Dipping my toe back in?

[Toofarfromthesea]

I've been on 4 ocean cruises a Mississipi river cruise, and a St. Lawrence seaway cruise.  I had a couple booked that I had to cancel due to the pandemic.  But since then I came to the conclusion that my cruising days were over because, as my screen name alludes to, I am well inland and always had to fly.  And due to some mobility issues and the general discomfort and stress of flying I'm just not going to do it.  And if I don't fly I can't cruise, right?  Maybe not and now I'm thinking of dipping my toe back in.

 

The catalyst was a casual conversation where long range Amtrak passenger trains came up.  I got to thinking about it and doing a little research and it may be viable for me to take the train from here in Arizona to one of the Florida port cities and hop on a cruise ship.  Especially if I can handle it in coach rather than a sleeper car,because the price difference is huge.  Think interior cabin vs. Full suite difference.

 

So, to test things out I booked an experimental round trip from Flagstaff, AZ to St. Louis to visit my sister.  Each way I have 2 legs, a short leg (5-6 hrs) and a long leg (25-31 hrs).  I booked a Roomette, the cheapest sleeper, for the 25 hour leg and coach for the other three.  To get a sense the total fare was 650.  If I had booked all coach the total fare would have been 380.  If this goes well and I can handle sleeping on a coach seat things open up.  And coach seats on a train are much more roomy than even first class seats on a plane.  Plus, several years back because of knee surgery I slept in my recliner rather than my bed for a year or so.  So i'm optimistic.

 

So optimistic that I started looking at Caribbean cruises in the Sept-Nov 2024 time range.  I also had a new factor that I'd be cruising solo for the first time because my wife passed away 6 months ago.  I started by reading a bunch in the Solo cruising forum.  Then I started looking at different cruiselines.  Celebrity, with their latest and greatest was intriguing, but the departures from some of the more traditional ships made me think it was not a great fit for me.  So then I moved on to looking at Royal Caribbean, but I just couldn't wrap my head around their pricing model which made you book a cruise before you could find out what drinks, internet, and dining packages cost.  NCL has solo cabins, but they aren't that much less than a 2 person interior.  Plus I've always disliked their "free" stuff that you had to pay outsizd gratuities for.

 

So I ended up back at my old pre-pandemic favorite, MSC in the Yacht Club.  In our other two cruises we got the deluxe suite, because my wife wanted at least visual exposure out on the ocean.  That doesn't matter to me and since it is just me, the size of the cabin doesn't matter.  I did a mock booking and although the single supplement is 100%, it is still within the range I'm comfortable.  

 

So if my train experiment goes well I can look forward to being back on the seas in Oct 2024

 

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

So if my train experiment goes well I can look forward to being back on the seas in Oct 2024

Yay for you! You have thought this through, including your St.Louis trial train trip. I hope it all goes well and put you back NearTheSea! 

[navybankerteacher]

If I were in OP’s situation I might consider a Pacific cruise from Los Angeles - about 1/4 as far from Flagstaff as a Florida port - with good direct Amtrak service - no change of train.  Admittedly a much narrower selection of Itineraries, but so much easier and less expensive.

[CruiserBruce]

1 minute ago, navybankerteacher said:

If I were in OP’s situation I might consider a Pacific cruise from Los Angeles - about 1/4 as far from Flagstaff as a Florida port - with good direct Amtrak service - no change of train.  Admittedly a much narrower selection of Itineraries, but so much easier and less expensive.

Agree. The West Coast options are not insignificant if one does a little research. Even Alaska cruises...again with a little research. 

[Turtles06]

@Toofarfromthesea my condolences about your wife. 
 

It’s very heartening to read about your game plan to see if long distance train travel will work for getting you to a cruise port, and I hope your trial run to STL goes well.  
 

In the unlikely event that you haven’t already discovered this, there’s plenty of information on the internet from real people about long distance travel on Amtrak, the pros and cons about types of cars and seats, advice and tips, etc.  

 

I like the suggestion posed above about cruises out of California. (It’s pretty hard for me to imagine traveling in a coach seat on Amtrak for a multi-day and night trip from Arizona to Florida.  But that’s just me.)

 

In any event, good luck with the trip to St. Louis!  I hope you’ll come back here to this thread and tell us how it went. 

 

 

[Pyrate13]

The train sounds like a good, viable option for you. Yes, the west coast would be closer, but that becomes moot when you factor in the visit to your sister in St Louis.  

[shipgeeks]

I, too, will be interested in hearing from you after the entire trip has been accomplished.  We have both stopped driving, and no longer care to fly anywhere.  Our solution has been a local travel company that runs trips to Baltimore cruises four or five times a year.

I don't know how viable this would be for you, but is there also train service to Washington, DC or Baltimore, from where you are?  RC has cruises year-round from the Port of Baltimore, most 9 to 12 nights, with a nice variety of ports.  Smaller ship, with perhaps fewer of the snags you've encountered trying to find out more.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do!

[sparks1093]

Sounds like a well thought out plan, and one we may need to implement ourselves one day. You will definitely need to let us know how it works out. I believe it is much easier to get up and stretch one's legs on a train and as you say the seats are roomier. Very sorry to hear of your wife's passing, you have my deepest condolences.

[sparks1093]

11 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

If I were in OP’s situation I might consider a Pacific cruise from Los Angeles - about 1/4 as far from Flagstaff as a Florida port - with good direct Amtrak service - no change of train.  Admittedly a much narrower selection of Itineraries, but so much easier and less expensive.

Excellent suggestion. I would very much favor the direct option if I had to make this decision.

[marden1970]

My hubby and I take Amtrak from Reno, NV to San Francisco when we cruise from there, which most of ours are.  He has some mobility problems and flying is just a pain in the butt.  The roomette is nice for one person but way too small for two (won't do that again).  As @sparks1093 mentioned, the coach seats are great.  Sure it takes a little longer to get to the port but way less stressful. I wish you well in your travels.

[slidergirl]

I did Amtrak from Seattle down to Los Angeles a few years ago on the Coast Starlight.  Booked a Roomette.  I LOVED that trip!  Beautiful scenery all the way down, including the penninsula of Vandenberg AFB that you can't get to yourself.  I bought some wine and snacks in Seattle and settled in for the 36 hours.  I loved just sitting in my room, listening to music and watching the scenery go by.  The meals onboard that came with the Roomette were actually quite good.   I would love to do another Amtrak trip again.   

I would look at the Amtrak options from Arizona to the West Coast, also and take a cruise from there.  Depending on the time of year, you could go North to Alaska or South to Mexico or even just cruise the Pacific US.  

[ldubs]

17 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

I've been on 4 ocean cruises a Mississipi river cruise, and a St. Lawrence seaway cruise.  I had a couple booked that I had to cancel due to the pandemic.  But since then I came to the conclusion that my cruising days were over because, as my screen name alludes to, I am well inland and always had to fly.  And due to some mobility issues and the general discomfort and stress of flying I'm just not going to do it.  And if I don't fly I can't cruise, right?  Maybe not and now I'm thinking of dipping my toe back in.

 

The catalyst was a casual conversation where long range Amtrak passenger trains came up.  I got to thinking about it and doing a little research and it may be viable for me to take the train from here in Arizona to one of the Florida port cities and hop on a cruise ship.  Especially if I can handle it in coach rather than a sleeper car,because the price difference is huge.  Think interior cabin vs. Full suite difference.

 

So, to test things out I booked an experimental round trip from Flagstaff, AZ to St. Louis to visit my sister.  Each way I have 2 legs, a short leg (5-6 hrs) and a long leg (25-31 hrs).  I booked a Roomette, the cheapest sleeper, for the 25 hour leg and coach for the other three.  To get a sense the total fare was 650.  If I had booked all coach the total fare would have been 380.  If this goes well and I can handle sleeping on a coach seat things open up.  And coach seats on a train are much more roomy than even first class seats on a plane.  Plus, several years back because of knee surgery I slept in my recliner rather than my bed for a year or so.  So i'm optimistic.

 

So optimistic that I started looking at Caribbean cruises in the Sept-Nov 2024 time range.  I also had a new factor that I'd be cruising solo for the first time because my wife passed away 6 months ago.  I started by reading a bunch in the Solo cruising forum.  Then I started looking at different cruiselines.  Celebrity, with their latest and greatest was intriguing, but the departures from some of the more traditional ships made me think it was not a great fit for me.  So then I moved on to looking at Royal Caribbean, but I just couldn't wrap my head around their pricing model which made you book a cruise before you could find out what drinks, internet, and dining packages cost.  NCL has solo cabins, but they aren't that much less than a 2 person interior.  Plus I've always disliked their "free" stuff that you had to pay outsizd gratuities for.

 

So I ended up back at my old pre-pandemic favorite, MSC in the Yacht Club.  In our other two cruises we got the deluxe suite, because my wife wanted at least visual exposure out on the ocean.  That doesn't matter to me and since it is just me, the size of the cabin doesn't matter.  I did a mock booking and although the single supplement is 100%, it is still within the range I'm comfortable.  

 

So if my train experiment goes well I can look forward to being back on the seas in Oct 2024

 

 

I also think Amtrak is an excellent option.   What I wonder is how is taking a multiple day train trip less onerous than taking a multiple hour flight?   Unless one dislikes flying, it seems the physical needs to accomplish either are similar.  Unless of course someone is tall then legroom in an economy seat would be an issue for sure.  

 

Anyway, not being critical.  Just curious.   

[Toofarfromthesea]

16 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Agree. The West Coast options are not insignificant if one does a little research. Even Alaska cruises...again with a little research. 

 

Appreciate the thought, but not interested in Alaska.  And even more not interested in going to California.

[Toofarfromthesea]

10 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

@Toofarfromthesea my condolences about your wife. 
 

It’s very heartening to read about your game plan to see if long distance train travel will work for getting you to a cruise port, and I hope your trial run to STL goes well.  
 

In the unlikely event that you haven’t already discovered this, there’s plenty of information on the internet from real people about long distance travel on Amtrak, the pros and cons about types of cars and seats, advice and tips, etc.  

 

I like the suggestion posed above about cruises out of California. (It’s pretty hard for me to imagine traveling in a coach seat on Amtrak for a multi-day and night trip from Arizona to Florida.  But that’s just me.)

 

In any event, good luck with the trip to St. Louis!  I hope you’ll come back here to this thread and tell us how it went. 

 

 

 

Yeah, I've already watched a ton of YouTube videos and joined a very active forum focused on Amtrak and train travel in general.

[Essiesmom]

2 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Yeah, I've already watched a ton of YouTube videos and joined a very active forum focused on Amtrak and train travel in general.

Would that be Amtrak Unlimited?  EM

[Toofarfromthesea]

41 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I also think Amtrak is an excellent option.   What I wonder is how is taking a multiple day train trip less onerous than taking a multiple hour flight?   Unless one dislikes flying, it seems the physical needs to accomplish either are similar.  Unless of course someone is tall then legroom in an economy seat would be an issue for sure.  

 

Anyway, not being critical.  Just curious.   

 

None of the hassle of the airport.  No crowds.  No airplane seats - even though I'd fly first class if I flew there is way more room in a train coach seat.  Ability to get up and walk around.  Food.  Spending time in the observation car.  Bathrooms that work for a big guy.  Ultimately, the train is as much about the trip, not just getting from point A to point B.  But we'll see if I still think those things after my St. Louis trial run.

[Toofarfromthesea]

4 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Would that be Amtrak Unlimited?  EM

Yup.  It is amazing how knowledgable some of the folks there are.  The website is

 

https://www.amtraktrains.com/

 

in case anyone would like to have a look.

[Toofarfromthesea]

5 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

I, too, will be interested in hearing from you after the entire trip has been accomplished.  We have both stopped driving, and no longer care to fly anywhere.  Our solution has been a local travel company that runs trips to Baltimore cruises four or five times a year.

I don't know how viable this would be for you, but is there also train service to Washington, DC or Baltimore, from where you are?  RC has cruises year-round from the Port of Baltimore, most 9 to 12 nights, with a nice variety of ports.  Smaller ship, with perhaps fewer of the snags you've encountered trying to find out more.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do!

 

How does that travel company get you to Baltimore?

 

To answer your question, there is train travel to almost anywhere, particularly on the East Coast.  When I am in a fantasizing mood I think about someday taking the train to NYC, hopping on a transatlantic cruise to the UK, tooling around England, Scotland, and maybe Wales on their train system for 2-3 weeks, hopping back on a transatlantic to NYC, and taking Amtrak home to AZ.  It's probably a pipe dream, but hey, a guy's gotta dream.  Of course it could all come crashing down if St. Louis doesn't go well.

[Essiesmom]

Don’t recall how long I’ve been a member.  15, 20 years…. One year we did the Southwest Chief from Chicago to LA, then the Surfliner down to San Diego for a cruise.  Northeast Regional PHL to Wash. DC and Capitol Limited to connect with the Chief.  Great trip, bedroom all the way.  EM

[Essiesmom]

2 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

How does that travel company get you to Baltimore?

 

To answer your question, there is train travel to almost anywhere, particularly on the East Coast.  When I am in a fantasizing mood I think about someday taking the train to NYC, hopping on a transatlantic cruise to the UK, tooling around England, Scotland, and maybe Wales on their train system for 2-3 weeks, hopping back on a transatlantic to NYC, and taking Amtrak home to AZ.  It's probably a pipe dream, but hey, a guy's gotta dream.  Of course it could all come crashing down if St. Louis doesn't go well.

You don’t have to limit yourself to the UK.  You could take Eurostar or a ferry to France, etc. and train all over Europe.  There is a cruiser on the Carnival board, IntrepidfromDC who did a trip through France (he’s a gourmand, lots of food pics) and then a cruise back home.  Last fall he did a cruise and then 10 or so days via train in Italy.  EM

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 minute ago, Essiesmom said:

You don’t have to limit yourself to the UK.  You could take Eurostar or a ferry to France, etc. and train all over Europe.  There is a cruiser on the Carnival board, IntrepidfromDC who did a trip through France (he’s a gourmand, lots of food pics) and then a cruise back home.  Last fall he did a cruise and then 10 or so days via train in Italy.  EM

 

I'm a bit of an Anglophobe.  But if I ever did venture onto the continent it would be to travel to Krakow Poland.  I'm of Polish ancestry and have been to Krakow 3 times, including 5 weeks as a student in the distant past when they were still under Soviet domination (1974).  In fact when my wife and I went there as tourists in 2016 one of the things I was most interested in was how things had changed with the coming of freedom.  And I fell back in love with the city.

 

Now THAT would be a fantasy.  My daughter and son-in-law are tentatively planning to go there over Christmas of 2025, and it would be cool to meet them there, but my family insists that I'm not allowed to go to cold places in winter after my ill-fated third time in Krakow.  Which only lasted a day and a half due to an icy balcony, slip and fall, trip to the Polish ER, and return to the states to repair torn quads.  A darn shame because I had a great trip planned including a night train to Budapest and a Viking Danube cruise visiting the Christmas markets.  Oh well.

[Toofarfromthesea]

48 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

I'm a bit of an Anglophobe. 

 

Oooops, meant to say Anglophile.  Too late to edit original.

[shipgeeks]

2 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

How does that travel company get you to Baltimore?

 

To answer your question, there is train travel to almost anywhere, particularly on the East Coast.  When I am in a fantorasizing mood I think about someday taking the train to NYC, hopping on a transatlantic cruise to the UK, tooling around England, Scotland, and maybe Wales on their train system for 2-3 weeks, hopping back on a transatlantic to NYC, and taking Amtrak home to AZ.  It's probably a pipe dream, but hey, a guy's gotta dream.  Of course it could all come crashing down if St. Louis doesn't go well.

In our case, we are taken to the port on a bus. It's very comfortable, very reliable, but not as interesting or comfortable as being on a train.

I was thinking of suggesting a few days in DC if you ever do a cruise out of Baltimore.  But I like your idea of the train to NYC and a transatlantic cruise even more!  Some friends of ours have done that but starting in the PIttsburgh area, with Cunard in both directions, and some time in Germany.  They loved it.

[Mike981]

Sounds like a plan. I really hope it all works out for you.

[SPacificbound]

On 8/3/2023 at 3:34 PM, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

How does that travel company get you to Baltimore?

 

To answer your question, there is train travel to almost anywhere, particularly on the East Coast.  When I am in a fantasizing mood I think about someday taking the train to NYC, hopping on a transatlantic cruise to the UK, tooling around England, Scotland, and maybe Wales on their train system for 2-3 weeks, hopping back on a transatlantic to NYC, and taking Amtrak home to AZ.  It's probably a pipe dream, but hey, a guy's gotta dream.  Of course it could all come crashing down if St. Louis doesn't go well.

I think it is a wonderful dream and I really hope it works out for you.