Single cruisers

[gullcruiser]

I would like to know if Oceania has any activities for single cruisers such as a meeting location or are there usually not many singles on these cruises?

Thanks and Happy cruising to all!

[basenji56]

Not sure of every sailing, but on the transatlantic I took last Spring on Vista, they had many social events for singles.  On the first night, they had a meeting in Horizons with free drinks.  Once you got on the list, you received invites to multiple lunches and dinners with other solo travelers. The Social Hostess (Kathleen) ran the program. We had 19 solos on my sailing. 

[sitraveler]

On a port intensive cruise on Marina this past summer there were solo gatherings the first night and often thereafter.  Mostly pre-dinner. 

[Trbd4739]

On Regatta, there are about 16 solo cabins, and on my upcoming cruise they were sold out over a year in advance.  The first category to be sold out. 

[MaryNorCal]

I’m looking forward to the single meetup first night. I’m going with a friend, but she’s not as mobility challenged as I am. So hoping we’ll meet folks that she can team up with for some port visits where tenders might be more than I can handle. No matter what, so looking forward to September 15, NYC to Montreal! I am just happy to be onboard!

[gullcruiser]

Mary, I hope you have a great trip!

[Mrs f.]

There have always been some meet ups for solo passengers listed in CURRENTS. You should also find the activities director and introduce yourself and ask.

[basenji56]

In the past, I have made early dinner reservations for one of the Specialty restaurants on the first or second nights.  I won't do this in the future since the first solo meetup is usually for one of those nights.  Around 6 pm or 6:30 pm.

 

[Jamietravelstheworld]

I've done several Oceania cruises. There's a social hostess on each who is responsible for solo traveler gatherings. On the first evening, there's a cocktail gathering, it will be listed in the daily schedule. It's usually around 5:30. There will be several other cocktail gatherings as well, and possible a sea day lunch or a dinner on another evening.

[PhD-iva]

I’m just back from an 18 day cruise on Sirena. On my previous Cruises on Oceania there always were frequent activities for solo (not single) travelers. Unfortunately on this most recent port-intensive cruise there were fewer solo events. There was one dinner planned on a sea day, but seas were rough and I missed it due to seasickness.

[Trbd4739]

I'm sorry you were seasick.  That's the worst!  I am going solo on a 28 day cruise in April, my first Oceania cruise.  Maybe it was your cruise director, and others will be different.  

[Jamietravelstheworld]

30 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I’m just back from an 18 day cruise on Sirena. On my previous Cruises on Oceania there always were frequent activities for solo (not single) travelers. Unfortunately on this most recent port-intensive cruise there were fewer solo events. There was one dinner planned on a sea day, but seas were rough and I missed it due to seasickness.

Sorry you missed the dinner. I’d guess there were fewer events because it was port intensive, especially if you were in port until after 6pm. Also, if many solos didn’t come to the first event, the social hostess may have thought there wasn’t interest. 

[avw]

On 8/31/2024 at 5:27 PM, PhD-iva said:

I’m just back from an 18 day cruise on Sirena. On my previous Cruises on Oceania there always were frequent activities for solo (not single) travelers. Unfortunately on this most recent port-intensive cruise there were fewer solo events. There was one dinner planned on a sea day, but seas were rough and I missed it due to seasickness.

I was on the Sirena sailing after yours. There was one solo get together the first night. Then, nothing for a week and one more cocktail get together that was very poorly attended. That was it for 12 nights.

[PhD-iva]

Regent does a great job with solo travelers. On Mariner (Nov 2022) we had a get together every night; anyone that didn’t have plans would eat dinner together. We usually had 2 tables in Compass Rose.
Oceania could put some more effort into this area.

[Dwtlion]

A person who has been in charge of social gatherings on both Regent and Oceania told me that R has more gatherings because drinks are included in the fare, whereas on O, drinks may or may not be included. O's new fare structure may complicate this further at the solo gatherings. The O host has the drinks in their budget- more gatherings=more cost. Budget/cost is not an issue on R.

I agree that R has gatherings almost every night, whereas O's gatherings are few and far between. As a solo, I wish O would up their game.

[PhD-iva]

On 9/14/2024 at 8:58 AM, Dwtlion said:

A person who has been in charge of social gatherings on both Regent and Oceania told me that R has more gatherings because drinks are included in the fare, whereas on O, drinks may or may not be included. O's new fare structure may complicate this further at the solo gatherings. The O host has the drinks in their budget- more gatherings=more cost. Budget/cost is not an issue on R.

I agree that R has gatherings almost every night, whereas O's gatherings are few and far between. As a solo, I wish O would up their game.

Yes, I agree with you. The more solo gatherings that Oceania hosts, the larger the cost because the gatherings are hosted (i.e., drinks are included). 
On the other hand, I hardly even missed the solo gatherings because it was so easy every night to join a sharing table for dinner. I met so many people, and really enjoyed their company. The R ships are so small, that you would then bump into the same people all across the ship. It’s like a small neighborhood.