tlc1972

Assuming there will be a meet up, but if not maybe we'll create our own! Very much looking forward to this now that the photos of the completed QA are making the rounds. She's stunning!

Here's what I think may be comparable, but would vary based on personal preferance: Celebrity = Luminae for suite guests Holland America = Club Orange NCL = Haven (menu never changes, but may have a special dish from time to time) MSC = Yacht Club Princess has "The Reserve Collection", but that's just a separate seating area within the MDR on most ships - however, I believe their new ship will have a dedicated restaurant for suite guests.

Will be over 13 years since my last Cunard cruise and very much looking forward to experiencing a new ship. I remember Cunard being very LGBTQIA+ friendly and appears they still are from what I've seen online more recently. While this trip will be with two other (straight) friends, I'll probably need a break and would love to attend a meet/greet. Assuming those still happen on Cunard...? If so, are they hosted by a cruise director or other staff? And if you're on this sailing, please reach out - evening martinis are always more fun with friends!

OP here. Been a moment since I posted and wanted to circle back and thank everyone for their responses. I had no idea this would lead to nearly five pages of comments! But I do apologize for not replying or keeping up - life had other plans that took me offline for a couple of weeks. In any case, we ended up booking direct with Cunard. Not sure why we weren't able to select our cabins originally, but after clearing our cache/cookies the option was there (side note that we had not been selecting the lowest fare, already understanding that those fares usually prohibit cabin selection). Now we just need to tie our bookings together, which I'm realizing a TA might have had an easier time with! 🤪

Seeking advice on whether to book directly with Cunard or use a TA more familiar with the line. I'm looking at a sailing this summer with two friends, so we would need three staterooms (one couple, two sailing solo) and ideally close to one another. I can only select guaranteed staterooms online, so thinking either a TA or Cunard direct might be able to assist. And are there TAs out there that specialize in Cunard? Have only found one TA in my online research that claims to be a specialist, but feels like there should be more. Any and all advice is appreciated. And thank you in advance. PS: Did search forums, so apologies if this topic is buried somewhere I wasn't able to find it here.

Thanks, @mjs99mjs. I haven't pulled the trigger on this yet, but today is my final day of the hold so I need to make some decisions quick!

I just posted a thread about HAL as a solo traveler and have this 2023 itinerary on hold. Undecided if I’m going to pull the trigger, but I’ve definitely got the itch to try out Koningsdam - been on my list for a while. How was it for you?

Placed this quick coastal trip (10/24 - 10/28, Vancouver to San Diego) on hold and debating if HAL is good for solo. Price is right for a verandah, even at double occupancy pricing (especially since this itinerary includes crew appreciation), and I've always wanted to experience this particular ship. Anyone with experience on HAL as a solo gay sailor? I went solo on Princess earlier this year and found that enjoyable, but wondering if HAL will be as welcoming. As of now, I'm not seeing any LGBTQIA+ events on the itinerary, but maybe the schedule isn't fully loaded yet. I could definitely use a break and need to cough up the full amount by tomorrow, but would first love to hear if anyone else has a solo HAL experience to share.

Will chime in as someone who took their first solo cruise earlier this year and with Princess (Discovery). I only ate in the MDR for lunch, which was thoroughly enjoyable despite never having the same table or server. The staff was very accommodating to me being a solo diner and had me looking forward to returning every day. Since I had decent OBC and specialty dining credits, I had dinners at all the specialty spots. I will say that the service in the MDR for lunch was better than the experience at a couple of the specialty restaurants (I'm looking at you Crown Grill), but overall I enjoyed meals across the ship. With the exception of formal night, attire for dinner was usually smart casual - it was rare that I saw anyone in super casual dress for dinners, but there were some. There was a meet-up for solo travelers, but I never attended. Part of going solo, at least for me, was to really get away, so meet-ups or planned events (including excursions) were things I avoided. Instead, I would find a quiet spot in the afternoon at a lounge/bar to read my book/news/socials, then head back to my cabin for a glass (or two) of wine before preparing for dinner. May sound dull and boring for some, but it was exactly what I needed. While I know other cruise lines my do a better job of catering to solo travelers, I selected Princess because the pricing was better overall, especially with the upgraded package. Plus I didn't want to be stuck in a small, interior solo cabin. If I don't have a balcony, then I'm not cruising.

Sorry to read that your experience on Emerald isn't working out, @mamamusings. I was on Discovery twice in the last seven months and both itineraries were five days from Los Angeles to Cabo, so an even shorter sail than yours. We had production shows every night (early and late showings) and it seemed like there was plenty of other activities throughout the day to be found. Maybe because Discovery is a newer and larger ship there is more planned throughout. However, the app was hit or miss. I love the concept and when it works, it works great. When it doesn't work...well, it's frustrating to say the least. I had a handful of app orders completely cancelled and didn't notice until looking at the status. There were a couple times when drinks arrived more than two hours late and one order was left on the floor outside my cabin door (maybe they thought I was in the shower?). In my opinion, what's worse is the absence of servers in common areas who would normally ask if you'd like a cocktail - they all appeared to be racing around in an attempt to deliver orders from the app. PS: Sorry folks here are turning this into your fault. You more than entitled to share your experience. But if you ever give Princess a second shot, try one of the larger, newer ships. I was also mostly NCL in the past, but converting over to Princess based on my own experiences in the past year...then again, I don't get on a ship for the shows or day time events, so my opinion is subjective!

Ah. Well, I hope you get a chance to try it. The food is unique, but really enjoyable. By the way, I've mostly been NCL (Haven) but made the leap to Princess last year. They aren't exactly apples to apples, but I am enjoying Princess a bit more. So much that I sailed with them twice in 2022 and have a third sailing booked this year (all on Discovery).

This is on Discovery, yes? I was able to just walk up to Salty Dog Gastropub without needing a reservation in advance. The Gastropub was never more than a half full, so you should have no problem getting in easily. I think many are turned off by the additional charge, but I thought it was worth it both times I went (on two separate sailings). Just be warned: noise from the main floor of the Piazzi carries directly into the Gastropub as there is very little separation between the Piazzi and the restaurant. If you are able to, I'd recommend requesting one of the booths along the windows - not only are they more comfortable, but it will put you as far from the Piazzi as you can get in the Gastropub.

As someone who embarked NCL at Vancouver pre-pandemic, and as Haven guests, it was just as much of a nightmare for us. Trust me, I wanted to blame NCL for the chaos (and maybe get a little OBC), but there were three other ships embarking that morning/afternoon that ended up pushing our embarkation time back further and further. We didn't end up getting on the ship until about 7:30 pm and after waiting in lines for nearly four hours...and we were lucky, as we heard some guests didn't board until closer to 10:00 pm. I think it's both on port and the cruise line to figure this one out. If a cruise line is selling an itinerary from a small, yet busy port, than they do bear some responsibility, especially if guests lose that first day onboard (as we did). At the same time, the port needs to figure out how to run safely and efficiently.

That was the point I was making to the support person: we need everyone on the same reservation in order to secure a table for 4. Their logic of breaking up the reservations individually would have had us all separate and eating solo. Once that sunk in, she told me she needed to have me speak to someone else in guest services for additional help. 🤦‍♂️ We have a plenty of time to figure it out, but do want to figure it out before getting on board!

Thanks for all this @Steelers36. To add a bit more challenge, we are travelling with another couple who also have the specialty dining credits via the Princess Premiere. So not only was I charged for my partner and myself, I was also charged for the other couple. Again, the support person I spoke with told me to break up the reservations so everyone gets their own credit applied. That logic is so terrible. In any case, I am going to cancel one of the reservations and see about rebooking. But your suggestion to visit onboard Guest Services is smart - I'm more than happy to turn that into OBC for spa treatments.