IRMO12HD

@She Sails Away, this account epitomizes the "brave" part of solo cruising to me! I could tell from your story that serendipity played a large part, as it often does (i.e., feeling bad that you hadn't planned anything, overhearing the gentleman (Edmond)'s conversation about his tour, seeing that there were other people already on the truck, having just the right amount of $ in your wallet). However, it did take courage to make the leap onto the tour, and I'm so glad you did! Thank you for sharing your story -- it was inspirational to me, as that's something I wrestled with on my solo cruises -- trying to do different things, but doing them safely and within reasonable bounds of my comfort level.

In the (not so recent) past, we used the Cocoa Beach Shuttle and were pleased with it. Good price and good service. This was back in 2019, though.

Did you ever get through? I'm curious as to when the ticketing process actually occurs. When do you cruise? Hope it all works out.

So did you find out if you're subject to additional charges due to changes?

@She Sails AwayEnjoy! I completed my first solo cruise last August -- just a four-night on Freedom -- I truly loved it! I followed that up with a 7-Night on Oasis with my daughter. It was fun to introduce her to cruising, but it did feel a bit odd to shift from solo mode! My husband doesn't really care to cruise (unless there is a theme or planned activities), so I embarked (literally!) on my own and found it really suits me. I love having the freedom to do exactly what I want to do, be as sociable (or un-) as I choose, and explore on my owns. I'm probably more extrovert than introvert, but do cherish the choice.

Hmmm... how about Everclear? Or Stroh Rum?

I agree with you, @XtremeGK. Used a Solo B2B in January on Navigator to reach Diamond; I actually reached it after the first part of the B2B, and coordinated with the Loyalty Ambassador to achieve/use my Diamond status on the second part -- to include my 4 free drinks. Like you, I fill my refillable water bottles at the water station (love it when they add ice!), and enjoyed my carry-on bottle of wine. I figure the 4-drink vouchers are good for one experimental drink, one morning/day drink, and two with/before/after dinner. And then there are the discounted drinks as well. I'm not a huge soda drinker, and habitually drink tap water at home, and brewed coffee is my go-to.

Park Cafe and Solarium are two of my favorites.

Thanks @Karla JensenI found your tips really helpful!

I think it's a super picture -- especially with the Arco in the background! Thanks for taking and posting it

@mnshortie21I received a 20% discount on a minimum bid for Interior - OV Balcony on Oasis in early December. Minimum bid was reduced to $125 from $145 or $150 (can't remember which); I bid $135 and won the upgrade. I probably could have won it with a minimum bid of $125. If you don't care too much for your present location, I would double check current balcony fares and go from there. I ended up saving about $300 total -- and my daughter's first cruise was in a balcony vs. in an interior

Any tips on things to do or see in Ensenada? Or Catalina? My wrist is still in healing mode, so no strenuous activities or adventures for me. I'm much more inclined to walk around, and maybe take in a museum, than go on a tour bus.

One more tip -- if you have the 1-device package and want to switch from one device to another, you don't have to log out of one and log in on another -- just use the "new" device to attempt to log in-- it will say "Too Many Devices" and then will give you the option to "bump" the first device off. Of course, you may want to coordinate if there's another person using the device that will be bumped off. It does save some time and complexity though.

@DublinFCThe Abbott test is at https://store.optum.com/royal-caribbean/

On Freedom (4-Night) they couldn't test me on Debarkation Day (one day between that and embarking on Oasis) so Guest Services provided me with a proctored AG card test to take on my own. Maybe ask someone else at Guest Services?

Thanks, @Matt. Since this will happen on turnaround day (the second part of my B2B), is there anything different that will happen as I leave and then reboard the ship? Is that when RCL will ask me where the second person is?

On this topic -- if I know my second person is definitely not going, I assume I should do nothing as far as checking them in -- just complete my check - in, and then what do I do at the port -- just say they're not coming? As an additional complication, this is the second part of a B2B; I'll be solo on the first part. Any advice on how to handle this? My first cruise is through MEI; the second part I didn't transfer in time, so it's an individual reservation rather than one through a TA.

2 days -- Interior to OV Balcony on Oasis in the beginning of December

@rjacbeing on Pacific time I was able to check in at 9:01 L (Local) for my cruises, so 12:01 am should work!

on oasis the medical center is on the 2nd deck near the aft elevators. exciting moment as. we got to cross I-95 to get to it -- the utility corridor that runs the length of the ship. saw the big sign that said patients only, but when i saw the clipboard of forms i knew i had to summon my reinforcements -- aka my daughter -- as my right hand wouldnt comply After my vital signs were measured we were placed in a room with a sign that said "Operating Room." after about 5 minutes a kindly tall man entered and introduced himself - Dr Ralph. He gently unwrapped my wrist, looked at it and expressed his opinion that it was fractured and that he would need to take some xrays. the xray machine was wheeled around and he himself took the first set. honestly the xray machine looked pretty old but it did its job. he then formed and fitted a fiberglass splint on my forearm. i had some pain in my forearm near my elbow so he took off the splint and summoned an xray tech to take more images. once he was satisfied that the other bones were fine, he applied another splint. he then took us to see the xray images; we took some pictures of them, he offered to make a CD with the images which i (shouldnt have) turned down, and we left. Total time spent there was about 2-1/2 hours. Total bill (hopefully covered by my travel insurance -- im pretty sure it will be -- was just $566 for the visit, x-rays, and splint application. Next: after the Medical Center

Told you I'd combine “Oasis Medical Center” and “cobblestones” and “right wrist”) in one title (as mentioned in my "Simply Solo Freedom" blog). And now, the rest of the story. Caveat #1: i'm typing this with my left hand only. it's time to channel e.e. cummings as it's a pain to use the SHIFT key Caveat #2: im tired of apostrophes too. im somewhat famous in my family for getting injured doing ordinary things. broke my tibia water skiing, collarbone while rounding 3rd base, fibula hiking down a trail -- and now add radius (wrist) walking cobblestone sidewalk/street in Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten. The bright sides--the bottle of vanilla in the bag on my left shoulder DIDNT break; my daughter and i had already purchased pretty much everything we wanted and had finished our amazing horseback trail ride/ocean swim; it wasnt raining (yet) and we had over two hours to make it back to the ship and tickets for the water taxi. to make a short story shorter, in trying to avoid some guys on the sidewalk i stepped down into the street onto an uneven surface and fell. stretching out my free right hand was not a good idea as it turns out. OMIGOSH IT HURT -- that kind of pain that almost makes you throw up. sorry, pretty graphic but true. big bump swelling up right away but i was hoping it was just a bad sprain. people around were really helpful, offering assistance. since we were only about 2 blocks from the water taxi we decided to head back to the ship. note to self-- dont let the guy on the water taxi grab your injured hand to help you onto the boat and try to swing you around in a dance move. once back aboard my daughter gave me some ibuprofen, i requested some ice from our steward and i steeled myself for dinner, cradling my swelling right wrist in my left hand. Still holding out hope that it was a sprain, we begged an Ace bandage from the Medical Center and made it an early night. the next morning, the swelling and pain belied my hopes of a sprain; we called the Medical Center for an appointment, and they said to come on down. Next-- the medical center

Lessons Learned (continued) 6. Be up front with your MDR servers -- if you're only there for the (CRAB CAKES!!) appetizers and have somewhere you need to be in 25 minutes (like a Casino Lesson), tell them, reassure them that you won't starve, enjoy your appetizers -- and go. 7. Have fun participating (not competing!) in the different activities onboard -- laugh! smile! go for the improbable shot! 8. Don't trust Budget's Downtown Miami location to have the car you reserved -- there were SIX irate reservation holders there when we arrived; ended up Ubering to the Airport Rental Center to pick up a vehicle. 9. The Best Western North Bay Island is a distance away from the Cruise Port, but has pretty good transportation and dining options. Check out Sana's Cafe for friendly service and good coffee and breakfast options. 10. I like solo cruising!

OK, the long-promised Lessons Learned... 1. My COVID-19 testing plans worked out well. It felt reassuring to know I had back-up and back-up to the back-ups which I didnt end up using. I did receive an At-Home (proctored) test that I ended up not needing to use as I was able to make an appointment at one of (Northern) Miami's testing sites. A friend gave me a ride, but I could have reached it pretty easily using public transportation. It was walk-up and not crowded at all - and very forgiving of my lateness due to traffic. Received my test results in less than 3 hours. Printed them out at the local Library branch.efits i 2. The Key was really worth it for me as a Solo, not-yet-Diamond, Internet connectivity-seeking cruiser at the price I paid for it ($15.99/day). The benefits included (early arrival, Chops lunch, carryon bag delivery to cabin, 25% discount on Specialty Dining, Departure breakfast and Disembarkation time choice) were all value-added to the price I would have paid anyway for Voom Surf and Stream. Would I get it again? Possibly, depending on the price and my cruising status. 3. Interior Promenade cabins are pretty nice! I liked having the window -- but was also thankful for both the sheer and the blackout curtains. 4. my goal of using the elevator a maximum of two times per day worked really well; having a cabin on Deck 7 helped a lot. 5. Definitely make sure that if you loaded $ on your Miami transit card more than 30 days prior that it hasn't gone dormant! #6-10 to follow

Way post facto, I know — I’ll get into my excuses in a separate post (some foreshadowing here — its title will include words like “Oasis Medical Center” and “cobblestones” and “right wrist”). Debarkation Day — AKA Desolation Day — went super smoothly from ship to shore and was made really pleasant by The Key. Since I didn’t have a flight to catch, I was in no hurry to exit Freedom. M “The Key” tagged large suitcase had been picked up the night before, so I headed down to my special section of the MDR, enjoyed my breakfast (the Chops Grill Crabcake Eggs Benedict was superb, especially the crab cakes!), and headed off the Freedom about 8:15 (with The Key, you get to choose when you disembark). Grabbed my suitcase from The Key area, and headed through the “Look into the Camera” Customs with no issues. Although it’s probably my overthinking, the signs for which direction to head if you had a US Passport were confusing, as the sign pointing to the left was for US Birth Certificates and the one to the right was for “All Other Passports,” or words to that effect. I went outside to track down my new-found friend and sister-in-arms and her son to see if we could Uber together downtown. More details on THAT experience to follow in my “Lessons Learned” post, to follow. Now, some D-Day pix:

Horseback riding was great! Geared to all ranges of experience. Horses are well-mannered and obviously used to the trail route. They use hackamores (no bits) and horses neck rein. They do collect your shoes before the horses go in the water if you want. I was able to take my GoPro with me, using a short handle with wrist strap. We didn’t purchase the pix they took; IIRC, they were abut $20 each.