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

[Skippyboo]

I did my first cruise ever last Nov- Merry Time Christmas cruise. 7 nights Eastern Caribbean on Fantasy.,I went with a friend but I did a lot of stuff by myself like going to the movies, mid ship detective agency.She ditched me on Formal night because she didn’t pack any dressy clothes. For dining we were seated at a table of 8 with 3 sets of moms and adult daughters. 1 was from UK, other from Atlanta just like us and a Florida pair who were Platinum level. The ladies were super nice.

I am doing 6 nights Halloween cruise 2 CC/1Lighthouse/Nassau on the Fantasy this October and 3 night Merry Time on the Wish over Thanksgiving weekend solo.

I have done numerous WDW trips solo. I wouldn’t consider myself an extravert but I find that you can always talk Disney to other Disney fans.

 

[Girl of the South]

I CAN be quite social, but on vacation, the last thing I want to do is make "small talk" with strangers. Some people enjoy it. I do not. I did an entire TransAtlantic cruise by myself, and even though I was offered a private table, I did not eat one dinner in the Main Dining Room. Some days I'd have a big lunch in the MDR, but mostly I ate in Cabanas. And at the end of my meal I'd make one last run and get a plate of rolls, cheese, cold cuts, whatever 'picnic' items looked good. At my table I'd put things in Zip Lock bags or a little Tupperware container and save that for dinner. The pool deck food I think is available until 6, with pizza open until later. Of course there is always Room Service. And free ice cream or bought treats. Salads and sandwiches should also be available on the pool deck. I brought a set of good (camping) plastic cutlery. The key is Zip Lock bags, which every traveler should have a stash of.

For me, the advantage of not eating dinner in the MDR is TIME. I got to do whatever I wanted the entire day - early show or late show, early movie, late movie, read my books. Even eating with family on previous cruises it just takes too long . . . . which is why when Cabanas was open for dinner, we mostly went there. Much quicker.

Signing up for the LATE dinner gives you a better chance of a solo table, and yes, going to the Dining desk upon embarkation to make sure, also helps.

 

[OP95]

Thanks everyone. I think I will decide to book it at the end of the month, hopefully there’s still some cabins left as it looks pretty booked up! Appreciated.

 

[OP95]

I CAN be quite social, but on vacation, the last thing I want to do is make "small talk" with strangers. Some people enjoy it. I do not. I did an entire TransAtlantic cruise by myself, and even though I was offered a private table, I did not eat one dinner in the Main Dining Room. Some days I'd have a big lunch in the MDR, but mostly I ate in Cabanas. And at the end of my meal I'd make one last run and get a plate of rolls, cheese, cold cuts, whatever 'picnic' items looked good. At my table I'd put things in Zip Lock bags or a little Tupperware container and save that for dinner. The pool deck food I think is available until 6, with pizza open until later. Of course there is always Room Service. And free ice cream or bought treats. Salads and sandwiches should also be available on the pool deck. I brought a set of good (camping) plastic cutlery. The key is Zip Lock bags, which every traveler should have a stash of.

For me, the advantage of not eating dinner in the MDR is TIME. I got to do whatever I wanted the entire day - early show or late show, early movie, late movie, read my books. Even eating with family on previous cruises it just takes too long . . . . which is why when Cabanas was open for dinner, we mostly went there. Much quicker.

Signing up for the LATE dinner gives you a better chance of a solo table, and yes, going to the Dining desk upon embarkation to make sure, also helps.

Thanks for the info. I didn’t know that you could opt out of the sit down meals as all the videos I’ve seen it looked like it was mandatory. Though it may be fun to still do them.

 

[Girl of the South]

Trust me, it's NOT mandatory to eat dinner! You're on vacation! When I boarded I did go to the "Dining Desk" and let them know I would not be eating dinner in the MDR but that of course, I would pay the suggested tips. There were two men there and the one said, in a fancy French accent "Oh, but cherie, you weel mees all the entertainment!" But the 2nd man, who clearly had some seniority said "The lady knows what she wants! Thank you for letting us know."

And if you are eating in Palo one night, or know in advance you'd rather not eat on (for example) Pirate Night, it's nice to let them know so they don't wait for you. And of course, leave the suggested tips. (I usually prepay).

I did like Animators Palette when you get to do a drawing . . . but I'd prefer to leave the shows to the theater. You can pick and choose if you want. Just be courteous and let them know.

 

[Lesverts]

I have done a solo cruise on Disney as a dude. It was great. People were always friendly. I didn't notice much difference between being solo in the parks and being solo on the ship. I really enjoyed going to the main dining room. I was seated as a solo but I would say that maybe being at one of the multi-group tables would have been better. I did make ship friends that I did trivia and stuff with. And have stayed in contact with one of them since leaving the ship.

 

[Skippyboo]

Thanks for the info. I didn’t know that you could opt out of the sit down meals as all the videos I’ve seen it looked like it was mandatory. Though it may be fun to still do them.

Only thing that is mandatory is the muster drill. Everything else is up to you.

 

[Michaelene De Boer]

I have sailed on 2 Merrytime cruises and and thought they were just ehhhh. The water at castaway was cool but doable. Nassau is nothing to write home about. As for stuff on the boat for an adult it might be a little more difficult. The drink tastings are fun, the night time shows are awesome, and as for sitting with random people at dinner we met a great family on a Disney cruise that we travel with yearly now.