Possibly going solo on cruise. Advice needed.

[Diane67B]

Hey everyone, My sister can’t find the booster shot anywhere in Ontario. She may not be coming with me on my Caribbean cruise on January 16th. If the government doesn’t close the boarders to non essential travel, I might brave it and go by myself. I have never gone anywhere by myself. I was hoping someone on here has gone solo and could tell me what it’s like. Is it easy to find other solo passengers if I am staying in a balcony? Were you lonely or nervous at all?

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

I did 3 solo cruises in 2019, 2 of them on NCL and loved every one of them.  I'm a bit of an introvert and still had most lunches and dinners with passengers I met along the way.  I'm sure you'll have a great time.

[missnd]

I'm getting ready to go on my fourth solo cruise.  It's awesome!  You get to do whatever you want whenever you want. 😁  NCL is especially great for solo cruisers.  Whether you're in a studio cabin or not, you can join the Solo Traveler Meetups each evening and go to dinner with a group.  It should be listed in the Daily.  Even if it's in the Studio Lounge, it's open to all solo travelers. 

 

I always try to do that at least on the first night to meet some people and have some friendly faces to see around the ship as the cruise goes on.  After dinner, at least some portion of the group is usually up for hitting a bar or a show.  On one trip, only one other person wanted to do dinner the first night, but the second night had better turnout, and that group ate together every night the rest of the cruise.

[marktwothousand]

If you want to cancel, you can cancel under “plan with confidence” for future credit as your cruise leaves US waters and Canadians are now required to quarantine until they’ve receive the result of their arrival test. 
 

I would not count on this as a good time to socialize with new groups of people and still count on a negative PCR Test on the way home in the same way we could under delta. 

[Diane67B]

1 minute ago, missnd said:

I'm getting ready to go on my fourth solo cruise.  It's awesome!  You get to do whatever you want whenever you want. 😁  NCL is especially great for solo cruisers.  Whether you're in a studio cabin or not, you can join the Solo Traveler Meetups each evening and go to dinner with a group.  It should be listed in the Daily.  Even if it's in the Studio Lounge, it's open to all solo travelers. 

 

I always try to do that at least on the first night to meet some people and have some friendly faces to see around the ship as the cruise goes on.  After dinner, at least some portion of the group is usually up for hitting a bar or a show.  On one trip, only one other person wanted to do dinner the first night, but the second night had better turnout, and that group ate together every night the rest of the cruise.

Thank you!! I am so worried about being lonely or bored! I am an outgoing person and would love to see some friendly faces around the ship. 

[dbrown84]

I've done 4 solo cruises.  Like others have said, it's wonderful.  I usually chat up others in the shuttle ride over from the hotel (I usually come in the night before the cruise and take a shared shuttle to the port the morning of the cruise).  And yes, go to the solo meetup, at least for the first night.  I'm also a cigar smoker and casino player so I meet folks in the cigar lounge and casino.

[Russiamomm]

I did my first two solo in October.  It was fabulous!  In fact now I really don’t want to travel with others.  😂. As others said, NCL ships almost always have a lot of solo travelers.  Go to the solo gathering at least the first night.  Join your roll call here and the FB page for your sailing.  There are always meet and greets (formal or informal) set up and you’ll feel like you’ve “met” people before you even get on the ship.  Most of all, just go with the flow and have fun.  There is no need to be lonely on an NCL ship.  

[thegriff]

I’m on 3 back to back cruises at the moment and think you’ll be fine. NCL puts together a solo travelers group each cruise and you’re bound to make friends through that. Most folks are also more than happy to chat with you at the table next to yours in the restaurants. 
 

I do identify as more of an introvert and keep to myself so the solo groups tend to be overwhelming to me but I think you’d enjoy them from what you’ve said. I’d also encourage you to get a thermal suit pass. That’s where I go to get my daily dose of human contact. 

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, Diane67B said:

Hey everyone, My sister can’t find the booster shot anywhere in Ontario. She may not be coming with me on my Caribbean cruise on January 16th. If the government doesn’t close the boarders to non essential travel, I might brave it and go by myself. I have never gone anywhere by myself. I was hoping someone on here has gone solo and could tell me what it’s like. Is it easy to find other solo passengers if I am staying in a balcony? Were you lonely or nervous at all?

 

Hi Diane. I've done nearly 50 cruises, and 5 of those have been solo. I've done solo on both NCL and RCL. I don't need all the solo get togethers to meet people, but I am here to say I love my DH but I also LOVE sailing solo. Seriously. It's total indulgent down time for me. There is a solo board here on CC that you should visit.

 

With that said, I might recommend that you take advantage of the insurance Canada is offering in post #4. As an American, I know nothing about this policy but it seems pretty inclusive. The only concern I ever have traveling solo is that I get sick or injured and I'm by myself. It's never happened, but there is a blog from a woman who did get ill on NCL solo cabin and the experience she described was horrendous (this was pre-covid). We just don't know what Omicron is going to do yet, nor do we know how NCL will respond if there is an major outbreak onboard (RCL has been putting people off at the next port). I 100% support you sailing solo, just not sure this is the right time to try it in for your first time. 

 

Edit: I see you aren't sailing until January 16th, so maybe just wait a bit to make final decision? 

Edited December 21, 2021 by BermudaBound2014

[Diane67B]

3 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Hi Diane. I've done nearly 50 cruises, and 5 of those have been solo. I've done solo on both NCL and RCL. I don't need all the solo get togethers to meet people, but I am here to say I love my DH but I also LOVE sailing solo. Seriously. It's total indulgent down time for me. There is a solo board here on CC that you should visit.

 

With that said, I might recommend that you take advantage of the insurance Canada is offering in post #4. As an American, I know nothing about this policy but it seems pretty inclusive. The only concern I ever have traveling solo is that I get sick or injured and I'm by myself. It's never happened, but there is a blog from a woman who did get ill on NCL solo cabin and the experience she described was horrendous (this was pre-covid). We just don't know what Omicron is going to do yet, nor do we know how NCL will respond if there is an major outbreak onboard (RCL has been putting people off at the next port). I 100% support you sailing solo, just not sure this is the right time to try it in for your first time. 

 

Edit: I see you aren't sailing until January 16th, so maybe just wait a bit to make final decision? 

Thanks so much for your supportive response. I am just weighing my options if my sister doesn’t get her booster. There is a HUGE shortage of boosters in Ontario right now. I have 3 types of insurance lol, so I’m covered there. It is scary to contemplate going on my own but posts like yours give me courage. We’ll see what happens with the omicron variant. I still have 3 weeks to go. Thanks so much again. 🥰

[BermudaBound2014]

52 minutes ago, Diane67B said:

Thanks so much for your supportive response. I am just weighing my options if my sister doesn’t get her booster. There is a HUGE shortage of boosters in Ontario right now. I have 3 types of insurance lol, so I’m covered there. It is scary to contemplate going on my own but posts like yours give me courage. We’ll see what happens with the omicron variant. I still have 3 weeks to go. Thanks so much again. 🥰

 

My pleasure! This is the board I was referencing. TONS of great information there and it's largely about NCL cruising solo. There is also an excellent social media group for cruising solo on NCL 🙂

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/279-solo-cruisers/

 

[hallux]

Something you can do is join the roll call for your cruise.  On my April 2019 cruise we ended up organizing an embarkation lunch on board (for those that could board in time) for the solo cruisers on the roll call.  We had a good time, broke the ice and had the chance to meet people to interact with later in the trip.

[Sailing12Away]

I've never done a cruise solo yet, but I did travel to Tahiti on my own a few years back. I wanted to go, had the money to do it, so I went. One of my best trips ever as I truly did everything I wanted to do without having to second guess anything, compromise, or feel any judgement.

 

Sure I got a ton of weird looks being in honeymoon central by myself, but it was fine. I made friends with a private pilot on a scuba diving adventure, and the crew that ran a shark diving trip befriended me as well. It was peaceful and helped me clear my mind of a lot of things. I came back from that trip a much stronger and better person mentally and emotionally.

 

A cruise is definitely much safer than flying halfway around the world and swimming alone with barracuda as I did.

[Diane67B]

8 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

I've never done a cruise solo yet, but I did travel to Tahiti on my own a few years back. I wanted to go, had the money to do it, so I went. One of my best trips ever as I truly did everything I wanted to do without having to second guess anything, compromise, or feel any judgement.

 

Sure I got a ton of weird looks being in honeymoon central by myself, but it was fine. I made friends with a private pilot on a scuba diving adventure, and the crew that ran a shark diving trip befriended me as well. It was peaceful and helped me clear my mind of a lot of things. I came back from that trip a much stronger and better person mentally and emotionally.

 

A cruise is definitely much safer than flying halfway around the world and swimming alone with barracuda as I did.

That sounds so nice. If you can’t enjoy your own company, you aren’t good to anyone else. It sounds like it was very peaceful. After the year I’ve had in health care, it would be nice to have some “me time”.  I would have loved swimming with sharks. I find them beautiful and absolutely terrifying at the same time. I’ve thought about tackling my shark phobia and doing a shark tour myself. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. 

[Travelicious]

26 minutes ago, Diane67B said:

That sounds so nice. If you can’t enjoy your own company, you aren’t good to anyone else. It sounds like it was very peaceful. After the year I’ve had in health care, it would be nice to have some “me time”.  I would have loved swimming with sharks. I find them beautiful and absolutely terrifying at the same time. I’ve thought about tackling my shark phobia and doing a shark tour myself. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. 

Which ship are you on?

 

[Diane67B]

 

5 minutes ago, Travelicious said:

Which ship are you on?

 

Norwegian Encore January 16th

Edited December 21, 2021 by Diane67B

[CarolinaMamma]

22 minutes ago, Diane67B said:

 

Norwegian Encore January 16th

We are on your cruise! Traveling with my husband and two teens. Have you joined the roll call yet? There is also a fb group and someone planning a bar crawl the first sea day. I’m not sure that’s really my thing, but could be a good way to meet people. 

[BermudaBound2014]

55 minutes ago, Diane67B said:

  I would have loved swimming with sharks. I find them beautiful and absolutely terrifying at the same time. I’ve thought about tackling my shark phobia and doing a shark tour myself. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. 

 

If your ship stops in Nassau for any length of time, you can do a shark excursion out of Stuart's Cove, but you need a full day in Nassau because the tour departs from the other side of the island. They bait reef sharks and you literally snorkel above them feeding. It was a bit freaky fo' sure.

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, CarolinaMamma said:

We are on your cruise! Traveling with my husband and two teens. Have you joined the roll call yet? There is also a fb group and someone planning a bar crawl the first sea day. I’m not sure that’s really my thing, but could be a good way to meet people. 

 

Do the bar crawl! You don't have to drink, but every single bar crawl I've done onboard a ship has been a hoot. I've even been known to organize a few. You do no have to drink at each bar, but it's a fun social event.

[Russiamomm]

1 minute ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Do the bar crawl! You don't have to drink, but every single bar crawl I've done onboard a ship has been a hoot. I've even been known to organize a few. You do no have to drink at each bar, but it's a fun social event.

Completely agree!  Pub crawls are so much fun.  And you meet a lot of people.

[Travelicious]

33 minutes ago, Diane67B said:

 

Norwegian Encore January 16th

I was going to offer to have you join us some, but we are on a different ship.  However, I see others are offering good advice.  I went on my first solo last month and loved it!

[Diane67B]

15 minutes ago, Travelicious said:

I was going to offer to have you join us some, but we are on a different ship.  However, I see others are offering good advice.  I went on my first solo last month and loved it!

That is very kind of you. Thank you! Have an awesome cruise. 

[Diane67B]

7 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

My pleasure! This is the board I was referencing. TONS of great information there and it's largely about NCL cruising solo. There is also an excellent social media group for cruising solo on NCL 🙂

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/279-solo-cruisers/

 

Wow!! Thanks!!!

[Diane67B]

9 hours ago, Funky Fusion FoodsJ said:

I did 3 solo cruises in 2019, 2 of them on NCL and loved every one of them.  I'm a bit of an introvert and still had most lunches and dinners with passengers I met along the way.  I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Thank you!!

[Diane67B]

29 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Do the bar crawl! You don't have to drink, but every single bar crawl I've done onboard a ship has been a hoot. I've even been known to organize a few. You do no have to drink at each bar, but it's a fun social event.

That's one way to make use of my drink package! 😁😛