Prof. Cruise’s Ultimate Guide To Solo Cruising

I frequently agonize for days over the next topic for my blog.  Okay, that’s a lie – my posts would likely be much better if I did that.  But it does sometimes take me a full ten minutes while waiting for my coffee to brew: “hmmm, what should I write about today?”

But this morning I curtly brushed aside Mr. Coffee, “I don’t have time for you!” and reached for my jar of Café Bustelo Instant Coffee because a word was attempting to leap from my brain directly into the World Wide Web before I could run it by spellcheck to save me from embarrassment: solo. 

Maybe because my most recent sailing was a solo cruise.  But more likely because I’d spent all night tending to a barfing child while Mr. Cruise snored contently from our bedroom after swallowing a fortuitously timed sleeping pill.  As I stuffed my third load of sheets splattered with regurgitated spaghetti sauce into the washing machine, I yawned and sighed, “I need a solo cruise.”

Which brings us to today’s topic: all things solo cruising!  Let’s begin with the reasons one might choose to cruise solo.

Reasons To Book A Solo Cruise

Because six years ago, after 9 hours of labor, the doctor held up your spawn and instead of saying “it’s a boy!” or “it’s a girl!” she said, “it’s a bity teenager!”  You swear your son was born with pimples, uprolled eyes, a patchy mustache, and a full set of braced teeth and that his first words were, “seriously, mom!”  You need a break from mommying.  Seriously.

So you put your husband in charge of trying to pry from the pouty lips of Sir Grump-A-Lot a single thing he did at Kindergarten today, “nothin,” while you invite your bestie to join you for a week at sea.

But because you’re a prolific sweater who insists on wearing “natural deodorant” if you remember to bring some at all and because, to save space in your suitcase, you pack only one set of workout clothes you air dry in the shower, she replies, “yeah, I’d love to, but I’m busy that week.”    

That’s why I cruise solo, but there are many other reasons one might choose to go it alone:

• Some have a spouse who doesn’t enjoy cruising as much as they do. Oh wait, that’s also me.
• Some may be hoping to meet and marry a cruise ship captain.  Me again (see above).
• Some enjoy their own company above the company of others.  Yeap, me.  What can I say, I’ve never met another person in their 40’s who loves MTV reality shows as much I do.  Outraged me to outraged me: “justice for Nugget!”

But enough about me.  Let’s move on from the why of solo cruising to the logistics of solo cruising. 

Questions To Ask Yourself Before Booking A Solo Cruise

In addition to all the standard questions one has to consider when booking a cruise such as, “where do I want to go?” and “which line do I want to sail on?” and “how long can I be gone from work before my boss notices my desk is being occupied by the blowup doll I ordered solely for this worthy purpose and not for anything unsavory,” there are some additional questions you’ll need to ask yourself first before booking a solo cruise:

• Do I want to book as part of a hosted singles cruise?  
• Do I want to book a studio cabin intended for solo cruisers?
• Do I want to book a standard double occupancy cabin and go it on my own?

Lets discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each option.

Hosted Singles Cruises

Hosted singles cruises are organized by and booked through outside travel agencies and not individual cruise lines.  They are a good option to consider if you’re traveling single and looking for structured opportunities to meet people and socialize.  A dedicated host for the singles group will travel on the cruise with you and facilitate special activities, cocktail parties, meals, and excursions.

Benefits Of Hosted Singles Cruises

• Dedicated host.
• Roommate matching services.  If you’d like to save on cost by sharing a cabin with a same-gender roommate, most agencies that offer singles cruises will provide a free matching service if you book a singles cruise through them.
• Special activities not available to those who didn’t book with the singles group.
• Organized meals where you’ll be seated with other singles.
• Pre-cruise communication with fellow single cruisers (usually via a message board or Facebook group), so you can begin acquainting yourself with others prior to your sailing.

Drawbacks Of Hosted Singles Cruises

• Cost.  Because additional resources and services are offered, you will pay more for a hosted singles cruise.
• Limited itineraries offered. If you’re committed to a hosted singles cruise, your options will be very limited in terms of dates, itineraries, and ships.

How To Book A Hosted Singles Cruise

The two best known agencies offering hosted singles cruises are SinglesCruise.com and Vacations To Go. They are comparable in terms of cost and services offered, so my recommendation is to check into both of them and compare dates, itineraries, and ships to find the cruise that works best for you.

Both companies offer some sailings geared toward a particular age range, so if you’re in your 40’s and looking for a younger man who can keep up with your rigorous cruising schedule (me again), you’ll want to book a 20’s and 30’s group.

If you like the thought of organized activities for single/solo cruisers, but don’t want to share a cabin, don’t want to pay so much more for a hosted singles cruise, or want more flexibility, you might consider booking a studio cabin intended for solo cruisers.

Studio Cabins For Solo Cruisers

• 

• 

Cruise companies are finally starting to recognize solo cruisers as an important stakeholder and source of revenue and, as such, many lines now offer studio or solo cabins designed for solo/single cruisers.

The list below includes the number of studio or solo cabins currently offered by cruise line and ship. If you don’t see a ship listed, it doesn’t currently have singles cabins.

Number Of Studio Or Solo Cabins Offered by Cruise Line and Ship

Carnival Cruise Line Solo Cabins

Carnival does not currently offer solo cabins on their ships. However, the line will be unveiling new ships soon, so stay tuned to see if this changes.

Celebrity Cruise Line Solo Cabins

• Celebrity Edge: 16 solo cabins

Costa Cruise Line Solo Cabins

• Costa Diadema: 21 solo cabins
• Costa Fascinosa: 17 solo cabins
• Costa Favolosa: 17 solo cabins
• Costa Fortuna: 14 solo cabins
• Costa Magica: 14 solo cabins
• Costa neoRomantica: 6 solo cabins
• Costa Pacifica: 17 solo cabins
• Costa Serena: 17 solo cabins

Cunard Cruise Line Solo Cabins

• Cunard Queen Elizabeth: 9 solo cabins
• Cunard Queen Mary 2: 15 solo cabins
• Cunard Queen Victoria: 9 solo cabins

Disney Cruise Line Solo Cabins

There are not currently any studio or solo cabins on Disney ships.

Fred Olsen Cruise Line Solo Cabins

• Fred Olsen Balmoral: 64 solo cabins
• Fred Olsen Black Watch: 43 solo cabins
• Fred Olsen Boudicca: 43 solo cabins
• Fred Olsen Braemar: 40 solo cabins

Holland America Cruise Line Solo Cabins

• Holland America Koningsdam: 12 solo cabins
• Holland America Nieuw Statendam: 12 solo cabins
• Holland America Prinsendam: 3 solo cabins

Norwegian Cruise Line Solo Cabins (NCL)

• Norwegian Bliss: 82 solo cabins
• Norwegian Breakaway: 59 solo cabins
• Norwegian Epic: 128 solo cabins
• Norwegian Escape: 82 solo cabins
• Norwegian Getaway: 59 solo cabins
• Norwegian Pride of America: 4 solo cabins

P&O Cruise Line Solo Cabins

• P&O Arcadia: 6 solo cabins
• P&O Aurora: 4 solo cabins
• P&O Azura: 18 solo cabins
• P&O Britannia: 27 solo cabins
• P&O Oriana: 2 solo cabins
• P&O Ventura: 18 solo cabins

Princess Cruise Line

Princess does not currently offer solo cabins, but this can change. Keep asking for them and stay tuned.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Solo Cabins

• Adventure of the Seas: 5 solo cabins
• Anthem of the Seas: 26 solo cabins
• Brilliance of the Seas: 3 solo cabins
• Harmony of the Seas: 15 solo cabins
• Jewel of the Seas: 3 solo cabins
• Mariner of the Seas: 2 solo cabins
• Ovation of the Seas: 28 solo cabins
• Quantum of the Seas: 28 solo cabins
• Radiance of the Seas: 3 solo cabins
• Serenade of the Seas: 3 solo cabins

Benefits Of Booking A Studio Or Solo Cabin

• Studio Lounge. On some ships, if you book a studio cabin, there’s a special lounge designated only for those in studios.
• Studio host. Sometimes there’s even a host who will organize meals and activities.
• Privacy. No flashbacks about your grad-school roommate from hell (that would have been me – sorry Maria).
• This is a good alternative to a hosted singles cruise as it will be less expensive and may offer some of the same benefits.

Drawbacks Of Booking A Studio Or Solo Cabin

• Limited availability. Because there are relatively few of them, they tend to book up fast. You might have to sit at your computer three days in advance of their release hitting the refresh button on repeat – like I do when Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Pass goes on sale each year – to snag one.
• Tiny room. Solo rooms are generally very “cozy.” While they would be the perfect spot to hibernate for the winter, waking only for meals and the occasional game of trivia to keep your mind sharp, if you’re claustrophobic, pack an extra suitcase of shoes, or like to start your morning with a square dance routine in your skivvies to get your blood flowing and bowels loosened, you might find them stifling.
• Studio/solo cabins aren’t always less expensive than just booking a standard room and paying the solo supplement (more on that coming). Always compare options to make sure you’re getting the best price for the experience you’re looking for.

Booking A Standard Double Occupancy Cabin As A Solo Cruiser

Due to pesky family obligations, I require a good deal of flexibility when booking a solo cruise, so this is the option I normally go with. As a single, you can book and pay for a standard double occupancy room all for your lonesome, or in my case, for sweet serenity.

Benefits Of Booking A Standard Double Occupancy Cabin As A Solo Cruiser

• You get a big bed all to yourself! You can sleep vertically across the large queen or king-sized bed. This offers no advantage in terms of comfort – it’s just fun to do. Because you can! But before you settle in, jump up and down a few times to test out the springs, then declare, “hope you’re enjoying picking Play-Doh out of the carpet, sucker” in reference to Mr. Cruise who is holding down the fort at home, before perfectly sticking your dismount and cheering loudly for yourself.
• You can do your own thing. There will still be lots of opportunities to socialize and meet people if you choose, but you’re under no obligation and can do exactly what you want. Which for me means ordering every room service dessert at 4am.
• No awkward encounters with a roommate. No need to warn your cabin-mate, “might want to stay out of the bathroom,” about the biohazard resulting from the extra desserts. Instead you can loudly declare, “it’s a plunger job!” and check another #cruisegoal off your list.
• No one will know how weird you are. See above.

Drawbacks Of Booking A Standard Double Occupancy Cabin As A Solo Cruiser

• You won’t be part of an organized singles group. While most lines do offer at least one informal “solos meet-up” event during the sailing, you’ll miss out on the other benefits of being part of a designated singles group such as being paired up with other solos for meals.
• The solo supplement. You’ll likely have to face a monster more terrifying than Godzilla: The Solo Supplement.

What Is The Solo Supplement?

Because cruise lines are in the business of maximizing profits, they want to fill ships with as many passengers as possible at the maximum fare the market will bear. As most cabins hold at least two passengers, when cruise lines set the per person price for a two person cabin, they do so with the understanding that they will receive double that fare for that room. So if a double occupancy cabin is listed at $600 per person, the cruise line expects to receive $1200.

If a solo traveler booked the same room – a room that could have been booked by two people – for the same per person rate of $600, the line would miss out on the second $600. Instead, the solo traveler is almost always expected to pay the full $1200 for the room. The extra $600 is referred to as the “solo supplement.”

However, having one person in a $1200 room paying $600 or $800 is preferable to having the room sail vacant, which brings me to my tips for minimizing or avoiding the solo supplement.

Tips For Avoiding The Solo Supplement

Thankfully, my breath is more atomic than even a gorilla-whale who emerges from the Pacific Ocean to destroy major urban areas, so I have some tips for how to battle The Solo Supplement.

First, be flexible and consider booking last minute if possible. If there are lots of unsold rooms as the sailing date approaches, lines will sometimes lower or drop the supplement in order to fill every cabin.

Second, plan to sail during shoulder seasons or other less popular times of the year. The cruise lines would rather have one person paying to occupy a room than no one at all, so if a particular itinerary isn’t anticipated to sell well they will sometimes lower or completely drop the solo supplement. I’ve noticed this more for sailings the first two weeks of December, the first two weeks of January and in either May or September for cruises to Alaska.

Similarly, consider either really short or really long sailings as there tends to be less demand for them.

Third, go here for a handy, easy to read list of current sailings with either a low or no solo supplement. Check back regularly and be ready to jump at a good opportunity – it will sell out fast. It also helps to have a good travel agent who can also be on the lookout for you.

And finally, even if you do end up having to pay the solo supplement, consider a less expensive cabin category such as an inside. Or book a cheaper guarantee cabin, meaning you’re guaranteed a certain category of cabin (inside, ocean view, or balcony), but the cruise line selects the specific cabin within that category. Look for bargains!

Now that we’ve covered the why and how of solo cruising, let’s move on to some tips for maximizing your onboard experience. I’ve divided these into, “tips for extroverted solo cruisers” or those looking to socialize and paaaaaaartay and “tips for introverted solo cruisers” or those looking for time to read something other than, “I need a NEW BUTT,” which you’ve read to your six-year-old on repeat for the past nine months because it Never. Stops. Being. Funny.

The following was my reading material on my last solo cruise, but to each his own:

Tips For Extroverted Solo Cruisers

• Consider a hosted singles cruise or booking a studio cabin with a singles lounge and host. These will offer more opportunity to interact with other single/solos.
• Prior to your sailing, join your roll call group on Cruise Critic or on Facebook (search for your ship, then select “groups” to see if there’s one for your cruise – if not, you can start one!). Roll call groups allow those on a particular sailing to get to know each other and organize activities in advance.

• Eat dinner in the main dining room as opposed to the buffet or specialty restaurants. Consider a set dining time (as opposed to “anytime dining”) if you want to sit at a table with the same people every night. This may offer a better chance to make close friends. If you’re not on a hosted singles cruise or in a studio with a singles host who has arranged your dining, be sure to stop by and speak with the maître d’ on embarkation day to make sure you’re seated at a table with other singles/solos. If you’d rather meet lots of different people, consider “anytime dining,” where you show up to eat anytime during dinner hours. When you arrive, request to be seated with other singles/solos. Once you make friends, you can arrange to meet at a specified time for dinner and request to be seated together.

• Attend the ship’s solo meet and greet and any organized roll call events. Every cruise I’ve been on has had at least one solo/singles event. And generally roll calls will have a meet and greet and other activities such as slot pulls or cabin crawls. These are all a great way to meet people and make friends.

• Book ship excursions. If you book through the ship, you’ll be with a larger group of people, and more likely to meet other singles to hang out with. If you book a private excursion, you’ll likely be with a much smaller group. This can be fine unless you’re stuck with, like, a honeymooning couple only interested in the sights of each other or a family who intentionally didn’t invite their eccentric aunt and is not interested in you as a stand-in.

• Hang out at the bar. I know, it’s 2019 and no one meets face-to-face anymore. It’s awkward and your avatar has much better legs. But you might just find someone who loves fru fru martinis and MTV as much as you do. Or you’ll get drunk by yourself and feel even more alone. But let’s remain optimistic!

• Participate in interactive ship activities. Hit up trivia, a book club, or a group fitness class. And remember, the other participants at Zumba aren’t laughing with you, they’re laughing at you.

Tips For Introverted Solo Cruisers

• Avoid eye contact at embarkation. Or risk getting stuck with Prof. Cruise for the next seven days. See my latest victim below:

• Request a private table for one in the dining room. If you have a set dining time, be sure to meet with the maître d’ on embarkation day to request a private table, otherwise you will probably be seated with others. If you have anytime dining, just show up and ask for a table for one. I prefer “anytime dining” when I sail solo so I have the most flexibility. When I’m too tired from reading all day to brush my teeth, I can request a private table and when I want to brag about my casino win, I can dine with others.

• Explore ports on your own. If you don’t like crowds, you’ll probably want to avoid most ship excursions. Prior to sailing, research things to do in port so you can venture out safely on your own. I hear Prof. Cruise has some very helpful port posts (#shamefulpromotion).

• Purchase an internet plan so you won’t be stuck playing on your phone’s calculator as an attempt to avoid social interaction, “if I weighed 146 pounds at embarkation, how much will I weigh after 23 pounds of dessert and cheese?”

• Chose non-interactive ship activities. Attend an enrichment lecture, see a production show, or watch a movie under the stars. There are plenty of activities for singles not looking to mingle.

• Order room service. If you work with the public in some capacity back on land and are rightfully surly and going solo to avoid “entitled idiots,” you’ll want to steer clear of all elevators and anything that requires standing in line. In fact, consider taking advantage of 24/7 room service and never leaving your cabin at all.

Resources For Solo Cruisers

If you’ve found this guide mildly offensive, too wordy, and decidedly unhelpful or if you have questions about a specific line or cruise or just want to network with other experienced solo/single cruisers, I’d suggest the solo cruisers board on Cruise Critic or one of the many Facebook groups dedicated to solos. I also encourage you to share your tips for sailing solo in the comments below so I can steal them. I mean, so we can learn from each other!

Final Thoughts On Solo Cruising

Go. Bravely venture out on your own for the first time after the loss of your beloved spouse and cruising partner. Go. Cruise solo hoping to meet a spouse and cruising partner. Go. To a destination on your bucket that your wife refuses to visit because it dips below 70 degrees at night. Go. Hide your cruise addiction by sailing alone and calling it a “work trip?” Sure. Go. Because your kid was up all night ralfing and your husband who slept through the whole thing is particularly susceptible to guilt. Go! Now!

Whatever your reason for sailing solo, go. Because:

To read about my most recent solo cruise, go here.

Also, if you enjoy the blog be sure to subscribe (scroll up to the top right if on a computer or keep scrolling down if you’re on a mobile device) and follow me on social media:

Pinterest

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Class Dismissed.