Solo cruise NCL as a single 31 year old man?

[Jayo1]

Hey all, 

 

I’m looking at booking a solo cruise around may in the med on NCL Epic. The thing holding me back is that I’ve never cruised before, never travelled alone, and am worried that although I’d get along with people of any age, I’m going to be kind of stuck without anyone else around age, and possibly struggle to relate with people. I’m active, quite fit (personal trainer) and will

be hoping to get on some really great active-ish excursions whilst also enjoying the relaxation, food, party, culture and general entertainment. 
 

Am I barking up the wrong tree here?

 

What kind of demographic will I find in the solo lounge, and will it realistically mostly be people 40 or 50+?
 

Thanks!

Edited February 7, 2022 by Jayo1

[LandlockedCruiser01]

My first solo cruise (or any cruise) was at age 29, and I had concerns very similar to your own.  So take my word for it: if you're willing to put yourself out there, you WILL meet people and have a blast with them.  (Plus, 31 is an age where you can blend equally well with the young post-college crowd and the young-at-heart 45+ crowd; leverage that!)  

 

It's on you at this point to put yourself in pro-social situations.  Sign up for bar crawl excursions (although in the Mediterranean, I'd do something more cerebral and see the local history).  Join trivia contests.  Get onstage to sing karaoke.  Shout out answers in audience participation shows.  Go wild!  

 

That said, your first solo cruise will be in the Mediterranean, while mine was in the Caribbean, which means you're going to have fewer young people onboard.  But don't let that deter you.

 

I wouldn't know anything about the solo lounge, since I've been an exclusive Carnival fan.  Well, until now.  With their draconian newfound mask rules, I'm abandoning their ship (pun intended) for good!

[Ekane2018]

Hi! I'm 33 and regularly cruise alone, mostly on NCL (in and out of FL to the Caribbean or NY to Bermuda)

 

The studio lounge is hit-or-miss but I've never had a problem finding people to chat with and interact! There are always plenty of people around and happy to chat. It's true that there are fewer younger folks on most cruises but, again, it's never been an issue! It's also amazing how often you run into the same people despite how large the ships are!

 

(I even met a now-ex bf on one cruise. He was traveling with his parents so wasn't technically 'solo' but still)

 

I will say that I only booked a studio cabin once. I found it way too small, in a weird location, and I didn't like it. I just suck it up and pay the single supplement for a balcony most of the time. If you're a solo cruiser sometimes the crew member organizing solo meetups will give you card-access to the solo lounge but.... in my experience it's usually empty.

 

There should be a crew member organizing nightly solo meet ups. If there's a lot of solo cruisers who aren't in the studio cabins this meet up will be in a lounge or bar space. (So you don't *need* solo lounge access) The solo meetup will usually organize a group reservation for dinner most nights and usually a group reservation to each show (maybe 2 reservations if that works better)

[kanadakid]

I too had been a Carnival Fan but struck out to do my first solo cruise on NCL in 2019 - amd had a blast. It is true that you have to enjoy putting yourself out there. I got conscripted to join one of the female singers from Broadway in NY on stage in singing a tune and managed to get picked to play "Deal or No Deal" and won ~ $100 and also joined the stand up comedy night in the bar.  I didn't know anyone so there was no concern about flopping, and no video evidence  Lol.  Met some great folks along the way and also a couple from my hometown. Joined other duos and trios for beach trips, walkabouts and excursions, and generally sat at larger round table dinners with 10-12 guests at each.  Met a whole array of folks and had a blast.  Would def not let going solo deter you from enjoying yourself!

Edited February 18, 2022 by kanadakid

[Nicky Mouse]

Honestly you're going to meet people of all ages, and since everyone is on vacation, they are generally easy to talk to.

 

I don't really meet strangers easy, but know how to get along.  Sat with an older couple at breakfast and they had some amazing life experiences and stories that I'll always remember.  We didn't really hang after that meal, but always waved at each other.

 

Relax and enjoy.

[kanadakid]

On 2/7/2022 at 5:44 AM, Jayo1 said:

Hey all, 

 

I’m looking at booking a solo cruise around may in the med on NCL Epic. The thing holding me back is that I’ve never cruised before, never travelled alone, and am worried that although I’d get along with people of any age, I’m going to be kind of stuck without anyone else around age, and possibly struggle to relate with people. I’m active, quite fit (personal trainer) and will

be hoping to get on some really great active-ish excursions whilst also enjoying the relaxation, food, party, culture and general entertainment. 
 

Am I barking up the wrong tree here?

 

What kind of demographic will I find in the solo lounge, and will it realistically mostly be people 40 or 50+?
 

Thanks!

I bit and went solo 4 yrs ago in my forties and had a great time; Wound up onstage with the talent singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"; got picked to play Deal or No Deal and won $70, and got up during open mic comedy night and told a slightly off-colour joke guised as a Canadian folklore story, Lol and played (and won) a "Ship on a Stick" trophy from Carnival Freedom for their 80's trivia. I also met up with folks off ship - sharing rides, buses, tours etc and had a great time.  You'll do swell. 

 

[Nelsj099]

I am also a solo cruiser (female) I think I was 25 on my first solo trip to the Caribbean.  I have since done Alaska, the Med, Baltics, Norway, New Zealand, Adriatic all solo on NCL.  I only did one trip in the Studios, the first time I went to the Med on the Epic.  It was fun and I still have great friends from that cruise I talk to regularly.  The rest of my trips were Casino comped, so the solo supplement didn't apply or I only paid taxes and was always on a balcony.  

 

Here was my Med experience.   

 

I don't know where you are from or what your political beliefs are, however I have lived overseas for 10 years and found the crowd to be very right leaning, and some of the people I struggled to make conversation with.  I was living in Russia at the time.  This was hit and miss but a topic of discussion for sure.   As a solo it is easy to find space on small group tours through your roll call often just one seat open.  I joined many of these but would get upset when people complained about the tour guides accents.    One 12 hour tour my group did not tip because they had difficulty understanding the guide, so I ended up putting in 70 euros as I was the last person with the money bringing the total tip to 100 euro.  I think some people struggle with Europe using the Euro as well not USD and most places do not accept USD like they would in the Caribbean.  This threw a lot of travelers off.    Cruising with an American line it is very American centric.  (more the Med than other places) 

 

The Med is lovely, I have always enjoyed my trips there.  There is so much to see and do.  I want to go back again when I live closer.    

 

For this trip I bought a SIM card in Barcelona which would work in all EU countries, I have done the same in Venice as well for cruises.  

 

Go and have a great time!   

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

I'm a female in my late 30s and you will find people around your age solo however it is harder on select sailings from what I understand. If you are on NCL though and go to the solo meets, I'd imagine it would be around the age group I've encountered from doing them on NCL (late 30s-early 50s....most being in their 30s-40s). I've never done a European cruise however so I don't know if those sailings attract more a mature audience. The solo events I went to were all in Alaska on different NCL cruises and on Princess. 

[KKB]

On 12/1/2022 at 9:05 PM, Nelsj099 said:

 

I don't know where you are from or what your political beliefs are, however I have lived overseas for 10 years and found the crowd to be very right leaning, and some of the people I struggled to make conversation with. 

 

Interesting...so the Americans were, or all the passengers in general? 

It isn't often I get a sense of anyone's political POV,  but I can recall a few moments.

 

 

[KKB]

On 2/7/2022 at 4:44 AM, Jayo1 said:

Hey all, 

 

I’m looking at booking a solo cruise around may in the med on NCL Epic. The thing holding me back is that I’ve never cruised before, never travelled alone, and am worried that although I’d get along with people of any age, I’m going to be kind of stuck without anyone else around age, and possibly struggle to relate with people. I’m active, quite fit (personal trainer) and will

be hoping to get on some really great active-ish excursions whilst also enjoying the relaxation, food, party, culture and general entertainment. 
 

Am I barking up the wrong tree here?

 

What kind of demographic will I find in the solo lounge, and will it realistically mostly be people 40 or 50+?
 

Thanks!

@Jayo1 I look forward to hearing about your experience. 

Our son, 27, loves to cruise but has only done it with family & friends.

I'd like to see how it goes for you & perhaps I can encourage him.

[SoloAlaska]

I did my first cruise solo to Alaska at 32 (F) and it was a pretty low occupancy (post pandemic). The one thing I found was that the crowd I met dancing the night away was the active fun people. Get out there and give people a smile and you’ll meet people. Don’t hide in your cabin is my biggest piece of advice. 

[Stallion]

crazy mixed up kids-you're 31 years old. Go be the MVC ("Most Valuable Cruiser"). If you know how to belly up to a bar on Land to meet girls, its pretty much the same concept except everybody is tanned and ready to party.  Plus the odds on cruises are generally in favor of single men. (Shaking my head) I wish I was 31 years old again-I could be a contender!!!! 😎

Edited July 14, 2023 by Stallion

[latebuyer]

Could someone clarify if solo lounges usually have ocean view? I’m wondering how this is as just a place to hang out.

[nancy1031]

have cruised many times solo and will be doing it again in 68 days (ok who's counting!!!)- have met alot of people and have never regretted going solo- i can do what i want and when I want-go and enjoy!!!!

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

Just go off the Gem the first week of August. No studios on the Gem however they still had daily solo cruiser meet ups. Met a lot of people ranging from early 20s-late 80s but I would guess that most of us were in the 30-50 something age range. It was hard initially to find the group though as it took until maybe day 3 or 4 to realize that there were separate groups as NCL didn't really do a good job at making it clear who the solo cruisers were. Apparently there was a host but he wasn't very good and I didn't even know he was there until halfway through the cruise. On the Jewel it was organized much better as they had us meet in a room that was in one of the lounge areas. and the host arranged dinners for us and reserved seats for shows for us. 

 

Even if you don't meet anyone you care for on the first night, I recommend to still give it a try a couple more times and I found new people came in each time.