Gypsymimi

23 hours ago, Lois R said:

Yes, that is correct but why would you automatically assume the diner was embarrassed? I dine alone

as well.  You know what they say about assuming......

In my post, I said I admired her for NOT being embarrassed. No one was assuming she was embarrassed. But some women are. 

On a cruise with a 14 year old, I barely saw her. She met some people at the club- after that, they only used the club as their meet-up point, but they found plenty of things to do on the ship. When she was 18, however, it was harder. There's no club, and no real place to meet others her age. 

22 hours ago, brillohead said:

What is there to be embarrassed about???? 

Many women are reluctant to dine by themselves. I know women who won't go to the movies by themselves! And a woman dining alone may feel that others are looking at her and pitying her. I don't feel that way- I travel for business and often dine alone. But not everyone feels comfortable doing that. 

21 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

 

OP didn`t specifically mention it,but to me it was ships fault not to serve him.

No matter if i am solo or with a group of 2,3 or 6 people.If i am seated and wait for more than 10 Minutes without anyone coming to me and bringing me the menu or asking for my drink order then i would leave as well.(maybe not after 10 minutes,but after 15 or 20,depending on the situation)

 

That's tricky on a cruise. Where do you go? Do you give up the opportunity to be served in the MDR? Or do you say something to someone? Those servers in the dining rooms work hard- and most are really hustling all the time. I've had cases where no one came to take drinks or wine orders until we were well into the meal, and it's annoying, but understandable when there's one wine steward for 100 people!

Yes, you are apparently at least in the minority, since cruises do what appeals to their customers. I know plenty of 20-somethings who enjoy doing the electric slide- especially the women because most men their age won't dance with them. It's a great way to get a crowd up and dancing. Then the music usually changes to more recent stuff, with some slow numbers for the couples. Don't be such a snob! In a city like Toronto, nightclubs can specialize, and people can choose what kind of music they want to listen to. On cruise ships, especially the low-end lines like Carnival, the musicians are getting minimum wage, and often have to work in the galley during the day. For recorded music, they'll play what seems to attract the passengers. 

On 10/15/2019 at 12:41 AM, brillohead said:

Sometimes people go to the buffet or specialty dining ... how is it the ship's fault that the people assigned to a table didn't show up to dinner that night?  

Likewise, while the lack of service is the ship's fault, how is it the ship's fault if people at nearby tables are rude?

I cruised B2B on Majesty recently as a solo and had no problems at all....

The OPs point was not that the ship's crew had done anything wrong. We're all on here to share experiences as a solo traveler, or, as is my case, to decide whether to travel solo or not. It helps to be prepared for situations that might arise. Knowing the OP's experience, I would be more likely to go to the maitre d', report what happened, and ask for different seating. We're all interested in people's stories. 

I thought Heald retired long ago. I was on a cruise with him in 2006.  I haven't cruised entirely solo yet, but I did take my teenaged granddaughter on one cruise. She quickly made friends, and I really only saw her for dinner, so I was on my own a good deal of the time. It was fine. No one really knows that you're along most of the time. Last year, I was on a cruise with 5 friends, and we noticed a woman who always dined alone near us. I admit that we felt a little sorry for her. One night, she was joined by another woman- I guess they had met up somewhere. There are, of course, other options besides dining along in the MDR- but I admire this woman for not being embarrassed. 

16 hours ago, pf778c said:

My experience is limited; I have only cruised solo with one line, however I agree with Lois and feel that adequate provisions are made for solos to facilitate guest interaction, at least on this one line.  Aside from shore excursions and scheduled activities like trivia and small "lunch and learn" type cooking demonstrations and wine tastings where guests are in small groups, they offer a hosted solo gathering each evening followed by a hosted table for dinner and gentlemen hosts on many cruises. 

What line were you on? I've never seen any of that on cruises I've been on (though I haven't cruised alone yet)- the only gatherings were the Bill W for alcoholics. I've actually sort of envied the fact that they have a community of people to get to know! (not really- don't jump on me for that, but you get my point). I've read that NCL is providing more receptions and events for singles. 

7 hours ago, Lois R said:

Good morning, please know I am meaning this post without any malice but I don't think it is the cruise line's responsibility to do anything.  I know NCL seems to have their "single's lounge" so they do something but as for doing something in the genre of meeting people elsewhere on the ship?

 What do you suggest they do?   I have met very friendly folks on board and am

still friends with them outside of this forum.  A friendly person is friendly--the cruise line has no

control over how/why folks want to meet other folks.

 

 

This was a little harsh. I didn't say it was the ship's responsibility- but from what I've read on some other boards, cruise lines do want to attract solo sailers, and NCL seems to be the most pro-active by grouping single cabins together and having a singles lounge.  I am not an extrovert like some of you seem to be, but I do like to talk to people when we're involved in activities like cooking classes, excursions, organized games, etc. I have no trouble eating or going to shows by myself. 

On 12/6/2019 at 9:24 AM, runner15km said:

I have sailed solo 7 times and this chair issue always happen. If I go to a lounge to listen to music and have a cocktail I look for a table that has 3-4 open seats.  Passengers come by and ask if this seat is taken. One by one those chairs are moved to another table and I'm left sitting along with no one to have a chat with. This also happens near the pool so after a few hours I have empty spaces on both sides.  Have you noticed this /

That is my concern about cruising solo. Other people don't seem to be interested in meeting new people. My best success was at the trivia contests, when people need teams. I don't know what cruises could do to address this, but i would be nice if they did something. 

On 6/6/2017 at 10:30 PM, CCC3 said:

 

 

Mmmm...beans on toast!

 

 

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That's a British thing. Most Americans wouldn't recognize that as a breakfast dish. 

My personal opinion is that NCL makes the food in the MDR deliberately mediocre so that people will pay the extra for the specialty dining rooms. That said, there is always a variety on the MDR menus, and, in my experience, always a steak option. 

One of the best things on NCL is that they have smoked salmon on the breakfast buffet. But on HAL, they deliver breakfast to your room for free, and when we have a balcony, we like to eat breakfast in our room, on the balcony. Omelette and fresh fruit- coffee of course. 

On 6/18/2019 at 9:48 AM, crewsweeper said:

 

 

And while kudos to those walking and taking stairs.  The amount of calories burned off in these activities will not keep any weight gain off.  Eating less (under 1,600 calories), more veggies, less sweets, less fats will.

Since it's a matter of calories in and calories burned, in balance, that's not really true. I walk a lot more on a cruise- around the ship and in ports. I would guess that the people who spend port days sitting in a beachside bar drinking might gain more. I do walking and snorkeling tours. I've never gained any weight on a cruise. I also like to stay on a floor in the middle so everything is a couple of flights up and a couple down- and I only use the stairs. 

I like the food on RC. The one cruise line where MDR was really disappointing is Norwegian. I think they do it deliberately to push people into paying extra for the specialty restaurants. The food on HA is fine, but I have to say that the seafood pop-up restaurant is outstanding!

On 1/12/2014 at 11:27 PM, toddthecow said:

Tracey's Crab Shack in Juneau......hands down.

It is so rare to have fresh king crab unless you live in Alaska. Not cheap, but so worth it.

We ate at a crab place in Juneau with a more unusual name- can't find any mention of it on websites now. Maybe it's the same place? Anyway, the king crab and all the other dishes we tried were amazing!

This is why I like to eat in a restaurant in the ports- preferably not one that caters to the cruise ship passengers. We've had good luck asking a local where he would take his wife for dinner. However, one of my traveling companions doesn't like doing that because the food on the ship is paid for. We're going to be dealing with this on the next cruise, when we're in a couple of ports until 10-11 at night. I have no problem going places by myself in the ports, but I hope to convince at least one person to go with me to eat in the ports. I don't know why this would be considered a "bad" option. Local food prepared by people who are experts on the local cuisine seems like a great option to me!

When the cruise ships stop at an island they own, the buffet is included - there's no extra charge except for alcoholic beverages. 

I agree. The salads are usually the most interesting. There were some good "small bites" at lunchtime on sail days on the last Holland America cruise. I generally don't stand in line for the hot food- it's giant portions of bland food. 

3 hours ago, KenNMB said:

 

Pick a casino close to your place. Stellaris at the MRT is okay, but pick ‘Em. Locals are all over.


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We have casinos at home. Others have recommended Palm Beach, especially Paseo Herencia for the light show and restaurants. Maybe still a little touristy, but the Paseo looks interesting. 

There has to be something other than a tourist bar at night. Where do the locals go? 

I got a good rate at the Country Inn and Suites, Tampa Airport.

Antigua seems like a really interesting place but how long did it take to get there? It looks like about a 400 mile round trip from the port.

It depends on whether you're docking on the Caribbean side or the Pacific side.

We have used the service out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale- but it wasn't free. It WAS convenient- we filled out the form, got our boarding passes on the ship, went on an excursion, and then to the airport. We never saw our luggage until we landed at home. It's great to hear that Seattle is offering it free. We're staying for a few days in Seattle, though, and the owner of the apartment we're renting emailed us the information about luggage atorage at the Edgewater. So I guess that's what we'll try.

I use the ones I print from the cruise lines and then taking clear packing tape over them. That makes them super strong!

I've done that in the past, too. But this year, a friend bought us all the sleeves. You print out the slips and put them in the leather sleeves, with clear plastic over the crucial information.