Eyes opened to solo cruise...I'm stoked!

Going on my first solo cruise in November on ncl epic.Been on 5 cruises b4, all with my former best friend...but when she met a guy she liked, she dropped me like a hot potato. I've been debating for a year whether to cruise solo or not, but finally I decided to just do it. And the best part is now I won't have to compromise or here her complain! I'm kind of introverted and not sure how social I want to be yet, but I think I'll enjoy the "me" time.

Checking back to see how it went. I go on my first solo cruise next Monday.

I get to cruise solo because my husband really doesn't like it, having tried 3 times with me. Our daughter is off to university next month; we have done a lot of cruises together but while she was a kid it was like cruising solo because she spent all her time at the kids clubs!

So i did one with P&O, of whom I'm a fan, totally solo last year and loved it. Just done a first adult only cruise with daughter now she's 18, and booked a nice little solo in November for myself.

I love cruising solo; only me to please! I like being alone, lived alone for 7 years before I got married almost 30 years ago, and cruising solo is like going back to that time just for a couple of weeks!

After quite a few cruises with friends and family to avoid the single supplement, I realized I don't feel like I've had a vacation unless I go solo. For all the reasons people have already stated.

I also feel safer on a cruise ship than anywhere else on the planet, including the streets of my own neighborhood.

When trying to get to/from the ship via plane, bus, or train, if I start feeling unsure of myself, I look around and think, "You never see any skeletons lying around these places, so everybody must find their way. If they can do it, so can I!"

I've found my way around Lisbon, London, and the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris (which has a reputation as a nightmare -- in FRENCH no less! :eek:) and lived to tell the tale.

If you don't have a significant other you'd love to spend 24/7 with (I did once, but no more), I say solo is the only way to cruise. :D

Happily married for many years, but my wife and I have different interests. I'm into culture and photography, her thing is hanging at the pool.

When I turned 50 I decided to give solo travel a try. Visited Europe and was hooked! My day was mine alone, free to do what I wanted when I felt like it. No struggles deciding where to eat or why I needed to take ten photos of the same church.

We still vacation together to the Mexican resorts, but I've also done solo trips to other European destinations, plus China and Vietnam Nam. I just booked two weeks on the Star Clipper cruise to Venice, Croatia, and Greece.

I've found that with minimal effort, I'm meeting new friends and traveling to destinations that would otherwise by out of the question.

Just do it!

Enjoy your time in Europe & your cruise. I always tell new solo cruisers welcome to your new addiction. I enjoy cruising with others but I am always worried about what they would like to do. Solo cruising gives me a chance to spoil myself. Started solo cruising at 36. The only regret is that I didn't start sooner. About to go on solo cruise #4 in November as my belated 40th birthday present(Would go on my birthday but it is at the height of hurricane season.). Again, enjoy your cruise. :)

Wow that is me. Except the bug hit me even harder. I went on a Holland America Cruise when I was 19 with my family. I loved it. But never got around to cruising. Either I was single, or my gf/ wife didn't want to go. Well after 4 years of being happily single but bored at home, I had some vacation time in Feb to use. So I booked the Miracle to Cabo and had an amazing time solo. I only felt alone dining, but I am used to that anyways. It was so much fun I booked a 3 day to Ensenada on the Imagination for my Bday in May. Sadly my mom passed in April, but I still went and had so much fun again I booked the Glory for November, the Valor for Feb. The Miracle again next May this time with my best friend and his wife. We will see how that goes no longer solo! And Finally the Dream next November. I am taking this as a year of travel to places I haven't been. In honor of my mom who loved to travel! And with Carnival it has been pretty cheap. My only regret us I waited 16 years between cruising!

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My Bucket List became really important to me after my husband died young.

Same here. I'm sorry for your loss. I was 39 when it happened, how about you?

I've been on my own for almost 19 years now so I'm not going solo as a break from others. Went through the adjustment from other-focused pursuits to me-focused ones a long time ago. However, for safety reasons I have traveled with others--until now. I'm booked on my first solo cruise two weeks from now, on the NCL Dawn to Canada & New England. Yay me! :)

My main concern with traveling solo is that I might not be as motivated to go sightseeing as I am when traveling with my daughter. When she and I travel, it doesn't matter if I'm tired or have to get up early--I will still take advantage of opportunities to sightsee and we will pack in a full day. Traveling solo, I'm afraid I might waste opportunity. (I know myself well and know how unmotivated I can be sometimes. Seem the older I get, the less energy I have!)

Anyone here ever been unable to get yourself going when traveling solo?

Same here. I'm sorry for your loss. I was 39 when it happened, how about you?

 

I've been on my own for almost 19 years now so I'm not going solo as a break from others. Went through the adjustment from other-focused pursuits to me-focused ones a long time ago. However, for safety reasons I have traveled with others--until now. I'm booked on my first solo cruise two weeks from now, on the NCL Dawn to Canada & New England. Yay me! :)

 

My main concern with traveling solo is that I might not be as motivated to go sightseeing as I am when traveling with my daughter. When she and I travel, it doesn't matter if I'm tired or have to get up early--I will still take advantage of opportunities to sightsee and we will pack in a full day. Traveling solo, I'm afraid I might waste opportunity. (I know myself well and know how unmotivated I can be sometimes. Seem the older I get, the less energy I have!)

 

Anyone here ever been unable to get yourself going when traveling solo?

I understand what you're saying. I usually travel with my DD and we're wanting to get off the ship as soon as we get to port--time to explore! I haven't gone on my first solo cruise yet--leaving for Venice in three weeks!--but a couple of years ago I was in India on a business trip and had a layover in Amsterdam for several days. I was concerned I might just hang out in my hotel room much of the time, that I wouldn't be motivated to go out and explore on my own. But, happily, that wasn't the case! I was out walking the city every day--came home exhausted everyday, too! There's something about being in a new place that sparks that energy and curiosity for me. I hope you'll find it to be the same. Because of that experience, I now know that solo cruising can work for me. But, just to be safe, I booked an inside cabin (first inside in 17 years!) so there's absolutely nothing to keep me in there. I'm facing the challenges of getting older, and, like you, sometimes the energy level is low; on top of that I have arthritis so it can be difficult to walk very far (more good days than bad though :D) so I'm taking my little fold-up cane with me so I don't have any excuses.

Please come back and let us know how your first solo cruise is!

:D

Same here. I'm sorry for your loss. I was 39 when it happened, how about you?

 

I've been on my own for almost 19 years now so I'm not going solo as a break from others. Went through the adjustment from other-focused pursuits to me-focused ones a long time ago. However, for safety reasons I have traveled with others--until now. I'm booked on my first solo cruise two weeks from now, on the NCL Dawn to Canada & New England. Yay me! :)

 

My main concern with traveling solo is that I might not be as motivated to go sightseeing as I am when traveling with my daughter. When she and I travel, it doesn't matter if I'm tired or have to get up early--I will still take advantage of opportunities to sightsee and we will pack in a full day. Traveling solo, I'm afraid I might waste opportunity. (I know myself well and know how unmotivated I can be sometimes. Seem the older I get, the less energy I have!)

 

Anyone here ever been unable to get yourself going when traveling solo?

I always sail solo:)....I never have an issue with getting myself going

but to be honest, there are times I prefer to just lay around. It depends

on the cruise. I don't think there is anything wrong with just chilling

out and not doing anything all.:D....R&R can be fun (to me).

If in a new port? I enjoy sightseeing too......or, even if a port I have

been to before...if I enjoy a certain thing, (touring, resort, etc) I will

do that too.

I am going to the Caribbean in November.....I have been to every port

before and right now, I won't be getting off the ship in Cozumel or

Grand Caymen.....I don't feel like that is a wasted opportunity. I love

being on the ship when it is almost empty...like having your own private

yacht;)

Labadee? I think a group from our roll call will go to the beach together.

Should be fun:)

Dear Quilting Cruiser,

If you have the time in Venice, buy an all day vaporetto (water bus) ticket and tour that way. Get a map that shows all the routes.

We went out to Murano (glass) and Burano (lace), then came back and took the Grand canal from the train station all the way to St. Marks

Dear Quilting Cruiser,

If you have the time in Venice, buy an all day vaporetto (water bus) ticket and tour that way. Get a map that shows all the routes.

We went out to Murano (glass) and Burano (lace), then came back and took the Grand canal from the train station all the way to St. Marks

Thank you for the advice! I have a few must-dos on my list and I'll definitely be purchasing a vaporetto pass. I think that'll be the best way to see Venice and I can't wait! I'll arrive late morning and figure I should get to my hotel by 12:30 or 1:00--I'm planning to find some great food first thing and then head to the nearby vaporetto station to get my pass. I'm thinking that first afternoon will be the perfect time to just ride the vaporetto and look around. Then the next day (my only full day in Venice) I'm thinking of going to St Mark's in the morning and possibly Burano in the afternoon. As a quilter and crafter, I'd love to see the lace-makers in action. I'm debating on visiting Murano as I've seen glass-making demos (and participated!) before and I may want to just explore Venice. I'll decide once I'm there. What do you think of visiting the Doge's palace? Is that something not to miss?

Thanks!

QC

Same here. I'm sorry for your loss. I was 39 when it happened, how about you?

 

I've been on my own for almost 19 years now so I'm not going solo as a break from others. Went through the adjustment from other-focused pursuits to me-focused ones a long time ago. However, for safety reasons I have traveled with others--until now. I'm booked on my first solo cruise two weeks from now, on the NCL Dawn to Canada & New England. Yay me! :)

 

My main concern with traveling solo is that I might not be as motivated to go sightseeing as I am when traveling with my daughter. When she and I travel, it doesn't matter if I'm tired or have to get up early--I will still take advantage of opportunities to sightsee and we will pack in a full day. Traveling solo, I'm afraid I might waste opportunity. (I know myself well and know how unmotivated I can be sometimes. Seem the older I get, the less energy I have!)

 

Anyone here ever been unable to get yourself going when traveling solo?

I have traveled around the world Solo for many years, and if your not able to get yourself going thats Ok becasue traveling solo just means you can do what YOU want when YOU want and just ENJOY the moment even if you want to sleep until 12 in the cabin

Today I booked my first solo cruise...for next weekend!! I'm excited but a little nervous. I'm sure I will enjoy it.

Tell us about your plans!

I've been excited and nervous for my first solo trip too (it's two weeks from now), but as it gets closer the excitement is far outweighing the nerves. I can't wait! :)

My first solo cruise leaves four weeks from today. Switched from studio to GTY balcony after being assured that I would still have access to evening meet ups in studio lounge, and I am waiting on my cabin assignment. Feeling both excited and nervous!

Same here. I'm sorry for your loss. I was 39 when it happened, how about you?

 

I've been on my own for almost 19 years now so I'm not going solo as a break from others. Went through the adjustment from other-focused pursuits to me-focused ones a long time ago. However, for safety reasons I have traveled with others--until now. I'm booked on my first solo cruise two weeks from now, on the NCL Dawn to Canada & New England. Yay me! :)

 

My main concern with traveling solo is that I might not be as motivated to go sightseeing as I am when traveling with my daughter. When she and I travel, it doesn't matter if I'm tired or have to get up early--I will still take advantage of opportunities to sightsee and we will pack in a full day. Traveling solo, I'm afraid I might waste opportunity. (I know myself well and know how unmotivated I can be sometimes. Seem the older I get, the less energy I have!)

 

Anyone here ever been unable to get yourself going when traveling solo?

I found that if I book an excursion (either with the cruise line or an on-line tour operator) that it gets me off the ship and doing something at the port. When I have no excursion booked I tend to linger on the ship and just go ashore for an hour or two and just walk around. So if you want to be motivated to go sightseeing or experience what the port has to offer then pay in advance and that commits you to go. Works for me. :D

My main concern with traveling solo is that I might not be as motivated to go sightseeing as I am when traveling with my daughter. When she and I travel, it doesn't matter if I'm tired or have to get up early--I will still take advantage of opportunities to sightsee and we will pack in a full day. Traveling solo, I'm afraid I might waste opportunity. (I know myself well and know how unmotivated I can be sometimes. Seem the older I get, the less energy I have!)

 

Anyone here ever been unable to get yourself going when traveling solo?

This definitely happens to me -- but I have traveled solo quite often and come to know myself. When I cruise, my goal is not to take advantage of sightseeing but to relax and pamper myself and have a time when there are no demands.

So I have stopped making demands on myself. If I don't feel motivated to sightsee -- then that's OK. I would rather end my vacation feeling good than feeling like I tried to do too much.

This is all of course MY choice. I have decided that I spend so much of my time trying to make myself do things, than on a cruise I am on vacation from the "shoulds". Like "I should visit that port because we leave at 5pm and I can't do it later". Of course I do sometimes think that (how could I not?) but if I decide not to do it then no regrets.

Thank you for your post. I was wondering if I was the only one who had a hubby that hated cruising. We are going on one together in February, 2016 but this is a great option. He can take a week to go on a golfing vacation while I cruise! :)

 

I won't lie and say I don't have my fears of traveling solo. Will I be lonely? Will I feel awkward? Is it safe? Will it be the same if I can't share my experience with a significant other or friend?

 

...it was going to be a trip that I can do WHATever I want and WHENever I want. And I don't have to consider other people's desires, like I do on every other trip I've been on. I realized this is the reason I never liked traveling with groups of people, it was me and my husband and that's it. Now it's just me!quote]

 

Lilystar,

 

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in here on solo cruising. I, too, am female, aged 49, but am married (no kids). My hubby doesn't like cruises and also has MS, so he's limited to the types of travel he can do. He sends me off on my "solo" vacations with a kiss and a hug. Personally, I think it provides BOTH of us some needed alone time to recharge our batteries. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so to speak. :)

 

A little background on me: I was born and raised in a very small country farm town in Ohio. The only time I had ever been out of the state itself, I was always with someone else, who took charge. Top it off that I'm rather shy and can be considered somewhat of a loner, with no worldly experience, and I was seriously scared to go it all alone. But, by then, I was in my 40s, no living family left (other than hubby), and determined to be an independent woman who doesn't have to rely on someone else. After all, with hubby having MS, one never knows how the future will turn out and I need to be able to take care of myself, my finances, etc. You get my drift. I'm also a realist. :o

 

Anyway, my first "solo" vacation/cruise was a 4 day to Bermuda and back, out of NJ. It stared with the airport...am I going to be able to find my way to the transfer bus, will I get lost, etc.? Then, what about when I get to the cruise terminal? How will I know where to go, etc.? On the ship itself, will I be stared at for being alone, will people feel sorry for me, what do I talk about at dinner, on and on. In Bermuda, how safe is it, is it ok to take excursions by myself, what about shopping, etc. I did tons and tons of research, which helped me feel just fine about Bermuda, safety, etc. But it didn't relieve the worries about the airport and the ship itself. Common sense helped in the airport. Just read the signs and I figured out where to go. Silly, but one can't help those thoughts that pop up, you know?

 

I was just fine on the cruise ship. I had an interior cabin all to myself and I found that I was able to do WHAT I wanted, WHEN I wanted and didn't have to coordinate with anyone else. It was absolute HEAVEN!! Dinners went ok and the people I sat with were nice and let me participate in the conversations as I wished. (At home I eat out at lunch alone at work and read, so I'm used to that and enjoy it alot.) I did get a small feeling of "we feel sorry for her" a little bit, but I just ignored it. After all, I didn't know these people and would never see them again, so who really cares? The only thing I didn't like was at times I would have loved to shared something with hubby and he wasn't there. I just took lots of pictures and when I got home, shared everything with him through stories and the photos. I think he might have gotten a little bored with my photos (water, water, sunrise, water, etc. LOL) but he said he was glad I had a good time.

 

Like you, I'm not much of a drinker, so I didn't hang around the bars, etc. I never got hit on or even flirted with (hmmm, should I be concerned about that? LOL) and maybe I give off a vibe to leave me the hell alone, I don't know. But I found that I got up when I wanted, went to bed when I wanted, ate when I was hungry, caught up on my reading, people watched, and did a lot of inner contemplation and meditation. I LOVED it!

 

Since then, I've also traveled solo to Mexico (THAT was an experience!!) to an all-inclusive resort (2013) and am going on my second solo cruise in May 2014. This time I'm able to afford a balcony room, since the cruise fares are lower with the recent bad publicity, etc. But what's really hard for me right now is that I don't want to let on to hubby how much I'm excited and looking forward to going (AND going alone). I would NEVER want to hurt his feelings and we do, in fact, have a vacation planned together in October, so we'll be able to share that. It's just that for me, when I travel with hubby with his MS, I find that I become even more the "caretaker" and am not able to enjoy things like I used to. Everything (I mean EVERYTHING) revolves around his schedule (what he can eat, what he's physically able to do, how much help does he need, etc.). It's like parents traveling with kids. They spend so much time looking after them, taking care of them, that the parents aren't really able to relax...like we can when traveling solo.

 

Wow, I didn't realize I was going to ramble as much. :o

 

In a nutshell, just take your time, read your signs, and don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Do your research online to familiarize yourself with your stops, etc. And finally, ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings and be safe. Keep your passport in a safe place close to your body, just like you would with your money, and while I want to say don't trust anyone, you really shouldn't, but that doesn't mean you have to be a scared rabbit and shy away from everyone either. Just be cautious and safe. Do a search through Google for "women solo travel" and you'll find a few great websites that focus on us. They offer amazing advice.

 

Congrats on doing what you really want and have a BLAST!! :D

I am hooked on solo cruising. This May will be my third. But, I've also backpacked solo and went on a rock climbing trip with people I've never met. I dig it.

Just as others have mentioned, I went on a vegas trip with two other guys I served in the military with and we had trouble seeing eye to eye. One guy would be drunk, the other lazy. I wanted to go to a nice Vegas buffet and neither wanted to. It was annoying. But on my solo cruises, it was great to make my own schedule.