Holiday alone

Katiehound

Hey, all I am going to say here is- do your research regarding a cruise.

Do you want a huge monster that's like a floating block of flats with folk you never meet again or do you want something more like a traditional ship ? If you only have a week then fly cruise is your best bet as otherwise you will have days at sea just reaching the destination- saying that..... that might be what you will enjoy! Just chilling by a pool?
I have always found Ocean World travel to be very helpful as the staff have cruised, know the ships and can make suggestions. They also discount. Of course there are many other travel agents but it helps to choose an agent that specialises.
Pick your destination. You may well find that some ports grab you and you will then plan to spend time there in the future
and no, you won't stick out like a sore thumb!

As a single there are rarely wonderful last minute deals. I generally book well in advance especially if there are 342 deals or free gratuities or a destination that catches my eye.

At the end of the day it is your holiday. If it doesn't float your boat then you can try a different experience next time. I actually think cruising is a bit like marmite- you love it, or hate it! no in-between measures in mho. (but generally wonderful food!)

https://www.oceanworldtravel.com

NiftyDigits

I've skipped all of the rambling rubbish and will await the result of what piglet74 actually does and how it was in the end.....and relevant to this board...how much it cost.
Will make for interesting reading methinks.
Probably will end up on a cheap last minute holiday to Greece.

duchy

I always used to warn people booking their first cruise that they can be seriously addictive !!!

Lots of people won't consider any other holiday after just one cruise .

I've really never met anyone who tried a cruise with a decent cruise company who hated it. Many got hooked and others said it wasn't something they'd do again but still had good things to say about it.

Avoid the long weekend cruises though - they tend to attract hen and stag and all manner of other groups so have an entirely different feel

bigadaj

NiftyDigits wrote: »

I've skipped all of the rambling rubbish and will await the result of what piglet74 actually does and how it was in the end.....and relevant to this board...how much it cost.
Will make for interesting reading methinks.
Probably will end up on a cheap last minute holiday to Greece.

With your extensive travel experience I think you need to soend a bit more time in a Buddhist country possibly, working towards nirvana form the perspective of self awareness......oh no, you've been to Thailand apparently.

No one cares what you think, certainly not the OP, might be useful for you to take a little time travelling away from this board.

NiftyDigits

bigadaj wrote: »

With your extensive travel experience<snipped away the nonsense>.

I don't need to worry. I am already being where I want to be and doing what I want to do. If the OP wants to spend thousands of pounds at her age on a mind numbingly boring trip, that is her decision to take.
I'm guess that this thread will go quiet when she realises that it is just a ludicrous waste of time and money for just one week.
Better to just book a normal holiday in the sun and be done with it. I suspect that she will do just that. We'll see.

PompeyPete

Katiehound wrote: »

At the end of the day it is your holiday. If it doesn't float your boat then you can try a different experience next time. I actually think cruising is a bit like marmite- you love it, or hate it! no in-between measures in mho. (but generally wonderful food!)

Last one we did was a repositioning from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean on Thomson Celebration. It involved a 6 day transatlantic crossing. Spoke to some people who were moaning that they didn't realise they'd be at sea for so long and blamed their other half [who booked the trip] for not telling them.

On Thomson Dream in the Med between Palma and entering the Adriatic we had appalling weather for 3 days, and had to miss out two calls in Sicily. On the way back we hit a Force 12, and had to ride it out for 36 hours. Hardly saw any passengers as they stayed in the cabin.

So, making sure you are fully aware of and happy with the itinerary is important. And also how you might cope on a ship where the floor is constantly moving or vibrating [leave the high heels at home!].

Starting with a fairly short cruise probably helps. But like has been mentioned, if the cruise is only for a week it's best to fly to the starting point in order to enjoy [hopefully] decent weather from Day 1. A Stay/Cruise or Cruise/Stay are also worth considering, ie a week in a hotel and then a week cruising, or visa-versa.

zagfles

PompeyPete wrote: »

Last one we did was a repositioning from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean on Thomson Celebration. It involved a 6 day transatlantic crossing. Spoke to some people who were moaning that they didn't realise they'd be at sea for so long and blamed their other half [who booked the trip] for not telling them.

On Thomson Dream in the Med between Palma and entering the Adriatic we had appalling weather for 3 days, and had to miss out two calls in Sicily. On the way back we hit a Force 12, and had to ride it out for 36 hours. Hardly saw any passengers as they stayed in the cabin.

So, making sure you are fully aware of and happy with the itinerary is important. And also how you might cope on a ship where the floor is constantly moving or vibrating [leave the high heels at home!].

Starting with a fairly short cruise probably helps. But like has been mentioned, if the cruise is only for a week it's best to fly to the starting point in order to enjoy [hopefully] decent weather from Day 1. A Stay/Cruise or Cruise/Stay are also worth considering, ie a week in a hotel and then a week cruising, or visa-versa.

Or how about a river cruise - never done one myself but have met loads of people on my travels who were on a river cruise and they seemed to love it...and you'll avoid the rough sea problems. I think a Danube river cruise will see a lot more interesting places than a med sea cruise, it'll go through the heart of some major cities eg Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, and you'll have something to look at from the ship all the time rather than just sea.

torbrex

zagfles wrote: »

Or how about a river cruise - never done one myself but have met loads of people on my travels who were on a river cruise and they seemed to love it...and you'll avoid the rough sea problems. I think a Danube river cruise will see a lot more interesting places than a med sea cruise, it'll go through the heart of some major cities eg Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, and you'll have something to look at from the ship all the time rather than just sea.

Single supplements on river cruises are extortionate, I looked at quite a few as a possibility for this years holiday but.....:(
If I am going to pay that much extra for a holiday on my own then it wont be on a river cruise.

PompeyPete

zagfles wrote: »

... and you'll have something to look at from the ship all the time rather than just sea.

That feeling of absolute vulnerability, knowing that there's no land either within sight or within hundreds of miles can definitely affect different people in different ways.

And if the going gets a bit rough, or there's swell on then the mind can really get focused.:)

All part of the fun and adventure, almost as good as some the mind focusing mountain roads in the far flung.

missbiggles1

lulalola wrote: »

OP, I'm female and I frequently go away by myself and have done for several years - I absolutely love it and find it very empowering - I hope you do too :-)

I've never done a cruise so I can't offer any practical advice I'm afraid. It does sound fab and chilled though (and before our lovely friend above gets involved - actually I do also enjoy backpacking around Asia for months at a time too!).

As for personal safety, just take the same precautions that you would at home, and you will be fine. Trust your instinct too.

You mentioned in one of your first posts that you fancied Sicily. I was with a (female) friend when I visited, but it's certainly somewhere I would have felt safe alone, and it's a beautiful, wonderful place which I'd highly recommend.

I hope you have a lovely holiday :-)

I spent a week on Sicily on my own and found it incredibly threatening, despite being an experienced (European) traveller - I was robbed by a guy on a moped in Palermo as well which certainly didn't help!

Definitely not a destination I'd recommend for any single female traveller, much less a novice.