Why travel solo?

[MSUjohn]

On 2/11/2019 at 1:18 PM, CanobieFan said:

I've only done one solo cruise (but I have two more booked) although I do solo land based trips a lot (or half-solo/half with other people) I guess for me I'd rather go, even if its alone than to not go at all. My friends/family think its odd sometimes "you went to Paris by yourself?! 😮 " uh, yeah? haha

I went to paris solo when I was 20.

[MSUjohn]

when I was 20 I went to Europe for a month.....solo. I loved it; both Europe and the solo travel. (land solo roving) I can go where I want, when I want how I want. I have a super light itinerary (basically flight lands here, flight leaves here and a couple of things I really want to see) and I wing it on a whim. I cant do this with another person. I land travel independently and solo frequently.

 

that being said I have cruised solo once......and hated it. I did a three day on carnival victory and it was awful. it seamed like NONE of the activities where suitable for solos; they where all built around groups/families. it was BORING, and I actually got lonely, on a ship with 3000 people.

 

I ended dragging my elderly father on a cruise (going on our fourth next month) after a decade of trying. I picked ncl because I could work on status while cruising with my father (while I still have him), and then after the harsh inevitability happens I can then sail on ncl solo. I did this because it looks like ncl caters more for the solo guest.

[Nemanoxer]

Going solo because I am single and not knowing any people who share my passion. And because I am German, and most Germans are not open to foreign cruise lines. They usually do Aida and Mein Schiff.

 

And me, I am not too open to share my cabin with a total stranger, which is why I do not go and pick someone from travel partner platforms.

 

I used to do Celebrity, but they are losing me these days due to their pricing. I very much love the solo cruiser studios on NCL because they are not just alibi cabins like on other cruise lines which put their solo cabins near stairways or elevators or in some other downgraded area. On NCL, a solo cruiser is a welcome guest, and I love that.

[Lucid Butterfly]

I just want to say anyone who has gone solo or is about to go solo "more power to you." It shows to me anyway your independence, strength, fearlessness. There is nothing wrong in feeling a little comprehensive of the unknown. We just have to have our wits about us, be safe and if you truly want to do something then don't let fear stand in your way.

 

To all the solos who are taking the plunge in 2020 all the best to you. Maybe some of you will be on the RSSV September 9th see you then.

 

Happy New Year!

 

[Lois R]

I agree, go for it and have a blast I am sailing on Jan 16th (solo of course). This is my first of 4 cruises booked

this year.  As of yesterday, I am OFFICIALLY RETIRED and looking forward to the next chapter of my life!

[oxfordgirl20]

3 hours ago, Lucid Butterfly said:

I just want to say anyone who has gone solo or is about to go solo "more power to you." It shows to me anyway your independence, strength, fearlessness. There is nothing wrong in feeling a little comprehensive of the unknown. We just have to have our wits about us, be safe and if you truly want to do something then don't let fear stand in your way.

 

To all the solos who are taking the plunge in 2020 all the best to you. Maybe some of you will be on the RSSV September 9th see you then.

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

I did my first solo cruise in August 2019 - 7

nights in the Greek Isles, Montenegro and Croatia with NCL. I have cruised with my daughter before but never on my own - and I absolutely loved it. I didn’t have an NCL solo studio because the NCL Star is comparatively small and doesn’t have them but they gave me 20% off for being solo, as well as all the other offers which were applicable at the time of booking eg WiFi, free drinks, gratuities included etc. I had an outside stateroom which was lovely, and enjoyed lots of great conversations with other travellers - people seemed keen to talk when they discovered I was on my own. So many people offered to take photos of me for my holiday album! I had a lovely time exploring new places on shore on my own and in the evenings I went to the entertainment or found a couple of people I’d met earlier, for drinks in the bar.

 

I think a cruise is probably one of the easier holidays to have on your own because there’s so much entertainment on board and you can be busy all the time if you want. I would definitely do it again - if in doubt, do! 

[aussielozzie18]

My next solo cruise (my fourth) will be in one of the designated solo cabins on Royal's Ovation.  This will be my first time in a solo cabin so I am interested to see what it's like.  For me personally, a balcony is a must have but it is difficult to find one at a price I can afford and an itinerary I like. I have cruised solo in an inside with virtual balcony and guaranteed balcony (twice).  The Ovation solo cabin has a large balcony so I am looking forward to that.I have to book really early or last minute to get a good deal.  Since I don't mind where my cabin is located on the ship - the guarantee option is fine for me too.  

[pf778c]

16 hours ago, Lois R said:

As of yesterday, I am OFFICIALLY RETIRED and looking forward to the next chapter of my life!

BIG congratulations Lois!

[Lois R]

2 hours ago, pf778c said:

BIG congratulations Lois!

THANK YOU

[travelnap]

19 hours ago, Lois R said:

I agree, go for it and have a blast I am sailing on Jan 16th (solo of course). This is my first of 4 cruises booked

this year.  As of yesterday, I am OFFICIALLY RETIRED and looking forward to the next chapter of my life!

Congratulations Lois, I hope you enjoy your retirement.  I plan on retiring later this year, so hopefully I will be joining you as a member of the leisure class.  Who are you sailing with on this trip?  Hope you have a great trip.  Happy New Year, and may your 2020 be a Blessed one.  Neil

[Lois R]

58 minutes ago, travelnap said:

Congratulations Lois, I hope you enjoy your retirement.  I plan on retiring later this year, so hopefully I will be joining you as a member of the leisure class.  Who are you sailing with on this trip?  Hope you have a great trip.  Happy New Year, and may your 2020 be a Blessed one.  Neil

Hi Neil, thanks so much and the same to you....sailing on Silversea-the ship is called THE WIND.

This has been a very wacky last 2.5 months for me...….I had surgery the day before Thanksgiving...they found a spot on my recent Mammogram

--they got it and said my margins are clear (thankfully) but I am going to be starting radiation

treatments.....so like I said....good and bad news.....they got it---I am retired (good news).  Hopefully 2020 will be good for all of us.

[MSUjohn]

On 1/1/2020 at 1:46 PM, Lois R said:

I agree, go for it and have a blast I am sailing on Jan 16th (solo of course). This is my first of 4 cruises booked

this year.  As of yesterday, I am OFFICIALLY RETIRED and looking forward to the next chapter of my life!

 

now do a super long b2b2b2b cruise, so I can live vicariously through you!

[squick64]

The simplest answer to why I travel solo is because under normal circumstances, I have no other option. I live alone. There's no one else to go with me apart from my parents and my brother's family, who live elsewhere and have their own lives, of course. Even if they were more easily available and wanted to go on the cruises I wanted to go on, though, I'd still prefer not to most of the time. I mean, we all had a cruise together last year and have another this year, and that's fine...it's fun to see the kids having a good time and spend time with family I usually don't see that often. But for most travel purposes, I'd rather be by myself. I haven't done many world travels alone yet--Japan, Germany, Belgium, the UK (which I've visited tons, so that's not a challenge)... I'd like to do a trip (solo, of course) to New Zealand in a few years, and my fear there isn't being solo, it's DRIVING. Normal anxieties about solo travel pale in comparison to the 100% certainty that you'll be killed on the wrong side of the road and never make it home. 😞

 

Anyway, I find that the only way for me to truly experience a place or a situation is to be in it by myself. It's the only way I really have quiet time to take it in, to people watch... It also makes it easier to talk to strangers. When you're with others, you frequently don't end up talking to the other people there. It gives me the freedom to do what I want, when I want. If I'm on an NCL ship with Food Republic, for instance, I'm going to be eating there several times, despite the cost. If I were with others, I'd be eating in the less-exciting MDR for nearly every meal.

[MSUjohn]

24 minutes ago, squick64 said:

I'd like to do a trip (solo, of course) to New Zealand in a few years, and my fear there isn't being solo, it's DRIVING. Normal anxieties about solo travel pale in comparison to the 100% certainty that you'll be killed on the wrong side of the road and never make it home.

 

i missed death by less than 2 seconds on a scooter in Bermuda.

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, MSUjohn said:

 

now do a super long b2b2b2b cruise, so I can live vicariously through you!

 

LOL....I have a longer trip booked for April. It is a TA crossing---16 nights....arrives in Barcelona.....then from there

I fly to Lisbon, for a pre-cruise land trip for 3 days...then, 7 nights on a river cruise and 2 more nights post cruise in

Madrid. So I will be away for about a month

[MSUjohn]

28 minutes ago, Lois R said:

 

LOL....I have a longer trip booked for April. It is a TA crossing---16 nights....arrives in Barcelona.....then from there

I fly to Lisbon, for a pre-cruise land trip for 3 days...then, 7 nights on a river cruise and 2 more nights post cruise in

Madrid. So I will be away for about a month

i have 25 more years before i can retire....oh who am i kidding; i'm on the work 'til you die plan.

Edited January 2, 2020 by MSUjohn
Semicolon

[nateis4real22]

Going on this cruise alone, on 1-4-20( Symphony of the Seas )  Looking for someone to hangout with, anyone intrested let me know ?

[Lois R]

3 hours ago, MSUjohn said:

i have 25 more years before i can retire....oh who am i kidding; i'm on the work 'til you die plan.

Hi, not sure what to say...….how old are you (if I may ask?)

[calliopecruiser]

5 hours ago, MSUjohn said:

a super long b2b2b2b cruise

Just read about someone who did a 6 ship B2B for a total of 2 months - a really interesting idea not to limit B2B cruises to the same cruise line:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2719985-six-ships-and-60-days-in-the-caribbean/?tab=comments#comment-59053694 

 

They took 2 Celebrity ships, 1 HAL, 1 MSC, 1 RCI, and 1 Crystal ship for their 2 months of cruising. 

 

[MSUjohn]

46 minutes ago, calliopecruiser said:

Just read about someone who did a 6 ship B2B for a total of 2 months - a really interesting idea not to limit B2B cruises to the same cruise line:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2719985-six-ships-and-60-days-in-the-caribbean/?tab=comments#comment-59053694 

 

They took 2 Celebrity ships, 1 HAL, 1 MSC, 1 RCI, and 1 Crystal ship for their 2 months of cruising. 

 

my last cruise there was a large group of people stringing together 3 or four cruises, including a transatlantic from Europe to NA. 

[MSUjohn]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Hi, not sure what to say...….how old are you (if I may ask?)

5 weeks until 40.

[Lois R]

6 minutes ago, MSUjohn said:

5 weeks until 40.

so 25 years would be 65..….that would be normal (if you can do it earlier, go for it.). I will be 62

in March.   But to work until you die? That does not sound very appealing (to me anyway).

[nateis4real22]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Hi, not sure what to say...….how old are you (if I may ask?)

I'm 51

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, calliopecruiser said:

Just read about someone who did a 6 ship B2B for a total of 2 months - a really interesting idea not to limit B2B cruises to the same cruise line:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2719985-six-ships-and-60-days-in-the-caribbean/?tab=comments#comment-59053694 

 

They took 2 Celebrity ships, 1 HAL, 1 MSC, 1 RCI, and 1 Crystal ship for their 2 months of cruising. 

 

I saw that thread and I sailed with them on a Celebrity cruise a while back. They are both really nice people!

[Lois R]

1 minute ago, nateis4real22 said:

I'm 51

Oh...I was asking the guy from Michigan.....he said he would have to work till he dies.....that just

doesn't sound appealing  to me.