SINGLEs Over 55

I've read these latest posts with interest. I'm recently widowed and intend to sail solo when my friends can't join me. I would have not been interested at all in spending time with a married man, then 42 CruiseCrazy changed my mind ... then LuvBNatC changed it back! LOL.

 

I guess if I felt an interest in that married man, I'd back off. If I didn't, then I'd feel safe spending some time with him - after being very clear about it being platonic. I think I'd have to have a "no touching rule", so slow dancing would be out. And always be in public places, no strolls outside at night, no walking me to my cabin, that kind of thing.

 

Any other situations that I'd need to be aware of?

 

I don't want to be taken advantage of, but I don't want to exclude any possible friendships, either. This is a tough call!

I agree with all you have said about keeping things strictly platonic. Those are my rules too. Except for slow dancing. I like slow dancing. But I always dance "at a distance" when dancing with a woman other than my wife (her I hold REAL close because I like to and I need to hold her up when she gets out her wheelchair to dance with me)

In my opinion, a woman shouldn't ever be alone in an isolated area with a man she just met on a cruise ship whether he is married or not. So being safe and acting sensible applies to being with any man regardless of his marital status.

Not all social interactions between men & women need to be for the purposes of finding a relationship or having sex. Maybe I am old fashioned (or just old) but I value dancing to nice music and interesting conversation much more.

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I guess if I felt an interest in that married man, I'd back off. If I didn't, then I'd feel safe spending some time with him - after being very clear about it being platonic. I think I'd have to have a "no touching rule", so slow dancing would be out. And always be in public places, no strolls outside at night, no walking me to my cabin, that kind of thing.

 

Any other situations that I'd need to be aware of?

 

I don't want to be taken advantage of, but I don't want to exclude any possible friendships, either. This is a tough call!

LAngle, you've got the ground rules right. Slow dancing is OK as long as the man keeps some air between you. :)

Here's a 2013 married-man encounter from Brilliance OTS...

I met a couple at open seating breakfast. She looked about my age, he was older. The wife talked to him like a dog, then left the table before he'd finished, so he and I chatted a while. He seemed nice and normal.

Ran into him again that evening. He was alone, and I agreed to have a drink while he waited for his wife, who never showed up.

So he told me his story: He'd caught her in lesbian affairs more than once and didn't know what to do. She'd told him to put up and shut up, but he was miserable.

Long story short... he started crossing my path, always alone, all over the ship. Once he even kissed me on the mouth in greeting! :eek:

I encouraged NONE of this and tried to avoid him. THEN he told me his wife was jealous (of WHAT???!!) and planned to create a huge scene the next time she saw me.

I think they were both nuts and thrived on drama. I unwittingly got drafted into the cast simply by listening to his tale of woe.

So please excuse me if I run off screaming from the next married man who tries to get "friendly." :eek:

Sometimes I'm too nice and understanding for my own good. :o

OMG!!! What a crazy situation to be in. No wonder you feel as you do about married men. If a married man is "friendly" when his wife is on the cruise with him, it is possibly a sign - after all IMHO he should be paying attention to his wife. But if he is cruising solo, however, he may be genuinely friendly and wanting to meet new people.

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OMG!!! What a crazy situation to be in. No wonder you feel as you do about married men. If a married man is "friendly" when his wife is on the cruise with him, it is possibly a sign - after all IMHO he should be paying attention to his wife. But if he is cruising solo, however, he may be genuinely friendly and wanting to meet new people.

 

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That's exactly what I thought this guy was, "genuinely friendly," since his wife was RIGHT THERE.

But from what I saw of her, she was very abusive toward him, so I didn't wonder why he kept wandering away from her. Then he mistook my innocent friendliness for interest because he seemed to be starved for affection.

I think there was also a little "tit for tat" going on with them, too.

This is just one of many tales of my encounters with married men that started out innocent enough, then took a turn. I must be a magnet for the kooks.

On the other hand, I've met others who were gentlemen through and through, we had pleasant times, and that was that. You meet all kinds on a ship. :)

That is so true!! I met one woman when cruising solo who pursued me in spite of me being married and at the time I was flattered that this attractive woman wanted to hang out with me. It went too far and I had to slam on the brakes. Lesson learned. Never again.

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That is so true!! I met one woman when cruising solo who pursued me in spite of me being married and at the time I was flattered that this attractive woman wanted to hang out with me. It went too far and I had to slam on the brakes. Lesson learned. Never again.

 

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That's what happens with some solo women when they discover the pickings onboard are slim. They start going after the "low-hanging fruit," the married ones traveling alone who might want to get frisky. :p

I find I'm better off spending more quality time alone on my balcony.

To be fair. She was a very nice woman. There was a real mutual attraction and if I was single, I would have not stopped it. I have to take responsibility for being a willing participant. I blame myself for my weakness and lack of judgement. It was 5 years ago so it is "water under the cruise ship."

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To be fair. She was a very nice woman. There was a real mutual attraction and if I was single, I would have not stopped it. I have to take responsibility for being a willing participant. I blame myself for my weakness and lack of judgement. It was 5 years ago so it is "water under the cruise ship."

 

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I'm sure she was. I wasn't implying that single women who get involved with married men aren't. It all depends on how much one or both need the romance.

Affairs at sea are a different animal. A whole romance can spark, flame, and die in a week.

Yes. That's kind of how it happened. It was a 7 night cruise.

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I love to travel/cruise but find cruising is mostly couples. Any solo travel people out there going on Oceania Nautica ship that leaves 11/2 Istanbul to Dubai?

This has been an informative thread!

I am cruising alone on Freedom soon with 2 couples I've cruised with before and now I know some of the things to watch out for. It could get interesting if your experiences are any indication. Thanks for sharing!

Amen to that, sister!!

 

 

 

tikigirl, I have a male friend who's Pinnacle with RCCL (recently widowed, but married and solo when I met him on the SS Norway many years ago), who tells me Celebrity's food and atmosphere is a cut above, but it's too staid for him, so he prefers Royal.

 

I suggest Royal because I think your Celebrity loyalty points transfer. Try one of the smaller ships in the Radiance or Vision class, not the newer behemoths. They're more like small cities and people tend to keep to themselves.

 

For me, smaller ships have a friendlier vibe and draw some single straight men in their 50s and 60s. Whether they turn out to be jerks or not is entirely your call! :D

 

I'm trying Norwegian Getaway next month just to see if NCL really is attracting a lot of singles and doing good things to help us meet each other. I've read on other boards that there are quite a few 50+ singles, too.

So, looking at Royal Caribbean, have you noticed the prices have all been jacked up about 40% or is it just me. Also X seems to have also raised their prices considerably. Maybe if I cancel one of my European back to backs and take the deposit to RCCL, I could find something, got any suggestions? I live in Florida.:)

Richard:

I cruise a lot, and very seldom find single straight guys. Although I am a Celebrity girl, I am thinking of switching lines. There must be men out there somewhere who love cruising as much as I do.

 

A lot of people were dancing on the Celebrity Century, but they were all couples, and it just seemed a bit awkward for me.

 

Although the staff was nice enough to my mom and I, the singles bar was hidden away on the ship, and not an event for singles until 11:00 at night, after everyone had gone to bed. There were some men there avoiding going back to their rooms, but they were married. So there must be some other solution the ships can come up with for singles on board to meet in the 60's.

 

Maybe we can brainstorm a few on this site!;)

Tikigal,

I am flattered!

I would not count on the cruise lines doing any more fo singles than they already do. Their primary intrest is in couples and families - ergo more profit. Therefor I feel it is my obligation to step foward (at a lounge, pool, lido deck or night club) and make my own introductions. Mine is not a frail male ego. Thus rejection is not a problem for myself as it might be with of my gender. It is my habit to carry calling cards as a way to sometimes break the ice. Also I would not have a problem with a lady making the introductions.

You speak of awkward, below is my response to another thread dealing with "Awkward Moments"

Best wishes,

Richard

I also enjoy dancing even though I am no Fred Astaire. If a lady goes to the nightclub chances are that she would like to dance. So all one has to do is ask. I have found that most women, single or attached, will say yes. However it is incumbent on the man to be properly dressed, well mannered and gracious. After dancing escort the lady back to her seat and offer your thanks and return to your own seat. Do this a few more times and it will become apparent that you also came to dance. At this time you might find that the ladies will ask you to dance.

The problem is most single men are too self conscious to do this and will sit out the evening at the bar alone. Again you do not have to be Fred Astaire dance, just feel the rhythm of the music and dance. All you need is some very basic knowledge of the steps. If you can count to two - Two Step, three - Salsa or Bolero, four - Waltz and five Tango. Forget the fancy moves as seen on DWTS and enjoy yourself. If you feel you have made a misstep apologize laugh about it and continue on. Also it's very important, while dancing, to please converse with your partner.

“Dance like no one is watching”

From the movie “Scent of a Woman” :

Q: Do you Tango?

A: No.

Q: Would you care to learn?

And finally from the above: “If you get tangled in the Tango - just Tango out of it!”

Richard

Okay getting back on track on singles and cruising over 50 is anyone going on the equinox October 15 turkey and the Greek Isles let me know I'm going

I like cruises too I am single and going with my girlfriend on celebrity equinox October 15 2015 Greek Isles and turkey flying in to Barcelona staying over after the cruise from Barcelona there's still room who is game to Go?

How old is your dad?

I may be leaving celebrity for another line soon they hold their singles during our captains club socials singles should have a activity to do on board the ship together more like an icebreaker in a separate small activity room to get to know each other. celebrity just has the singles meet at the bar with all the regular passengers you don't know who single one who's married makes for a very awkward situation

I'm 55 and just now going on my first cruise. Although I have a roomate, she is a young lady from my church whom I do not know. If this turns out well, I would love to cruise some different places and It would be grand to meet some other singles to double up with. I'm also like a lot on these boards who love to mingle but like their alone time too.

 

Rebecca

Yes it would be fun to meet other single people to I'm up for a cruise I live in Florida

I have found the best way is to go to Vacations to go. I check it a lot. On the left side you will see Single Discounts and it will show you all the cruises with single discount prices. I have done 10 cruises as a single and I am 73 yrs old. I like Royal and Princess. When I lived in Florida I went on 7 cruises in 4 years. It was the only thing I liked about living in Florida.

My 1st cruise is in 8 days on NoftheSeas

So excited to explore. Hope to meet someone too. Cruising with my siblings.

Forgot to mention that I'm single and interested in dancing!

I have found the best way is to go to Vacations to go. I check it a lot. On the left side you will see Single Discounts and it will show you all the cruises with single discount prices. I have done 10 cruises as a single and I am 73 yrs old. I like Royal and Princess. When I lived in Florida I went on 7 cruises in 4 years. It was the only thing I liked about living in Florida.

Why doesn't someone take the reigns find something interesting and let's all go on a cruise maybe 1st week in Nov or 2nd week? or 1st week in Dec?

Why doesn't someone take the reigns find something interesting and let's all go on a cruise maybe 1st week in Nov or 2nd week? or 1st week in Dec?