What do you tell friends and family?

[gottahavefun]

Here's the shoe on the other foot. What if you said to family and/or friends that you would pay for their trip and all they had to do was go??

 

I asked this of 2 different friends/family and both said NO!:eek:

One said "I don't like boats"(has never been on one mind you).

 

The other gave the I wish I could, BUT...(and never finished sentence).

 

Go figure. I don't care. I Have wanted to take this trip for about 15 years, said the heck with it and booked it. I have no worries will someone back out, will someone be a poor sport, etc...

 

And the best part is, the only person I have to answer to is...ME.:)

Oh yeah, and the little voice in my head asking how long 'til Jan. Hee-hee.

 

Good luck and enjoy.

[cusyl]

Here's the shoe on the other foot. What if you said to family and/or friends that you would pay for their trip and all they had to do was go??

 

I asked this of 2 different friends/family and both said NO!:eek:

One said "I don't like boats"(has never been on one mind you).

 

The other gave the I wish I could, BUT...(and never finished sentence).

 

Go figure. I don't care. I Have wanted to take this trip for about 15 years, said the heck with it and booked it. I have no worries will someone back out, will someone be a poor sport, etc...

 

And the best part is, the only person I have to answer to is...ME.:)

Oh yeah, and the little voice in my head asking how long 'til Jan. Hee-hee.

 

Good luck and enjoy.

Well, that happened to me. I had back to back Transatlantic booked and paid on the Queen Mary 2 for myself and husband. He is having health problems and changed his mind about going.

I offered it to my 50 year old son to accompany me, or to my 20 year old grandson and 15 year old granddaughter. They all refused so I cancelled it and lost my airline ticket money.

Instead, I have booked a 7 day Caribbean out of Tampa where I can drive to the port and just get on the ship. I'm looking forward to doing this for myself for a change.

[ancldaca]

Tell them you got a great deal!!!

 

If you go with someone else you get to pay for 2 people (say $1000 x 2 = $2000) for the cabin. However, by travelling single, you got a terrific 25% discount ($1000 x 150% s.s. = $1500).

 

As an old-fashioned type of guy, who would insist on paying for everything, this works great for me! Ok, it is a bit cynical though...

[OHCruisin]

My sister used to cruise with me. I would pay for the cabin. All she had to pay for was her air fare, port and taxes. Alas, she married 3 years ago, and though she went on one more cruise with me, she now has a 9 month old son that she can't bring herself to leave. She's giving serious thought to my November Liberty trip. But it's amazing how many people say no to an offer of a practically free vacation!

[snowbird1]

Hi:) Oh...ok..it sounded like you emailed her every day.

 

I let my Dad know when I get home;) and usually have dinner

with him before I leave so he knows when I am gone:)

 

Lois,

 

Have a great time on the Mercury! Cusyl, I got to Sarasota all the time for a visit. My mom lives there near Stickney Point Bridge at least for now although she wants to move and leave FL now.

[Lois R]

Hi:) thanks for the good wishes. I leave early in the morning.

Hope I will be able to sleep tonite;)

[cusyl]

Lois,

 

Cusyl, I got to Sarasota all the time for a visit. My mom lives there near Stickney Point Bridge at least for now although she wants to move and leave FL now.

We live in Gulf Gate, not far from there. A lot of our neighbors are trying to sell and move away due to real estate taxes and the homeowners insurance situation. Nothing is selling in Sarasota for quite a while now.

[cabill123]

I also have the "haters" who tell anyone that I'm going on the ships to me my secret lover (that rumor at work really shocked me!!) otherwise, I just brush off the remarks.

Go ahead and have fun!! Let your inner diva come out and enjoy herself!!

 

Sounds like your workers are jealous and they wished they had a "secret lover" that they could cruise with. Nothing wrong with that perception. Keep on cruisin'.

[snowbird1]

We live in Gulf Gate, not far from there. A lot of our neighbors are trying to sell and move away due to real estate taxes and the homeowners insurance situation. Nothing is selling in Sarasota for quite a while now.

 

 

Oh I know right where that is and you live very close to my mom, she actually lives on that side of the bridge as well. The homeowners is what is really hurting her now days.

[yj2cute]

Hi, guys.

I'm a married mom and I love to cruise. I used to take a short girl's cruise every Sept. We did so for 4 years. Then, we missed 2 years because folks couldn't afford to go or other reasons. Then I decided to go on my own this past Sept. and I had a great time! I did get a reduced single supplement of 150% so that helped. It was wonderful just doing what I wanted. I did get all of the same reactions on/off the ship about traveling solo, but I just said that no one else could go and so I'm going alone.

 

I had a hankering to go again this past Feb., but no deal on the single supplement, so I since I was paying double anyway, I took a girlfriend and she just paid for her airfare. Either way is great and I look forward to traveling solo again. I think I just may be back on the Enchatment all by myself this Sept!

[Brneyznfl]

I don't get the nosey remarks from family because most of the time I don't even tell them I'm going! LOL My family and friends are still under the misconception that cruising is limited to those with unlimited funds! Unfortunately I can't hide the fact from my coworkers that I'm going on vacation. Now I work in a small office and everyone tells everyone just about everything when it comes to "where are you going on vacation". So I usually fess up that I'm crusing again. "ANOTHER cruise?" "You're going alone?", "Isn't that dangerous?" I get all those comments too. Then the invariable question, "Who are you going with?". Well I'm going alone... "OH you MUST be meeting someone, you couldn't be possibly going on a cruise alone". LOL , well I got tired of them insisting I have a secret cruise boyfriend so I did a variation of Paul's suggestion. Now when they ask who I'm cruising with, I don't answer directly, just give them a little wink and a smile. :D Now I'm afraid that they might be expecting this "cruise boyfriend" to show up at the next office Christmas party. LOL

[yellowbird23]

I paid for my cousin's wife to go with me in Aug. of 2005. Never again! This was her first cruise and while I understand that she wanted to do all things available, I don't and told her to do her own thing, especially in the evening. Her own thing turned into hanging over my shoulder while I'm playing the slots and telling me I shouldn't be gambling. I told her (politely, of course) that it was MY MONEY and I could do what I wanted with it. She is a big worry wart and, although I love her dearly, would not go with her again or anyone for that fact. My husband knows that this is what I enjoy and sends me on at least two cruises by myself per year. Lucky me! Next one is in about 4 weeks on AOS with a balcony to MYSELF!

[SantaAna,CA]

I think a woman traveling alone is an adventurous person. And I've had people marvel that I've traveled many places in the world by myself. I have to be honest...I love solo travel. I am not anti-social. I have a good job with people I like, I care for my family and friends, AND...I absolutely love the freedom of traveling alone. I've been on four cruises now; one with my church to Ephesus, Athens, Philippi and Corinth, one on Holland America's beautiful "Amsterdam" to Alaska, and two cruises on the incomparable ships of Seabourn. I just booked a trip on Regent's Paul Gauguin for 11 days in November of 2008. I've also been to England by myself, and took myself to Moorea for my 40th birthday! (I am turning 56 in July).

 

I have found there are alot of people who can't imagine being alone, living alone, traveling alone, and sometimes the questions they ask come out of their own insecurities. You don't need to "justify" anything, just smile and tell others why you love the freedom of solo travel. Not everyone is comfortable enough to travel by themselves.

[jalexsai]

I just e-mail my itinerary so people know where I am going and when I will be back. I don't have to justify my reasons to anybody - I just love to travel. I want to learn, explore, discover. Lois - a belated Happy Birthday (March 18).

[yellowbird23]

Ha! Ha! Ha!

[Lois R]

I just e-mail my itinerary so people know where I am going and when I will be back. I don't have to justify my reasons to anybody - I just love to travel. I want to learn, explore, discover. Lois - a belated Happy Birthday (March 18).

 

Hi..thanks for the birthday wishes:) ...sorry I didn't reply sooner!

[ILoveScotland]

I just found this thread and have to add that I went solo on a TA last fall. DH and I had booked far in advance and then he developed major health problems so couldn't go. I asked DD if she could go, and she couldn't which was fine with me.

 

So off I went leaving DH in the good hands of a nursing home staff--he came home a month after I returned. I had a blast and enjoyed my alone time but also time with lots of people I'd met on our Roll Call.

 

This was not my first time traveling alone although most of my prior solo travel was business related so I met up with people once I'd arrived at my destination. However, even then I'd sometimes stay a couple of extra nights including a long weekend a few years ago driving around Scotland by myself.

 

I love the occasional freedom to go and do and eat when and where I want with no other responsibilities. I don't know when I'll cruise solo again as DH will be able to go on the two cruises we have booked, but I would do it in a heartbeat.

[PaulfromPA]

Hey "Scotland"

 

Congratulations on your 1,000th post! And to think you shared it with us'nz. :D

 

Paul

[SC LTC]

Thanks for the comments, I feel much better!

 

I'll just have to go and have a lot of fun, take lots of pictures and make everyone jealous...and maybe I'll be able to find a really hot guy to take a picture with me... :)

i would like to take a solo cruise same thing family :eek: alone won't you be lonely. my last cruise i took a picture with some body builder. then they seen the picture and were jealous. :D

[caitlyn20]

People might wonder why you are going alone or not understand because they've never considered doing anything alone. I've met people like that. I'm related to some of them.

 

However, once you've established yourself as someone that goes off alone sometimes, eventually they'll just shrug and say, "There she goes again." My family is used to me taking off to strange places alone, simply because I've done it enough times that it's no longer "weird" for me.

 

I'm the only one in the family with this desire to see places whether someone goes or not. And, the freedom of being totally by yourself is awesome. You can watch whatever you want on the tv. If you want to sleep in, no one is moving around waking you up. If you want to get up at 5:00 am to watch the sun rise, no one is being disturbed by you moving around. You don't have to wonder if someone else is having fun, or if they want to do something else or whether you have to go along with something they want because you are together, but you'd prefer to do something else.

 

I enjoy cruising with my family, but I also enjoy the occasional cruise alone. They'll get over it eventually. :)

[Oink]

:) Hi Solo Cruisers! I'm really getting into these solo threads. My DH and I discovered cruising 8-1/2 years ago (for my 40th birthday) and just love it! Now we are divorcing. :o My biggest problem with the divorce is that now I've lost my travel buddy! All my friends are either married or don't have the money or desire to cruise. So what am I going to do.....go without? I THINK NOT! :eek: I did my first ever solo cruise in January (5 days on the Century) and loved it. Now I'm booked for a 10 day on the Emerald Princess this Fall. Can't wait!

 

I pity people who don't even know what they're missing. :p

 

Later....:)ink!

[yj2cute]

:) Hi Solo Cruisers! I'm really getting into these solo threads. My DH and I discovered cruising 8-1/2 years ago (for my 40th birthday) and just love it! Now we are divorcing. :o

 

 

Sorry, oink, to hear about the divorce. :( But glad to see that you're still getting out there. Keep cruising!

[Oink]

:) Hi Again! Don't feel sorry for me....it's all good. :D I could not ask for a more amicable divorce (so far). :rolleyes: It just really sucks that I have to pay the dreaded single supplement to cruise solo. :mad: However, I did find a nice little 7 day Western Caribbean cruise this afternoon aboard the Caribbean Princess for Labor Day week. Only $888 for an inside (solo price). Granted it's at the height of hurricane season.....we'll see.

 

Later....Madam :)ink!

[Max Circus]

Glad to see that there are some other folks who like to travel solo. Before I was married, I took several trips on my own to Disney, Seattle and Vancouver. Loved the freedom to just do "whatever".

 

Now I'm in the middle of a pending divorce so I'm looking to plan a new trip - probably a cruise - by myself. Kind of a "return to my roots" - or at least that's the way I'm lookin at it.

 

Going to see what last minute "cheap" cruises might be leaving from Tampa or Fort Lauderdale. Want to save on a flight.

 

Does every lines charge a supplement for single fares?

[Kaycy]

Hi everyone. I organize an annual conference for my company which takes me to a European city twice a year. One of the visits is alone as I will do a "site inspection". There is something to be said about seeing an amazing city by yourself and sharing it with a friend or a loved one. If given the choice I would much rather share it with someone else.

 

That said, a vacation is another story. I've never cruised alone but have seriously thought about it. I've gone to an island alone, Aruba, and had a really great time. The only time I would really like someone around is at dinner. A cruise would certainly fix that problem as I know I would never be dining alone! I make friends quite easily and would have no problem on excursions.

 

I am traveling with 16 other people (mostly couples) on the Summit, Celebrity in July. We are going to Alaska....I cannot wait. I will have the best of both worlds...my own cabin to luxuriate and have my "alone time" and also many friends to eat and tour etc. with. Although the price is very high for me as a "single" cruiser, I didn't want to pass up this trip with this group of friends.

 

It will be a good test of whether or not I would go completely alone next time.

 

Hope everyone enjoys their cruise - wherever you go.