Five Tips For Making The Most Of A Solo Cruise

Britannia single stateroom rendering from the Queen Mary 2.

1. Look for solo-friendly sailings
While solo-travelers can fit in on any sailing, many cruise lines—notably Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian—have single-centered sailings scheduled in the next 12 months. And Uniworld, Avalon, Cunard, Tauck and AmaWaterways have all designed ships with solo cabins and/or decided towaive the single supplement fee in the past year. Cunard has perhaps gone the farthest. During its revamp of the iconic Queen Mary 2, 15 solo cabins were added to the ocean liner.

2. Use roommate matching
Solo cruisers on Holland America and Princess, along with river lines Vantage and Grand Circle Cruises, can volunteer for the roommate-matching service that pairs passengers of the same sex with others. The best part? If no partner can be found, you’ll still only be paying the agreed-upon price. 
If a cruise line doesn’t provide roommate matching, cruisers can look to do it themselves though online communities like CruiseMates, VacationsToGo, Singles Travel International, SinglesCruise.com and It’s The Ship. 

3. Attend or arrange pre-cruise meet-and-greets
While some lines offer a pre-departure meet-and-greet for single guests, that’s not usually the case. If not, arrange it yourself with the cruise line’s help. Ask if it will coordinate a cocktail hour at a venue near the port on the day of, or before, a sailing. For a small per person fee, you could kick off your cruise with a party on the beach with future shipmates. 

4. Get active on social media before departure
Most cruise lines have an active presence across social media that can help solo cruisers engage with shipmates. Check out the events tab on cruise line’s Facebook pages or write a message on the Facebook page wall inviting interaction with people scheduled to sail with them.  
Searching social media for keywords like a ship’s name or cruise company or date of sailing and departure port can also reveal people who posted messages about future cruise dates.  

5. Attend events early on
Attend any events targeted for solo travelers—especially those on the first couple of While it’s fun to be alone sometimes, a familiar face at meal times, drink hours or shore excursions can enhance a cruise. Sharing a table during breakfast and a little small talk can make you a friend, and make your  trip even more pleasant. 

(Thanks to SinglesCruises.com for their insights and feedback for this article.)