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What's your bio, solo cruisers?


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Hi All!

 

I am planning my first "semi solo" (as another cruiser put it!) cruise, for myeslf and my son (who is 8).

I have ALWAYS wanted to cruise (have done so twice with my DH and family), but my DH definitely doesn't have the infatuation with cruising that I have!

 

So, I am asking all of you- who are you? Are you single adults? Married adults that like to travel solo some times (or all the time)? Do you have kids? Do any of you have spouses/partners and or kids who just don't WANT to go?

 

I have to admit, I am feeling slightly guilty about booking this cruise for us in April- not taking DH and my two other (teenage) sons (who really don't want to go anyway! Afraid there will be "nothing to do"! LOL!).

 

But here's the thing: my DH travels for his work, more than 50% of the time... so he gets away from our crazy, chaotic, loud house (with three boys, and two dogs!) often (and is always staying in a 5 star hotel, I might add!). I work full time as a pediatric nurse practitioner, in heart transplant. I have the BEST job, but it's been pretty stressfull the past 6 months or so, so I REALLY need a break! I am 43 years old, not that that matters!

 

So, I would love to hear YOUR stories! Who are all of you?!?

 

Karen

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Hi Karen!

 

I'm Kiya - 35, divorced after a 10+year relationship, love keeping my own company, and I'm going to be booking my first solo cruise today.

I enjoy being alone/on my own, but my ex wasn't really into the idea of solo vacations, and I couldn't afford them before I met him! *lol* So, this is my first real chance to actually vacation alone - I think I'll love it, considering how often I craved being on my own when I was on group vacations.

The RollCall for my ship is REALLY active (says the lurker) and I think that will help me balance the being solo without being alone bits of a freestyle cruise.

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Hi Karen!

I'm 42, divorced with no kids and after reading all of the postive comments on this board, will be taking my first solo cruise (4th cruise total) in September of next year. As much as I enjoy traveling with friends and family, I also LOVE to get away by myself with no one to please but me! I am a little nervous about the whole thing but have already joined my Roll Call and am happy that there are other solos who have joined as well.

 

Enjoy your much deserved vacation without guilt! It's not your fault your husband and older sons don't want to go :)

 

Karen

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I'm married (40 years next month) and my hubby does not like to travel by plane or ship so I travel as a solo overseas.

Solo travel can be lonely sometimes but if I want company, all I have to do is wander into the restaurant and there is always people who invite a single to join their table.

BTW - it's great to have the cabin to yourself - no sharing the bathroom, dressers or closets and you can nap when you want! - Shar

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Hi Karen!

 

I'm Kim, 31, single, no kids. I've cruised solo 3 times and I've also taken land vacations solo to St. Thomas, Hawaii, and Spain (well that was sort of solo; I spent 2 days by myself until my company joined me ;)). I started cruising solo because I didn't have anyone to go with me. My friends were broke or had families. Now, I love traveling solo, so much so that I sometimes turn down friends that want to take a trip with me. It's nice to get away and do what you want, when you want. I have a complete review in my signature from my last solo cruise, the Inspiration review. You and your little guy will have a great time.

 

Kiya- I'm originally from Memphis, born and raised! :)

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I'm a single Mom and have cruised with just my daughter several times - starting when she was 11 through age 17. When cruising with a teen, you are basically cruising solo most of the time but have made some good friends on a couple of different trips. In fact the last cruise we took last May was a reunion of sorts with folks from our Med cruise joining us.

 

DD goes off to college this August. So, I'm looking for a cruise just for me, a true solo cruise. Am checking out a few particular sailings and reading their roll calls here on Cruise Critic. It's a great way to 'meet' people before you board.

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I'm female, 65 years old. I've been cruising, mostly solo, for 35 years. I like the longer, more exotic cruises and am embarking on Feb. 4th on a cruise from Sydney to Beijing, my 41st cruise, with a friend this time. I find that cruising is a wonderful way to see the world. I have cruise friends that I occasionally share with, but most of the time we have different itineraries, due to interests or time available to cruise. I remember once that three of us were on three different ships in different parts of the world. I look for bargains on itineraries that interest me. I usually go to the solo/singles meetings and lately have stood up and tried to organize a cruise-long singles group. A couple of times it worked beautifully with meetings before dinner or group lunches. It's especially nice if there are single men there that are interested in dancing, because there are never very many, if any, single men on board. It's nice, though, particularly on the larger ships to find other solos that share interests, such as exercise class or deck walking, although I usually find a deckwalking partner on most cruises.

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What a great thread--I'm loving reading about all of the different reasons people cruise solo!

 

My story...

 

I'm 32 and I've been married for almost six years. I cruise (and travel) solo because my husband has a very restrictive work schedule--he's a teacher, teaches in a summer program, and only has two personal days per year. We typically go on one long trip per year, sometime in July or August.

 

However, my teaching job is much more flexible, so I've traveled quite a bit solo in the past few years simply because he can't join me--and everyone else I know has work or family obligations (we do not have children nor will we ever). And, even better, I was able to take this entire school year off from work so that I can travel in non-crowded, non-hot, non-expensive times of the year (I'm also writing a book, so that's what I do with the rest of my time). My first solo cruise--and second cruise ever--was this past October from NYC to Bermuda. I loved it, and I'm sailing solo again next Saturday (!!!) after spending a few days solo in New Orleans, a city I've never visited but always wanted to experience. I'm super excited!

 

I am a very (VERY) outgoing person, so one of the things that appeals to me the most about cruising is the ability to meet people. It's harder to make friends when traveling solo in a more traditional 'take a plane to this city and sightsee' sort of fashion, and I find that a solo cruise gives me the best of both worlds--I can do what I want to do when I want to do it, but if I get lonely, there are hundreds of new friends to meet!

 

Looking forward to hearing some more solo cruiser bios!

Edited by elbodans
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Hi Karen! I am also in your shoes but, older. I am married. My DH has cruised with me and likes it, OK. We have a small farm with animals inside and out. He doesn't like to leave them to the care of others.

 

I have cruised ;

with the DH

with the whole family

with just one of the daughters

with friends I have met here on CC

with daughters friends

and when I can't get anyone to go with me, I GO SOLO!

 

My husband is GREAT he knows how much I love to cruise and sends me on my way. I will be solo this 2/9, 2/13 & 2/18. These are my V-day and B-day presents:D I was thinking of taking the three year old grandson but, two weeks might be to long for him.;)

Edited by PINEVIEW01
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I'm 63, married, work full-time in healthcare, have 2 grown kids and 4 grandkids. I discovered solo cruising last year, and that one cruise now has me booked for 3 solos this year - San Francisco to Vancouver, then Vancouver to Anchorage this spring, then a late summer trip to Scandinavia/Russia.

 

I have taken one cruise with DH, two with my younger sister, and a number with a close girlfriend. Solo cruising means I have peace and quiet with no chatter when I want solitude, the freedom to make other friends on board - either in the public spaces or at Anytime Dining. It also means, God forbid that if we have to muster, I don't have to wonder where my traveling companion went!

 

Prefer to leave DH at home for various reasons, and my elderly parents live with me half of the year. So, for now, my cruising is limited to the months my dear parents aren't here (they are adamant non-cruisers), and also limited by the amount of vacation time I have.

 

Sure hope I can keep cruising some after I retire - I'll need to get outta the house alone for sure!

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Hi.

I'm Linda and I'm a solo cruiser.

Age 60. Children all grown and gone from the nest.... well most of the time.... having a spare room means the bed gets occupied from time to time!

 

Relationship break down means I get to choose where I go, when I go etc and I'm loving it. Have made acquaintances via CC and previous cruises so can choose to travel where they are purely because we jelled and are now really good friends. I'd quite like to meet 'someone' special and being on a vacation seems to be one way of meeting folks. It hasn't happened yet but I live in hope! Lol.

Edited by NorbertsNiece
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Hi, I'm Neil, single, age 57, and I always cruise solo. I love to travel and see different places. I used to do a lot of land tours, usually solo, but sometimes with family members, but I switched to cruising a few years back. I got tired of the packing up every morning and moving to the next place, and then doing it again the next day. I love that with cruising you unpack once, and then the hotel moves with you in it. You wake up in a different port and then just leave the ship to explore. I also enjoy the sea days where you can sit back and relax and just enjoy a good book while watching the sea glide by. I will probably go back to the land tours when I run out of new ports to see but for now, I am enjoying the cruise experience.

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Hi, I'm Elley, 30 years old and recently divorced (no kids). I love to travel and I decided why stop just because my ex won't be with me? So I'm going on a solo cruise this Sunday, 7 days western carribean. I'm really excited, and nervous. I hope I meet a lot of fun people! :)

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I am David, a 38 year old bartender from Atlanta. I have a partner of 8 years and we cruise together a lot. However, my work is very flexible and I can pretty much take off whenever I want. My partner is a banker so he does get a lot of vacation time, but can not always get away. I do solo trips to get away from it all and be alone for awhile. I also use them as an opportunity to do things my partner isn't into.

 

I have loved my solo cruises. You can basically make them whatever you want. On one cruise I didn't talk to anyone the whole time except my dinner mates. On another, my table mates and I all got along so well we went out every night. My solo cruises so far have been pretty short, but I am looking into a longer one for December.

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Hello, I'm John, age 41, single (or eternal bachelor) :D. In 2010, I retired from active military service after a little over 20 years. I am now a full-time student. I have recently completed the bachelor's degree and am now pursuing the master's degree. Periodic breaks between classes provide me with numerous cruising opportunities, and I try to take advantage of them as much as I can because I may not be able to cruise as frequently when I begin a second career.

 

For the longest time, I've wanted to cruise but couldn't do so because I was very busy with my military career and school. I also wanted to cruise with family and/or friends, but they were either broke or their schedules wouldn't permit. I figured if I had to wait for anyone, I would never cruise. Additionally, I have done much of my traveling solo while in the military. The three previous cruises were done solo and I've enjoyed them all. The one coming up in March will also be solo.

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It looks like I will be doing a solo cruise this year. I've gone on solo vacations several times but this will be my first solo cruise. No one else can go and I just don't want to wait anymore!! lol I have wanted to go to Egypt since I was a kid. I wanted to go on this cruise for my 35th birthday and had all the money saved up. I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in 2009 and went through 6 months of treatments. It's gone now!!! I was fiercely independant before I got sick (moved out of state on my own, bought a house on my own) and that all went away after I got sick. The surgeries and treatments knocked me down and this cruise is a way to pick myself back up and find that feisty chick again. I admit I'm a little nervous going on my own and I've never been out of the country before, but I am also really excited and since the cruise isn't for 9 more months, that's 9 months to heal a bit more and plan everything out. It's very encouraging to read the threads from people who have gone solo and had a blast. Oh, and this summer I'll be 36 so I am only off by one year!!!

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It looks like I will be doing a solo cruise this year. I've gone on solo vacations several times but this will be my first solo cruise. No one else can go and I just don't want to wait anymore!! lol I have wanted to go to Egypt since I was a kid. I wanted to go on this cruise for my 35th birthday and had all the money saved up. I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in 2009 and went through 6 months of treatments. It's gone now!!! I was fiercely independant before I got sick (moved out of state on my own, bought a house on my own) and that all went away after I got sick. The surgeries and treatments knocked me down and this cruise is a way to pick myself back up and find that feisty chick again. I admit I'm a little nervous going on my own and I've never been out of the country before, but I am also really excited and since the cruise isn't for 9 more months, that's 9 months to heal a bit more and plan everything out. It's very encouraging to read the threads from people who have gone solo and had a blast. Oh, and this summer I'll be 36 so I am only off by one year!!!

 

Congratulations on beating cancer! :)

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It looks like I will be doing a solo cruise this year. I've gone on solo vacations several times but this will be my first solo cruise. No one else can go and I just don't want to wait anymore!! lol I have wanted to go to Egypt since I was a kid. I wanted to go on this cruise for my 35th birthday and had all the money saved up. I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in 2009 and went through 6 months of treatments. It's gone now!!! I was fiercely independant before I got sick (moved out of state on my own, bought a house on my own) and that all went away after I got sick. The surgeries and treatments knocked me down and this cruise is a way to pick myself back up and find that feisty chick again. I admit I'm a little nervous going on my own and I've never been out of the country before, but I am also really excited and since the cruise isn't for 9 more months, that's 9 months to heal a bit more and plan everything out. It's very encouraging to read the threads from people who have gone solo and had a blast. Oh, and this summer I'll be 36 so I am only off by one year!!!

 

 

Congrats and I hope all works out for you. I did the Jade last January with an two days in Egypt being the highlight of the cruise. However, two days into the cruise and the riots broke out. We missed Egypt and went to Istanbul for two nights instead. I loved Istanbul, but would still like to see Egypt one day.

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I have booked a solo cruise for next May as a graduation gift to myself. I'm pretty sure I'll be going on this unless my friends or family talk me out of it. I'm 21 years old now, will be 22 at time of sailing, so I think I'm the youngest to post thus far. I've always wanted to go to Europe and what better way than a cruise? My family won't be able to save up the cost for airfare and cruise fare totall and none of my friends know how to budget their money either. I will be graduating with a bachelors degree in Education and I figured I would celebrate my achievement before getting a "real job" and entering the "real world".

 

What is the youngest solo traveler you have met on a cruise? I'm worried about not getting to meet anyone near my age.

 

Thanks :)

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I have booked a solo cruise for next May as a graduation gift to myself. I'm pretty sure I'll be going on this unless my friends or family talk me out of it. I'm 21 years old now, will be 22 at time of sailing, so I think I'm the youngest to post thus far. I've always wanted to go to Europe and what better way than a cruise? My family won't be able to save up the cost for airfare and cruise fare totall and none of my friends know how to budget their money either. I will be graduating with a bachelors degree in Education and I figured I would celebrate my achievement before getting a "real job" and entering the "real world".

 

What is the youngest solo traveler you have met on a cruise? I'm worried about not getting to meet anyone near my age.

 

Thanks :)

I can't think of a better way to reward oneself for such an achievement than to book a cruise. Though it took me a "wee bit longer" to complete my bachelor's degree, the significance of this milestone has not changed. I took the 11-day Mexican Riviera cruise last October to commemorate this occasion. While on the cruise, I decided to further reward myself with the 14-day Hawaii cruise (taken last December) for graduating summa cum laude. Now that I'm a graduate student, I will be taking short cruises between term breaks. When I finish the master's degree, however, I want to do a cruise with an exotic itinerary (Australia and South Pacific perhaps).

 

I wish you success in your studies and best of luck in pursuing your future career and other life's aspirations. Your cruise awaits you... :)

 

Edited to add:

In my cruises with HAL, I was one of the younger passengers on board. The youngest solo cruiser I met was two years younger than I (age 39), and that was during the Hawaii cruise. You will probably find younger solos in CCL, RCI, or NCL.

Edited by jjfromsd
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I can't think of a better way to reward oneself for such an achievement than to book a cruise. Though it took me a "wee bit longer" to complete my bachelor's degree, the significance of this milestone has not changed. I took the 11-day Mexican Riviera cruise last October to commemorate this occasion. While on the cruise, I decided to further reward myself with the 14-day Hawaii cruise (taken last December) for graduating summa cum laude. Now that I'm a graduate student, I will be taking short cruises between term breaks. When I finish the master's degree, however, I want to do a cruise with an exotic itinerary (Australia and South Pacific perhaps).

 

I wish you success in your studies and best of luck in pursuing your future career and other life's aspirations. Your cruise awaits you... :)

 

Edited to add:

In my cruises with HAL, I was one of the younger passengers on board. The youngest solo cruiser I met was two years younger than I (age 39), and that was during the Hawaii cruise. You will probably find younger solos in CCL, RCI, or NCL.

 

 

Thanks SO much for your input here. Europe is "exotic" to me as of right now because I've never been there but always longed to go. I also want to go to Australia, Alaska, Hawaii and the Panama Canal on a cruise eventually.

 

I forgot to mention the ship! It's on the Norwegian Epic in a studio cabin. I've sailed RCCL 6 times and have been "loyal to Royal" but the price for a studio on Epic plus airfare plus excursions is the same as the 200% single supplement for a Caribbean cruise. I've sailed Caribbean enough times that I'm willing to try NCL! :)

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Thanks SO much for your input here. Europe is "exotic" to me as of right now because I've never been there but always longed to go. I also want to go to Australia, Alaska, Hawaii and the Panama Canal on a cruise eventually.

 

I forgot to mention the ship! It's on the Norwegian Epic in a studio cabin. I've sailed RCCL 6 times and have been "loyal to Royal" but the price for a studio on Epic plus airfare plus excursions is the same as the 200% single supplement for a Caribbean cruise. I've sailed Caribbean enough times that I'm willing to try NCL! :)

You should find some younger solos on the Epic, with the studio cabin lounge you will be able to meet other solos very easily aboard ship. Also, I would join the roll call for your trip and you will also meet other CC members that you can hang with if you so choose. Congratulations and good luck with your future destinations. You will love all of them as they are some great places to go to and see. Happy Sailing.

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hi karen, my name is chris and i just recently booked my first solo for dec 2012 on the epic. i am 47 and recently divorced and this will be my 5th cruise and first alone. i always cruised with my wife ( now ex ) and the 2 kids. i really didnt think i would ever cruise again as our last cruise FEB 2011 is what caused our divorce but i figured why should it stop me. i just decided to switch cruise lines from carnival (4) to ncl and move on with my life. it will be a great way to meet new people and i am sooooo looking forward to it.

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Hi Karen,,

I am 45 single for a year after a ten year ltr, my ex fiance was my travel partner, but after our first cruise we got addicted to diving, I've spent the last seven years travelling and diving with her, since this will be my first solo vacation I though Cruising was in order... March 24/2012 NCL EPIC

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