Solo Cruiser's Roll Call

[farmersfight]

10 hours ago, coastcat said:

Don of Don's Family Vacations recently posted a video on his YouTube channel about Canadian ports re-opening. He's in Canada and based on what officials there are saying, ports might not open until July at the earliest.

 

I have two Alaska cruises booked right now, the late June one on Quantum OTS and the early September one on Coral Princess. Starting to wonder if I'll be on Quantum, and if the late start means no Alaska at all for 2021. We shall see.

 

I've watched some of Don's video's on YouTube. I'll see if I can find the one about Canadian ports reopening. Yeah, I've been predicting the second 1/2 of 2021 for cruising to be restarted and up & running again, so July (at the earliest) for Canada to reopen to cruise ships would fit right in to my prediction.

 

Your late June Alaska cruise on Quantum OTS is "on the fence". Imo, your early September one on Coral Princess will probably be a "go" (if there can be an Alaska season for 2021, even a partial one).

 

I think RCL's Quantum class will be my cruise ship of choice for solo cruising. I think I am going to love their studio balcony cabins. I'm currently booked in studio balcony cabins on the Anthem OTS (Jan 20-31, 2022 R/T out of Bayonne, NJ) and the new Odyssey OTS (Feb 26-Mar 6, 2022 R/T out of Port Everglades, FL).

 

"On my radar" for spring 2023, I'm hoping to book Ovation OTS (again, in a studio balcony cabin) for a B2B; 11-day New Zealand R/T out of Sydney, Australia followed by a 16-day Trans Pacific from Sydney, Australia to Honolulu, HI (port calls at Papeete, Tahiti and other French Polynesian islands on the way). So, 27-days total onboard Ovation OTS! Ahh....good to be retired, right? RCL is bringing Ovation OTS over to Seattle (or maybe Vancouver, BC), I believe, to help her sister Quantum OTS with the Alaska season.

 

We'll see how it plays out. Best of luck to you on both of your booked Alaska cruises later this year. Hopefully, they will go. Fingers crossed for you 🤞.

 

P.S. - I assume you'll be cruising solo on Quantum OTS? Are you in a studio balcony cabin?

Edited January 14, 2021 by farmersfight

[GTVCRUISER]

My last cruise January 2020 

[GTVCRUISER]

Cruise Flashback 

[farmersfight]

20 hours ago, GTVCRUISER said:

Cruise Flashback 

 

Hi @GTVCRUISER,

 

It seems like it's been awhile since I've seen any of your posts. If this is true; welcome back! I assume you cruised as a solo on this cruise (Oosterdam)? If yes, how was the experience as a solo on HAL? I see you got a balcony cabin.

 

Who would've thought that cruising would come to an "all stop" shortly after your Jan 2020 cruise on Oosterdam...

[farmersfight]

This solo cruisers forum has been awful quiet lately. Where are all of the solo cruisers out there?

 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, farmersfight said:

This solo cruisers forum has been awful quiet lately. Where are all of the solo cruisers out there?

 

Recovering from COVID (though I've been on the forums) and just trying to keep up with life while the cruise lines try to figure out what cruising will look like later this year or next year.

 

I had to convince a friend they weren't going cruising for their birthday, IN MARCH!  I might be looking for my next trip in April next year...

[All-ready2cruise]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

I might be looking for my next trip in April next year...

I don't know that I'll even have my vaccine before my next booked cruise in Oct. I'm hoping my BA cruise in May will be a go. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by All-ready2cruise

[coastcat]

5 hours ago, farmersfight said:

This solo cruisers forum has been awful quiet lately. Where are all of the solo cruisers out there?

 

I’m barely even visiting CC these days because cruising (and life) is on hold and I have zero interest in reading heated debates between a bunch of amateur immunologists and epidemiologists. I’m keeping up with cruise news via the YouTube community instead. 
 

In due time, we’ll have more enjoyable things to discuss.

[farmersfight]

7 hours ago, hallux said:

Recovering from COVID (though I've been on the forums) and just trying to keep up with life while the cruise lines try to figure out what cruising will look like later this year or next year.

 

I had to convince a friend they weren't going cruising for their birthday, IN MARCH!  I might be looking for my next trip in April next year...

 

Glad you are recovering from the WuFlu. Yeah, you're right, there'll be no cruising in March this year. I'm hanging on to the hope of cruising being back up & running (with some sense of "normalcy") by the 2nd half of this year (July - Dec 2021). I would hope that you'd be safe booking a cruise for April 2022, my gosh.

[farmersfight]

2 hours ago, coastcat said:

I’m barely even visiting CC these days because cruising (and life) is on hold and I have zero interest in reading heated debates between a bunch of amateur immunologists and epidemiologists. I’m keeping up with cruise news via the YouTube community instead. 
 

In due time, we’ll have more enjoyable things to discuss.

 

Yeah @coastcat, I agree with you 100% about the postings from a bunch of amateur immunologists and epidemiologists. I just ignore any covid virus related threads.

 

I hope you "keep your chin up" and continue to visit and post here on CC, especially in this solo cruisers forum. I enjoy reading about your solo cruising experiences and really learn a lot from you. A good example is our discussion(s) about RCL's Quantum class ships (and the studio balcony cabins on them).

[hallux]

4 hours ago, farmersfight said:

Glad you are recovering from the WuFlu

Thanks.  Just about there.  Today was my best day yet - got up without too much effort at my normal time for work, had the energy after work to do some shoveling for my parents, minimal fatigue or other issues that go with the recovery...

[coastcat]

Dang. Well, my 2021 schedule is messed up again.

• June on Quantum OTS to Alaska - already cancelled, L&S to June 2022
• Labor Day week on Coral Princess in Alaska (Whitter to Vancouver)
• late October on NCL Bliss for repositioning (Vancouver to LA)

Say adios to all of those. Unless I'm able to book something sooner, whenever cruising starts up again, I'm not scheduled to step foot onboard until the first weekend of December (Carnival Radiance to Ensenada) and the the week between Christmas & New Year (NCL Bliss to the Mexican Riviera). Yikes.

 

Well, maybe I'll book a MSC Caribbean cruise in late October/early November. Solo balcony for under $100/night? Tempting.

[coastcat]

Okay, I gave in to temptation.

 

I'm now booked on MSC Divinia for the October 17 western Caribbean cruise (Cozumel, Costa Maya, plus Ocean Cay). This was cheap. I mean stupid cheap. $638 for 7 days in a Bella mid-ship balcony, solo occupancy. That's a solo supplement that's a bit under 70%, not bad. Heck, the flight and pre-cruise hotel will cost almost as much as the week-long cruise!

Edited February 5, 2021 by coastcat

[All-ready2cruise]

I'd go back on the Divina in a heart beat.  That ship, the crew, even the food, although way too many tomatoes for me, was so good.  

I really hope it's a go for you. Good luck 😉

[farmersfight]

15 hours ago, coastcat said:

Okay, I gave in to temptation.

 

I'm now booked on MSC Divinia for the October 17 western Caribbean cruise (Cozumel, Costa Maya, plus Ocean Cay). This was cheap. I mean stupid cheap. $638 for 7 days in a Bella mid-ship balcony, solo occupancy. That's a solo supplement that's a bit under 70%, not bad. Heck, the flight and pre-cruise hotel will cost almost as much as the week-long cruise!

 

Congrats for picking up another cruise for mid-Oct 2021. I think this one will have a decent chance of going. My first cruise is Oct 23, 2021 on PoA. I'm hoping that since the ship doesn't call at any foreign ports (doesn't have to worry about other countries not being open to cruise ships, i.e. Canada) it will have a good shot of sailing. I guess it will also depend if Hawaii opens up by then.

 

I booked another cruise recently, as well. Also got a good deal. Harmony OTS, 7-day Western Caribbean (Coco Cay; Nassau, Bahamas; Falmouth, Jamaica & Labadee, Haiti), Sept 25 - Oct 2, 2022. RCL was running a 60% off the 2nd guest sale, so as a solo, in effect the "supplement" was only 40%. Because of this sale, I was able to book an ocean-view balcony cabin. Looking forward to cruising on an Oasis-class ship.

Edited February 5, 2021 by farmersfight

[coastcat]

Not a big tomato fan, but otherwise Divina looks promising! I was tempted to book an interior single on Meraviglia so I could compare it to an NCL Studio, but a regular interior was actually cheaper than the single cabin and anyway I preferred the itinerary & “impulse buy”-level fare on Divina. 
 

Oasis-class, ah, someday. Now my first RCI ship will be an older Voyager-class, but then again the renovation of Mariner has gotten rave reviews. 

 

I just asked my TA to ditch the October Bliss sailing in favor of a Labor Day week 2022 Encore one. That will give me two Alaska cruises next year! 
 

Come on, NCL, give us some news on Leonardo...

Edited February 5, 2021 by coastcat

[farmersfight]

2 hours ago, coastcat said:

Not a big tomato fan, but otherwise Divina looks promising! I was tempted to book an interior single on Meraviglia so I could compare it to an NCL Studio, but a regular interior was actually cheaper than the single cabin and anyway I preferred the itinerary & “impulse buy”-level fare on Divina. 
 

Oasis-class, ah, someday. Now my first RCI ship will be an older Voyager-class, but then again the renovation of Mariner has gotten rave reviews. 

 

I just asked my TA to ditch the October Bliss sailing in favor of a Labor Day week 2022 Encore one. That will give me two Alaska cruises next year! 
 

Come on, NCL, give us some news on Leonardo...

 

Not a big tomato fan? I don't get it. Speaking of comparing studio cabins; NCL's studio cabins are 99 sq ft, RCL's studio interiors (Quantum-class ships) are 101 sq ft. And, RCL's studio balcony cabins (again, Quantum-class ships) are 119 sq ft. If you go with a junior balcony cabin on Carnival's Excel-class ships (Mardi Gras & Carnival Celebration) you get 173 sq ft. Carnival prices these junior balconies less than regular balcony cabins, so they are "reasonable" for us solo cruisers. And, these junior balconies appear to be a perfect size for solo cruisers.

 

I'm going to put MSC on my "radar". They seem to be offering good deals as they try a get a "foothold" in the U.S. market (competing against NCL, RCL & CCL). I like the look of their ships.

 

Yeah, RCL (intentionally or unintentionally or both) is being "solo friendly". Even on their Oasis-class ships, if you do a TA, you can get a real good price on their Central Park view or Boardwalk view balcony cabins. I'm booked in a Central Park view balcony on Allure OTS, TA fm Port Everglades, FL to Barcelona, Spain (April 24 - May 8, 2022). I think TA repositioning cruises are less expensive. Then, as I posted, RCL was having that 60% off 2nd guest sale which also was "solo friendly". Then, RCL has their Quantum-class ships with the studio balcony cabins (12 per ship). Also, on their Quantum-class ships, there are 16 studio interior cabins. Now, RCL needs to put in studio lounges like NCL has.

 

Speaking of Norwegian Encore, I'm booked in a studio cabin on her 21-day "ocean-to-ocean" from Seattle, WA (your neck of the woods @coastcat) to Miami, FL via the Panama Canal. This will be my first time trying NCL's solo cruiser experience with the studio cabin & studio lounge. Hope I don't get claustrophobic in that tiny 99 sq ft cabin 😳. I believe Encore has those virtual windows in the studio cabins, which should help.

 

Well, fingers crossed 🤞 that we get back to cruising later this year. Hopefully, the vaccines will facilitate a return to "normal" cruising again.

Edited February 6, 2021 by farmersfight

[coastcat]

1 hour ago, farmersfight said:

 

Not a big tomato fan? I don't get it. Speaking of comparing studio cabins; NCL's studio cabins are 99 sq ft, RCL's studio interiors (Quantum-class ships) are 101 sq ft. And, RCL's studio balcony cabins (again, Quantum-class ships) are 119 sq ft. If you go with a junior balcony cabin on Carnival's Excel-class ships (Mardi Gras & Carnival Celebration) you get 173 sq ft. Carnival prices these junior balconies less than regular balcony cabins, so they are "reasonable" for us solo cruisers. And, these junior balconies appear to be a perfect size for solo cruisers.

 

I'm going to put MSC on my "radar". They seem to be offering good deals as they try a get a "foothold" in the U.S. market (competing against NCL, RCL & CCL). I like the look of their ships.

 

Yeah, RCL (intentionally or unintentionally or both) is being "solo friendly". Even on their Oasis-class ships, if you do a TA, you can get a real good price on their Central Park view or Boardwalk view balcony cabins. I'm booked in a Central Park view balcony on Allure OTS, TA fm Port Everglades, FL to Barcelona, Spain (April 24 - May 8, 2022). I think TA repositioning cruises are less expensive. Then, as I posted, RCL was having that 60% off 2nd guest sale which also was "solo friendly". Then, RCL has their Quantum-class ships with the studio balcony cabins (12 per ship). Also, on their Quantum-class ships, there are 16 studio interior cabins. Now, RCL needs to put in studio lounges like NCL has.

 

Speaking of Norwegian Encore, I'm booked in a studio cabin on her 21-day "ocean-to-ocean" from Seattle, WA (your neck of the woods @coastcat) to Miami, FL via the Panama Canal. This will be my first time trying NCL's solo cruiser experience with the studio cabin & studio lounge. Hope I don't get claustrophobic in that tiny 99 sq ft cabin 😳. I believe Encore has those virtual windows in the studio cabins, which should help.

 

Well, fingers crossed 🤞 that we get back to cruising later this year. Hopefully, the vaccines will facilitate a return to "normal" cruising again.

Tomatoes: I was referring to the comment from @All-ready2cruise!

 

MSC only recently discovered solo cruisers. Not that long ago, people had a ton of difficulty booking single-occupancy. Now, no problem. Maybe Europeans aren't big on cruising alone but they're adapting more to the North American market? 

 

Don't worry about Encore Studio cabins. If you're like me, you'll be spending most of the day in the Observation Lounge or on The Waterfront. Oh wow, those are going to be amazing places in which to experience the Panama Canal transit. I'm looking forward to Encore in Alaska. NCL Spirit will be there in summer 2022 but it lacks solo cabins and is premium priced. 

[farmersfight]

5 hours ago, coastcat said:

I'm looking forward to Encore in Alaska.

 

My Panama Canal cruise on Encore is Oct 23 - Nov 13, 2022. So makes sense, NCL is repositioning her to warmer weather (Miami) for the winter months.

 

Do you have any recommended "must see's" or "must do's" for when I am in Seattle? I'll be spending 4 nights in a hotel there pre-cruise.

[Hangman115]

14 hours ago, farmersfight said:

 

My Panama Canal cruise on Encore is Oct 23 - Nov 13, 2022. So makes sense, NCL is repositioning her to warmer weather (Miami) for the winter months.

 

Do you have any recommended "must see's" or "must do's" for when I am in Seattle? I'll be spending 4 nights in a hotel there pre-cruise.

I have a couple sailings out od Florida in October. From what I have been reading, the CDC has come out with a mandate that there will be NO SAILINGS over 7 days in the US Ports. Looks like your sailing makes many stops in the US and is 23 days. 

Just asking since I have 11 nights booked in Oct 2021 and there is a question that with the current CDC mandates, that sailings over 7 days, before Nov 2021 have been stopped.

[samsnj]

2 hours ago, Hangman115 said:

I have a couple sailings out od Florida in October. From what I have been reading, the CDC has come out with a mandate that there will be NO SAILINGS over 7 days in the US Ports. Looks like your sailing makes many stops in the US and is 23 days. 

Just asking since I have 11 nights booked in Oct 2021 and there is a question that with the current CDC mandates, that sailings over 7 days, before Nov 2021 have been stopped.

My 14 day princess cruise from Quebec to Florida late Oct.2021, was cancelled months ago!

[farmersfight]

3 hours ago, Hangman115 said:

I have a couple sailings out od Florida in October. From what I have been reading, the CDC has come out with a mandate that there will be NO SAILINGS over 7 days in the US Ports. Looks like your sailing makes many stops in the US and is 23 days. 

Just asking since I have 11 nights booked in Oct 2021 and there is a question that with the current CDC mandates, that sailings over 7 days, before Nov 2021 have been stopped.

 

My gosh, I hope by Oct 2022 the CDC will have long rescinded that order and cruising will have returned to "normal" (with the vaccines).

Edited February 7, 2021 by farmersfight

[Hangman115]

8 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

 

My gosh, I hope by Oct 2022 the CDC will have long rescinded that order and cruising will have returned to "normal" (with the vaccines).

The CDC has a date listed of Nov 2021. Who knows what will happen October 2022

[farmersfight]

14 minutes ago, Hangman115 said:

The CDC has a date listed of Nov 2021. Who knows what will happen October 2022

 

Didn't say that I know just that I hope.

[AV8rix]

I'm booked on the inaugural sailing of HALs ms Rotterdam VII out of Trieste (Fincantieri yard) on August 1.  Might be postponed but the ship will have to leave the yard eventually and I'll be on her.