Advice for Cruising with Dad?

[Guest BeckyThane]

Hello! I'm hoping you all can help me out.

 

Last year my husband and I took our first cruise, and enjoyed it so much that when my Dad offered to take us on vacation (as a congratulations for my graduation from seminary!), we thought we'd like to introduce him to the pleasures of cruising.

 

But, we've got several problems -- Dad will likely be cruising without a companion.

(1) Any tips on cruise lines with the lowest single supplement?

(2) We're considering a suite to house all three of us, but would at least like a cabin that has a real, honest-to-goodness door (instead of a curtain) to the bedroom. Any suggestions?

(3) Is it more cost effective to get adjacent balcony cabins and have the steward open up the balconies, than to get a suite for 3? (I guess that might depend on how much the cruise line charges for 3rd/4th passengers.)

(4) Other suggestions?

 

Dad's a pretty active guy, but is more likely to enjoy reading a book on his balcony than attending the belly-flop competition. He doesn't rely on others to create a good time for him; he's perfectly capable of doing that himself. He's well-travelled and enjoys the finer things in life, but prefers to dress casual (sometimes ~very~ casual) than dress up. What cruise line(s) do you think might be a good match?

 

Thank you for any help you might offer!

~ Becky

[DEL67]

Becky:

 

My sister now cruises solo and we have found that the single supplement varies even within a cruise line. I suspect it has to do with overall demand for a cruise.

 

We were able to get a pretty good deal for her for an inside guarantee on the HAL Zuiderdam last spring (about 125%) and again on the RCCL Brillance transatlantic for this fall. We also were able to get a good deal for our daughter on the Carnival Elation at the end of last month (again about 125%).

 

Yes, two balconies would be expensive. Have you considered one balcony with a inside close by? That's what we did last spring and my sister spent as much time as we did on our balcony, if not more.

 

If you Dad, does not like to dress up, NCL or Princess might be the best choice since they have open seatings. However, from my experience, they have higher single supplements.

[Guest BeckyThane]

Thank you, Dale!

[mary ee]

Becky, I have also cruised with my Dad (75 yr.) and my family - 3 teens. We have traveled most recently with him on Carnival where we were able to get him a singleabout as resonably as other lines. He's traveled quite a bit as well but enjoys the Carnival and Princess ships best because of the great mix of passengers. HAL is lovely but caters to an older crowd unless it's vacation time. Even then it seemed like the ship closed by 11 each eve! I'm traveleing with him and his 3 friends in November and even he says it'll be me (45) and the ovewer 70 crowd! He also travels without a partner and meets and enjoys the company of many singles on board on all the different lines.

[Guest BeckyThane]

Thanks for the advice, Mary!:cool:

[montgomeryfamily]

Becky, on our August 19, 2006 Caribbean Princess group cruise, the single supplement is currently 150 percent--very reasonable single supplement. So you might consider joining our cruise.

 

Also, there is currently an over 70 person who is booking our cruise as a single and who is looking for a roommate to share the stateroom to avoid the single supplement. If you think your Dad might be interested, then email me at kacruiser@ev1.net and I can give you more information.

[Guest BeckyThane]

Becky, on our August 19, 2006 Caribbean Princess group cruise, the single supplement is currently 150 percent--very reasonable single supplement. So you might consider joining our cruise.

 

Also, there is currently an over 70 person who is booking our cruise as a single and who is looking for a roommate to share the stateroom to avoid the single supplement. If you think your Dad might be interested, then email me at kacruiser@ev1.net and I can give you more information.

 

Thanks, Kathy!

 

We're not yet at the planning stage -- too many variables to decide when we'll be able to go. But I'll definitely keep your offer in mind and contact you when the time comes, if it's not too late!

 

CC just had a good article on their front page about cruising solo. Among the major (affordable!) lines, they said RC currently has some good offers for singles.