First timer needing help!

[Muttock70]

I'm looking for some advice booking a cruise just for myself (happy 50th to me!) I would prefer a smaller ship without all the activities that attract children, with a casual atmosphere to sail around the caribbean (preferably eastern). This is last minute as I am aiming to travel beginning of Feb. I believe single cabins are more common on the larger ships so am bracing myself for a single supplement if I choose a smaller vessel. Any advice on smaller ships that don't charge full double occupancy and in general do the smaller ones have drinks packages etc? I would like my flight from UK included too rather than booking one separately is this advisable?

[trish1c]

IMO you are better off doing the air yourself.  You will save $$ & have greater flexibility.  

 

As to what ship, that is up to you.  Definitely pick a line that doesn't have water slides, go carts etc.  Virgin has launched 1 ship.  It's expensive & the itineraries are short but DH & I were intrigued by No kids, No kidding.  

Edited January 11, 2020 by trish1c

[wishIweretravelling]

You might take a look at Crystal. They are a luxury line, but I suspect that's what's going to meet your criteria. Passenger load is approximately 900--a bit more on one ship, a bit less on the other.  Their single supplement varies depending on the cruise, but I've seen it as low as 20%.  Drinks (and tips) are included in the price. They don't include airfare, but they do have an air department that can book it for you. As noted above, you are likely better off booking your own, but it's worth asking. Last time I used their air, they charged me exactly the price I was finding online. And they provided a transfer to the ship, though if you fly into Miami and the ship sails from there, it's a short taxi ride.

However, you likely will want to fly in the day before, and the transfer is not included in that instance.

 

I'm not sure, however, if they have a ship in the Caribbean in February. They only have 2 ocean ships, and one will be on its world cruise then.

[jocap]

It's much cheaper to go on a fly/cruise from the UK to the Caribbean with P&O or Marella (was Thomson), because they fly from various airports on chartered aeroplanes, which include all your transport and keep you on board until it's time for the airport. The 2 P&O ships have single cabins- not sure which Marella is out there at the moment.

BUT- they are all family friendly ships, so there will be many of the activities you don't want….

Congratulations on your birthday! You're now eligible to go on a Saga cruise... but I see that Spirit of Discovery- which has over 100 single cabins- will be sailing Italy, then the Canaries in Feb... and their older ship is also Canaries followed by the Northern Lights! 😗

[bbwex]

Another quiet line to consider is Oceania, though I have no idea what air options they offer from the UK.  You would have to check on that.  Oceania has four smaller R ships, and two larger Marina class ships, but they are all small (674 and 1200 passengers respectively), and tend to have a somewhat older and quieter group of passengers.  They do not prevent children from sailing, but they have zero activities for children, and hence rarely have children on board.  Oceania is not as expensive as the luxury lines (Crystal, Seabourne, etc.).

[cruiserking]

Considering how soon you want to cruise it will be tough to secure a single cabin as they are very popular and sell out fast. You might consider Holland America Line particularly their newer ships like Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Nieuw Statendam. 

 

Cunard is another line to consider, but, in February you'd have to fly quite far to pick up one of the legs of the World Cruise. 

 

Good Luck. 

 

Jonathan

Edited January 23, 2020 by cruiserking

[wowzz]

If you want a single cabin, you need to book a long way ahead  - they are in limited supply, and normally get booked very quickly.  

[John Bull]

On 1/11/2020 at 10:18 PM, jocap said:

It's much cheaper to go on a fly/cruise from the UK to the Caribbean with P&O or Marella (was Thomson), because they fly from various airports on chartered aeroplanes, which include all your transport and keep you on board until it's time for the airport. The 2 P&O ships have single cabins- not sure which Marella is out there at the moment.

BUT- they are all family friendly ships, so there will be many of the activities you don't want….

 😗

 

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

I'll second Jo's post.

 

Under 6 weeks before sailing is pretty late to be booking a cruise.

Late late booking of air tends to be expensive, whereas late late booking of cruises tends to be cheap.

On long-haul destinations the two tend to balance each-other out, but there are usually great bargains in P&O and especially Marella  fly-cruises direct to the Caribbean (no Florida airport, you fly direct to the Caribbean departure port, and no sea-days heading to the Caribbean). Because they use chartered aircraft there's no late-booking premium as is usual with scheduled flights, because only their passengers are on those flights. Lots of other advantages with fly/cruises too, like super-easy transfers, and the run of the ship on the last day until your (usually mid-afternoon) transfer is called for your return to the UK.  Direct regional flights from the UK too, though that might not be an advantage with a late booking, because the flight from your nearest airport may be fully-booked.  

 

P&O and Marella ships may not be your cup-of-tea, but will certainly give you the best bang for your buck.

And I think you'll be dismayed by prices on small ships, which tend to be luxury - and super-expensive. 

Added to that, the proportion of single cabins on cruise ships is low - so they sell-out early. And the single supplement is usually a doubling of the price  - you pay the same price as two people for a double cabin -sometimes more, because that's one less passenger to spend money on drinks, casino, excursions, etc which is where cruise lines make their money.  

 

P & O's Azura and Ventura are both large (but have adults-only areas), a couple of their smaller (but still around 2,000 passengers) ships are adults-only. And Marella ships are mainly around 1500 - 2000 passengers, but Celebration and Spirit are smaller. A few Marella cruises are adults-only.

Even on smaller ships and with lots of kids, you can find bars and decks and such with a bit of peace & quiet

A glance around the web for Feb. sailings shows me Marella 8-nights Caribbean from under £1,000 and P&O 14-nights from around £1350. Those prices include air-fares and transfers but excluding single supplement.

 

Also check out Fred Olsen and Cruise&Maritime, they too often offer direct fly-cruises though I don't know if they have anything in the Caribbean in Feb. Their ships are quite old but don't attract kids and are small and friendly. And inexpensive - especially compared to other small ships  

 

All those Brit ships sail the eastern Caribbean, which you (and I) prefer, and are port-intensive.  Most US ships sail the west (I don't rate it) or south (some super ports) and with fewer ports / more sea-days.

 

The Caribbean is popular with families, but avoid half-term week(s) (for US ships avoid "Spring Break") and there'll be very few kids. Term-time dates also tend to be cheaper.  

 

If your name is Bill Gates, ignore this post and Jo's post..

But if the cost is as important to you as it is for most folk, do consider those fly-cruises.

 

And be prepared to be flexible on some of your criteria

 

I suggest you phone and speak to a couple of cruise-specialist travel agents.

We can't name agents on Cruise Critic, but just google something like "cruise agents UK" 

You'll get more out of a couple of phone calls than simply surfing the web.

 

Good luck

 

JB 

[wowzz]

P&O have two ships in the Caribbean in February, Britannia and Azura.  As might be expected, I can't see any availability for single cabins, but a single occupancy in a double inside cabin, for the latter half of February is available on Azura for around £2400. (Flights included )

Azura is by no means a small ship, but is not one of the mega-liners.

If the OP came back with some idea of budget,  we may be able to offer more advice, because the advice will vary considerably, depending on whether the budget is £3k or £10k.