David

Ship Faced

What Is It Like To Cruise Solo

I have participated in many different styles of cruising, including solo cruising. In total I have embarked on two solo cruises. One, on MSC Bellissima and one on MSC Grandiosa. Solo travelling isn't always everyone's cup of tea, however cruising perfectly caters for everyone and their individual needs. Throughout this article I am going to talk about my personal experiences as a solo cruiser.

Finding the perfect cruise line

Cruising solo is a really nice way to travel on your own, you get the privilege of exploring a new and exciting place everyday. The crew are really friendly and attentive. Also, when on a cruise most of the passengers are very social and it's easy to start a conversation. Even Though i have only been a solo cruiser on MSC, I know that Some cruise lines cater better for solo passengers than others, for example; NCL was the first cruise line to design an exclusive lounge for solo cruisers along with studio rooms (solo cabin). I decided to travel with MSC because I wanted to experience their new ships and most significantly they give good rates to solo passengers. On MSC Grandiosa I had a studio internal which was a small room but perfectly formed, it was all I needed.

Even Though solo cruising is an amazing experience it also has its flaws. For example; If you can't get into a studio room then you have to stay in a normal room and pay double occupancy. Double occupancy means that you have to pay the price for two people because the room is designed for two people so the cruise line doesn't want to lose money as the room isn't being used to its advantage. Therefore it's important to book your cruise early on to make sure that you get into a studio room in order to save you money.

The onboard experience

While I was a solo cruiser I got stuck into lots of different activities.

For example: I did the ropes course, the F1 simulator, waterslides and I also liked to play football on the court (that's what I mostly did during the sea days). When we were docked in Rome I did an excursion led by MSC which involved exploring the: Coliseum, The Trevi Fountain, Vatican City and then it finished with lunch in a local Italian restaurant. However, you don't need to do an excursion to have a good time (this was pre covid) as I explored Malta by myself.

In the evening, I went to the main dining room for the first two nights and it was not the best experience. The food was good but I was put on a table with three other couples and no one talked to each other so that was not the best. In my opinion, they could have put more solo travelers together on the table to socialize and then it would be less awkward as everyone would have had something in common. Due to this experience I spent the rest of the holiday watching football and going to the buffet. As well as this, I went to the English style pub and talked to people at the bar, including the crew members. It's good to talk to the crew as they are always ready to talk and are very interesting people.

In conclusion, solo cruising is a really unique way to travel. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is considering it. I bet you will have a great time as there are so many different activities for you to enjoy and you get to see so many different places. Overall, it's the perfect way to travel!