jjennings1990

Sounds like you had a great time:D......that is good to see!........I have been sailing solo since 2003.......it is the only

way I go:D.........I am going to be 60 in March and am in the process of trying to decide what cruise to take for that

milestone birthday;)

This was my very first Solo cruise and I absolutely loved it, Happy early birthday . What destinations do you currently have in mind ?

Hey everybody It's been about a week and just needed some time to recollect , I took a solo cruise to Ensenada & Catalina from the 8th to the 12th and had an incredible time . I had a three bullet point list of things I wanted to achieve on this cruise they are as follows :

1. I wanted to eat everything
   
2. I wanted to drink a lot (debated the cheers package to the last minute and it turned out to be the best choice for me
   
3. I wanted to dance as much as possible anywhere I could when I felt the groove.
   

Thanks to all of the amazing people I met on my cruise I accomplished all three very thoroughly.

Admittedly it was intimidating , I am naturally an introvert but I needed so badly to get a way and just loosen up for a few days and this cruise was perfectly timed after one of the most stressful weeks of our year.

However the best piece of Advice I've read about nay sort of cruise is be open to communicating and getting to know others and they'll (typically) be interested in returning the favor to you. Everyone came to relax and have a good time so making conversation and friends is easy .

I tried attaching a few pics of my cruise but it wasn't workign regardless I saw cool things and met cool people.

A special thanks to my table mates , Excursion buddies, and the other Solo cruisers I met while on board . My cruise would have been great anyway but with amazing people it became even better

And naturally thank you to all of the awesome people working the ship who made the good time possible !

There is a thin disc of bacon on the "Pig Patty" burger. It also has a regular burger patty on it as well. I tried that burger one time and did not find the bacon patty added anything.

It's good to know I didn't miss much then , The only major endorsement this board insisted on was TRY THE DONKEY SAUCE so I figured as long as I did that I'd be fine haha .

Update:

I just got back from the Imagination today and had to take a nap from my vacation before collecting my thoughts but I did wasn't to leave my updated impressions here ( and later in a review) about this excursion .

Intro to Ensenada :

So while we docked in Ensenada I went out pretty early in the morning to do my shopping, I cruised solo and the streets of Ensenada aren't gorgeous with that said I was one of the first visitors to many shops and everyone who was there who could speak some english were pretty funny / nice. I did see one military vehicle drive through the streets but the soldiers themselves were laughing I just assume that Mexco has a larger integrated military presence in their cities than I think we're used to in the states. Regardless I was alone walking through Ensenada alleys for their small shops and I survived. naturally I stuck to the touristy areas and the few suspicious people I did cross ( a guy who handed me a flier advertising all sorts of prescription drugs while he casually alludes to a place around the corner with beautiful girls) I naturally smiled, nodded, and proceeded to walk away from . I live in Los Angeles and I've felt more in danger in Skid row or walking Downtown LA at night then I did in Enseanada .

The actual important part The Excursion Experience : I booked this cruise specifically because I needed to drink , relax, and shut off for a few days and I did just that . Doing it solo was definitely intimidating but the entire atmosphere of this ship and the people ( crew and guests alike) on it is to have fun . I figure i'll save the nitty gritty details for my actual excursion review ( also there are chunks I am piecing together through memories and random photographs on my phone) but in short it was fantastic. If you like to drink and want to make some quick friends then this excursion is a great idea. Not at all for prudes , and I came back with some wild stories and a few people on the ship remembered seeing me and my excursion buddies around the ship to remind us how insane our partying was but we all had a great time and I hung out with all of them for a good chunk of the cruise later. This was the highlight of my cruise by far and I'm very happy I went.

do they serve turkey burgers??

I'm not completely sure, I know one of the patties is made out of bacon so they must prepare patty alternatives, no clue if they survey Turkey burgers though sorry.

Haven't had an opportunity for a Guy's burger yet. Sailing on the Elation next month and will try one then.

 

What makes it so special? Good meat? Cooked properly? Toppings?

It was cooked really well , I often times hate when people mention that meat that is cooked well " melts in your mouth" ... that was until I had meat that was cooked properly and it essentially melted in my mouth . Guys burgers are seasoned well , the donkey sauce provides a great kick , but at it's base it's just a great burger cooked well . They gave me a pretty basic burger unless I special requested something with donkey sauce or Lettuce, Tomatoes, Pickles, and onions but without a good patty nothing else matters right ? From the burger dispensary you go to the toppings bar where like me you can bathe it in mushrooms or whatever toppings you like .

I'm a burger fanatic, I definitely would say burgers are one of if not my most favorite type of food . I went to the bahamas at the start of this year but somehow completely missed Guys Burger joint on the Valor .

My sisters rant and raved about it but I know they don't love burgers like I do so I was skeptical, then I came to these forums and sure enough Guys Burger joint gets lots of call outs but again me being the burger aficionado I consider myself to be I didn't believe for a second it could be as good as everyone had hyped it up to be.

I've just gotten back from the Imagination today but the first think I did when I got on board the ship was to get a drink and to get a Guys burger.... with the donkey sauce, a heap of mushrooms and a shower of bacon on top of it . That first bite took me somewhere special , I enjoyed it so much I went right back into the large line to get yet another burger and I think I had at least 2 more over the next 4 days ( there's so much food everywhere on the ship that eating the same thing 4 times to me is the equivalent to offering a culinary high honor).

It was a great burger, the fries were pretty good too and I too am now a Guys Burger Joint Convert.

My very first solo cruise on the Carnival Imagination is in just 5 days ( October 8th) I'm Ecstatic and can't wait to relax for a few days !

I'm not a huge drinker... UNLESS I am in a party / vacation atmosphere and then I become a huge drinker and was waffling back and forth on this when I finally realized this vacation is all about freedom and thinking / planning very little . If buying this package means I can point to the menu and go I want that one a few dozen times with absolutely no concern over its cost at the end then it's worth it for me.

I suppose it depends on your perspective but for me the less friction on my vacation the better . I'm 99% sure I'm getting the cheers package on my upcoming cruise.

I'm not a huge drinker... UNLESS I am in a party / vacation atmosphere and then I become a huge drinker an was waffling back and forth on this when I finally realized this vacation is all about freedom and thinking / planning very little . If buying this package means I can point to the menu and go I want that one a few dozen times with absolutely no concern over its cost at the end then it's worth it for me.

I suppose it depends on your perspective but for me the less friction on my vacation the better . I'm 99% sure I'm getting the cheers package on my upcoming cruise.

13 DAYS ! 13 DAYS ! 13 DAYS! 13 DAYS to the imagination!!!!

How long is your cruise?

 

Carnival celebrates Halloween on Halloween. It isn't like Christmas when the decorations are up longer than 24 hours. On Halloween, they will be up when you get up that morning and down when you get up the following morning. And yes, there is a heck of a costume party! If you haven't spent Halloween on a ship, you should! It is a hoot! (Can't wait, we sail in 35 days!)

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3509/~/frightfully-fun-halloween

This is dependent on your Cruise I believe, I am taking a voyage on the Imagination on the 8th and someone mentioned it was a halloween cruise which I doubted but then I found the link above which states it is in fact an actual whole month thing for Imagination voyages. So I suppose it depends on your ship!

I absolutely love the Coffee bars cakes. possibly my favorite on-ship desert.

19 days and counting , Starting to save up money to burn on the ship , plan on going shopping for a few new things to wear in the next two weeks , and refreshing this site and carnivals trip countdown bookmark counter religiously. I think I might actually buy the cheers package too .

The first time I went on a cruise , escaped the people i was traveling with , and really had nothing to do but jut enjoy the ocean around me , whatever was going on on the boat, and drank the day away I was in bliss. The thing I enjoyed the most about cruises is unplugging. no social media to post to ( I don't care to buy a package) , no phone calls to take, no bills to concern myself with , just blue as far as the eye can sea .

For me a sea day amplifies this and because we are in the flux of travel ( not where we're going yet but nowhere near where we were) I am forced in all my over thinking bliis to just sit back , enjoy the ocean , enjoy the sun , and be at peace. I love them . I thought I'd hate them but when we are at port I want to run around and explore on Sea days I can just kickback all that I want.

22 to the Imagination , I'm salivating about the potential of Guys burgers !

I leave on Monday (9/11) on my first cruise ever, and I definitely share your concerns. I'm a textbook case introvert, but I do enjoy meeting new people -- I just need to do it in "small doses." I used to travel quite a lot on business, so eating alone isn't as much of an issue. But I kind of want to step out of my comfort zone, so I requested "open seating" (I'm taking Holland America's Amsterdam R/T from Seattle to Alaska for 2 weeks). That gives me the option to eat by myself or be seated with other folks. I've traveled by train a few times, and I enjoyed meeting folks in the dining car over dinner.

 

And as you pointed out, a solo cruise allows you to set your own schedule and "do your own thing." This is one of the things that attracted me to cruise travel in the first place. So enjoy your trip, on your terms, at your own pace. :)

Lana in Bellingham

I most certainly will and I hope you enjoy your cruise as well ! The good thing is this is a bit more of a party cruise and I tend to become a lot more extroverted and easygoing once I have a drink so I am hoping for a good atmosphere to just let loose in for a bit. Thank you for your kind words and I'll keep in mind the idea of meeting people in small doses , sounds like a perfect way to sail.

As "hooked" as I am by cruising, as much as I am delighted by amazing sunsets and fabulous vistas you get to see whilest onboard a cruise ship, along with the smell of the salt air and the wind whisping through my hair absolutely delights me...that said......I will NOT eat seafood, am terrified by anything that comes from under the sea, will NOT have a fish tank in my home and get no pleasure out of watching underwater creatures floating around and worst of all dying in a underwater grave and when I take a flight and it flies over the ocean I can't look out the window, I close my eyes and worst of all; I can't catch my breath!!!!

 

Weird, uh!!!!!

That's fascinating so naturally I have to ask... how in the world did they get you onto the boat the very first time ?

I'm 27 and I took my very first cruise in January of this year to the bahamas after being very leery about cruises in general. Within a week of getting back I had bounced between Post-Cruise depression and blissfully daydreaming about how wonderful the ship was so I booked the next cruise I could which leaves in 26 days to Ensenada ( October 8th!). As this cruise approaches I find myself checking out the Carnival site and prepping for booking my first 2018 cruise ( to the carribean I think) and Pre-planning for the european cruise that I want to take in 2019.

I definitely have the cruising bug and It's only just beginning. :hearteyes:

Just how long is it healthy to "stay in ketosis" ? My understanding is that it's not a good thing. Can u explain for me? Just curious -

A common misconception with Keto is mixing up Ketosis with KetoAcidosis which are two separate states Ketoacidosis being a health issue caused for people with diabetes I believe. Ketosis refers to using fat primarily for energy versus glucose and other carbohydrates. I have read stories of people in Ketosis for years at a time , I myself have been in Ketosis for possibly 3 weeks before having a small cheat day and continuing.

I honestly can't list any immediate negatives except for the " keto flu" when first inducing Ketosis which only happens to some people and an increased need to use the bathroom because when you are in Ketosis your body doesn't hold onto water weight as much . I can list quite a few positives though but I'd hate to come off a a crazy Keto evangelist .I will say that in 2 years I have lost over 90 lbs using the diet and before this I had never had success intentionally losing weight . I assumed my " natural size" was 300+ lbs and that couldn't have been further from the truth .

I have a cruise in less than 30 days aboard the Carnival Imagination from October 8th to the 12th to Catalina and Ensenada. This is my first solo cruise and second cruise ever I'm a little bit nervous about going / eating alone and the prospect of being a little more social and outgoing than usual but I also welcome the ability to truly relax and enjoy the trip on my own at my own pace. Something I ddin't get ot enjoy during my first cruise.

The buffet may be just the area for you , I wouldn't do Keto on a cruise but I have been doing it for the past two years and the Dinner and lunch selections are pretty good for avoiding too many carbs. The omelet station would be perfect for you for breakfast. Most of the main entrees I had for dinner which had meat didn't have too many carby sides. You definitely can manage . I tip my hat to you for attempting to stay in Ketosis while cruising though .

What an awesome post I had a lot of fear about dining alone during my cruise but It might just turn out that I make a new friend and have a really positive experience. I feel much better about this now, thank you OP ! I guess at he end of the day we're all there to have a good time.

Boy I'm kind of shocked at the mixed opinions on this, I appreciate them though the more I know the closer I get to a decision . I was aware of the issues with booze in mexico but figured if I bought anything out of a sealed bottle I should be safe?

My cruise for Ensenada leaves in less than two months and I am ecstatic . I am definitely a drinker but have never actually been bar hopping , the thought of drinking , dancing, and making a new cruise friend or two sounds pretty appealing though . I'm cruising solo and am just curious about what the excursion was like in general. It's pretty cheap and the reviews are positive, I'm already leaning towards paying for the excursion but I figure the more insight into what I'm paying for the better right?

Any opinions , thoughts, advice on this particular excursion ? Thank you !