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First "solo" cruise


cask2393
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Hey all. I will be going on my first "solo" cruise in October on Carnival Vista. I quoted the solo because i am sharing a room with a lady from our cruise fb page.Several of my family members aren't thrilled I'm rooming with a lady from Facebook, but I'm all about new adventures lol. I was wondering if any of you all could offer me tips, tricks, or advice. I am a 25 year old female and this cruise is a part of a large group cruise. I plan on getting travel insurance once we pay the cruise off and right now we have discussed prepaying gratuities. I'd also love to hear your stories from your first solo cruise or cruise with a roommate you didn't personally know.

 

Thanks!

 

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I have been cruising solo for about 16 years and would never share a cabin with someone I don't know. Have you met this gal? Have you spoken with her? Have you talked about the logistics of things? Who showers first? Does one of you sleep late while another gets up early? Dinner? Are you eating with the group? Does one or both of you snore? I think all these things should be discussed beforehand. (just my opinion).

 

I am quite a bit older than you so maybe that is part of it.......but after many years of living on my own, I just can't see sharing a cabin on a ship with someone I don't know.

 

I do hope you have a good time though.:)

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I've done 3 solos-1 sharing a room with someone from my group(like you) and 2 alone. Liked saving almost $1,000 by sharing the room, that really helped. Downfall was the snoring. Bring earplugs, and a noise machine just in case. Don't feel like you and your roomie have to do everything together. This is YOUR vacation.People would ask me'where's Terri?' and I would not know or really care-I was doing MY stuff. I am older than you, too, and used to being alone, so that might be part of it. Look to your FB group for people to hang out with. Don't worry, you will love it!

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I have been cruising solo for about 16 years and would never share a cabin with someone I don't know. Have you met this gal? Have you spoken with her? Have you talked about the logistics of things? Who showers first? Does one of you sleep late while another gets up early? Dinner? Are you eating with the group? Does one or both of you snore? I think all these things should be discussed beforehand. (just my opinion).

 

I am quite a bit older than you so maybe that is part of it.......but after many years of living on my own, I just can't see sharing a cabin on a ship with someone I don't know.

 

I do hope you have a good time though.:)

I have not actually met her, but i have talked to her via fb. Her family was the one's who told her i was looking for a roommate and she was part of a big group and hadn't had anyone to room woth either so it worked out. I am actually planning on meeting up with her the night before. We have discussed a majority of the logistics and are still planning. I personally love meeting new people and to me this is like getting a new college roommate for a week lol. It's saving me money and she gets to join her family so it's a win win. This is also a test to see how i feel about cruising on my own as i usually go with family.

 

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I've done 3 solos-1 sharing a room with someone from my group(like you) and 2 alone. Liked saving almost $1,000 by sharing the room, that really helped. Downfall was the snoring. Bring earplugs, and a noise machine just in case. Don't feel like you and your roomie have to do everything together. This is YOUR vacation.People would ask me'where's Terri?' and I would not know or really care-I was doing MY stuff. I am older than you, too, and used to being alone, so that might be part of it. Look to your FB group for people to hang out with. Don't worry, you will love it!
Thanks for the info :) i plan on joining a lot of thw group activities and doing my owb thing so i don't feel like i have to join my roommate but her family is super nice so I'm sure we may do some things together. Snoring doesn't bother me as im out late anyway and i sleep with headphones and music lol..I'm honestly super excited about this so my worries are minimal:)

 

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I have not actually met her, but i have talked to her via fb. Her family was the one's who told her i was looking for a roommate and she was part of a big group and hadn't had anyone to room woth either so it worked out. I am actually planning on meeting up with her the night before. We have discussed a majority of the logistics and are still planning. I personally love meeting new people and to me this is like getting a new college roommate for a week lol. It's saving me money and she gets to join her family so it's a win win. This is also a test to see how i feel about cruising on my own as i usually go with family.

 

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I love meeting new people too but as I mentioned earlier, I am quite a bit older than you (60) and so I am used to being on my own and traveling on my own and having my own cabin.

 

I hope it all goes smoothly for you:)…….I agree with the previous poster about the snoring......bring something for your sanity;)…..it can be a serious problem when the sound totally prevents you from sleeping.

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OP - I'm sure it will be fine. Your attitude seems wonderful and that's the most important thing. Worst case scenario you have a bad roommate. Unless you both get quarantined to the room that's not the end of the world. Lol. Better case scenario - you make a new friend and possibly have a cruise buddy for the future.

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Hey all. I will be going on my first "solo" cruise in October on Carnival Vista. I quoted the solo because i am sharing a room with a lady from our cruise fb page.Several of my family members aren't thrilled I'm rooming with a lady from Facebook, but I'm all about new adventures lol. I was wondering if any of you all could offer me tips, tricks, or advice. I am a 25 year old female and this cruise is a part of a large group cruise. I plan on getting travel insurance once we pay the cruise off and right now we have discussed prepaying gratuities. I'd also love to hear your stories from your first solo cruise or cruise with a roommate you didn't personally know.

 

Thanks!

 

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I've done many singles cruises where the travel agency has matched me up with strangers to share a cabin. In most case it's worked out well to a varying degree. As long as both of you respect each other "privacy" and are "respectful" to each others needs it'll work out fine. When you are doing a share it's best if you only use your cabin to sleep, change and nap. However, if you the kind of person that likes to hang out in your cabin then a share isn't going to work or if privacy is a major concern. Talk politely and yet firmly about how you plan to share the cabin. Discuss about "entertaining" guest in the cabin. No fun to find a "do not disturb" sign and locked out of your cabin. Yes....this can and does happen. I've heard a few horror story about cabin shares that have gone bad (although far and few between). You just need to have realistic expectations and be flexible when doing a cabin share with a stranger. Also, if things do end up not working out - you need to be able to speak with your cabin mate and fix it; otherwise, you can end up being miserable for the entire cruise. On the other hand I've had some wonderful roomies where we ended up having some nice conversations and maybe going into port together or a meal or two. Several roomies wouldn't have anything to do with me and that was just fine. Just don't take it personally. Also, if you end up with a "clingy" room mate - politely and firmly tell them you need some alone time or "me' time unless you both want to do the same thing. Don't always feel obligated to hang out or entertain them. This is about your vacation and what you want to do. You're adults and need to able to go off and their own thing. Lastly, bring ear plugs.

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I never cruised alone, but husb and I have learned to compromise. He gets up super early, goes for coffee, loves to chat to everybody. He comes back to the cabin at my REASONABLE time, we go together for breakfast. He dislikes eating late, so we dine early, loves the shows, lets me skip some of them and curl up to read, get balcony time, instead. You might specify whether morning or night owl person, get things clear out front. I don't want room service to show at 6am!!! Especially when he isn't even in the room to receive it!!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have only been on 2 cruises but one of them was solo. I am a single, 56 yr young female. I agree with Lois R. . I don't think I could ever share a cabin with someone I didn't know. But, I also agree that this could be, in part, due to an age factor. It's true that we get a bit more set in our ways as we get older. You probably will spend very little time in your cabin but I would be careful to make sure the person is honest and won't use or "borrow" any of your makeup, clothes etc. I would discuss your boundaries on these kinds of things with her.

 

 

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Hey all. I will be going on my first "solo" cruise in October on Carnival Vista. I quoted the solo because i am sharing a room with a lady from our cruise fb page.Several of my family members aren't thrilled I'm rooming with a lady from Facebook, but I'm all about new adventures lol. I was wondering if any of you all could offer me tips, tricks, or advice. I am a 25 year old female and this cruise is a part of a large group cruise. I plan on getting travel insurance once we pay the cruise off and right now we have discussed prepaying gratuities. I'd also love to hear your stories from your first solo cruise or cruise with a roommate you didn't personally know.

 

Back in the mid 80s when I was a mid teen and loved cruising - P&O use to do fab "Friendly Four" deals where solos were partnered up in a cabin of 4. Cheap as chips so that was the way to go with me. Obviously it was pre internet so there was no 'getting to know someone first" online etc. We just all met on boarding day and tossed a coin as to who got the top bunks. Some were just friends for the duration of that trip, others became my dearest friends to this day.

 

Since then I have also done a lot of land based escorted tours with companies that take less than 20 at a time (not the big coach style ones with 60-80 people). To save costs I choose to be partnered up with another solo for hotels.

 

More recently in the past 8 years I have done multiple month long trips to Antarctica where obviously its far too expensive to pay for an entire cabin so I choose a twin cabin and get partnered up with another solo. (Solos outnumber couples in Antarctica). For cheaper I could choose a triple or quad but I am older now and thats just too many people for me!

 

My golden rule is that its "My" holiday. I don't hang out with my cabin/hotel mate or dine with them (or sit beside them on a bus) etc. Aside from a morning chat and a catch up while getting ready for bed - I don't see them through the day. That way neither of us are living in each others pockets or feeling any obligation to be 'travel besties'.

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Hey all. I will be going on my first "solo" cruise in October on Carnival Vista. I quoted the solo because i am sharing a room with a lady from our cruise fb page.Several of my family members aren't thrilled I'm rooming with a lady from Facebook, but I'm all about new adventures lol. I was wondering if any of you all could offer me tips, tricks, or advice. I am a 25 year old female and this cruise is a part of a large group cruise. I plan on getting travel insurance once we pay the cruise off and right now we have discussed prepaying gratuities. I'd also love to hear your stories from your first solo cruise or cruise with a roommate you didn't personally know.

Thanks!

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Like PerfectlyPerth, my first cruise (from Australia to London) was in a four berth cabin, with three older women, who I didn't know, all cruising on their own. I was 24. They treated me like a Princess, always interested in what I was doing. We had a large bathroom, with a full bath, which I was allowed to use first. Returning to Australia I shared another four berth cabin, with four strangers, three young girls and one older woman. My next solo cruise was from Sydney to Perth in a six berth cabin. I don't know what I was thinking, as it turned me off cruising for 30 years! However, I have been cruising ever since. Bon Voyage!

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