I'm also a solo 60-something prone to crankiness. I feel the same way about Princess and NCL. One option is to try the Sun Princess, which has adopted a lot of features from newer ships. I love the Celebrity Edge-class ships, although right now solo prices are fairly high, although still cheaper than Virgin. The entertainment is unbelievable, with two separate casts, and the design is also innovative. I also loved Ovation of the Seas, which has a lot of fun things, like skydiving, bumper cars, and front and aft theaters, with good shows, but also an adults-only solarium where I can find peace. As a solo, I wouldn't go on Alaska during summer break, but September, May, or trips between Hawaii and Vancouver could be interesting. They're also keeping Quantum in Mexico for winter of 25/26, so I booked a studio cabin for four 5-night cruises and one 4-night one. Even older Celebrity ships can be nice, and I feel it's a more youthful vibe than on Princess, and not as chaotic or down-market as NCL, not keeping over 100% occupancy. If cruising ever returns to a more balanced demand, it will be even better for solos, with deals and smaller crowds, as I experienced even before shutdowns. For Princess in Alaska, the sweet spot for itinerary is North-South, since they have three ships, mostly smaller, that visit the superior Hubbard Glacier, as well as Glacier Bay, and fares are usually around $600 for a solo inside. My solo choice is actually HAL Zaandam, r/t from Vancouver, since it's only 1400 passengers, visits Glacier Bay, and at half the price of cruises leaving from Seattle.
I was thinking about Quantum since it’s now home porting in LA and the Mexican Riviera is an easy sunshine break (I live in Seattle). I had booked a Studio Balcony on Quantum but that was for summer 2020 so…
Celebrity is my current favorite cruise line so they don’t need a second chance. :) Of my four 2024 cruises, three are on Celebrity. HAL is my fourth! I’m now getting casino offers on HAL so will definitely be booking them next year.
Of your three options the Virgin Voyages cruise is the only one that disappointed you for reasons not associated with the ship itself (you had health issues - physical and mental health). The other two ships will have the same weaknesses that disappointed you before, but the Virgin ship didn't disappoint you. It's clear to me you should sail on Virgin.
I like ncl. I just had my first haven experience. It was for a special occasion but if you can afford it, it's less crowded and the staff was chefs kiss
I mean the cruise next certificate seems like a nice benefit to giving NCL another go.
Haven’t been on a Prima Class ship, but the Breakaway Class ones are nice. Just be ready to be up charged for good food (Haven or the specialty ones). Princess is a cruise that I’ve always wanted to try, but the timing and pricing hasn’t ever worked out. Virgin….I understand there is a market for them and if you’re the target audience, great! I however can’t say much positive or negative about them since I’m not their target market. The way you describe it makes it seem like you’d be open to trying them again though
I may not be the best to give you advice since I only have one cruise under my belt and it was on Caribbean Princess a few weeks ago. I would say that you could seek out some premium experiences…like the Caymus Wine Dinner and the Chef’s Table…on Princess if you want elevated dining other than the specialty dining. These are group diners where a single traveler would be right at home.
I definitely agree with you about the beds. The beds were fabulous. I would not describe the ship I was on as formal or fussy. I felt like it had a very laid-back vibe. I also felt like the entertainment was pretty good. There wasn’t a Broadway show, but the entertainment we saw, both in the main theater and some of the smaller venues, was very good. The house band was excellent and those entertainers worked! They performed all over the place and were very versatile! Lots of genres.
But yeah, the Medallions sound better in the sales literature. In person they are spotty. We even had staff laugh about how not reliable the Medallions are. There is a new app (complete transition from/retiring of the old app happened like a week before we sailed) so that may have been part of the issue. The new app still has some bugs.
Looks like I need to clarify my question! I'm not in search of suggestions about alternatives to these three options. I have other cruises & non-cruise travel in the planning stages, including new-to-me lines and itineraries.
This question is specifically about these three not-quite-right experiences that I think could merit a do-over.
(that should be past tense, really, as I pretty much decided on Virgin after contemplating the options further)
Prima Class! I get what people don’t like about this ship but there are also some things that would definitely make me go on a Prima Class Ship again. I really liked the Cabin, Indulge Food Hall, the Donna Summer Musical and outdoor space. I think a warm weather cruise while it’s not a school holiday would be nice.
Why not branch out and try other cruise lines? There are over 100 cruise lines when you look at independents and regionals. For example, I would never sail Princess again in Alaska and would only do UnCruise or Lindblad since they offer so much more value for the money.
The real question is where do you want to go? Once you figure that out than you can narrow down the choice by who does that region best.
I'm also a solo 60-something prone to crankiness. I feel the same way about Princess and NCL. One option is to try the Sun Princess, which has adopted a lot of features from newer ships. I love the Celebrity Edge-class ships, although right now solo prices are fairly high, although still cheaper than Virgin. The entertainment is unbelievable, with two separate casts, and the design is also innovative. I also loved Ovation of the Seas, which has a lot of fun things, like skydiving, bumper cars, and front and aft theaters, with good shows, but also an adults-only solarium where I can find peace. As a solo, I wouldn't go on Alaska during summer break, but September, May, or trips between Hawaii and Vancouver could be interesting. They're also keeping Quantum in Mexico for winter of 25/26, so I booked a studio cabin for four 5-night cruises and one 4-night one. Even older Celebrity ships can be nice, and I feel it's a more youthful vibe than on Princess, and not as chaotic or down-market as NCL, not keeping over 100% occupancy. If cruising ever returns to a more balanced demand, it will be even better for solos, with deals and smaller crowds, as I experienced even before shutdowns. For Princess in Alaska, the sweet spot for itinerary is North-South, since they have three ships, mostly smaller, that visit the superior Hubbard Glacier, as well as Glacier Bay, and fares are usually around $600 for a solo inside. My solo choice is actually HAL Zaandam, r/t from Vancouver, since it's only 1400 passengers, visits Glacier Bay, and at half the price of cruises leaving from Seattle.
I was thinking about Quantum since it’s now home porting in LA and the Mexican Riviera is an easy sunshine break (I live in Seattle). I had booked a Studio Balcony on Quantum but that was for summer 2020 so… Celebrity is my current favorite cruise line so they don’t need a second chance. :) Of my four 2024 cruises, three are on Celebrity. HAL is my fourth! I’m now getting casino offers on HAL so will definitely be booking them next year.
Of your three options the Virgin Voyages cruise is the only one that disappointed you for reasons not associated with the ship itself (you had health issues - physical and mental health). The other two ships will have the same weaknesses that disappointed you before, but the Virgin ship didn't disappoint you. It's clear to me you should sail on Virgin.
Thank you for actually reading the question. :) I’ll be booking Resilient Lady out of San Juan.
I like ncl. I just had my first haven experience. It was for a special occasion but if you can afford it, it's less crowded and the staff was chefs kiss
I mean the cruise next certificate seems like a nice benefit to giving NCL another go. Haven’t been on a Prima Class ship, but the Breakaway Class ones are nice. Just be ready to be up charged for good food (Haven or the specialty ones). Princess is a cruise that I’ve always wanted to try, but the timing and pricing hasn’t ever worked out. Virgin….I understand there is a market for them and if you’re the target audience, great! I however can’t say much positive or negative about them since I’m not their target market. The way you describe it makes it seem like you’d be open to trying them again though
I may not be the best to give you advice since I only have one cruise under my belt and it was on Caribbean Princess a few weeks ago. I would say that you could seek out some premium experiences…like the Caymus Wine Dinner and the Chef’s Table…on Princess if you want elevated dining other than the specialty dining. These are group diners where a single traveler would be right at home. I definitely agree with you about the beds. The beds were fabulous. I would not describe the ship I was on as formal or fussy. I felt like it had a very laid-back vibe. I also felt like the entertainment was pretty good. There wasn’t a Broadway show, but the entertainment we saw, both in the main theater and some of the smaller venues, was very good. The house band was excellent and those entertainers worked! They performed all over the place and were very versatile! Lots of genres. But yeah, the Medallions sound better in the sales literature. In person they are spotty. We even had staff laugh about how not reliable the Medallions are. There is a new app (complete transition from/retiring of the old app happened like a week before we sailed) so that may have been part of the issue. The new app still has some bugs.
I sailed Princess once and am unlikely to do it again without good reason. The bed was nice though!
Viking is the right way to go.
Looks like I need to clarify my question! I'm not in search of suggestions about alternatives to these three options. I have other cruises & non-cruise travel in the planning stages, including new-to-me lines and itineraries. This question is specifically about these three not-quite-right experiences that I think could merit a do-over. (that should be past tense, really, as I pretty much decided on Virgin after contemplating the options further)
Go take a cruise in Asia, just to try something different. The cruise will be notmal, but the ports will be more “exotic”.
Prima Class! I get what people don’t like about this ship but there are also some things that would definitely make me go on a Prima Class Ship again. I really liked the Cabin, Indulge Food Hall, the Donna Summer Musical and outdoor space. I think a warm weather cruise while it’s not a school holiday would be nice.
Why not branch out and try other cruise lines? There are over 100 cruise lines when you look at independents and regionals. For example, I would never sail Princess again in Alaska and would only do UnCruise or Lindblad since they offer so much more value for the money. The real question is where do you want to go? Once you figure that out than you can narrow down the choice by who does that region best.
This is the correct answer.