Best things to do as a solo cruiser

I usually tend to eat alone, because that's how I am. I've never been good with talking to strangers and that is still okay. When cruising solo, I do what I feel like. If I don't feel like talking, I just don't. If I do click with a few people on the ship so be it. I usually stay on the ship on days where the ship stops at a port unless the ship has a beach excursion. Other than that, I read, drink and most importantly relax. Listen to some good music (usually songs from the band Sublime is perfect for that type of environment).

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One of the things I love about solo travel is being able to be 100% selfish, all the time. And not feel bad about it.

 

You want to go to the buffet? Go to the buffet!

 

You want to go to the bar and get a drink? Go get a drink!

 

You want to go do trivia? Go do trivia!

 

You want to spend the entire day with a good book on your balcony, and get on a first name basis with the room service stewards? Do that!

 

You want go get a three buckets of beer and down them all over an afternoon in a deck chair? Questionable idea, but you can!

 

You can do whatever the heck you want. You don't have to worry about another soul. You don't have to plan meeting points or when to go to dinner or argue over what excursion to go on. You just do whatever feels right, all the time.

So well said ! This is me and me alone time. Not another soul to worry about. Love it and wish I had done it sooner. Now I am spending my kids inheritance :cool:

Now I am spending my kids inheritance

I’m going to be taking my first solo cruise in December, but I doubt that it will differ much from my solo land-based travel or day-to-day life. My last three cruises have been with friends and family, but I managed some alone time every day for my own sanity lol. So, to say that I’m looking forward to my upcoming solo cruises is an understatement [emoji23]

Here’s what I’m planning to do:

- spend a day in Ft Lauderdale before my cruise, probably Christmas shopping [emoji7] and dinner

- go photo crazy on embarkation day exploring ship and all through my cruise

- dine in Windjammer for lunch (cruising tradition in my family)

- find my prison cell...I mean studio stateroom [emoji23] and unpack

- relax at poolside for sail away with glass of wine

- dine with group in MDR (traditional) (I haven’t decided whether to pick a small or large table as of yet)

- attend all evening shows, game shows, ice show, etc.

- attempt to get up early for sunrises and explore ship with no one around

- explore ports of call (Labadee is a beach day, but I’m planning on booking a tour in St.Maarten and exploring San Juan on my own. Not sure about St.Kitts as of yet.)

- enjoy sunsets [emoji7] (wish I had a balcony for this but beggars can’t be choosers lol)

- read, listen to podcasts or music on sea days (planning to purchase combo soda/Internet package)

- hang out in Solarium, check out fun poolside events on sea days

- try FlowRider, mini golf, rock climbing on sea days

- check out parades, other events, stores at the Royal Promenade

It will be cool if I meet other people onboard, but I’m anticipating to do the majority solo which is fine by me as I enjoy my own company [emoji106]

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I like to relax when I am cruising so I enjoy some good books, some time playing trivia, just walking around the deck, taking a nap or two, and just enjoying the trip. If the port is one I have not been to I will usually just do a ship's excursion to see the local scenery. If I have been to the port before I will just wander around if I feel comfortable doing that. As far as dining I enjoy a trip or two to the specialty restaurants, but I am flexible with the regular dining, as I am comfortable dining by myself or with a group.

This sounds like me. I would rather dine by myself than at a fixed time/table with people who do not want me there.

My worst experience was at a table for 8 with a family of 7. The grandmother, who had paid for the family cruise, forbid the family to speak to me. She thought she was entitled to a table for just them and blamed me when it did not happen. One night, the adults went to specialty dining. I ended up eating with the three teenagers. Best meal of the cruise. The oldest boy said that gramma was difficult and they were thrilled to have dinner w/o her. He also said that his parents wanted to get to know me, but gramma said ignore her. She wanted me to go away. She, also, wanted to know why a woman was cruising by herself unless she was looking for a husband? (My husband had passed away 6 months earlier. This was a “catch my breath” cruise.) Apparently, she was loudly critical to the family of everything I wore, drank, ate, and said.

I am now on my fifth solo cruise. I bring my knitting and my Kindle. They are my best friends. I love having time to myself and being able to do what I want w/o having to factorp in any one else’s wishes.

This sounds like me. I would rather dine by myself than at a fixed time/table with people who do not want me there.

 

My worst experience was at a table for 8 with a family of 7. The grandmother, who had paid for the family cruise, forbid the family to speak to me. She thought she was entitled to a table for just them and blamed me when it did not happen. One night, the adults went to specialty dining. I ended up eating with the three teenagers. Best meal of the cruise. The oldest boy said that gramma was difficult and they were thrilled to have dinner w/o her. He also said that his parents wanted to get to know me, but gramma said ignore her. She wanted me to go away. She, also, wanted to know why a woman was cruising by herself unless she was looking for a husband? (My husband had passed away 6 months earlier. This was a “catch my breath” cruise.) Apparently, she was loudly critical to the family of everything I wore, drank, ate, and said.

 

I am now on my fifth solo cruise. I bring my knitting and my Kindle. They are my best friends. I love having time to myself and being able to do what I want w/o having to factorp in any one else’s wishes.

Hi, so sorry you had such a horrific experience:(.........sounds like that Grandma was a BIG PITA........how rude some people can be:mad:.........glad you are still enjoying your solo cruising:)

This sounds like me. I would rather dine by myself than at a fixed time/table with people who do not want me there.

 

My worst experience was at a table for 8 with a family of 7. The grandmother, who had paid for the family cruise, forbid the family to speak to me. She thought she was entitled to a table for just them and blamed me when it did not happen. One night, the adults went to specialty dining. I ended up eating with the three teenagers. Best meal of the cruise. The oldest boy said that gramma was difficult and they were thrilled to have dinner w/o her. He also said that his parents wanted to get to know me, but gramma said ignore her. She wanted me to go away. She, also, wanted to know why a woman was cruising by herself unless she was looking for a husband? (My husband had passed away 6 months earlier. This was a “catch my breath” cruise.) Apparently, she was loudly critical to the family of everything I wore, drank, ate, and said.

 

I am now on my fifth solo cruise. I bring my knitting and my Kindle. They are my best friends. I love having time to myself and being able to do what I want w/o having to factorp in any one else’s wishes.

That's certainly a risk. My recent experiences with assigned seating in non-cruise settings has been pretty good. It can work well or badly and there is no way to know in advance. Anyone who finds that it's working badly should request a change of table, time, or both.

I understand not wanting to eat alone in the dining room I began by having breakfast and lunch in the dining room. It was much less daunting. Then dinner just followed suit. I seem to be served more quickly since there is only one of me which also helps. It is nice to watch what is going on around me.

As far as what else I like to do? Sit on the deck or by the window and watch the water go by. I love being on the ocean.

I write. I bring a pocket journal and write about my trip. I’ve done two solo cruises and I love going back and reading about them. While writing, people have introduced themselves to me and asked if I was a critic. I’ve also had people draw or write things in my journal, which makes a nice memory. So, writing can also be an ice breaker.

The piano bar, depending on the pianist, can be great for a solo.

Karaoke is another way to meet people.

Not that cruising solo is all about meeting people, of course. [emoji846]

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I have cruised solo several times in the last year and a half, but fortunately knew friends on the cruise that invited me to dine with them. Or, on NCL, I went to the evening solo cruiser's meet, and went with some of them as a group.

On a long cruise this past summer, I did have a cabin-mate, but we went our own ways most of the time....

I was assigned a table for eight, and it so happened that one of the couples at my table was also on my trivia team. Another pair, a mother and daughter, only joined us about a quarter of the time....they either went to a specialty restaurant. or had room service.

One night the maitre'd asked us if he could seat another couple with us, which we agreed to, and were we ever glad....

The wife had a fantastic personality, and had us all laughing all the time....she was a real people=person...she spotted a man dining alone at a nearby table, and invited him to join us, which he did, gratefully. Every night she would invite someone alone to join us if we had room....we were all so much the richer for the experience.

One of the things I love about solo travel is being able to be 100% selfish, all the time. And not feel bad about it.

 

You want to go to the buffet? Go to the buffet!

 

You want to go to the bar and get a drink? Go get a drink!

 

You want to go do trivia? Go do trivia!

 

You want to spend the entire day with a good book on your balcony, and get on a first name basis with the room service stewards? Do that!

 

You want go get a three buckets of beer and down them all over an afternoon in a deck chair? Questionable idea, but you can!

 

You can do whatever the heck you want. You don't have to worry about another soul. You don't have to plan meeting points or when to go to dinner or argue over what excursion to go on. You just do whatever feels right, all the time.

I totally agree. That's the luxury of traveling by yourself. OP, if you're looking to meet others, I've found the most natural way to do it is to join in - whether it be trivia games or other games run by the CD. There's always the Solo Travelers Group onboard too. Check the Patter for meeting place and time. You can form a table for dinner out of people you meet there if you want too.

I go to the singles meet and greets - once I had a problem. found another lady that somehow got my room number and she phoned me several times a day and wanted to meet all day - where are you sitting, eating, join her for show - etc. Finally had to tell her to stop calling, I want to be alone. She was miffed and did not speak to again when I saw her, but that was ok. I do not feel the need to be joined by a stranger at every moment. I talk to a lot of people on the ship. Enjoy their stories of this ship/other cruises etc..but also like to be quiet at times.

My worst experience was at a table for 8 with a family of 7. The grandmother, who had paid for the family cruise, forbid the family to speak to me. She thought she was entitled to a table for just them and blamed me when it did not happen. .... Apparently, she was loudly critical to the family of everything I wore, drank, ate, and said.

Credit to you for actually going back and glad you had a more positive conversation with some of her family later on. I wouldn't tolerate being treated like that at all. Let alone going back to the same table.

This sounds like me. I would rather dine by myself than at a fixed time/table with people who do not want me there.

 

My worst experience was at a table for 8 with a family of 7. The grandmother, who had paid for the family cruise, forbid the family to speak to me. She thought she was entitled to a table for just them and blamed me when it did not happen. One night, the adults went to specialty dining. I ended up eating with the three teenagers. Best meal of the cruise. The oldest boy said that gramma was difficult and they were thrilled to have dinner w/o her. He also said that his parents wanted to get to know me, but gramma said ignore her. She wanted me to go away. She, also, wanted to know why a woman was cruising by herself unless she was looking for a husband? (My husband had passed away 6 months earlier. This was a “catch my breath” cruise.) Apparently, she was loudly critical to the family of everything I wore, drank, ate, and said.

 

I am now on my fifth solo cruise. I bring my knitting and my Kindle. They are my best friends. I love having time to myself and being able to do what I want w/o having to factorp in any one else’s wishes.

Okay, Grandma sounds like a freaking terror. I am sorry you had to deal with that. :mad:

I travel frequently solo, and have done a solo cruise with another one planned for late October. I have never felt embarrassed about being solo, I have entered the "Hairy Chest Contest" and had a lot of fun.

A few things I would suggest. The first is feel free to ask for a shared table in the MDR, I never had a bad experience, and there are a lot of friendly, social, non-judgemental cruisers.

Second, bring a yellow high lighter. The night before you will be getting a schedule of the next days events. High light the stuff that sounds like you'll enjoy, then go and have fun.

I hope you have a great cruise.

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This sounds like me. I would rather dine by myself than at a fixed time/table with people who do not want me there.

 

My worst experience was at a table for 8 with a family of 7. The grandmother, who had paid for the family cruise, forbid the family to speak to me. She thought she was entitled to a table for just them and blamed me when it did not happen. One night, the adults went to specialty dining. I ended up eating with the three teenagers. Best meal of the cruise. The oldest boy said that gramma was difficult and they were thrilled to have dinner w/o her. He also said that his parents wanted to get to know me, but gramma said ignore her. She wanted me to go away. She, also, wanted to know why a woman was cruising by herself unless she was looking for a husband? (My husband had passed away 6 months earlier. This was a “catch my breath” cruise.) Apparently, she was loudly critical to the family of everything I wore, drank, ate, and said.

 

I am now on my fifth solo cruise. I bring my knitting and my Kindle. They are my best friends. I love having time to myself and being able to do what I want w/o having to factorp in any one else’s wishes.

I’m sorry you dealt with that as well, but for those who don’t already know this...you could have requested another table (I’m not sure why you didn’t) or better yet, Grandma should have, as she was the one with the problem.

I’m sorry you dealt with that as well, but for those who don’t already know this...you could have requested another table

I didn't know or think about it on my first solo cruise either. I wish I had, but now I know better and spread the word (recommending it).

I am going to do my first solo cruise in just over 8 weeks . I am looking forward to it , but also a little apprehensive. I am not the sort of person that enjoys the main dinning even if I am traveling with someone, so it will be the lido deck for me . As much a I am looking forward to having time to myself I would also like to mix with others when it suits me. It seems that the best way to meet people is in the dinning room , because I will be dinning in the lido meeting people will be harder for me .

I am going to do my first solo cruise in just over 8 weeks . I am looking forward to it , but also a little apprehensive. I am not the sort of person that enjoys the main dinning even if I am traveling with someone, so it will be the lido deck for me . As much a I am looking forward to having time to myself I would also like to mix with others when it suits me. It seems that the best way to meet people is in the dinning room , because I will be dinning in the lido meeting people will be harder for me .

If you hang out in the casino or in Serenity, you might easily meet a few people. I am not much of a gambler, but I love Serenity and my last cruise I met a lot of other solos just hanging out in the jacuzzi.:)

This sounds like me. I would rather dine by myself than at a fixed time/table with people who do not want me there.

 

My worst experience was at a table for 8 with a family of 7. The grandmother, who had paid for the family cruise, forbid the family to speak to me. She thought she was entitled to a table for just them and blamed me when it did not happen. One night, the adults went to specialty dining. I ended up eating with the three teenagers. Best meal of the cruise. The oldest boy said that gramma was difficult and they were thrilled to have dinner w/o her. He also said that his parents wanted to get to know me, but gramma said ignore her. She wanted me to go away. She, also, wanted to know why a woman was cruising by herself unless she was looking for a husband? (My husband had passed away 6 months earlier. This was a “catch my breath” cruise.) Apparently, she was loudly critical to the family of everything I wore, drank, ate, and said.

 

I am now on my fifth solo cruise. I bring my knitting and my Kindle. They are my best friends. I love having time to myself and being able to do what I want w/o having to factorp in any one else’s wishes.

Sounds like the grandmother should have been the one that was ostracised! I have never permitted a relative to control me in such a manner. Poor sods. Glad the 3 teens had a nice dinner with you in the end.

I don't like dining alone on a cruise. I always sign up for a large table in the MDR, and avoid the buffet (I like being served and dislike buffets). On my most recent cruise on RCI I requested sharing at a large table, and was assigned to a table for 8, only to find a note in my cabin the first afternoon that I had been reassigned to a table for 2. I immediately went up to the dining room and complained to the maitre d' who found a table for me with 2 couples. We had a very nice cruise together. I also eat in the dining room for breakfast and lunch (again, I dislike the buffets) and always ask to be seated at a shared table. I have met a lot of very nice people this way. If you are assigned to a table and don't get along with the others there, go immediately to the maitre d' and ask to be moved to a different table. It is done all the time by both solo and other experienced cruisers.

The only time I had to do that was on a Hurtigruten coastal cruise on the southbound voyage. Northbound I had been at a great table with a couple from the USA and a couple + MIL from Canada. They flew home from Kirkenes and so I had two other couples assigned to my table for southbound. Both were German, denied any knowledge of the English language, and totally ignored me for the entire meal, even ignoring my attempts to introduce myself and ask their names. I went to the maitre d' and was reassigned to a 4 top with a lovely couple from Australia for the remaining cruise.

Otherwise, for sea days, I do a lot of reading, play trivia (I am not shy about approaching another team to see if I can join them), watch the ocean for sea life, go to enrichment lectures (the few that are held now days), and things like the napkin folding and towel folding demonstrations/lessons. I may take a nap by the pool after a swim. In the evenings, if I am not interested in the show, I like to go to the bars with nice music and it is a plus if there is dancing. Although I don't dance myself, I enjoy watching the dancers (and remembering how my parents loved to dance). I find that I have to be a bit more assertive to get service from bar staff as a single...I think they think I am waiting for someone to join me before ordering!!!

I actually prefer going ashore and exploring on my own in ports, although I may take a ship's tour occasionally, and often arrange tours through other companies if available for what I want to do.

 

Otherwise, for sea days, I do a lot of reading, play trivia (I am not shy about approaching another team to see if I can join them), watch the ocean for sea life, go to enrichment lectures (the few that are held now days)

If you enjoy enrichment lectures on sea days, I highly recommend you look at Crystal Cruises, where they have several (3-4) interesting lectures each day at sea. They also offer a nice range of other activities on seas days (like language or bridge classes, or how to make movies on your iPad). And I believe Crystal offers one of the best values for solo passengers, with window cabins at about a 30% supplement on virtually every voyage. If you run the numbers (compared to paying double on mainstream lines), you might find the luxury price tag for a solo isn't really that much more. The last time I compared a transatlantic cruise, I could travel Crystal for less than 10% more than traveling Princess, and I think that's worth it.

I'm just booked my solo cruise this week, and I have requested being part of a table of 8 in the MDR.

If you enjoy enrichment lectures on sea days, I highly recommend you look at Crystal Cruises, where they have several (3-4) interesting lectures each day at sea. They also offer a nice range of other activities on seas days (like language or bridge classes, or how to make movies on your iPad). And I believe Crystal offers one of the best values for solo passengers, with window cabins at about a 30% supplement on virtually every voyage. If you run the numbers (compared to paying double on mainstream lines), you might find the luxury price tag for a solo isn't really that much more. The last time I compared a transatlantic cruise, I could travel Crystal for less than 10% more than traveling Princess, and I think that's worth it.

I have traveled on Crystal, and while at one time their single supplement was about 50% (I never saw 30%), those days are pretty much over. It runs 70-100% now. On the other hand, it is now all-inclusive so includes wine and alcohol, and free Wifi. Not yet free shore excursions though as on Regent. I am leaning more toward river cruises now as I can find these with no single supplements.

I have traveled on Crystal, and while at one time their single supplement was about 50% (I never saw 30%), those days are pretty much over. It runs 70-100% now. .

Nope. I'm doing a Panama Canal cruise this summer at about 30% (somewhere between 30%-35%). Even if you don't use their creative math, it's still about 45% supplement.