Let's start thinking about 2021 solo sailing

[debenson0723]

Hi @HowardK, @coastcatand @farmersfight.  Long time, no sea (literally, LOL).  Just had to share on this thread...I booked a 2021 cruise today and am really excited.  I am (fingers crossed) doing the November 2nd Escape TA from Rome to NYC (16 days).  I will be sailing with a group of 12 solos that I have cruised with before.  I met most of them on my 2017 Getaway Baltic cruise (4 ended up going on to Norway with me), 2 I have sailed with a second time and a couple I have visited in their home towns.  I called another solo friend of mine that I met on my first NCL cruise and now he is booked too. It was a crazy day of IMs, texts and phone calls. I booked a sail away inside without perks, which is OK with me on a port intensive cruise.

This cruise ticks off 5 boxes for me:  the Escape, Italy, Spain, Bermuda and a TA. I will get to Rome two days prior and stay two or three days post in NYC.

The thing that really sealed the deal for me was I was able to get a non-stop flight on Delta in Comfort class from JFK to Rome for 30K points and $195.  I can always get cheap flights from Phoenix to NY and back so not concerned about that. And no return airfare from Europe.

I feel pretty good that ships will be sailing in November and especially the Escape, which is now on her way to Europe with a full crew (and then some, I believe).

What really makes this crazy is I just booked airfare last night from JFK to Amsterdam for a May land trip.  It blows my mind a bit that I booked 2 airfares to Europe in 24 hours, LOL. I am not sure if this trip is actually going to happen...it might be too soon.  But if it doesn't, at least I have a cruise to look forward to in November.

Hope you all are having a good holiday season.  If your plans for 2021 don't work out, please join us!  You will have a great time (even if you are an introvert...I totally get that and like my alone time too). Take care.

Deb

[farmersfight]

8 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

Hi @HowardK, @coastcatand @farmersfight.  Long time, no sea (literally, LOL).  Just had to share on this thread...I booked a 2021 cruise today and am really excited.  I am (fingers crossed) doing the November 2nd Escape TA from Rome to NYC (16 days).  I will be sailing with a group of 12 solos that I have cruised with before.  I met most of them on my 2017 Getaway Baltic cruise (4 ended up going on to Norway with me), 2 I have sailed with a second time and a couple I have visited in their home towns.  I called another solo friend of mine that I met on my first NCL cruise and now he is booked too. It was a crazy day of IMs, texts and phone calls. I booked a sail away inside without perks, which is OK with me on a port intensive cruise.

This cruise ticks off 5 boxes for me:  the Escape, Italy, Spain, Bermuda and a TA. I will get to Rome two days prior and stay two or three days post in NYC.

The thing that really sealed the deal for me was I was able to get a non-stop flight on Delta in Comfort class from JFK to Rome for 30K points and $195.  I can always get cheap flights from Phoenix to NY and back so not concerned about that. And no return airfare from Europe.

I feel pretty good that ships will be sailing in November and especially the Escape, which is now on her way to Europe with a full crew (and then some, I believe).

What really makes this crazy is I just booked airfare last night from JFK to Amsterdam for a May land trip.  It blows my mind a bit that I booked 2 airfares to Europe in 24 hours, LOL. I am not sure if this trip is actually going to happen...it might be too soon.  But if it doesn't, at least I have a cruise to look forward to in November.

Hope you all are having a good holiday season.  If your plans for 2021 don't work out, please join us!  You will have a great time (even if you are an introvert...I totally get that and like my alone time too). Take care.

Deb

 

Hi Deb,

 

(& @HowardK, @coastcat)

 

That's really great news and thanks for keeping me (us) in mind and sharing. Well, you & I must be "on the same wavelength" because I just booked a TA (solo) also last night. Mine is the Allure of the Seas, 14 day TA from Port Everglades, Fla to Barcelona, Spain. Dep: April 24, 2022 Arr: May 8, 2022. It was a great deal ($), even as a solo paying the full supplement. TA (repositioning) cruises are usually less than normal cruises which factored in to this one but RCL was also offering a flash sale and 60% off the 2nd pax in the stateroom (which in case of us solos, is the "ghost" pax in the stateroom with us). The price was so good that I was able to book a balcony. But, get this, on RCL's Oasis-class ships there are ocean view balconies and Central Park or Boardwalk view balconies. No other kind of ship but an Oasis-class ship do you have interior balconies (that's how massive they are...). Believe it or not, the Central Park balcony was $840 less than the ocean view balcony. I would normally prefer the ocean view balcony but decided to save the $840 and try out the Central Park view balcony (from the 14th deck! Should be some privacy from up that high, lol).

 

I always wanted to try an Oasis-class ship (ticks off a box for me) and this opportunity was too good to pass up. The web site that I used (whose name is forbidden to be uttered here on CC with out a serious "flogging") lists cruises with low solo supplements (25% or less) but also great overall deals (w/o regard to the supplement) for cruise departures > 30 days away ("Hot Deals") and < 30 days away ("Last Minute Deals"). I found this cruise in the Hot Deals. Also, this website will rate the deal as "good", "better" or "best". The cruise deal I booked was rated as "best".

 

This TA on the Allure OTS stops in Nassau, Bahamas and multiple ports in Spain (Malaga, etc) on the way to Barcelona. The TA crossing involves 8 sea days (in a row). I like that idea because the sea days will give me ample opportunity to explore/experience this massive Oasis-class ship, which is practically a "city at sea". Oh yes, I plan on zip lining (diagonally across the center enormous space on the ship) and surfing (on one of the 2 flow-riders) all the way "across the pond" to Spain!

 

I've been closely monitoring this corona virus situation as it relates to cruising and I am increasingly (by the day) encouraged & confident that by the 2nd half of 2021, everybody will have access to the new vaccine(s) and cruising will be up & running again. Btw, did you see in the news that the 1st new vaccine (Pfizer's) is being shipped out to distribution points in the U.S. today?!! Of course, health care workers/1st responders, elderly in LTC facilities have priority and will be first to get the new vaccine. This is why I am encouraged & confident. So much so that I now have 5 cruises booked!! I purposefully made sure that my 1st cruise wouldn't be until late 2021 (Oct 23-30) so as to allow plenty of time for everyone to get vaccinated and the cruise lines to get back up & running. So, I have 2 booked for late 2021 and 3 booked for early 2022. I think you were wise to book your Escape TA for later in 2021 (November) for the same reason I just mentioned. You should be good to go.

 

What ports do you stop at in Spain? I would bet one of them is Barcelona which seems to be a major cruise port. I did a 12 day Med cruise out of Cittavecchia (port for Rome), Italy on the then brand new Carnival Dream. One of out last stops was supposed to be Barcelona but the weather & seas turned real bad on the Med so the Captain (& Carnival) cancelled the Barcelona port call (we got to do an over-nighter in Monaco to make up for the missed Barcelona port call). So, this was another reason I was attracted to this cruise - I would be able to see Barcelona which I had missed on my Carnival Dream Med cruise. Plus, I have never been to Spain so, the other port stops in Spain will be great also.

 

Thanks for inviting me (and @HowardK, @coastcat) on this cruise! I am now chocked full with 5 cruises booked (as I mentioned), with 1 in late Oct and 1 in late Dec 2021 (x-mas cruise!). So, I will gratefully pass because I am going to just stay with 5 booked cruises (for now, lol). Maybe we can join your solo group of 12 and make it 15? Oh, plus your other solo friend would make it 16? Even though I won't be able to make it with you on your Escape TA, it wouldn't surprise me if we (our newly formed solo group of 16?, lol) actually did plan, coordinate, meet up & go on another future cruise together! That'd be awesome!! Hey, I'm not kidding, we should actually do that.

 

Maybe we should consider sharing our e-mail addresses, so we could privately communicate, coordinate & plan such a future cruise? I'd be willing to give you guys my e-mail address.

 

Yeah, it blew my mind also that I actually booked that 5th cruise (the TA on the Allure OTS). I saw it and thought about it a bit and decided to "pull the trigger". I'm glad I did because it looked like the ship was selling out; there weren't any staterooms available in the fwd or aft part of the ship, just the mid section (which is what I got). I guess sometimes in life, you can't hesitate and/or wait or you may lose out!

 

Take care...

 

Marty (aka @farmersfight)

Edited December 13, 2020 by farmersfight

[HowardK]

Hello!- I am so far considering from NYC 2023 June 18th or August 13th and then September 17th- one of them is the Escape. 2022 could be my catchup on concerts year but I am looking at the NCL site for either most likely NYC or a Seattle to Alaska. If anyone of you are thinking of going from NYC then!

[farmersfight]

5 hours ago, HowardK said:

Hello!- I am so far considering from NYC 2023 June 18th or August 13th and then September 17th- one of them is the Escape. 2022 could be my catchup on concerts year but I am looking at the NCL site for either most likely NYC or a Seattle to Alaska. If anyone of you are thinking of going from NYC then!

 

Hi @HowardK;

 

You could catch up on your live music on board a cruise ship in 2022, that way you could kill two birds with one stone, lol. Good that you are looking at getting back on board a cruise ship(s) in 2023 (I couldn't wait that long, lol). Are the cruise lines even booking that far out?

 

I'm not scheduled to cruise out of NYC, but close. I'm booked on the Anthem OTS out of Bayonne, NJ from Jan 20 - Jan 31, 2022 (11 day Southern Caribbean). I even managed to snag one of those coveted studio balcony cabins!

 

Seattle to Alaska sounds like a great cruise (I did Vancouver, BC to Whittier, AK on a 7 day one-way cruise on the now covid infamous Diamond Princess). You'll have to hit up @coastcat for advice/recommendations on that Seattle to Alaska cruise...

Edited December 13, 2020 by farmersfight

[debenson0723]

I am having major laptop/internet issues today and my IT professional son is "too busy" to come over and fix. So please forgive any spelling/grammar issues.

 

[coastcat]

16 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

Hi @HowardK, @coastcatand @farmersfight.  Long time, no sea (literally, LOL).  Just had to share on this thread...I booked a 2021 cruise today and am really excited.

 Oooooh, that looks like a great cruise! The itinerary sounds amazing. The flight, too.

 

I've been racking up a far number of points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card plus my handy Delta AmEx; the Delta card handles all the veterinary bills and good grief, my oldest cat is earning lots of Delta points this year! Now I just need some cruises that call for flights that call for cashing into the miles.

 

2021 is being reconfigured once again. I'm not sure where I'll fall on the vaccine priority list but certainly not in the early crowd.

• April 2021 NCL Bliss repositioning from LA to Vancouver: We don't know when Canada will re-open their ports. My best guess is that Bliss will sail to Seattle with only crew onboard. I haven't cancelled yet but will - even if it's a revenue cruise, I'm about 80% certain I won't have my double dose of vaccine by mid April
• June 2021 Quantum OTS in Alaska - Yeah, I'm clinging onto this one!
• September 2021 Celebrity Solstice transpacific - Sigh. Will cancel this soon. I wonder if Celebrity lets me keep the reservation number but with a different cruise attached? That's what I've done with NCL so I didn't need to wait for my deposit refund/CruiseNext return.
• New! October 2021 NCL Bliss repositioning southbound. This should be fun - Vancouver to SF to Ensenada to San Diego to LA. I just grabbed a Studio for this one but might bump it up to something fancier.
• Early December 2021 Carnival Radiance (the weekend cruise)
• Christmas/NYE 2021 NCL Bliss to the Mexican Riviera

I don't think deals will be plentiful this year but will keep my eyes open for a good solo deal in late July-early September on an Alaska cruise from Seattle (or maybe Vancouver but that's a longer drive).

 

For 2022 I still have Mariner OTS booked for late January (5-day western Caribbean) and added an eastern Caribbean 7-day on Celebrity Edge in March. December 2022 is currently taken by NCL Sun and her 9-day repositioning cruise from Tokyo to Hong Kong. That leaves April to November wide open. Where to go, where to go... cancelling the April cruise gives me back a CruiseNext so maybe an NCL TA? Or wait to see what happens with the new Leonardo class?

 

It's such a relief to know that the world will begin to re-open soon. It'll take a long time, and won't be the same as before, but I'm eager to go explore again.

[debenson0723]

And there you go...enter means submit, not go to the next line, lol. So this will be one long paragraph (I am on a tablet). I apologize.  Marty, my email address is the same as my screen name @gmail.com. It is my cruise only email and I check it when I have a cruise booked but do get notifications.  I am very familiar with the Oasis class ships, as I have been looking at them ever since they launched. But the timing, ports or fare was never right.  My TA does not go to Barcelona, even with 4 stops in Spain. It is a city I really want to visit. If my May 2021 land trip does not work out, I am hoping to do Barcelona, Amsterdam and Ireland in 2022...probably May, as that is when I like to travel. So I might meet you there and we can do dinner or sightseeing. But I have to get through 2021 first (and get this darn internet fixed!).

 

[farmersfight]

1 hour ago, coastcat said:

 Oooooh, that looks like a great cruise! The itinerary sounds amazing. The flight, too.

 

I've been racking up a far number of points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card plus my handy Delta AmEx; the Delta card handles all the veterinary bills and good grief, my oldest cat is earning lots of Delta points this year! Now I just need some cruises that call for flights that call for cashing into the miles.

 

2021 is being reconfigured once again. I'm not sure where I'll fall on the vaccine priority list but certainly not in the early crowd.

• April 2021 NCL Bliss repositioning from LA to Vancouver: We don't know when Canada will re-open their ports. My best guess is that Bliss will sail to Seattle with only crew onboard. I haven't cancelled yet but will - even if it's a revenue cruise, I'm about 80% certain I won't have my double dose of vaccine by mid April
• June 2021 Quantum OTS in Alaska - Yeah, I'm clinging onto this one!
• September 2021 Celebrity Solstice transpacific - Sigh. Will cancel this soon. I wonder if Celebrity lets me keep the reservation number but with a different cruise attached? That's what I've done with NCL so I didn't need to wait for my deposit refund/CruiseNext return.
• New! October 2021 NCL Bliss repositioning southbound. This should be fun - Vancouver to SF to Ensenada to San Diego to LA. I just grabbed a Studio for this one but might bump it up to something fancier.
• Early December 2021 Carnival Radiance (the weekend cruise)
• Christmas/NYE 2021 NCL Bliss to the Mexican Riviera

I don't think deals will be plentiful this year but will keep my eyes open for a good solo deal in late July-early September on an Alaska cruise from Seattle (or maybe Vancouver but that's a longer drive).

 

For 2022 I still have Mariner OTS booked for late January (5-day western Caribbean) and added an eastern Caribbean 7-day on Celebrity Edge in March. December 2022 is currently taken by NCL Sun and her 9-day repositioning cruise from Tokyo to Hong Kong. That leaves April to November wide open. Where to go, where to go... cancelling the April cruise gives me back a CruiseNext so maybe an NCL TA? Or wait to see what happens with the new Leonardo class?

 

It's such a relief to know that the world will begin to re-open soon. It'll take a long time, and won't be the same as before, but I'm eager to go explore again.

 

Hi @coastcat,

 

First off, I hope your oldest cat is still doing well even though he/she earns you lots of Delta points by having to go to the vet, lol.

 

Thanks for your updated list of cruises you currently have booked. I count 6 total (although it looks like you will be cancelling 2?). I now have 5 solo cruises booked (just added the Allure OTS 14 day transatlantic in April/May 2022), so I'm catching you, lol. I'm pretty sure I'm going to hold tight with these 5.

 

I hope your June 2021 Quantum OTS Alaska cruise goes. I've been of the opinion that cruising will return to some semblance of normalcy (whatever that is) in the 2nd half of 2021. So, June 2021 is right in that ballpark. Remember, you're supposed to report back to me on that Quantum OTS experience, as I have 2 Quantum-class ships (Anthem OTS & Odyssey OTS <- actually, a Quantum Ultra class) booked in those "coveted" studio balcony cabins.

 

I like the way you book with multiple cruise lines (the "big 3" - NCL, RCL & Carnival + Celebrity, taking it up a notch on the luxury). With my 5 booked cruises, I'm the same way (although nothing booked with Celebrity, yet, lol. Got my eye on one of Celebrity's Single Infinite Veranda cabins - some day...). I am currently booked with the "big 3" - NCL (PoA), Carnival (Mardi Gras), & RCL (Anthem OTS, Odyssey OTS and recently, Allure OTS). Maybe I'll do what you did and post a list of my currently booked cruises.

 

You say you have April - Nov 2022 wide open? And, asking where to go? How about the cruise I'm booked on -> 14 day transatlantic on the Allure OTS from Port Everglades, Fla to Barcelona, Spain (with multiple port calls in Spain). I got an excellent deal; found it on the website ####### (can't name it here on CC without being thoroughly flogged). Anyway, even as a solo paying the full supplement, I was able to get a regular balcony cabin for $1,700 (before taxes/fees). It was peculiar but RCL had different pricing depending on what type of balcony cabin you booked; ocean view, Central Park view or Boardwalk view. The Central Park view balcony was $840 less than the ocean view balcony, so I booked that one ($840 is significant change). I have ocean balconies on 3 of the other booked cruises (Mardi Gras, Anthem OTS & Odyssey OTS), so I figured I try out one of RCL's interior balcony cabins for the experience. Only on an Oasis-class ship do you have interior balcony cabins! Should be interesting...

 

Anyway, we have good news on the vaccine front as Pfizer's was being delivered to distribution centers starting today! Of course health care workers/first responders, elderly in LTC facilities, elderly with underlying health conditions, etc will have priority and be vaccinated first but it still bodes very well that the vaccine will be available to the rest of us by mid (or even early) 2021.

 

Take care...

 

Marty (aka @farmersfight)

Edited December 13, 2020 by farmersfight

[farmersfight]

1 hour ago, debenson0723 said:

And there you go...enter means submit, not go to the next line, lol. So this will be one long paragraph (I am on a tablet). I apologize.  Marty, my email address is the same as my screen name @gmail.com. It is my cruise only email and I check it when I have a cruise booked but do get notifications.  I am very familiar with the Oasis class ships, as I have been looking at them ever since they launched. But the timing, ports or fare was never right.  My TA does not go to Barcelona, even with 4 stops in Spain. It is a city I really want to visit. If my May 2021 land trip does not work out, I am hoping to do Barcelona, Amsterdam and Ireland in 2022...probably May, as that is when I like to travel. So I might meet you there and we can do dinner or sightseeing. But I have to get through 2021 first (and get this darn internet fixed!).

 

 

Hi Deb,

 

Thanks for your e-mail address. Mine is: martycp60@gmail.com

 

With your TA doing 4 port calls in Spain (without Barcelona), I bet they are the same ones that we will be doing on our Allure OTS TA. I'd have to look to be able to name them but I do remember Malaga was one of them.

 

By all means, meet me in Barcelona! I think we'll be arriving there on May 8, 2022. I'll definitely be staying in a hotel for at least a few nights in Barcelona, post-cruise.

 

You'll love Amsterdam and I highly recommend it. I was fortunate enough to make a port call there on our maritime academy (Texas) training ship (Texas Clipper) back during the summer of 1980. I've never been to Ireland, but I'll put it on my "bucket list". Maybe visit Ireland on a Baltic cruise?

 

Well, take care & have a good rest of your Sunday evening. I'll send you a test e-mail to make sure we're good on the e-mail front.

 

Marty (aka @farmersfight)

[debenson0723]

Baltic doesn't do Ireland...we did Germany, Estonia, Russia (2 days), Finland, Sweden and Denmark. I added 2 days in Norway to complete the Scandinavian countries. One of the highlights of that cruise was an evening tour for 8 of us...they took us to a bar where we did shots of vodka and ate appetizers. Wow, that vodka was so smooth it was like drinking water (and packed a punch). We then drove around St Petersburg looking at all of the beautiful buildings lit up. Got back to the ship and we were the last ones on...it was eerily quiet. Good times.

 

I have done my research on Ireland and prefer to do land. I can do multiple day trips and see the whole country in 5 or 6 days. So Barcelona, Amsterdam, maybe Prague and Ireland would be a good 14 day trip.

[farmersfight]

8 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

Baltic doesn't do Ireland...we did Germany, Estonia, Russia (2 days), Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

 

Thanks for clarifying. I think I'm mistaking the Baltic cruises with another one that does do Ireland, Scotland & England (I can't remember which cruise or cruise line though).

 

Your Baltic cruise sounds like it was a fantastic experience. Closest I got to cruise to one of the Scandinavian countries was when our training ship was slated to call at Copenhagen, Denmark (this was the same cruise that we called Amsterdam). For some reason, Copenhagen was cancelled and we substituted a call in Southampton, England instead. That was good too, I got to go see/tour London.

[All-ready2cruise]

21 hours ago, farmersfight said:

Mine is: martycp60@gmail.com

I hope no one minds if I stick my email addy in as well: conniecruzes @ outlook dot com

 

Cheers 🥂

[farmersfight]

4 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

I hope no one minds if I stick my email addy in as well: conniecruzes @ outlook dot com

 

Cheers 🥂

 

Thanks Connie. I was going to ask you for your e-mail but you beat me to the punch. I'll send you a test e-mail.

 

Cheers 🍻

Marty

[All-ready2cruise]

Just now, farmersfight said:

 

Thanks Connie. I was going to ask you for your e-mail but you beat me to the punch. I'll send you a test e-mail.

 

Cheers 🍻

Marty

Thanks Marty, I thought maybe I wasn't allowed to join the party, LOL. 

[farmersfight]

7 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Thanks Marty, I thought maybe I wasn't allowed to join the party, LOL. 

 

No way! You've got a standing invite. As a matter of fact, do you have any solo cruises booked for next year (2021) or the year after (2022)? I ask this because who knows, maybe we're already booked on the same cruise! I'm in the process of joining the roll calls for my 5 booked cruises.

 

Believe it or not, I'm up to 5 booked solo cruises! Late 2021 & early 2022. Yeah, you could say I'm confident cruising will be returning to "normal" in 2021 with the good news on the vaccine(s). They were showing on the news this morning here in the U.S. (NYC and Pittsburgh, I believe) the very first healthcare workers getting the new Pfizer vaccine.

Edited December 14, 2020 by farmersfight

[All-ready2cruise]

10 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

 

No way! You've got a standing invite. As a matter of fact, do you have any solo cruises booked for next year (2021) or the year after (2022)? I ask this because who knows, maybe we're already booked on the same cruise! I'm in the process of joining the roll calls for my 5 booked cruises.

 

Believe it or not, I'm up to 5 booked solo cruises! Late 2021 & early 2022. Yeah, you could say I'm confident cruising will be returning to "normal" in 2021 with the good news on the vaccine(s). They were showing on the news this morning here in the U.S. (NYC and Pittsburgh, I believe) the very first healthcare workers getting the new Pfizer vaccine.

Well, thank goodness you didn't say NO! LOL

I cancelled the 2 cruises I had  booked in April 2021 b/c  I'm pretty sure I won't get the vaccine until later in the year. Was really disappointed to cancel them since they were booked as a B2B, repo from tampa to NYC then a TA from NYC to Amsterdam. I'm a senior, I'm healthier than many others so I need to find a cruise later in the year. Are you booked on POA in fall of 2021?  That cruise has been on my radar for a while so I'm still looking at it.  

 

I have the NCL BA booked for May 8 2022 in a Haven, it'll be a special event cruise, we all have them, lol. Then, in Oct 2022 I'm booked on the Bliss from Vancouver to LA.  For this one though, if the new Leonardo class ship is scheduled to do a TA in that time-frame, I'll be all over that one and cancel the Bliss cruise. 

So, for now that it. 

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by All-ready2cruise

[farmersfight]

2 hours ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Well, thank goodness you didn't say NO! LOL

I cancelled the 2 cruises I had  booked in April 2021 b/c  I'm pretty sure I won't get the vaccine until later in the year. Was really disappointed to cancel them since they were booked as a B2B, repo from tampa to NYC then a TA from NYC to Amsterdam. I'm a senior, I'm healthier than many others so I need to find a cruise later in the year. Are you booked on POA in fall of 2021?  That cruise has been on my radar for a while so I'm still looking at it.  

 

I have the NCL BA booked for May 8 2022 in a Haven, it'll be a special event cruise, we all have them, lol. Then, in Oct 2022 I'm booked on the Bliss from Vancouver to LA.  For this one though, if the new Leonardo class ship is scheduled to do a TA in that time-frame, I'll be all over that one and cancel the Bliss cruise. 

So, for now that it. 

 

 

I think you did the right thing by cancelling your April 2021 cruises (although they did sound awesome; a B2B & repo from Tampa to NYC then a TA from NYC to Amsterdam. What cruise line and what ship?). I wouldn't feel confident booking any cruise in the 1st half of 2021 - need time for the vaccine(s) to get out to the general population.

 

Yeah, I'm booked on the PoA from Oct 23 - 30, 2021. I was able to book a regular inside stateroom for less than a studio. This cruise was still pricey though, especially as a solo. But, I bit the bullet because; I definitely want to visit Hawaii (never been there before; bucket list item) and I want to cruise on the only large U.S. flag cruise ship. You should come along on this one! Even at this early stage, I've got a hotel booked on Waikiki Beach (Honolulu) both pre & post cruise. I even have a rental car reserved for pre-cruise.

 

Wow, the Norwegian Breakaway in a Haven. Nice! May 8th, 2022, that's the last day of my Allure OTS TA (from Port Everglades, Fla to Barcelona, Spain). I hear ya about doing the initial TA on a Leonardo-class. Hmmm, I'll have to keep that in mind - good idea!

 

Well, things are definitely looking brighter for cruising to resume in 2021 (I just think it will be 2nd half of 2021). Can't wait to commence my "retirement activity of choice", lol.

 

Cheers 🍻!

Edited December 14, 2020 by farmersfight

[All-ready2cruise]

3 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

What cruise line and what ship?).

That April B2B cruise was with NCL on the Jade.  I've been on the twice and really the Jewel class ships. (Gem, Jade, Jewel & Pearl) Perfect size IMO.  

 

I think I looked at the POA in that time-frame too.  May have to revisit it.  I still have so much FCC so it might be feasible. And I so agree with what you're doing as far as extending your stay.  Why not, it's a great place to stay, so they say.  😉

 

Cheers 🥂

[farmersfight]

23 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

That April B2B cruise was with NCL on the Jade.  I've been on the twice and really the Jewel class ships. (Gem, Jade, Jewel & Pearl) Perfect size IMO.  

 

I was looking at a Norwegian Jewel 14 day cruise from Honolulu (stopping at 5 Hawaiian islands/ports) to Papeete, Tahiti (stopping at 4 French Polynesian islands). I agree, I thought that the Jewel would be nice because it has about 1/2 the pax of a larger BA/BA + class ship.

 

Cheers 🥂!

Edited December 15, 2020 by farmersfight

[All-ready2cruise]

@farmersfight right! Doesn't that look like a great cruise. I was looking at the Jewel from Hawai'i to Vancouver last year but haven't seen it as any future cruises.  This from HI to Papeete looks pretty sweet though.  14 days... lot's of sea days and lot's to sea along the way. 

 

Only problem is, the date. April 2021 is way too early for me. 

 

Maybe they'll book a similar for 2022. We can dream 😉

[coastcat]

On 12/13/2020 at 3:19 PM, farmersfight said:

 

Hi @coastcat,

 

First off, I hope your oldest cat is still doing well even though he/she earns you lots of Delta points by having to go to the vet, lol.

 

Thanks for your updated list of cruises you currently have booked. I count 6 total (although it looks like you will be cancelling 2?). I now have 5 solo cruises booked (just added the Allure OTS 14 day transatlantic in April/May 2022), so I'm catching you, lol. I'm pretty sure I'm going to hold tight with these 5.

 

I hope your June 2021 Quantum OTS Alaska cruise goes. I've been of the opinion that cruising will return to some semblance of normalcy (whatever that is) in the 2nd half of 2021. So, June 2021 is right in that ballpark. Remember, you're supposed to report back to me on that Quantum OTS experience, as I have 2 Quantum-class ships (Anthem OTS & Odyssey OTS <- actually, a Quantum Ultra class) booked in those "coveted" studio balcony cabins.

 

I like the way you book with multiple cruise lines (the "big 3" - NCL, RCL & Carnival + Celebrity, taking it up a notch on the luxury). With my 5 booked cruises, I'm the same way (although nothing booked with Celebrity, yet, lol. Got my eye on one of Celebrity's Single Infinite Veranda cabins - some day...). I am currently booked with the "big 3" - NCL (PoA), Carnival (Mardi Gras), & RCL (Anthem OTS, Odyssey OTS and recently, Allure OTS). Maybe I'll do what you did and post a list of my currently booked cruises.

 

You say you have April - Nov 2022 wide open? And, asking where to go? How about the cruise I'm booked on -> 14 day transatlantic on the Allure OTS from Port Everglades, Fla to Barcelona, Spain (with multiple port calls in Spain). I got an excellent deal; found it on the website ####### (can't name it here on CC without being thoroughly flogged). Anyway, even as a solo paying the full supplement, I was able to get a regular balcony cabin for $1,700 (before taxes/fees). It was peculiar but RCL had different pricing depending on what type of balcony cabin you booked; ocean view, Central Park view or Boardwalk view. The Central Park view balcony was $840 less than the ocean view balcony, so I booked that one ($840 is significant change). I have ocean balconies on 3 of the other booked cruises (Mardi Gras, Anthem OTS & Odyssey OTS), so I figured I try out one of RCL's interior balcony cabins for the experience. Only on an Oasis-class ship do you have interior balcony cabins! Should be interesting...

 

Anyway, we have good news on the vaccine front as Pfizer's was being delivered to distribution centers starting today! Of course health care workers/first responders, elderly in LTC facilities, elderly with underlying health conditions, etc will have priority and be vaccinated first but it still bodes very well that the vaccine will be available to the rest of us by mid (or even early) 2021.

 

Take care...

 

Marty (aka @farmersfight)

My oldest kitty is doing pretty well. She was losing a lot of weight and was diagnosed with IBS. Then the steroids she was getting for IBS messed with her kidneys, then her kidney-disease diet + steroids brought on diabetes, which calls for a diet that's basically the opposite of her kidney-disease diet. Thank goodness we've got a great team of veterinarians.

 

Anyway, you're right: six cruises booked for 2021, two will be cancelled, leaving four cruises on the books. The CruiseNext certificate currently holding the April NCL cruise will drop back into my account, ready to be deployed when NCL announces the first Leonardo-class sailings. From what I read here and elsewhere, the first ship could start in the Mediterranean in summer 2022 and then cross the Atlantic for the Caribbean season. Ooooooo, a westbound TA in fall 2022 on a new ship...

[All-ready2cruise]

1 hour ago, coastcat said:

From what I read here and elsewhere, the first ship could start in the Mediterranean in summer 2022 and then cross the Atlantic for the Caribbean season. Ooooooo, a westbound TA in fall 2022 on a new ship...

Exactly what I'm hoping for as well.  Woohoooo another westbound TA!! I'm definitely IN. 

[coastcat]

3 hours ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Exactly what I'm hoping for as well.  Woohoooo another westbound TA!! I'm definitely IN. 

 

Say... anyone else interested in this? It could be a fun group cruise!

 

In theory, this cruise would have all the novelty that goes with a new class of ship without the disadvantage of it being fresh out of the boatyard (and possibly not quite finished).

 

 

[farmersfight]

10 hours ago, coastcat said:

The CruiseNext certificate currently holding the April NCL cruise will drop back into my account, ready to be deployed when NCL announces the first Leonardo-class sailings. From what I read here and elsewhere, the first ship could start in the Mediterranean in summer 2022 and then cross the Atlantic for the Caribbean season. Ooooooo, a westbound TA in fall 2022 on a new ship...

 

That'd be perfect timing for me and for solo cruise #6. I'll have just gotten off the Allure OTS eastbound TA (from Port Everglades, Fla to Barcelona, Spain) on May 8, 2022. Yeah, I could do another TA, this time westbound, on a brand new class (Leonardo) of NCL ship!

 

8 hours ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Exactly what I'm hoping for as well.  Woohoooo another westbound TA!! I'm definitely IN. 

 

Me 3! Wow, do we already have a group formed? Awesome...

 

5 hours ago, coastcat said:

Say... anyone else interested in this? It could be a fun group cruise!

 

In theory, this cruise would have all the novelty that goes with a new class of ship

 

Yep, that'd be me interested. I experienced cruising on a brand new class of ship when I cruised on the then brand new Carnival Dream, (1st of the Dream-class). It was a 12 day Med cruise out of Civitavecchia, Italy. It was the 3rd overall cruise of the Dream. So yeah, I'm all in to do another TA (westbound this time) on another new class of ship, the Leonardo class for NCL. And this time cruising solo (maybe they'll have studio balcony cabins on the Leonardo-class ships, like RCL's Quantum-class ships do...).

 

Cheers 🍻!

 

Marty (aka @farmersfight)

[All-ready2cruise]

So, to further this discussion I have a question:  does anyone follow the this thread about the new Leonardo class ship: 

I've been following this thread for a while. Look at that gorgeous rendering, pretty nice IMO.