Friends, Family, giving me trouble about cruising solo

[cincicruisers]

Does anyone have friends or family that give them trouble about going on a cruise solo?

 

I find it to be a safe good vacation. There are ship sponsored shore excursions and I usually meet some great folks onboard. I can not help it if I do not have someone to cruise with. Should I just stay home on vacation by myself??

 

Sorry to vent, family giving me a hard time about cruising alone again in Jan next year. Thanks for listening.

[Roz]

What exactly are they saying? Are they threatening you in some way?

 

Are they concerned about your safety? Or concerned that you'll won't have a good time because you'll be alone?

 

Why do they care? Why do YOU care what they think?

 

Roz

[dot73]

I booked my first cruise 10 years ago as a newly-single 40 year old woman. My parents were so worried, they booked the same cruise and went with me. Since then I have cruised 6 times solo and absolutely love it. I love the freedom to do whatever I like without feeling guilty or compromising and missing out on what I want to do. As for what your friends and family say, ignore them. They may be jealous. I know I have had married women come up to me on the ship and tell me that they also would love to take an occasional cruise solo. Life is too short to worry about what other people think.

[cincicruisers]

My family is more concerned with safety than anything else. they hear all the stories on the news over the past year with cruise mishaps. I am not a big drinker, nor am I about to jump off my balcony. I do RCCL sponsored excusions so I am not by myself in port.

 

I guess it just got to me today and I appreciate everyones support. I am still going as usual., it just gets old to have people say you should not vacation alone. A cruise is the one vacation you can do alone and feel secure if you are smart and dont do silly things out of the country.

 

Thanks

[wernew2cruising]

Linda,

 

I would do a cruise solo in a heartbeat. There are times when I feel I just need to get away from everything. DH gets to go to conferences etc..and even though it is work related..he has no responsibilities and no me nagging ;) him.

 

I envy you. Enjoy and when someone says something...ask if they are jealous. Trust me, that should shut them up fast! (don't say it rudely)

 

Have a great time. Have a drink for me!

[cruise4kicks]

Linda,

 

I think it's ~great~ you're taking a vacation! If it has to be solo -- by necessity or choice -- I really don't think it's much of anyone's business. If they are concerned about your safety, thank them nicely for being concerned. Otherwise, I have to agree with what previous posters have said: they're probably jealous. Around my neighborhood every time I come back from a trip -- even if it's just to see my mother -- my neighbors say, "So where did you cruise off to THIS TIME?" Yeah, that's jealousy talking.

 

(And, don't tell my DH this, but...) Some of my ~best~ vacations have been solo: to London, Disney World, and on Monday aboard the Carnival Victory. It's great to be able to do what you want, when you want. There are so many ways you can connect with other people aboard ship, if you want, and easy enough ways to have alone time, too.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!! :)

 

~ Becky

[Lois R]

Does anyone have friends or family that give them trouble about going on a cruise solo?

 

I find it to be a safe good vacation. There are ship sponsored shore excursions and I usually meet some great folks onboard. I can not help it if I do not have someone to cruise with. Should I just stay home on vacation by myself??

 

Sorry to vent, family giving me a hard time about cruising alone again in Jan next year. Thanks for listening.

 

Hi, sorry to hear your friends and family are giving you are hard time.

Doesn't sound like very good friends to me. Why are they giving you

a hard time?:eek:

As for family, no, nobody gives me a hard time. I work hard for my

vacation time and in my opinion, cruising solo is awesome.

Of course I use common sense in all situations but I think cruising

is very safe.

I have been cruising for 4 years now:D and wish I had started

14 or 24 years ago!!!

And, no don't stay home!!!!

 

Go and have a wonderful cruise!!!!:)

[Annieeee]

I have cruised alone several times, by choice. And I absolutely love it!

 

So just tell your friends and family that you appreciate their concern, but you are an adult and unless they are supporting you finanacially in all aspects of your life, that they should mind their own business; inform them that you are able to care of your self and that you feel safe and secure in in crusing alone cruise alone.

Don't even think about staying home on your vacation. Don't cave in! Go and have a wonderful time.,

 

Annieeee

[SantaAna,CA]

I'm sorry that your friends and family have given you a "hard time" about sailing solo. Is it possible that they are just concerned about your safety? Sometimes people read things or hear things (like the disappearance of someone on a cruise ship) and then paint all cruise ship journeys with that brush.

 

Personally, I think traveling solo as a woman on a cruise is one of the safest ways to travel. But then, I'm in my 50's, have travelled alone for most of the last 20 years, and never felt afraid. I'm just savvy about where I'm going and what I'm doing.

 

I think it's fine to hear your friends and family out. But please don't let them dissuade you from traveling on your own. In my opinion, it's very fulfilling as a woman, it has given me joy and a feeling of freedom and independence, in the best possible ways.

 

Jane

[KarenR_UK]

My mother recently told me she worries about me while I am out of the country:rolleyes:

 

I worry about her at home - she has just got out of an abusive marriage & I know he is still hanging about :( - but there was / is nothing I can do about it - it is her life.

 

It would have to be a very bad experience for something that happens 'abroad' to exceed what happened to her in the last 10 years (:( ) and sorry, but I am not spending the next X years of my life waiting at home for someone to holiday with - I did that for 20 years, no more:D

 

I agree with the others, that cruising is probably the safest way for a solo woman to travel and that you shouldn't allow other peoples opinions or fears interfere:)

 

Karen

[Roz]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but most (if not all) of the reported casing of people going overboard or turning up missing were passengers who were cruising with family or friends.

 

Even though it wasn't a cruise, ask Natalie Holloway how much help her friends were in Aruba.

 

There's no substitute for street smarts and common sense.

 

Roz

[megr1125]

Regardless of the reason you choose to travel solo, families & friends have to consider that, sometimes, people in the family may just want to be alone for the sake of being alone.......

 

I think it's great, don't feel guilty and have a good time..........sounds like you have common sense!!!

 

 

As a side note, for other people-females especially-who travel solo for whatever reason-are you ever ignored by staff in , say restaurants?? Not so much on cruises but in hotels maybe??? Just wondering.

[emdia43]

I consider it a much safer environment for a woman traveling alone than any other vacation. You can go anywhere on the ship at any hour of the day or night and feel safe. I can walk into a bar on a ship and join a trivia team,or some competition that's going on- something I wouldn't dream of doing here- (walk into a bar alone) and there are so many activities you can join in with . Excursions organised by the ship are a safe way to travel in the resorts. You have medical personnel at hand if any accident happens onboard.

I don't have to drive in unfamiliar surroundings...... that's a big one.

[cruise4kicks]

As a side note, for other people-females especially-who travel solo for whatever reason-are you ever ignored by staff in , say restaurants?? Not so much on cruises but in hotels maybe??? Just wondering.

I've found that, on the whole, I get MORE attention when people know I'm going solo. Some of the best conversations I've had with locals have been service people in restaurants, hotels and bars.

 

Maybe if you feel like you're being ignored, the waitperson is assuming you're waiting for someone to join you, and is waiting to come to the table until your never-to-arrive dining companion comes?

 

BTW, I'm not one who's easily ignored. If I feel like I'm being ignored, I'll register my displeasure and take my business elsewhere. ;)

[KarenR_UK]

As a side note, for other people-females especially-who travel solo for whatever reason-are you ever ignored by staff in , say restaurants?? Not so much on cruises but in hotels maybe??? Just wondering.

 

Yes, unfortunately, on my last cruise :( - going to the late night bar on my own after dinner, on one or two nights, I found it very difficult to catch the waiters eye & get served - whether they thought I was waiting for someone I don't know but it was a bit irritating - I always feel out of place when on my own and really like to have a drink to hold when feeling nervous:D .

 

Its for this reason I try to visit the same bars at about the same times - the bar staff tend to get to know you - in fact a couple of years ago, I went in, 'hid' in my usual corner (I was just relaxing before dressing for dinner and didn't want to feel conspicuously on my own by sitting at the centre tables) and the bar steward (not the waiter, the one behind the bar making up the drinks) sent his newspaper over for me to read :D I thought that was a nice gesture:)

 

Karen

[megr1125]

I've found that, on the whole, I get MORE attention when people know I'm going solo. Some of the best conversations I've had with locals have been service people in restaurants, hotels and bars.

 

Maybe if you feel like you're being ignored, the waitperson is assuming you're waiting for someone to join you, and is waiting to come to the table until your never-to-arrive dining companion comes?

 

BTW, I'm not one who's easily ignored. If I feel like I'm being ignored, I'll register my displeasure and take my business elsewhere. ;)

 

 

No, they know...I see them fall all over groups..and yes, I will split...I have lost count over how often this happens...also sometimes happens when traveling with my mom....2 women sometimes get ignored in favor of familes, groups of men or male/female couples.....

 

i should write a book!!!

[megr1125]

Karen..that's interesting because even when I go to the bar solo on a cruise, I haven't noticed. And I did become a regular in a big chain restaurant...but it was funny...my last night there, I could barely get service! I was in a different seat and some of the bartenders kept wandering off...moved to my normal spot once it was vacated, complained to the manager (whooppee the bartender popped for a $2 beer) and said, train your staff...apparently the bartenders were all having hissy fits with each other and all the customers knew it...honeslty, I could have gone behind the bar, gotten a beer (or taken one out of the tub of ice that is within arms reach) and they wouldn't have noticed.

 

Probably could have made drinks at the service bar too, taken care of the customers and pocketed their tips without anyone saying a word!

[kitty9]

I've been to some of the most unusual places in the world on solo cruises. Tell your family that if a 50 year old woman can survive cruising to places like Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Africa, you can handle your cruise. To be honest, tell them to MYOB.

[DiveMaster]

Yeah, my 12 year old calls me a bum when I travel solo while he is in school!:D

 

 

Does anyone have friends or family that give them trouble about going on a cruise solo?

 

I find it to be a safe good vacation. There are ship sponsored shore excursions and I usually meet some great folks onboard. I can not help it if I do not have someone to cruise with. Should I just stay home on vacation by myself??

 

Sorry to vent, family giving me a hard time about cruising alone again in Jan next year. Thanks for listening.

[SantaAna,CA]

Just wanted to weigh in on this issue. I have noticed one thing that happens from time to time. I'm in my 50's, so I'm no spring chicken. But I do notice that wherever I go, there always seems to be married women who are very threatened by me. I make it a practice to always engage the woman in conversation, not her husband, if I am in the company of a couple. But oftentimes just my single female presence seems to discomfit some women. It's discouraging because I'm not interested in anyone's husband, I am interested in intelligent conversation.

 

I'm never ignored when I travel. It always seems wherever I go, in a hotel or a restaurant, I'm well treated as a solo traveler.

 

Except when someone thinks I'm after their husband, which is pretty funny in reality. If they only knew how little I'm really interested!

 

Jane

[justme75]

Interesting. I actually prefer to travel alone. My first two cruises were solos and I loved them. Both occurred during rather rocky periods in my life and the time to be by myself with no obligations to anyone, to have the freedom to be quiet and reflect was a soul opening renewing process.

 

Friends think it would be lonely, I never find it lonely. Ever. I enjoy the freedom of doing what I want when i want it and not feeling guilty about it.

 

That's the joy of traveling solo! :D

[airlink diva]

Interesting. I actually prefer to travel alone. My first two cruises were solos and I loved them. Both occurred during rather rocky periods in my life and the time to be by myself with no obligations to anyone, to have the freedom to be quiet and reflect was a soul opening renewing process.

 

Friends think it would be lonely, I never find it lonely. Ever. I enjoy the freedom of doing what I want when i want it and not feeling guilty about it.

 

That's the joy of traveling solo! :D

Hey, you took the words right out of my mouth :D :D !!

[Island Girl 808]

:) My First Trans Atlantic from Bacelona Spain to Miami Florida , I went by myself , no one in my family could accompany me so I just went. Last Min deal I quickly registered for the M/M roll call found the C/C chat line.It did help being in this Cruise Critic site and meeting them at our M/M ....... and the dining rm they were all elderly couples I was the only single , after a few days one of the couples that I sat with we always had great conversations , they would save me a seat up front in the theatre if I was going to see the shows ... we became very good friends , the couples was in search in finding me a boyfriend on the cruise it was sweet and funny . I am widowed after 33 yrs of marriage and my husband and I always talked of traveling and taking a cruise. So I guess I am doing it all , lots of traveling and cruises some still by myself. I have met someone and he is my cruise partner when he can go, his first cruise was Apr 07 - Radiance OTS 2 wks to Hawaii , and most recent Mediterannean Aug 07...

There are many including my family that are shocked that I cruise alone but I find it no stress and I can stay as late at the disco or go to any of the lounges or sleep late in the morning , take tours I want to do, I did have my lap top and cell ph that did international calling so I kept in touch w/ everyone.........

yes I have to pay double occupancy but I try to find "hot deals" so if the price is doubled its still affordable...

so Safe and Happy Journeys to New Horizons ......... Jillian:)

[mbarnaby99]

I really really enjoy my solo cruises. All but my first two cruises have been solo and I too have been given grief by family. I have long decided they are just jealous and I don't worry about it. I don't have to take a cruise around anyone else's schedule and can then get specials. I have seen some amazing sites because of cruising. I to think it is a safe way to see other countries. When you cruise solo, you have the option to be by yourself or be with others. It's great to have options. I am on my next solo cruise in 2 weeks and can't wait.

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

Most of my trips since finishing college have been alone. I have no prob with it and my parents have accepted it quite well (especially when I told them I refused to be 80 and sitting in a rocking chair wishing I had done........) I love cruising and I think itis the safest way for a single woman to go....I do ship sponsored tours, go "out" after dinner (which I never do when doing a land tour), have an after dinner drink, etc. The only time my dad got worried was when I called from New York City and he asked where I was staying (1/2 block from Times Square). He said that is a dangerous part of town, get out of there, etc....when I explained that it was clean, hardly any litter, no streetwalkers etc....he calmed down a little. (He had been there in the 60s LOL) I asked how come you weren't worried when I was in Paris by myself...his answer "I don't know what Paris is like but I know what New York City is like" LOL Now he knows how carefully I do my research, how careful I am about traveling, and usually just smiles and shakes his head when I tell him where I am off to next.