Carnival Victory questions

[HellooKitty]

Hi guys!  Going on a cruise aboard the Carnival Victory this Sunday, Feb 17.  It’s Western Caribbean. 

 

1.  Anybody ever gone solo on a cruise?  I will be by myself.  Any tips? 

2. It’s only 4 nights...is there a formal night?  

3. Attire for dinner?  Like how formal should I be dressed? 

4.  Any recommended hotels by the port? 

5. How do I get to the Southernmost part without booking an excursion? 

 

Thanks for any help I can get. 

[Shmoo here]

4 minutes ago, HellooKitty said:

Hi guys!  Going on a cruise aboard the Carnival Victory this Sunday, Feb 17.  It’s Western Caribbean. 

 

1.  Anybody ever gone solo on a cruise?  I will be by myself.  Any tips? 

2. It’s only 4 nights...is there a formal night?  

3. Attire for dinner?  Like how formal should I be dressed? 

4.  Any recommended hotels by the port? 

5. How do I get to the Southernmost part without booking an excursion? 

 

Thanks for any help I can get. 

Well, first, I would point you in the direction of the Carnival forum.  You'll find lots of Carnival cruisers there who could help.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/133-carnival-cruise-lines/

The East Coast departures forum could be helpful regarding the hotels,

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/317-east-coast-departures/

and the Key West question - here's a link to the Key West forum:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/95-key-west/

[Host Kat]

@HellooKitty

 

Howdy!  

 

Thank you for your new thread on the Ask a Cruise Question forum that is for general questions about cruising. 👍 Please take advantage of Shmoo here's advice and research the forums mentioned.

 

Since you are sailing solo for the first time, I have moved your thread to the Solo Cruisers forum where it will be on-topic. The majority of your fellow Cruise Critic members that have sailed solo frequent that forum and will provide you feedback there. Please browse through the thread titles on the new forum looking for threads of interest. You will probably find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that will be of interest to you.  

 

And don't forget, after your first solo cruise be sure to go to our Member Cruise Reviews section and submit your review for publication. Many solo cruisers will benefit from your experience, and you might win a prize from Cruise Critic!  See the latest list of winners: Write a Review and You May Win a Prize Like These Members Did! (February 6, 2020)

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

[HellooKitty]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction! 

[LandlockedCruiser01]

On 2/11/2020 at 9:15 PM, HellooKitty said:

Hi guys!  Going on a cruise aboard the Carnival Victory this Sunday, Feb 17.  It’s Western Caribbean. 

 

1.  Anybody ever gone solo on a cruise?  I will be by myself.  Any tips? 

2. It’s only 4 nights...is there a formal night?  

3. Attire for dinner?  Like how formal should I be dressed? 

4.  Any recommended hotels by the port? 

5. How do I get to the Southernmost part without booking an excursion? 

 

1.  I've cruised solo 3 times.  Your best bet is to put yourself in situations that prompts you to interact with others, where you'll meet like-minded people.  The situations will vary.  One time, I got adopted by two friends cruising together.  Another time, I got adopted by my tablemates.  Third time, I met people in the piano bar, who liked my karaoke-style singing and off-the-wall comments.

 

2. Yes.  The formal night is on day 2, the day you dock in Key West.

 

3. For men on regular nights, jeans and a collared shirt is sufficient, although slacks are better.  For men on formal nights, upgrade it dress pants, shirt, and tie (optional).  For women, wear the equivalents; I know little about women's clothes, sorry.

 

4. If you're talking about Port of Miami, I had a decent experience in La Quinta Inn Miami Airport North.  It had a comfortable room, free full breakfast, and a Colombian restaurant in walking distance.  The neighborhood is pedestrian-friendly (which is hit-or-miss in most Florida cities), but kind of iffy safety-wise.  I was fine as a 29-year-old man, but YMMV.

 

5. It looks like you're cruising to Key West and Cozumel, which was Imagination's old itinerary.  The easier way to visit the Southernmost Point is to walk there; it's about 1.5 miles from the dock.  When you get off the ship, find Whitehead Street, and walk south.  Keep going until you see the famous marker.  For additional tips, click on the Imagination review in my signature, and read through it.

[HellooKitty]

Thank you so much for answering this post.  Lots of useful info that I’ll be using.  I’ll be reading your other post as well.