Has anyone done the merry time cruise or gone solo before?

[OP95]

Hi all,

I have been looking at the Disney cruises for my next solo trip next year in November for 3 or 4 nights in the middle of my trip as a nice break from the parks. However I will be going as a male solo. Have come across the merry time cruises and these look very tempting which go to Nassau and castaway but another poster mentioned Nassau was not the best to visit . The only thing I’m worried about is the dinning situations will I have to sit with a random group? and if there’s enough to do as a solo adult? If any of you have any advice it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Im from Ireland and have done 2 solo Disney cruises and booked on a third in the next few weeks. In 2022 I did the 7 night Norwegian Fjords on The Magic rom Dover, in 2023 I did the 4 night Spain on The Dream from Southampton and in a few weeks I will be back on The Dream, on the 5 night Spain.

Solo cruising is starting to be very popular and many do solo Disney cruises. The one thing about solo on Disney is that they don't do solo rates, so I pay for the room which is essentially double rates.

For my last two cruises I requested a private table. You can do this on the App or phone Disney cruise. This year I requested a table by the window. I'm more comfortable on the cruises now, so I am ok if they put me at a shared table.

There is a huge amount of things to do on Disney cruises. Theres adult only pools, coffee areas, bars, restaurants and entertainment. You can also go to all the other things like the main theatre shows, the cinema, deck parties, character meets and so much more.

This is my trip report from last years cruise https://www.disboards.com/threads/s...-cruise-2023-complete-final-thoughts.3929341/

 

[AnnaS]

Staying on the ship and enjoying the ship in Nassau for many repeat cruisers is highly recommended. I agree.

We have cruised a few cruises ourselves. For our first "Nassau port", I told DH we are staying put. DH wanted to get out and explore a bit since it was our first time. I don't think we lasted on the island 15 minutes before we made a quick U Turn. We both had no desire to go further.

The solo rates stink. Adding a 3-4 night cruise in addition to a WDW stay is nice!! We have done it too

 

[OP95]

Thank you. Can I ask why it’s a bad island? I’m surprised they would have it as a destination. Would it be worth skipping the Christmas cruise as they have Nassau and do the 4 day one with all the Disney islands?

 

[OP95]

Im from Ireland and have done 2 solo Disney cruises and booked on a third in the next few weeks. In 2022 I did the 7 night Norwegian Fjords on The Magic rom Dover, in 2023 I did the 4 night Spain on The Dream from Southampton and in a few weeks I will be back on The Dream, on the 5 night Spain.

Solo cruising is starting to be very popular and many do solo Disney cruises. The one thing about solo on Disney is that they don't do solo rates, so I pay for the room which is essentially double rates.

For my last two cruises I requested a private table. You can do this on the App or phone Disney cruise. This year I requested a table by the window. I'm more comfortable on the cruises now, so I am ok if they put me at a shared table.

There is a huge amount of things to do on Disney cruises. Theres adult only pools, coffee areas, bars, restaurants and entertainment. You can also go to all the other things like the main theatre shows, the cinema, deck parties, character meets and so much more.

This is my trip report from last years cruise https://www.disboards.com/threads/s...-cruise-2023-complete-final-thoughts.3929341/

Great report, thank you.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Great report, thank you.

You are welcome. If you have any questions about solo cruising , let me know. As you can see in the trip report, being solo on the cruise is great, I love just being out on the water. You can do as much or as little as you want. Like in the parks, people are so much in their own family bubbles that no one notices if you are solo doing things. A lot of parents with young kids will often be solo around the ship as the other adult is doing something with the child or children. Many crew members have guest area privileges on their time off so again they are solo in the guest areas.

 

[sponica]

Thank you. Can I ask why it’s a bad island? I’m surprised they would have it as a destination. Would it be worth skipping the Christmas cruise as they have Nassau and do the 4 day one with all the Disney islands?

They have to have so many dockings in the Bahamas to maintain their registry. We did a "Discover Nassau" excursion that they don't run anymore when we went in 2014. The scenic tour by van was quite the driving experience, but the aquarium in Atlantis was nice.

We didn't get off the ship on our second cruise in February, brunch at Palo was much more important to us though.

 

[holula]

I’ve done solo cruises on all of the four original ships. I’ve had one amazing shared table experience and one okay one, and two private tables.

I love cruising solo nothing like having a 3pm nap with no one to question why.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I love cruising solo nothing like having a 3pm nap with no one to question why.

THIS Last year on one of the sea days I was walking through the adult pool area and saw some empty loungers facing the sea. I was going to somewhere, maybe one of the trivia games, I cant remember but changed my mind and just had a power nap watching the sea instead. Thats the fun of solo cruising, spontaneous things without having to fit in with anyone else's plans.

 

[Mle8308]

Thank you. Can I ask why it’s a bad island? I’m surprised they would have it as a destination. Would it be worth skipping the Christmas cruise as they have Nassau and do the 4 day one with all the Disney islands?

I'd skip Nassau if given the choice of cruises! It's not bad, but you definitely need to be cautious. Once you get out of the "fenced in Disney area" there are tons of locals bothering you for all sorts of things...and they are quite persistent at times. If you do stop there, I'd stay on the ship.

 

[OP95]

I'd skip Nassau if given the choice of cruises! It's not bad, but you definitely need to be cautious. Once you get out of the "fenced in Disney area" there are tons of locals bothering you for all sorts of things...and they are quite persistent at times. If you do stop there, I'd stay on the ship.

Thank you - the other one with the Disney islands is pretty much nearly the same price for the extra night. Though I am slightly worried on what the weather might be like of that time of year as I know a lot of the time they can’t dock due to winds

 

[auntlynne]

Very Merrytime Cruises don’t have a major emphasis on holidays. Mainly just decorations. I wouldn’t pay extra for that (and have sailed during this period and Halloween). I like the Merrytime cruises for the weather and reduced crowds of late Fall / early December.

If you are flexible in your timing, the two weeks following Thanksgiving can be very nice weather. It’s still warm air and water. The Hurricane season has wound down. And kids are in school, trying to wrap that fall semester. Usually fares are lower.

I do cruise solo (when necessary), both Disney and other companies. That double base fare + one-person tax and port fees makes Disney an even more pricey cruise than normal. But if I am in the mood and can find a Disney-decent rate, I would consider it. The last time I went solo on DCL was Sep 2021. I’ve cruised 5 other cruises on other cruise lines since 2021.

As to whether there is enough to do for a solo, it depends on what you like to do. Solo or not.

As to being solo, how comfortable are you doing anything without companions. And it may depend on your age. Having started cruising after 40, I usually find other guests (often couples) that are friendly and happy to make a team for trivia. But I come across as an extrovert. I make eye contact and smile. And I am female. But maybe a male might mingle at a bar and chat among men (and women).

Can you articulate what your idea of a cruise is? What activities are hoping to find? It might help to see if a Disney cruise offers your desired experience. It is not the same as the parks, that’s for sure.

Are you okay playing at a beach by yourself? I find that can be an activity that is tied to being with family and friends.

You may get a private table for dinner or be seated with other guests (typically similar age). They do a pretty good job of bundling groups.

I have gone into Nassau. I still recommend doing so at least once in your life - so long as the Travel Advisory does not recommend higher caution. There is local- on- local crime in known areas. It is not about crimes against tourists. If you see yourself going to a water park alone, Therexare a few choices of varying prices and activities.

 

[leggoons]

Hi all,

I have been looking at the Disney cruises for my next solo trip next year in November for 3 or 4 nights in the middle of my trip as a nice break from the parks. However I will be going as a male solo. Have come across the merry time cruises and these look very tempting which go to Nassau and castaway but another poster mentioned Nassau was not the best to visit . The only thing I’m worried about is the dinning situations will I have to sit with a random group? and if there’s enough to do as a solo adult? If any of you have any advice it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

I'm doing a Merry Time cruise this December out of Galveston as a male solo (this will be my 17th Disney cruise but my 1st as a solo). I am doing the 2nd seating for dinner and have similar concerns about being with random people. I have requested my own table and will check after embarkation to see if this request was granted. I have booked Palo for dinner on the 1st night and am planning on being flexible the remaining nights depending on if my solo table request was granted. I will be happy doing the sit down dinners or doing room service/pool deck food/etc. (I'm actually intrigued by the idea of skipping the sit down dinners so I can be more flexible with when and how much I eat). I enjoy doing Bingo, Movies and Trivia and these are great activities to do as a solo. I have also booked a few additional cost activities (beverage tasting/excursion) since the price for doing these solo is pretty reasonable.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

Thank you - the other one with the Disney islands is pretty much nearly the same price for the extra night. Though I am slightly worried on what the weather might be like of that time of year as I know a lot of the time they can’t dock due to winds

The stats I have read about missing CC because of high winds are about 10-20% depending on the season...those are low odds I can live with. Of course, I also enjoy being on the ship so its a win win for me.

 

[disney2you]

I did a solo MerryTime cruise last December on Wish. I am female and I got sat at all female table with two other parties, both mother and daughter pairs where the daughter was around my age. One of the families was awesome to chat to, the other was just quiet and reserved. I went on the Wonder to Alaska with BF and I was kinda sad we didn't get sat with other parties and I don't normally like to chat with people but I can talk about Disney all day long (BF is not a big fan of Disney).

I also skipped Nassau and just spent the day exploring the ship, meeting characters, and trying all the drinks! There is so much to do on the ship, even on my 7 day Alaska cruise there were things I didn't get around to doing (like watch Inside Out 2).

 

[RedHead0186]

Thank you - the other one with the Disney islands is pretty much nearly the same price for the extra night. Though I am slightly worried on what the weather might be like of that time of year as I know a lot of the time they can’t dock due to winds

Just to set expectations: the reason ships can't dock at Castaway Cay can be wind and/or currents. Sometimes the wind isn't bad but if the current is strong and/or the 'wrong way,' ships can't dock. I point that out because there have been times ships can't dock and people are saying "but the weather is gorgeous!" Well, it's about more than just the weather/what you can see.

With the longer pier at Lookout Cay it seems docking there won't be quite so much of an issue. But it's still new, so we'll see!

 

[OP95]

Thanks all for the advice has given me a lot to think about. Haven’t pulled the trigger yet but will do some more research!

 

[OP95]

I'm doing a Merry Time cruise this December out of Galveston as a male solo (this will be my 17th Disney cruise but my 1st as a solo). I am doing the 2nd seating for dinner and have similar concerns about being with random people. I have requested my own table and will check after embarkation to see if this request was granted. I have booked Palo for dinner on the 1st night and am planning on being flexible the remaining nights depending on if my solo table request was granted. I will be happy doing the sit down dinners or doing room service/pool deck food/etc. (I'm actually intrigued by the idea of skipping the sit down dinners so I can be more flexible with when and how much I eat). I enjoy doing Bingo, Movies and Trivia and these are great activities to do as a solo. I have also booked a few additional cost activities (beverage tasting/excursion) since the price for doing these solo is pretty reasonable.

Hope you enjoy the trip. Hopefully your table request will be granted!

 

[OP95]

I did a solo MerryTime cruise last December on Wish. I am female and I got sat at all female table with two other parties, both mother and daughter pairs where the daughter was around my age. One of the families was awesome to chat to, the other was just quiet and reserved. I went on the Wonder to Alaska with BF and I was kinda sad we didn't get sat with other parties and I don't normally like to chat with people but I can talk about Disney all day long (BF is not a big fan of Disney).

I also skipped Nassau and just spent the day exploring the ship, meeting characters, and trying all the drinks! There is so much to do on the ship, even on my 7 day Alaska cruise there were things I didn't get around to doing (like watch Inside Out 2).

That’s great they sat you with another female party too. It seems like it’s a popular choice to stay on the boat. What were the Christmas festivities like?

 

[disney2you]

That’s great they sat you with another female party too. It seems like it’s a popular choice to stay on the boat. What were the Christmas festivities like?

I really like the large atrium with the Christmas tree and the shows. They did the tree lighting with characters the first night and there was so much confetti and Pluto even had a bucket of snow confetti he was throwing on everyone; Santa comes out at the end too. I liked how they did this twice so I could watch from different places. Some of the crafts were Christmas themed as well. Sadly I missed Mickey and Minnie's Holiday Party as I was at Palo for dinner (first time cruiser). Lot of doors were decorated for Christmas as well and I even got pixie dusted with some Christmas ducks. My fav had to be the Sand Snowmen statue on Castaway. I also paired my trip with Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party before and after cruise so felt very much in the spirit of the holidays!
Oh and the sweet shop on the Wish had soo many Christmas treats to chose from as well.