Cruising on your own can be a wonderful experience, whether you’re looking to enjoy the solace or get out there and meet new people who share your love of cruise holidays.
And the cruise lines will often help by offering special provisions for single travellers – whether that’s helping to group solo passengers together for dinner, or arranging events that make it easier for you to mingle with others.
I love to cruise solo but I’ve found that every cruise line is different, and some are a little more hands-on than others. So let’s take a look at what each of the major cruise lines offers for solo guests…
Ambassador Cruise Line
Ambassador is one of the best cruise lines for looking after solo guests, and ensuring they have plenty of opportunities to meet others.
Events typically take place on cruises of six nights or more only though, so just be aware that any short cruises might not have much organised. I recently took a three-night cruise and there were no solo meet-ups on the daily programme.
On longer cruises, however, there is usually a solos lunch on the first sea day of the cruise, in a designated area so that single passengers can easily find each other.
And then throughout the cruise, there’ll be several chances to attend solo meet-ups that are hosted by a crew member, to make it easy to find the event and get to know people.
The cruise line does have solo cabins allocated on both ships in the fleet and while you might not pay the standard per-person fare you would if booking a two-person cabin, it will be a special rate much lower than paying the full 100% supplement.
Carnival
Carnival welcomes solo guests but doesn’t make much of an effort for them.
There are no single cabins on the ships in the fleet, and so you’d need to pay a double occupancy rate for your cruise – making it quite expensive.
There are solo events listed in the FunTimes schedule each day on most cruises, but these are unhosted, and typically they’re held in a bar area at a peak time.
This means that you’re often left to turn up and guess as to who is a solo guest and who is just relaxing at the bar at the same time.
Read more: Cruising Solo with Carnival? Here’s What You Need To Know
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises is a great option for solo guests who want a more luxurious experience. The ships are beautiful and modern, and feature some of the most stylish solo cabins at sea.
The Edge-class ships include solo cabins with infinite verandas, so you can enjoy your own balcony space – rare for single-passenger rooms.
The cruise line hosts a special Solo Travellers’ Gathering and Dinner, which is hosted by the Activity Team onboard either in the Sky Lounge (Millennium-class and Solstice-class ships) or Eden (Edge-class ships).
Suggested read: Celebrity Cruise Ships By Class
It’s a relaxed event where you can meet other solos, and then that night there’s a hosted table for dinner, with the rest of the cruise having an unhosted solos table for dinner too.
The shore excursions team are also on-hand at the welcome event so that you can book onto excursions with any new friends you make.
Costa Cruises
Costa’s cruises are a good option if you’re sailing on a budget – that applies whether you’re cruising solo or with others.
The cruise line does have good solo pricing though, with several sailings available without a single supplement. I enjoyed a five-night cruise as a solo traveller for just £151!
There aren’t really any organised singles events on the cruises that are advertised, but instead, the cruise line puts a lot of emphasis on the onboard activities which can be used for meeting others, such as dance classes or cookery lessons. Just be aware that these are open to couples/families too.
At dinner, you’ll typically be grouped with other solo passengers, and where possible with guests from your own country too (Costa’s sailings attract guests from across Europe and further afield).
On my solo cruise, I was seated at a table of British female solo travellers, and all the British male solo travellers were at another table, which was great.
Suggested read: The REAL Reasons Costa Cruises Are So Cheap!
Cunard Line
If you like the idea of enjoying traditional cruising with Cunard as a solo guest, then you’ll be pleased to know there are plenty of events to enjoy aimed at you and other solo passengers, including daily coffee meetups and some co*cktail receptions too.
Single staterooms are available without an expensive solo supplement, though guests are invited to book a double-occupancy room with a supplement if they want more space.
At dinner, guests will usually be seated with other passengers, though you can speak to the maitre d’ if you would rather be seated alone. There aren’t really any solo tables but you’ll be able to dine alone at a table for two if that’s your preference.
If you enjoy ballroom dancing, there are both male and female dance hosts who will be delighted to spin you around the dance floor.
Read more: My Solo Cunard Cruise Review
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is primarily aimed at families, but Disney-loving adults will often book places onboard too.
Cruise passengers travelling solo, or single-parent travellers who want to meet other solo adults while the kids are off enjoying the kids’ clubs, are invited to the Cruisin’ Solo events held onboard.
These are always held on the first night of the cruise, and then usually at regular intervals throughout the sailing, and they’re all hosted by the crew to help make it easy to find the event and mingle.
The cruise line does recommend attending the first night, as solo passengers will often use that meetup to plan other, unofficial get-togethers during the cruise.
Suggested read: How Much is a Disney Cruise Compared to Other Cruises?
Fred. Olsen
Fred. Olsen is aimed more at seniors, including solo travellers, and offers a range of activities to encourage new friendships.
There are several hosted Solo Travellers group meetings held during each cruise, always in a relaxed space that makes it easier to strike up conversations with other guests and potentially make plans for the rest of the cruise.
One particularly pleasant feature is the dance hosts – each ship has them, on-hand to make sure that solo guests can still waltz the night away at the dancing events when they don’t have their own partner.
The cruise line also has a range of solo cabin options including those with a balcony or an ocean view, so that anyone travelling alone can still get the cabin they want without paying for double occupancy.
Suggested read: Fred. Olsen Borealis Solo Cruise Review
Holland America Line
Holland America Line does offer some limited events for solo passengers, but beyond that guests tend to be responsible for arranging their own meetups.
There’s usually a hosted event on the first day of the cruise, but in the past it has been held at 8pm, which might be an inconvenient time depending on your dining time.
If you’re on a longer cruise, then the solo events tend to be better organised and more consistently attended, but otherwise, any other solo events aren’t hosted and guests report that not many people show up.
Marella Cruises
Marella is a popular British cruise line that could be a very attractive option for solo guests who want an all-inclusive experience, especially with most ships having a range of solo cabins to choose from, including inside and oceanview options.
There are hosted events throughout each Marella cruise for solo passengers, all arranged by the cruise host onboard. There’ll also be the option to dine with a larger group of other solo guests, or alone if you’d prefer – you’ll just need to speak to the crew onboard.
Read more: Why Choose A Marella Solo Cruise
Norwegian Cruise Line
NCL has been ahead of the curve for solo passengers for a long time, being one of the first cruise lines to really invest in solo cabin options, with more being retroactively added to the fleet.
Guests can also enjoy the Studio Lounge – a dedicated space for solo passengers who want to relax and meet others. Just be aware that the Studio Lounge shouldn’t be treated like a meetup event – not everyone there will be looking to make new friends, and they might just want to unwind in peace.
There are arranged events for solo guests though, so you do have the option of attending these – they tend to take place in the evenings, and are hosted so they run smoothly.
Guests can also request to dine alone or make arrangements to eat with other solo passengers, with the cruise host on-hand in the Studio Lounge to help with planning.
P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises is surprisingly not great for solo guests, despite having solo cabins on all ships in the fleet.
There are meetups arranged every day for single travellers, held every morning. They take place in the Crow’s Nest and are advertised as a coffee meetup, but there’s no host – so you’re left to hope that anyone you’re approaching is there to meet others, and not just relaxing on their own briefly. There isn’t a designated area.
The cruise line is flexible for dinner though, and allows solo guests the option of being placed on a bigger table with other guests if they’d prefer, or you can dine alone if that suits you more.
Read more:
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises has daily Single & Solo Get-Together events that are held at 5.30 pm, making them a good option for meeting others and potentially making dinner plans.
However, only the first day’s event is hosted, and guests are expected to make their own arrangements for the rest of the cruise.
Solo guests are asked each evening at the restaurant for their seating preference (alone or with a group) but otherwise, the cruise line doesn’t put a lot of effort into facilitating events for single travellers.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean is another cruise line that doesn’t do a huge amount for solo passengers. There are some solo cabins available on some ships, but expect to pay a premium regardless.
As for the events, there will be some listed on the daily schedule but they will almost always be unhosted, and held at a bar where there will be other guests attending who aren’t even aware of the solos event.
If you’re on My Time Dining you’ll typically be seated alone, but if you choose a set dining time you can request to be placed with a group if you’d prefer that.
Suggested read: The Best Royal Caribbean Ships for Adults
Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages is a good option for younger solo travellers, with the cruise line having quite the party atmosphere onboard. There are regular deals for booking a double room as a solo guest with no single supplement, so it’s worth looking out for those.
Hosted events are held throughout the cruise to encourage solo passengers to meet up with each other, and there are several other events onboard that are well-suited to solo guests, including the ‘grog-walk’ (bar crawl).
The cruise line also has a section of the Virgin Voyages mobile app that lets you connect with other guests on the ship and make arrangements to share activities, so that’s another way you can meet other solo passengers too.
Final Word
If you’re hoping to cruise solo and want to meet others, but you’re a little shy about walking up to someone, then definitely choose one of the cruise lines that offers regular hosted events.
Of course, not every solo guest goes on a cruise with a wish to make a lot of new friends, and so choosing one which gives you the option to dine alone might be your preference.
Every guest is different – and I’d recommend you check out my guide to the best cruises for every kind of solo traveller so that you can find the perfect one for you.
Related Posts:
- The Benefits of Solo Cruising: Why Everyone Should Try It Once
- I Took A £30 Per Day Solo Cruise! Costa Cruises Review
- 17 Common Mistakes People Make When Booking a Cruise
