NCL Prima or Joy for Solo Birthday cruise in October

[moody cruiser]

So I haven't cruised in a while and I'm so excited about my upcoming (first) solo cruise celebrating my birthday in early Fall.  Was locked and loaded for the Joy to Bermuda, even got my Vibe Beach Club pass.  While doing my usual exhaustive research in early preparation, I ran across a YouTuber who mentioned how they were looking forward to their upcoming cruise on the Prima.  I paused and thought to myself, maybe this might be a more celebratory experience?  I'm in a balcony on the Joy and it looks like to switch to the Prima would run at least an additional $400 for a comparable balcony cabin.  This will take me off budget, this after I pay for the premium beverage and internet upgrades but I wonder if in the end, would switching be worth going over budget.   

 

Also, how easy/difficult will it be to switch cruises with NCL?   I have not checked-in for the Joy reservation as yet.

 

Thank you in advance for any and all feedback.

[BirdTravels]

27 minutes ago, moody cruiser said:

So I haven't cruised in a while and I'm so excited about my upcoming (first) solo cruise celebrating my birthday in early Fall.  Was locked and loaded for the Joy to Bermuda, even got my Vibe Beach Club pass.  While doing my usual exhaustive research in early preparation, I ran across a YouTuber who mentioned how they were looking forward to their upcoming cruise on the Prima.  I paused and thought to myself, maybe this might be a more celebratory experience?  I'm in a balcony on the Joy and it looks like to switch to the Prima would run at least an additional $400 for a comparable balcony cabin.  This will take me off budget, this after I pay for the premium beverage and internet upgrades but I wonder if in the end, would switching be worth going over budget.   

 

Also, how easy/difficult will it be to switch cruises with NCL?   I have not checked-in for the Joy reservation as yet.

 

Thank you in advance for any and all feedback.

NCL is not good about changing. And normally treat it as a cancel and rebook... in which case you would loose a lot of money. October would be a couple of the very first cruises of the Prima in the United States. 

[Catchum]

If you are not going to be able to enjoy your cruise because you think something else would have been better, then you should cancel and book a trip that you will be happy with.

 

Going over budget is a personal matter. We have an overall vacation budget and will never exceed it others are happy to borrow to fund a trip; one is not better then the other so long as you are comfortable with your decision and can pay your bills.

 

Someone on here posted wise words to the effect the $400 price difference means different things to different people. For some it would mean you couldn't make a payment on your car, for some it would mean they could only buy one pair of shoes next month. Only you know what you would be comfortable with.

 

A balcony with the beverage upgrade would be hard not to enjoy on any ship in my opinion, but we go for inside with basic drinks package and the mindset that if we don't have a good time it is our own fault.

[KiddieKruzer]

If your past final payment on the Joy, it would be a cancellation with the appropriate fees. Probably not a good idea and would put you way over budget in terms of overall cost to switch cruises. 
 

you can always call and ask what the repercussions are to switch.  

[brianz09]

The Joy doesn't have studio cabins (Prima does) so if you were hoping to meet other solo travelers, there may be less of a chance to do so on Joy.  I'm assuming both will have solo gatherings, but you may want to check.

 

[coastcat]

Joy is a gorgeous ship, stick with her! Although there is no Studio area for solos, there will still be a hosted daily solo gathering.

[queenschick9b]

21 hours ago, brianz09 said:

The Joy doesn't have studio cabins (Prima does) so if you were hoping to meet other solo travelers, there may be less of a chance to do so on Joy.  I'm assuming both will have solo gatherings, but you may want to check.

 

I agree with this -- on ships with studio lounges there is an actual solo host that helps arrange meals and shows, etc.  On the Joy it is self-led, so it's not as good for solos if that is something that matters to you.  For me, it depends on why I picked the cruise if that matters to me - like if there isn't a lot of sea days or down time I don't care, but if there is a lot of time on the ship I prefer to go on one with studios (even if I am not staying in the studio itself -- they let you into the lounge for the meet-ups).

[moody cruiser]

On 7/31/2022 at 1:39 AM, BirdTravels said:

NCL is not good about changing. And normally treat it as a cancel and rebook... in which case you would loose a lot of money. October would be a couple of the very first cruises of the Prima in the United States. 

Thanks.  The cancellation fees are huge @ this point.  While I'm excited about the Prima, I'm not excited about any extra fees.

[moody cruiser]

On 7/31/2022 at 10:31 AM, Catchum said:

If you are not going to be able to enjoy your cruise because you think something else would have been better, then you should cancel and book a trip that you will be happy with.

 

Going over budget is a personal matter. We have an overall vacation budget and will never exceed it others are happy to borrow to fund a trip; one is not better then the other so long as you are comfortable with your decision and can pay your bills.

 

Someone on here posted wise words to the effect the $400 price difference means different things to different people. For some it would mean you couldn't make a payment on your car, for some it would mean they could only buy one pair of shoes next month. Only you know what you would be comfortable with.

 

A balcony with the beverage upgrade would be hard not to enjoy on any ship in my opinion, but we go for inside with basic drinks package and the mindset that if we don't have a good time it is our own fault.

Very sage advice.  Thanks.  A balcony w/drink package is definitely a treat.

[moody cruiser]

22 hours ago, KiddieKruzer said:

If your past final payment on the Joy, it would be a cancellation with the appropriate fees. Probably not a good idea and would put you way over budget in terms of overall cost to switch cruises. 
 

you can always call and ask what the repercussions are to switch.  

Actually this was a spur-of-moment decision so I paid in full once I made the reservation.  But I'm sure the same cancellation rules apply.  I do plan to reach out to my cruise consultant just on the off chance I get lucky.  Will keep thread posted.  Thanks.

[moody cruiser]

22 hours ago, brianz09 said:

The Joy doesn't have studio cabins (Prima does) so if you were hoping to meet other solo travelers, there may be less of a chance to do so on Joy.  I'm assuming both will have solo gatherings, but you may want to check.

 

Right.  I did notice that.  If they do schedule gatherings, I definitely plan to engage.  Thanks.

[moody cruiser]

15 hours ago, coastcat said:

Joy is a gorgeous ship, stick with her! Although there is no Studio area for solos, there will still be a hosted daily solo gathering.

You're right!  She sure does seem like an awesome ship.  I'm totally okay with my original plans.  Although the Prima would be really nice, maybe a trip with her is in my future.  I intend to enjoy myself and have a nice relaxing vacation regardless.

[moody cruiser]

36 minutes ago, queenschick9b said:

I agree with this -- on ships with studio lounges there is an actual solo host that helps arrange meals and shows, etc.  On the Joy it is self-led, so it's not as good for solos if that is something that matters to you.  For me, it depends on why I picked the cruise if that matters to me - like if there isn't a lot of sea days or down time I don't care, but if there is a lot of time on the ship I prefer to go on one with studios (even if I am not staying in the studio itself -- they let you into the lounge for the meet-ups).

Thank you.    I understand that NCL is #1 for solo travelers so w/o the studios and lounge on the Joy, I should be okay as the studio experience itself wasn't on my radar.  However, this will be something I intend to pay attention to in future bookings when cruising solo.

[coastcat]

1 hour ago, moody cruiser said:

Thank you.    I understand that NCL is #1 for solo travelers so w/o the studios and lounge on the Joy, I should be okay as the studio experience itself wasn't on my radar.  However, this will be something I intend to pay attention to in future bookings when cruising solo.

FYI, the host situation might depend on the sailing, ship, or general staffing. Joy to the Mexican Riviera was my last cruise before shutdown, and we had a very enthusiastic solo host. She noted that the previous week’s cruise had just a couple solos show up so she was happy that nearly two dozen crowded into Maltings for this one. 
 

Check the NCL forum (or Google) for recent Freestyle Dailies to see what’s listed for the daily gathering. 
 

Stay tuned for Prima reports! There will be CC solos onboard those early sailings (myself included) and we’ll definitely be reporting back on the new Studio design.