Honolulu Blue

I think you missed the biggest window for uncrowded cruise ships. Those who were willing and able to sail in the second half of 2021 were rewarded with giveaway prices, acres of space, and crew that were even more attentive than normal. I did two cruises in that time period, and they were quite nice. I'm half waiting for the next pandemic so I can take advantage again. 😁

I actually booked a cruise during Black Friday during one of their deals. It was a charter and they offered a little extra OBC. Charters rarely, if ever, discount their fares, and hardly ever offer deals, so I was happy to get this one. But in the main, about offers during Black Friday, I think Shania Twain said it best.

Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald did something yesterday that I had never seen him do before - post some summary numbers on one of Carnival's charter cruises. In this case it's the NKOTB Cruise. Most interesting was the very low number of passengers under 21 (32; the charter doesn't allow anyone under 16 onboard) and the very low number of their highest tier passengers (just 45 Platinum & Diamond).

True. You can book just to see the sights (or lie on the beach, as appropriate). But since you're all squished on the bus together, why not take the time to get to know your fellow guests, the tour guide, the driver, or even other locals? That is, if you want to. I'm like you - I treasure my alone time, but sometimes I like to go places where there are people around, and sometimes I even go out of my way to meet them. Cruises are good for all of these. As for dinner, unlike some solo travelers, I've never had much problem with it. I've never minded dining by myself, and in fact prefer it when I can set it up. If you're doing the fixed seating thing, most cruise lines I've heard about like to seat solos together. NCL does this with their solo cabin group. One thing you might see is a long table with seats 1-2 feet apart, where you can interact with the couple (and it's very often a couple, I've found) on either side of you or ignore them, and they can do the same with you. I've never talked much at mealtime whether on a cruise or not. I find that most of the time everyone else at my table is more than happy to talk to each other and accept my occasional nods and "mmm hmms" as an acceptable contribution.

To answer the question the OP posed in the thread's title, I've never used noise cancelling headphones on a plane - mainly because I've never had pair of noise cancelling headphones. No need to burn me at the stake; I'll see myself out.

I'm a little surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, but... I've placed deposits on future cruises back when they had future cruise desks. One time I booked two in the same session. I think the deposits were $250 for each; the cruises themselves were much more than that. I'm not sure whether the OP is counting "total financial commitment" or "actual amount spent", but I think this is the right answer for me. I haven't spent as much in the casino, or in the gift shops, or on things like Internet access.

Thanks for sharing. No itineraries yet, but since one leaves from NYC and the other from Long Beach, they both have limited places they can go. The whole concept gives me a headache. Why do this rather than just take over the ships? There must be some reason that's not being said and I'm too dense to figure out. I will say it's a bad sign for Costa for sure.

Hello! As someone who's done nearly two dozen cruises (all solo) over the past 8 years, I guess I can give you some advice. First of all, yes, NCL seems to be the only one that provides dedicated services (and a lounge) for solo/single travelers. But that doesn't mean that the other cruise lines aren't suitable for solos. None of my cruises have been on NCL (yet), and somehow, I survived - maybe even thrived. 🙂 Most cruise lines have singles meet ups for solo travelers. What I've heard about them is that they're poorly defined, poorly attended, and mostly a waste of time, but maybe yours will be different. YMMV. Beyond these meet ups (which will rarely be attended by any cruise staff), other cruise lines may have some rooms dedicated to solo travelers. They tend to fill fast. You mention your introversion. I'm very much an introvert. I know it affects people in different ways. If you'd rather avoid people, that's OK. You can do that easily enough on a cruise ship whenever you want. If you'd really like to meet people, but find it difficult, that's a bit more of a problem. But only a bit. Cruisers and the crew are mostly friendly and willing to talk your ear off about any little thing. It's just a matter of starting. The only other piece of advice I have at this time is that the greatest thing about solo travel is YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHENEVER YOU WANT, WITH NO COMPROMISES OR APOLOGIES NECESSARY. Whatever you enjoy about cruising, you can do until you're sick of it - or it's time to disembark. I wish you much enjoyment on your future solo cruises.

Well, since you asked... here's a detailed explanation of my logic: I've read bunches of posts (too many) about cruisers who have picked up COVID-19 on their cruises. The majority of them seem to be either on B2Bs or on extended cruises. On longer cruises there's more time for the virus to show up On longer cruises there's more time to do more risky things How many of us dine in restaurants night after night on a cruise as compared to on land? How many of us go to shows night after night? How many of us sit by one of the many bars night after night? How many of us go see comedians when they're offered? How many of us go listen to the piano player? How many of us go hang out by the atrium to do activities there? And how often are we wearing respirators while doing these things?? The stories of how cruise lines treat passengers who test positive haven't changed much since the winter - they generally range from "could've been worse" to "OMG!!! This is the WORST!!!!"

"This is the end, beautiful friend..." - The Doors 😪

To put a bow on this, I'd like to mention a couple of things. First, John Heald has been posting some videos and thoughts from this cruise in the usual place. You'll have to scroll down to hit paydirt. And second, Cruise Critic contributor Peter Knego wrote about this last revenue voyage for the Ecstasy at Fun Ship Farewell: Aboard Carnival Ecstasy's Final Cruise (cruisecritic.com) . It has some soundbites from passengers; along with the Captain, Chief Engineer, and the Hotel Manager. Those latter three are all going to be on the E's TRUE last journey, which as I've warned elsewhere, has some graphic details and is not for sensitive audiences.

I'm only familiar with Princess and its sailings from the U.S. They only have one Internet plan that they market to us. Sorry to be so unhelpful. I hope you get a proper answer soon. 🙏

StarVista introduced a new music themed cruise - The Big Easy Cruise. As the name implies, New Orleans is a big deal on this cruise; it actually stays overnight there. That makes it an outlier, as I've rarely seen American ports as overnights on cruises that aren't world cruises. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't recognize any of the performers - even the one that will be performing in Nawlins. Anyway, the cruise is in November '23 and it looks like there are a lot of cabins available - at least for now. If one of you happens to make it on this cruise, be sure to let us know how it goes. Thanks!

Thanks for the topic. It's been very interesting so far. And thanks, also, for the previous responders who have kept things relatively calm. Let's see if I can keep things going. Keep in mind that they only represent MY views of things, and are worth about what you paid for them: A balcony has little added value for me The mainstream lines are more alike than different in handling the basics I like dinner buffets People on B2Bs and longer cruises a long way from home are asking for trouble #covidstillexists I pack relatively light, even for relatively long cruises (over 7 days) Having scintillating conversations with my fellow passengers or crew on my cruise is a relatively low priority Ditto making friends on a cruise Your favorite publicly held cruise line is not going to go bankrupt in the next year That's enough for now.

Thanks for sharing. 🙏

What a small world this is - we're on the same cruise! 😃 I got my bivalent booster about a month ago, so I'm as prepared as I can be. Let's hope the ship isn't too crowded. 🙏

TEC sent me another e-mail yesterday. It seems they've announced another theme - Back to the 80s. Eh, it seems generic, but I'll make something of it. They also announced a new band that will be performing on the cruise - The Knack. Their hit songs are kind of all right, but I doubt I'll see them live.

For all those who reported here: I'm sorry you caught this iteration of the virus and get well soon. 🙏 I am happy the concierge seems to be working well, but distressed that the bivalent booster seems to be less effective than expected against symptomatic disease.

Thanks for sharing. It looks like it will be the old, unimproved Internet for me on my next Celebrity cruises - Millennium in November, Summit in February. ☹️

Yes I did. Thanks to you, and everyone else, for the replies. Keep 'em coming! 🙂

I'll be on the Millennium next month; I'll have to see if I can find the equivalent on that ship. They may not have one, as it seems to make too much sense. 🙃

AFAIK, all cruise lines will give you a FCC (or refund) if you or someone in your party has an active COVID-19 infection at the time of boarding. As for the rules, you should come on my charter cruise in February. They're requiring everyone be vaccinated (no one under 18 allowed) and everyone will have to have negative results from a proctored test taken no more than 3 days prior to boarding. They're not currently mandating masks for anyone, but we can't have everything.

Thank you for your report. I'm sorry this had to happen to you and your husband. I hope you get through this with relatively few scars. #covidstillexists

My mind truly went into the gutter when I saw this. I'll just say that a concierge that is willing to do this has a lot of value, depending... Distraction over. Please carry on.

From the reports I've read here and elsewhere, the vast majority of passengers are thrilled about this news. "I can't wait to see their smiling faces!" seems to be the common sentiment. I'm with the majority.