mardi Gras when she starts operating.

 

Wrt the bumper cars on Anthem OTS, was that were they run bumper cars periodically on the ship's ice rink? Or, were they a separate venue on their own? Not sure if the Anthem OTS has an ice rink like the Oasis class ships do.

[nesila]

1 hour ago, farmersfight said:

 

Thanks. I'd probably be interested in doing the go-karts (for the novelty of it) but I'm not sure if I would do them more than just the one time. Guess it would depend how much fun I had on them. I don't think I'd be interested in the laser tag. I agree with you, I think the go-kart track (and laser tag for me) is a waste of valuable open deck space. NCL could've put in another pool and/or kept the Spice H2O.

 

Interesting comparison of the studio cabins on the Bliss vs the Epic. From what I could see in the pictures, those NCL studio cabins were tight anyway but having a larger bed (Epic) taking up more floor space would "take the cake", imho. No thanks. Yeah, I read that about the virtual windows and the changing color lighting in the different solo cabins. I agree, the virtual window would be cool and would give you the sense of having an OV, I suppose. I'm with you, I wouldn't be a fan of the changing color lights.

 

Great that you got to upgrade to a balcony on your B2B on the Epic. Especially if you had to stay in your room more due to asthma and the prevalence of smoke throughout the ship. I bet you used that balcony a lot. Wrt to the smoke, I know some of the cruise lines are trying to correct this by allowing smoking in only a smaller portion of the casinos and by having designated enclosed smoking areas on the ship. Sounds like the Epic didn't have these measures.

 

Yeah, I agree that having a bar in the studio lounge (Epic) would be much better than just having a waiter take drink orders. On the Epic, was the bar in the studio lounge open during the M&G's? That would be great if it was because I could "partake" during the M&G even if I was booked in a regular balcony cabin and not in a studio.

 

I haven't been on the Bliss yet but I agree, the floor space looks bigger on. Studio. But the bed is also smaller! The studio is still 99 square feet. The truth is when you travel solo, unless of course you have a medical issue while you're on board like one of the posters had oh, you are never in your cabin except for sleeping and showering. I've even upgraded to an inside cabin to have a little bit extra space and a bigger bathroom, and I was only in the cabin 5 and 1/2 to 6 hours a day during sleep. Traveling solo you guys all know this, very little time spent in your cabin and alone. It's almost a good trade-off although I would love to have a companion to spend more time in my Haven balcony next time! 🙂

[hallux]

2 hours ago, farmersfight said:

Wrt the bumper cars on Anthem OTS, was that were they run bumper cars periodically on the ship's ice rink? Or, were they a separate venue on their own? Not sure if the Anthem OTS has an ice rink like the Oasis class ships do.

On Anthem (and other Quantum-class ships) it's not an ice rink, it's a multi-purpose area called the Seaplex.

[farmersfight]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

On Anthem (and other Quantum-class ships) it's not an ice rink, it's a multi-purpose area called the Seaplex.

 

Thanks. Roger that. I now remember reading about the Seaplex on the Quantum-class ships. Guess I was confusing it with the Oasis-class ships because the fact that RCL would cover up the ice rink periodically and run bumper cars on the covered surface, really stuck in my mind.

 

As I remember reading, the Seaplex also has a basketball court? I would definitely like that.

Edited September 12, 2020 by farmersfight

[hallux]

4 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

As I remember reading, the Seaplex also has a basketball court?

Yes, Seaplex can be configured with hoops.  The venue is configured for different activities throughout the day.

 

Changes to Seaplex are in store for Odyssey, under construction.  I think the trapeze apparatus are being removed, there may be other changes.

[farmersfight]

2 hours ago, nesila said:

I haven't been on the Bliss yet but I agree, the floor space looks bigger on. Studio. But the bed is also smaller! The studio is still 99 square feet. The truth is when you travel solo, unless of course you have a medical issue while you're on board like one of the posters had oh, you are never in your cabin except for sleeping and showering. I've even upgraded to an inside cabin to have a little bit extra space and a bigger bathroom, and I was only in the cabin 5 and 1/2 to 6 hours a day during sleep. Traveling solo you guys all know this, very little time spent in your cabin and alone. It's almost a good trade-off although I would love to have a companion to spend more time in my Haven balcony next time! 🙂

 

Thanks. Yeah, that 99 square feet in NCL's studios is definitely tight but I guess o.k. for just 1 person. I hear what you are saying about not being in your cabin much (and with only 99 square feet, I wouldn't be in there much!). When I first started cruising as an adult, I felt the same way.

 

But now, perhaps because I am older, I do like personal private time on my own balcony. Not that I am a "hermit" on board and rarely spend time in the ship's public spaces but I love being able to hang out on my own private balcony over looking the ocean as it goes by.

 

Yeah, a bucket list item will be cruising in a Haven as a solo. Again, maybe a retirement present to myself, lol.

[coastcat]

1 hour ago, farmersfight said:

 

Thanks. Yeah, that 99 square feet in NCL's studios is definitely tight but I guess o.k. for just 1 person. I hear what you are saying about not being in your cabin much (and with only 99 square feet, I wouldn't be in there much!). When I first started cruising as an adult, I felt the same way.

 

If you're used to sleeping in a massive bedroom, an NCL Studio will feel ridiculously small. Our main bedroom is very small by modern U.S. standards (10x13, I think?) and I share it with my husband and an assortment of cats; having 99sq ft all to myself felt luxurious! FYI, although the Bliss & Encore Studio Lounges do not have a staffed bar, there's a wine dispenser so you can purchase a glass 24/7. There's usually orange juice available, and everyone who isn't a first-time NCL cruiser gets a free bottle of cheap sparkling wine in their cabin. So, free mimosas.

 

Laser tag on the top deck... yeah, I agree that this was an odd choice. In warm dry weather it's fine, but less so in Alaska which is where you'll find Bliss and Encore. 

 

Oh, I hope we're nearing the point of sailing again. After shuffling around bookings and CruiseNext certificates, my next scheduled sailing is the April 5-day repositioning cruise (Los Angeles to Vancouver) on Bliss. It would indeed be bliss to be back onboard. I miss ocean sunsets.

[farmersfight]

2 hours ago, coastcat said:

 

If you're used to sleeping in a massive bedroom, an NCL Studio will feel ridiculously small. Our main bedroom is very small by modern U.S. standards (10x13, I think?) and I share it with my husband and an assortment of cats; having 99sq ft all to myself felt luxurious! FYI, although the Bliss & Encore Studio Lounges do not have a staffed bar, there's a wine dispenser so you can purchase a glass 24/7. There's usually orange juice available, and everyone who isn't a first-time NCL cruiser gets a free bottle of cheap sparkling wine in their cabin. So, free mimosas.

 

Laser tag on the top deck... yeah, I agree that this was an odd choice. In warm dry weather it's fine, but less so in Alaska which is where you'll find Bliss and Encore. 

 

Oh, I hope we're nearing the point of sailing again. After shuffling around bookings and CruiseNext certificates, my next scheduled sailing is the April 5-day repositioning cruise (Los Angeles to Vancouver) on Bliss. It would indeed be bliss to be back onboard. I miss ocean sunsets.

 

I hear ya Coastcat. It's all relative. I've never cruised in a studio with NCL and I don't so much mind the small square footage as I do the fact that these studios are interiors with no balconies (or even OVs). But, I do give NCL credit for their virtual windows in the studios on select ships. Like you, my master bedroom is not all that large (I live in a manufactured home), so yeah, I would easily adapt to the 99 sq ft of a studio. I like your comment about your assortment of cats, lol.

 

Good info about the wine dispenser in the studio lounge on the Bliss and Encore. Also, good idea to use the free bottle of sparkling wine and pair it up with the free OJ to make mimosas. My breakfast beverage of choice, lol. Now if NCL would install beer dispensers in the solo lounges, I would be all set!

 

I'm not a fan of laser tag. I just think it is a big waste of valuable open deck space on those NCL ships. On the Bliss and Encore, instead of laser tag, NCL could've installed a nice big pool with a retractable roof so the roof could be closed for cooler/cold weather on those Alaska cruises. I'm "on the fence" wrt to the go-kart tracks. Imo, kind of a cool novelty for a cruise ship but probably a novelty I would only try once on a cruise. Again, more prime deck space used up for the go-kart track.

 

I'm optimistic that we will be cruising again sometime in 2021. Hopefully more sooner than later in the year (for your April cruise as well). News about a possible safe & effective covid vaccine coming out by the end of this year (President Trump has even said October) is promising. Fingers crossed 🤞.

 

I agree, I miss cruising also. It is what I plan on doing with all the time I now have on my hands being recently retired. A silver lining with all these covid related lock downs and shut downs this year is that I'm saving good $$. I'll be able to pay for my cruises of choice up front with out having to use the old credit card.

 

 

Edited September 13, 2020 by farmersfight

[hallux]

9 hours ago, coastcat said:

my next scheduled sailing is the April 5-day repositioning cruise (Los Angeles to Vancouver) on Bliss

I did that cruise last year!

[GTVCRUISER]

I did cruise on the NCL Starward and Sunward II ,  way back in the Day 

[farmersfight]

5 hours ago, GTVCRUISER said:

I did cruise on the NCL Starward and Sunward II ,  way back in the Day 

 

My first cruise was on Sunward II out of Miami again, "back in the day". I think I was a teenager then and cruised with my mom. We have a picture of her heading in the wrong direction during the abandon ship drill, lol.

 

Someone here on CC helped me figure out that it was actually the Sunward II I cruised on because there was also the Sunward and another Sunward (I think), depending on the time period.

 

Thanks for posting the pictures of the Sunward II. Brings back memories. I distinctly remember those twin stacks and the big sun painted on both sides of the ship.

Edited September 13, 2020 by farmersfight

[coastcat]

10 hours ago, hallux said:

I did that cruise last year!

I was supposed to do that cruise this year! Sigh. I had a mid-ship balcony booked on the beautiful NCL Joy, flight booked, bag half packed... and then the world stopped. So it goes.

 

If we're back on the water in April, I'll be watching those sunsets from an aft balcony! It wasn't horribly expensive even at single occupancy rates and I have more than enough FCC on hand to cover the cost. I'm planning to basically live on the balcony, venturing out to bring back buffet food and cocktails. I don't even need to get off the ship - none of the ports are new places to me.

 

Hmm, wonder if I have enough FCC to bump that booking up to The Haven..?

[farmersfight]

1 hour ago, coastcat said:

I'm planning to basically live on the balcony, venturing out to bring back buffet food and cocktails.

 

1 hour ago, coastcat said:

Hmm, wonder if I have enough FCC to bump that booking up to The Haven..?

 

Cruising solo in a Haven...now that's my idea of a retirement present to myself! If you do upgrade to the Haven, you won't have to leave your balcony at all - just have your butler bring back your food and cocktails!

 

I hope your April 2021 5-day repositioning cruise (LA to Vancouver) on the Bliss is a "go".

Edited September 14, 2020 by farmersfight

[nesila]

1 hour ago, farmersfight said:

 

 

Cruising solo in a Haven...now that's my idea of a retirement present to myself! If you do upgrade to the Haven, you won't have to leave your balcony at all - just have your butler bring back your food and cocktails!

 

I hope your April 2021 5-day repositioning cruise (LA to Vancouver) on the Bliss is a "go".

apparently the butler cannot bring you drinks that are covered on the drinks package.... only if you order a la carte from the room service menu. Sigh.

[coastcat]

1 hour ago, nesila said:

apparently the butler cannot bring you drinks that are covered on the drinks package.... only if you order a la carte from the room service menu. Sigh.

Darn. Well, I can venture to The Haven bar if necessary! My FCC just barely covers single occupancy fare in the cheapest Haven cabin available but I'd be out of pocket for gratuities and other fees. Also, being in The Haven for the first cruise after this interruption would spoil me for normal cabins. I'll "settle" for an aft balcony. 🙂

 

What did you think of Solstice? I'm booked in Aqua for Solstice's transpacific next September, which may be an odd choice for my very first Celebrity cruise but I've been dreaming about a transpacific for quite some time now... Celebrity seems like it will mesh well with solo cruising except for the lack of solo cabins and the perks which are not solo-friendly at all. Thank goodness I was able to book my cabin at a no-perk price; the standard price with two perks "for everyone in the cabin!" was about $1800 higher. That's enough to pay for purchasing the perks outright plus the flight home from Tokyo.

[nesila]

14 minutes ago, coastcat said:

Darn. Well, I can venture to The Haven bar if necessary! My FCC just barely covers single occupancy fare in the cheapest Haven cabin available but I'd be out of pocket for gratuities and other fees. Also, being in The Haven for the first cruise after this interruption would spoil me for normal cabins. I'll "settle" for an aft balcony. 🙂

 

What did you think of Solstice? I'm booked in Aqua for Solstice's transpacific next September, which may be an odd choice for my very first Celebrity cruise but I've been dreaming about a transpacific for quite some time now... Celebrity seems like it will mesh well with solo cruising except for the lack of solo cabins and the perks which are not solo-friendly at all. Thank goodness I was able to book my cabin at a no-perk price; the standard price with two perks "for everyone in the cabin!" was about $1800 higher. That's enough to pay for purchasing the perks outright plus the flight home from Tokyo.

Solstice was mixed for me... 

 

What made it great is since I was traveling with my elderly father and the ship is much smaller than Epic (the prior ship I took him on) it was easier to navigate end to end. Much less walking even though I dont think the ship is much shorter. We had concierge connecting rooms then my brother and his wife were on the other side so what made it AMAZING was that we opened the partitions between the balconies and had a huge balcony. The connecting room with dad was convenient because we had the exterior double door to close which created a hallway, and we could leave our doors open between us to go back and forth, me checking on dad. Dining room was excellent, we chose the dine at your own time and our servers were fantastic. Lobster night was truly amazing, seriously. Specialty dining also great, especially the French. We negotiated prices for specialty while on board. We were on Alaska, we got all the way up Stephens passage to the glacier, much closer than I believe Joy or Encore can get. 

 

On the downside, we took the first (or second) cruise early in the season so much was still frosty, less wildlife, less whales and no 'glacier explorer' excursion that I really wanted. Ship was clean and well kept but some areas were tired. Entertainment was meh nothing special. Atrium bar just soso. I was with family so none of this mattered, went to bed early and got up early to just stare at the scenery.

 

And I would do this one again in a minute. 🙂 But get aqua next time (but there arent connecting cabins, that's why we didnt last time)

[nesila]

23 minutes ago, coastcat said:

Darn. Well, I can venture to The Haven bar if necessary! My FCC just barely covers single occupancy fare in the cheapest Haven cabin available but I'd be out of pocket for gratuities and other fees. Also, being in The Haven for the first cruise after this interruption would spoil me for normal cabins. I'll "settle" for an aft balcony. 🙂

 

What did you think of Solstice? I'm booked in Aqua for Solstice's transpacific next September, which may be an odd choice for my very first Celebrity cruise but I've been dreaming about a transpacific for quite some time now... Celebrity seems like it will mesh well with solo cruising except for the lack of solo cabins and the perks which are not solo-friendly at all. Thank goodness I was able to book my cabin at a no-perk price; the standard price with two perks "for everyone in the cabin!" was about $1800 higher. That's enough to pay for purchasing the perks outright plus the flight home from Tokyo.

IMHO I dont think Alaska would be good solo on Celeb... it's lots of families and couples. But, everyone was super nice. Solo Alaska I would always pick NCL.

[farmersfight]

6 hours ago, nesila said:

We had concierge connecting rooms then my brother and his wife were on the other side so what made it AMAZING was that we opened the partitions between the balconies and had a huge balcony.

 

A few years ago, I did a 7 day northbound cruise on the now covid infamous Diamond Princess from Vancouver, B.C. to Whittier, (cruise port for Anchorage), Alaska. I cruised with my ex-wife in a regular balcony cabin that was the last one aft on the starboard side. Due to a quirk in the design of the balconies (and because our cabin was the most aft on the starboard side), our balcony had an "extension" aft which made it 1 1/2 X as long as a regular balcony. We also cruised with my ex-wife's brother and niece who shared the adjacent balcony cabin just forward of ours. Like you, we were able to open the partitions between the balconies plus we had the quirky "extension" of our balcony to make one extra long balcony. And like yours, it was also AMAZING.

 

6 hours ago, nesila said:

On the downside, we took the first (or second) cruise early in the season so much was still frosty, less wildlife, less whales

 

Same here. Our Diamond Princess Alaska cruise was early in the season so it was definitely "cool" (to say the least, lol) out on our balconies and out on the pool deck. Needless to say, we didn't go swimming in the pool (I can't even remember if it was heated or not). Yep, less wildlife and to my bigger disappointment, no whale sightings 😢. On the positive side, we did a CruiseTour with Princess, so we had another subsequent week after the cruise ended to do a land tour of Alaska - much of it by train and also stay in hotels in different Alaska towns. IMHO, Princess does an excellent job in Alaska, both land & sea. Princess has been cruising Alaska for so many years, they have definitely become imho, the premier cruise line doing Alaskan cruises (and land tours). Heck, Princess even had a train exclusively chartered for their CruiseTour passengers and the train had the Princess logo & colors adorned on it. Pretty cool!

[nesila]

Are there any other cruise lines that offer what NCL does for solos? I know some like RCL have single cabins (which sometimes doubles book) both interior and balcony... but do any have solo lounges and the dedicated activities director?