Solo Cruise

[+ jeezopete]

I didn’t want to hijack the Atlantis Cruise thread, but Smurof ended his post there with, “Best to cruise solo or with a fun platonic friend.”

I’ve enjoyed solo trips, but have never taken a cruise so that got me wondering, have any of you ever taken a solo cruise? What did you find to be pros/cons?

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

Last year I took a cruise with two couples who have been long-time friends. The five of us had a great time. That said, I was traveling solo. I found that I made new friends at the casino, a different group of friends at breakfast (early risers were few, so we seemed to get there at the same each day), and a steady group of drinking buddies for the end of day cocktail. In fact, at the end of the trip, my friends were surprised that I was saying goodbye to several folks as we were going through customs at the end of the cruise. While I had the safety net of having friends on the boat that dined with me every night, I could easily go solo next time.

 

While I had a great time, the one downside to cruising solo is the you still pay for double occupancy for the stateroom. If I had taken a friend, my cost for the cruise would not have been any higher.

[down_to_business]

It was better than being stuck with someone I wasn't getting along with.

 

I did a 4 night cruise, solo. It was ok. My take on it is you will do great if you are an extrovert, someone who makes friends easily, or someone who enjoys solitude. I cruised solo on NCL, so I was not even paired with people for meals. On most cruise lines, you would at least be assigned a dining table for your cruise with others.

 

For 3-4 days it was ok. I would have not liked cruising alone for any longer. But, I am an introvert and I do not meet new people easily.

[+ bashful]

I like to travel solo. I usually find people to talk with, usually at a bar. However, have not done a solo cruise, but have thought about it. I wonder if I would quickly get tired of seeing the same people. Kind of like living in a small town.

[Bayman4Fun]

I've taken two cruises solo.

 

A 3-day booze cruise LA to Ensenada.... but i went with a larger group of people I knew, although not close friends. I don't think I was sober much, so if being alone was a problem, I didn't notice.

 

And a 7-day Caribbean cruise, booked through an agency that arranged gay groups on cruises.... but not the all-ship, all gay charters. I knew no one until I went to the the meet&greet cocktail party arranged first night by our host. We were 50+ gays on a regular Celebrity Cruise. There were 11 singles and 20 couples. The group got along incredibly well.

 

I paid double to have my cabin to myself. Some cruise lines, specific itineraries, offer a single supplement, charging 150% or 175% fare... so you don't pay full double-occupancy rate.

 

I'm not an extrovert. I had a blast at mixers each evening, dinners, and most shipboard activities. Our gay group became favorites of the gay staff and crew members, and took over the nightclub midnight every night.

 

I found it a little lonely and awkward days, based on varied interests and budget limits for excursions. I was one of only a few who didn't have a passion to just go ashore for a beach. The nights, and just about everything aboard-ship, was great.

 

While not a cruise, I toured Alaska, and the only time as a solo I let myself be paired with a stranger was in the Glacier Bay Lodge for 2 nights. It was uneventful, and really, I almost never saw my roomie.

[sincitymix]

I've taken two cruises solo.

 

A 3-day booze cruise LA to Ensenada.... but i went with a larger group of people I knew, although not close friends. I don't think I was sober much, so if being alone was a problem, I didn't notice.

 

And a 7-day Caribbean cruise, booked through an agency that arranged gay groups on cruises.... but not the all-ship, all gay charters. I knew no one until I went to the the meet&greet cocktail party arranged first night by our host. We were 50+ gays on a regular Celebrity Cruise. There were 11 singles and 20 couples. The group got along incredibly well.

 

I paid double to have my cabin to myself. Some cruise lines, specific itineraries, offer a single supplement, charging 150% or 175% fare... so you don't pay full double-occupancy rate.

 

I'm not an extrovert. I had a blast at mixers each evening, dinners, and most shipboard activities. Our gay group became favorites of the gay staff and crew members, and took over the nightclub midnight every night.

 

I found it a little lonely and awkward days, based on varied interests and budget limits for excursions. I was one of only a few who didn't have a passion to just go ashore for a beach. The nights, and just about everything aboard-ship, was great.

 

While not a cruise, I toured Alaska, and the only time as a solo I let myself be paired with a stranger was in the Glacier Bay Lodge for 2 nights. It was uneventful, and really, I almost never saw my roomie.

 

interesting. Im trying to take a vacation solo. I was thinking about a cruise, i dont like sharing, so id prob book a room to myself makes me wonder if i could hook up with the crew if they have some hot ones working

[Meo]

When I was single I was always tempted to try this. Never did but interesting to read these experiences.

[+ nycman]

makes me wonder if i could hook up with the crew if they have some hot ones working

 

Don't count on it. The crew gets watched like hawks. In my experience, the "entertainers"

tend to have more leeway than the others. Even then, forget them coming to your room or

you going to theirs. At best they'll know a few secluded areas where the cameras can't see them.

 

On the topic of cruising solo, I've done it several times. The first time....walking up that

gang plank alone on an Atlantis cruise...was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

I don't regret it for a second...I had a blast each and everytime. Just realize you have

to be strong and be able to throw your shoulders back and act like a stud charging into

the storm...even when inside all you want to turn and run.

 

The good news is with each cruise it got easier.

 

On every cruise I found it easy to find company for drinks and/or dinner.

I was never alone...unless I wanted to be alone. And believe me, after

seven days at sea...being treated like a piece of meat....you will WANT

to be alone!

[Bayman4Fun]

If I remember correctly, there's a distinction.... crew runs the ship. Employees. From engine room to genuine officers, porters, housekeepers, etc. Staff is entertainers, people in retail shops, casino, excursion sales, some elements of finer-dining, etc.

 

Staff has more leeway.

 

My references to staff were about 100% platonic fun.... Staff met us for drinks and hanging out. Maybe a shore excursion. If more happened, I didnt know about it.

[EZEtoGRU]

Ironically, I'm currently on my fourth solo cruise in 14 months. I never cruised at all until last year when I finally decided to try it. I am used to travelling alone anyway....so booking to do a solo cruise was easy for me. I've enjoyed it. You can spend as much or as little time with other people as you wish. I cruise with NCL who have a "freestyle dining" concept which allows you to dine alone at a table if you wish. Alternatively, you can be seated with others for your meal. It's all up to you.

 

There are tons of daily activities, so you can put yourself into many social situations if you wish.

 

As far as interacting with staff goes, you can forget about any onboard intimate encounters with staff members. It is grounds for immediate dismissal if they are caught. However, there are no restrictions on meeting up with cruise staff on land whether for a social encounter (lunch or drinks or something like that), or something more intimate. The cruise line has no jurisdiction over what staff do once on shore.

 

NCL is also quite good with offering attractive solo rates on some cruises......which allows one to cruise alone without having to pay double the fare for a single cabin. On my current cruise (20 day trip from Valparaiso Chile to San Francisco CA) I got a stateroom alone without any surcharge for travelling alone. I guess they needed to fill up the cabins so they were doing attractive deals.

[+ bashful]

Ironically, I'm currently on my fourth solo cruise in 14 months. I never cruised at all until last year when I finally decided to try it. I am used to travelling alone anyway....so booking to do a solo cruise was easy for me. I've enjoyed it. You can spend as much or as little time with other people as you wish. I cruise with NCL who have a "freestyle dining" concept which allows you to dine alone at a table if you wish. Alternatively, you can be seated with others for your meal. It's all up to you.

 

There are tons of daily activities, so you can put yourself into many social situations if you wish.

 

As far as interacting with staff goes, you can forget about any onboard intimate encounters with staff members. It is grounds for immediate dismissal if they are caught. However, there are no restrictions on meeting up with cruise staff on land whether for a social encounter (lunch or drinks or something like that), or something more intimate. The cruise line has no jurisdiction over what staff do once on shore.

 

NCL is also quite good with offering attractive solo rates on some cruises......which allows one to cruise alone without having to pay double the fare for a single cabin. On my current cruise (20 day trip from Valparaiso Chile to San Francisco CA) I got a stateroom alone without any surcharge for travelling alone. I guess they needed to fill up the cabins so they were doing attractive deals.

 

I've recently been getting a lot of emails from NCL and have just been deleting them without really reading. (I think Beaches sold them my email address. Will not revisit a Beaches resort anytime soon). I'll have to pay more attention to what NCL is offering.

[bigvalboy]

NCL is also quite good with offering attractive solo rates on some cruises......which allows one to cruise alone without having to pay double the fare for a single cabin. On my current cruise (20 day trip from Valparaiso Chile to San Francisco CA) I got a stateroom alone without any surcharge for travelling alone. I guess they needed to fill up the cabins so they were doing attractive deals.

 

Very Curious... How do you manage not getting a surcharge for solo travel with NCL? I have Platinum Plus with them and they have never offered me travel without the solo surcharge on a cabin. I did once book that cabin for singles up on, I think it was deck 11, BIG mistake. It was an inside cabin and nothing more than a closet. I complained once I was on board and they gave me some perks, but that was it. Do you book directly with NCL or do you go through an agency? Vacations-to-go gave me a break on some trips, but it was not a break for traveling alone. I'm flexible and can travel on a moments notice. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks...

[EZEtoGRU]

Very Curious... How do you manage not getting a surcharge for solo travel with NCL? I have Platinum Plus with them and they have never offered me travel without the solo surcharge on a cabin. I did once book that cabin for singles up on, I think it was deck 11, BIG mistake. It was an inside cabin and nothing more than a closet. I complained once I was on board and they gave me some perks, but that was it. Do you book directly with NCL or do you go through an agency? Vacations-to-go gave me a break on some trips, but it was not a break for traveling alone. I'm flexible and can travel on a moments notice. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks...

 

I always book my cruises directly on the NCL website once I have narrowed down to the cruise I want. However, to research first, I use two tools:

 

1. The NCL website.

Do a general search for the type of cruise you want being fairly open with the dates. Make sure to indicate only one person is travelling. Once the cruise options come up, look for those with the Solo Cruise Discount icon. Those cruises will discounted for solo travelers. However it doesn't tell you how much the actual discount will be. For that, use #2.

 

2. Vacationstogo website

 

Click on the Singles Discounts option on the left hand side of the screen. Check out the Norwegian cruises that are shown and explore how much the discounts are for singles. Using this method, I got three cruises at a discounted singles rate in 2016:

 

* a 7-day Western Caribbean out of Houston for the going rate plus a 25% surcharge for travelling solo.

* a 16-day transatlantic from Houston to Barcelona with zero single supplement.

* a 9 day Mediterranean from Venice to Barcelona with a 25% surcharge for travelling solo.

 

All these were in standard balcony rooms. As per your experience, I have also heard the "Studio" solo rooms on some of the newer ships are really tiny.....and all are inside cabins.

 

In the end, you need to be willing to invest some time in the research in order to snag a deal. The solo specials can appear and then disappear pretty quickly.

[bigvalboy]

I always book my cruises directly on the NCL website once I have narrowed down to the cruise I want. However, to research first, I use two tools:

 

1. The NCL website.

Do a general search for the type of cruise you want being fairly open with the dates. Make sure to indicate only one person is travelling. Once the cruise options come up, look for those with the Solo Cruise Discount icon. Those cruises will discounted for solo travelers. However it doesn't tell you how much the actual discount will be. For that, use #2.

 

2. Vacationstogo website

 

Click on the Singles Discounts option on the left hand side of the screen. Check out the Norwegian cruises that are shown and explore how much the discounts are for singles. Using this method, I got three cruises at a discounted singles rate in 2016:

 

* a 7-day Western Caribbean out of Houston for the going rate plus a 25% surcharge for travelling solo.

* a 16-day transatlantic from Houston to Barcelona with zero single supplement.

* a 9 day Mediterranean from Venice to Barcelona with a 25% surcharge for travelling solo.

 

All these were in standard balcony rooms. As per your experience, I have also heard the "Studio" solo rooms on some of the newer ships are really tiny.....and all are inside cabins.

 

In the end, you need to be willing to invest some time in the research in order to snag a deal. The solo specials can appear and then disappear pretty quickly.

 

Wow...great information. I have never looked for the 'solo cruise discount icon' and now I feel a little foolish for not being more thorough in my searches. I will check both the solo discount icon and the Vacations-to-go website. Thanks again.

 

BTW...I liked your 16 day transatlantic to Barcelona with a zero single supplement. I have always wanted to do a transatlantic.

 

Thanks again.

[+ WilliamM]

a 9 day Mediterranean from Venice to Barcelona with a 25% surcharge for travelling solo

 

My question has always been how much time do you have to spend at each stop? I have spent weeks in Stockholm, St. Peterburg, Russia and the Croatian Islands. If some people return to Sweden (just an example) for ten days on their own then cruises are very valuable.

[EZEtoGRU]

Wow...great information. I have never looked for the 'solo cruise discount icon' and now I feel a little foolish for not being more thorough in my searches. I will check both the solo discount icon and the Vacations-to-go website. Thanks again.

 

BTW...I liked your 16 day transatlantic to Barcelona with a zero single supplement. I have always wanted to do a transatlantic.

 

Thanks again.

 

YVW. Also check out the solo cruisers forum on Cruise Critic. People often post great solo cruise deals they have found. Its also a great resource.

 

One word of warning about the longer cruises like transatlantics or like the one I'm currently on from Chile to San Francisco covering 20 days. Longer cruises attract a much older age demographic. They are basically geriatric cruises. Lots of people with canes, walkers, wheelchairs, scooters, etc. Very few children (which is good) but also, few people under the age of 50 period. I'm 57 and I'm one of the youngsters on this cruise. On my current cruise, we have already had 3 serious medical issues amongst the passengers which required then to be off-loaded at various ports along the way. I was told one of the passengers that was taken away in Huatulco in an ambulance was probably not going to survive. I suppose it was a stroke or heart attack. So don't plan on there being much eye candy amongst the passengers. You have to be content with looking at the cute crew members.

[EZEtoGRU]

My question has always been how much time do you have to spend at each stop? I have spent weeks in Stockholm, St. Peterburg, Russia and the Croatian Islands. If some people return to Sweden (just an example) for ten days on their own then cruises are very valuable.

 

The majority of stops along the way are only for about 7-10 hours. The ship arrives at the port at say 8:00am and then sails off again at around 5:00pm. Very occasionally, a cruise ship will overnight at a particular port. It's a great way to get a peak at places that one may wish to go back to for longer periods of time.

[trav05]

I have done 2 NCL Miami to Barcelona transatlantic one way cruises. A single rate wasn't available but it is still cheaper because it's only one way and repositioning to Europe. They moved it from Miami to Cape Canaveral this past year.

I had a great time and was very surprised at the amount of Gay clients. Great way to get to Barcelona.

[Bayman4Fun]

One word of warning about the longer cruises like transatlantics or like the one I'm currently on from Chile to San Francisco covering 20 days.

 

Sounds like a nice cruise.... hope you have fun plans for San Francisco

[bigvalboy]

YVW. Also check out the solo cruisers forum on Cruise Critic. People often post great solo cruise deals they have found. Its also a great resource.

 

One word of warning about the longer cruises like transatlantics or like the one I'm currently on from Chile to San Francisco covering 20 days. Longer cruises attract a much older age demographic. They are basically geriatric cruises. Lots of people with canes, walkers, wheelchairs, scooters, etc. Very few children (which is good) but also, few people under the age of 50 period. I'm 57 and I'm one of the youngsters on this cruise. On my current cruise, we have already had 3 serious medical issues amongst the passengers which required then to be off-loaded at various ports along the way. I was told one of the passengers that was taken away in Huatulco in an ambulance was probably not going to survive. I suppose it was a stroke or heart attack. So don't plan on there being much eye candy amongst the passengers. You have to be content with looking at the cute crew members.

 

Once again thank you for all the information. I was searching the NCL website today, and I am beginning to realize why I never saw the 'solo cruise discount icon' or understood the significance of it. It does take some time to research, but it is worth all the time. All great advice regarding the transatlantic cruises. Yes fewer kids is good...lol...but I realize an older crowd, but I would still be willing to forgo the eye candy for some peace and relaxation. Thanks...

[EZEtoGRU]

Sounds like a nice cruise.... hope you have fun plans for San Francisco

No plans for San Francisco. Unfortunately I have to hightail it back to Michigan upon arrival. Ship arrives at 7:00am on Monday and I have a 12:30pm flight back to Detroit.