What Singles Should Know About Taking a Cruise
Singles are underrepresented on cruises, but unless meeting
someone is the sole purpose of your vacation, a cruise can be
your best choice if you keep these things in mind.
The Carnival line is the only cruiseline that offers a "singles"
rate. The others offer you, but you have to take a stranger for
a roomy, or pay double. (Did I miss something? Is that a singles
rate?) Some of the cruise lines (Radisson, Costa, Cunard) offer
gentleman dance hosts. If you're a single male, you travel for
pennies and it's your "job" to meet and dance with the single
women on the ship, 8 pm to 1 am nightly. If you're female, there
are 4-5 men aboard, proficient in waltz, rumba, jitterbug, cha
cha, polka, and congenial conversation who are "on call" every
night to dance with you. Choose a large table for dining. It
will water down the effect of any uncongenial dining companions.
Ask to change tables if you need to. If you like the day
activities, take the late seating. If you're hot for the
night-life, take the early seating. Shore excursions booked
through the ship are safe and scheduled, but cost more. Most
ports have cabbies lined up waiting to take you to the same
places for less. (We got a 3-hour tour of St. Maarten for $10 pp
instead of $50pp.) However, think twice before you hop into a
cab alone. Try and hook up with fellow passengers, even dance
hosts. If you can avoid the gambling and liquor, a cruise can be
very affordable. Cruise lines make their money off the gambling
and liquor. That's why they can feed you fabulous food 24 hours
a day at those low last-minute rates. Sail from a port that
doesn't require airfare, and you can live in luxury for around
$80 a day. You couldn't stay in a hotel and eat steak and
lobster for that.
Cruises have been proven to be good for our health. For
instance, don't you think at least 25% of our daily stress comes
from car hassles? On a ship there's no parking problems, traffic
jams, or road rage to interfere with your relaxation.
Shopping? Wait till the end of the cruise to shop onboard; they
reduce prices. Check with friends or the ship's shopping expert
on what to buy where. Each island has its specialities. For
instance, braids are $150 in Key West, $75 in Cozumel, and $35
on Grand Cayman.
Prescription drugs are sold cheaply OOT in Cozumel, etc. Bring
CASH so you can stock up on Keflex and avoid doctor's fees. Many
of the best bargains require CASH or TRAVELER'S CHECQUES. For
other items, get off the beaten track. Stores that pay for space
in the port generally charge that privilege back to you.
Check with friends who've actually been on these ships to see
what your fellow-passengers will be like. Each ship has its own
flavor. If you leave from Galveston, expect 90% Texans (scary).
If from Port Everglade, more of a mix - North, Northeast,
Midwest, Europe. If you travel in late summer, expect lots of
kids and teenagers.
Maybe you care less about people, and more about the quality of
food. Decide what your priorities are. Then ask someone who's
been on that line. The quality of different amenities varies,
and each cruise line has its plusses and minuses. Most cruise
ships have Internet service but it's expensive and not always
available at sea. However, most ports now have Internet cafes
which are quite affordable--$5 an hour, for instance, in
Cozumel, right on the dock. You can check your email anywhere on
www.e-mailanywhere.com. It's FREE.
One last suggestion. If you like to speak, consider being a
presenter on a cruise ship. As I say in my ebook, "How to Get to
Present on a Cruise," being an enrichment gives you extra
visibility and maneuverability for socializing, as well as new
people to tell about your services.
Bon voyage!