Hedobound1202

I am looking at a world cruise aiming for 2020. I am also looking at silver sea. Smaller ships but Everything included ( including excursions)

On a formal night talk to the photographer and see if they can take pictures and hurry and get down on one knee and have the photographer capture it all. And then have a nice dinner :)

I love this idea! Not too expensive and will be a nice memory for you two.

Cruising as a newbie and writing about my experiences here on CC (2002 - 2006?) was truly the most fun I ever had. I made so many hundreds of friends here, I still consider it my home - even though my cruising days are over.

 

 

There’s no sense dancing around the plain facts. I am a fertile breeding ground for cancer. It’s growing in my body like Kudzu grows in Georgia. Yes, I’ll battle for control, but the outcome is certain – and it will probably be swift.

 

As with other major events in my lifetime, I’m inclined to write about my experience. My mother (remember the still incomplete "Cruising with the Mothers" tale?) even suggested outright that I do so:

 

“... Surely it has occurred to you that you should write about this. Maybe it would give you a diversion. (On the other hand, maybe enough is enough.) But you write so well and observe what others don't always see. I'll bet you could explain what is happening better than the average dear soul who never expected to get clobbered with cancer…”

 

I would like to celebrate the time that’s left by remembering the past and considering the future with my friends. I can already tell that it won’t be easy as my faculties are compromised, but one must make the best of a given situation. Perhaps I can manage to share some useful tips along the way. I dearly want to do whatever I can to ease the transition for the love of my life, Kris, and hope that those who can help will do what they can.

 

I don't know how many of my CC friends are still lurking here, but I did want to let those who remain know I have one more story to tell. In any case, I will probably do most of my writing on my own website (chesterh.com), so you can check there occasionally if you like.

 

No matter what, I do want to say, “Thank you,” to all who have been with me along the road or on the seas. It’s been a good ride.

 

With Love,

"Chesterh"

I don't know you but am sending you positive thoughts. I will think of you when I run my color run in May.

Not to pay for the cruise but for trips and spending money, as soon as I book a cruise, I take all my loose dollar bills from my wallet and put into a box. Cruise time usually have several hundred dollars!

I did an 11 night cruise solo to Hawaii on Celebrity last year. It was excellent (well, other than the first day when for the first time in my life I was seasick!). Met a bunch of nice folks on teh roll call, met some friendly folks on board, did things with new friends, did things by myself -- it was all terrific.

 

I usually do the late fixed seating for dinner, but something got messed up and I was put in early dining. I can't eat dinner that early, so I switched to the flex dining. They wouldn't seat me with other people (said it would take too long to fill a table), so I ate alone the first night. After that, I ended up hanging with friends who were also on flex dining, so we usually ate together.

 

As for the financial end, absolutely start saving up now. But also keep a lookout for last minute deals. I booked my trip last year just after final payment was due, and got a phenomenal deal. Booked a guarantee balcony, and ended up with a gorgeous aft view. All at a ridiculously low price, even with eeh single supplement. So if you just keep an eye out, you might find yourself traveling before you know it!

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

My hubby surprised me with a trip to Jamaica on my 40th and we had a great time. Let's see what will happen this year for my 50th! :)

This is from last year on the Freedom! Hot Pink,with a yellow flower

Love!

I always take my Kindle and my phone. I pad I may leave behind.

Arrive at least a day before especially in winter. Never know about the weather!

Early mornings on deck are the best! Quiet and beautiful to watch sunrise.

Don't stress on too many outfits! You are on vacation.

Try one of the specialty restaurants if you can. In my opinion, very good and was worth extra money.

I like to buy the boarding picture. Sure it's cheesy but always brings a smile to my face!

As previous poster stated, Ginger Pills are an option. I can't remember who told me about them, but I took them and never had any issues. I was really worried on our first cruise but I was fine!

Have fun on your cruise Dickie! Hoping to book 6131 tomorrow for 2/2016! Maybe we will see you two there! :cool:

Not alot of rooms pictured here but I did find our room Miracle 6176 for our October 2011 cruise pictured on this site. Also I posted pictures of Miracle 8171. Hope this helps. Would not let me post as a link - not sure why.

cruiselinerooms

Wow. As a first time cruiser, there was a lot of things on both lists posted that I did not think about! I have added the shoe orgainizer, highlighter and post its to my list.

Thank you both for all the time you spent putting the lists together and for sharing them with us!