CTSandy

I have been traveling solo for ten years and enjoy both land and cruise vacations. On cruises I prefer not to dine at shared tables; tables are so close than you are dining with company anyway. Looking forward to a b2b at the end of February on Celebrity Equinox - first leg of 10 nights will be solo; second leg being joined by two friends. As someone mentioned in one of the above posts, it’s only dinner time that is not quite as comfortable as other meals. I do take a book with me, or an ebook on the phone, to glance at if it feels like the meal is dragging. i sail almost exclusively on Celebrity and cruise frequently, so I feel quite comfortable on their ships and recognize crew from prior sailings. I do spend time in the casino and most people are very friendly there. Most of my cruises are casino comps so I don’t have to pay a single supplement. My running joke when people travel with me, is that there are only three places on a ship to look for me - the casino, the solarium, or Cafe al Bacio.

Depends on ship and itinerary - doing an ABC itinerary in August 2023 with my niece and her husband - port fees and taxes are $139 each and the third person is around $550 including his port fees and taxes for a concierge cabin on Equinox. Btw, the third person was not an add on after booking - I booked for three people initially.

They are all free, but I do spend time in the casino so free is a relative term😆. I tried to book the New England cruise last year as a comp but they were sold out of everything but a few inside cabins. I love that itinerary and have done it several times on Celebrity and Royal. Looking forward to PEI as none of the prior cruises have stopped there. This time we’ll be in Aqua, I enjoy Blu, but we’ll see if the changes have impacted their dining room. One of the cruises is Solstice Mexican Riviera in April - wasn’t planning on that, but my niece got one of the offers they were pretty much mass mailing, and talked me into booking. They offered Aqua but I turned it down because she and her husband will be in a regular veranda and we want to dine together. I did get a very nice concierge cabin on the bump with a large balcony.

I’m booked on 5 BCC cruises this year - the one I’m most looking forward to is an 11 night New England/Canada one out of Boston in Aqua class. I love sailing out of Boston or Cape Liberty - both just a couple of hours away so no air or hotel, just drive to port early on cruise day. As Kwokpot said above, it’s cheaper than staying home!

Thanks for your help!

I am sailing solo on the first leg of a b2b, but my friend is joining me for the second leg. When I completed my check in the standard form says all passengers on the same reservation need to check in together. Does this mean I have to get off the ship at Port Everglades after doing the regular b2b procedure and check in with her when she arrives? Thanks for any assistance - I thought about calling Celebrity but wait times are so long for existing reservations and I couldn’t find anything when I did a search for this issue.

Amazing pictures and loved your report! Thank you so much for sharing such a special journey.

Away in New Orleans for a long weekend and just catching this great review today. Read all the comments this evening - the evening buffet is pretty sad looking; I don’t have dinner there often, but used to do a dinner there once or twice on a cruise especially if I don’t like MDR options. Like the author, I often cruise solo and enjoy it - plenty of people around if you feel like being social, and the freedom to do exactly what you want the rest of the time. Thank you for the wonderful pics and answers to all the questions!

I am Sapphire with Celebrity, too - I think it’s odd that I rarely get emails with offers, but if I call BCC, I can pretty much get a comped concierge or aqua class cabin on any cruise I want. I have 5 cruises booked for 2023, I am most looking forward to a b2b at the end of February on Equinox.

Appreciate the update!

Charla, I was so excited to see your name pop up with cruise comments to follow! Love your reports and look forward to the comparisons. Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

Enjoying your report - I will be on Equinox for a b2b at the end of February. First leg sounds like your itinerary, second leg is ABC Islands. I saw on your review that they are still doing the plated Elite breakfast, read that some ships were going back to the buffet format. Looking forward to your comments about ports. Thanks for taking the time to share!

I am currently Sapphire, although I understand they will be making some changes in the program as of January 1, 2023 so who knows what next year brings.

I have a 10 night and a 9 night b2b coming up on Equinox from BCC. Because of my level in the casino, I get a comped classic beverage package and free internet. I primarily use the beverage package for specialty coffees and water - some days a drink or glass of wine with dinner. The cost of my flight and hotel for the night before the cruise is more expensive than the cruise, so for me the comped concierge cabin is a real bargain!

When we did Halifax a couple of years ago, we rented a car - had plenty of time to visit Peggy’s Cove and take some pictures of rocks and lighthouse, then went to cemetery and visited the Titanic graves. Finished up with a quick tour of the gardens near the cemetery. It was much cheaper than booking excursions and we were able to explore at our leisure. I would like to visit the immigration museum when I go back to Halifax in September.

So glad that I will be having another great live report to enjoy every evening! We will be sailing Solstice for the first time in April 2023 - looking forward to your comments on ports, also our first visit to the ports on the west side of Mexico. Thanks in advance!

Thank you for sharing your trip and pictures! Is Tuscan back to doing buffet breakfast? My last cruise in June, they were offering your choice of several prepared plates instead of buffet.

Just back from Atlantis Bahamas and I find a GenerationX review - so happy to cruise vicariously! Btw your Gatsby dress is stunning! Looking forward to enjoying the rest of your comments.

We did this tour September 2021 and really enjoyed it. Cruise was only at about 30% passengers, so this tour was not full. Although whales were not mentioned for this excursion, we came across several whales during the excursion and spent 20-30 minutes at that spot and got to see them blowing and doing bubble nets - my friend got a great picture of the tail when one went back under. They were doing the various snacks, too - not a communal bowl for the salmon dip, but a prepared plate with a generous portion. Captain Jeff pointed out where he grew up and talked about what teenagers do on islands for fun - think boats, not cars! We were satisfied with this tour and happy to support local residents. When we docked in Ketchikan in August 2022, we did a private tour with Ketchikan Native Excursions - very interesting but more expensive than the Totems cruise. We found both excursions interesting and enjoyable - part of that was due to being able to talk to our guides about what living in Alaska was like.

I sail solo often on Blue Chip offers - verandah cabins - no extra charge for being solo. Most of my friends and relatives are teachers and can only vacation in the summer, so fall/winter sailings are usually solo for me.

I am going to miss your daily posts and pictures. As others have mentioned, I hope you continue with comments about your Hawaiian stay. We loved the two visits we made to the Hawaiian Islands many years ago. Thank you for sharing your adventures!

The lemon tarts are my favorite, too. Hate the meringue topping that they use sometimes - it doesn’t have the taste or texture of a traditional meringue. I just lift it off and enjoy the tart without it.

Great news! Now you can relax and enjoy your next cruise.

We loved Cyprus because of the superb team we had - Amit, our waiter, was professional and friendly, the sommelier, Ally, made us feel like we were special and welcomed every evening. We did dine in Normandie twice but service was slower and seemed somewhat confused.

Loving your report - thank you so much for sharing!