Any older solos?

[squadron]

As a relatively (3 years) recent widow, it's time for me to stop waiting for people to go on vacation with and venture out on my own. It seems sometimes when I read that most solo cruisers are young and, well, cruising. I am a friendly 61 year old not looking for hookups (or husband #2), but just want a relaxing vacation with interesting ports, hanging out with friendly people of any age, and yes, solo down time on my balcony to read and think.

 

Are there any older solo cruisers here? What has your experience been?

 

I just turned 75 and have been cruising solo for about 10 years - mainly Royal Caribbean. I have always had a great time - do traditional dining and excursions - some by the ship and sometimes with those on roll call (if it is an active one!) Cruisers are friendlier than those on coach tours I have discovered. You are on track with the statement about talking to people of any age. Going solo is much more enjoyable than with someone else I discovered the hard way.

[6boysnana]

I am 60 years young and have cruised solo several times. I have met interesting people at breakfast in the main dining room. We usually meet at the bars or tour excursions for the remainder of the cruise. I reserve a solo table for My Time Dining. All in all, I enjoy being with others and having the option for "me" time when needed.

 

 

 

I wish you were going on my next two cruises! I really like your idea of the solo table and I think I will bring the idea up on my roll calls.

Thank you and happy cruising.

 

6boysnana

[Mara Suung]

I suggest you have breakfast in the main dining room. Hopefully, they will sit you at a table with a lively bunch of people that you can hang out with for the remainder of the cruise. If you are at one of the bars, strike up a conversation. I've met interesting people that way - singles and couples!

good suggestions. I will also ask the M.D. to seat me with other solos. Currently set up for 'as you wish' or whatever it's called dining. the Utube videos of he Nieuw Amsterdam are awesome. Beautiful ship! Wished I had a booking before December.

[Mary49]

66 always cruising single love it.:)

 

I'm 66 also and I am platinum member finally. Cruise solo since 2005 and love it.

[Gardyloo2]

I'm a widow in my 70s and have been back from my first-ever cruise for a couple of weeks and I think Azamara is about perfect.

 

Melissa

 

I'm a recent widow at age 59, and we just made Elite on Celebrity earlier this year before DH got sick. Azamara sounds great; do they charge single supplements? Can I use my Celebrity "status" with them?

[ansoninc]

I just turned 75 and have been cruising solo for about 10 years - mainly Royal Caribbean. I have always had a great time - do traditional dining and excursions - some by the ship and sometimes with those on roll call (if it is an active one!) Cruisers are friendlier than those on coach tours I have discovered. You are on track with the statement about talking to people of any age. Going solo is much more enjoyable than with someone else I discovered the hard way.

 

 

 

I am a 68 year old single woman. I started cruising solo in 2015' because, as you I was tired for waiting for friends to have the time, money and interest to go where I want to go. I will be Elite with Princess in November and have booked with MSC in 1/17. MSC honors Princess status. I find that there are far more women my age cruising solo or in groups. I do see an occasional male. As with others the only difficult time I have is with dinner dining. I would like to have regular dining partners for dinner. Although, that doesn't always work out well. My TA always requests that I dine at a Singles table, but only once has it been good. I am as friendly as I want to put energy into making travel buddies. My last 2 cruises I became the third wheel with another couple my age. The husbands did their thing and the wives and I did port stops, bingo, shopping etc. then we all meet up later.

The roll calls are great ways to meet people. I am going to Hawaii in November and have already met someone that will teach me to crochet. Does anyone have other suggestions for solo senior travelers?

Diana

 

 

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[Lucy Jane]

I have not been on Costa for about 10 years but anytime i did cruise with them i was assigned to a table with "singles" - dont know if it was accidental or routine. I miss that on other cruise lines.

 

 

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[Irish1010]

I'll be sailing on my 6th Oceania cruise in March. Although I haven't sailed solo (yet) I've often been left to my own devices to meet people and find entertainment. On-board activities, especially on sea days are great ways to meet people. I've tried team trivia, where I asked the cruise director to help me find a group that needed a new member and found a new group of friends. The cruise critic roll calls are a great way to have a ready-to-go group when you get on board. In my experience, there are many shipboard activities, from no-host bridge, ping pong tournaments, bingo, to lectures and cooking demonstrations ... something to appeal to everyone. Oceania's Riviera and Marina have an artist's loft and artist -in-residence, with some sort of art lessons or activity and a culinary center where participants get hands on cooking experiences with cuisine from the local region. Participants are paired up, so joining solo is just an opportunity to meet someone. Even on a two week Atlantic crossing, I have never been bored or felt a lack of company. More often, I've struggled to fit everything into my day and still leave time to nap in the sun!

[Melissaghoti]

Azamara always has shared tables in the MDR and I request that if I have no plans to meet anyone for dinner. There may be other solos as well as couples who want to meet people. Lots of solos end up doing that too and it's always a congenial group where I've met friends to share other activities and port stops with.

Melissa

[OfcSupport]

I am 52 and cruised solo last year for the first time. My husband didn't have any vacation time left and I came across a deal that I just couldn't pass up. I had a wonderful time. I met some very nice people but also really enjoyed doing what I wanted to do on my own time. It's a great feeling to be able to step outside of your comfort zone and enjoy yourself. He's out of vacation time again this year. I'm looking again. Why should we both miss out? :)

[HHIslander]

I'm a recent widow at age 59, and we just made Elite on Celebrity earlier this year before DH got sick. Azamara sounds great; do they charge single supplements? Can I use my Celebrity "status" with them?

 

Gardyloo2, I am sorry to hear about your recent loss. Tough times indeed.

 

On selected cruises, Azamara charges a 25% single supplement. You can find them on the Azamara website under the tab for special deals. Your Celebrity status will transfer to Azamara. Generally, your number with Azamara is the same as your number with Celebrity.

 

I am sure you wil have a great experience on Azamara.

 

Frank

[Go-Bucks!]

Very interesting to read this thread where 100% of the posters love cruising solo. I'm in my 60's and single, but my feelings about sailing solo are a bit different than all of you.

 

I got thrown into a solo cruise in 2014 when my friend got very sick soon after we boarded the ship and was taken to the medical center. She had to be taken to a Miami hospital by squad where she ended up staying 5 days! Her son (a doctor) came to the hospital and I went on the cruise by myself on my friend's insistence. I did enjoy having a great balcony cabin all to myself, but my experience for the week was loneliness. I spent the sea days reading a book on my balcony and really missing my friend's company. There weren't many activities on the ship that I was interested in getting involved with so I felt really lonely.

 

The worst episode was in the dining room. One night I was seated at a table for 10 that had 9 others who were already finishing their appetizers. No one said "hi" or even looked at me. Very awkward! After a few minutes (and no waiter coming to take my order), I just got up and went back to the host. He said he'd seat me at a smaller table with others who were just arriving. So I was then seated at an 8-top table alone, but I thought others would be sitting down soon. After about 10 minutes, and others being seated at other tables all around me, I realized that people were staring at me and likely wondering why I was sitting all alone at a big table. No waiter again. I started crying from frustration and humiliation, then got up and walked out; never to return again. I ate the rest of my meals either in the buffet or using room service. By the end of the week, I was so miserable I couldn't wait to go home (despite the fact that I LOVE cruising!).

 

I vowed that I would never take another solo cruise, but I've booked one for next year. I need the 2 cruise credits to become Elite on Princess and got a great price on a minisuite for 5 days. I'm hoping that this time will be different since going solo won't be a surprise and it's shorter. I have made plans for the 2 ports on ship's tours because I feel safer when going alone. Keeping my fingers crossed that this experience will be better!! :D

Edited September 16, 2016 by Go-Bucks!

[Melissaghoti]

I vowed that I would never take another solo cruise, but I've booked one for next year. I need the 2 cruise credits to become Elite on Princess and got a great price on a minisuite for 5 days. I'm hoping that this time will be different since going solo won't be a surprise and it's shorter. I have made plans for the 2 ports on ship's tours because I feel safer when going alone. Keeping my fingers crossed that this experience will be better!! :D

 

What a dreadful first solo cruise experience! I have to commend you for braving it again.

I'm sure your solo's nightmare cruise was colored by the fact that you'd planned to be with a friend and ended up alone. That could definitely dampen the fun. This time, you've chosen to be solo, so will be much better prepared to make it a positive experience. I hope you've chosen an itinerary and a cruise line that matches your interests and is proactive in making solo cruisers comfortable. That will help, but solos need to be personally proactive too. Other people may not assume that someone is alone and interested in meeting them if that isn't made clear. You've seen all the suggestions here and they certainly worked for me. I'm a fairly shy person, who was hesitant to cruise alone, but was happy to discover that a smile and a greeting were often enough to start conversations that led to friendships and companionship all through the cruise. I wasn't home a week before I booked for next year!

 

Good luck with your cruise next year. I hope you'll return as a solo enthusiast and will join us in encouraging others.

 

Melissa

[Flamencacha]

Are there any routes/ships that are more geared toward older travelers? I would hate to go to some kind of solo meetup and find myself in a crowd of young singles.

 

 

 

I wouldn't say I am shy, and I AM friendly, but I have never been fully able to get out of my high school head, where I was treated like the fat weird chick. I recently moved to a new state and it has helped that I HAVE to get out.

 

 

 

It also doesn't help that I have RBF (ask me if you don't know what that means) and when my face is at rest it doesn't look happy even if I am.

 

 

 

When my husband was alive, I always wanted to pal around with other couples on vacation, but he never wanted to, so we didn't. The one cruise we took, we ate at the buffet every night because we don't like to dress up.

 

 

 

I'm sort of thinking in terms of taking a very short cruise to start, maybe 3 days or so, just to see how I do, before committing to a week. I like the idea of hanging around in the library or other places on the ship rather than doing the bar thing, which I found depressing in my 20s and would find horrifying now.

 

 

 

I will be 55, I don't consider myself older. Your only 61, your still young. I looked up RBF. Nothing wrong with that. I am very expressive and get accused of all sorts of things.

 

I only started cruising about 3 years ago going on number 6 for the holidays. They all have been SOLO except the first. Join your roll call. Be active. But most of all have a great time.

 

 

 

 

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[ansoninc]

What a dreadful first solo cruise experience! I have to commend you for braving it again.

 

I'm sure your solo's nightmare cruise was colored by the fact that you'd planned to be with a friend and ended up alone. That could definitely dampen the fun. This time, you've chosen to be solo, so will be much better prepared to make it a positive experience. I hope you've chosen an itinerary and a cruise line that matches your interests and is proactive in making solo cruisers comfortable. That will help, but solos need to be personally proactive too. Other people may not assume that someone is alone and interested in meeting them if that isn't made clear. You've seen all the suggestions here and they certainly worked for me. I'm a fairly shy person, who was hesitant to cruise alone, but was happy to discover that a smile and a greeting were often enough to start conversations that led to friendships and companionship all through the cruise. I wasn't home a week before I booked for next year!

 

 

 

Good luck with your cruise next year. I hope you'll return as a solo enthusiast and will join us in encouraging others.

 

 

 

Melissa

 

 

 

I am 68 and started cruising solo last year and by the end of this year I will have been have been on 9 cruises . Two cruises where I was a solo with a larger group. My friends tell me that I have "the only child" syndrome as I enjoy my own company. My friends either are not interested in cruising or to spend the money so I am not going to sit around and wait. My TA recommend that I try Princess and I have been very happy with them and they are in our age range. It is easy to find groups of women in our age range to buddy up with. I sometimes will play Bingo and have mets lots of people there. Also, check out the art auctions. There is no requirement to buy anything and people are usually eager to start up a conversation.

As Melissa said a smile and a greeting are great ice breakers.

For dining you can request to sit with other singles. I have had mixed results with that. You can always ask to have your seat changed.

Shorter cruises may be considered "Booze Cruises". Lots of rowdy people. That can depend on you destination also. I would like to hear what other travelers think. Beware of Spring Break time. Lots of kids of various ages. This July I was part of a of 200 special interest group on RCL. The ship help 3000 and close to 1000 were kids. Lots of tweens walking around with their faces glued to their phones. Made me crazy. Best thing about cruising is that you can choose to,do,what you want with whom you want to do it with.

 

 

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[Melissaghoti]

Azamara is perfect for me. There are no activities for kids, so it seems to attract an older demographic. The MDR is open seating and there's both a singles and a shared table. It seemed that everyone was eager to meet people, so I met couples as well as solos at dinner. If I was eating alone at outdoor seating in the buffet, as often as not another single or a couple would ask if they could join me - it was prime space! They were always good company as were the people I met at the C.C. party, the roll call, the muster drill, on tours and even tendering into ports. I can't wait to do it again next May!

 

Melissa

[guinnesshalfpint]

I'm so glad to hear about everyone's experiences. I'm thinking about taking a solo cruise in 2017/2018 to Antarctica on Quark Expeditions. I'm not sure how that will be on a smaller ship (200 passengers). Their site states they cater to a lot of solo travelers because they don't have a single supplement. I hope that makes it easier to make friends. But at the same time I would like to share all of those wonderful experiences with somebody, so I'm a bit unsure.

 

 

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[Gardyloo2]

I'm so glad to hear about everyone's experiences. I'm thinking about taking a solo cruise in 2017/2018 to Antarctica on Quark Expeditions. I'm not sure how that will be on a smaller ship (200 passengers). Their site states they cater to a lot of solo travelers because they don't have a single supplement. I hope that makes it easier to make friends. But at the same time I would like to share all of those wonderful experiences with somebody, so I'm a bit unsure.

 

 

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I was on a Quark Expedition ship last month for an Arctic trip with my adult kids (we shared a triple). There were indeed quite a few solos, and everyone was very welcoming and generally nice to each other.

 

Beautiful scenery, incredible wildlife, and fun zodiac rides.

 

If I ever went on a Quark trip again, I'd want to be on a newer ship than ours; it was built in 1975. Sturdy, yes, luxurious, not at all. The ship was noisy, smelly and worn out; the trip was run like a summer camp. Many of the "counselors" were very intrepid free spirits, but somewhat single minded and inexperienced in assisting adult explorers over the age of 60. Food was plentiful, but not much variety and not particularly good. Our cabin steward was excellent.

 

While talking with other solos on the ship, they said it's better to wait for a sale and get a cabin to yourself, vs sharing with an unknown roommate. I will freely admit that a few of our shipmates were on the far side of eccentric :D When a ship is that small with only one lounge area, the more unusual types really stand out, and they tended to be solo.

 

That said, South Georgia Island is on my future travel list, but I'll probably look into a variety of options when I start researching that trip in a few years.

[guinnesshalfpint]

Thank you for the information and review. What a great opportunity to spend time with your children! I have watched many vlogs on the different cruises, so I completely understand your comments on the older ships. If you are traveling solo, Quark's Ocean Endeavour has 'reasonable' single (inside) cabins as well as share options. It's been completely remodeled and looks like a lovely ship with spacious lounges and fine dining. Check out photos here. http://www.polarcruises.com/antarctica/ships/expedition-ships/ocean-endeavour I am in my 40s and saving up for a December 2017 cruise, I'm hoping to have funds for the NYE cruise, which has a super moon on 1/1/18. Can you imagine what it would be like to camp on the ice that day, take the polar plunge or to celebrate the new year in such an exotic place? [emoji322]

 

 

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