SoloAlaska

Try not to think of this next time you fly but your aircraft mechanic may be working over 70 hours a week. Recently found this out, my friend works 7x12 hours scheduled and sometimes more and then has 7 days off. He use to work 6x12 hour shifts with one day off earlier in his career.

Met a couple who cruise full time last week and she works 8 hours a day online. It’s amazing what one can do now. My next cruise I will be working but don’t need a great connection since I will just occasionally backup my files which I can do in port worse case. Long term I am thinking of maybe cruising for 3-4 months a year and I am probably 35 years from retirement. Might as well enjoy life and the flexibility technology gives us.

Didn’t everyone know that Celebrity's motto is now “pay more for less”

Celebrities new solo pricing has turned me away. I’m trying other lines now and have no plans to cruise celebrity again until they value my business.

2 cruises on the same ship a year apart and what a difference in MDR. So much more mashed potatoes which don’t get me wrong I enjoy but it is just about the most uninspired side dish you can have. The whole MDR menu was uninspired and slow to come out of the kitchen. Also why is it impossible to get a side portion of a dish on the menu.

I’m back from my cruise to Alaska and subsequent business trip on Vancouver Island. Caught the ship sniffles on my cruise which was mildly miserable and I didn’t have the energy to go on hikes or dance the night away both of which I love. So I thought I had put on weight and was surprised when after 2 weeks I stepped on the scale to find out I still managed to loose 2.4lb. Came home early from work today after spending hours dealing with my insurance company. Canadian so I only have insurance for prescriptions and a few other things and they won’t cover any of my prescriptions so far. I know I shouldn’t take it personally but it’s a hit to my mental health. However I haven’t binged from the stress which is amazing for me. Slightly off topic During the cruise I got to meet a couple who live on the ship (they sold their house and everything that didn’t fit in the suitcase) and work from their stateroom. It got me thinking about different options for my life. Down the road maybe I could buy a cottage and live there for 3 seasons and then cruise for 4 months a year. I could split my manufacturing work for the 8 months in Canada and my virtual teaching and book writing for the 4 months at sea. One worry was can I cruise for months without gaining weight and it seems like I could so that may not be a concern.

Your lucky the shows I saw there was always a singer off key and dancers out of step.

The productions in my high school where better than what I saw on X. No joke we had an amazing theatre with incredible talent.

I’m not booking on Celebrity for now. I don’t see the value (quality to price). Next cruises are NCL and RCI but looking at trying other lines including Virgin, MSC, and Cunard.

Only 2 of us on this thread have even mentioned waterproof bags. Every outdoor gear shop pretty much sells waterproof backpacks now and in the last few years they have become increasingly popular for bike commuters especially. In my small city I can think of at least 30 stores that sell these types of bags and even some big box stores now carry them. $25 is the price of 2 drinks so really let’s keep that in perspective. If your using it for let’s say 5-7 port days on 1-2 cruises a year for the next 5-10 years that comes to as little as $0.17 a day.

With the issues with the new ones curling I’m happy I got an old one that will last me 10 years.

I’d rather use ferns than single ply lol

Oh and just looked at proper waterproof packs (submergible) and I can get one from a reputable company for $25 and a really nice one for $100. So not expensive if you know what your looking for and how to shop. Also best not to assume that no one on this forum knows what waterproof is. I started in the outdoor industry specializing in whitewater at the age of 16 and then went into textiles where I run my own company now. You may know language but I know packs and textiles

As someone who worked in the outdoor gear industry and plays in it still I will say that generally you are correct but on a few points you are not. Zippers can be waterproof as is proof on a dry suit. Waterproof bags are not necessarily expensive but ones that look like backpacks usually are. This also depends on what you consider expensive. I have two bags I am bringing to Alaska. One I would call water resistant which is pretty useless in my opinion when you can get 100mm (4inches) of rain in a day. The second bag is what I call rainproof, it has a rolled top and waterproof fabric. Even the rainproof bag (which is sold as waterproof) would not be submersion proof but if it dropped in a puddle and was quickly picked up it would be fine. Agreed anything that is sensitive should be bagged even in a ziplock and I will go beyond and actually suggest freezer bags because they hold up better.

I just looked at the schedule for my cruise in 2 days and there’s only 1 “fun dance class” on one of the sea days. No Zumba listed but if I’m not too busy I might take HIIT class which are my favourite.

I travel solo usually so no need to share. The reason I don’t use the larger one is because I max out the weight before I fill the suitcase. When I travel on business I carry up to 220lb of luggage, I’m an expert luggage wrangler lol.

I also love buying my luggage from Marshall’s and buy both pieces at the same time so it’s a perfect match. I’ve been pretty lucky in always finding the two matching I like when I go. My hard shell carry on which I just gave to my mom looks almost like new and has been on over 40 flight segments. no problem with durability.

I’ve so far only cruised Celebrity Millenium which is an older ship but the interior was completely redone. I liked the size or maybe a little bigger but don’t want to cruise on the giant mega ships cruise lines are now coming out with. I would pick by itinerary first but keep an eye on ships that aren’t covered in water slides etc. I’m also 33 and cruising solo and don’t mind an older crowd but am trying to find the happy middle while not being surrounded by children. Not sure if NCL might be too casual for me but I’ll find out in December when I take my first TA. I wanted a decent amount of ports, not a hot climate or time of year, a good amount of sea days and I found a TA on Gem which fit the bill. Norway, Iceland, Scotland, the British Isles are all on my cruise bucket list however.

Thank you for the reminder. OBC is what I want for my birthday or early Christmas gift for my December cruise on NCL.

The weight is always the hardest. That’s why I got rid of my 28” suitcase, it just added extra weight and I couldn’t fill it unless I travelled with a pillow. Considering I can put 37lb of stuff in a carry on lol, turns out the Canadian transportation agency has a max of 35lb oops.

For a southern itinerary that makes sense but if your cruising somewhere colder it takes more to cover and stay warm. I love to hike or workout onboard and need all the clothing and footwear for those activities.

Unless they are leather look “tights”, obviously not meant for activewear but the same cut.

On Celebrity last year we had it before 4. I’ll see this week if I get it by the time I board, the luggage should be transferred to the ship while we are on a tour.

The way it’s written on the NCL website at a quick glance looks like heaven has spa access but only “haven spa” has access included.

Doesn’t Haven include thermal spa access already?