Awkward Solo Moments

[Thoie]

I am sailing solo for the very first time on NCL. On our roll call, some of us solos are meeting for dinner the first night. I am sailing in a studio, so we also have a solo gathering to meet others.

 

BTW I am happily married but my DH can't get off from work and I need a break from this tough winter. I am mobility challenged (cane) and fluffy, so I hope I can make some friends and not be ostracized. My main goal is to relax. Years ago I have traveled solo on business, but this will be my first solo vacation.

 

One of the advantage of cruising is that the majority of adults are grown-ups, and don't judge on looks :) I'm certainly no oil painting, but I've never had any-one (that I noticed) avoid me because of my looks/speed, so don't worry about that!

 

If you've already arranged to meet a few other people that will break the ice. What I noticed last year is that I met a few people separately from the roll call, and introduced them to people I knew through the roll call, and vice versa, so once you've got talking to a few people your social circle starts expanding during the trip.

 

Find an regular activity or two that you like (such as trivia, or dancing, or sing songs) and turn up to those as often as you can - you frequently come across the same people all the time and get to know them that way too.

[Thoth]

One of the advantage of cruising is that the majority of adults are grown-ups, and don't judge on looks :) I'm certainly no oil painting, but I've never had any-one (that I noticed) avoid me because of my looks/speed, so don't worry about that!

 

If you've already arranged to meet a few other people that will break the ice. What I noticed last year is that I met a few people separately from the roll call, and introduced them to people I knew through the roll call, and vice versa, so once you've got talking to a few people your social circle starts expanding during the trip.

 

Find an regular activity or two that you like (such as trivia, or dancing, or sing songs) and turn up to those as often as you can - you frequently come across the same people all the time and get to know them that way too.

that's my experience as well. The same people showing up trivia or karaoke every time. Therefor it is very easy to make friends on a 3000 passenger ship that way.

[ceejaykay]

I am sailing solo for the very first time on NCL. On our roll call, some of us solos are meeting for dinner the first night. I am sailing in a studio, so we also have a solo gathering to meet others.

 

BTW I am happily married but my DH can't get off from work and I need a break from this tough winter. I am mobility challenged (cane) and fluffy, so I hope I can make some friends and not be ostracized. My main goal is to relax. Years ago I have traveled solo on business, but this will be my first solo vacation.

 

I'm a fluffy girl too. Just returned from my first solo cruise and I had a very positive experience which I'll post about later. You'll have a great time.

[Thoie]

I'm a fluffy girl too. Just returned from my first solo cruise and I had a very positive experience which I'll post about later. You'll have a great time.

 

Spill the beans! I need to go to bed, and madly curious now :)

[shepherdqueen]

Thank you all! I do hope to join in on karaoke as I do love to sing! :) I am starting to get very excited now!

[dancinman66]

Solo travelling is what you want to make of it

If you want to meet people then making the effort will get the results

And just learn to ignore those rude people or come up with some of those fantastic comments made earlier

 

Look forward to meeting some of you in the future

 

Cruising is life

Enjoy life

Be happy

Greg:)

 

 

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[1jazzylady]

I take one or two solo cruises each year. I always go in late April/early May. I have a flexible work schedule which allows significant time off. I enjoy long cruises (14+) days and recently have been taking transatlantic cruises.

 

Funniest solo story is where I was put at a table in the MDR for 8 people. First night was myself and a H&W. Next night they didn't show (hope it wasn't me), I was alone and remained alone for the balance of the cruise. I was given the option of switching but I liked my waiter and decided to stay. The looks I got from people was priceless and I got the best service.

 

I have been is your situation, when I ended up the only one left at the table on day 3 I just gave up and ate at the pub and buffet. Now I am requesting my own table. Don't want to have to make small talk. i am not a small talk kind of person and don't want to hear about dogs and cats and grand kids. I am surprised they did not take the large table away from you.

[1jazzylady]

I would have sat down at the table and said to the host. "If these people cannot be polite, I would appreciate you seating them elsewhere. I would prefer they not be at my table." Make THEM move.

 

 

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awesome!!!!!:p

[Cruisercl]

Yes, all these solo cruisers are taking over all the cruise ships. Soon couples are going to be the minority. LOL :)

 

 

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One can only wish...........:p

[LandlockedCruiser01]

One can only wish...........:p

Not necessarily. Baby Boomers are becoming senior citizens, and at that point, one spouse outlives the other. Generation X'ers are divorcing at a very high rate. Millennials aren't getting married very much to begin with. All of which lead to increasing numbers of solo travelers, despite the decline being offset by growing numbers of cohabiting/dating couples. So you never know; couples just might become a minority soon :p. Europe and Japan are already farther there than most of America, and this goes for their cruise lines by extension.

 

Of course, the above paragraph is largely tongue-in-cheek. But then again, NCL already responded by putting in large clusters of Studio cabins on their three newest ships. RCI is putting token single-occupancy cabins on a few ships; "token" because they're pretty basic, there's very few of them, and there are no amenities specifically directed at solos. CCL is a straggler, with no solo cabins whatsoever, but maybe their Vista ship could change that.

Edited August 23, 2014 by LandlockedCruiser01

[dancinman66]

That would be interesting couples becoming a minority

Believe it when I see it

 

 

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[5Cats]

I love travelling solo. On a big ship, you can be alone if you want to, or not if you don't want to!

 

I like to join in with activities, so that helps. I'm also happy to find a quiet place on deck to read by myself.

 

The only thing that I wasn't happy about was being on NCL Jade. Most of the time I met up with others to go to the dining room. On the occasions that I went alone, I had to sit on my own in the dining room. I always took my kindle with me, so I didn't have to sit staring into space! I found Cunard and RCI better in that respect.

 

 

 

Maybe it's been asked, but is it rude to bring your kindle in the dining room I'f you plan on dining alone? I personally don't mind, but would like to know others opinions.

 

I'm going on my 1st solo cruise in 3 weeks (Princess) and am excited but a bit nervous as well. As my boss always said and I agree, "I enjoy my own company" so I think it will be great! My husband would love to come but can't. He snores so I'm excited about being abe to sleep w/o earplugs, and he can take care of the cats at home. His biggest concern for me is safety - which is always a concern, but I'm aware of my surroundings and have common sense.

 

My work has been crazy so I'm looking forward to no Internet access or work obligations! Oh, and Princess chocolate dream boat dessert! Yum!!

 

Any additional suggestions welcome!

 

Kim

[GaryT-UK]

Maybe it's been asked, but is it rude to bring your kindle in the dining room I'f you plan on dining alone? I personally don't mind, but would like to know others opinions.

 

Kim

 

In my opinion if you are dining alone reading is no problem, other people probably won't even notice. I often find when at a table on my own though I end up chatting to people at tables on either side, so maybe don't be so engrossed in your book that you miss that chance.

Other than that it sounds like you are going with the attitude that you are going to enjoy it - and I think that's the most important thing when you are on your own. Hope you have a great time :)

[dancinman66]

I agree if table for yourself don't think it's an issue but don't think you'll need it as you probably will talk to the other tables

Enjoy your cruise

 

 

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[Lois R]

Hi, I agree.....if you are dining alone? No issues for me either.:)

[vacation luvver]

I am surprised they did not take the large table away from you.

I'm not at all surprised, because 7 or 8 people were assigned to it, even if they didn't show up (because they ate at the buffet or a surcharge restaurant), and the cruiseline could not take the chance that they would show up one night and get upset because their table had been taken away from them without their knowledge.

 

As for taking a kindle to the MDR, I agree that it's not rude if you're dining by yourself, but keep in mind that one night, I went to the MDR and sat at my table for one, and after I decided what I wanted to eat, I closed my menu and put it down on the table (which I hoped signaled the waitress that I was ready to order) and took out my book. Eventually I realized that 20 minutes had gone by without my order having been taken, so I asked who was my waitress. When she finally showed up, she said, "I didn't think you came in here because you wanted to eat. I thought you came in here because you wanted to read!" That was the reason that she had decided to ignore me.

[42CruiseCrazy]

That's pretty lame. Why would anyone go to the MDR to read. You can do that anywhere on the ship.

 

 

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[Lois R]

That's pretty lame. Why would anyone go to the MDR to read. You can do that anywhere on the ship.

 

 

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Well, maybe the person likes dining alone and wants to read.

It is not something I would do but I don't find it lame at all.

We are all different people and have different likes and dislkes.

Personally, I find your description of it being lame? A bit lame.

 

Why would it matter to you if someone enjoys reading while they

are dining on their own? Maybe it is nicer than sitting alone staring

at the celing?

Edited August 30, 2014 by Lois R

[Lois R]

I'm not at all surprised, because 7 or 8 people were assigned to it, even if they didn't show up (because they ate at the buffet or a surcharge restaurant), and the cruiseline could not take the chance that they would show up one night and get upset because their table had been taken away from them without their knowledge.

 

As for taking a kindle to the MDR, I agree that it's not rude if you're dining by yourself, but keep in mind that one night, I went to the MDR and sat at my table for one, and after I decided what I wanted to eat, I closed my menu and put it down on the table (which I hoped signaled the waitress that I was ready to order) and took out my book. Eventually I realized that 20 minutes had gone by without my order having been taken, so I asked who was my waitress. When she finally showed up, she said, "I didn't think you came in here because you wanted to eat. I thought you came in here because you wanted to read!" That was the reason that she had decided to ignore me.

 

Sounds like the waitress had never been trained:eek:....totally

unacceptable to me.:(....because you were alone and had a book

she had decided not to come over and take your order?.....

Nope, sorry, that would not have cut it.........so did you speak

with her and did she take your order? Or did you speak with the

Maitr'd about the lack of service?

[vacation luvver]

Well, maybe the person likes dining alone and wants to read.

It is not something I would do but I don't find it lame at all.

Lois, I don't think that 42CC was calling me lame because I brought a book to the MDR. I think that 42CC was calling the waitress lame because the waitress claimed that she thought that I went to the MDR to read instead of eat.

 

so did you speak

with her and did she take your order? Or did you speak with the

Maitr'd about the lack of service?

Yes, she took my order and brought it. But that was not the end of the bad service. After I finished eating, someone else came over and asked me if I wanted coffee or tea. I ordered tea. Then the waitress came over and asked me what I wanted for dessert, and I told her. When she brought back my dessert, she ran away so fast that I didn't have time to tell her that I had ordered tea from someone else. That other person didn't return. After I had dessert, the waitress came back and asked me if I wanted coffee or tea. I said that I had ordered tea from someone else who never brought it to me, and I said that I was sick of being treated badly by them, and the waitress ran and got the maître d'. I told him about how the waitress ignored me for 20 minutes, pretending that I went to the MDR to read, not to eat, and how someone had taken my order for tea and never brought it to me. He found that other woman, and she confessed that she totally forgot that I had asked for tea. I asked her if she forgot about everyone else's orders, or just mine, and she assured me that she forgot about me and no one else.

 

The maître d' said that he was sorry. He told me that I would get a free glass of wine the next night as compensation. I did get the wine the following night, but it tasted like vinegar, so no wonder they were eager to give it away. I did not take away my auto-grats, but I made sure to include everything in my cruise questionnaire.

[42CruiseCrazy]

Well, maybe the person likes dining alone and wants to read.

 

It is not something I would do but I don't find it lame at all.

 

We are all different people and have different likes and dislkes.

 

Personally, I find your description of it being lame? A bit lame.

 

 

 

Why would it matter to you if someone enjoys reading while they

 

are dining on their own? Maybe it is nicer than sitting alone staring

 

at the celing?

 

 

I believe you misunderstood me. I was saying the server's excuse for ignoring the passenger for so long (not taking her order) was a lame excuse.

 

 

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[Lois R]

I believe you misunderstood me. I was saying the server's excuse for ignoring the passenger for so long (not taking her order) was a lame excuse.

 

 

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Oh...I must have.....when I saw the post and then saw your answser,

I thought you were critisizing the person for reading her Kindle.

Thank you for the clarfication.:)

 

The internet can be such a funky medium sometimes.:eek:

[dancinman66]

Oh...I must have.....when I saw the post and then saw your answser,

I thought you were critisizing the person for reading her Kindle.

Thank you for the clarfication.:)

 

The internet can be such a funky medium sometimes.:eek:

 

 

I like how your autocorrect can so easily change wording to mean even totally the opposite to what you wanted to say :)

 

 

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[SandraDJ]

Maybe it's been asked, but is it rude to bring your kindle in the dining room I'f you plan on dining alone? I personally don't mind, but would like to know others opinions.

 

I'm going on my 1st solo cruise in 3 weeks (Princess) and am excited but a bit nervous as well. As my boss always said and I agree, "I enjoy my own company" so I think it will be great! My husband would love to come but can't. He snores so I'm excited about being abe to sleep w/o earplugs, and he can take care of the cats at home. His biggest concern for me is safety - which is always a concern, but I'm aware of my surroundings and have common sense.

 

My work has been crazy so I'm looking forward to no Internet access or work obligations! Oh, and Princess chocolate dream boat dessert! Yum!!

 

Any additional suggestions welcome!

 

Kim

 

 

I never planned on dining alone, it was just the system on NCL Jade - no table sharing, even if requested.

 

I felt uncomfortable sitting there staring into space, so had something to focus on. I can't see why anyone would have a problem, unless it was at a shared table!

[sgttami]

Doing my first solo cruise tomorrow on Carnival Splendor, 5 day Canada.

 

My sister was going to come but did not get her passport renewal back in time. She didn't know I was planning this or she would have waited to renew. I switched to this from a different cruise so it was pretty much a last minute decision.

 

Reading through the thread has been encouraging and funny at times.! This will be my 4th time on Splendor since February so I am familiar with the ship and the things I like to do. I've been on the same deck on every cruise so I will probably have the same cabin steward again!

 

I'm waiting to see what table I'm assigned and will check it out before dinner the first night. I have no problem dining alone. I LOVE meeting new people and chatting but prefer meeting at pools, bars, clubs etc. rather than "eating with strangers" initially and being trapped if it doesn't go well. I had one bad experience at a large table years ago and never did it again. I'm going with an open mind!

 

I haven't planned any excursions since I've been on this itinerary before. I'll see what the weather is like and decide at the time.

 

Travel with friends/family is fun too but it's nice to be able to do what you want at your pace. I'm looking forward to spending my time in the casino with no one asking me if I'm done yet!!!

 

Thanks for all the tips/suggestions!