Which lines look after solos the best?

[shippmates]

I have enjoyed my solo sailings on Cunard.  I know they are pricey but the service and the friendly passengers and crew make up for the cost.  They do have several solo cabins that are all oceanview.  I like Cunard because the price does not include items that I do not want or use.  The activities on board are great from the lectures, movies, live music.  

[Justpackingmybags]

9 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Although i last cruised HAL in 2019 i had a great experience with their shared tables at MTD. For me having some interaction at dinner was enough.

That would probably be enough for me! I don’t mind my own company too much.

[SoloAlaska]

My next solo cruise is with NCL for a TA. I was looking at two itineraries and the more expensive one didn’t have a single supplement so it was a better deal. My favorite thing is that NCL website lets you look at solo pricing easily.

[sambamama]

I just had a long phone conversation with a, HAL exec. I explained to him that HAL is losing opportunities of getting solo cruiser's because of their high single supplements. He agreed with me and I think HAL may be making some changes. 

[AV8rix]

On 8/10/2023 at 4:12 AM, sambamama said:

I just had a long phone conversation with a, HAL exec. I explained to him that HAL is losing opportunities of getting solo cruiser's because of their high single supplements. He agreed with me and I think HAL may be making some changes. 

From your lips to G*ds ears.🙂

[nudistcruzer]

I have been on 19 nude cruises as a single. I am part of the Nudist community and a Life-Time AANR member. So, when I’m on a nude cruise I am well connected and never feel isolated. Actually, very often  neighbors are on the cruise. One time on a small ship I ended up with one next door neighbor on one side of my cabin and the other next door neighbor on the other side. This was not planned, but made us feel at home.

So, for many people, if you are single on a cruise, if you’re going with a group that you’re have something in common with,  you’re likely to not feel isolated.

 

Beside, nude cruises I have been most comfortable in the Studio cabins on NCL. There is a studio lounge and you always have a chance to meet people to eat with. I have found that organized single groups tend to have people there to just party or sometimes they are swinger types, looking for hookups. So, I have been staying clear of many single events. The single gatherings / dining tables arranged by the cruise lines, generally don’t have many of these issues.

[cruiseelady]

On 8/10/2023 at 7:12 AM, sambamama said:

I just had a long phone conversation with a, HAL exec. I explained to him that HAL is losing opportunities of getting solo cruiser's because of their high single supplements. He agreed with me and I think HAL may be making some changes. 

I sure hope so.  I have been wanting to try Hal for the longest time.  But I can never find good rates.  

 

If they got rid of the single supplement at least for some sailings, that would be fantastic. 

[latebuyer]

I hope so too. I really enjoyed the last hal cruise i was on

[jsn55]

On 6/15/2023 at 10:13 PM, chefchick said:

Your question is a good one, but let me ask you to think of it differently….if price is your biggest determining factor, then decide on a budget and go from there.  Yes, solo supplements suck, but a $1000 cabin (for example) is a $1000 cabin wether you paid double occupancy or not.  To me, itinerary, entertainment, service, food, overall vibe, etc is WAY more important than price alone.  Yes, NCL for example has solo cabins and a dedicated solo host on most of its ships and that is great but not all hosts are “created equal” and solo get togethers (hosted or unhosted) are only as “good” as the solos themselves and if they are the types of folks you might want to spend time with (if that makes sense).  My suggestion is pick a line and itinerary that interests you at a price point you can afford, go with an open mind, and try it out.  I’ve been solo cruising off and on for about 5 years or so….I am a retired, married woman who’s husband likes to cruise but also loves his job so I obviously have more “time off”.  I decided long ago to try as many lines/ships as I can.  Each has pluses and minuses, but a solo cruise is empowering and I never tire of it.  Let us know what you decide.  Cheers 🥂

Can I LOVE this??????

[drizzle63]

On 6/17/2023 at 8:43 PM, kelib said:

A great resource is checking out Cruiseplum.com. There you can see list of cruises that have decent fares for solos and other fares that are being promoted.

This is not a booking / travel agent site, so you would have to book with the cruise line or your favorite TA. At least you have a direction and an idea on what is out there.

Cruiseplum.com is a great resource! Thanks for sharing.

[KKB]

I have sailed solo on Princess, NCL & MSC.

NCL by far did the best job--Solo/single meet daily. Had little "get to know each other" games & had group tables reserved for those who wanted to join (you had to sign up).

 

Princess-no one even showed for our solo meeting; so I can't really evaluate!

 

MSC--they did have a gathering. But I found far too many passengers to be rude on MSC I'm a bit jaded in my judgement.

 

All this being said, I'm a very social person so on all cruises met others. 

(MSC I only did due to a Meet & Greet from a Roll Call here; honestly, I wouldn't have met many had I not. Not as friendly of passengers (overall) as other lines)

I had dinner with others (sometimes); chatted people up at bars; joined teams for trivia.

And I always manage to befriend my fav bartenders.😉

[rj59]

That's multiple questions. If your criteria for being looked after is having a solo cabin with daylight, then there are larger ships on HAL and Royal that have balconies and oceanview single cabins, but that's not a really reliable way to find bargains, because it's overall price that matters. If you mean which is most affordable, then right now there's not much of anything that has a lot of solo deals, because demand is high, so they have no reason to, and solo cabins get taken quickly. If you want to cruise affordably and have a good time, you have to keep up on deals and do frequent searches and look on solo deals on here. I do Expedia searches almost every day for one person, and Cruiseplum has sections for Hot Deals, Last-minute deals, and Solo Deals, and you can set up saved searches by all sorts of criteria. How you are treated as a solo depends largely on you, the crew of a specific ship, and a specific sailing, so any generalization you hear on here is just prejudice or usually the result of a good or bad experience. Personally, I find that the more effort I put in as a solo to appreciating crew, the more they appreciate me. So I know the basic greetings and thanks in most crew languages, and if I meet someone I like, I make sure to look up some phrases in their language. If it's a full, large ship and crew are overworked, I'm not going to expect a lot of personal service, just as nobody would want a barista at Starbucks with a line out the door to sit and chat with someone for 5 minutes. Crews are also changing, with fewer Russians and Ukrainians and Eastern Europeans, and more from Africa, particularly Zimbabwe. I dislike crew on Royal and Celebrity begging for a good review, but I understand they must get pressured to do it, which I accept if it results in better service. For bargains, I just got off 14 nights on Island Princess for $580 solo in Europe, I'm going on Azamara for 7 nights in Spain and Virgin in the Med next year for $100/nt solo, and I just booked a Royal out of LA solo for $100/nt. Earlier I went on HAL coastal cruises for $50/nt and am going Royal in Alaska for $500 for 7 nights, none of them in solo cabins. All are inside, but when I want air and sunlight, I go out on promenade decks, which are free and give better views. 

[hallux]

3 hours ago, rj59 said:

If your criteria for being looked after is having a solo cabin with daylight, then there are larger ships on HAL and Royal that have balconies and oceanview single cabins

and NCL just opened balcony and ocean view solo categories across the fleet...