So after my great experience on my first cruise, I was very eager to book my next trip. The weather in the Caribbean was great in January, so I decided that January would be my next target month. As luck had it I found a cruise that was to a different area of the Caribbean and also included my birthday. I checked with my friend Jared to see if he could once again join, but he was going to be busy dealing with his latest business venture. So with that option down and all others not being able to go for various reasons I remembered a story that I overheard during one of my previous excursions. I remember a man talking about being in a studio cabin since he travels alone since his wife passed. He then went on and said how he loved that Norwegian specially catered to solo travelers and even has a lounge especially for them. So remembering that story I went online and did my research into studio cabins. I read the pros and cons, yet I was still nervous about such an endeavour. But like many of my decisions I went with the combination of carefully gathered data and gut instinct, so I booked a studio cabin on the Norwegian Escape from January 4-11, 2020 to the Western Caribbean. Once again using points from my travel credit card I booked a flight to Miami on January 3, 2020 and a hotel stay at the same La Quinta hotel from last time. With the plans booked it was time to wait. A few months before the cruise, excursions came up and after doing some research I booked a couple. And then more waiting…
I searched online for more information about my cruise and stumbled across results saying that Facebook groups are often made for particular cruise lines, ships, and particular cruises. Also I found that Cruisecritic has groups for scheduled cruises. With that I joined Cruise Critic and multiple Facebook groups to gather information. In most of those sites and groups I found a myriad of information, questions, and answers posted by people of various experience levels. One particular post I saw caught my attention, Solo Travelers Meet & Greet at 5:00PM on Day 1. I was intrigued and noted the time. As usual I read more and more as time went by and became more excited, yet nervous at the same time.
So a week out I decided to do some preliminary packing and see what I had and what I needed. I packed the essentials and tried to keep things light. Beside clothes I like to prepare a small first aid kit of bandages, pain reliever, stomach pills, dramamine, and allergy pills.
Day 0 Friday, January 3, 2020 Travel Day to Miami
So like with many of my travel days, it began with me getting off from work then proceeding home for some final preparation. I repacked my luggage a few times and double checking that everything I needed was there. My friend Michael picked me up and gave me a ride to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Living so close to each other allows each of us to help the other out. Curbside check in as usual and I was then off to TSA screening. With my TSA Precheck security was a breeze in comparison to the logistical drama that would ensue next. I walked to my gate and then proceeded to get some lunch. While waiting in line at a fast food establishment, I got a notification on my phone that my first flight was delayed. My delayed flight would cause me to miss my connecting flight, but I was given the option to change my flight at no cost. I found an option one hour later that would be nonstop, but only a middle seat was available. I walked to the new gate in a different concourse. I arrived at the gate and waited until I got another notification of a delay.
Thankfully that delay was only 30 minutes. The four hour flight was uneventful. I arrived in Miami, turned airplane mode off and got a notification that my luggage was delayed and given the option for delivery. I entered my information, but due to the small window for receiving my bag I gave American Airlines a call. After talking with the representive from American I found out that my luggage had gone on my original delayed flight and ended up in Houston, but since the connecting flight had already departed they sent my luggage back to Phoenix. At this point it was almost midnight Miami time, so I told them about how i was boarding a cruise ship at noon and that I absolutely needed my bag before then. They finally said that they would put my luggage on the next flight to Miami. I asked if they could give me a call when it arrives, yet they did not. It had been a long travel day, so I tried to get some sleep. My alarm went off at 6AM when my bag was to arrive. I called American once again to check the status and they said that my luggage had arrived and would be at the American Airlines Baggage Claim office. I lucked out that my hotel offered a free shuttle to the airport. The shuttle driver look a little confused when I boarded with no bags, but I explained the situation and we were on our way. I arrived at the Miami Airport and went to the baggage claim office, but it was closed with no signs of life. I looked around to try to find an American Airlines employee to speak to because my stress levels were about to boil over. Just as I found someone, walked up, and started to say ”excuse me” I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. About a hundred feet away, I see a single solitary blue piece of luggage circling around the conveyer belt. I immediately walked away mid sentence towards the conveyer belt and as I got closer I got more confirmation that it was indeed my luggage. I picked it off the conveyer belt and checked the luggage tag, it was mine. I’m not the type to go and complain to a manager, although this time I wanted to do so. I now had my luggage so I headed to the door to hop back on the shuttle and continue my vacation. American Airlines was saved from feeling my wrath, because I needed to head back to my hotel to prepare for the real adventure ahead.
Day 1 Saturday January 4, 2020 Miami
So after the early morning excitement of getting my luggage, I got dressed in my vacation finest attire (button down shirt and cargo shorts) and then I ate at the continental breakfast at the La Quinta while waiting for my shuttle to the cruise port. Always take advantage of the perks at the hotel, nothing is better than fresh made waffles and free shuttles to the airport/cruise port. At 11:00AM I boarded the shuttle to cruise port. I arrived a little before 11:30AM, checked my luggage with the porter and got in line for the check in/boarding process. The check in process was the same as my first cruise, but a little faster since there was only one person this time. A few minutes after noon, I receive my key card and boarded the ship.
So with the whole boarding process over I was now in full vacation mode, so I wanted to start exploring the ship but I decided to delay a bit and grab a meal and a beer. So I made a stop at O’Sheehan’s.
After lunch I decided to venture around the ship and get a lay of the ship, every so often interrupted by a stop at a bar. After a short period of time there was an announcement that rooms were ready, so I found my way to my room to drop off my carry-on bag. For just 99 sq feet, the studio cabins are quite spacious for one person and utilized all space accordingly.
Next I explored the Studio Lounge which is a welcome place if your cabin feels a bit cramped.
With the ship primed for departure, I went to the sun deck to watch the ship sail away.
So 5:00PM arrived and I attended the Solo Travelers Meet & Greet in Tobacco Road Bar. Where the solo cooordinator introduced himself and told us about all the various amenities and events of the ship. This was the first of many opportunities I got to meet other solo travelers and share stories and tips.
With little sleep the previous night and being up early to retrieve my luggage I decided to turn in early.
Day 2 Sunday January 5, 2020 Day at Sea
So day number two on the ship was a day at sea. So after getting a good night’s sleep I decided to have breakfast at the Garden Café. After breakfast, I did more exploring the ship and looking out at the ocean while stopping at the numerous bars on ship.
In the evening I went to the Solo Meet & Greet once again where the solo coordinator set up dinner plans for anybody who wanted to join in the Manhattan Room. Also during this meet & greet, the solo coordinator told us about the various activities that will be going on during the evening and into the night. Multiple people in the solo travelers group decided to go to the Norwegian’s Night Out party at Spice H2O. So after attending dinner and talking with the various other solo travelers I decided to go to the Norwegian‘s Night Out. It was good to participate in this since on my previous cruise I did not attend any of the parties.
Day 3 Monday January 6, 2020 Roatan Bay Islands, Honduras
On this day we awoke to rainy cloudy conditions in Routan,Honduras. My particular excursion for Roatan was the island sightseeing and beach excursion. After arriving at the port and we loaded up into vans and traveled around the island. One of the stops that we made it was at Arch’s Iguana Reserve. Also at the stop we were able to get more views of the water.
After touring the island we made it to our next destination. The particular beach that we went to was Las Palmas Beach. Even though it continued to be a rainy and cloudy day I was still able to have fun and see the various areas. And no matter the weather I can always find a spot to take photos which I took many. I did venture to a restaurant where I had a local Honduran beer and also I had a drink made in a coconut. After that it was time to head back to the port and re-board the ship.
Once again I attended the Solo Meet & Greet and then the group departed to the Manhattan Room for dinner. After dinner I went and regrouped back in my room until the 70s/80s party at Spice H20 which I went to with the solo travelers group. After that party it was an after party at the Skyline Bar.
Day 4 Tuesday January 7, 2020 Harvest Caye, Belize
Day Four arrived and we had our next stop at Harvest Caye a private island off the coast of Belize. I started off the day by venturing off to the beach where they were plentiful lounge chairs and crystal clear water to swim in. The weather was much better on this day. Since it was a private island all I really did was venture around to various shops and taking photos along the way. After some time it passed it was time for me to head back to the ship.
Once again I attended the Solo Meet & Greet and joined the group at the Manhattan room for dinner. The activity for this night was a 90’s party at Spice H2O followed by an after party at the Skyline Bar. On this particular night of enjoying alcoholic beverages and dancing I felt a little hungry and made a late night stop at O’Sheehan’s.
Day 5 Wednesday January 8, 2020 Costa Maya, Mexico
On this particular day we arrived in Costa Maya Mexico. I hadn’t found any excursions that I wanted to do in this particular port so I decided to just take it easy and just do some venturing around. I walked around the port and found a place to have lunch with was comprised of some great Al Pastor tacos and a margarita. I also bought some souvenirs while I was at the port. With my activities done for the day I decided it was time to come back to the ship.
My early departure from the port ended up being lucky because a little after I got back to the ship it started to rain. I got to relax on the Waterfront and enjoy watching the rain.
Once again I went to the Solo Meet & Greet this time bringing my bottle of champagne that I got with my room, I decided to share it since this particular day happened to be my birthday. Afterword it was once again dinner at the Manhattan Room. I could overhear the group speaking about getting a cake for my birthday telling the wait staff not to make a big deal. So I got to have cake on my birthday.
The night’s adventures were plentiful. We watched the Perfect Couple game show, next went to a comedy show, and then it was Latin Night. And even though it was probably not the best idea there was more dancing at the Skyline Bar followed by late night eats at all O’Sheehan’s. Plus I was especially sociable, so selfies were plentiful with some of my fellow solo travelers.
Day 6 Thursday January 9, 2020 Cozumel, Mexico
On this particular day we arrived at Cozumel which is a island off the coast of Mexico. One of the big differences is port was very busy. On this day, eight ships were in port so there was no space for us to anchor so we had to deal with the tendering process. The tendering process involved smaller ships coming up to our ship and offloading people, so it took a decent amount of time to finally get to the shore. Upon arriving at the shore we found out because of logistics we wouldn’t be able to go on the excursion I picked which was the Passion Island Beach Day. But we were given an option to go to the Playa MIA Deluxe Beach Break. Upon arriving at Playa Mia, I was surprised by how nice this particular resort was. There were plentiful souvenir shops, a buffet, an open bar and plenty of lounge chairs on the beach. The beach also had crystal clear water which is always inviting. Once again weather likes to play some tricks and our time on the beach was broken into two sections by a small rain shower coming through. After some time passed it was time to head back to the port and once again go through the tendering process back onto the ship.
After a small amount of time recouping in my room it was time to head to the Solo Meet & Greet, this time we went to Savor for dinner. This particular night’s activity was the Glow Party which continued at the Skyline Bar. Since I hadn’t really participated in any of the party set up on my previous cruise I didn’t know that you should have a white shirt or any shirt that would glow for this particular party but luckily my shoes laces glowed enough for me.
Day 7 Friday January 10, 2020 At Sea
The last day on the ship was a sea day which meant it would be a nice relaxing day. I took a little bit longer to arise from this particular day waking up at noon and going for lunch at the Garden Café. I spent a lot of the day sitting on the waterfront watching the ocean. In the evening I once again and it attended the Solo Meet & Greet and had dinner with them at the Manhattan Room. After dinner I attended the Farewell Party at the Skyline Bar, before turning in for the night.
Day 8 Saturday January 11, 2020 Return to Miami and Flight to Phoenix
And before I knew it it was time to depart the ship. I had previously scheduled a transfer from the port to the airport so then I was off. Once again I experienced the delay in my flight taking off and then we ended up with a couple hour delay in air when we had to go around the storm. But all in all it was not a note worthy flight.
Final Words
With as much hesitating as I did with the planning of this trip for various reasons it end up being an incredible trip. Some of my worries one of my first worries was that it wouldn’t live up to my previous cruise. Or that I wouldn’t enjoy it going on my own. But one thing I must say for going on a trip on your own it definitely lets you venture out of your comfort zone and you’re not restrained by thinking of the feelings or the goals of another person. So with a second Cruise under my belt as confirmation, I can definitely recommend going on a cruise especially if it’s to the Caribbean.
