4 minute read
Going Solo
by Ensemble
How cruise lines are making it more enjoyable—and less expensive—to hit the high seas on your own.
By Robin Cherry
When I first started traveling alone, my father asked, “You don’t really enjoy it, do you?” I insisted I did, but he didn’t believe me— until he met a couple I’d befriended on a cruise from Egypt to Dubai. He saw pictures of us on a dhow in Oman and (finally!) understood one of the greatest things about being on a solo cruise: while you may be traveling solo, you’re never traveling alone.
I’m far from the only traveler to discover the growing appeal of going solo. A recent study by MMGY Travel Intelligence found one in four Americans planned to take a trip alone in 2022, while Google searches for “solo travel” tripled between 2015 and 2023.
For many solo travelers, hopping aboard a cruise ship is one of the easiest and most accessible ways to see the world. According to Statista, a 2021 survey found that most solo travelers from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia had already taken at least one escorted tour or cruise. Cruise lines are responding to the demand by eliminating single supplements and offering more single cabins.
It’s important to note that cruising single is not the same thing as taking a singles’ cruise. Singles’ cruises are usually for people looking for romantic relationships, while solo travelers simply enjoy the freedom of traveling alone.
Make lasting friendships
The best way to meet people onboard is through activities both on land and at sea, so it helps to select cruises that cater to your interests. For instance, expedition cruises offer solo travelers an opportunity to bond with other adventure seekers, like my friend Beth Pagano, a B&B owner in Red Hook, Hudson Valley. Beth loves everything about bears and, when the pandemic waned, she booked a single cabin on a cruise to the Arctic to see polar bears. “I like that the ship has 12 solo cabins because I know there will be at least eleven other single travelers,” she says.
Another great option for solo travelers are themed river cruises, which are geared to people interested in everything from history and classical music to wine and golf.
Meet fellow passengers at a wine tasting aboard Uniworld
Most ships also host welcome receptions and other events for solo travelers. Holland America Line has a Single Partners Program with wine tastings and trivia contests, and passengers who book a Norwegian Cruise Line single cabin can access an exclusive lounge that hosts daily pre-dinner gatherings for people traveling alone.
Start small
The Points Guy’s cruise expert Gene Sloan recommends that solo travelers opt for smaller ships where it’s easier to make friends (you’re more likely to run into the same people repeatedly unlike on mega cruises where you can go days without seeing the same person twice). You might also want to consider starting with a short “test” trip. Princess has weekend cruises to the Bahamas, and Holland America Line offers a round-trip from Vancouver with an overnight in Seattle.
Smaller ships are ideal for solo cruisers
Book a solo cabin
The dreaded single supplement—an extra fee charged when a solo traveler occupies a doubleoccupancy stateroom—is becoming less of an issue as cruise lines are adding more solo cabins and increasingly waiving the charge on select departures. Gone are the days when solo cabins tended to be smaller or located in less popular areas of the ship. Celebrity offers the Edge Single Stateroom with Infinite Veranda, which takes your room right to the water’s edge, giving you open-air access to the sea with the touch of a button. Atlas Ocean Voyages’ luxurious new solo cabins are 183 square feet— almost twice the size of those on most other ships.
Celebrity’s Edge Single Stateroom
I find traveling alone exhilarating and love that when I’m cruising by myself, I can be as social or solitary as I want—and, either way, I’ve always met people I enjoyed spending time with. Beth, whose work involves constant contact with others, says being alone might be the thing she looks forward to most. “That—and the polar bears.”
