Alone But Not Lonely: My April 23 Escape Cruise!

[Travelgrrl]

As an introduction, I (62F) have been on many cruises on Disney, Carnival, Princess, and mostly Royal Caribbean - but this was my first cruise on Norwegian! It was also my first solo cruise, and the reason I tried NCL and their Solo Cabins. I had some trepidation about Norwegian and its cruisers (so unknown!) but it was a splendid cruise and I liked Norwegian very much and met some really delightful people.

 

Join me as I discover if I would be lonely or happily alone on my first Solo Cruise!

 

Here's a shot of me hanging ten on Great Stirrup Cay. I'm sure Duke Kahanamoku would be proud!  😆

[Travelgrrl]

Saturday, 4/15/23           

 

I purchased my airfare through NCL and it was only $200, and I got nonstop flights from Chicago to Miami. I had requested an air deviation so I could stay overnight in port, and NCL not only did that, but refunded me the $25 I had paid for airport transfers PLUS a $25 reward for not coming in the day of the cruise. (If I mention money a lot in this trip report, it's because I was gauging how much more it would be to cruise alone, as I'm used to splitting the cost of hotel, stateroom etc with another person. Spoiler Alert: things like the very cheap airfare, NCL paying for my excursions, zero cost for cappuccinos and mostly free Cokes made the costs almost equivalent!)

 

I did have to get up VERY early and leave my house at 3:50 AM to catch a shuttle to O’Hare for my 7:10 flight via United (There's no such thing as a free lunch, right?). However overall it was well worth the early flight going out and the late flight returning for $100 each way!

 

After a quick flight, I got my suitcase and waited in the hotel shuttle area for an hour before my shuttle to Comfort Suites Miami Airport North arrived. What airport hotel only has shuttles once an hour? That wasn’t on their website!  To make matters worse, the guy dropped me off at a Comfort Inn, the wrong hotel!  I was on the right shuttle but it went to several hotels, and another poor lady and I had.to walk to our hotel a few parking lots away. It made me mad, but my hotel made up for it by checking me in very early to my King suite as it was now only about 11:30 AM.  

 

(I'm trying to insert photos as illustrations but I fear they're just going to the bottom of the post!)

 

I made a reservation for Comfort Suites free shuttle to the cruise port for the next morning. There was an earlier one around 8:30 but I figured what was the rush? I’d rather linger at the hotel than in a hard plastic chair at the cruise port. 

 

I hung out by the pool (didn’t swim, but read and smoked), then ironed all of my dresses for the week.  

 

For dinner I ordered food from Old Tom’s restaurant which was nearby. Their website offered a code for 10% off your first order – but they didn’t honor it. Walked along a busy airport highway to pick up dinner and found the World's Last Pay Phone! I got an enormous burger AND lemon pepper chicken wings. Let the vacation eating commence!  There was a Circle K on the way so stopped there for Cokes – too bad NCL won’t let you bring any onboard, like other lines.  

 

Back in the room I had dinner (saving half for a 10 PM munchie), hung out at the pool and then watched a new episode of Repair shop on Youtube and then SNL with Ana de Armas. Heaven!

 

Next up: I embark on the Escape!

 

 

[graphicguy]

Love this.  In recent year’s I’ve cruised solo and this sounds so similar to my planning.

 

Looking forward to the rest as I love the ESCAPE!

[Travelgrrl]

4 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Love this.  In recent year’s I’ve cruised solo and this sounds so similar to my planning.

 

Looking forward to the rest as I love the ESCAPE!

 

You are too kind. This is the boring part of the trip report but soon I'll be having wild and crazy adventures!

 

Well, what passes for wild and crazy when one is old and dull as dirt.  🤪

[All-ready2cruise]

19 minutes ago, Travelgrrl said:

(I'm trying to insert photos as illustrations but I fear they're just going to the bottom of the post!

It's all good grrl, I love it.  I'm  on the Escape the end of this month. I so appreciate you doing this, looks like a lot of fun, thanks for doing this.  

[All-ready2cruise]

4 minutes ago, Travelgrrl said:

Well, what passes for wild and crazy when one is old and dull as dirt.  🤪

Old? lolol you're young and don't forget it!! 

Attitude, attitude, attitude.  

 

[Ellis1138]

I'll be solo on the Escape in September, so look forward to reading more. 

[Travelgrrl]

Sunday, April 16   

 

Departure Day! I had plenty of time for coffee & reading poolside in the morning, then breakfast at the hotel, putting my cruise tag on my suitcase, then catching the hotel’s shuttle to the port. It turned out to be a very large bus, which was rapidly filled by hotel guests. We had a very engaging driver, who got us all ramped up about our cruises. There was TONS of construction downtown – no workers on a Sunday but it was sad to see him deflate when he came to the ‘tunnel’ that would quickly get us to the port as it was closed due to an accident. So it was a long detour filled with many cruisers funneling from 4 lanes down to 2, and it took 90 minutes from hotel to the port, (a distance of 8 mile!) arriving at 12:15.  

 

Once I got off the bus, it was easy peasy dropping off my large suitcase and checking in, and I was on board at 12:41! I immediately checked in with the Muster people, which was right on deck where we entered, so that was super quick, too. And Sheehans was right there, so I nipped in for lunch! I was seated at 12:54, so this gives you an idea how efficient everything was. I'm pretty sure people hadn't learned about Sheehans yet, so it was quite empty.

 

By the time I was done with my fish and chips, my room was ready AND my suitcase was there, so I happily unpacked. My tour tickets were also in my room! I didn’t meet my Room Steward for another day, and then I gave him $20 and told him the main thing was to keep me stocked with ice. (Those Coca Colas aren’t going to chill themselves!)  

 

Once I felt a bit more organized, I took a precautionary Bonine (non-sleepy, highly recommended!), grabbed my book and went to check out the ship. I was interested to visit Spice H2O and see if they had any comfortable chairs in the smoking section. In all my research on the Escape, I never saw one photo that proved this one way or another. The single other smoking area on the Escape is by the Wave Bar, also on deck 17, and I knew in advance that it had high, hard bar stools – not conducive to curling up with a book! 

 

I’m happy to report that YES, there are 12 comfy chairs in that area at Spice H2O and I was always able to grab one of them. There was always a crowd of friendly folks there and I met some really nice people!  Awhile later I moved to a shady spot midship to watch the sailaway from Miami. We were off! 

 

Next up: A tour of my Solo Cabin!

 

[Travelgrrl]

In regard to the first photo from the hotel that morning, I can't oversell the book I was (re)reading. I'm a children's librarian and I stumbled over this YA book about WWII: "The War That Saved My Life". It's the kind of book that when it's over you want to start right back at the beginning and read it again, and deeply wish there was a sequel.

 

There is a sequel! "The War I Almost Won", and it's pretty darned good, too. 

[Cyn874]

Really excited about the timing of this review. I'm researching my 2nd solo cruise and have pretty much settled on Norwegian Escape, so I came here to read up on it. I've never sailed on NCL before so I'm excited to see what all it has to offer and how the solo experience and cabin is.

[www3traveler]

7 minutes ago, Cyn874 said:

Really excited about the timing of this review. I'm researching my 2nd solo cruise and have pretty much settled on Norwegian Escape, so I came here to read up on it. I've never sailed on NCL before so I'm excited to see what all it has to offer and how the solo experience and cabin is.

I have had 37 cruises on NCL-- all solo.  If you can book a Studio Cabin (warning it is very small but fine for one person.  They are in a separate area of the ship with a private lounge area.  In the daily newsletter (Freestyle Daily), it will list all the activities for the day from early morning to late at night.  Pick and choose those things that appeal to you.  The Freestyle will also list a Solos Meet-Up each day.  Good way to meet others and have dinners with others.

 

Go to the Roll Call section and look for your particular cruise and join the conversation.  They will have lots of good advice and probably can answer all of your questions.

 

Most importantly relax and enjoy

[Travelgrrl]

1 hour ago, Cyn874 said:

Really excited about the timing of this review. I'm researching my 2nd solo cruise and have pretty much settled on Norwegian Escape, so I came here to read up on it. I've never sailed on NCL before so I'm excited to see what all it has to offer and how the solo experience and cabin is.

 

I'll do my best! And choose the Escape - I didn't do 1/10th of the things they had on off onboard, and I still had a terrific time.  I thought overall it was quite economical too - in fact by the end, Norwegian owed ME money! More on that funny story later.

[Travelgrrl]

Here are some photos of the hallways and lighting in the Studio Cabin area. The entire section is locked and you use your key card to enter - partly to keep the Studio Lounge exclusive, but also I believe for the security of female solo cruisers. (Makes a delicate moue.)

 

My cabin was on the 12th floor and photo #1 shows the entrance to the staircase going down to the Studio Lounge. More on that later, as I went there several times a day! The second photo is the mood lighting in the hallways. Note the trippy carpet! This was 100% in my wheelhouse.

 

 

[Travelgrrl]

And let's dive right into the Solo Cabin itself, shall we? For background, I have stayed in Balcony Cabins, Outside Cabins, and Inside Cabins on various lines and I can honestly say that I really could not care less which I'm in.  Just to be on board is just delightful. I would have to say that my Solo Cabin was an inner /inner, if there's such a thing! There was a window that I know from research is supposed to show you a one way view of the hallway, but try as I might, I could never get it to work. If I thought something really wild was going to commence in the corridors of the Solo Cabins, perhaps I would have tried harder!

 

So you have to be prepared for a small, cozy stateroom if you're choosing a Solo Cabin on NCL . I was and I loved it! There was ample space for all of my clothes, dresses, shoes, books, doodads, munchies, tablet, phone, little piglets (more on that later) and other ridiculous but important ephemera that I packed.

 

Photo #1 is the bed area, with cushy headboard, magazine rack, telephone, outlets, and sliding closet. The safe was in there. The big window to the corridor is on the opposite side and it was permanently closed. The Squishmallow is for a knee pillow, I swear.

 

Photo #2 is the TV and storage area, with a wee bench to make a vanity out of it if you have more makeup than Swedish Fish. The closet is on the right, with another swinging door.  Photo #3 is of a shelf unit and the shower. A nice size - bigger than standard showers on Royal Caribbean and  it was super clean and there was plenty of hot water.

 

Photo #4 - Opposite the shower is the separate room with the stool, and a long mirror between. Perfect for those selfies that you're taking so you have a few photos from your trip! 😏 Photo #5 is the room safe, with a few decorations because.

 

Photo #6 is the snack bar! The room came with 2 glass glasses, and an ice bucket and both were refreshed all week. Finally, in photo #7, the sink is between the closet area in Photo #2 and the shelf and shower in photo #3. All my girly stuff and a few more decorations in the background!

 

 

[Funsinger75]

Thanks for the room tour. Sailing solo on the Escape next month. Curious about reserving shows and solo meet-ups/ dinners and specialty dining onboard?

[Travelgrrl]

4 minutes ago, Funsinger75 said:

Thanks for the room tour. Sailing solo on the Escape next month. Curious about reserving shows and solo meet-ups/ dinners and specialty dining onboard?

As far as specialty dining, I believe you can reserve that 90 days out (someone correct me if I'm wrong) for many restaurants. I had one dining chit and I made a reservation for Cagneys ahead of time. Sometimes if you miss that window early on, many dining reservations are gone. No fear, you can head to kiosks or various desks onboard to make reservations upon embarkation. 

 

I'll cover the Solo Meetups and their dinner system in the next post! As the incomparable Maggie Smith said as Miss Jean Brodie: "For those who like such a thing, well - that is what they like!" 😆

[Travelgrrl]

Oh, and I found a photo of the magic window which wouldn't do magic for me. It's opposite the TV/vanity/snack bar/closets area on the other side of the bed.

 

 

[Cyn874]

20 hours ago, Travelgrrl said:

As far as specialty dining, I believe you can reserve that 90 days out (someone correct me if I'm wrong) for many restaurants. I had one dining chit and I made a reservation for Cagneys ahead of time.

 

Wait, I have a big question regarding dining solo! I've only solo cruised once and I ate at the buffet the whole time, where getting a table alone isn't a problem. Will the restaurants and main dining room seat you by yourself if requested? (I know that I can meet up with people through the solo lounge and activities to share dinner with but honestly the whole point for me of going on a solo cruise is for my alone time.) I avoided the restaurants and dining room on my solo Carnival cruise because I was not sure if it was ok to take up a table, especially if they do not have any two-tops, just for myself. 

[All-ready2cruise]

Yes, of course or you can join the group of solos  who generally get together each evening. 

No worries if you want to be alone, Main Dining rooms are still good. 

Edited June 5, 2023 by All-ready2cruise
forgot to add.

[Cyn874]

11 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Yes, of course or you can join the group of solos  who generally get together each evening. 

No worries if you want to be alone, Main Dining rooms are still good. 

What about the specialty dining? To clarify, I do NOT want to join the group of solos. I want a table by myself, but I'm not sure if specialty dining allows that.

[All-ready2cruise]

Yes they allow it as well.. NCL is known by how well they treat  their solo customers.  I do suggest you make reservations at the specialty restaurants.  Enjoy

[Travelgrrl]

9 minutes ago, Cyn874 said:

What about the specialty dining? To clarify, I do NOT want to join the group of solos. I want a table by myself, but I'm not sure if specialty dining allows that.

No worries, you can definitely reserve a table for yourself, however NCL's website only goes as low as two, so I always had a reservation for two instead of one. It doesn't matter; a two top is a two top, whether one or two are sitting there.

 

Don't avoid the fancy dining rooms and the specialty restaurants just because you're on your own! NCL treated me like a queen every night!

[Ellis1138]

Even when I was with my husband on cruises, he wanted to eat at the buffet and I wanted the sit down dining, so I would go alone to the MDR. They gave me a choice of my own table (a table for 2) or did I wish to be seated with others. So, you get to choose.

[All-ready2cruise]

Exactly. My DH loved the buffet as well.  I still don't go to the buffet, now that I'm alone,  unless I have to. I much prefer the MDR, I find it so much more calm and quiet, much more relaxing.

[Andoria]

This is very timely! I'm debating booking a solo on the Escape. My parents will be booking a balcony and I'm too old to sleep on a couch:)

 

Do you know if my parents can go into the lounge if they're with me or will they be banned?