SoloAlaska

With 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 4 layers, 3 dresses/jumpsuits, 3 shoes, 2 bags I am able to make over 70 outfits. I made a visual chart of all the outfits using pictures of my pieces.

For cruises that book out way in advance I think booking solo balcony from the beginning is a smart choice. If RCL had this option for my 2025 cruise I would have considered it. NCL is definitely positioning itself as the cruise line for solo travel which is why I’m trying it for the first time in a few weeks. If it fits me then I will probably be cruising 2-6 times a year with them for the years to come. I have 50 years of cruising left so that’s a lot of cruises.

Do airline still do “direct” flights? I haven’t seen those since I was a kid.

I would say depends on the airport but considering I’ve been on many flights leaving ohare that were delayed I personally would not have taken that chance in February. how’s your travel insurance? Will it cover you if the flight is delayed and you miss the ship? my upcoming flight has a connection in Iceland which very well might get cancelled at the last second due to the impending volcanic eruption. I am checking with my insurance company to make sure they’ll cover a last minute flight change to another airline since the rules are different for EU airlines. My insurance plan has missed connections coverage. If you don’t have that type of coverage maybe you could look into it for this trip.

I pay about 150$ plus tip USD but I’m there for 3 hours and only get my hair done every 3 months. Keep in mind I get charged more because I have ridiculously thick hair. I alternate between getting balayage with a toner and cut and a perm and cut. But it works out in the end because day to day my hair is very low maintenance.

But the cart has wheels and there should be a steward nearby that can move it if needed. Unfortunately not so with dishes. In my opinion it should be hallway but that they get cleared more often.

The problem with dishes in the hallway is accessibility. Dishes on both sides make it hard or even impossible for wheelchairs, scooters, and strollers to get through the hallway.

The one place I care if they like me better is at the bar 😆 that way I get quicker service and more drinks.

My insulated bottle keeps ice for 3 days. If I really needed ice available in my room all the time I would bring it.

This is so subjective to each person and their personal beliefs when it comes to tipping above and beyond. One person might say $40 and another may say $500. what do you tip housekeeping at hotels?

Absolutely which is why I prefaced if your traveling internationally. If your not brining said bag of meds into a foreign country then it isn’t really an issue. In your scenario if it’s just normal OTC from within the US and departing from the US I wouldn’t worry. Since I don’t have interest in cruising in the Caribbean all my cruises I will fly through international borders to get to and be subject to customs inspections. agree there are two ways you can reduce bulk in carrying OTC medications and we each presented one. Based on individual travel habits people have options of what works for them. One thing I will note is carry your prescriptions in properly labelled packaging no matter where you are. I asked my pharmacists to make me a smaller bottle just for travel amounts so I don’t have an oversized bottle to pack. I’ve been carrying a schedule 2 prescription for most of my life and if I don’t have it in the proper bottle I could very well be accused of a crime and be arrested. I wouldn’t be convicted of a in the end but it sure would put a damper on my vacation if I was put in handcuffs.

It could be an issue with a specific condition where one province won’t cover it for another. I’ve actually temporarily lived in other provinces and never had issues and never had a bill. I’ve used a GP to ER without any issues in other provinces. My father ended up with shingles in another province and same thing, no issue at all. Now if your friends are from Quebec that could explain why they may be having issues.

We aren’t covered outside of Canada but basically the provinces have to fight it out to get the money from each other if you need care outside your province. The problem is when people in one province want to get care in another by choice. This happens in place like my home town which borders two provinces. One has decent care the other has longer wait times etc so people from one try to take advantage of their other, think of it as you should be using in network or pay out of pocket (the network is our province). Agree you don’t nearly as much when traveling outside the US. It also depends on your risk for health concerns and also risk due to activity. 10M is overkill but 100k wouldn’t be enough for a search and rescue extraction, medical care, and a medical flight home but that’s because I do things like multi day hiking in remote areas. I like having 500k in coverage personally but that’s from figuring out what I would need for my risk profile if something catastrophic happens.

I’m younger and I’m in Canada. Just think if anyone has a major medical issue in the US and are there for over a month needing highly specialized care before they can be safe to transfer back to Canada by private medical flight… what would the cost be? Because the US has some of the highest healthcare costs in the world anyone who travels there really needs more coverage than traveling pretty much anywhere else.

Why some people may be told NO and others may just have a waiter “turn away” while they take it back could also be in part attitude. If your kind and respectful and a happy person who doesn’t cause trouble your much more likely to get those privileged exceptions. The person who never makes a mess and is kind to the waiter is more likely to not make a mess in their room and be kind to their steward.

If I’m going in for my hair on a ship I do agree I expect a sales pitch. It’s the pushing to tip twice that I disagree with. Honestly I do add a cash tip on top of the automatic gratuity but it will never be 20%. This is only if I’m feeling relaxed and happy. If your being pushy and insisting on a double tip then I leave it at the automatic gratuity.

Please do not see my post as saying you have no place it is so far from what I intend. All I am trying to say is prefacing your experience can be helpful when you have such a varied personal experience. Eg. “when cruising with line1 and line2 there were no ports but we had a great time on our x# of sea days, met lots of solos who also enjoyed themselves doing XYZ”. I hope to be able to reach your level of cruising experience someday myself.

If your traveling internationally I would advise against counting out meds in a ziplock. Most countries require meds to be in original packaging when crossing borders especially. Since bulky bottles take up so much room I try to find versions I can buy in boxes with blister pack packaging. I’ll bring however many sheets of a given OTC medication I need and leave the boxes at home. For me this always includes 1-2 sheets of muscle relaxers (in Canada they are OTC), 1 sheet of Sudafed, 1 sheet of Benadryl, 2 sheets of allergy meds, 1-2 sheets of seasickness meds, a travel bottle of Tylenol and a travel bottle of Advil, and some individually wrapped chewable tums. If I need more Tylenol or Advil they are easy to find pretty much anywhere in the world so I don’t need to pack more than a day or two supply but the muscle relaxant isn’t so easy so I pack a weeks worth. Condense the space without violating any international laws. If for some reason you get stopped by the police the last thing you want is a bag full of pills to come out of your purse, that’s a scenario I will happily try to avoid.

If it’s an insured service by health insurance then it is not a tipped position. Most massage therapists on land are insured services hence no tip. At least in Canada most massage therapists are registered and services are covered by health insurance. Most spas have RMTs.

My stylist always asks me if I need any product that time but never pushes. Salons aren’t all pushy some are actually about enjoyment of the client. I rather go to a salon that asks me if I want a cappuccino or a glass of wine than one that tries to pressure sell me stuff. Yes sometimes I need some curl refresher and will pick it up at the salon but there is never a sales pitch for me to do it.

OP was referencing NCL ships. NCL calls these transatlantic cruises (not repositioning) and 90% of the time they have lots of ports. The main exception is two upcoming mid season voyages which are to dry dock and back. we all have different bases of knowledge. Mass market lines are the majority instead of the minority. OP was asking about voyages on a mass market line. Your value of knowledge can still be very helpful but not necessarily on the amount of port stops, what the cruise line calls these cruises, how large ships access a port etc.

This is why I always get an annual all inclusive plan. I don’t bother with the cancel for any reason insurance though. My plan includes up to 10M in medical coverage. Now the cancellation isn’t great coverage but that’s something I’m willing to risk. I can afford the cost of the trip but I can’t afford the cost of hospitalization and private medical flights etc especially at the price charged in the US.

Also solo cabins can be more expensive on some cruises. There are itineraries that have zero solo supplements and when that happens it’s cheaper to skip the solo designation. My upcoming TAs roll call we’ve decided even if there are no nightly pre dinner solo meetups we will have our own and go to dinner together. This cruise has a ton of solos because it has no supplement.

Does your dental hygienist also expect a tip?

The ship has glassware, no need to bring some from home. With that said I do bring a water bottle so that I can carry my water around easily on ship or in port.