Best luxury or premium line for solo woman traveler about 60 y.o??

[marilano]

I'm considering (very last-minute) a northern Europe cruise this summer and would like to take a luxury or premium line and have a cabin with a balcony or verandah. In particular, I've gotten info. for August cruises on both Oceania and Crystal, with very similar prices for similar cabins. I've done a lot of research, including on the forums here, and a lot of people seem to think that Oceania isn't very solo-friendly and that Crystal is much more so. Those aren't the only two lines I would have considered initially, but at this late date, since I can only travel during the summer, my cruise options seem limited. I'll save a Mediterranean cruise for a year in which I can travel in the spring or fall. Lots of premium or luxury cruises to cooler regions (northern Europe, British Isles, Canada, etc.) are either sold out or only have a few cabins left in bad locations (e.g., across from the laundry or elevators). Since I'm a light sleeper and value quiet, I really want a nice cabin, especially if I'm spending a lot of money. Any opinions about solo-friendliness of both Oceania and Crystal--or other similar lines--would be most appreciated. Thanks.

[canuckcruzingirl]

I'm just a "smidge" younger than you, with all of my solo cruises on mainstream lines. However, I was on Seabourn over Christmas/New Years (not solo), and would not hesitate to go solo on them in the future - it was AMAZING!!!

 

We met a number of middle-aged solo ladies, and enjoyed both dinner and drinks with them - they were having a wonderful time. One of things they really enjoyed was the "hosted" tables - various staff members, including officers and entertainers, would invite both couples and solos to join them for dinner. This in particular I think is a great advantage for Seabourn and a solo passenger.

 

I was on Quest - but I think the other Seabourn ships do that as well?

 

The other thing a solo woman would appreciate is that the room attendants are all female - I have experienced (when travelling solo) some rather creepy room attendants (male) who made me feel a bit uncomfortable - this will not happen on Seabourn.

 

I haven't been on the other luxury lines yet, but all I can say is WOW regarding the stateroom (bathroom with tub was nicer/larger than mine at home), food & entertainment fabulous, and staff were all kind, friendly, and helpful.

 

Whatever you choose, enjoy it - just thought I would share my thoughts on this as I will definitely cruise Seabourn as a solo in the future.

[Dancer Bob]

Haven't been on Oceania. But if you can afford Crystal's prices, I found the Serenity to be very quiet, and reasonably singles-friendly. Not sure if a summer cruise is going to be the same- might be rather couples-oriented.

Note that my Crystal cabin was not as large as I'd been led to believe. The double sink and tub came at the expense of storage space.

[Lois R]

I hope you have a wonderful cruise (whichever cruiseline you pick):)

 

As a sidenote...I have been cruising solo for 12 years now and I

have never had any issues with male cabin attendants.

 

Hopefully one day I will be able to try one of the luxury lines...they

are all out of my pricepoint.

 

Have a great cruise:D

[calliopecruiser]

I'm considering (very last-minute) a northern Europe cruise this summer and would like to take a luxury or premium line and have a cabin with a balcony or verandah. In particular, I've gotten info. for August cruises on both Oceania and Crystal, with very similar prices for similar cabins. I've done a lot of research, including on the forums here, and a lot of people seem to think that Oceania isn't very solo-friendly and that Crystal is much more so. Those aren't the only two lines I would have considered initially, but at this late date, since I can only travel during the summer, my cruise options seem limited. I'll save a Mediterranean cruise for a year in which I can travel in the spring or fall. Lots of premium or luxury cruises to cooler regions (northern Europe, British Isles, Canada, etc.) are either sold out or only have a few cabins left in bad locations (e.g., across from the laundry or elevators). Since I'm a light sleeper and value quiet, I really want a nice cabin, especially if I'm spending a lot of money. Any opinions about solo-friendliness of both Oceania and Crystal--or other similar lines--would be most appreciated. Thanks.

 

I've sailed solo on Crystal twice, and I would say that they very solo friendly - by that I mean that they treat solo passengers just like everyone else, which I love. Crystal has a fair number of solo passengers, in part because of their service and in part because of their lower solo supplement (just 30% on window cabins). On my last cruise (San Diego to Auckland) about 10% of the cabins had solo passengers I think. One of the other great things about it that I valued is that the ship has a very calm atmosphere - very, very few announcements (1 a day other than safety announcements), no sales pitches, no attempts to up-sell anyone. The food was wonderful (I know it's subjective) and the service was great. While the cabins are smaller than on most other premium and luxury lines, I find they're more than fine for a solo passenger.

[marilano]

Thanks to all for the replies I've gotten so far. I was wondering about the comments about the small size of the cabins on Crystal, although I'd noticed that the listed dimensions for Verandah Cabins do include the balcony (which a lot of lines seem to include). The only other cruise I've taken (not solo) was with Celebrity, in a balcony/veranda cabin, and it was adequately roomy. I think the Oceania Marina cabins are a bit bigger, but I'm still concerned about comments I've seen about Oceania not having many solo travelers and/or not being solo-friendly. Any other comments about that issue would be especially appreciated. marilano

[calliopecruiser]

Thanks to all for the replies I've gotten so far. I was wondering about the comments about the small size of the cabins on Crystal, although I'd noticed that the listed dimensions for Verandah Cabins do include the balcony (which a lot of lines seem to include). The only other cruise I've taken (not solo) was with Celebrity, in a balcony/veranda cabin, and it was adequately roomy. I think the Oceania Marina cabins are a bit bigger, but I'm still concerned about comments I've seen about Oceania not having many solo travelers and/or not being solo-friendly. Any other comments about that issue would be especially appreciated. marilano

 

The Crystal cabins are small when compared to other luxury lines, but they're the same, if not bigger, than those on Celebrity (the window and verandah cabins on Crystal are identical - each about 200 sq feet - except obviously one adds a verandah.

[perditax]

I'm considering (very last-minute) a northern Europe cruise this summer and would like to take a luxury or premium line and have a cabin with a balcony or verandah. In particular, I've gotten info. for August cruises on both Oceania and Crystal, with very similar prices for similar cabins. I've done a lot of research, including on the forums here, and a lot of people seem to think that Oceania isn't very solo-friendly and that Crystal is much more so. Those aren't the only two lines I would have considered initially, but at this late date, since I can only travel during the summer, my cruise options seem limited. I'll save a Mediterranean cruise for a year in which I can travel in the spring or fall. Lots of premium or luxury cruises to cooler regions (northern Europe, British Isles, Canada, etc.) are either sold out or only have a few cabins left in bad locations (e.g., across from the laundry or elevators). Since I'm a light sleeper and value quiet, I really want a nice cabin, especially if I'm spending a lot of money. Any opinions about solo-friendliness of both Oceania and Crystal--or other similar lines--would be most appreciated. Thanks.

 

I realize this isn't the kind of solution you are asking for, but I'm also a light sleeper and concerned about noise on my upcoming first cruise. I'll be bringing this along with me:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ecotones-Sound-Sleep-Machine-ASM1002/dp/B002SMJQT4/

 

It gets quite a bit louder than the cheaper ones you see in places like Walgreens.

 

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