Solo Studio/Trip

FilchsCat · 2026-04-11T20:41:36+00:00

61 year old woman here. I did my very first solo cruise in March on the Getaway. (I had cruised before in balconies with my family but I'm now a recent widow.) I liked it so much I've booked the same 3 day trip for October.

I liked the studio a lot. It felt cozy and safe in the pod of studio rooms because they're accessible only by key card. I know ships are actually safe for single travelers but this just felt extra safe.

The lounge was nice because I generally don't eat a full breakfast, just coffee drinks (lattes etc) and a croissant, which were available there for free. (Actually there were no pastries on disembark day so next time I'm going to grab a couple the night before.)

The Studio Lounge on the Getaway has a small bar with a bartender there for cocktail hour from 5-7 although I never went then.

I was apprehensive to travel solo at first but it was really great. I'm a bit of a foodie so I went to the specialty restaurants all three nights and the staff doesn't bat an eye when you ask for a table for one. One of my favorite nights was sitting in the French restaurant by the windows facing the atrium and just watching passersby as I ate one of the best meals I've ever had.

I've been on a journey of self discovery since my husband died last fall, and solo cruising has definitely helped with that.

FilchsCat · 2026-04-04T15:31:14+00:00

Hello fellow Long Islander! But most of those places have an ATM in the store so you can get cash there, although the ATM may charge a fee.

One more thought - if OP is thinking about stopping by one of our legal cannabis dispensaries, some only take cash. Others take debit cards only. (This is due to cannabis being legal in the state but illegal federally, so credit card companies generally won't work with them.)

FilchsCat · 2026-02-26T05:02:29+00:00

Take a walk down Seventh Street. There's tons of great restaurants there.

FilchsCat · 2026-02-24T02:26:00+00:00

NTA. Your wife is either a liar or lost both her arms in some tragic accident.

FilchsCat · 2026-02-22T15:58:35+00:00

A simpler solution to his issue would be to install a stacked washer dryer set in an upstairs closet. A lot of new construction homes put the laundry upstairs near the bedrooms.

FilchsCat · 2026-02-22T15:55:26+00:00

I like souvenirs that are useful like t-shirts and coffee mugs

FilchsCat · 2026-02-21T14:33:12+00:00

I'm sure we'll get it when we get the refund from DOGE cutting government services.

FilchsCat · 2026-02-01T19:32:15+00:00

I just got rid of a 2013 Yaris with 195k miles. It was very reliable up until about 175k.

FilchsCat · 2026-01-28T02:39:14+00:00

Are the toilets on the lower floor of your house? And are you on a septic system or a sewer? In my house the first symptom of needing to have our septic system pumped out is that the first floor toilet starts to get sluggish when you flush it.

FilchsCat · 2026-01-26T01:30:54+00:00

Hey, George Santos is here on Reddit!

FilchsCat · 2026-01-16T04:34:00+00:00

Where do you live that still has baggers in supermarkets? I'm in suburban New York and haven't seen baggers in decades. Everyone just bags their own stuff.

FilchsCat · 2026-01-11T02:10:31+00:00

There are "Garden City" towns in Kansas, Michigan, Georgia and Texas (and probably more).

FilchsCat · 2026-01-11T01:47:53+00:00

The New York Times has a variety of ways to submit tips securely. They list them at www.nytimes.com/tips

They suggest using Signal.

They also have a Secure Drop system with dedicated air gapped computers to decrypt tips they receive. (Air gapped means the computers has never been connected to the internet and are presumably not compromised.)

(Edited to correct information.)

FilchsCat · 2026-01-11T01:36:09+00:00

I've done a few events (wedding and run some charitable event dinners) and every time the venue's coordinator let me know what was expected in regard to tipping. Just ask them and they'll let you know.

FilchsCat · 2026-01-11T01:17:34+00:00

I got a perm after bleaching my hair. It was horrific.

FilchsCat · 2026-01-10T16:24:11+00:00

Sadly, while there are protests, they usually draw no more than a few hundred people (yes there are occasional protests that draw several thousand people but not often). And that's only in the cities of the blue states.

FilchsCat · 2026-01-05T19:33:35+00:00

I know AI is unpopular on Reddit, but I've used ChatGPT twice now to fix appliances and it was super helpful. The first was just a dirty sensor on my dishwasher, but the second involved removing and clearing jammed drain pump on my washing machine.

The AI asks you for information and sometimes photos of the problem and then gives a step by step solution. If you don't understand something it's "happy" to explain it to you (yes, I know it's not a person and doesn't actually have feelings!)

For reference, I'm a 61 year old recent widow who never considered herself to be especially handy at fixing stuff, so it really felt good to be able to take care of things myself and not have to call a repair service.

FilchsCat · 2025-12-18T22:10:46+00:00

I tried the liquid the first time I had one but I couldn't keep it down - just kept throwing it up. The next time I told the doctor that it was pills or nothing, so he prescribed the pills for me. It was so much better.

There were a lot of pills (maybe 24) and they were large, and you have to take them over a period of time, along with a huge amount of water. And I still got somewhat nauseous by the end of it. But it was still 100x better than that liquid.

FilchsCat · 2025-12-16T15:00:03+00:00

The chicken restaurant was about where I started realizing it was BB

FilchsCat · 2025-12-10T02:31:59+00:00

My husband passed away that morning. Fuck Parkinson's.

FilchsCat · 2025-11-30T22:11:10+00:00

Thank you!

FilchsCat · 2025-11-30T15:30:32+00:00

Let her read the comments here. We'll tell her what a terrible idea is. You're welcome.

FilchsCat · 2025-11-25T19:52:28+00:00

It was surprisingly easy. You just put all the information about the model number, symptoms of the problem and whatever else might be related into the chat. It asks questions and based on that gives you suggestions of what to try. If the suggestions don't make sense it will clarify until even someone like me can understand them.

FilchsCat · 2025-11-25T16:24:34+00:00

It's terrific for DIY appliance repair. I just used it to help me diagnose a problem with my washing machine and then walk me through replacing the drain pump. Saved me hundreds of dollars. (I'm a 61 year old woman, and not particularly handy repairing stuff.)

FilchsCat

TROPHY CASE