Back from my First Solo Cruise!!

[bqkali]

Hi everyone...I'm back from my first solo cruise and I'm still in the process of writing my entire review but Lois was anxious to hear from me on the solo board ;)

 

I had a FANTASTIC time and my only problem is that I'm home now and no longer sailing :rolleyes: The Millennium is a beautiful ship with great service. It really was "home away from home" and I wish I was still in my cabin. Alaska was absolutely incredible and I will definitely be returning...perhaps as early as next spring...who knows!!

 

This was my first solo cruise, and I broke EVERY piece of advice that others give as far choosing your first cruise. I see a lot of suggestions to start by trying a short (3 or 4 day) cruise to see if you like it. Well, my first solo was a 10-day and I loved every minute of it! The long cruise gives you time to really meet a lot of other people, get to know the staff, and make friends - so you are never lonely!

 

I also see suggestions for us "youngsters" (I'm in my 20s) to try cruiselines like Carnival or Royal Caribbean so we can meet people our own age. I cruised Celebrity and it worked out really well for me. There were others in my age range (a few 20s and a lot of early 30s) and we easily connected on excursions/onboard activities that typically appealed to a younger crowd. So I found plenty of people my age to hang out with :) And better yet, I met people of ALL ages to talk with and enjoy their company. I heard hundreds of great stories from people with way more travel experience than I have and I really enjoyed meeting others as well. Of course, my personality is NOT to spend all night dancing or partying, so it didn't matter to me that everything slowed down around midnight. If that's important to you, you may want to look at other cruises. I guess my biggest piece of advice is to pick a cruise that fits your personality, interests, and priorities instead of listening to general advice given on these boards.

 

My other piece of advice is to definitely join your roll call. My group ended up being great and I had a lot of fun attending group activities - sailaway parties, wine tastings, cruise connections gatherings, etc. You know there is a friendly face onboard if you ever have a problem (thankfully I didn't) and you have an instant group of people to socialize with (if you choose to). I even met several people who were nice enough to invite me to the specialty restaurant so I could have that experience and not have to dine alone (I never would have gone on my own but I am sooooo glad I tried it). My only "problem" was that I ended up meeting so many people that I never had a moment to myself unless I retreated to my room - I was always seeing people in the halls, bars, lounges, theatre, dining room...this was okay with me and when I just wanted to chill I tried to find a quiet corner somewhere to get "me time". It really helps that I had a great group of people on the roll call, who were even more fun in real life, and I hope to keep in touch with several of the people I came close to.

 

The absolute best part about cruising solo (for me) was that I could do whatever I wanted in port. I did not have to compromise and spend some time doing things other people wanted to do - I could just spend the day as I pleased :) For me, that usually meant spending all day touring, doing lots of walking, and doing very little shopping. For you, it might be the opposite!

 

I was lucky enough to get the cruise I wanted for only 140% which I felt was a fair price. In the future, I would look for either a low supplement, a low base, or both - for no more than $100/day altogether but ideally less than that (a girl can dream...:)) I booked an inside cabin, which was hugely enough room for one person. It was very comfortable and I would book an inside again.

 

The only hidden cost of traveling alone that I found was at nights I didn't always feel comfortable walking by myself in areas I wouldn't give a second thought if I was there with another person. For example, in Seattle I found that giving panhandlers a few dollars was easier than trying to avoid their glares/comments if I walked by at night. Taking a taxi from place to place instead of walking would not have been that expensive (just another cost of traveling alone) but often times I didn't find a taxi driving by when I needed one so I chose just to walk the few blocks.

 

I never had any problems dining on my own. For breakfast and lunch, I always went solo and was seated with others in the main dining room and sometimes chose to eat by myself and sometimes with others in the buffet/aqua spa. It all depended on whether I wanted to socialize or if I wanted to eat on my own - sometimes I craved the time to just eat and work on my sudoku or read the "newspaper". It worked out perfectly for me to have the options. At dinner, I had late dining with great tablemates and ate at the specialty restaurant twice (with friends from the roll call) and ate at the casual dining on my own. I never ate alone unless I wanted to. Cruisers are a friendly group of people who would love to have you join them!

 

I did not see events for singles listed in the daily schedules. I did meet a few singles over the course of the cruise, and it was very easy to distinguish who was "single and looking" and who was simply traveling solo and not looking for special companionship. I'm sure you can find whatever you are looking for. Everyone who was single was respectful and friendly when I said I was only looking for friendship. Couples, whether doing activities together or who were on their own for an hour to try an activity, were also friendly and willing to spend time with me. Like I said, Celebrity cruisers are a good group of people.

 

When other cruisers met me and found out I was traveling alone, they did not make me feel "lonely and pathetic" and instead were friendly and at times, seemed to admire me. Some of the crew seemed dumbfounded that I was on my own and unfortunately I did get a few uncomfortable glances but I didn't let it bother me. Overall, almost all of the crew was incredible at making sure I enjoyed my cruise and did not treat me at all differently from the other passengers.

 

Would I cruise solo again? Absolutely! It is a great way to travel independently but still feel like you have friends to share experiences with! Of course, my boyfriend is so jealous of my vacation, he might not let me go on my own again :p

 

I will have a full review of the cruise (not just the Solo aspect) on the Celebrity boards later today or tomorrow and pictures/videos up sometime this weekend. My day-by-day journal will be coming but will take me a while to finish!!!!

 

I tried to think of the answers to some of the questions I see a lot on the Solo Cruisers board, but any other questions you have, ask away!

[airlink diva]

Glad that you had a great time on the first of many solo cruises!!

What you stated about the cruise is just like me! While you are solo, there are so many people to meet and enjoy. When you want that "me" time, you can!!

I just enjoyed this quick review and can't wait for the full review!!

 

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Now playing: Brian Culbertson - Fly High (feat. Rahsaan Patterson)

via FoxyTunes

[Lois R]

Hi bqkali:) welcome back and I am soooooo happy to hear you

had such a wonderful time:D. I have sailed Millennium once and she

is a lovely ship.

Sounds like your Roll Call was fantastic too. That really can enhance

the cruise experience and I can feel your excitement over the internet!

 

Thanks for sharing a bit with us and looking forward to seeing your pictures and

reading your full review:)

[bunnydickson]

Congrats on your first solo!!!!:D

 

Mine is in a little over a week (long, too..b2b 7day east/west Carib.) and it's exciting to hear what a wonderful time you had. {I still can't decide whether to hook up with my roll call..everyone there seems terrific, but I'm going through a tough personal time right now, and the privacy is more appealing than the socializing right now....well see..I just need the time to think a lot and make some big decisions....}

 

Isn't Alaska beautiful?! I also hear that the ship you were on is wonderful!

 

It's just amazing how many people sail solo and LOVE IT! When I mention it to people, most just can't believe that I would not only GO solo, but WANT to go solo. I love sailing with family and friends, but sometimes it's just rejuvenating to only have to consider my own desires/needs.

 

Take care, welcome home, and thanks for the update and inspiration...I'm soooooooooo happy for you!!!

 

~Liz

[Lois R]

For any of you interested, bqkali posted a full review over on the

Celebrity board. It is simply outstanding:) and I believe she should

get an award for her writing.

It has to be one of the most interesting, informative and well written

reviews I have read in a very long time.

[bqkali]

Congrats on your first solo!!!!:D

 

Thanks! But no Congrats are necessary - it was so easy that I don't feel like any congratulations are in order ;) After all, it was vacation and all the work (saving, preparing, researching) was done before I stepped foot on that cruise ship! After having so much fun, I will definitely be returning for a solo cruise someday...just not sure when!!

 

Enjoy your upcoming solo cruise, Liz! I'm sure you will have a blast!

[Solo Cruiser]

Welcome back, I'm so glad you had a great time. You will be a great encouragement for those who are hesitant to book a solo cruise. As young as you are you have made a fine start to a life of great travel experiences.

[Pennit]

I have done several cruises now and introduced both family members and friends to cruising to get a "buddy" to cruise with.

 

Whilst they were all fun, I was woken up by a gym junky mate at 6am most mornings as she crept around getting ready to do her hours deck walking before the gym opened and by a sister who needs 4 hours sleep a night..... I was also kept awake by various snuffles and snores (and other unmentionable noises) from other friends or family who were both poor or restless sleepers.

 

Then I bit the bullet and booked a 18 night Oriana cruise on my own. WOW!!!!! it was absolutely marvellous. I could get up when I liked, go to bed when I liked, have a cup of tea at 3am if I couldn't sleep or turn on a movie.

 

I am now totally sold on solo cruising and will do it again and again and again....... The extra cost is negligble when it comes to comfort and peace!!! There is ALWAYS some one (often a fellow CC-er) to have a coffee with or to play cards/scrabble or go to a show with. Dinners and lunches are not a problem as I always book traditional dining and I have made some very good friends (mostly couples) I have met over a meal or a glass of wine.

So if you are nervous about cruising alone - don't be - it really is terrific.

[Lois R]

I leave today for another solo cruise:D:)we sail on Saturday!

[Eaglegirl52]

So if you are nervous about cruising alone - don't be - it really is terrific.

 

Whole heartedly agree, just back from my first cruise, solo, and due to the encouragement from this board, had a ball. Made some nice friends that I was able to hang out with but also really enjoyed just doing my own thing , having conversations as and when I needed them.

Never felt unsafe, was able to take midnight walks around the promenade deck, sit in a bar alone to listen to the pianist, eat alone, but loved the big table at night for traditional dining. Had requested early seating as that's the time I prefer to eat, but got late sitting and that worked well as more people my own age and more leisurely.

Did lunch and dinner in the dining room on the first few days but found I preferred the buffet, quicker, less forced conversation with new people all the time.

More than happy to go to shows alone and strike up conversations with those around if I felt the need.

Shore excursions were mostly beach trips to islands and that worked well too as I'm not really a beach person, so a quick swim,and a snorkel, a walk around to look at the scenery and then back to the ship to enjoy the peace and quiet was fine for me.

As long as you are used to spending some time on your own, there is no reason you cannnot have a ball cruising solo, it was certainly the most relaxing enjoyable holiday I have ever had and I can't wait to do it again