Allure: Confessions of a solo passenger

[Slugsta]

I am afraid I am a 'reader', rather than a 'poster' as I am in speechless awe of Hucifer!

[hucifer]

I am afraid I am a 'reader', rather than a 'poster' as I am in speechless awe of Hucifer!

Looks like you're a poster now. :)

And your post made my day! Thank you!

[Sobro]

Thanks for coming back, hucifer. Now I'll always remember where I was when you reappeared.

 

Where was I, you didn't ask? About to board a flight to Houston Hobby to sail on Liberty that weekend.

[Tillie43]

This is by far the best review I have read on CC. Makes me want to leave DH at the dock and solo cruise. Almost. Maybe not, he usually pays. I did cruise once without him. Went with my sister and her hubby. Not quite the same as solo cruising but loved doing things I wanted that he wouldn’t enjoy. Thanks for letting me live vicariously thru your journey.

[hucifer]

Thanks for coming back, hucifer. Now I'll always remember where I was when you reappeared.

Where was I, you didn't ask? About to board a flight to Houston Hobby to sail on Liberty that weekend.

 

So you just happen to be on CC right before your flight to Liberty? I'm glad you relate the two, ha ha. How was Liberty? That's the only one I haven't done in the Freedom class since she sails out of Galveston.

 

 

This is by far the best review I have read on CC. Makes me want to leave DH at the dock and solo cruise. Almost. Maybe not, he usually pays. I did cruise once without him. Went with my sister and her hubby. Not quite the same as solo cruising but loved doing things I wanted that he wouldn’t enjoy. Thanks for letting me live vicariously thru your journey.

Thank you for such an flattering compliment! That, along with Slugsta's post, has made my day so much better. :)

Cruising solo is incredibly empowering and stress-free. I love being on my own itinerary, being able to run to the next event (or run away from the next event...stupid Battle of the Sexes) without having to consider another person. This will all change in August, however, when I bring The Boy with me on the Oasis. It will be a completely different experience fo sho. At least no one will be asking me if I'll be getting any action this time.

[Sobro]

So you just happen to be on CC right before your flight to Liberty? I'm glad you relate the two, ha ha. How was Liberty? That's the only one I haven't done in the Freedom class since she sails out of Galveston.

 

I haven't sailed on a post-waterslide Freedom class ship, but was on Liberty in '12. She's very nice, and she carries the actual Voom satellite dish, so internet speeds were excellent compared to Navigator last December. I wrote a short review here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2635737

 

We sailed out of Galveston because Belize was on my wife's bucket list and her time off window fit Liberty's itinerary. Plus I have an aunt and cousin in Houston, so bonus. For the double bonus we toured the Johnson Space Center. My wife lived near Cape Canaveral during Apollo so she got to see the place that made those missions happen.

[hucifer]

I haven't sailed on a post-waterslide Freedom class ship, but was on Liberty in '12. She's very nice, and she carries the actual Voom satellite dish, so internet speeds were excellent compared to Navigator last December. I wrote a short review here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2635737

 

We sailed out of Galveston because Belize was on my wife's bucket list and her time off window fit Liberty's itinerary. Plus I have an aunt and cousin in Houston, so bonus. For the double bonus we toured the Johnson Space Center. My wife lived near Cape Canaveral during Apollo so she got to see the place that made those missions happen.

 

I liked your quick review. Much more concise than mine, fo sho.

 

The air filter comment made me giggle.

 

Oh, we did Belize on the Independence out of Ft Lauderdale two years ago. Beautiful island, omg.

[hucifer]

DAY 6: FIVE EASY STEPS TO BECOMING A MURDER TARGET

“No man goes before his time…unless the boss leaves early.”

-- Groucho Marx

 

Hey guys. Remember the text I got from my boss on day 2?

 

[crickets]

 

I’ll take your silence as a collective nod.

 

For a moment let’s try to forget HOW the text came in while I’m in airplane mode. Because that is a big mystery to me and to everyone else I asked. For those that don’t remember that far back, my boss had warned me to stay away from Mexico because of some “travel advisory,” deeming it “unsafe to travel.” Well, I throw caution to the wind today, my friends. I am risking my own personal safety and well-being for some drinking on the beach. Alone. Oh yeah, I am totally going for broke here.

 

The last time I came to Cozumel was on the Independence last December. I had picked the Cozumel Bar Hop, which is another recommended independent excursion. That is a $60 bus ride to the opposite side of the island, where electricity and tourists are lacking. The bus takes you to four bars. The price includes transportation and a tiny sample cup of each bar’s signature drink. The rest is up to you and your wallet. Want a whole drink? Costs extra. Want lunch? Costs extra. Want tiny fish to eat the dead skin on your feet? Costs extra. At the first stop, I liked the tiny sample of Mayan Sacrifice so much that I bought the regular size. I sat alone in the open-air bar and enjoyed the weather. That side of the island is the windy side. Beaches aren’t really safe because of the massive waves. There was a little cove area that was safe to swim in, and a few of our bar hop mates went swimming. We had like 45 minutes at each bar.

Cuz I like Mayan Sacrifices...







...and my hot, puffy feet in the sand

 

The next bar was on the coast, but so high up that we were well above the shore. No swimming here, unless you like diving off of rocky cliffs into certain death, but this was the recommended place to eat, and the fish tacos were excellent. Here, a young couple asked to sit with me and have lunch. We chatted a bit. They were from a Carnival cruise. At our designated time, we piled back on the bus for the next stop.

 

The third stop was a bar that was back on the shore, but the bar went right up to the water. You step down the back stairs and you’re literally in the sea. It was very cool. A handsome couple from the Independence asked to sit with me. Extremely nice people. They were newlyweds. The man even – check this out – offered to buy me a drink. Probably the one and only time that cruise.

Being serenaded at Cozumel Bar Hop #3 (the dude on the left is who bought me my one and only drink)

 

The final stop was a bar that was on the beach. They had tables set out on the sand. I sat alone at first. Soon, couple after couple asked to sit with me. After awhile there were like nine of us, sitting around and talking while I answered the “You vacationed ALONE?” question to the group. One woman was thumbing at me while yelling at her friend at the other end of the beach, “SHE CAME ALONE. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?”

More Cozumel Bar Hop-ness

 

Anyway, I did enjoy the Cozumel Bar Hop. I thought it was worth the $60.

 

And then I read about Nachi Cocum (gesundheit!).

 

Nachi Cocum (bless you!) is an all-inclusive resort. The cost is $55, which includes lunch and ALL THE BOOZE I CAN DRINK. So, not only am I going to Mexico alone during a travel advisory, I am going to be under the influence of alcohol. I am so smart. S-M-R-T.

 

But more importantly, let’s look at the value. For $5 less than the Bar Hop, I can park my rear on the sand all day and get served, drink after drink. No samples here, folks. No extra cash needed. My wallet is safe. Well, except for the $20 stupid souvenir picture they convinced me to buy. Lord, I am such a tourist.

 

But before I get there, I am in the Windjammer in my high chair and having my usual crap WJ breakfast because Johnny Rockets doesn’t open until 8am and it was like 7:30 or something. Now that I am a “regular” at this WJ bar area, I get the same waiter every day, and he is getting to know me. After a day or two, he starts bringing me decaf coffee and cream packets. This would totally make my morning, too. I just love the Royal Caribbean staff. The WJ breakfast, not so much.

 

I meet a lot of folks at that bar, too. Some newbies, some newlyweds. This morning, the man two seats down from me strikes up a conversation. At first I just answer him politely because I wasn’t in a chatty mood. But after a few exchanges, I am getting to like his company. He too is a solo passenger, but on the ship with friends. He is about the hit the Flowrider, as that is his main area of interest on the cruise, and he doesn’t think he’ll get off the ship at all. I tell him that I have an excursion, but I was in no hurry since they didn’t open until 9am. So we chat for awhile. He introduces himself. Let’s call him “Richard.”

 

Eventually I look down at my watch and tell Richard that I enjoyed our conversation, but it was time to head out. I walk back to the cabin and get myself ready. Around 9:30 I skip off the boat and walk to the taxi stop. Of course, it isn’t that simple, is it? In Cozumel, you have to walk through miles of shops just to get to the street, avoiding eye contact, grabbing your rear, and announcing your bowel habits to countless shopkeepers who try to entice you. It’s fun because you know you have to walk through all that on your way back to the ship, too. And they are a lot more aggressive when you’re returning at the end of the day. So your acting has to be REALLY convincing. Shouting “Montezuma’s revenge!” can be effective here. But I don’t know how to say that in Spanish. El Revengo del Montezuma!

 

I get in the taxi with a driver who won’t exchange any pleasantries with me. I tell him where I am headed. As he drives off I remember the text warning from my boss. Now I am thinking about the movie Hostel, where vulnerable people are taken in foreign countries and are experimented on. Like…eyeballs removed and hands sewn onto armpits and stuff like that. Literally no one back home knows that I’m here or where I’m going and I am totally trusting this humorless guy to take me where he said he would. Seriously not the smartest move on my part. While we’re on our way and I am chewing my fingernails down to nubs, I happen to look at the clock on his dash and it says:

 

8:34

 

[smacks forehead]

 

I forgot that Cozumel is in Central time. NOW what? Stand around the gates at Nachi Cocum [gesundheit!] and wait by myself for them to open? Wow, this is sounding dumber and dumberer. I really wasn’t thinking this one through. Maybe I should be standing there naked with a meatloaf and pickle sandwich and a giant I’M AMERICAN AND ALONE sign in both English and Spanish. Not sure why I should be eating a meatloaf and pickle sandwich, though. That was oddly specific.

 

Fortunately, Giggles drops me off and I am pleasantly greeted at the gate by a young woman right away. I apologize up and down, saying “I forgot about the time change!” but she gives me a dismissive wave and tells me no worries, I am welcome to enter and there is no reason to get naked with a sandwich. I cannot be served until 9am, but they can get me a lounge chair. But FIRST…

 

…the hokey souvenir photo.

 

[My 10yo saw this photo and said that I look drunk. Another reason I leave him at home.]

 

Then they want their money. You only pay a deposit online when booking. But after paying the balance, THEN a server named Carlos takes you to your lounge chair. Then he apologizes about not being able to serve you until 9am, even though I am the idiot who showed up a half an hour before they open. Seriously. These people are too nice.

 

Coming up: More Nachi Cochum stuff

[gobo2]

If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t feel super safe in the Cozumel cab as part of a a family of four, including a 19 year old football player. Glad you found Nachi. It really is lovely.

I too cruised alone this spring. I even went to an all inclusive beach club in also advisory listed Jamaica. We are living on the edge.

Loving your review. Thank you.

[Slugsta]

Great photo! You don't look even slightly drunk (although, I don't know how you usually look, so maybe best not to pay much attention to that comment ;) ).

[hucifer]

If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t feel super safe in the Cozumel cab as part of a a family of four, including a 19 year old football player. Glad you found Nachi. It really is lovely.

I too cruised alone this spring. I even went to an all inclusive beach club in also advisory listed Jamaica. We are living on the edge.

Loving your review. Thank you.

Actually...yes. That does make me feel better. Thanks!

 

Okay, so I'm not the only one who risks their own personal safety and wellness for a few hours on the beach. That also makes me feel better. I have to say, I felt a LOT safer doing the Cozumel Bar Hop alone since transportation was provided for our drunken @sses.

 

Glad you're enjoying the review!

[hucifer]

Great photo! You don't look even slightly drunk (although, I don't know how you usually look, so maybe best not to pay much attention to that comment ;) ).

You ninja-posted on me.

 

Why, thank you. My son has never even seen me drunk, and he has hardly even seen me with alcohol. In fact, on the rare occasion when I drink a beer in front of him, he publicly announces it to the world: "Mom! You're DRINKING???" Then again, his drunk comment maybe came from a deep-seeded bitterness since I cruised without him.

 

If I didn't know any better, I would say you're turning into a "poster." ;)

[suesnake2002]

Not to make you feel guilty, BUT. When you started this review, I was very excited to hear your review of nachi cocum. Because I was going on a future cruise and had booked this. Sorry to say that I have been there done that before your review.

In fact when we were in cozumel all ferry tours were cancelled. Something about finding explosives.

Nachi is farther out than other stops. So don't panic and think you are being kidnapped when you are the last ones in taxi/van.

If you hadn't arrived early you would've been greeted with a glass of champagne.

We really did enjoy this stop.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

[Ocean Boy]

Why am I not seeing the pictures????

[Clarea]

Why am I not seeing the pictures????

Last one I can see is the "hokey souvenir photo" in post #408.

[Ocean Boy]

Last one I can see is the "hokey souvenir photo" in post #408.

Now I have the puctures.:confused:

[hucifer]

Not to make you feel guilty, BUT. When you started this review, I was very excited to hear your review of nachi cocum. Because I was going on a future cruise and had booked this. Sorry to say that I have been there done that before your review.

In fact when we were in cozumel all ferry tours were cancelled. Something about finding explosives.

Nachi is farther out than other stops. So don't panic and think you are being kidnapped when you are the last ones in taxi/van.

If you hadn't arrived early you would've been greeted with a glass of champagne.

We really did enjoy this stop.

 

Yes, I never promised a TIMELY report, as evident by my postings. And yes, now I have guilt. :p

 

Now I have the puctures.:confused:

You good now? Because I don't know if you're trying to say "pictures" or "punctures." Lord, I hope it's the former.

[Ocean Boy]

You good now? Because I don't know if you're trying to say "pictures" or "punctures." Lord, I hope it's the former.

Pictures it is.

[accio_7]

Can’t wait to hear more about Nachi Cocum, as I’m looking at possibly booking it on my Harmony cruise next year :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hucifer]

Can’t wait to hear more about Nachi Cocum, as I’m looking at possibly booking it on my Harmony cruise next year :)

As you wish...

[hucifer]

It is a beautiful day. We had rainy, cloudy weather for most of the week. But the Cozumel gods were smiling upon me that day. Right at 9am, Carlos comes back and asks me if I want anything to drink. Pfffft. As if he had to ask. I order a pina colada and sit back and absorb it all in. Even at 9am, I am the only customer and I have this entire club to myself. I have a whole staff of servers waiting to please me, and only me. That alone is worth the $55. In fact, no one shows up until 9:30 or so. But I am very happy to see people because it still felt a little Hostel-esque to me.

Just my sexy, sexy legs and...







...my pina colada

 

The first couple to show up look awfully familiar. I am quite sure I’ve seen them on the ship, but where? Helping me with American History trivia at the Schooner Bar? At the Windjammer, watching me dance like Elaine? In the Promenade, giving us a pathetic display of a senior citizen flash mob? At Dazzles, dropping keychains into bowls with their buttcheeks? They sit a few lounge chairs down from me, but far enough where you have to shout to hear each other. I stare at them for a long time as my brain tries to recall where I know them from. They sit, I stare, they swim, I stare. This couple is so cute. Probably about ten years older than me. The way they interact tells me that they’ve been married forever, but still adore each other. It makes me so happy to see good long-term marriages. Gives me hope.

 

Eventually we started chatting with each other. They were very friendly, as I think they remember me too. In the middle of a conversation with them, it hit me. “You guys have the cabin right next to me!” The man and woman nod and were all like, duhhh. They apparently recognized me right away. These two were extremely nice, and no doubt my favorite people to chat with on the entire cruise. We talk about the Allure, our interior2 cabins, and the uncanny coincidence of seeing each other at this exclusive independent excursion.

 

I break away from them for a dip in the water. Day 6, right? And this is my first time getting into the sea. In Labadee I didn’t feel comfortable leaving my stuff behind at all, and in Jamaica, the rainy, cloudy weather didn’t make me want to jump in the water. But here in travel-advisory Mexico, the weather and the water are perfect, and there were so few people around that I feel perfectly comfortable leaving my valuables back on the beach. WOW, the water feels as amazing as it looks. I spend a long time swimming and just enjoying the warm briny sea as it envelopes my body.

 

Carlos makes many visits to check on my drinks and see if I’m hungry yet. I finally order lunch. It isn’t much, but it will hold me over until I get back on the ship.

 

No, that is not for a serving of two. Yes, everything on that tray is included. No, I did not eat it all.

 

Look at that that water. LOOK AT IT!







So worth risking my own personal safety for.

Well, the morning and afternoon at Nachi Cocum are absolutely wonderful. Very few people are there and I feel like I have the beach and sea all to myself. The staff is attentive, the food is excellent, and drinks are flowing. No doubt one of the best excursions I’ve ever taken. On all of my thousand cruises. Cannot recommend it more. In fact, I told my ex and his fiancé to do this excursion on their honeymoon last December (which they didn’t do). They were on Norwegian’s Getaway or something. These crazy nut jobs brought all three kids AND his mother-in-law on their honeymoon. My (then) 10yo was geeked. He better not expect the same from me if I ever get married again, because my ex is NOT setting a precedent.

 

My cabin neighbors and I decide to share a cab back to the ship. So my Hostel fears are fading. And the cab fare is cut in half. On the way back, I get to know these awesome people even more. But don’t ask me their names. I completely forgot. After all, I took this cruise back in September and I’m all old and stuff.

 

After dinner (forgettable, as usual) I walk to Starbucks and get a Shout-Out Sheet for Jimmie’s Cruise Director show. I scribble a few words and drop it into the box.

 

Tonight I see Blue Planet. It is cool and all, but forgettable, except for the living tree and the trampoline people. The lead singer is the rich friend from Mama Mia, but her stage presence is something to be desired. So a day or two before I am sitting at Sorrento’s and not eating pizza. I forget why I was there. Waiting for something, I guess. Anyway, she walks right by me. I give her a smile when we make eye contact and she gives me a snarly smile back. Like she was forced to make a pleasant facial expression for the commoners and this was so beneath her. That split second of contact left me with a worse feeling than a Sorrento’s pizza. Like I captured her personality in an instant. Anyway, this forced pleasantness seemed to ooze out of her on stage. Very unlikeable. Which is weird, because I thought she did a fantastic job with Mama Mia.

 

After the show, I walk right past Richard, the dude I met this morning. He is sitting on a bench and is on the phone. I give him a little wave and he says, “Call you back,” and hangs up. Just like that. “Where are you off to?” he asks, and jumps up out of his seat. I tell him that I am going to see The Quest, and would he like to join me? He asks what that is. Oh, you ignorant fool, I think. I tell him to come and that he needs to experience it for himself.

 

We sit up front. Richard does the unthinkable and orders me a Lemondrop martini. It took six days for a man to buy me a drink. I am losing my touch. Or maybe I never had it. I don’t know. While we wait, we get to know each other better. Richard is divorced and lives in New Hampshire with a couple of teenagers. He is like 53 or 68 or something. Conversation is still going well. And then the show starts.

 

Well, you know how The Quest is. It’s not for the faint of heart. Or the old and frail. We end up sitting in a rather dull section. Even worse, we sit directly next to a super engaged one. So I am not pleased. The last time I saw this show was on my solo Independence cruise. I was the designated female runner for our section and THAT group was even lamer than the one we’re in now. As a runner, I had to do the worm on the dirty floor. I was wearing a short blue dress. After the show, we’re all walking out and a woman in my section compliments my red panties. Great. Hope they got that on camera. Then again, thank God I wore panties.

 

So this section isn’t much better, so we don’t do well. But no matter, Richard enjoyed the happy accident that is The Quest, and I got a free drink out of it. Win-win.

When we’re piling out of the theatre, I invite Richard to (surprise!) Jazz on 4. He says that he would love to join me. And…hello. He buys me another drink at the club. I am liking my new friend. As much as I love being alone, my extrovert side is enjoying the interaction very much. Plus, he SEEMS like a nice guy. Also, free drinks. We agree to meet for breakfast at Johnny Rockets the following morning and then bid each other a good night.

 

 

Coming up: DAY 7: THE SECOND CLOSEST I GET TO HAVING SEX

[elizabethbp]

Really great review. I am divorced but travel with my daughter though I often feel like I am traveling solo. I was so pleased to see that Carlos is still at Nacho Cocum. Daughter and I have been there twice in the last 7 years, loved the place, and hopefully returning this November while on the Symphony. The massage they offer is also amazing. I too have a picture like yours in my office with us wearing the sombreros.

[hucifer]

Really great review. I am divorced but travel with my daughter though I often feel like I am traveling solo. I was so pleased to see that Carlos is still at Nacho Cocum. Daughter and I have been there twice in the last 7 years, loved the place, and hopefully returning this November while on the Symphony. The massage they offer is also amazing. I too have a picture like yours in my office with us wearing the sombreros.

I'll be taking a cruise with my boy in August, but he is so clingy that there's no way I will feel like I'm solo. Unless I lock him into the kids club. Not unlike the scene in Sixteen Candles when the parents force their son to go to the dance. As they barricade the school doors from the outside, the kid yells, "I want to go home! I want to be with you guys!" That would be my boy, acting as if dropping him off at Adventure Ocean was some form of parental torture.

 

Anyway, Nachi Cocum was still as wonderful as you remember it. Sombreros and all.

[KmomChicago]

Oh come on girl, don't leave me hanging. I have to work tomorrow. . . . !!

[gobo2]

Nachi Cocom pro tip. You can ask your server to bring parts of lunch at different times. Ours didn’t seem thrilled about it but it was nice to have the guacamole and chips, salsa and soup first then the lunch a couple of hours later. We made sure to tip well.

 

Were there still stand up paddle boards and stuff to rent? SUP is really fun after a drink or two or five.