SOLO SENIORS ON HAL - Good and Bad Experiences

[kryos]

If you enjoy traveling alone, I can practically guarantee you that solo cruising will be a treat. I'm "only" 50 and a relatively new cruiser, but I've gone solo every time and adored it. Probably my favorite part is that I can be as sociable as I choose without sacrificing my private time, which makes for a perfect vacation in my book. Go ahead and leap!

Isn't that the best! That made this last cruise so especially wonderful for me. I had a wonderful time with good friends who were also onboard, yet I had my private time too, as did they. I could be out all day, maybe on a neat shore excursion, then enjoy "two for one cocks" in the Ocean Bar with my friends between 4:00 and 5:00, a quick dinner in the Lido, and then a wonderful evening in my cabin unwinding from the busy day ... no need to be social, just sitting on the couch with my Kindle (e-book reader) or perhaps at the laptop writing. And on sea days, how wonderful! Doing fun things with my friends and with others we met around the ship, but always knowing I had my refuge ... my lovely cabin to go to when I wanted to be alone and do the things that pleased me and me alone ... like reading and writing. After 35 days of that, I knew ... beyond a shadow of a doubt ... that I could never share a cabin with anyone again. Solo cruising is just too wonderful.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Roz]

Chelly,

 

HAL is not at all "stuffy" (whatever that means! :D). I've met several over 40 solo cruisers like myself, both men and women.

 

Roz

[Overtime4me2]

Chelly,

 

Although I'm 45, I just HAD to comment! :D I've only been on 2 cruises so far, one in 1999 on the Statendam, and recently, this last August on the Oosterdam, both to Alaska. I went with family in 99, but this time, I ended up going solo. I was a little nervous even though I was familiar with HAL and LOVED it the first time! My nervousness went right out the window the moment I stepped on board.

 

I went solo and now I'm trying to find out when and where I want to go again!! I wouldn't think twice about going solo again. I was on a 7 day Alaska, Inside Passage, and met wonderful people (of all ages) who were friendly and made me feel welcome. I even had several women tell me they were impressed that I came solo and were even thinking of doing it themselves one day! The solo events didn't have much participation, but I was already having trouble doing everything that I wanted....there's just too much to do and not enough time! On my second evening, while on an excursion, I met a small group of ladies who were traveling together (some were related, others friends of them) and ended up making friends and spending time with them at different times throughout the cruise. I am in the middle of making them a CD of pictures of our cruise for a little gift. I really enjoyed meeting them and I KNOW we will be meeting again one day.

 

I don't know if my cabin steward, Hasan, was just nice in general, or because I was traveling alone, but he ALWAYS asked me about my day or what I was going to be doing, no matter what time of day I "ran into him". All of the crew was friendly and helpful when needed, but not intrusive. I had just "wanted to get away" as I hadn't had a vacation in 9 yrs and was just happy to be on a cruise again! I'm definitely NOT waiting that long again!!

 

Go for it, I'm SURE you will thoroughly enjoy yourself!!

 

Sue :)

[Pam in CA]

What a wonderful story, Pam! You are so fortunate to have met someone in your own backyard who loves cruising.

Thanks! Actually, I moved from MA to CA about a year and a half ago so that we can no longer get-together for dinner but we are in constant email contact, having fun planning our cruises, what we're going to do, how we're going to do it, etc. We're both fortunate to be able to cruise in our own cabin, and are probably better friends because of that, and we've found that we have such common interests that one will suggest something and the other will say, "Yes! I was just going to suggest that."

[DizzyDallasDi]

Okay, it's time for me to weigh in. I'm 56 chronologically but about 40 mentally and emotionally. I just came back from my first solo HAL cruise... 11/1 on the lovely Eurodam. It was completely delightful! I had previously taken a solo cruise on NCL in April and I have to say that HAL was leaps and bounds better than NCL. I never felt alone unless I wanted to. That's one of the really great things about traveling solo.... you can be social or solitary at your whim. The passengers and crew on HAL were the most lovely people I've ever been around. I think there's a certain "society" on different cruise lines and HAL has a refined and fun-loving one.

 

I encourage you to go and give it a try. I'll bet you come back and start planning your next solo HAL cruise!

 

Diane

[Chelly]

You've sold me on HAL. Pam in CA, I am originally from central Massachusetts.