Questions for solo cruisers

[Pickalily, Wilts]

 

Just another gentle 'bump' to keep this current.

 

 

[Destiny0315]

A new article posted today about solo cruising and different cruise lines including HAL from Travel + Leisure magazine:                                                                                                               https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/more-travelers-are-taking-luxury-cruises-solo-here-s-how-they-re-affording-it/ar-AA18LCFh?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=b0050d675da04f7ea4b70720edf54f46&ei=13 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Destiny0315

[vswan]

OP poster here. Geez, when it rains... My mom's partner of 35+ yrs had a stroke and will not survive, right now it's a waiting game. He was the only grandpa most of the kids have ever known and it is hitting us all hard since it's so close to my husband's passing. This is just too soon for another life upset. I'm going out to bring her home earlier than expected. Not cruise related, but you have all been so kind. And no, she won't cruise with me, she gets very severe motion sickness.

[canadianbear]

3 minutes ago, vswan said:

OP poster here. Geez, when it rains... My mom's partner of 35+ yrs had a stroke and will not survive, right now it's a waiting game. He was the only grandpa most of the kids have ever known and it is hitting us all hard since it's so close to my husband's passing. This is just too soon for another life upset. I'm going out to bring her home earlier than expected. Not cruise related, but you have all been so kind. And no, she won't cruise with me, she gets very severe motion sickness.

I’m so sorry and feel for your family.  Thinking of you all.  

[3rdGenCunarder]

I'm so sorry you have to have this on top of losing your husband. I'm sure your mother will be glad to have you there for her.

[shippmates]

So sorry for your sadness so close to losing your husband.  Your Mother will be glad to have you by her side.

[Gsel]

My condolences, your Mother is fortunate to have such a wonderful daughter.

[RuthC]

I'm sorry for this additional upheaval in your life. Your mother is fortunate to have you. 

[bellebaby]

Wishing you comfort during this difficult time.

 

My sister's partner just lost his mother and father in a three-week period.  He is really struggling.

 

Thinking of you.

 

B

[kaykayozzie]

losing someone you love is always hard. My sister is not dying; she has dementia so is dying by degrees. It's horrid. Live while we can and do as much as we can. Blessings, Kay

[Destiny0315]

38 minutes ago, kaykayozzie said:

losing someone you love is always hard.

Right and whether it be short and sudden or long and drawn out the effects are basically always the same. I lost my only sister to Alzheimer's Disease two years ago. Her and her husband over the years had travelled to all 50 states in the USA and most of Canada along with other countries including Australia to see their daughter and her family. They had cruised several times over the years too. But I'm sure my brother-in-law and all of us here would love to have just one more day with a loved one who has passed and I know you will feel the same way too which is good...Rob

Edited March 18, 2023 by Destiny0315

[shippmates]

12 hours ago, Destiny0315 said:

would love to have just one more day with a loved one who has passed

I know I wish I had just one for day with my husband.  I often think of this when I hear the song by Scotty McCreay " Just 5 More Minutes". It does not matter how long we had them with us it is never long enough.  I am so sorry for your loses.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, shippmates said:

I know I wish I had just one for day with my husband.  I often think of this when I hear the song by Scotty McCreay " Just 5 More Minutes". It does not matter how long we had them with us it is never long enough.  I am so sorry for your loses.

 

When my BF's husband died, she complained to me that people would say "He had a good, long life." She knew they meant well, but she always wanted to say "Yes, but I want more!"

[Destiny0315]

1 hour ago, shippmates said:

" Just 5 More Minutes"

Yes lightening it up a bit here and getting things back on topic, even just 5 more minutes with a lost loved one in a lido buffet queue would be great because you know that it will probably end up being 15!🙂

[Destiny0315]

https://www.explore.com/1233093/solo-travel-how-to-enjoy-a-cruise-alone/

Another good new article about solo cruising.

[cruising sister]

Thanks for sharing. I am getting just a little nervous about my May cruise. 

[Destiny0315]

 

35 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

I am getting just a little nervous about my May cruise. 

I have a couple of them coming up then too. It's pretty normal to be nervous and anxious with all the planning involved with a cruise or any vacation/holiday.

[3rdGenCunarder]

51 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Thanks for sharing. I am getting just a little nervous about my May cruise. 

 

Deep breath, you can do this. If anything specific worries you, come back and ask questions. Or if it's just general "can I do this?" come back and talk about that. Several of the posters on this thread I knew were widowed from some of the things they've said about cruising, but none of us have said so much about solo travel on this board before. So a big thank you to @vswan for starting this. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by 3rdGenCunarder

[bellebaby]

On 3/23/2023 at 5:52 PM, cruising sister said:

Thanks for sharing. I am getting just a little nervous about my May cruise. 

Me, too.  I hope my anxiety turns into excitement.

 

B

[cruising sister]

When sailing solo do you stick to ship excursions or venture off on private tours?  I have a mix on my May cruise and hope it is ok. 

[lcand1923]

50 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

When sailing solo do you stick to ship excursions or venture off on private tours?  I have a mix on my May cruise and hope it is ok. 

 

I’m a worry-wart, so stick to ship excursions.  I figure that they will get me there and back on time.  Some have been good, some just so-so.  I do, however, if I know i’m in a safe area, will walk around on my own.  Again, I am a worry-wart and will watch my time closely to make certain I am back onboard on time.

[3rdGenCunarder]

26 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

When sailing solo do you stick to ship excursions or venture off on private tours?  I have a mix on my May cruise and hope it is ok. 

There is no easy answer to this. You need to figure out what works for your own comfort level, and that can vary from one port to another. Cruising is traveling in a cocoon. When you get to a port, how far out of that cocoon you want to go is up to you. Ship tours offer a sense of comfort. Someone is in charge and you just go along.

 

For me, it depends on how well I know the port and the language. My big worry is can I get back to the ship if the tour runs late. For example, when we were in Cartegena, I saw a ship's tour to the National Aviary. I looked on Googlemaps to see if it was somewhere I could get to on my own because I might want more time than the tour included. It was about 45 minutes away with no nearby town, so a taxi was unlikely for getting back to port. Plus, I don't speak Spanish. And the ship was leaving at 2 PM. So I booked the ship's tour, and it worked out to be just the right amount of time and no worries. We were back at the ship 45 minutes before sailing. 

 

If public transport looks reliable, I'll go out on my own, especially if the ship is leaving late. In Quebec City, I took a local bus several miles out of town to see a university botanic garden. There was a mall nearby, and on the bus ride back, I sat with some of the ship's crew who had been shopping and we had a pleasant chat. You never know what you'll find when you go out on your own, and I mean that in a good way. 

 

If you want to be more independent, you need to do your homework. I can't stress this enough. If you weren't the travel planner in your family, you need to become the planner. This was easy for me, as I already was the one who did the travel plans, reservations, etc. DH and I would talk about things we wanted to do and see, and then I put it all together. 

 

Google can be your travel advisor. I begin with googlemaps. What's in the port itself that might interest you? I search for museums, gardens, bakeries, yarn shops. Google "[location] tourism" and you probably will get links to official government tourism offices. I look at ship tours to see what options there are beyond the port. Tripadvisor and other companies that sell tours can give you ideas. Ask questions on the port of call boards on CC. Join your roll call and see if anyone is organizing a tour you might like to join. 

 

 

 

 

[RuthC]

6 hours ago, cruising sister said:

When sailing solo do you stick to ship excursions or venture off on private tours?  I have a mix on my May cruise and hope it is ok. 

I primarily do ship excursions, as that way I feel there's the safety in numbers, and hopefully someone will notice if my seat is empty before we leave a site. 

However, I have gone on private excursions when I knew the people I was with. I have traveled with friends, and we have gone on tours knowing each others mobility limitations, or other individual characteristics, and accept them. We had some great times! 

But go off with a group of people I don't know? Ah, no thanks. 

[shippmates]

I will do ship excursions the first time in a port or if the excursion is a long distance from the ship.  I then know that the ship will wait until we return.  In Southampton and Hamburg I have taken the ship free shuttle and did sightseeing in the town with not problem getting back to the ship.

[lcand1923]

I answered this question before, but now want to add a couple of additional thoughts based upon what others have written.  You have to do what is comfortable for YOU.  I’ll research the port and what there is to see and/or do there that interests me.  If language/distance/time/safety are barriers, I’ll stick to the ship-sponsored shore excursion.  If they aren’t AND I can find a good map, I’ll venture off on my own.  As I’ve said before, the crew tends to adopt the solo cruiser.  More than once, I’ve been wandering around a port and was flagged down by members of the crew who asked how I was doing.  After chatting a bit, they told me to make certain I saw XXXXXX before returning to the ship.  Back onboard, we had another shared experience to discuss.