Tell me the wonderful things about cruising alone. Tell me the horrible things about cruising alone.

Disney1fan2002

<font color=red>Like OMG the TF is SOO psyched to
Joined
Jun 21, 2002
I am contemplating a solo cruise in Nov. on the Magic out of NYC for 7 nights. Alone. I am just concerned I will be bored after 2 days.
 
I have never cruised but I go on solo holidays. Im also thinking about doing a cruise during the Magic summer season in Europe.

  1. Have you been on a regular solo holiday
  2. How comfortable are you eating on your own in restaurants
  3. How comfortable are you staying on your own in a hotel
  4. Have you ever do any tourist sightseeing on your own
  5. How comfortable are you arranging your own transport / flights / pre or post cruise stay in a hotel

If you have never done any solo travel, it might be a good idea to do a practice solo trip first, maybe a city weekend away to New York or other major tourist city. That way you can get used to be alone without the big expense of a cruise.
 
Wonderful things: Virtually everything!! You get to pick and choose what you want and not be tied to what kids/spouse/friends/other family wants to do. Want to hang on a deck chair and nap and read all day? Go for it! Want to do an excursion others you would normally be with would balk at! Go for it!!

Possible negative: I have had one time where Disney tried what I have termed a “solo dump table”. The two guys got on famously - I was the square peg. BUT the dining room team saw the awkwardness and when I asked was able to find me a table just to myself! (And a bonus there, I was not stuck with someone else’s schedule so meals took as short or long as I wanted.)
 
I've done 10+ solo cruises which included a maiden voyage, a back to back, a specialty cruise and two 14-day transatlantic cruises just to name a few and aside from the cost of Disney Cruises I can't think of anything horrible about cruising solo. I guess the important thing to asks yourself is how comfortable you are being alone, meeting new people and mingling with strangers. Personally I'm very comfortable being alone and keeping to myself which is why I enjoy vacationing alone. I'm so comfortable being alone that each time I have cruised solo I've requested and received my own table in the MDR. Don't get me wrong the guests are great and a few times I have even been invited to join other tables by families that have noticed me sitting alone but I have politely always rejected their offer. I'm hoping with the new ships they offer solo cabins which would be fantastic.
 
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I totally agree with the PPs...I've done a bunch of cruises solo and loved every one of them. (i enjoy those with family and friends too)
you won't know if you like it until you try and DCL is a safe place to give it a go!
 
I have been married for 33 years now, so we do pretty much everything together. Having said that, on our last cruise, he was sick on our very first night so I got the taste of "being solo". I thought it would be nice after the show, to walk outside on deck to see the ocean. I have to tell you, I hated it. I hated being all alone. I couldn't wait to get back to the room, even if he was sick. So, as previous posters have said, how do you feel all by yourself? Do you see yourself enjoying it, or do you need your friends/spouse to be with you to enjoy the experience?
 
Good:

1. You can sleep, wake, shower, eat, go to shows, etc. without having to refer to anyone else's plans, desires, or needs. The only people that might throw a wrench in your "sleep all day" plan are the stateroom hosts. ;) I mean, sure, you can put that "do not disturb" sign up, but then you miss out on the chocolate and towel animals.

2. You don't have to worry for a single second if anyone else is having a good time.

3. You get that whole big comfy bed TO YOURSELF.

4. Want to watch Disney movies and eat Mickey Bars all night long? GO FOR IT.

5. The flexibility to drop into an event or show and then be like, "nah, this isn't for me," and go try something else.


(Maybe) Not So Good?:

1. Obviously, you'd have to do excursions by yourself, and there are some that really aren't that fun solo. But most are -- in fact, some are even better solo. I did a canoe excursion in Alaska, and since I was by myself I got the one "single" seat in the back of the canoe, and because of that I was able to switch arms to paddle. Everyone else was stuck paddling on one side for an hour.

On the other hand, if you take a tour on a bus or something, you might get seated next to a stranger. I've been lucky so far, though, and haven't been on any full tours. Two whole seats for me!

2. Ping-pong and chess games are sort of out, unless you meet somebody to play with. ;)

3. Eating alone in the MDRs. On my DCL cruises I was totally fine doing this (well, I sat with a group of other singles at dinner, but I did Palo solo), but when I cruised solo on HAL I couldn't bring myself to go to the MDRs by myself. Luckily, HAL's other dining (grill, buffet, room service) options were perfectly satisfactory.

4. Sometimes when I'm traveling or cruising alone (and this may just be because I can be shy/anxious) there are certain events I'm hesitant to try without a "buddy." I'll sit back and watch, but not participate. Example: On my first DCL cruise, solo, I never ventured out to the adults-only area for the games at night. On my second DCL cruise, with a buddy, we were in that lounge every night, having a total blast!



Experience: 3 cruises, 2 solo.
 


I am contemplating a solo cruise in Nov. on the Magic out of NYC for 7 nights. Alone. I am just concerned I will be bored after 2 days.
i have an AP and always go to WDW alone, so i'm used to wandering & dining by myself. But i've been on a 3- and a 4-day DCL cruise, and have a 7-day out of NY this Oct., and really enjoy cruising alone.
the wonderful things are being able to change up your schedule on the fly- just circle (or favorite in the app) any activities you might be interested, and show up if you feel like it at the time. you can do as many activities as you want (and there are SO MANY going on, ALL the time), or just hang out by the pool or bar and relax. you can either opt in to conversations with people & meet new acquaintances, or just relax on your own. on one cruise, i ended up meeting a contractor who was by themselves, and hung out a lot of the cruise. on another, i just sat at my assigned table at dinner (full of other solos), and a nightly chat there was enough socialization for me, beyond going to the adult pool & various trivia sessions by myself.
so i don't think there were any 'horrible' aspects aspects at all- if there's anything you don't like (bored, lonely, etc), it's pretty easy to adjust (cut back/add activities, change location to be around more/fewer people) to get back to a happy place.
 
Following this thread as I'm interested in cruising solo at the end of the year.

The cruises I've done so far I've always felt restricted by the family's interests, schedule.
E.g: I always exercise onboard, I like to jog, walk in the morning on deck 4 and late at night before bedtime & go the gym for at least an hour during the day. I love to read for hours on end but I can hardly read for even an hour when cruising with family.
I always get the "hey dad, lets go to he pool, the aquaduck, hey its time for dinner, come to the store and buy me xyz.... lets do xyz now"...
And I mean, I enjoy being with family but I also like a lot being alone. I schedule 4-5 business trips a year around the world to be by myself.

Reading other solo cruisers posts on here and elsewhere, and actually hearing their opinions in person motivates me to do it.

IMO, there is only one major negative: The price. Cost of a DCL solo cruise is almost 2x (more than that on lesser quality lines) as other cruises with same length, and similar POC's

So I'll keep reading here but I'm wondering:
- Why do solo cruisers prefer DCL to others that are way cheaper and similar in voyages, entertainment, food, etc?
 
I have not done a solo cruise, but I would love it. I have done WDW solo, and I traveled alone for business many times over the years.

My husband and I are independent of each other in our daily lives. When I do travel with my husband, we are comfortable doing things together or separately, just as we do in our everyday home routine. On a cruise I will see a show (including the adults-only venues), movie, cooking demo, participate in trivia all alone if he's not interested or wants to sleep in a bit. I enjoy my quiet time sitting inside or outside of Cove Cafe with my coffee while he likes his coffee in the stateroom.
 
IMO, there is only one major negative: The price. Cost of a DCL solo cruise is almost 2x (more than that on lesser quality lines) as other cruises with same length, and similar POC's

So I'll keep reading here but I'm wondering:
- Why do solo cruisers prefer DCL to others that are way cheaper and similar in voyages, entertainment, food, etc?
lol i almost edited my post to say the thing that would be considered most 'horrible' is the price.
my 2 disney cruises have been my only cruises so far (both within the last year), and the price wasn't great when comparing to other lines (particularly NCL which goes out of NY and has their specific solo cabins), but i've been going to disney parks regularly my entire life, and generally like & trust their product.
from extensive research online (and these boards), it seemed like disney charges a premium, but you DO get a premium product- excellent theming and service. so generally it's expensive, but the consensus is that you get what you pay for. and after my two cruises (but having nothing to compare it to), i think so far i agree. i enjoy their theatrical shows, the fun main restaurants, don't participate with characters but enjoy people-watching all the happy people that do, and most importantly, feel safe traveling alone with them. but the price does mean that i only get one DCL cruise for every 2 i could do elsewhere- so it's down to your budget & your priorities.
 
The reason I solo cruise on Disney is that there is that common denominator...that DISNEY connection, that makes it OK. Yes it is more expensive and the single supplement sucks, but when seated at dinner you always know that others love the Disney product whether it be Adventures by Disney, cruising with Disney or going to the parks and that can be a conversation starter. As a senior traveler, i know that I feel much safer traveling with Disney. I have gone to the parks alone, have done one ABD and am going on another this year and have felt perfectly at ease. I have done 2 DCL cruises so far and will be going on my third next year. I already know that there will be people on board that I have met from previous cruises so we may see each other in passing, enjoy a cocktail together at some point or meet at a show or craft session if we feel so inclined. Also Disney people just seem to be friendlier and just happy to be on board. I think it is also easier to be a single cruiser when you live by yourself already. And lets face it, fireworks at sea is totally AWESOME!
 
Not the same type of experience but once, I was alone in NYC for almost 24 hours (I usually go there with my husband) as I was waiting for a friend to join me over there. The first two hours felt a bit awkward. However, I've discovered something new: how it feels to travel by myself. It wasn't bad at all and it was definitely different. And it wasn't any worst than going to the restaurant/going to the movies/to a show by myself, which I can also appreciate. I would totally go on a cruise by myself.

I have a hard time seeing how one could get bored for a long time on a cruise. There is so much to do.

Now, I guess the important question is what is your tolerance to spending time alone?
 
I have been married for 33 years now, so we do pretty much everything together. Having said that, on our last cruise, he was sick on our very first night so I got the taste of "being solo". I thought it would be nice after the show, to walk outside on deck to see the ocean. I have to tell you, I hated it. I hated being all alone. I couldn't wait to get back to the room, even if he was sick. So, as previous posters have said, how do you feel all by yourself? Do you see yourself enjoying it, or do you need your friends/spouse to be with you to enjoy the experience?

I wonder if you would have had a different experience if you had planned a solo trip instead of ending up on one. Especially as your husband was ill, you may have been too worried for him to be able to enjoy yourself.
 
Why do solo cruisers prefer DCL to others that are way cheaper and similar in voyages, entertainment, food, etc?

I haven’t yet cruised solo, but I will. And I won’t be on Disney when I do it.

I love being at sea. So if I can be at sea for more days at a time and more times by not cruising with DCL, that’s hat I’ll do. But I also don’t find service to be better on DCL than on Royal, so I’m giving up nothing by going non-Disney.
 
I wonder if you would have had a different experience if you had planned a solo trip instead of ending up on one. Especially as your husband was ill, you may have been too worried for him to be able to enjoy yourself.

Interesting question. I think because we're two peas in a pod, a package if you will, we can't imagine one without the other. We just have fun with each other, vs. being alone. I have never enjoyed being alone, especially social things like cruising. I wasn't worried about him that night, he doesn't do well usually that very first night heading to the Caribbean, so wasn't surprised.
 
Interesting question. I think because we're two peas in a pod, a package if you will, we can't imagine one without the other. We just have fun with each other, vs. being alone. I have never enjoyed being alone, especially social things like cruising. I wasn't worried about him that night, he doesn't do well usually that very first night heading to the Caribbean, so wasn't surprised.

That was probably a good thing to learn then. I think sometimes people are worried about traveling solo, so the fact that you had a little bit of that evening experience and didn’t enjoy it let you know that a solo trip is not for you. I’m glad to hear that it wasn’t significant illness but rather just crossing the Florida straits. I think the first night is rough for lots of people!
 
I enjoy solo land travel as well as cruises. However, the majority of my cruises have been with family or friends. My 5 solo cruises were on Royal Caribbean, and the first 2 were due to my travel mate (my sister) having to cancel at the last minute.

What I love most about solo travel is being able to do what I want, when I want - without taking anyone else's preferences into consideration. The biggest con for me is occasional loneliness, as I'm not very outgoing unless I know the people I'm around.

As far as the price - twice I have booked 1 of only 3 studio cabins on RCI's Radiance-class ships. They are very small inside cabins, but the price has been right. Occasionally there are sales for single occupants in double-occupancy cabins - especially close to the sailing date.
 
Interesting question. I think because we're two peas in a pod, a package if you will, we can't imagine one without the other. We just have fun with each other, vs. being alone. I have never enjoyed being alone, especially social things like cruising. I wasn't worried about him that night, he doesn't do well usually that very first night heading to the Caribbean, so wasn't surprised.

I get that. That sounds like DH and I. I'm supposed to go on a trip with friends next year and although I absolutely want to do this trip, I'm still hesitant and I wonder how being away from my husband for six days is gonna feel. Over the last 11 years, the longest we've been apart was 48h.
 
I haven’t yet cruised solo, but I will. And I won’t be on Disney when I do it.

I love being at sea. So if I can be at sea for more days at a time and more times by not cruising with DCL, that’s hat I’ll do. But I also don’t find service to be better on DCL than on Royal, so I’m giving up nothing by going non-Disney.

I feel about the same.
I'd rather be more days at sea than being on a higher end cruise. That said, I'd never cruise Carnival or similar cruises where there's lots of drunks and rowdiness going around. The easy going, family-oriented vibe you get at DCL is what attracts me to it, I hope I find a cruise line that is a good fit when I start cruising solo by the end of the year.
 

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