Solo Cruising- Questions

[Bilyeu5]

I am thinking of taking a river cruise without a travel companion. Husband says he is not up for the hassles of travel to Europe (from west coast). I really would rather go alone than share a small cabin with someone else.

I would probably do a Christmas market cruise on the Danube, as I figure there might be more groups of women traveling together.

 

These are my questions:

 

1. Have you been on cruises where there were "unattached" passengers?

If so, any problems sharing tables at meal time?

 

2. Hints on which cruise lines have lower single supplements?

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

Barbara

[CPT Trips]

There were a few solo travellers on our GCT cruises . . . no problems at meals that we could see. I know that GCT has a "matching" program for solo travellers, but I do not know how their single supplement is.

[paul929207]

We have had singles (male and female) on river cruises and land ours. As they are much smaller groups than the big cruise ships, it is easy to make new friends.

[rogerdawhip]

I have traveled on a total 10 river cruises all as a single. 7 of these were on GCT. Vantage currently has the lowest single supplement -25%. GCT's supplement is 40% and the rest are at least 50%. Most of the time GCT's 40% is cheaper than Vantages 25% due to the lower cost of the cruise. With the open seating sharing the table as a single at mealtime is no problem. It is very easy to get to know the other travelers on a river cruise due the the small ships.

[happy taveler]

I have taken 4 cruises with GCT all as a solo and I have never had a problem with dining. Sometimes I would go into the dining room and if I saw an empty seat I would ask the people at the table if it was free. They would either say yes sit with us or they were saving it for someone. Other times I would go to an empty table and let it fill up around me that way I knew I was not taking someone else seat. Most people are nice and you meet a lot of good people during meal times.

[jowahe]

I have taken 5 European river cruises as a single, all with Grand Circle. They were all very good cruises, but since GCT has increased their single supplement by 15%, I no longer sail with them. I get better deals on certain Holland America and/or Princess ocean cruises.

 

The river boat cabins are very small -- fine for a single, but I wouldn't want to share with a stranger. Dining is open seating, so there is always room available for singles. It's easy to make friends due to the smaller number of passengers and the daily organized tours that are part of the cruise.

 

I've written several times to GCT asking why they increased the supplement on singles and have never had a reply. I'm not eating 15% more food; my air ticket doesn't cost 15% more than for each member of a couple, etc. I can only assume they want to discourage singles from traveling with them. Maybe the poor economy will change their minds.

[Bilyeu5]

Thanks for the replies. The more I think about it, the less I am inclined to take the solo Christmas Market cruise. Unfortunately, the pricing structure is just too discouraging for someone of moderate income to take a river cruise as a single....and I'm not willing to share a small cabin with a stranger (or even with a friend!)

 

My spouse would be more willing to go on a cruise when the weather is a bit warmer, and the focus is not so much on shopping. Although we'd have an additional airfare, the cabin savings "per person" makes it much more attractive. A couple of options look interesting for 2009; I'll be back to get your input. Hopefully, most of you love to "talk" river cruising, because I always do a lot of research when planning any trip. Right now I'm reading the Insight Guide to River Cruising, and waiting for brochures to arrive.

Barbara

[dinosaur]

My wife & I took the Danube Christmas Markets cruise with Viking 2 years ago And loved it. It made our Holiday's very meaningful. We have traveled very recently with Grand Circle down the Seine to Paris this year. On both river cruises we meet & enjoyed the dinner conversations with single travelers. On the GCT trip we meet a gentlemen that was in Normandy on D Day and he was a delight to talk with. Yes you should go and no you will not feel like a loner. This I gaurantee. Have a GREAT trip on your Christmas Market Cruise.