First Solo Cruise - booked!

[linga]

I did it!  I booked my first solo cruise.  My husband passed away a year ago, he was my everything.  We loved cruising and traveling when we could.  I'm sure I'll have my moments, but I'm feeling pretty good about giving it a try.   

 

I only booked a 4 day on the Inspiration to mexico,  I've done this one several times before and wanted to try a shorter cruise before I jump into 7+ days.   I've already booked Chef's Table and have decided to do a kayaking excursion and either the bar hopping tour or the wine country tour.  Thinking that doing the excursions will put me with others.

 

Wish me luck!

[NSnJW]

Congratulations on your solo cruise.  I think you will love it.

I took several cruises with family members before I took my first solo.  Cruising with my then 13 year old granddaughter convinced me I could solo.  I rarely saw her.  

I lost my wife almost 3 years ago and I have now done 3 or 4 solos depending on how you count 7 day back to back cruises.  I love solos even more than taking family members with me but I enjoy those too.

If they have a Meet & Greet for your roll call, go to it.  If not arrange to meet with whoever sounds interesting in your Roll Call.  If you ship has Solo Meets, go to them.  I am fairly introverted but I almost always find interesting people on any cruise.

Good Luck

[bhsolo]

Congratulations on booking this, I'm sure it was hard but it's an awesome thing you did. Excursions are a great way to meet various people and see them throughout the day/night on the ship. Also, just sitting around people you start random conversations. It's fun to say hi to people you see and ask what they did during the day or what excursion they liked, etc.

[NSnJW]

Linga,

I just noticed in another post that you are going on the Jewel.  That was my B2B this past June.  I really loved that ship.  They had a good solos program so go to the first meeting on the first evening and go to supper with the group.  It is almost guaranteed that there will be interesting folks there.  I had two different solo host for the B2B but they were both good.

I couldn't afford the calories but one of our group went up to the buffet after 9 PM every evening for crepes to order.

Have a great cruise. 

[MiddleAgedBroad]

Congratulations on doing this.  I will be six years into this "widows journey" in October and I am thinking of booking the "The Nation" cruise as my first solo cruise.  I'm thinking a theme cruise might be a good first solo cruise.  When are you going?  I look forward to reading about your experience.

[MHF]

Maybe we should charter a cruise for widows who refuse to give up cruising.  I'm taking my first solo in November to the Caribbean too.  AND I booked a clear kayak tour too.  AND (avert your eyes) I ordered a new bathing suit.  It's been a tough year but DH's wish was for me to be OK so this is how I'm trying.

[travelnap]

Sorry about the loss of your husband but congratulations on booking your first solo cruise.  I hope you have a great cruise.   I would also join the roll call for that trip as it will help you meet others on your cruise.  Good Luck.

[BJs mom]

Lost my husband 9 months ago and still not sure about doing a solo cruise since I've always gone with my husband and family for many years.  I did a family cruise in February and we buried my husband's ashes at sea as he wanted.  Carnival did a wonderful job and having so many family there made the memorial so much more meaningful. Now I need to rethink cruising and start a new chapter in my life, just need to lose my fears and go for it!!

[linga]

On 8/9/2019 at 2:41 PM, MiddleAgedBroad said:

Congratulations on doing this.  I will be six years into this "widows journey" in October and I am thinking of booking the "The Nation" cruise as my first solo cruise.  I'm thinking a theme cruise might be a good first solo cruise.  When are you going?  I look forward to reading about your experience.

I leave in 2 weeks!  I'll report back on how I did... 🙂

[linga]

8 hours ago, BJs mom said:

Lost my husband 9 months ago and still not sure about doing a solo cruise since I've always gone with my husband and family for many years.  I did a family cruise in February and we buried my husband's ashes at sea as he wanted.  Carnival did a wonderful job and having so many family there made the memorial so much more meaningful. Now I need to rethink cruising and start a new chapter in my life, just need to lose my fears and go for it!!

It took me until right now to be able to at least give it try...  reading about others enjoying solo cruises helped me take the leap.  I'm still grieving a lot, but I'm trying to keep living and pushing myself.  I'll report back on my experience.

[linga]

On 8/9/2019 at 1:48 PM, NSnJW said:

Linga,

I just noticed in another post that you are going on the Jewel.  That was my B2B this past June.  I really loved that ship.  They had a good solos program so go to the first meeting on the first evening and go to supper with the group.  It is almost guaranteed that there will be interesting folks there.  I had two different solo host for the B2B but they were both good.

I couldn't afford the calories but one of our group went up to the buffet after 9 PM every evening for crepes to order.

Have a great cruise. 

Actually not the Jewel this time, I posted that in the solo deals section because it was such a good price.  I thought others might want to take advantage. 👍   If I do ok this time, I'll likely take an NCL cruise as they keep sending me freebies and I know they have a more organized solo meetup.  thanks for sharing your experience!

[NSnJW]

Oops bad assumption on my part.  Actually if I had re-read your first post I would have realized that you were going the other direction.

Anyway have a great time.  I know nothing about the Inspiration so all I can advise is try to make friends with people from your Roll Call. 

[MiddleAgedBroad]

On 8/9/2019 at 10:30 PM, MHF said:

Maybe we should charter a cruise for widows who refuse to give up cruising.  I'm taking my first solo in November to the Caribbean too.  AND I booked a clear kayak tour too.  AND (avert your eyes) I ordered a new bathing suit.  It's been a tough year but DH's wish was for me to be OK so this is how I'm trying.

That is a super fun idea.  :-)

[LandlockedCruiser01]

On 8/9/2019 at 10:45 AM, linga said:

I did it!  I booked my first solo cruise.  My husband passed away a year ago, he was my everything.  We loved cruising and traveling when we could.  I'm sure I'll have my moments, but I'm feeling pretty good about giving it a try.   

 

I only booked a 4 day on the Inspiration to mexico,  I've done this one several times before and wanted to try a shorter cruise before I jump into 7+ days.   I've already booked Chef's Table and have decided to do a kayaking excursion and either the bar hopping tour or the wine country tour.  Thinking that doing the excursions will put me with others.

 

Wish me luck!

I'm sorry about your loss, but good for you on continuing to cruise.  You'll find that most cruisers tend to be very friendly and welcoming of solos.  (Land vacations don't seem to have that.)  I speak as a solo cruiser myself.  I actually made friends during excursions, after running into people there that I previously talked to on the ship.

 

I noticed you said you were on the Inspiration.  I'm on it too.  I've sailed on its sister ships before, and I found it to be a perfect size for a solo cruiser.  Big enough to meet like-minded people, small enough to actually see them again.

 

 

[BruinsFan08]

Suddenly single here at 48. I love cruising and am thinking of avoiding the family at Thanksgiving by going solo on the Bliss. I was concerned that I would be bored going on my own, but reading some of these threads has me a lot closer to pulling the trigger. Has anyone done an NCL Studio?

[NSnJW]

Jamie,

I've done a solo balcony on the Breakaway, a solo studio on the Epic and B2B solo inside cabins on the Jewel in the past year.

I loved them all.  I love balconies and the extra room.  The studio was enough room for me and if I did my reading in the Lounge, sometimes I found someone wandering through to accompany me for a lunch.  Also with so many solos funneled through the Lounge, finding kindred spirits was easier.  The inside cabins had plenty of room and storage for one person and I found that I won't pay a great deal more for an upgraded cabin from now on.  I just wasn't in it that much.

[linga]

On 8/9/2019 at 7:30 PM, MHF said:

Maybe we should charter a cruise for widows who refuse to give up cruising.  I'm taking my first solo in November to the Caribbean too.  AND I booked a clear kayak tour too.  AND (avert your eyes) I ordered a new bathing suit.  It's been a tough year but DH's wish was for me to be OK so this is how I'm trying.

I feel the same way.   Here's hoping both of us have a good time on our first solo cruises.  Kudos to you for trying it also!!

[TTEllis]

On 8/11/2019 at 11:23 AM, BruinsFan08 said:

Suddenly single here at 48. I love cruising and am thinking of avoiding the family at Thanksgiving by going solo on the Bliss. I was concerned that I would be bored going on my own, but reading some of these threads has me a lot closer to pulling the trigger. Has anyone done an NCL Studio?

Your all are going to have a blast. I've been solo cruising now since I was 37 years young, now going on my 18th year and 15 solo cruises. Spent last Thanksgiving week on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale then hopped on the Caribbean Princess for 14 days solo, I'm not really sure I would ever cruise any other way. Have a great time, solo cruising for me is the only way to go. 

Don't be deterred have a great time Todd

[BruinsFan08]

10 hours ago, TTEllis said:

Your all are going to have a blast. I've been solo cruising now since I was 37 years young, now going on my 18th year and 15 solo cruises. Spent last Thanksgiving week on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale then hopped on the Caribbean Princess for 14 days solo, I'm not really sure I would ever cruise any other way. Have a great time, solo cruising for me is the only way to go. 

Don't be deterred have a great time Todd

Thanks Todd... I'm putting in for the vacation and booking the soloas soon as the approval comes in.

[squick64]

Suddenly single here at 48. I love cruising and am thinking of avoiding the family at Thanksgiving by going solo on the Bliss. I was concerned that I would be bored going on my own, but reading some of these threads has me a lot closer to pulling the trigger. Has anyone done an NCL Studio?

 

I've not been on the Bliss, although I'm booked for next November (in a spa balcony, though, not a studio).

 

I did a studio on the Escape, which was my first NCL, and it was very memorable. I found the cabin space a little awkward, but it was comfortable enough, and there's a lounge. NCL's really good about managing their solos. I didn't end up hanging out with them all the time--probably less and less by the day--but the coordinator was very energetic and good at encouraging people to join in. They set aside a row in the theater just for the solo group.

 

We had a mix of people there--largely in their 30s-40s, but we also had a woman in her 70s+. We were there for various reasons. One woman was a teacher and could only get away at certain times. Some people (who we largely didn't talk to) were there with larger groups--they were just the solo young adult in the party. One guy was there celebrating his divorce, heh. (He said he'd been eyeing the cruise on the website, and as soon as his lawyer called to say the paperwork had gone through, he hit the "book" button and found a last-minute flight to Florida. 😄)

 

Of course, you don't have to socialize with the solo group itself. I find that on any cruise, I manage to exchange a few words with various people--at the bar, in the pool, on an excursion or tender, you name it. It doesn't generally result in a friendship or plans or anything, but basically, everyone's in a good mood (with or without a few drinks) and feeling amicable. And especially on a megaship like the Bliss, there's tons to do either way--swim, go down the giant slides, read, drink, dance, play trivia, whatever floats your (oversized) boat.

[BruinsFan08]

On 8/14/2019 at 4:36 PM, squick64 said:

 

 

 

I've not been on the Bliss, although I'm booked for next November (in a spa balcony, though, not a studio).

 

I did a studio on the Escape, which was my first NCL, and it was very memorable. I found the cabin space a little awkward, but it was comfortable enough, and there's a lounge. NCL's really good about managing their solos. I didn't end up hanging out with them all the time--probably less and less by the day--but the coordinator was very energetic and good at encouraging people to join in. They set aside a row in the theater just for the solo group.

 

We had a mix of people there--largely in their 30s-40s, but we also had a woman in her 70s+. We were there for various reasons. One woman was a teacher and could only get away at certain times. Some people (who we largely didn't talk to) were there with larger groups--they were just the solo young adult in the party. One guy was there celebrating his divorce, heh. (He said he'd been eyeing the cruise on the website, and as soon as his lawyer called to say the paperwork had gone through, he hit the "book" button and found a last-minute flight to Florida. 😄)

 

Of course, you don't have to socialize with the solo group itself. I find that on any cruise, I manage to exchange a few words with various people--at the bar, in the pool, on an excursion or tender, you name it. It doesn't generally result in a friendship or plans or anything, but basically, everyone's in a good mood (with or without a few drinks) and feeling amicable. And especially on a megaship like the Bliss, there's tons to do either way--swim, go down the giant slides, read, drink, dance, play trivia, whatever floats your (oversized) boat.

 

Thanks for your perspective. I pulled the trigger last night. I actually chose the Encore transatlantic instead of a Thanksgiving cruise. Looking forward to it!

[TTEllis]

On 8/15/2019 at 11:46 PM, BruinsFan08 said:

 

Thanks for your perspective. I pulled the trigger last night. I actually chose the Encore transatlantic instead of a Thanksgiving cruise. Looking forward to it!

That's great!!! Ship looks awesome. What length is that transatlantic?? GREAT choice!! That's a nice cruise and I don't cruise NCL. 

[BruinsFan08]

On 8/17/2019 at 9:46 AM, TTEllis said:

That's great!!! Ship looks awesome. What length is that transatlantic?? GREAT choice!! That's a nice cruise and I don't cruise NCL. 

it's a 9 day. 8 to cross the Atlantic and an overnight in NYC. I think that means they are going to swing south to grab some decent weather.

[TTEllis]

12 minutes ago, BruinsFan08 said:

it's a 9 day. 8 to cross the Atlantic and an overnight in NYC. I think that means they are going to swing south to grab some decent weather.

Great choice!! Your going to have a BLAST!!

[H2opilot]

I too have just booked my first solo cruise after losing my DW about 2 years ago.

My cruise is still 16 months away. A 15 day reposition through the Panama Canal on NCL Encore in a studio. We loved cruising and a canal transit was on the list and I’m ready to venture out onto the sea solo. Picking up lots of great information on CC as always.