Why am I so EXCITED about the possible opportunity to cruise SOLO again?

[cynt]

BACKGROUND: I started cruising solo a few years ago by accident. My BFFs mom got sick two days before we were to drive to NOLA for a July 4th cruise. I told her, go take care of mom. I'll cruise solo since we got this cruise dirt cheap. From the moment I unpacked my suitcase, didn't have to share the closet/drawer space, spread out on the bed that was all mine, came and went at my leisure, solo dining in the MDR to specialty restaurants I was hooked on solo cruising.  The addiction to cruising just escalated because I didn't have to depend on anyone to feed my addiction.  I was self indulging whenever I felt like it.  

 

My family and friends couldn't believe I started solo cruising. I LOVED IT!!  And I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it.

 

4 years ago I met the man of my dreams. 2 years later we are happily married. Now 2 years married he has a few cruises under his belt. He likes it but I love it. I have 4 weeks of vacation and he has 3 weeks of vacation. Do you see where this is going? I love sea days. He loathes sea days. I have 15 nights to make Diamond on RCCL.  So I thought it would be fun to book a couple of short cruises to hit the target this year.  We're 5 hours from the port and can catch last minute deals. 

 

Well he wasn't excited about that but told me to go for it!!! WHAT!?!?! I was so excited at the thought of cruising solo again I forgot to sound a little sad like I would miss him or something. OK, 5 seconds of sadness and then dancing in the closet at the mere thought of cruising solo again. 

 

Are you going to ask your mom to cruise with you? Ummm, no.

Sisters? Nope

Besties? Nope

 

I think he got the point. 

 

I'm so excited I can't contain my excitement. So I thought I would drop by the SOLO board that I use to visit on the regular and check in to let everyone know I'M BACK!!!  And I missed you!  Running to the boards every day to see if anyone found a deal of the day, calming and pumping up 1st timers to just the all around camaraderie.

 

So my mind is all over the board.  Especially when I realized I would reach Diamond faster because, you know why, SOLOS GET DOUBLE POINTS!!!  A part of me just says book an 8 nights and be done with it. Another part says have some fun, a 6 night and a 4 night.  I haven't even looked yet. Ok, I lied. Yes I have but not seriously. I have the whole year to make it happen.

 

But knowing my husband as soon as I'm ready to click and pay he will change his mind. That's why I love that guy!!

[bhsolo]

I love this, all of this!! Solo traveling and cruising is the absolute best thing. I do it once a year for all of the reasons you said. I’m actually just about to book my next one for this May...I may also be getting hooked. 

[PerfectlyPerth]

I know many married solo cruisers of all age groups. The marriage vows don't say "will be joined at the hip for life".

 

He can happily go off and do his kind of holidays while you enjoy solo cruising (and slowly become hooked lol!!).

[krisjuljen]

YES! I just returned from a Mediterranean cruise with my mom and daughter. I loved it, don't get me wrong. I've always cruised with family and boyfriend but there are just so many variables. It dawned on me the other day, how easy it would be for me to cruise alone so I have started the research for it. I am so excited to do it! I mean, actually cruises are designed so there is something for everyone. And true to the nature, it seems even when I cruise with others, everyone goes and does their own thing anyway, with the exception of dinner dining...which I am 100% comfortable doing solo. I'm gunna do it America and cannot wait!

[Lois R]

Good morning, glad you are so excited....you are preaching to the choir here---but my circumstances are a bit

different than yours. It is just me. No husband/mate/so/ or anything and I have been cruising solo since 2003

and my next one up is on Jan 16th so the week after next

I can relate to all those positive things though....it is all MY SPACE/MY CRUISE

[bhsolo]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Good morning, glad you are so excited....you are preaching to the choir here---but my circumstances are a bit

different than yours. It is just me. No husband/mate/so/ or anything and I have been cruising solo since 2003

and my next one up is on Jan 16th so the week after next

I can relate to all those positive things though....it is all MY SPACE/MY CRUISE

Same! When I booked my trip and they asked who are you traveling with I said “me, myself and I”. The woman was shocked and then said that’s so amazing! 
 

Traveling by yourself is one of the most empowering and strengthening things. I love doing what I want, when I want, how I want, where I want and eating what I want. 

[wdw1972]

Count me in as a married person who prefers to cruise solo - and most of the time I do!  Like the OP's hubby, mine likes cruising but I LOVE it.  I like having the stateroom to myself, and not having a blob on the bed watching sports or some awful movie on the tv.  I don't want to be pressured to alter MY plan to sit across the table because he wants to eat breakfast/lunch now.  I don't want to be excited about something and have someone with an "eh" attitude near me, lol!  The list goes on & on.  Fortunately, he has trips he enjoys that I don't bother with, we have trips we do together, but when it comes to cruising most of the time it's going to be just me.  When I cruise with friends, we each get our own stateroom - I'm not into the whole roommate thing.  

 

He'll be coming along in 2021 for his 4th or 5th cruise (friends of ours are also planning to be onboard) and I sincerely hope I'm not wanting to throw him overboard at any point.   It'll be my 44th cruise 😉 

 

Totally agree with the comment that the wedding vows don't include being joined at the hip.  Plus, doesn't absence make the heart grow fonder?  Let's face it, we both need a break from each other every now & then!  He gets to be a total pig until the day before I come home, when he gathers up the trash & tries to make it look like he's kept with it the whole time, lol!

 

Sue/WDW1972

[LandlockedCruiser01]

12 hours ago, bhsolo said:

Same! When I booked my trip and they asked who are you traveling with I said “me, myself and I”. The woman was shocked and then said that’s so amazing! 
 

Traveling by yourself is one of the most empowering and strengthening things. I love doing what I want, when I want, how I want, where I want and eating what I want. 

 

Funny story.  I got a similar compliment, and from someone I met on the cruise to boot.  She said: "That's awesome.  You gotta be very independent and decisive to pull that off."  I thought her comment was spot-on: my MO is "see it, decide it, do it!"  My friends are great guys, but two things that are musts on a cruise---decisiveness and punctuality---are not their strong points.  So my comfort level of cruising with them is iffy; I'd constantly worry about getting left in ports or missing a favorite activity.

 

My "landlubber" friends back home has slightly more neutral reactions.  Something like: "I don't know if I'd feel comfortable doing that, but you made it work for you.  Good job."  Especially after they saw my pictures, like the gorgeous landscapes and the wacky escapades with my cruise friends."

Edited January 6, 2020 by LandlockedCruiser01

[cynt]

On 1/5/2020 at 11:14 AM, wdw1972 said:

erely hope I'm not wanting to throw him overboard at any point.   It'll be my 44th cruise 😉 

 

Totally agree with the comment that the wedding vows don't include being joined at the hip.  Plus, doesn't absence make the heart grow fonder?  Let's face it, we both need a break from each other every now & then!  He gets to be a total pig until the day before I come home, when he gathers up the trash & tries to make it look like he's kept with it the whole time, lol!

 

Sue/WDW1972

 

 

Hubbie makes sure I schedule getaways on the week the cleaning service visits. LOL!!! 

[txyellowrose]

I was joined at the hip to my husband of 48 years. We were married at ages 18 and 20 and did everything together. Unfortunately, he passed away 15 months ago. Last August I went on my first solo cruise and loved it. I am going on my second one in May! 

 

[gptraveler]

Thank you everyone for the uplifting posts on solo cruising.

I love cruising and my husband doesn't. The idea of traveling alone is quite new to me as I've never done it and I'm a bit afraid.

Things that break my nerve are traveling to the port and handling all my own baggage. I usually take the 2 smaller suitcases and my husband the 2 bigger ones as well as a backpack. I'm also an introvert so I don't relish the idea of interacting with others and yet I'm afraid I will be lonely.

Still, I'm going to look at cruises out of Boston last minute since I don't need to fly there.

Thanks again all you positive solo cruisers.

Edited January 13, 2020 by gptraveler

[bhsolo]

59 minutes ago, gptraveler said:

Thank you everyone for the uplifting posts on solo cruising.

I love cruising and my husband doesn't. The idea of traveling alone is quite new to me as I've never done it and I'm a bit afraid.

Things that break my nerve are traveling to the port and handling all my own baggage. I usually take the 2 smaller suitcases and my husband the 2 bigger ones as well as a backpack. I'm also an introvert so I don't relish the idea of interacting with others and yet I'm afraid I will be lonely.

Still, I'm going to look at cruises out of Boston last minute since I don't need to fly there.

Thanks again all you positive solo cruisers.

Well traveling by yourself means only 1 big suitcase and you can probably get away with 1 backpack. 
The beauty of interactions when traveling by yourself - you can talk to people if you want to or be by yourself if you want to. Everyone on the cruise is on vacation so people will chit chat more easily. I love catching up on my reading. The worries about being lonely are sometimes always there but you learn to deal with it and become a stronger person. 

[JamieLogical]

I loved reading this post. My SO is actually the one who introduced me to cruising and he would definitely go on every cruise with me if he could, but he only gets three weeks of vacation and I get FIVE. In April I went on a cruise with my sister, but in March I am planning to do my first solo cruise. It's kind of okay, because I am doing a back-to-back and will be solo the first week, but my SO, my parents, my brother, and his SO will all be joining for the second week. I was leaning towards doing the second week solo, but I think that would be way more of a bummer for my SO. Imagine having that terrible feeling of your cruise being over AND having to go home to an empty house. So I think it will be better for him if I do the first week solo and he is "rewarded" for his week of hardship by getting to go on a cruise.

 

I am both excited and apprehensive. I have no issues with traveling alone, have done it many times for work. But I am a little concerned about the awkwardness of being alone for some things while cruising, especially dining. I am sure I will enjoy the "me" time. Not that my SO and I are joined at the hip while cruising anyway. We often go off and do our own things in the afternoons, but never dining or theater shows, so that's the part I am a little concerned about.

[bhsolo]

43 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

I loved reading this post. My SO is actually the one who introduced me to cruising and he would definitely go on every cruise with me if he could, but he only gets three weeks of vacation and I get FIVE. In April I went on a cruise with my sister, but in March I am planning to do my first solo cruise. It's kind of okay, because I am doing a back-to-back and will be solo the first week, but my SO, my parents, my brother, and his SO will all be joining for the second week. I was leaning towards doing the second week solo, but I think that would be way more of a bummer for my SO. Imagine having that terrible feeling of your cruise being over AND having to go home to an empty house. So I think it will be better for him if I do the first week solo and he is "rewarded" for his week of hardship by getting to go on a cruise.

 

I am both excited and apprehensive. I have no issues with traveling alone, have done it many times for work. But I am a little concerned about the awkwardness of being alone for some things while cruising, especially dining. I am sure I will enjoy the "me" time. Not that my SO and I are joined at the hip while cruising anyway. We often go off and do our own things in the afternoons, but never dining or theater shows, so that's the part I am a little concerned about.

I think once you do it you’ll feel comfortable and find what works for you and where you want to eat. For me I wasn’t a fan of the dining room but loved a specialty restaurant on cruise days and the buffet on port days. Also, will bring a book or journal with me. 

The theater shows you’ll meet people next to you or enjoy the show and not even notice you are by yourself after a bit.  
You got this!!