Solo Cruiseing

[icemaiden2310]

Has anyone cruised solo? As the time draws near I find myself getting a little nervous. Id be interested to know if anyone else has travelled by themselves on a cruise. Thanks

 

Jenny

[karmac]

When I did my Fairstar cruise, I booked to go solo, sharing with 3 strangers. A short while after I booked a friend (not a particularly close one) decided to come with me. We shared with 2 strangers, 1 from Melbourne & 1 from Perth. There were times when I wished I'd gone by myself. The other 2 of course were complete strangers and we all had a great time & got on really well. I wouldn't hesitate to go alone. You'll have a fabulous time. Just remember, they're in the same position as you. And if you find you just don't have anything in common, you've got the rest of us on here that are going. You're bound to get along with somebody. When we cruised in April, we met up with fellow CCers and spent quite a lot of time with them. Don't panic. You'll have a great time.

 

Karen

[icemaiden2310]

Thanks Karmac I feel a little more at ease. I guess its just those first few moments when I will be there all alone. I come from a small country town and know everyone so it is a bit daunting going somewhere and not knowing anyone at all. I go on sun in 4 weeks on my own. So that will be a trial run I suppose

[KarenR_UK]

:D I have now one 2 cruises solo (P+O UK and Cunard) and I am in the process of booking another.

There are always people to talk to - on deck, in the bars (personally not very good at that one:( ), in the buffet (go when its crowded and you just have to share a table:D ). If you have fixed dining, there are your table mates who after a few days will probably invite you to the shows with them etc (tho the shows are easy to do solo - just slip in the back!)

The hardest part I found was after the show, when I wasn't ready for bed yet - I usually found the quietest late night bar, listened to the music and people watched - After a few days, I started to see people I knew from around the ship and joined them - that is if I didn't go with the table mates.

 

I did get lonely on occasions (day 4 I didn't feel well and just wanted to go home) - but I always have a great time.

 

Have you seen the Solo cruisers forum on Cruise Critic ? - lots of advice about cruising alone. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=373

 

Have a great time

 

Karen

[NARELLE]

Many years ago I went on a 4 week cruise to Tahiti by myself. Like Karen r says you have the people at your table that you will qucikly make frineds with or in buffet yes you sit with anyone and always strike up a conversation.

Even now even though I go with family there are times when I dont do the same things as my DH and I will go off and do other activities with people I have met on the ship.

Last year I went for 19 days to Bangkok. During the day my husband and I only met for meals. He has other interests to me. I used to play Bingo with an older couple that were on our table for dinner. He used to go to Trivia with all our CC friends from the thread that we had chatted to before we sailed.

 

Trust me you will never be lonely. Yes I agree that after the show in the night when I went alone it did become a little daunting but after a few days you will mix with a lot more people. They also have group get togethers for people sailing solo. This is also another way to sus out who is also sailing alone and pal up with them

 

narelle

[icemaiden2310]

Thanks all for your replies My knees arn't knocking quite as much now!

[rockie]

Narelle, you sound like us. When we were telling people about our trips, they said, It sounds like you were on two seperate ships. Some evenings we even sat at different tables. We had met some fellow farmers from up north and of course the table talk was all cows and sheep, so I just stayed on our table some nights. We also have different interests onboard and I have talked to people that have been bored because their husband didn't want to do this or do that. I said, but you don't have to be joined at the hip, why didn't you do your own thing. I would have no hesitation in going solo if I had to. I got caught out a few times though scoffing down in the pizza bar. Hubby walked past just as I was stuffing a big bit of chocolate cake in my mouth.:o Mind you, he was off to have a beer.:p You will enjoy yourself and meet so many different types of people. There are usually a few onboard that stand out and make the trip very interesting too.

[kezza]

My first cruise in 1975 ended up being solo. I did go with a girl I worked with (not buddies) and the only time we met up was at dinner time. I had a ball. Met so many people. I never felt lonely or left out even when I was with couples. There always seems to be a great mix of singles on the cruises.

 

You will have a great time.

 

Kerri

[Liv4cruzin]

I'd guess about half of my cruises have been solo. The cruise ship environment makes it so much easier to make "friends" than a land based vacation. You are bound to hit it off w/ one of your tablemates or someone you meet on a shore excursion. Don't fret over this. It's gonna be a lot easier than you imagined.