No solo cruises out of Galveston

[ladytimedramon]

I wish there were more cruise lines out of Galveston, or at least the ones there would have solo cabins. Right now the only lines cruising there are Royal Caribbean and Carnival. While Royal has some ships with solo cabins, none of them are in Galveston.

 

Galveston is a 6 hour drive for me, and I'd rather hop a cruise out of there than have to fly to another city (I'm dealing with inner ear problems). New Orleans would be another option, but again, no solo cruises out of there.

[mef_57]

1 hour ago, ladytimedramon said:

I wish there were more cruise lines out of Galveston, or at least the ones there would have solo cabins. Right now the only lines cruising there are Royal Caribbean and Carnival. While Royal has some ships with solo cabins, none of them are in Galveston.

 

Galveston is a 6 hour drive for me, and I'd rather hop a cruise out of there than have to fly to another city (I'm dealing with inner ear problems). New Orleans would be another option, but again, no solo cruises out of there.

Solo cabins aren't always the cheapest option. They sell out quickly or processed more than an inside even with Single supplement. I buy last minute and never used a solo cabin or studio.

[coastcat]

4 hours ago, ladytimedramon said:

Galveston is a 6 hour drive for me, and I'd rather hop a cruise out of there than have to fly to another city (I'm dealing with inner ear problems). New Orleans would be another option, but again, no solo cruises out of there.

 

NCL Getaway is based in New Orleans through April 2020 sailing a Western Caribbean route, with its sister ship Breakaway taking over November 2020 - April 2021. Both feature Studio cabins and the Studio Lounge for solos.

[oakridger]

Welcome to Cruise Critic ladytimedramon!  I agree with mef_67.  Please don't think that Solo cabins are required to cruise solo!! A lot of times other cabins that are having a good sale are better priced (and larger!) even with a single supplement.  Please have a look at those options leaving from Galveston and New Orleans.  

 

Good luck and enjoy your future solo cruising,

~Nancy

[ladytimedramon]

Since I'm a teacher, I'm pretty much doing June/July cruises (we report back the first week of August) though I might try one over winter break. I did cruise last year paying full price (well, it was 50% off the second passenger) on Royal. I would like a little more variety though. 

 

I'm honestly trying to get back into the vacation thing, period. I was my parents caretaker and that cruise was my first vacation in 37 years.

[mef_57]

11 minutes ago, ladytimedramon said:

Since I'm a teacher, I'm pretty much doing June/July cruises (we report back the first week of August) though I might try one over winter break. I did cruise last year paying full price (well, it was 50% off the second passenger) on Royal. I would like a little more variety though. 

 

I'm honestly trying to get back into the vacation thing, period. I was my parents caretaker and that cruise was my first vacation in 37 years.

Oh my gosh.  You certainly deserve more vacations.  I can see how only being able to sail during peak period is limiting.  Good luck.

[ladytimedramon]

Last year I combined going to a teacher convention in Galveston with going on a cruise, but that was in June. This year I'm hoping to split the convention and cruise, and do the cruise in July. I'm looking at maybe trying the Virgin ship out of Miami... but I've been having a lot of ear problems over the last year and that might make flying out of the question.

 

I might also like a New Years cruise, depending on when school reports back.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Galveston strikes me as a solo-unfriendly port, regardless of the ships sailing out of it.  Ground transportation between Houston airports (Intercontinental and Hobby) and Galveston hotels is very expensive, due to the long distance and lack of public transit I know of.  Which leaves solos in need of renting a car or calling Uber by themselves, and paying a high price that would otherwise be shared among two or more people. Since you'll be driving to the ship, this wouldn't apply to you (the OP), but just saying.

 

That said, you don't need a designated solo cabin, like NCL's Studio, to sail solo.  I cruised in regular porthole cabins on Carnival, and just paid double.  Expensive?  Yeah, but about the same as a Studio cabin on NCL.  What you want to focus on is the onboard atmosphere.  Namely, how friendly and welcoming are other passengers, and to a lesser extent the crew, toward solos?

Edited February 7, 2020 by LandlockedCruiser01

[ladytimedramon]

I'm in Dallas, so the drive to Galveston is about 4 to 5 hours, and no car rental just cruise parking which isn't too bad. That's why I "stacked" my trip with the teacher convention (20 hours professional development credit) and cruise back to back. But last year I hated coming back relaxed from the cruise then having to do a whole bunch of stuff at home, dogsit for my sister, etc. I wasn't relaxed any more.

[oakridger]

12 hours ago, ladytimedramon said:

... But last year I hated coming back relaxed from the cruise then having to do a whole bunch of stuff at home, dogsit for my sister, etc. I wasn't relaxed any more.

Unfortunately that's the post cruise reality of returning to chores and work!  We all get the let down, solo or otherwise!  The best cure is to book another cruise!!  Try it, you'll like it!!  😀

 

~Nancy

[ladytimedramon]

Actually I came back to dog sitting a neurotic beagle while my sister went on vacation, then I had to have eye surgery. If there is one thing I really don't want to do is come back and dog sit x-x.

 

Like I said, I'm a teacher so I'm restricted to teacher off times. Which stinks because of the prices of some of the cruises when I can go.

[airlink diva]

I'm sailing out of Galveston solo next October on Carnival Radiance.  While no solo cabins, the partial Panama canal sailing on Carnival was cheaper than other cruiselines including those with solo cabins.

I haven't used Carnival bus transport since my family reunion cruise and for me the pricing is reasonable compared to other options.  Flying into Houston day before sailing and take the bus down.

I have mixed feelings with solo cabins.  Not on all sailings, but a lot times I find the pricing on some sailings where a regular inside and sometime outside cabins are equal and or cheaper than solo cabins

As a teacher, it is limited and often your timeframe is higher pricing.  Doing a family reunion and wedding cruise with family in August and the solo pricing was more than I wanted to pay so sharing my cabin with my nephew for cheaper rate.

 

[PelicanBill]

I see a lot of low or zero single supplements on Royal Caribbean from Houston late this yearly and early next year.