Cruising Solo but Never Alone

Part 1: Adventures along the West African Coast - May - June 2025

Solo travelers unite with NCL solo cruise director Leila

As a full-time traveler, an economic way to get from continent to continent is via a repositioning cruise. Accommodations, transportation, entertainment and food are all included in the price. My plans took me to Europe for summer 2025. Before the pandemic and the rise of middle east tensions, cruise ships used the Suez Canal to reposition between Asia and Europe. Nowadays, cruise ships need to go around the cape of good hope and up the west coast of Africa. Many unique countries were open to tourism. The 22-day cruise I took on the Norwegian Sky started in cape town and ended in Barcelona with stops in Angola, Senegal, the Canary Islands and Spain. There are many ways to connect with other solo travelers when cruising.

Why Norwegian Cruise Line. Last year I did my first solo cruise on Norwegian and fell in love with the company and how they are solo traveler friendly. Norwegian caters to solo travelers. They have a dedicated crew member who organizes nightly pre dinner solo meetups and dinner reservations. You never have to dine alone. The newer ships also have dedicated solo studios with a hangout lounge.

"A solo cruise is a voyage of self-discovery wrapped in ocean's embrace."

Ways I connect with other travelers when cruising solo

• Join the cruise Facebook group. Most cruise lines have a dedicated Facebook group that you can join to introduce yourself, ask questions or set up shore excursions. Post an event. I created a sail away party where I met the family that plays trivia every day and spent late nights in the pub. I bumped into them every day on the cruise, I met Brandon another Knicks fan from NY to watch the games with.

• Go to the first nightly solo meetup. Embarkation is a tiring process. Immigration lines can be long. Waiting around to get into your cabin, unpack, head to the muster station can be a headache. That first solo meetup is a great way to unwind and introduce yourself. Our first solo meetup was packed. Well over 100 mighty solo travelers. But that first day during introductions, I met Laura and Leanne who are both nomadic. We sat together during dinner and along with Kevin and Joey our mighty band of five was formed. Halfway through the cruise, Mo made it six.

  
  

  

  The OG solo crew. We hung out every night during the cruise. Dinner and drinks, Karaoke and singing along with Tony the piano player. Game shows, nightly shows and shore excursions.

  

  Waiting our turn to get wine in Spain. A midnight departure meant dinner and drinks on shore.

• Check in with your Facebook and friends. You never know who may also be on the same cruise. Last year I was back in NYC and reached out to my friend Zhenya who I hadn't seen in years, just to find out we will be on the same cruise from NY to Iceland. I checked in on the Go with Less Facebook group, to find out that six other nomads were also on this repositioning cruise. I let them know what shirt I will be wearing, so it was easy for them to spot me during the sail away party. We met up for dinner and drinks several times during the cruise and I also tagged along with Sherry and her mom on a shore excursion.

  
  
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  Go with Lessers having dinner

In Part II, Welcome to Africa - From Cape Town to Sao Tome