How do you find out what is the cheapest flight? Do you use an app like Skyscanner or something?? I've often thought this would be a fun trip...I'd probably stay a couple of days or more in each place, but I find my attention span is less than it used to be (thanks internet) that's I why I like cruising or touring...keep moving😊
I've traveled solo for many years and had so many amazing experiences and met great people all over the world. Would love to find someone to travel with, but like you I'd rather go on my own, than not at all. Why should I stay home, when there's so many amazing places in the world 😀
Nice vlog from your solo cruise! I have now booked my first mediterranean cruise on Costa Toscana 🎉😂 next march when is my 50th birthday🎈🎂 have you cruised any Costa cruises? I'm so excited, I probably make a videos from that cruise. I think youtube is now making automatic subtitles, and I think you can use automatic translator to make it english. 😊 Couple my first videos I did english texts manually😅what a job! I love to watch your videos, you make me feel like I'm with you and you inspired me to actually book a cruise myself.
Success is not built on success. It's built on failure, It's built on frustration. it's built on fear that you have to overcome. I pray that anyone who reads this will be successful in Life
Same here, I'm blessed only. God knows how much I praise her, £32,000 every week! I now have a good house and can now afford anything and also support my family, and never will I forget to pay my tithes because God has been so faithful to me and my family
The solo room that I booked on Norwegian turn out to cost the exact same as it would for 2 people. It’s expensive to cruise alone and that’s not FAIR! These cruise lines need to fix this problem
Congratulations 🎉 🎉🎉 It’s good to see someone explain how they got to this level of 100 videos 💕💕💕 I like the when you talk about places that you been too and then I say I’ve been to this place (Amsterdam)
@@TravelWithBen121 I did like it it was funny when you were talking about the red light district, and when I went, we were in a tour bus and for some reason it stopped like in one of them, and one of the streets of the red light district and the young lady that was sitting next to me close to the window she’s tapping on the window to this lady who’s sitting in the window and she’s asking her how much and I’m looking at her like what? What the hell are you doing? She told us how much she was worth each man and I and we were like jokingly we said to our family can we go here jokingly 🤣🤣🤣🤣 and then I don’t know I asked my friend how does she do taxes?🤣🤣🤣
I remember when we went to see Anne Frank’s home and to see that was OK yes it is a home, but it was amazing. How back then you know they had to be quiet. They had to hide you know and see the struggle. You know that someone else had another type of struggle like we had to strugglein America back in the day to me that was like wow
@@karinmiranda2892 HAHA I want to know how she does taxes too 😂 how was did she cost? 👀 Amsterdam is an interesting place, you definitely need to know what you’re getting yourself into before you go!
Got back from the Disney Magic not long ago and I think that size ship is perfect. I can easily see larger ships being just overwhelming. Was nice being able to get anywhere within just a minute or two.
Your screen presence is excellent, it makes viewers feel that they are being spoken to as a friend. My only tiny criticism is that very often you pan the camera a little too quickly for my taste. If you pan the camera more slowly it gives the viewer more time to take in what we are seeing. This was a particular problem in the Guinness gift shop where it was impossible to see the range of items available. If you just wanted to show that there was a huge range of stuff then that could have been easily shown with one or two wide shots, but the fast medium close up pans were, in my opinion, too fast. That small comment will certainly not stop me from continuing to enjoy your excellent videos. You deserve to have many more subscribers so that you get at least some reward for all the good work that you put into producing them.
@@davidwelch6796 cheers, David! Thank you for the support and the advice 😁 I’m working on it and always trying to improve! People enjoying my videos is a great reward!
Great video, very fair ie I agree with you. The bigger ships are great if you want ugly tubes blocking the view from your cabin, the feeling you’re in a shopping mall rather than at sea and top decks that look like gaudy birthday cakes. I’m not a fan. For one thing, many of the new NCL ships aren’t being built with libraries and games rooms. And as you say, the smaller ports are out, places like Hawaii and other parts of Polynesia won’t let the mega ships anywhere near, so you can’t even go anywhere by tender. We went to French Polynesia and Hawaii on the Norwegian Spirit last year and it was one of the best experiences of our life. I don’t agree that areas such as the front of the Dawn are wasted space, I’d say they’re quiet spots to be treasured - you won’t find them on the theme park ships! I do think the kiddies’ play park could usefully be turned into a Great Outdoors area ie the Garden Cafe outdoor extension, they’re my favourite spot on any NCL ship that has them. We also find the smaller ships friendlier in that you bump into people again and again. And of course, the older, smaller ships are usually cheaper. Bad news on the eating front, it’s just been announced that the Chinese restaurants such as Bamboo/Jasmine are going paid-for. NCL do talk rubbish about the casinos, they could as easily make it non-smoking, but they know that smokers won’t go in if they can’t puff on their fags, while the non-smokers will go in because they’re dying for a game. Addicts everywhere!
@@Krypto64 there’s definitely more options for smaller ships, Martin! Big ships seem to be stuck in the Caribbean. I don’t think the ‘dead space’ is a bad thing, it’s great to have a quiet area that won’t be crowded but the fact there’s nothing there means people will not many another option which makes other areas more crowded. People rule out older or smaller ships but like you say, there’s some great deals to be had!
100% agree...give the Carribean a rest...been there done that. Problem for those of us that live in Canada (or the US I guess) is we have to GET to Europe before we can cruise there...however we do do it. I envy people who live in England because its so easy to get to ANYWHERE in Europe from there...and having been born in England, and being a huge history and architecture buff...well, Europe is the place to be right? I've been going to London every Christmas for the last few years because there is NOTHING here to touch how England and Europe do Christmas...simple as that. Plus I really can't get good fish and chips here....born in a fishing port in Lincolnshire so I know good fish n chips🤣🤣🤣
@@ychaps oh you’re totally right Yvonne, it’s difficult for Americans and Canadians to get to Europe to cruise but I know people that have cruises to Nassau 20 times 😂 they don’t even get off the ship anymore! Wow, we were born born in England 😁
Well done!! We have been at Sea for 370+ days and we typically choose 3000 or less capacity ships. Retired Time To Cruise we started a channel to post our travels. We are off soon on a 71 day DIY World Cruise. 3 different ship and 3 different lines. One big NCL Encore 4000 then MSC Magnifica 2500 and last one back from Italy Island Princess 2200. So we will have a good variety of size and amenities.
@@retiredtimetocruise wow, you’ve spent over 1 year at sea! That’s very impressive 😁 I’ve never thought of creating a DIY World Cruise! That’s an amazing idea and I’d love to do something similar! Definitely post your travels! Good luck!
I'm watching all your videos out of order but it doesn't matter. I was giggling over the comment that they don't know what language they're talking in Belgium...so damn funny. For sure set up a group cruise... I'm in Canada but I'd try to make it... I think it would be totally unpredictable but fun...would certainly see things wouldn't see on regular excursions...the blind leading the blind🤣🤣🤣🥰🇨🇦
@@ychaps HAHA I’m glad you’re enjoying my videos, Yvonne 😁 this cruise was so fun! Sometimes things don’t go to plan but that’s okay 😂 group cruise would be so fun! Wow, thank you so much for becoming a channel member, Yvonne! I appreciate your support so much! 🤩🌹
I can't remember seeing it, Jill. It's pretty far from Reykjavik so maybe you'll need to stay there and take a tour from there instead of from the ship!
Hi Ben. I started cruising on the Dolphin IV out of Miami to the Bahamas, in the 1980's. She was a dinky little ship, the cabins were fine. Very standard fare. Not many "options" like you have said here, at all. BUT the food was spectacular. And she was dirt cheap. I went to the Bahamas at least three times a month for a long time. All I need is some open deck space up high on any ship, a lounger, a cold drink, and a sky full of stars. I don't really need thrills, chills and BILLS !!! The first NCL ship I sailed on was a Sunward II, also to the Bahamas, when Great Stirrup Cay was just a beach and a nominal BBQ shack !! You got a Bahamarama T-shirt, a tender ride to the island, a snorkel kit and that was it. NCL has come a long way since the 1980's.
Every time I travel the world, I see homelessness. England, America, Europe. The "homeless" Ben is on about are most likely asylum seekers and migrants, which Ireland is REQUIRED to welcome, as that's a condition of being in the European Union. One of the reasons the U.K. left thr E.U., actually. Ireland is trying desperately to house all of them, but with over 100,000 welcomed so far, housing the needy is definitely a challenge. Right now, families are housed, but single men are given tents. I know I see more homeless in Denver than in Dublin, but it's a problem all over the world. Sadly.
@@todayinireland Susan, I was in Dublin so I talked about Dublin, I’ve seen homeless people in many countries I’ve visited. Most of the homeless people that asked me for money while I was in Dublin had Irish accent, not asylum seekers or migrants.
What a great “comparative” discussion - well done, Ben! I am going to be sad not hearing you talk about the Dawn 50 times a day! You’ll have to bring it up in future vlogs to give me a discreet shout out! 😉 I am heading out on a Celebrity Cruise in a week with Mom - providing Mother Nature can stay out of the Caribbean for the next week or so! My first solo will be in February on NCL - so looking forward to enjoying what you have experienced. Thanks for the entertainment!
@@dakotaz11 thank you, Dawn! HAHA I liked the Dawn very much 😁 wow, that’s great! I’ve heard great things about Celebrity Cruises, enjoy your cruise with mom! Your solo cruise will be great too!
Thanks Ben for sharing your knowledge, I love knowing about the ship before the trip. So many things to learn and all the options available = happy cruise. My first was the Norwegian Joy in September, fabulous trip. I like seeing the options of each room in the smaller ship and the upgrades available on the newer ships. Love your videos ❤️
Hi Ben - I highly recommend going ashore in Le Havre. A 10 Euro taxi to the train station and a 50min train ride to Rouen brings you to a delightful and easily walkable french town. It is one of our favorite ports. Ps. Thanks for all the info you share from your travels.
This place in Belgium is very nice, I would love to travel there 🙂 I love parks and thats another excusion I like watching people do and talking about intersting things and exploring with video maker
I have a person for you to watch who reminds me of your style in a way, he's from Scotland or Ireland, I think and he does videos boarding Ferries and trains and does talks while walking. I say his style is like yours because you are geniune, no nonscence, no cookie cutter crap. I love your content and ease. Even if you just talked like this video I would be a watcher so Thank you BEN. I've been watching about a month now 🙂and will continue. So If you say yes I can tell you the channel name so you can check him out (thumbs up)
I LOVE the libraries on NCL!!! Most of the cruise lines don't have them, and I love to go in there for a quiet place to read and I love the "Leave One/Take One" cabinet ... I prefer real, physical books, but don't want to pack several (they're heavy!) so it's nice to be able to pass a book on when I'm finished with it and get a new one to read! The library is also where you get your daily crossword and trivia quiz to fill out!
I have been on large ships and small ones ...mostly NCL and MSC ... I cruise NCL in the "cheap seats" (I don't enjoy the Haven), but can't seem to do MSC unless I'm in the Yacht Club. I love NCL and am Sapphire Latitudes status, so you can see I'm pretty loyal, not to Royal, but to NCL. I really like NCL's amenities and food. I also usually really like the entertainment ... "The Million Dollar Quartet" on the Getaway was amazing. I didn't even go to the Donna Summer musical ... I lived thru Disco for real, so didn't feel the need to revisit that dark time in music history ... LOL. I like the "mid-size" NCL ships like the Pearl and the larger ones like the Escape. I really don't spend a lot of time at the pool, but I do like a good pool area, because a lot of passengers end up parking there and that means the interior of the ship and other outside areas are less crowded. In May I took the NCL Sun to Alaska ... meh ... it was ok, but there isn't a lot to do or any very interesting areas on that ship ... it's a little boring. I feel the same way about the Star, the Sky and the Spirit. Although, last summer we took a 3 week cruise from Vancouver to Alaska, across the Pacific to Hawaii (4 ports) and ended up in Honolulu ... when we got home and checked our points, they'd given us TRIPLE Latitude points for that cruise, what a nice surprise. I've been on the Jade, which I think is roughly the same size as the Dawn .. it was a nice ship. I was with a friend and we went to the solos meetings and met a lot of other women who were traveling basically alone and have kept in touch even after about 5 years. I find most ships have some features I really like and some I don't. I didn't really enjoy my transatlantic on the Prima, even though it's a beautiful ship and had the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in, I don't understand why they continue to sail her in cool weather climates ... it's MADE for warm weather with its abundance of outside spaces and dearth of good indoor venues. They drained the pools and hot tubs on the crossing since it was cold and raining and the atrium, observation lounge and other public spaces were inadequate for the potential 4000 passengers. Not to mention, some of the venues (comedy club, Sid Norman's and other "performance spaces") were far too small. LOVED the Indulge Food Hall ... a feature they need to incorporate in more NCL ships! We will embark in January on the Joy for 16 days from L.A. to Miami and then back through the Panama Canal to L.A. for a total of 32 days ... can't wait!!! Although, it looks like the main show on the Joy is the same as on the Dawn ... meh, I'm not into Cirque ... I think they need to do better.
@@SherryAnnOfTheWest wow, Sherry Ann! You’ve had so many cruise experiences 🤩 I’m hoping to make it to Alaska and Hawaii one day but you did it all in 3 weeks! So cool! I loved the Prima but you’re right, it’s built as a warm ship so it’s kind of wasted in Iceland! I also love the Indulge Food Hall! It should be added to other ships too. Wow, you have another 32 day cruise coming up, that’s amazing. I wish I could cruise as much as you 😂
I loved this! My first visit to London was last year, and I was only able to spend a few days before boarding a cruise from Southampton. I'll be returning next spring and am trying to plan my time. I may have up to two weeks in Great Britain before my cruise (I'm considering taking a transatlantic voyage) before my Norwegian Prima cruise to Amsterdam, Brugges, Norway, and Iceland. It's going to be epic! Anyhow, I hit some highlights in London last year but want to see the major things I missed and them some other cool spots - so this is so wonderful... I hope to see more. I'm also looking into package tours that include Scotland and possibly Wales or Ireland. Thank you!!
The Mega ships are just too crowded for me and usually have a LOT of children. I cruise to get away from the hustle and noise. Thanks for another very informative video Ben. 😊
@@Rocking_the_Mimi_life midsize works for me, Cheryl! Gives you time to see and do everything! Wow! I want to cruise out of PA too! Maybe I’ll be on the same cruise 😁
Hey Lucky! I think smaller ships with fewer passengers would be more to my liking. Water slides are fun, but if it's too crowded, meh. Maybe the ports would be the deciding point for me. Thanks for the informative video!
@@hollyecf you’re right, Fredwina! Some people cruise for the ship and some cruise for the ports so it depends on you! I’m sure you love the water slides 😁
