HAPPY NEW YEAR YA'LL

[Lois R]

Wishing all you solo cruisers (and everyone else too) a Very Happy New Year. I hope 2019 is better (much better) than what 2018 brought....the year could not change quick enough for me.  And, hope you can take whatever cruises you want~as many as you want too!

[travelnap]

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

Wishing all you solo cruisers (and everyone else too) a Very Happy New Year. I hope 2019 is better (much better) than what 2018 brought....the year could not change quick enough for me.  And, hope you can take whatever cruises you want~as many as you want too!

Happy New Year to you as well Lois.  I always hope that the next year is better than the last.  That way I know I'll be around to enjoy it,  If I am not, then I will know it wasn't a good year for me.   Neil

Edited January 1, 2019 by travelnap

[Lois R]

Hi Neil, thanks...good way to look at things.

[elycelynne]

Happy New Year to you too, Lois.  I don't know about taking as many cruises as I want to, but after today I will have officially retired, so I'm sure I'll be taking more than my previous once per year!

[Lois R]

On ‎1‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 2:52 PM, elycelynne said:

Happy New Year to you too, Lois.  I don't know about taking as many cruises as I want to, but after today I will have officially retired, so I'm sure I'll be taking more than my previous once per year!

 

OMG....HOW AWESOME!,,,,,I am hoping for 2020 to retirement...…..if I get through this year LOL...…...

Seriously, congrats on your retirement!

[elycelynne]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

 

OMG....HOW AWESOME!,,,,,I am hoping for 2020 to retirement...…..if I get through this year LOL...…...

Seriously, congrats on your retirement!

Thanks!  Hopefully the time will go fast for you -- It did for me after I officially gave my employer notice back in February.

[Roz]

Happy New Year, Lois, and all other Solo Cruisers.

 

I have b2b cruises booked for the end of April/beginning of May.  A Pacific Coastal followed by Alaska.  

 

I'll have 20 years with the State on August 1, 2020, so that's probably when I'll retire.  Enough is enough. 😺

 

Roz

[Lois R]

Hi Roz, I have an 11 night cruise booked on AZAMARA in April.  Sailing out of New York City to Bermuda and Charleston.

 

20 years with the state? You must have a great retirement/pension plan!   I have 28 years with the company I work for and we do have a 401K...…..although, it is probably lower recently due to the mess in DC

[travelnap]

Lois, I can't believe that you think there is a mess in DC.  There is always a mess in DC, the only thing that has changed is that the children who make up the House and the Senate, now have a bigger child to deal with.  I remember the good old days when elected officials actually worried about what was best for the people that elected them, Instead of what is best for their political party, or for their re-election.  Each party is just as bad as the other one, so I guess we can only blame ourselves for that, since we keep voting these people back in again.  That is why I became an independent a number of years ago, because I just couldn't support either party anymore because of the way they both operate.  Neil

[Roz]

15 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi Roz, I have an 11 night cruise booked on AZAMARA in April.  Sailing out of New York City to Bermuda and Charleston.

 

20 years with the state? You must have a great retirement/pension plan!   I have 28 years with the company I work for and we do have a 401K...…..although, it is probably lower recently due to the mess in DC

 

It's a decent pension, especially since Tennessee has a solvent pension fund, unlike some other states. Full pension is 30 years, but I'm not aiming for that.  I'd be almost 78!  We also have an option 401K which the state will match up to $600 per year.  It's amazing to me how many people don't participate.  "Grandma Roz" advises the new employees to sign up with their first paycheck so they don't miss what they didn't have in the first place.  Do they listen?  Not many do.  

 

I look forward to more travel in general, not just cruising, when I retire.  This past November I took a river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel.  I fell in love with Amsterdam, and it's one of the few places I've visited that I can honestly see going back to and spending a week.  

 

Happy travels to all in 2019.

 

Roz

[Lois R]

8 hours ago, travelnap said:

Lois, I can't believe that you think there is a mess in DC.  There is always a mess in DC, the only thing that has changed is that the children who make up the House and the Senate, now have a bigger child to deal with.  I remember the good old days when elected officials actually worried about what was best for the people that elected them, Instead of what is best for their political party, or for their re-election.  Each party is just as bad as the other one, so I guess we can only blame ourselves for that, since we keep voting these people back in again.  That is why I became an independent a number of years ago, because I just couldn't support either party anymore because of the way they both operate.  Neil

Hi Neil..…...hmmm.....I probably should not have posted that because I know we are not supposed to chat about anything except cruises...…...and If I answer you back in a political nature the post will probably get removed.  So anyway,

back to cruising.

[Lois R]

7 hours ago, Roz said:

 

It's a decent pension, especially since Tennessee has a solvent pension fund, unlike some other states. Full pension is 30 years, but I'm not aiming for that.  I'd be almost 78!  We also have an option 401K which the state will match up to $600 per year.  It's amazing to me how many people don't participate.  "Grandma Roz" advises the new employees to sign up with their first paycheck so they don't miss what they didn't have in the first place.  Do they listen?  Not many do.  

 

I look forward to more travel in general, not just cruising, when I retire.  This past November I took a river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel.  I fell in love with Amsterdam, and it's one of the few places I've visited that I can honestly see going back to and spending a week.  

 

Happy travels to all in 2019.

 

Roz

Hi Roz, I have participated since the inception of the plan......I contribute 6% which is matched....it is silly to not contribute as the company matches .35 to the dollar. 

[MHF]

On 1/1/2019 at 9:09 AM, Lois R said:

Wishing all you solo cruisers (and everyone else too) a Very Happy New Year. I hope 2019 is better (much better) than what 2018 brought....the year could not change quick enough for me.  And, hope you can take whatever cruises you want~as many as you want too!

 

I am in agreement with you!  2018 just needed to be over and done.  

 

Am looking for a cruise this year, for the first time as a solo cruiser.  Next year will be Cuba with my mom.

 

Melissa

[Lois R]

Hi Melissa,  good luck in booking that first solo cruise.....once you sail, I bet you will say "OMG, why didn't I do this sooner"?

[wdw1972]

Count me in as one looking forward to 2019!  I read but don't post often - with the old format I only checked in once a week, and usually any topics had already been replied to.  Now with the new format I can check more frequently, as it doesn't mark the entire cruise critic "read" if I check one folder!

 

Anyway, I learned on a cruise in late 2017 that I had breast cancer again (3rd time).  Spent early 2018 with the mastectomy & starting reconstruction...in time to do my only 2018 cruise (March 11-night HAL to southern caribbean), then more reconstruction surgeries.  For 2019 I have THREE cruises booked - January 20th Nieuw Statendam (10-night), April HAL from Tampa (7 night), then repeating the 10-night on Koningsdam in late November.  Between the first 2 I should finish up the reconstruction...I swear it takes less time to build a cruise ship than it does to make a boob 😉  I still work, so 3 cruises is pretty aggressive, but worth it!

 

Sue/WDW1972

[MHF]

4 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi Melissa,  good luck in booking that first solo cruise.....once you sail, I bet you will say "OMG, why didn't I do this sooner"?

Well Lois, I doubt it.  My husband of 32 years passed away last year from cancer and this will be the first vacation I've ever taken alone.  I"m looking into Silversea as we liked them and I know they will take care of me.  On the other hand, maybe I need a different line.

[Lois R]

Hi, Oh...my condolences...…..so sorry.   I had no idea.

 

I have sailed Silversea twice and LOVE THEM...….wishing you a good cruise, whatever you choose.

[Roz]

13 hours ago, wdw1972 said:

Count me in as one looking forward to 2019!  I read but don't post often - with the old format I only checked in once a week, and usually any topics had already been replied to.  Now with the new format I can check more frequently, as it doesn't mark the entire cruise critic "read" if I check one folder!

 

Anyway, I learned on a cruise in late 2017 that I had breast cancer again (3rd time).  Spent early 2018 with the mastectomy & starting reconstruction...in time to do my only 2018 cruise (March 11-night HAL to southern caribbean), then more reconstruction surgeries.  For 2019 I have THREE cruises booked - January 20th Nieuw Statendam (10-night), April HAL from Tampa (7 night), then repeating the 10-night on Koningsdam in late November.  Between the first 2 I should finish up the reconstruction...I swear it takes less time to build a cruise ship than it does to make a boob 😉  I still work, so 3 cruises is pretty aggressive, but worth it!

 

Sue/WDW1972

Best of luck to you, Sue.  You have a great attitude in spite of what you've been through.  "I swear it takes less time to build a cruise ship than it does to make a boob" - this cracked me up!

 

Roz

[bottomfeeder]

Happy New Year to everyone!  You all are making me jealous with your retirement talk.  I'm hoping I can retire in 5 years when I'll be 62, but have no idea whether I'll be able to afford it--I want to be able to cruise and travel when I retire, so there's no point in retiring before my 401K is big enough to support that!  I'm hoping to do at least 1 cruise in 2019--looking at several different options.  Maybe 1 week on a river cruise and then a longer ocean cruise.

 

[wdw1972]

2 hours ago, bottomfeeder said:

Happy New Year to everyone!  You all are making me jealous with your retirement talk.  I'm hoping I can retire in 5 years when I'll be 62, but have no idea whether I'll be able to afford it--I want to be able to cruise and travel when I retire, so there's no point in retiring before my 401K is big enough to support that!  I'm hoping to do at least 1 cruise in 2019--looking at several different options.  Maybe 1 week on a river cruise and then a longer ocean cruise.

 

For me, health insurance is the scary part - especially with a history of breast cancer 3 times.  I have great insurance through work, and it's pennies compared to what insurance would cost as a retiree, so although I just turned 60 I hope to work for many more years - 70 might be my target age, since that would max out social security and give more time for my pension/investments to grow.  Like you, I want to enjoy traveling without the limitations of having to get back to work, so it doesn't pay to retire too soon.  I don't want half my retirement income going to pay for health insurance!

 

Sue/WDW1972

[elycelynne]

On 1/10/2019 at 7:16 PM, wdw1972 said:

For me, health insurance is the scary part - especially with a history of breast cancer 3 times.  I have great insurance through work, and it's pennies compared to what insurance would cost as a retiree, so although I just turned 60 I hope to work for many more years - 70 might be my target age, since that would max out social security and give more time for my pension/investments to grow.  Like you, I want to enjoy traveling without the limitations of having to get back to work, so it doesn't pay to retire too soon.  I don't want half my retirement income going to pay for health insurance!

 

Sue/WDW1972

Yes, the added insurance expense definitely bites.  However, in my case I was really burnt out after 39 years at the same menial job.  That, and the fact that my sister didn't make it to 65 and my brother is still here only because his esophageal cancer was caught in time through sheer luck, makes me think that I may not have a lot of years left and wanted to spend as many as possible not having to work.

[NSnJW]

2 hours ago, elycelynne said:

makes me think that I may not have a lot of years left and wanted to spend as many as possible not having to work.

I hope you have many good years and find you have a good life yet.  But the truth is none of us know.  My wife and I both thought I would be the first to go.  She had never been hospitalized except to have our sons, until about 1 month before she passed.

I retired as soon as I could but then my job was destroying my health.  

Grab life while you can. 

[cashmire]

Hi Lois & All,

 

I sailed solo to the Caribbean on the Silversea Whisper in November and loved it. New solo offering on Silversea:  SOLO SUPPLEMENTS AS LOW AS 0% ON SELECTED VOYAGES 

 

Cheers to all!

Maggie

[Lois R]

H Maggie, my TA sent me that list yesterday!

[skleeb]

On 2/16/2019 at 12:00 PM, cashmire said:

Hi Lois & All,

 

I sailed solo to the Caribbean on the Silversea Whisper in November and loved it. New solo offering on Silversea:  SOLO SUPPLEMENTS AS LOW AS 0% ON SELECTED VOYAGES 

 

Cheers to all!

Maggie

Looking at their web page has got me thinking!! How was it going solo? I looked at the transoceanic trip. There are 7 at sea days!! Was there a lot to do while on board???