Before her business trip to Florida, this mid-life Canadian woman decided to extend her trip. But then, she had a dilemma – how to spend those few extra days in Miami? After checking hotel prices, she realized it was actually cheaper to take a cruise. In this interview with Memorable Women’s Travel, Heather shares how she planned her trip, her safety tips, what she would do differently next time, and two treasures she bought just for herself.

MWT: Please tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Heather Bell and I’m a 47-year old woman from British Columbia in Western Canada. I’m a recovering academic with a PhD in Recreation Parks and Tourism. 

I’m now a travel blogger, focusing on mid life active travel at SkeenaSiren.com. Besides traveling and photography, I like to be fairly sporty, with tennis, outrigger canoeing and walking as my primary recreational activities at the moment.

What trip did you take for the first time and when?

About a month ago (January 2020), I went on my first “real” cruise on a giant cruise ship. In the early 1990’s I did do another cruise with my best friend, but it was on a much smaller three-masted schooner and very different from the cruise liner one typically thinks about.  

My recent cruise was with Carnival Cruise Line, inserted into an existing solo trip to Florida, and was a four-night affair to the Bahamas with stops in Nassau and Freeport. 

Where have you travelled before alone?

I’ve done a fair amount of solo travelling over my lifetime, as I try not to let a lack of companion prevent a trip.  In recent years, I’ve been to several US states, as well as Costa Rica, Iceland, South Africa, Botswana, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Panama, and Guatemala.

Courtesy: Buckeyebeth from Pixabay

 How did you feel about making this trip by yourself?

Originally, the plan was for me to go to Florida and do some work, and then have about 4 days added on for leisure and to explore a part of the state that was new to me – in this case, Miami. 

I was completely fine with the original plan of going by myself, but once the cruise portion of the trip had been decided, I sort of wished for a companion.

If I’d had someone with me, I would not have had to pay the single supplement fee, as being solo with this cruise ship line significantly upped the price. 

How did you research it?

Once the idea of a possible cruise was planted in my head, I got on a few cruise websites to see if there was anything at a reasonable price point that fit my time frame and geography. 

I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go at first, but I remembered recently seeing the Bahamanian Tourism Minister in the news encouraging people to visit the Bahamas, explaining that while a few islands had been hit hard by the hurricane, that many were virtually untouched. 

Knowing that recovery efforts would be subsidized by foreign tourism dollars, I decided that should be my destination, and I focused my search efforts from there. 

In the end, my cruise left from the more northerly Port Canaveral rather than Miami, so it required a rental car and a bit of a drive. This suited me fine though, as it was pretty, and brought me closer to where the rest of my Florida time was going to be. 

What was the tipping point in deciding to take this trip?

After finding a cheap flight from Vancouver to Miami, I was researching hotel prices and found them to be much more expensive than I anticipated.

Realizing that Miami was soon to host the Super Bowl, I joked to my husband that taking a cruise would be cheaper than staying in Miami, and to my surprise, he agreed and suggested that’s what I should do.

So, since I hadn’t really tried this form of travel before, I booked the cruise to challenge my preconceived notions. 

What did you enjoy most/least about this adventure?

Perhaps because of my professional background in recreation, I really enjoyed the variety of activities offered by the cruise staff. There truly was something for everyone.

I found my little windowless stateroom to be a rather cozy retreat from the the hustle and bustle of the upper decks, and I loved the gentle, slight rocking movement of the ocean, although I recognize others might disagree.

I slept like a baby with a comfy bed war pillows. Unfortunately, I only found the steam room on the last night. It was wonderful; I would have loved to have partook of it each day.

Perhaps because of my professional background in recreation, I really enjoyed the variety of activities offered by the cruise staff.  There truly was something for everyone, and it would be difficult to be bored on board. 

I found my little windowless stateroom to be a rather cozy retreat from the hustle and bustle of the upper decks, and I loved the gentle, slight rocking movement of the ocean, though I recognize others might disagree. 

I slept like a baby with a comfy bed and pillows.  Unfortunately, I only found the steam room on the last night.  It was wonderful; I would have loved to have partook each day.  

If I’m being totally honest, I found the food to be plentiful but a little disappointing, the desserts looked amazing, but for the most part, they were rather flavourless. 

That’s probably ok, though, as I was less tempted to overeat and feel yucky.  Because the food was plentiful, there was a lot of waste as well, as people’s eyes were invariably bigger than their stomachs.  

It was fine to be solo on the cruise, I was asked whether or not I’d be ok being seated for dinner at a table with other solo travelers. I said yes and met several interesting folks to dine with, so that common source of solo travel awkwardness was eliminated.

If I’m being totally honest, I found the food to be plentiful but a little disappointing, the desserts looked amazing, but for the most part, they were rather flavourless. 

That’s probably ok, though, as I was less tempted to overeat and feel yucky.  Because the food was plentiful, there was a lot of waste as well, as people’s eyes were invariably bigger than their stomachs.  

It was fine to be solo on the cruise, I was asked whether or not I’d be ok being seated for dinner at a table with other solo travelers. I said yes and met several interesting folks to dine with, so that common source of solo travel awkwardness was eliminated.

Did you feel safe?

Yes I did, both on the ship and in the ports of Nassau and Freeport. Bahamians are friendly people.

What safety precautions did you take?

Nothing beyond any common sense precautions one would make travelling anywhere or in their own hometown.  I made sure to keep my bags with me.

What would you do differently next time?

I would spend more time at the beginning of the cruise getting to know the layout of the ship.  It was huge, it had 13 floors, and there was plenty of room to explore. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t venture to the spa/fitness area until the last day and so didn’t notice the sauna/steam room. 

What did you buy just for yourself?

Buying souvenirs is a guilty pleasure; it’s not something I can usually spend much time on when travelling with my husband or some friends, as they aren’t really interested. 

I try to buy a small jewelry item on each major trip as something nice and durable that I will wear again and will remind me of a certain place and time.

Jewelry also has the advantage of travelling with me easily in my carry-on luggage.   In this case, I bought a pair of tanzanite earrings in a pretty purple colour.  This trip, I also bought something else just for me.  

During my time in Freeport, I toured through a local perfume factory. I wanted to purchase something to support these Islanders who were recovering from the damage of hurricane Dorian a few months earlier.  

I said no to the “Bahama Mama” – it smells wonderfully fruity, just like the cocktail! Instead, I bought a small bottle of “conch salad” perfume, which has an island flair and actually smells like jasmine, vanilla, white musk, light cream, and amber (which is much better than its name suggests). 

What advice would you give other solo women travelers over fifty?

Be brave!  You can do it!  The world is waiting for you! Travel is always a journey of discovery; you learn both about the destination and it’s people, as well as yourself.   

Start small, build your confidence, go with the flow, and work your way up to your dreams. You deserve it!!

Taking a solo trip on a big ship can be a nice surprise. Heather’s advice to others includes: researching (in advance) any weather impact on potential destinations, exploring the ship first, taking a chance on dining with others, and treating yourself to a meaningful souvenir. If a cruise is on your bucket list, start small and then work your way up to a big ship adventure.

Many thanks to Heather Bell for sharing photos and memories of her first solo “big ship” cruise.

Have you taken a cruise (solo or not) before? What advice do you have for other over 50 women cruisers? Please share your story in the comments below.