Why Do Some Insist Solo Cruisers Are Lonely and Pathetic

[robertmnch]

I can see cruising as not being ideal for a solo vacation. I mean, the ship can seem so confining and sea days can probably drag on when alone. Unless of course you make some friends or there are enjoyable single activities. I mean I went off and did many things by myself when I went on my cruise. I just think I'd run out of ideas! I think it'd be difficult for me because I'd have to socialize with people. Then again, finding a lover to fill the lonely nights could be awesome! :eek: lol

HI Chris: I totally agree with you wanting some companionship on a cruise, but still do some things on your own! Meet up for Dinner and go our seperate ways if something is of your or my interest!

 

I'm sailing on the Ryndam, 11/21/2010 SOLO if you are interested! Drop me a line at robertmnch underscore 26 at msn dot com and let's chat about doing Thanksgiving on the Ryndam! The Ryndam is one of the smaller ships in the HAL fleet and it is my favorite!;)

[Pennypocket]

Why is it that on every thread that asks about solo cruising, there's always someone who has to come on and post that it's not worth it to cruise solo, that you need to share with someone, anyone, and if you don't, you're lonely and pathetic. There's one very frequent poster on CC that comes on to the Ask a Cruise Question board or the First Time Cruiser board, and if the question has to do with cruising solo, he/she always makes a snide comment about solos looking so sad and lonely and that he/she cannot imagine taking a solo cruise because all things on a cruise demand that it be shared to be worthwhile.

 

So tell me, do all of you solos get this vibe from others when you cruise solo? Do other cruisers make you feel pathetic? Do they say they feel sorry for you because you don't have anyone to share the cruise with?

 

I know for me, if I had the attitude that you need a cruising partner to have a fun and successful cruise, I'd be sitting home. As it is, if that were my attitude, I'd never have seen the Taj Mahal, gone on an African Safari, did the tango in Buenos Aires, held a koala bear in Sydney or shopped til I dropped in Hong Kong, Dubai and London.

 

I can tell from your port list that your solo cruise was either on Cunard or HAL. Both lines are very open to solo travelors (Supplement not withstanding) and passengers embrace us be we male or female. I have sailed on Cunard as a solo and have never felt odd man out. Always had great, unique and interesting table mates. Spent hours in conversations all over the ship and went on many a tour with other singles and couples.

 

On the other hand I have done several (never ever again) solo cruises on NCL and was teated as if I had just come from a leaper colony. NCL passengers as a group seem to either travel in packs or as couples neither group cares to include strangers and the dining room staff was clueless and helpless in finding me sharing tables so I spent much of each cruise dining alone. And being pitied for the experience by the wait staff.

 

So I believe it depends on the line and the overall caliber of the passenger mix. Well traveled more upwardly mobile passengers seem to embrance solo travelers the others do not.

[redhydra]

vacation luvver

 

i agreet with you, me too i received putdown as well as awe for travelling on my own, especially when i travelled to country where neither french or english with are my languages are spoken

 

my opinion is its because these people are actually advanture myself alone

 

and i admit that i did consider doieng a solo cruise for my first cruise but i was too intimidated so i managed to convince someone to come with me

 

but i am thinking of goeing solo for my second cruise, i just dont know wich cruise line yet and wich itinary

[dancinman66]

Hi all

 

I have found people always say things about dangers of travelling alone, and I think it is only because they could never have the courage to do anything by themselves

 

I have met many married folk travelling alone as the other partner does not like cruises, and made many good friends this way

 

I just look at it that we are not holidaying as per the norm so there must be a problem according to others opinions.

 

RCCL are good with supplements once you have 49 cruise credits it reduces to 150%, but as another said the holiday where ever it is has single supplements, and it boils down to what you can afford

 

I like and do this all the time, gives me more freedom on what I want to do, rather than what others are wanting to do all the time

 

Cheers all

Greg

 

/till our next cruise hey:)

[Starrgazer50]

The last time I cruised solo I was asked by a blond in our CC group during one of our many cocktail meetings before dinner, "Why do you cruise by yourself, are you gay?"

I was taken aback at first as I barely knew the gal, but then I saw a perfect opportunity.

I told her "No I am not gay and I would be more than happy to prove it to you." She turned a bright red and excused herself as I started laughing as I had not gotten a opening like that in years.

For the rest of the cruise the other single guys in our group especially the two soldiers just back from Iraq reminded her that they were not gay either.

What does sexual orientation have to do with it:confused:

I loved your comeback though..shut her up. The nerve of some people.:eek:

Oh, wait..maybe she was inquiring for her husband...ya never know.:rolleyes:

[odettemcf]

What does sexual orientation have to do with it:confused:

I loved your comeback though..shut her up. The nerve of some people.:eek:

Oh, wait..maybe she was inquiring for her husband...ya never know.:rolleyes:

 

 

LOL!! Very funny!!

 

@GMCWalker - Great comback!!

 

 

Looking to do my first solo cruise next year Feb for my birthday... cant wait!

[kitty9]

I can see cruising as not being ideal for a solo vacation. I mean, the ship can seem so confining and sea days can probably drag on when alone. Unless of course you make some friends or there are enjoyable single activities. I mean I went off and did many things by myself when I went on my cruise. I just think I'd run out of ideas! I think it'd be difficult for me because I'd have to socialize with people. Then again, finding a lover to fill the lonely nights could be awesome! :eek: lol

 

I've done some very long cruises (35, 29, 19 days to name a few) and some of those had numerous sea days. I did one, a crossing from LA to Australia, that had 17 sea days. I LOVED it. There was so much to do and not enough hours to do them. Sometimes, I think larger ships aren't nearly as great for solos as smaller ones. You're nothing but one tiny face in a huge crowd on those behemoth ships and that can be daunting. Solos get lost in the shuffle of families and kids, and that isn't necessarily fun for a solo. While it might work for some solos, you won't ever find me on Oasis or Allure or Epic.

[KansasTexan]

I travel solo at least twice a year. I've cruised solo twice and go to Las Vegas once a year. I've been to all-inclusive resorts in Mexico by myself. I also travel often with other single friends. The only problem I have is finding someone to zip up my dress when I'm ready to go out to dinner.

[Lois R]

I travel solo at least twice a year. I've cruised solo twice and go to Las Vegas once a year. I've been to all-inclusive resorts in Mexico by myself. I also travel often with other single friends. The only problem I have is finding someone to zip up my dress when I'm ready to go out to dinner.

 

Hi:)..question for you about your Vegas trips please. I have been

before but its been many years and I went with a girlfriend. I have

thought about going on my own but never did it. Where do you

normally stay? And do you just book dinners/shows and other things

as usual?

I feel really comfortable on a ship solo:D (I go 2 to 3 times a year). Just

wondering about the vibe out in Vegas for you.

[KansasTexan]

Hi:)..question for you about your Vegas trips please. I have been

before but its been many years and I went with a girlfriend. I have

thought about going on my own but never did it. Where do you

normally stay? And do you just book dinners/shows and other things

as usual?

I feel really comfortable on a ship solo:D (I go 2 to 3 times a year). Just

wondering about the vibe out in Vegas for you.

 

Hi, Lois. I feel like I know Las Vegas well - been going there for many years with family, friends and by myself. I like to stay at the MGM because there are so many fantastic restaurants and it has a great pool complex. It's the perfect getaway for a couple days. It's close to many other casinos when I want to get out. Yes, I book a ticket to a show and ask to be fairly close to the stage. More than once I've ended up having conversations with the performers during the shows. It's fun! Dinners I tend to eat at the bar in nicer restaurants and have conversations with the barstaff and other patrons. If I'm not feeling chatty, I ask for a table.

 

I play roulette, very social game.;)

[Lois R]

Hi, Lois. I feel like I know Las Vegas well - been going there for many years with family, friends and by myself. I like to stay at the MGM because there are so many fantastic restaurants and it has a great pool complex. It's the perfect getaway for a couple days. It's close to many other casinos when I want to get out. Yes, I book a ticket to a show and ask to be fairly close to the stage. More than once I've ended up having conversations with the performers during the shows. It's fun! Dinners I tend to eat at the bar in nicer restaurants and have conversations with the barstaff and other patrons. If I'm not feeling chatty, I ask for a table.

 

I play roulette, very social game.;)

 

Hi, thanks for the input:)

[kitty9]

Hi Lois. I hope it's OK for me to step in here with the Las Vegas question. When I lived in Scottsdale, I used to go to LV at least a couple times a month, with comps on room and a $27 round trip flight. For me, I was the most comfortable at Bellagio. What I liked the most, as a solo, is they do not allow anyone up in the elevators to the rooms unless they have a room key. I really like that security aspect. They have security walking the hallways all the time, which I appreciate. I also love the restaurants, and the Bellagio buffet is the best in the city. You can't imagine the food in that place. And, I like the fact that they have a monorail from there to other hotels on the strip. Again as a solo, I really like that as you don't need to be on the street at night walking from hotel to hotel.

[Travels247]

I am going solo on 2 cruises in the next few weeks and tend to book things last minute when the deals are available. I just wish there was a forum for those who wanted to share cabins to hook up together. Does anyone know of a site that does that?

 

Laurie

[Lois R]

Hi Lois. I hope it's OK for me to step in here with the Las Vegas question. When I lived in Scottsdale, I used to go to LV at least a couple times a month, with comps on room and a $27 round trip flight. For me, I was the most comfortable at Bellagio. What I liked the most, as a solo, is they do not allow anyone up in the elevators to the rooms unless they have a room key. I really like that security aspect. They have security walking the hallways all the time, which I appreciate. I also love the restaurants, and the Bellagio buffet is the best in the city. You can't imagine the food in that place. And, I like the fact that they have a monorail from there to other hotels on the strip. Again as a solo, I really like that as you don't need to be on the street at night walking from hotel to hotel.

 

Hi Darcie, glad to have your input as well:):D thanks!

[Host Kat]

... I just wish there was a forum for those who wanted to share cabins to hook up together. Does anyone know of a site that does that?

 

Laurie

You may want to click here http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=21 for the Cruise Critic article titled Fun Facts: Solo Cruising. Note the section titled Singles Cruising. Also, click here http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=419 for another Cruise Critic article titled Best Cruise Lines for Solo Travelers. Both may contain information that will help you.

 

Also, you may want to go to www.google.com and type in "hosted single cruises". You will find many of the agencies your fellow Cruise Critic members would recommend, give feedback, etc. if they could.

 

Per the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free membership, the names, web sites, etc. of travel agents/agencies or other cruise-related sites or message boards --- even if "masked" --- are not allowed in Cruise Critic message board posts. Posts asking for the name, site or further information via e-mail, or posts offering same, will be removed as well as any replies to the removed posts.

 

Discussion or promotion of any non-Cruise Critic member group cruise is not allowed. Hosted single cruises are group cruises.

 

I sincerely hope this information will be helpful!

Kat

[cruzin w chris]

i am "relatively soon" to be divorced which unfortunately came about on a cruise ship ( thats another story ) and i am on these boards just trying to get a feel of what it will be like to cruise solo. i am sure i will take my 9 yr old with me sometimes as well on father and son trips but also will be taking at least one solo cruise just for myself. thanks in whole to you great people i will do it with complete confidence.and am actually looking forward to giving it a try. obviously it will take some time as i wait for the divorce to commence ( even though i do not want the divorce ) and to adapt to being alone. thanks for all of the great advice and stories and i will be keeping up to date on this board. chris

[crusinpsychRN]

If someone knows I'm solo I'm usually told "you're so brave. I wish I could do that."

[xenagurl]

Well I'm cruising solo soon, and in my mind that just means I have more disposable income then you have to be doubles, which is why can pay for a double room for only one person!. :p Oh yeah and I'm married with a great life. I can simply afford to travel alone when I choose too. Perhaps that's the answer that should be given to those that TRY to treat you as if you're pathetic.

 

And remember this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

 

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

 

I know that I'm amazing, I hope that all of you sometimes or always solo travelers know that too!

[mnbearsfan]

i've been on vacations with friends, and never seem to get to do the things i want to do, or they sit on the beach the entire time and i end up doing things on my own anyway, so i've opted for cruising solo and absolutley love it.

 

as soon as i'm booked i'm on cc chatting with others, making plans to meet and do excursions together. i love the fact that i meet so many different people and don't find myself being alone unless i choose to.

[Wolfie469]

People don't pity ME--they pity my wife! What sort of man would leave his wife alone to go galavanting? They can't be made to understand she prefers to stay at home. I can't recall the trips I've planned only to have her get cold feet at the last minute. Now I don't even bother. That's not to say I wouldn't prefer her company. That's just the way it is.