Cruising Solo

I’ve had questions about my experience with solo cruising, so I thought I’d talk about how this one went. It’s been six years since the last cruise-not counting the three cruises I did as a Tour Director. That was work, and I had a built-in group to keep me busy. This was also my first time cruising alone. So – how did it go?

Rule number one: if you want to get to know people you need to get out of your cabin. Then you have to talk to people! My first step was to sign up for traditional dining and ask to be seated at a table with a group. Since you see the same people every night, you get to know them over the course of the cruise. Since this was two back-to-back cruises, I was seated with two different groups. In both cases, by the end of the first week we were getting along like old friends.

Sometimes all it takes is a generic question like: “Where are you from?” In my case, being from Montana seemed to generate a lot of interest. People either want to talk about their visit there, or how they want to visit there. In one instance, I was on a bus in Bilbao and when I told the woman sitting next to me where I was from. Immediately four people across the aisle let me know that they were from a town just a few miles from where I live. Small world.

I also participated in a couple of group activities. There is always something to do, whether it’s a crafting group, trivia, dance lessons, or games. I attended a meeting of nomads, and it was great to hear how others are choosing a lifestyle of travel. Doing more activities probably would have been a good idea, but after a long summer of leading group tours I was ready for a little alone time. I’m promising myself that on the next cruise I’ll get more involved.

Now, if you’re thinking about taking a cruise on your own, I would suggest trying a shorter cruise. On these long cruises, I found that most cruisers were couples. Smaller ships are also more conducive to getting to know your cruise mates. When you’re on a ship with 3000 or more passengers, running across the same person again gets a lot harder.

My next three cruises are with friends, so I’ll have built-in companionship. But I still plan to get to know other cruisers. One warning, though. As you meet people who do a lot of traveling, conversation naturally leads to places they have been. The next thing you know, you have another place to add to your bucket list!