A cruise alone is good for the mind, body, and soul. You will find me sailing alone when the work load stresses me out or I need the sea to cure my soul :). Before you cruise single, take some advice… and no, I am not talking about using a single cruise matching service. Nothing against those sites but do you really want to be in a cabin with a complete stranger for 3-13 days? I sure as heck don’t. Plus, going alone makes you more free to make friendships that will last a lifetime. I have met some of my closest friends on cruises.
Have I ever cruised single before? Sure. Word of advice — Beware of the supplement charge. Cruise lines can charge from 150-200% the basic fare. Personally, Royal Caribbean’s supplement is the best for me at 150%. I have heard through my journeys that other lines also have decent ones but I cant vouch.. some as low as 110%.
My first bit of advice during the initial booking: Compare and contrast a bunch of cruises and cruise lines, everyone has something different to offer. If you are looking for a younger party crowd you will probably not want to book a 13 night Panama Canal cruise. If you are a busy body like me, book a cruise that holds a minimum of 2,000 passengers, guaranteed non-stop action.
Book a category room that is designed for one person. Doing this will likely make your fare more affordable (usually an inside cabin). Don’t always assume that you are going to have to pay a ton to cruise either. You can ask to book a cabin with no single supplement or a reduced singles fare (upon availability). Oh, and in case your wondering what a supplement is, its a surcharge basically for cruising alone. It wouldn’t hurt to use a travel agent that specializes in singles cruises, they can be found on google.
When making your table reservation for the formal dinners, ask to be placed with singles that are traveling. From my experience cruise lines generally seat singles together at dinner.
Secondly, pay close attention to the message boards like cruise critic and cruisemates. These websites sometimes have forums with get-togethers the night before the cruise in the embarkation port. Nothing like a good ice breaker before you get on a ship with up to 3,000 strangers. Once you get on board, mingle, go to the mixers, singles meet and greets and randomly strike conversations up with people exploring the ship.
Keep yourself busy, single crusing doesn’t mean you have to sit on the balcony wrapped up in a blanket the whole cruise with a bottle of wine and a Danielle Steel book. Sign up for that line dancing class, art show, bingo, rock climbing contest, yoga, the spa, the hairy chest contest! You can do what you want to do at your comfort level. This is your vacation, your treat — make the most! If you want to sit in the chair and read, at least share the wine. 🙂
Book your port excursions as soon as you get on the ship and be prepared to spend upwards of $175 on them. Don’t let the price scare you, there are some excursions that are as little as $20, it all depends on what you want to do. Booking early will avoid you getting left out when the big families sign up and the excursion is SOLD OUT!
You will meet a lot of people in your travels, be sure to follow your instincts and always remember to be safe. You learned this stuff in grade school so this should be common sense, lock up you valuables and don’t let strangers into your cabin!
This may sound simple enough but it happens…… make sure you tell a friend or family member that you are going on a cruise.
Lastly, drink in moderation! We don’t need to lose a reader because of stupidity.
I am going to open the platform up to discussion. I would love to hear your tips on cruising single.
