Which cruiseline?

[WhoNeedsAYacht]

Hi all,

 

Longtime lurker, but have signed up and posted more over the last week.

 

I have long loved cruises. I have been on a 4 or 5 ones on RCL mainly with family and larger groups.

 

I'm in my mid 30s, single and would be looking to travel solo. I'm trying to get a gauge as to which cruiseline would be best for me.

 

I'm an introverted extrovert. I like time to myself, but also enjoy partying, meeting new people, etc.

 

Based on my research Carnival is the big party line, RCL is usually family oriented and NCL is a bit more quieter (at least based on what I've heard). NCL has a really great solo studio set-up that I've looked into, but may not give me all that i'm looking for.

 

I'm planning to travel in October/Nov 2021. Any insight would be great!

 

[GizmoCat]

NCL definitely great for solo gatherings in normal times but not at the moment as they seem to be cancelled.  You should perhaps look at Virgin Voyages. They don’t do anything specifically for singles but definitely a great atmosphere. I’ve recently done the 4 night UK cruise. Fantastic ship, amazing food and good entertainment. 

[coastcat]

Of the three, NCL is the most focused on solo cruisers. In normal times there are daily solo meetups led by a dedicated solo host; although the Europe sailings appear to have halted the gatherings, the U.S. ones are still going strong. The solo meeting is right before normal dinner time and the host will set up a shared table at one of the MDRs. They may also arrange a solo space at the evening entertainment. I appreciate that NCL's staff is accustomed to solo cruisers and will treat you like a normal person! One drawback with NCL is that you have to be on the lookout for reduced solo supplements; if you pay the full cabin fare for a regular (not Sail Away) cabin, you're paying for two sets of Free at Sea perks in that cabin rate, not one. You're only paying gratuities for one, though.

 

Royal seems to be going after the solo market more, with Quantum-class ships including a dozen balcony cabins for solos. They've been offering sweet deals on a bunch of cruises - I am booked in a regular balcony on back-to-back sailings of Navigator of the Seas this December, no single supplement! RC doesn't seem to have activities specifically for solos, based on the dailies I've read, but there's so much going on onboard that it probably doesn't matter.

 

Carnival has no single cabins and doesn't seem that geared towards solos. On the other hand, it'll be a lively crowd and even with a full single supplement, reasonably priced. 

 

 

[geoherb]

All of my solo cruises have been on Princess. I had a great time. I've sailed on Princess, NCL, Royal, Carnival, Celebrity, and HAL with my husband. Those have been great as well. We prefer Princess is our first choice, followed by HAL then Celebrity.

[Traveling Mike]

Depends on what kind of person you are.  Being 30 and wanting to be active I would recommend one of the larger Royal Caribbean ships.  The ship will have all the toys to keep you busy and there will be 5,000 other passengers to cruise and party with.  If you are just looking for other singles to hang out with you want one of the NCL ships with the solo cabins.

[BikiniBlonde]

MSC charges low rates for solo travelers. I had read so-so reviews but took a chance and am so glad I did. I sailed on the Meraviglia for 7 nights for about $675, balcony room, free room service. It was an amazing excellent experience. Food was top-notch continental. Now is the time to go. The ships aren’t at 100% capacity so it never feels crowded. I bought chocolate made on board to give as gifts for my friends at home. .  
 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

On 9/29/2021 at 4:39 PM, WhoNeedsAYacht said:

Hi all,

 

Longtime lurker, but have signed up and posted more over the last week.

 

I have long loved cruises. I have been on a 4 or 5 ones on RCL mainly with family and larger groups.

 

I'm in my mid 30s, single and would be looking to travel solo. I'm trying to get a gauge as to which cruiseline would be best for me.

 

I'm an introverted extrovert. I like time to myself, but also enjoy partying, meeting new people, etc.

 

Based on my research Carnival is the big party line, RCL is usually family oriented and NCL is a bit more quieter (at least based on what I've heard). NCL has a really great solo studio set-up that I've looked into, but may not give me all that i'm looking for.

 

I'm planning to travel in October/Nov 2021. Any insight would be great!

 

Since you're looking to cruise in the very near term, the advice I'd give would be different than if you planned to cruise, say, a year or more out.

 

Most of the cruise lines are offering rock bottom prices for close-in cruises, so don't be afraid to look at lines that may not otherwise be within your budget (whatever it is).

 

Pay attention to the current protocols, since that's what you're likely to see on your cruises.  I'll skip over the "V" thing, since you probably already know what's going on with that.  The "M" thing might be important to you; it certainly was to me.  Celebrity and NCL currently don't require masks of their qualified passengers onboard, while the other cruise lines do in certain areas.  Testing policies also differ, so I'd encourage you to pay attention to that.

 

Other than that, pick a cruise line that goes where you want when you want that offers things you'd like to do on your vacation.  Don't obsess over it; all the cruise lines are good at the basics.  

 

I wish you well in your future travels.