river cruising. Going SOLO?

[dwindy]

i am in my early 50s.

i have been told that river cruisers are mostly in their 60s and 70s.

is that true?

Also, i will be going alone.

do you think that i will be comfortable, and most importantly, safe?

do you think that river cruiseing is OK for a single female?

any thoughts?

[Tallassie]

I went on a danube cruise 3 years ago (I was 57 at the time). Yes, I was among the youngest on the ship, but had a great time. This fall I am going on the rhine/moselle. They have waived the single supplement on this cruise sailing so I expect there will be other singles. I was the only solo person on the 1997 cruise, but I had traveled alone before and it doesn't really bother me. Many people are very friendly. I met one couple in particular that I spent much time with.

 

And many of these folks are well traveled so they have interesting stories and are pretty active for their age.

 

I say go for it!

 

Tallassie

[Tallassie]

I neglected to mention that I am female and, yes, I felt perfectly safe.

 

Tallassie

[Paulinda]

If your personality and life style fits traveling solo...go for it. Yes most are probably going to be older than you but there will probably be some younger also. Just remember that by 10 PM most are in their cabins. It's a nice time though to sit on the upper deck and chat with others, or even relax in your room as the ship will most likely be cruising. Also not a bad time to hop on any of the available PCs and send emails home, catch up on news from home etc.

 

As far as being comfortable? If you get along with others you will have a great chance to meet and hear of others experiences. We met people from all over the States, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Wonderful people with marvelous stories!

 

As far as being safe? I doubt you could be much safer anywhere more so than on a river cruise boat. If you go on shore you may want to partner up with some others and obviously be aware of your surroundings.

 

Unless you try it on your own you will never know if it is something you will enjoy. Everyone has a different opinion. Go for it!

[travlin]

I am going solo for my first river cruise in a couple of weeks (50 and female). I went solo last year on a Med cruise with HAL and had a great time. I felt safe the whole time and took off on my own several times. Travel as you would in any big city or even just in the supermarket parking lot. Be aware of you surroundings and carry a phone with you.

 

I made good friends on last year's cruise and still keep up with them via Facebook. I expect this cruise to be no different.

 

So...go for it!

[retina60]

I've done several river cruises and Mediterranean cruises on my own and found it was easy to meet people and join them for meals----easier on river cruises than on larger ships---no! that's not fair, they both were earetina60sy. I think the phrase is "Go Girl Go".

[dwindy]

TRAVLIN, it seems that you have done your homework.

which river cruise companies do you know of that could give me the whole package, including air and transfers? no single suppelment? Maybe one that i will find more females traveling alone in their early 50s? I am sorry that i will not be going with you in July. Did you work through a travel angency, or did you contact the company directly?

As for everyone who responded to my post, thank you so much. I feel more comfortable about going river cruising alone. why did I not do this sooner?

I would not have wasted so much time.

keep the info coming please.

THANKS, DWINDY

[franski]

dwindy - I can't speak to all companies, but if you check out Uniworld, they will list which itineraries they have waived the single supplement on... You may need to click on an individual cruise to see - as the "1st" page will give you a synopsis of the cruise and any booking incentives (including waiving of the single supplements). I believe Avalon also lists which cruises which have no single supplement - but you may need to look under "specials".

 

Most would arrange air if you want to --> it may or may not be cheaper or more direct than you can arrange yourself. Uniworld provides transfers even if you don't book air with them - as does Scenic. Most others will include transfers if you book their air. Most will also have an option to purchase transfers.

 

Can't speak to the age issue... My DH and I are mid-50's, and have felt quite comfortable on our cruises to date - even though many are older that we are. Met wonderful couples on both cruises in their late 70's/early 80's --> and they put many younger couples to shame in relation to their activity levels... I agree with travlin --> go for it!!!

[caviargal]

I think river cruising would be ideal for a single traveler who wishes to visit a variety of cities/towns in Europe without the hassle of trains and buses.

 

It is a social atmosphere, much more so IME than an ocean cruise liner. Because people congregate in the public areas to enjoy the views there is almost always someone to chat with and I have found most everyone to be friendly and up for conversation. At most any time you will find people reading, using their computers, knitting or similar in the public lounges and it has a very comfortable feel to it, almost like the lobby of an upscale B&B.

 

Dining is shared tables so this also makes for a cordial experience. There were a number of groups of ladies aboard our cruise who were just delightful to chat with.

 

We are in our 50s and met 2 other couples whose company we really enjoyed. There were people older and younger and we met some very interesting folks of all ages.

 

I cannot imagine a safer environment as the size of the ship makes it very personal, very quickly, and the staff is wonderful - at least on our Avalon cruise.

[FANC6]

I will be going on my first river cruise in November and will also be going solo. I chose the Burgundy & Provence itinerary with Uniworld since there was no single supplement on this date.

 

I am a mid-50s female and have travelled solo in Europe before with walking tours and have not had any problems. Everyone has been very friendly and there was always someone to talk to or spend time with.

 

Have fun researching and enjoy your cruise!:)

[travlin]

DWINDY - I have done my homework. I chose Uniworld because it included so many item and waived the single supplement on the date I chose. I booked with them myself. I have used travel agents in the past and ended up doing most of the investigating myself. I discovered that if I called and agent and told the the lowest price I found, they would contact the cruise company and get them to match it. Then, I discovered that I could do that myself...no fees.

 

Airfare - I did not use Uniworld for that. I had Skymiles and was able to use miles for this trip.

 

There are many lines that offer all sorts of deals. The folks on this forum will tell you that the destinations can really dictate your trip.

 

It's fun to plan!

[Mac Traveler]

I've been on many a cruise that have had single men or women from ages 40-90. Everyone all ways looks out for the single people. They always make friends fast and some hang around with other couples.

I say go for it.

[s2c4r5a4p]

Hi dwindy,

 

I too echo what everyone has said. Last fall I was on AMA Waterways Paris to Prague. I was with a business association group that included about 25 of us. I was 49 at the time and I was not the youngest. Their were 2 delightful young couples (one couple early and one couple late 20's) on the ship but not with our group, they were everyone's favorites, so charming. I believe that you will be fine, I loved this trip so much that I am going solo myself this fall on AMA Waterways Blue Danube. I am flying into Budapest for the pre cruise and staying on after for Prague. I truly believe I will be fine, it will be my first solo traveling experience and after having been on a river cruise ship already I feel confident I will make new friends and have a great time. Again, just a ditto's to everyone else's thoughts "you go girl" :)

[dwindy]

all of your good wishes and encouragement made my decision easier.

i spoke to a rep about the AMAs, 7 Night The Legendary Danube, on the Amadolce

with a pre stay in prague.

what do you all think?

has anyone done that ship? that itinerary?

i have until Monday to make my final decision.

 

[franski]

We did a very similar itinerary with AMA last year - but started in Budapest and ended in Prague. We chose this itinerary as it stops in Bratislava (you do not get Bratislava heading south...)

 

Wonderful itinerary. You will really enjoy it...