A Week in Orlando: Solo Cruising in an Inside Cabin

 

    Beyond trying out a different cruise line, the other two major trials of this weekend cruise were an inside cabin and cruising alone.  I had avoided both in the past because I was nervous about how I would do with them, but I knew that if I was going to do as much travel as possible in 2023 these were the best options. I didn't want to start booking solo inside cruises for next year though without first finding out if I could handle it.  

    While I'm not claustrophobic, I have definitely experienced some discomfort with enclosed spaces.  I also have an irrational fear of being crushed under rubble.  This comes into play in parking garages and under bridges so I was concerned that it would be a factor in being in an inside cabin with many decks above me.  When booking my first cruise, my mother, who was traveling with me, wanted to book an inside cabin because it was cheapest, but I was uncomfortable with it and requested an ocean view instead.  Turns out the inside cabin would have probably been more comfortable!  Our ocean view cabin was right at the water level and that was even more triggering for me than an inside cabin would have been!  Have I mentioned that I'm also uncomfortable with anything under water? The truth is I have a lot of "discomforts" and no real phobias.  I do my best to not let my discomforts keep me from doing things, but they do sometimes inform my choices.

    I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I didn't have any trouble at all with the inside cabin.  It was wonderfully quiet and the complete darkness at night was much appreciated.  I travel with a motion sensor night light that comes on when I need to get up to go to the bathroom, but I've definitely found that I sleep best with darkness at home, and this proved to be true on the ship as well.  Some people have mentioned that the lack of daylight in the morning poses a challenge for them with getting up.  One vlogger in particular, Emma from EmmaCruises.com, brings a daylight alarm clock with her that brightens slowly, triggering her body to know when to get up.  I did try out having the bridge cam on the TV so that the sunrise would alert my body in the same way, but I found that it was a little brighter at night than I liked, and the sunrise woke me up far before I intended to.  Next time, I'll probably leave well enough alone and just stick with the night light.

    There were pros and cons to solo cruising.  One of the great benefits to solo cruising is you can do what you want when you want.  You don't have to wait for anyone or compromise because not everyone wants to do what you want to.  If I wanted to sit and listen to music, I could.  If I wanted to take a nap, I wasn't disturbing anyone or disappointing anyone or interrupted by anyone.  I could eat in the buffet if I felt like it or go grab ice cream in the afternoon.  That was pretty great.  I'm an introvert so being alone doesn't particularly bother me, at least for a short period of time.  I did take the advice of some YouTube videos I watched ahead of time and purchased the internet package for this cruise which allowed me to keep in touch.  I started a Snap Chat account when my two middle kids went off to college and I only have our immediate family on it.  I kept up a "story" each day that I had set to save permanently so I would have the pictures and information for myself in the future as well.  I also did a little texting and calling with family, but not too much.  I stayed up as late as I wanted to and got up when I wanted to. There was something very relaxing and freeing about doing this cruise on my own.

    Not all of it was perfect, though.  I ran into a couple of times where I really needed something (like a bag of ice for my migraine) and I didn't have the spoons to walk all the way across the ship to get it.  Also, many things are more enjoyable when shared.  I got to see some beautiful things, but without someone to say, "Did you see that?!?" to, it fell a little flat.  I also found that I came home and felt the need to go on another MSC cruise with my husband so that he could experience the differences for himself.  It's one thing to explain it to someone, but another entirely for them to have been there.

    I also learned a few things that I would do differently in the future.  On this note, I booked a cabin on the opposite end of the ship from the buffet so it added a great deal of walking to my days.  For most people this would be a benefit as cruising is notorious for adding weight and exercise helps offset this, but with walking on two chronically sprained ankles my steps each day are limited.  I typically try to keep it under 5,000 steps a day and closer to 4,000 if I'm doing a lot of walking several days in a row.  On the ship I walked over 10,000 steps each day.  That ended up causing me a great deal of pain by the end of the trip and greatly limited what I was able to do.  In the future, I will either bring an electric wheelchair, book a cabin on the same end of the ship as the buffet, or both.  

 Here's the thing: Would I solo cruise again?  Definitely!  Would I book an inside cabin again? For sure!  This trip was very helpful in determining what I can enjoy and opening up new opportunities for travel next year that will save me a bundle!  I already have another solo cruise booked for April and another cruise on a CruiseLine other than NCL in January with my husband.  Now I just need to talk him into trying an inside cabin ;)