Transatlantic solo

[Karin1984]

The fares dropped for the transatlantic cruise from Dover to New York. I could make a solo trip work with my job, I can afford it .

But...
Even though I am perfectly fine on my own. Sometimes my mind switches from 'being alone' into 'loneliness'. I am not in the best of headspace now, no idea how this is going to be 3 months from now. 12 days on my own, being completely off the grid, it can be the greatest or the worst idea ever. I know there is plenty to do on board, but I am still afraid I am going to be bored. I am not an extravert, I can be social from time to time, but I need to be in the mood. Or else it's going to cost a lot of energy.

I don't have a really good answer if someone asks me 'why would you want to do this cruise'. Just because I got it in my head a few years ago after my first cruise that I would like to do a cruise like the Transatlantic or the Panama Canal. Something that you can't do every (holi)day. That is an answer. Not a very good one.

Even though I can afford it, I did just return from WDW and next April I will go to DL. I can do it all, but it is a lot of money in total.

For roughly the same amount of money I can also do the British Isles cruise, shorter, closer to home (I'm in NL), more port days.
But then again, I am in Europe, visiting UK / Ireland I can do easily without cruising, the cost per day is higher.

Anyone here have some advice to stop my brain going in circles?

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

TA's are great if you love seadays.. I'm on the TA by myself as well (Im from Belgium).. I go to the parks alone as well.... Do you cruise for the ships and its activities or do you cruise to see places? If the answer is the ship a TA is a great deal but if you wanna see places you def need to choose a different itinerary...

 

[MrsScooby]

The fares dropped for the transatlantic cruise from Dover to New York. I could make a solo trip work with my job, I can afford it .

But...
Even though I am perfectly fine on my own. Sometimes my mind switches from 'being alone' into 'loneliness'. I am not in the best of headspace now, no idea how this is going to be 3 months from now. 12 days on my own, being completely off the grid, it can be the greatest or the worst idea ever. I know there is plenty to do on board, but I am still afraid I am going to be bored. I am not an extravert, I can be social from time to time, but I need to be in the mood. Or else it's going to cost a lot of energy.

I don't have a really good answer if someone asks me 'why would you want to do this cruise'. Just because I got it in my head a few years ago after my first cruise that I would like to do a cruise like the Transatlantic or the Panama Canal. Something that you can't do every (holi)day. That is an answer. Not a very good one.

Even though I can afford it, I did just return from WDW and next April I will go to DL. I can do it all, but it is a lot of money in total.

For roughly the same amount of money I can also do the British Isles cruise, shorter, closer to home (I'm in NL), more port days.
But then again, I am in Europe, visiting UK / Ireland I can do easily without cruising, the cost per day is higher.

Anyone here have some advice to stop my brain going in circles?

I was on the EB transatlantic in 2017. Went with a friend, but we each had our own staterooms. Signed up with a group of people precruise for planning and whatnot. There was at least one lady that was traveling alone and I recall my friend commenting on whether she would ever contempt traveling alone like that. We weren't sure we would want to do that... I found myself very grateful for the companionship of not only my friend but the people from our group. I found the sea days kind of boring and was so grateful when the port days started. I'm not super outgoing either. My suggestion is to wait until you have someone to go with to do a transatlantic. A busy port intensive cruise is more to my taste and I wouldn't mind being alone as much on that type of cruise. My family did the Bristish Isles on a Princess cruise-almost same itinerary as DCL for half the price. and we loved it!
Just my 2 cents...

 

[hrhdhd]

I've taken TAs solo and will take another this fall. For me, they are bliss. Reading your post, though, I might suggest a shorter solo cruise first so you can see how you like it. (And you don't have to be "off the grid"; internet service is available.)

 

[BadPinkTink]

I totally understand about the British Isles cruise, lol, its so much easier to do land trips when you live in Europe and you see so much more of a country. Im on the Norwegian Fjords cruise in September, a few weeks before the Transatlantic. Its a 7 night cruise. It was one of the more appealing itineraries to me, as the Fjords are one of the few things best seen from a ship.

 

[princesscinderella]

I say go for it, if you can afford it and have the time off from work. We only have this one life to live so we might as well make the most of it. There are so many activities onboard that I don’t think you will have time to be lonely or bored. As Dory says .. just keep swimming. Maybe do a cruise meet up here or on FB to connect with others. I’d always choose to travel if I could if regular obligations of life aren’t in the way.

 

[mab2012]

Vacations, particularly cruises, are expensive. Not just financially, but environmentally too.

Personally, if I'm not excited for a vacation, I don't think I would go. It would feel wasteful to me. If you are ambivalent or unsure, why not save that money or put it towards a vacation you really are excited for? It's a big world; there's a lot to see and do!

 

[Cruising Engineer]

I don't have a really good answer if someone asks me 'why would you want to do this cruise'. Just because I got it in my head a few years ago after my first cruise that I would like to do a cruise like the Transatlantic or the Panama Canal. Something that you can't do every (holi)day. That is an answer. Not a very good one.

This is called your Bucket List (things you want to do or accomplish before you kick the bucket). Take the TA and the PC out of your head and write them down along with goals and things that challenge or excite you. Look at your Bucket List and just do it when you have the time, money, and opportunity to do something. Remember: you can't take it with you!

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

If this was your only chance do take a Transatlantic and you took a pass on going, would you regret it later? Will it be your only chance? Probably not. But it's a way to frame it. I have done two transatlantic's and loved them both. I don't cruise solo, however I have met solo cruisers on just about every cruise I've been on. One way to combat being lonely could be to allow DCL to assign you to a table and that way at least every dinner time you know you have someone to chat with. As for transatlantic cruising, if you enjoy sea days it's a great cruise. I went on my first for the sea days, didn't care at all about the ports, and ended up loving the ports as well! It almost feels like two vacations in one. Plus cruising into NYC is chefs kiss amazing in my book. I wish more DCL cruises went in and out of NYC.

By the way, don't feel you need a reason to take a specific trip. Wanting to do a transatlantic cruise because it's unusual and sounds interesting to you is a perfectly valid reason. I have definitely planned trips for less solid reasons and loved the trip.

I agree with Cruising Engineer. If you can afford it and want to do it. Go for it. You really can't take it with you. You never know what change a travel adventure might spark in your life.

Enjoy whichever cruise you take.

 

[Cruising Girl]

I did a "bucket list" panama canal cruise in 2019 solo. I enjoyed every second of it. Packed my books, Read on sea days for awhile and then enjoyed the speakers, activities, and events offered onboard. Had an excursion on every stop.The panama crossing was AMAZING!! Stood top deck for the first part and then sat on my balcony the rest of the day to watch all the magic and wonder that the canal has to offer! My only regret was being seated with only one other lady at dinner. That did make conversation pretty awkward as we didn't have a lot in common. I will definitely request to be seated at a big table on my next panama crossing. YES---I definitely plan on doing another one SOLO!! But I was excited beyond belief to do it and am just as excited to know I'll do it again. I also did buy the internet package and called my grown daughter every evening for a check in You don't have to be lonely. sometimes just a quick hello- how are you in the elevator can lead to a fun conversation with someone. And that can lead to more hellos and conversations if you're so inclined. I definitely don't call myself an extrovert but I do believe that a smile and quick hello that might can brighten someone else's day can lead to a brightening of my spirits and less lonely feelings! If you decide to do it have a wonderful cruise!

 

[Disneypeach]

I’ve done several TAs solo and loved them. You can be as social as you want (or don’t want) …meet others from the disboards or other social media sites or talk to the crew.

On all of the TAs and PCs I’ve been on DCL has had special menus and guest speakers/performers. For example, Ian Gooding who was the production designer on Moana gave a fantastic series of lectures on how they made the movie.
so lots of different things to keep your attention.

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

I think only you can answer this for yourself as everyone is so different. I know there are many people here who cruise solo and love it.

I tried my first solo cruise last year, only 3 nights, and I probably won’t do it again. I am very introverted so I figured that would be a plus since I don’t care about meeting new people or socializing much. However I found that having no one to talk to except CMs made me feel lonely after a couple of days, and I missed having my family there to share experiences.

Also, I got food poisoning on my last cruise and was so miserable and incapacitated, it would have been really hard to cope with that by myself. I don’t mean to be negative! Just sharing my experience.

 

[Girl of the South]

i did one a couple of years ago and I LOVED it! I can be very social, I just didn't want to be. I loved my little cabin - nice to be able to put things in drawers, etc. I requested no nightly turn down or towel animals. I also didn't eat dinner in the MDR. I had planned to eat at Cabanas but it was too much like work so I grabbed some bread rolls and cheese from the buffet or got some rooms service. I blissfully read 6 books (is you are a reader, bring extra reading material because there is NONE to be had in the middle of the Atlantic.) My favorite activity were the cooking classes. I think there were 5 on my crossing. I am really good at entertaining myself . . . and am never lonely. What i would do next time is download a few more movies onto my phone or tablet - because I think I watched Parent Trap 5 times - just to have something on in the cabin. At home I might put the news on or something, in the background, and that's not an option. My Verizon cell phone worked in Canada for free and I didn't mind being 'out ot touch'. It was breezy and chilly so not a lot of sitting up on deck, and for me, a veranda would have been a waste. The thing is, if you are feeling lonely, you can always go up to the Cove Cafe - always people up there drinking tea/coffee and 'people watching'. I am with hrhdhd - solo TA cruises are BLISS!!!

 

[nick262]

The TAs have LOTS of activities. You can go to as many as you want to socialize or just be solo on deck reading a book. There are towel foldings, bingo, trivia and cooking seminars for when you want a bit of social interaction you may crave. There is also a lot of alone areas when you need to recharge such as quiet cove or the corner of a bar. There are also movies in the theater. If you can do a verandah that is bliss for sipping a drink and reading or watching the ocean go by. You can join the FB page and meet people to hang out with and my meet another solo cruiser. I LOVED the TA we went on in 2011 and was supposed to do another in 2021 but we know how that went. We are hoping to go in 2024 if there is one with the itinerary we want. I would recommend the Westbound as it gains 5 hours over the course of the cruise rather than losing 5 hours. I say go for it.

 

[hrhdhd]

I would recommend the Eastbound as it gains 5 hours over the course of the cruise rather than losing 5 hours. I say go for it.

Eastbound, you lose the hours because the clock goes forward. On a westbound, the clock goes back. I'm looking forward to one of those this fall.

 

[Girl of the South]

Thank you! That's what I thought, and remembered from my Westbound. But I couldn't do the math this early in the morning. Seems like every day we had to set our watches back (yes, I have a real watch). I thought about losing hours when you fly to Europe. And then losing an entire day when you fly to Australia and just got confused - need coffee. Thanks for clarifying!

 

[mullysisters]

Very curious, I have travelled to WDW many times solo but never cruised as a solo. Do you pay for two people or pay a single supplement? If you don’t mind me asking. I’ve read that some cruise lines have single staterooms but not too many and they are sold out quickly. I have no problem being on my own tho I prefer to travel with my DSis! I’d love to do both the TA and WBPC. Thanks!

 

[BadPinkTink]

Very curious, I have travelled to WDW many times solo but never cruised as a solo. Do you pay for two people or pay a single supplement? If you don’t mind me asking. I’ve read that some cruise lines have single staterooms but not too many and they are sold out quickly. I have no problem being on my own tho I prefer to travel with my DSis! I’d love to do both the TA and WBPC. Thanks!

I have booked a DCL solo cruise. I paid the same amount as 2 people would, except I just paid tax and port charges for 1 person. So technically the total price I paid is just a fraction cheaper than it would have been for 2 people.

DCL dont have single rooms, all rooms are for 3 to 5 people depending on the location and category.

 

[mullysisters]

Okay thanks.

 

[hrhdhd]

Okay thanks.

If you would sail another line, you can get single supplement rates of less than 100%. Right now, for example, Celebrity is having a 60% off second guest sale.