I'm New To This

[jiminoregon]

6 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

Celebrity didn’t last year when I cruised. It was a table for two against a wall for me. So I made friends and joined another table with a spare seat.

That sounds great.  I imagined singles had to eat in the bowels of the ship, with shanghaied crew members!😉

[John Bull]

8 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

Celebrity didn’t last year when I cruised. It was a table for two against a wall for me. So I made friends and joined another table with a spare seat.

 

 

Poor show by Celebrity 😒

But when I posted I did wonder whether Covid has led to changes - since then we've done 3 cruises with 3 different cruise lines & no shared tables were offered in the MDR.

I though things were back to normal last week when we shared a table (Carnival), but other 6+ tables appeared to be groups of family & friends.

Perhaps sharing tables with strangers (not just for singletons) will be a thing of the past - to us it's all part of the fun of cruising, whether it's traditional seating with the same table-mates or my-time dining with different folk every evening.  😒 

 

JB 🙂

[Mum2Mercury]

Random thoughts on this topic: 

- I'm glad you said you are planning a "practice cruise" to see how you like it.  I was prepared to say you're totally nuts for trying to launch a year-long cruise without ever having experienced it!  

- Realistically, you're not going to book a one-year cruise; rather, you'll book 50+ short cruises.  You'll probably switch rooms and ships frequently.  If I were you, I'd need a big notepad to keep up with my plans.  

- If budget is a concern (and I assume it is since you're concerned about paying "both halves" of the room), consider booking guarantees.  That means the ship chooses your room for you.  

- Do you anticipate sticking to one ship /one cruise line, or do you see yourself jumping around?  Sticking to one cruise line makes financial sense because you'll "move up the ladder" in terms of loyalty rewards, but sticking to one cruise line also means you'll hit the same itineraries over and over.  

- You say you want to see the world -- cruises will give you a glimpse of shoreline places, not necessarily an in-depth visit to any one place.  

- What do you see yourself doing when the ship stops an island?  Most cruises look into shore excursions -- short trips, which vary widely from beach stops to animal encounters to cooking lessons.  They're offered by the ship AND by independent tour guides, and they can be expensive.  

- Someone mentioned repositioning cruises.  That sounds like a very good idea.  

- Yes, medical insurance will be a concern -- since you're over 65, I assume you're on Medicare.  Does Medicare pay on cruises?  You should also look into travel insurance that would fly you home in case of a serious injury /illness -- if you're doing a year-long trip, you should be able to get it through your regular insurance company. 

- Your body can't afford to live like a typical cruise for a year.  All cruises offer gyms and healthy food; you'll have to make conscious choices, or you'll pay for it in short order.   

 

Last thoughts:  Have you heard of Super Mario?  Google him.  

 

I met him last fall on Explorer.  He's a semi-famous guy who is retired, single and lives on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.  He's a nice guy -- 'cept I could do without the stinky cigars.  He jumps from RC ship to RC ship, and he's pretty open about how he manages this lifestyle:  He has someone who meets him at the port /trade his laundry /bring anything he wants purchased.  He's a finance guy, so I'm sure he has figured out the cheapest way to sail every week.  Since he's sailed so much on RC, he's at the top of the loyalty ladder and gets free drinks, laundry, etc.  

Edited July 14, 2023 by Mum2Mercury