any activities for solo cruisers?

[jsn55]

Sailing in August to Alaska on Crown Princess.  I'm a new solo cruiser and have been reading about how the various cruiselines offer opportunities for solos to meet others on the ship.  I cruised France with Avalon in April; six  or eight of us became a little posse very quickly, it was great fun.  But its easy to get to know people on a river cruise, I'm wondering if any opportunities are offered for solos on a Princess ocean cruise.  I've read that NCL organizes informal events so people can get to know each other.  Any advice on how I can gather some info about Princess would be greatly appreciated.  

[cr8tiv1]

Yes, there are opportunities to meet other solo cruisers.  You need to be friendly and welcoming.  Attend your Roll Call Meet and Greet.  Princess will have a solo's gathering...stupid time....5 PM.  Join a group for Trivia.  Talk to everyone.

 

On one NCL cruise, I was THE ONLY ONE that attended the gathering.  Just me and the cruise director assistant.

 

On another cruise, my friend and I were headed toward another Princess solo gathering.  We ran into the friendliest group of people in the Wheelhouse.  They welcomed us with open arms.  But they had to correct us about 10 minutes into the meeting.  They were the LGBT group.  We were invited to stay, and did.  Most fun we had all cruise.

[Honolulu Blue]

2 hours ago, jsn55 said:

Sailing in August to Alaska on Crown Princess.  I'm a new solo cruiser and have been reading about how the various cruiselines offer opportunities for solos to meet others on the ship.  I cruised France with Avalon in April; six  or eight of us became a little posse very quickly, it was great fun.  But its easy to get to know people on a river cruise, I'm wondering if any opportunities are offered for solos on a Princess ocean cruise.  I've read that NCL organizes informal events so people can get to know each other.  Any advice on how I can gather some info about Princess would be greatly appreciated.  

In addition to what @cr8tiv1 said above, you should try to look at the roll call for your cruise here. I've found that it's a good way to get to know your fellow solo cruisers prior to boarding.

 

Also, I've found there are multiple solo meetings during each Princess cruise. Consult the newsletter for details. Some might be at different times and/or in different locations. YMMV on these. Maybe yours will be the one where you find your new posse! 😁

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

On one NCL cruise, I was THE ONLY ONE that attended the gathering.  Just me and the cruise director assistant.

Which ship was this on and when was it? This doesn't sound like the NCL others tell me about. Their newer ships have dedicated studio cabins and last year they added cabins on all their ships for solo use. 

Edited June 7 by Honolulu Blue

[cr8tiv1]

23 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

In addition to what @cr8tiv1 said above, you should try to look at the roll call for your cruise here. I've found that it's a good way to get to know your fellow solo cruisers prior to boarding.

 

Also, I've found there are multiple solo meetings during each Princess cruise. Consult the newsletter for details. Some might be at different times and/or in different locations. YMMV on these. Maybe yours will be the one where you find your new posse! 😁

Which ship was this on and when was it? This doesn't sound like the NCL others tell me about. Their newer ships have dedicated studio cabins and last year they added cabins on all their ships for solo use. 

This was many moons ago (2006)….Pride of America voyage around the islands.  

My New England cruise this past summer had a very active group of solos.  But we had a fearless leader!

[Honolulu Blue]

11 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

This was many moons ago (2006)….Pride of America voyage around the islands.  

My New England cruise this past summer had a very active group of solos.  But we had a fearless leader!

Thanks for the clarification on NCL.

 

Your New England cruise story sounds interesting. I have a Princess cruise in that area in a couple of months. By "fearless leader", did you mean one of the passengers or someone on the crew?

[cr8tiv1]

32 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Thanks for the clarification on NCL.

 

Your New England cruise story sounds interesting. I have a Princess cruise in that area in a couple of months. By "fearless leader", did you mean one of the passengers or someone on the crew?

One of the passengers took the lead.  They set up lunches, tea time, slot pull, a birthday party, attended most, if not all gatherings in Vines, and a few other things that I did not attend.

[skynight]

There are solos gatherings. Watch the events listing for location and times. I have no idea how successful it would be.  

[DCThunder]

If you are an introvert, the solo events organized by the ship can be sort of like an old-fashioned college freshman mixer in that everyone sits in a circle and says "hi, my name is X and I come from Y.  My major is Z".  It can be a bit awkward, in my experience.  But you often can meet a couple of people to hang around with a bit, and a couple of cocktails will also enhance the situation.  YMMV, of course.

 

The M&Gs from the Roll Calls tend to be much better since you've "met" some of the people virtually and have more of a basis for conversation.

[jsn55]

Glad to know there will be 'offerings' to solos on a Princess ship.  I joined the roll call for my cruise when it was first formed but there's little activity.  The only M&G roll call I've ever attended was a huge number of people in a bar/lounge, all sitting at tables while the crew was introduced, etc.  People just talked to their own people.  Which is normal, of course!  This will be an interesting adventure on Crown Princess.  Thanks for all the information.  

Edited June 7 by jsn55

[Ellipooh]

Be advised that Princess solo meetups are unhosted.  In other words, there is no organized introductions or activities or plans.  They simply designate a spot for everyone to come and DIY.

 

I did prefer NCL version, where the cruise director took on a more active roll, set up dinners, reserved seats for us at shows, etc.  That level of involvement appropriately became less and less as the days passed.  But on Princess, there's nothing more than a suggested place to meet.

[skynight]

I find trivia a good choice to find others, they may be other solos, parts of a small group of friends travelling together, or families needing an extra player.

Karaoke also attracts a dedicated group where you can make friends.

It's not all about solos meeting other solos, but meeting friends that you may meet again in a lounge or other activity.