Final Ports and Reflections: Cartagena, Aruba, and Sailing into Fort Lauderdale

SOLO, BUT NEVER ALONE

This final stretch of the cruise was a masterclass in balancing adventure with ease. From the steamy streets of Cartagena to the breezy butterfly farms of Aruba, and finally the slow sail to Fort Lauderdale, the journey was filled with thoughtful excursions, unexpected connections, and practical lessons for solo travelers. Whether dodging alligators in the Everglades or orchestrating a cruise ship pub crawl, this post captures the rhythm of solo cruising.

CARTAGENA ARRIVAL

We arrived in Cartagena, Colombia the morning of Jan. 13. I am not sure what I expected, but it was not a gleaming expanse of high rise buildings forming a crescent around a lovely bay. You could see the old town walled city as well as an old fort high on one of the hills above the old town and new gleaming city. It was also hot and humid. 90 degrees with near 100% humidity. Blech. We were going to be in port all day, overnight, and then up until midnight the following day. I had an excursion this first afternoon that would take me to that fort as well as to the old walled city and an artist neighborhood, famous for its colorful murals and street art.

GESTAMANI TOUR

I took one of the ship's golf umbrellas with me and was the envy of everyone on my excursion as I had protection from the sun for almost my entire body if I was positioned correctly! I thought I'd look odd, but many of the locals were also using umbrellas as shade from the sun so I was in good company. I really enjoyed the tour and especially the walk through the artist neighborhood. It's called Gestamani (hest-ah-mani - where the G at the beginning is more of an H sound, so Guest with an H instead of a G).

We stopped at a small hotel with a rooftop bar for a drink and nibbles. With the breeze and view, it was lovely. With gentrification, most of the old walled city has seen rents skyrocket and thus taxes on property go up beyond what most can afford. Locals have been priced out and developers move in with hotels and guest houses. Gestamani is starting to go that way as well which our local guide was very upset about.

DINNER IN TOWN

Once back on the ship I took a quick cold shower and met up with 4 of the solos to head back into town for dinner. We had asked around if anyone knew of a good, reasonably priced restaurant in the old town. One of the solos had a friend that used to live in Cartagena and recommended a place. I got online and made a reservation. It was lovely with great food and live, local music.

We wandered around a bit afterwards and came upon a mart kinda like a small CVS or Walgreens. Had everything from toothpaste to Gatorade to books and trinkets. Everyone needed something different and we all found it in that one place. Brilliant.

DAY TWO IN THE HEAT

Each of us had morning excursions so we headed back to the ship and went to bed around midnight. My tour in the morning was going to be a yoga session on the outskirts of the city in a park followed by a quick tour through the old town, but I cancelled that. Way too hot and muggy for me. Couldn't imagine being in my Lycra tights (I had no shorts) sweating buckets, then wandering around in town having no opportunity to change clothes.

I chose an alternate tour that took me to a hilltop monastery, through the old town and back to Gestamani. This time, we stopped for some local ice cream as a cool down treat. I loved seeing all the colorful murals and other artwork on display. Even caught a local game of dominos being played on the street.

I was back on the ship having a cold shower and my fruit plate by late afternoon. The adventurer in me wanted to stay in town and see everything there was to see and do, but the tired, soggy from sweat woman that I am, was done with the heat and humidity.

SEA DAY BLISS

We sailed away the evening of the 14th and had a sea day before arriving in Aruba the morning of the 16th. Us solos were having a grand time together, and especially on the sea days. Many of us would hear from other passengers that they envied the fun we seemed to be having. Most folks that cruise, cruise as couples. If they're introverted at all, it means they stick to themselves as a couple and don't engage much with anyone else. They eat together as a couple at their own table, they sit together at a lounge, go to the show as a couple, etc. Some are more outgoing and seem to make friends with other couples, but generally, you see couples just doing their own thing. Us solos didn't always stay together in one large group, but most of the time during activities we were together, laughing, chatting and getting to know one another. We would also hang together if on the same excursion.

Fabulous way to travel and much easier to meet others than traveling solo by land, in my opinion. It was different in my 20s staying in youth hostels throughout Europe, where you could meet and hang with other travelers your age. Nowadays, you're staying in hotels or Airbnbs by yourself or with just your travel companions, venturing out on tours or keeping to yourself in a city—not having a good way to meet others.

Cruise Tip: If you're a solo traveler, look to book with a cruise line that creates opportunities to meet other solos, or to dine with other passengers. Silversea does a great job with this as does Seabourn I am told. It does make it easier as a solo if you're on a smaller ship in my opinion.

ARUBA EXCURSION

So, Aruba. I had been to Aruba before with my mom and sister, but it was in the 80s and I didn't remember anything about it. I had an excursion to a butterfly farm, a drive out to a natural bridge on the coast, and then to an aloe plantation and factory. Many others skipped taking tours and just took cabs out to the nearby beaches. Not being a sun worshiper any longer, I didn't find that appealing. I had a fantastic afternoon. Loved the butterfly farm.

I enjoyed the drive around the island and out to the natural bridge. There had been a huge one that collapsed (on its own) in 2005, but there was a baby one to visit. I'm sure I saw the large one when I was in Aruba before. Will have to look through old print photos to see if I can find evidence of it. Our last stop was to an aloe plantation and their small factory where they extracted and processed the aloe. It was fascinating and really enjoyable.

SLOW SAIL HOME

After the tour ended and we were dropped back at the ship, I took a quick walk to the main street just near where our ship was docked. Lots and lots of similar souvenir shops lining both sides of the street. Popped into a few to get some much needed a/c but then hightailed it back to the ship.

We left early evening and would be sailing, very slowly, northward for the next 3 days to reach Fort Lauderdale early morning on the 20th. This actually upset many of the passengers. This was the published itinerary all along, but many felt, including myself, that the company could have shelled out some more money to make at least one more port of call en route to Florida. We were sailing so slowly that at one point I thought I could have jumped overboard and swam alongside the ship at a nice slow pace. We probably sailed in circles.

PUB CRAWL AT SEA

On our last day/night, we decided to do a pub crawl, cruise ship version. There were 7 bars/lounges on board and I, as a planner, drew up a schedule so we could hit them all before and after dinner without having to move up and down floors more than necessary. Some like the pool bar closed early evening and others didn't open until after dinner so it took a bit of finesse to work out. We didn't drink at all of them, but had fun nonetheless.

FORT LAUDERDALE ARRIVAL

We docked in Fort Lauderdale at 7am on the 20th. I had booked a post-cruise excursion to help me kill time before my 5pm flight home. This factored into what time you were asked to disembark. Those making flights that morning got off first, followed by those of us taking the ship's excursion, then other independent travelers were free to disembark. It was all very smooth and efficient, even the customs and immigration check we all had to go through.

EVERGLADES ADVENTURE

One of the solos I connected with was also taking the excursion to the Everglades. We had a quick "show" with resident alligators then got on a large airboat for a 30-minute ride through the Everglades. It was a chilly and drizzly day so most of the alligators and crocodiles were staying in the water as it was warmer.

Managed to see a few but the closest we got was to a large one just next to the parking lot. I guess it hangs out there a lot. Just goes to show, you gotta be aware of your surroundings at all times—and don't hang out near the water on your coffee break.

AIRPORT WAIT

I got dropped at the airport but was still way too early for my flight. Nothing earlier to stand by for so I just went to baggage claim to hang out as it wasn't crowded. Fort Lauderdale airport is tiny with almost no services before going through security. I had decided to check one of my bags as I put liquids in it so could no longer do carry-on. This meant I was trapped awaiting the check-in counter to open before I could go through security. I tried printing my bag tag at a self-service kiosk, but it gave me an on-screen message saying, "Wow, so early! You cannot check in prior to 4 hours before departure. Please return later." At least it was light-hearted and polite.

Cruise Tip: If you can afford to spend an extra day, it's best not to book your flight home the day of disembarkation. If you must, make sure to allow plenty of time to get off the ship, go through customs, and get to the airport. If your flight leaves late in the day, there are many hotels that offer day rates, especially in Florida where many cruises sail from and return to. You can freshen up in a room and use their pool facilities to kill time before needing to leave for the airport.

FLIGHT HOME

Finally my Alaska counter opened and I went to the departure gates…and still had 3 hours to wait to board. Once on board I settled in for the 7 hour flight. Thankfully I was upgraded to first class so was comfortable and had decent food. No in-flight entertainment, so no screen on the back of the seat. Used my phone and ear buds to watch a movie. Tried to stay awake as I wanted to be able to sleep once I got home at 11pm. Had to be at work the next day at 6:30am! Never doing that again. It was a brutal transition to say the least. Went to bed at 6pm the rest of the week trying to catch up on sleep.

FINAL THOUGHTS

What an amazing cruise. I was pampered, entertained, and treated like family while on board. I've traveled solo most of my life, but I've never cruised solo before. Wow, I've been missing out. Honestly, it's the way to go. Many lines have get togethers for solos, so they can meet on the first day and Silversea was no exception. The fact that some of their sailings have gentlemen hosts is unique and a nice touch. They help organize the solos and help with dinner reservations. Granted, had we not had our two hosts, I would have organized the group :-).

As it was, I had made dinner reservations many nights for anywhere from 4–8 people. I just knew I'd connect with other solos and sure enough, that forethought paid off. Some of the restaurants are small and intimate, like Silver Note, so reservations go as soon as they're opened 150 days from departure. I had 2 reservations there during the cruise so was very popular!

Cruise Tip: You can usually book excursions, spa treatments, and dinner reservations as soon as your cruise is confirmed—even if you haven’t paid in full. Each line opens things up on its own timeline, so check early and often. Excursion options may shift closer to departure, so save your picks and keep an eye out for changes.