CatsinShow

I actually looked into singles themed cruises which for me is actually cheaper because they will match you up with a roommate. The problem is, none of the dates work =( I would have loved to have done a Halloween one.

Around here, most only get 1 to 1.5 weeks. If you go 12/15, I doubt you will have many kids, other than mine preschool.

 

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Oh damn lol. I thought most get 2-3 weeks off. Nevermind .

Ditto this. There won't be many kids out for winter break that early.

Wouldn't there be? The earliest I could actually be on a cruise would be Friday, Dec 15 which is usually the last day of school for kids before winter break.

The food on NCL is repetitive and not particularly amazing. The staff on the last NCL cruise I took was AWFUL including the customer service people who ironically were the worst! I had complained to them about service and they said in order to remove the now "mandatory" gratuity I would have to wait until after the cruise, call up, and that a rep would take care of it for me so I did that. I called and the rep said that he would email me a form to fill out...I waited and never received such an email so I called. That rep said no such form existed but that she would remove the charge for me. I saw that the charge was never removed so I called up my American Express to file with them. They removed the charge but then NCL added the charge back on to my card. They went as far to send American Express a letter saying I never spoke to the customer service reps on the cruise to voice my concerns (I did) and that I only had record of calling them after the cruise 1x!!! All were lies. I called up after all that and asked if they recorded conversations in which they said that they did. I said I would like a manager to play them and they said the manager isn't there but that I could keep calling. I did that until I gave up. It just put a really bad taste for NCL. I even messaged them on Facebook and received no response, and emailed them on their website in which I just got a "Sorry you had a bad experience" response with no contact information.

I appreciate the response :)

Again, no NCL. Unless I could find something so super cheap, I will pass on it. For the dates that I have in mind, I don't have a lot of flexibility with my work schedule. Because this would be a week before Xmas, even if the cruise ends up being a bit cheaper, the airfare goes up (I would be coming from CA...airfare roundtrip is already between $450-$500).

Yeah I figured Celebrity might be older. I just figured the food, amenities, and entertainment would just be better. I just imagine RC would have more families because of all the kid friendly amenities.

Not sure how you manage to hang out with the crew as they are not allowed to fraternize with passengers. They are usually too busy working/sleeping, unless you mean on shore.

That's what I don't understand either. The ones I got "friendly" with more just casual conversations if I ran into them. Nothing beyond that.

I'm trying to avoid NCL unless they have a great deal (and for the date that would work for me, they don't). I want to take a 1 week cruise to the Western Caribbean but unfortunately I don't have much flexibility with the date. I'm looking at either the Celebrity Equinox or Royal Caribbean Serenade during the 2nd week of December (kids will just be ending school before Xmas Break....). With airfare and transfers Celebrity is $100 more for the whole trip. My understanding is everything with Celebrity is top notch...Even the passengers seem a bit more professional than redneck from what I've heard.

The only thing I'm wondering though is if there's many solo cruisers on Celebrity. I went to the RC board and they said that they usually have someone working for RC coordinate things like meals and happy hours. Is there someone on Celebrity who does that? I'm just trying to find ways to meet other solo travelers other than the roll call on here. I know I could do trivia, activities, request to eat with people etc, but it's just a lot easier for me to have someone actually arrange things. It also wouldn't hurt if there's a decent amount of single men in their 20-40s for me :)

What are either cruises like solo if you have been on them?

I just went on a NCL this past June to Alaska and had no single supplement fee. That being said, I booked it maybe 2.5 weeks before the cruise departed. Like people here said, you can get really good deal on NCL cruises (and not just having to stay in the studios that some of their ships have) last minute even to Alaska. While I loved Alaska, the ship experience itself wasn't great, but for the price, I would do it again.

Norwegian Epic, Getaway, Breakaway, and Escape have studio cabins designed speciafically for solo travelers. They have a studio lounge with a happy hour every day from 5:30-7 or so, a solo coordinator, solo get togethers, etc. These rooms also qualify for one "free" perk, similar to an inside room. Their older ships, which generally sail Alaska, do not have this. May want to give them a try.

 

As for Royal Caribbean, Serenade will likely be similar to your previous NCL experience but they do have some solo gettogethers. Kids WILL be in school, however, so you'll be fine there.

No more NCL for me. Rather try RC.

Norwegian Epic, Getaway, Breakaway, and Escape have studio cabins designed speciafically for solo travelers. They have a studio lounge with a happy hour every day from 5:30-7 or so, a solo coordinator, solo get togethers, etc. These rooms also qualify for one "free" perk, similar to an inside room. Their older ships, which generally sail Alaska, do not have this. May want to give them a try.

 

As for Royal Caribbean, Serenade will likely be similar to your previous NCL experience but they do have some solo gettogethers. Kids WILL be in school, however, so you'll be fine there.

Yeah I know that about NCL but I want to try RC and I liked their itinerary better. The prices were around the same around this date too.

I'm thinking about booking a solo cruise on the Serenade on Dec 15, 2017 out of Fort Lauderdale. I don't really have flexibility on traveling due to my work schedule. Due to the date, I'm assuming there will be lots of kids which I expect and figure I would just make use of the indoor adult's pool for quiet time.

I went on a NCL cruise over the summer in Alaska and there was no cruise coordinator to arrange events for solo cruisers. I met a few people who said that some cruises have this and others don't. Does RC usually have someone who puts together happy hours, dinners, and fun events for solo cruisers?

I've never been on a RC cruise. I've done NCL and the service and food has just gotten worse than I remember, and Carnival just well...it's Carnival.

Thanks

By looking at a map, one would think that Texas is larger than Alaska and that Hawaii is much closer to the the continental US than it is. Well I'm done on this forum since I don't even cruise frequently. Cruisecritic should be named cruise*******-much more fitting to the type of people on here.

Good grief, when I was in school (back when they actually taught useful things!) I learned to read maps and one of the first things you learn is to look at the scale for that particular map, i.e. 1 inch = 100 miles.

You cannot count nautical miles in the same way you would measure distance from driving...

Yes, the response was a little "cheeky", but did it ever occur to you to look at a map before you posted the question to see where those islands are located? I am constantly amazed at how many people who travel have no idea of where countries are located. :D

Yes I did however I don't know really by looking at a map how far islands in a particular region are from each other. I'm not as smart as you.

Thanks guys. Many of the responses were helpful.I played around that site where you list the ports and realize what I want isn't even done as a 10 night cruise.

Sorry - you are out of luck. I went on a site which cannot be mentioned here - there is no such cruise. Was this a serious request - if it was, let me know and I will do some research to find two cruises - either back to back or with a day or so in between - which would get you there.

 

Now, how about a ten day (or less) itinerary which stops in Seattle, Singapore, and Valletta, Malta.

If

Eh that was kind of a rude thing to say. Yes, this was serious as I asked about snorkeling spots on the snorkeling forum and tried to narrow ports down. I'm a West Coaster so I'm never really in the Caribbean or the Bahamas, but know that there are a number of islands in each region. I also thought Bermuda was part of the Caribbean. Unfortunately, I am not as smart as you. Have a great night.

Does anyone know of any good cruise or travel related sales happening today or tomorrow?

Hello ladies,

 

Spent the last two weeks in Bali for our friend's parents Diamond Anniversary. Had an amazing time. We are at the airport going to Hong Kong, Macau and China.

 

Our friend requested I wear my India outfit to the even. Since I wore it for the last five cruise I decided to have a new custom made.

 

Happy Monday [emoji8]

 

Marie

 

 

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Great colors

Awww great photo and I like the anchor dress

I had my upper eyelids done a few years ago but a highly recommended person. I regret doing it. I mean it looks natural but it definitely has started to fade and has the hints of navy blue showing. I still wear eyeliner over it and on my lower lashline so I feel it defeated the point lol. As far as the pain, it didn't hurt however I was extremely uncomfortable for 2 days after it was dine. I could barely see out of my eyes and thought I was going blind. For 1 day 1 of my eyes was extremely dilated as well.

This is how I packed clothing for a 9 night trip with just a carry on (I'm high maintenance too if that matters lol):

- 3 dresses to wear at night

- 1 jacket

- 1 sweatshirt

- a mix of t shirts/flannels

-3 tank tops

-4 pairs of pants

- underwear

- socks

- 4 pairs shoes (heels, sneaker, hiking boots, flip flops)

- 2 sweat pants

-3 bras

- 2 long tank tops for exercising

My nails always match regardless of cruising or not. The only way I break out of this is if I'm polish free on my fingernails. I cannot stand nails that not don't match.

My fit swell a lot anytime I do a lot of walking regardless of cruising or not. :(

O my gosh thats hysterical. Think of all the attention you would get. I'm the kind of peraon who would do that. I dress up at work for Halloween and every day of spirit week. To the point people come looking for me to see what costume I'm wearing that day.

 

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I didn't finish my sentence in the post apparently LOL. I meant on cruises I run when they try to take my photo. If I were to dress so stupid I don't think I would run. I crack myself up LOL.

I too dress up for spirit weeks!!

Toiletries and shoes are the hardest things for me when packing especially since I usually don't check in luggage.

When cruising:

- 3.4 ounce purple shampoo (my blondes will know what I'm talking about lol)

- 3.4 ounce conditioner

- 3.4 ounce shampoo

- tea tree oil soap/shave bar

- razor

- exfoliating powder

- sensitive facial skin bar soap (I'll use a piece that is really broken up when traveling)

- electric toothbrush

-3.4 ounce mouthwash

- toothpaste

- floss

- deodorant

- foundation

- eye liner

- mascara

-2 eyeshadows

-eyelash curler

-1 blush

- chapstick

-3.4 ounce lotion

-3.4 ounce perfume spray

- straightener

-curling iron

-Neosporin

-bandaids

-sunscreen for face

- suncreen for body

-3.4 ounce face lotion

I think I got everything LOL.

I pack everything in the clear zip lock bags. I usually need 4 of them lol...