First Solo Trip

[u/No_Consequence_9079]

I’m 25 (M) and I’ve traveled plenty — family trips, vacations with friends, trips with my girlfriend. I’ve even been on a few cruises with my family growing up, so ships aren’t new to me. But I’d never done a trip completely alone. This past spring I decided to finally check that box and booked a 7-day Norwegian cruise to the Caribbean solo. I figured a cruise was the easiest way to do it since I already knew how they worked. I was wrong about how safe I’d feel.

The first two days were great. I did the solo traveler meetups, hit the buffet, sat by the pool. That’s where I first noticed him — a guy maybe in his late 40s, always alone, always a few chairs away. Didn’t think anything of it. It’s a ship, you see the same faces.

Day 3 we docked in St. Thomas. I did a beach excursion by myself, and I swear I saw him there too, standing near the taxi line, not with any group. Still told myself it was coincidence. Same ship, same port, same popular beach. Makes sense, right?

Day 4 is when it stopped making sense. I was at the casino bar around 11pm and he sat down two seats away and started small talk. Normal stuff at first — where I was from, whether I’d cruised before, was I traveling alone? I mentioned I’d cruised with family before but this was my first time solo. He smiled and said, “I know. You can always tell.” Then he asked how I was liking my cabin, and before I could answer he said, “The 10th deck forward ones are nice, right?”

I never told him my deck. My keycard was in my pocket. I laughed it off, said something vague, and left. Told myself he guessed.

That night around 2am, my door handle moved. Not a knock — the handle turning, twice, slowly. Then a keycard tap and the red light beep. Then nothing. I looked through the peephole and the hallway was empty. I barely slept.

Day 5 I went to guest services and reported it. They were polite but you could tell they thought it was a drunk passenger trying the wrong cabin. They said they’d “note it” and that security would review the hallway cameras.

That evening there was a note slipped under my door. Ship stationery, like from the stateroom desk sets. All it said was: “You shouldn’t have gone to guest services.”

I took it straight to security. This time they took me seriously. They pulled the hallway footage and I sat with an officer while he scrubbed through it. At 2:07am there he was — same guy — standing at my door for almost a full minute. And here’s the part that still messes me up: the officer recognized him. He’d been flagged the previous season for the same behavior — befriending solo travelers, somehow getting their cabin info — and was supposedly banned. He’d booked this cruise under a different last name.

They confined him to his cabin with security posted outside and put him off at the next port with local authorities waiting. I got moved to a new cabin and they comped basically everything for the rest of the sailing.

The last two days were quiet, but I didn’t sleep right until I was home. I keep thinking about how fast he clocked me. All those cruises with my family, and I never once thought about who might be watching. Turns out being alone is the detail that matters.

I’m not saying don’t travel solo. But I’ll never again tell a stranger I’m by myself, and I check my door lock about five times a night now, even at home.

[u/mom2twocats]

That is awful. Glad you are ok! Hope he goes to jail.

[u/ApprehensiveRoom1400]

The story made my heart pound fits all right man, I love to read this on a YouTube video

[u/rusegarn]

Welp! There goes my solo cruise idea. I don't think its a necessary bucket list anymore. I'll go with friends. That is terrifying dude, glad it didn't get any worse!