Anyone been on a cruise by themselves?

[MarieInternette]

I’m desperate to get away in the winter and I’ve been considering holidaying on my own as my husband can’t make it next year. Having never been on a cruise before I was thinking perhaps it would be a good option for a single traveller as there would be different things to do each day when the boat docks in different places. As I’m fundamentally a lazy person on holiday and need a good beach/warm sea/cocktail so I’m leaning towards a Caribbean cruise but I’m open to other suggestions.

I’m not sure I fancy a huge cruise liner and think I’d prefer a smaller ship which still had things to do.
Can anyone recommend anything they’ve done which might be of interest? TIA

I'm BC a big fan of holidaying alone.

I'm not sure that a cruise would do it for me, unless it was the BM kind where they provide lectures from experts.

For anything longer than a long weekend, I tend to look for an element of group activity, such as walking, or yoga or something g, which means that there are people around with whom I have at least something in common. It's always possible to opt out of any activity if you find you prefer to do something else.

Introverts can may prefer to not interact with others. It's an essential part of a holiday for me.

I did, years ago. I had a great time. Still like going on hols on my own, and sometimes with DH.

I don’t mean to be thick but on a ferry you can feel the rumble of the engines can you feel this on a cruise ship? Or is it just like floating on air? Always wondered

Cruise ships are pretty quiet.

However doing one alone would be awful in my view. Very difficult to meet up with people like you. Different ports but you need to make an effort to see anything. Just too few singles as well.

Mg suggestion would be a small group holiday. Steppes do amazing ones. You would be fully included! We have just been on a 12 guest boat in Canada. Not a winter trip but really good for singles. One family. There are also singles only holiday companies. My friend used one with mixed results. People are indeed booking alone but their single friends all book too! So they all know each other. I think Exodus might do small group holidays too. These would be a better bet than a big cruise ship. Only expedition ships are small.

I was chatting to a lady at an appointment recently, she's widowed and was just back from a cruise on her own. She did quite a few of the organised trip and there was social activities for solo travellers on board the ship (not singles, nothing awkward) and she loved it.

I'd do it. But I like my own company. A group / singles holiday is totally different. There's some expectation you'll at least attempt to be sociable.

Get a cabin with a balcony.

Thd type of holiday you choose really depends on how much time you would be prepared to spend alone. What about meals? In your cabin staring out to sea? Not something I would do on a ship with 2000 people on board.

The only time I could was having to do to the medical deck on the 4th floor. You could really feel the vibration down there. Higher up floors you don't feel anything. We did get a gentle sway whilst showering though but nothing that made you feel nauseous or sick. Only ever been on a ferry once and as soon as the engines fired up I felt sick for the entire journey

Some people don't mind eating alone! As you say it very much depends on the person.

Depends which deck your on and how big the ship is.

I worked on cruise ships for years and one time my cabin was right next to the engine. Was lush at night. Very soothing.

OP I haven't done it myself but I did work for Royal Caribbean and P&O on their ships for years and there were loads of solo cruisers.

The chatty ones were great! 10 years later and I still speak to one lady who came into my shop every day for her 20 day cruise. She even sent me flowers on Christmas day from the onboard florist. Needless to say, all the crew went above and beyond for her.

Just book yourself on the proper excursions so you'll not end up getting lost if you're going to do touristy things and if you want to make some friends then see if they will put you on a solo traveller table at dinner etc instead of a single.

We cruise regularly and there are often single travellers - in the restaurants you can request to be sat at a singles table and they always seemed to be having fun! I think there are actual "singles options" if you mention it when you book like excursions and things - it's definitely quite common though I would say, you won't be alone.
I always find everyone so friendly on cruises - we've made friends with several couples.

Also check out the Cruise Mummy blog - she knows everything there is to know about cruising and will usually answer direct messages too.

I haven't cruised alone, but have spent plenty of alone time on ships, including meals while my (older) kids do their own thing. Love it!

One catch will be that most cruise lines charge a hefty 'single supplement', you are effectively paying double the twin share price. A couple of lines have single cabins - Royal Caribbean is one I think - but they are apparently teeny tiny.

Ship sold excursions are expensive and usually short. Poor value for money mostly. Never got lost on shore! Maps are very handy!

Yes I have! You can spend as much time alone as you wish, and mingle with people when you want to. Most cruise lines have solo meet ups scheduled but even without those you tend to talk to people around the ship and make conversation.

I’m not a fan of huge ships with water slides and climbing walls, I tend to stick to quieter lines like Azamara and Holland America.

The main issue with cruising solo is the cost! Often you can be charged almost double but some lines have specific solo rooms which can be cheaper. I’ve recently discovered a travel agent specialising in solo cruises called ‘Passion for cruises’ and they have some really good deals.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions!

Yet the amount of times we lost passengers who wandered off or went rouge or were late/missed the ship was painful.
You're right that the ship sold ones are often more expensive, you at least had the peace of mind that you'll end up back on the ship at the end of it.

However if it's a port you know or have reliable intel on, then the locally hosted or self hosted excursions really are better.

I did both often (yey for free crew chaperone passes).

I haven’t cruised alone but have made friends on ships with solo passengers. I do a lot of the ships activities on my own including breakfast and if I’m on board lunch as my DH like different restaurants. I watch shows and go to seminars etc on my own I often think if I was to holiday alone I’d either pick a cruise or a resort hotel
that has shows in the evenings.
I have only travelled on medium to large ships.
lots of cruise lines have social get togethers for solo passengers, if you felt uncomfortable at dinner then room service is an option.
Booking shore excursions would make the holiday very easy and you would get to see and do a lot of activities.
Most ships have spas (some chargeable to use the wet facilities ) and this is a good use of a couple of hours if you like spas. I went on a NCL Caribbean cruise this spring and spent many a happy hour on my own on the heated beds with a view of the ocean.

I can recommend Passion for Cruises.
They specialise in cruises for solo travellers - otherwise it's difficult to find deals that don't have a huge solo supplement.
They've got a Facebook group where you can find other solo passengers going on the same cruise.
I did this for a Mediterranean cruise a couple of years ago. Met up with two lovely women and we just hit it off and met up for meals in the restaurants and some of the excursions.

Might be worth looking at MSC cruises as they don't charge a single supplement.

I've cruised alone several times, and after the first one went along to the solo meet up on the day of arrival. After that we met up for predinner drinks and had a solos table in the dining room. Sometimes I met up with others to explore or go on excursions after we'd docked, but at other times I was happy to do that alone. I tended not to join in quizzes, discos, sunbathing on deck or organised activities, though I did enjoy going to the theatre each evening. I also took my gym gear and used the gym several times.

I think it's a great holiday for a solo person. I don't mind my own company but also enjoyed mixing, and I loved dressing up to go to dinner each night.

I'm also follow Passion for Cruises Facebook group though I haven't cruised with them yet. They have very tempting offers to suit all (most!) pockets.