Seven Safety Tips for Solo Cruising
When cruising solo there are some important safety tips to remember and plan for. If you have travelled solo before, you may find some things about solo cruising that are unique to travel in general. If you are a first-time solo cruiser, I hope this post will make your cruise more enjoyable.
Travel Insurance
If you are taking a cruise, get travel insurance, period. Even if it is not required, it’s a risk you should not take. When you are travelling solo, there won’t be anyone to “drive you to the hospital”. You are going to need help and that means medical transport and that is expensive. According to Allianz, a medical evacuation flight can easily cost $50,000 and in Europe you can expect the cost to be as high as $100,000. Travel insurance is peace of mind for not only you, but for your family as well. They will want to be sure you are covered if anything happens. I’m not an insurance agent and can’t recommend any insurance products but I encourage you to talk with an agent and find what coverage is best for you. A couple of resources where you can find more information about insurance are Insure My Trip and at Allianz Global Assistance.
Emergency Contact Information
In all likelihood, nobody will ever need your emergency contact information, but if they do, you will be glad you did this. As a solo traveler, if something happens to you, you may not be able to communicate who to contact in an emergency. Yes, the cruise line has that information, but it may take some time for them to look it up. Why not make it easier for them? Here is what I do. Always have on you, a copy of your emergency contact information. Make sure it’s easily accessible, not buried or bundled in a bunch of other things. Somewhere where it will not accidently come out but easy to find. There are a few options I recommend. You can make a small ID card on your computer. Print it out on photo paper and laminate it. That will keep the ink from running or wearing off and make it easy to find. Secondly you can have an ID made and keep it on you. For years I ran marathons and always had an ID attached to my sneaker. I ordered them from a company called Road ID. For the marathon I used a Shoe ID but the company makes bracelets, dog tags, attachments for your watch and many other options. They also sell Medical IDs so you can have important medical information with you. The quality of the products is very high, and the prices are good. If you are visiting a port, be sure to include the name and contact information for the Port Agent with your contact information. In the old days you could bring a copy of the port guide with you that had this information but sadly they don’t generally print this information anymore so write it down and have it with you. On Princess, I noticed the Port Guides on the Medallion App are out of date. Be sure to check with Guest Services to be sure you have the right information. This is a basic safety requirement, and it is disappointing that Princess does not take it seriously. In your cabin, put your emergency contact information somewhere on your desk or mirror. Someplace where it is easily noticed. If something happens to you on the ship or even ashore, they will likely come into your cabin to see if they can find any information. Again, make it easy for them to find your emergency contact information. If there are things you don’t want “advertised” in the room, then just say on the note that there is more information in the safe. If it’s an emergency, they will have permission to open your safe and can find other information in there.
Items to Keep in the Safe
In addition to your emergency contact information there are some other items you should keep in your safe. Your passport (or a copy if you are required to bring your passport with you), copy of your vaccination records, travel and medical insurance information and a listing of all your medications should be kept in your safe. A note on passports. If you unexpectedly need to return home from your cruise because of an emergency, you are likely to need a passport as you may be departing from a foreign country. I highly recommend you have a passport for cruising even if you are not required to have one. It makes international travel so much easier and if you are injured, the last thing you need is to be delayed getting medical treatment because you don’t have a passport. If you don’t have a passport, apply well in advance of your cruise as it may take several months for you to get one. Also be sure your passport has at least six months from the end of your cruise before it expires. As for listing your medications, make sure to include the name of the medication, the form, dosage, how much and when, use and start/stop dates. I recommend using a template provided by AARP which is a very comprehensive listing of all the information you should provide.
One Checked Bag for Safety
We all wish we had more space in our luggage and for solo cruisers, this is a real problem. For cruising, you need more “stuff” than you would normally bring on a land vacation. Cruising is a bit like camping in that you need to bring a fair amount of equipment in addition to your clothing, shoes and toiletries. All of us have various “cabin hacks”, from wall magnets, nightlights, chargers, band-aids, dental repair kits (thank you Gary), cruise ducks and on and on. When travelling with someone else, the additional luggage space needed is not that bad as you can spread it out between two bags and still easily fit all your other stuff. But as a solo cruiser, I don’t recommend you have more than one bag and as such you will need to take a close look at what you bring and how to manage getting it all in one bag. The reason I recommend you only bring one bag is for safety. If you are lugging two bags and trying to make your way around a city or even just out to a taxi stand, it’s going to be the focus of your attention. You are not going to have the ability to focus on what’s going on around you. Likewise, you are an easy mark for any would-be pickpocket or worse. If you are struggling with two bags or even one massive bag, it will be all the easier to become a target for theft or a scam, “May I help you with your bags”. If you find you're in a dangerous situation it’s not going to be easy to quickly move to a place of safety. For all these reasons I recommend you bring one bag that you can easily maneuver. I have the TravelPro Maxlite 5 25” Expandable Spinner. I have used TravelPro for years and recently bought this bag for a cruise in March 2022 and I love it. It is well built and very lightweight. I find the soft-sided bags work best. They are lighter and holdup better than hard-sided bags. The hard-sided bags work well but if they get crushed, the sides fail and can’t be repaired, leaving you with no other option but to buy a new bag.
Guarding your Stateroom Number
This is a hard one, especially with the rise of social media as an important part of cruising, but I recommend you be careful how you advertise your stateroom number. If people know you are alone on a cruise and know your stateroom number, it could open you up to bad situations. Overall, cruise ships are one the safest places you can be as a solo traveler and many solo travelers choose cruising because it is so safe. Nonetheless, I’d be cautious about giving out your cabin number. It will be nearly impossible to not give it out at all, but if a crew member asks for your stateroom number, don’t shout it out. In fact, maybe write it down or have it on a card just to be on the safe side.
Aware of Surroundings
As a solo traveler you alone have the responsibility for your safety. You must do what you can to prevent problems, to be aware when problems happen and to have the ability to decide what to do when they happen. Travelling alone will naturally make you an easier target for crime. That doesn’t mean you should not travel alone; it means you should be aware of your surroundings and what you are doing. As mentioned earlier, make sure you can easily carry the things you have with you, so you have mobility. Be mindful of basic safety information like where the fire exits are. Have information on how to get help should you need it and be prepared for situations that may arise. For instance, if you are travelling in an area known for earthquakes, do you know what to do if they have one? There’s no need to take this to an extreme and prepare for every possible contingency. Take a commonsense approach. Spend a little time reading about the area and some of the things it would be prudent to know about and be prepared for. When I plan to visit a new area, I like to see if there is a vlog from Wolters World about it. I really like these vlogs as I think they provide valuable practical advice for travelling to an area you may not be familiar with. If you are visiting a port, make sure you have read the port information. In there you will find a map of the port. Yes, I know the map is mostly for identifying the shops that have paid a promotional fee to the cruise line, but it also has another benefit. The map only shows you streets that tourists normally use. Stick to those streets. You may be tempted to “take the shortcut” but you have no idea what that area is like. If you stay on the streets identified on the map, you will be traveling in the areas where tourists go, meaning there is likely to be more security in that area and if a problem arises, there is a better chance of finding help. Also, before you visit a port, it is very important that you know the name and contact information of the cruise line’s Port Agent. The Port Agent is in contact with the ship and if any problems arise, they can contact the ship and make proper arrangements. So, if you find yourself in an emergency room, the Port Agent can contact the ship so they can understand your situation and take any necessary actions.
Checking In
During your cruise, I think it’s wise to make sure someone knows you are ok. Every cabin has an attendant, so just a quick hello to let them know all is well, will go a long way. If your stateroom attended hasn’t seen you for a day, that can alert them to check up on you to make sure everything is fine. On Princess it’s nice to know that with the Medallion, they can find you or at least where your medallion is, so keep it with you. Most cruise ships now include internet access. Even if you don’t plan to be “connected” on the cruise, it’s a smart idea to just send an email or a text to someone back home so they know everything is ok.
Bonus: Shore Excursions
I know many of you will disagree with me on this, but in my opinion, I think it is a smart option to use the cruise line booked shore excursions if you are a solo cruiser. They are a little more expensive but knowing that someone is responsible for your whereabouts while on the excursion is well worth the cost. At the very least, someone will know you have gone missing or that you have injured yourself. By being with an organized group, you have more resources available to you to address the situation.
Summary
For me, solo cruising is fantastic. There are so many things to do and see that I never get bored. But with that I also take the time to be prepared, to look out for my safety and to understand that I may not be able to do some things that I would be able to do if travelling with someone. Safety is something everyone should have in mind but, solo travel brings with it some additional considerations. I have included some here but I recommend you also read the excellent article “Solo Travel Safety: 50+ Tips for Those Who Travel Alone” that can be found on the Solo Traveler World website along with the additional information found below.
Additional Information
Personal Medication Record (aarp.org)
Wolters World What NOT to do on a Caribbean Vacation
Don't Make These 10 Solo Travel MISTAKES (YouTube Be My Travel Muse)
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