Solo Cruise Tips: I’ve Done 87 Solo Cruises, And Here’s What No-One Else Is Warning You About

Recently I have started to wonder if solo cruising is under threat because lines seem to be discouraging it and are making it harder to find affordable options than ever before.

At the time of making this, I’ve done 87 solo cruises, and here is what I am seeing changing around solo cruising, the challenges we face, and the solutions I have found.

The first obstacle that solo cruisers are facing is many lines have become less solo friendly.

Solo Cruise Tips: Becoming Less Solo Friendly

Cruise lines are now focused on getting more families to cruise. The attraction being with up to four people in a cabin they make much more money on all the upsells and on-board charges.

Onboard spend has rocketed in recent years with people buying more packages, more add-ons, more upcharge items, Wi-Fi, drinks, spa, events, casino, cooking classes, excursions, and so on.

Here’s some evidence on how lines are becoming less solo friendly.

Norwegian, which has been the leading line for solos with fleet wide solo studios and solo lounge, announced at the end of 2025 they are going to minimise the number of single cabins and focus on families more.

The leading cruise line in the world based on passengers carried is Carnival. They have no solo cabins with no plans to have any on new builds.

The next biggest player is Royal Caribbean, which does have some solo cabins on mostly Quantum-class ships, but on their newest ships like Icon and Star of the Seas and the sister ships coming, they have no solo cabins.

Even MSC, which is the other large mainstream resort cruise line, has limited solo cabins on its latest class like World Europa and World America to just 28 solo cabins. That’s just 1% of cabins.

Among premium lines, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, and Cunard, few have many solo cabins. While luxury and ultra-luxury lines like Viking, Silversea, Seabourn, and Regent Seven Seas also have no solo cabins, and none in their new builds either.

So, we’re not seeing more solo cabins as new ships are built. And, when it comes to fares, things are not looking good either.

It appears that lines increasingly have quotas to limit the number of solos on any sailing.

Let me give you some examples.

On Celebrity, if I search for a cruise for two people and then change the search to one person, I often get a result with fewer or even no cabins after changing to one person. Change it back to 2 people and they reappear.

Just as bad, if it does show cabins the price quoted for one person is sometimes higher than the price for two people.

Some lines are very transparent on the solo quota too.

I was looking to book a Ponant Antarctica expedition cruise, and they said they only had a certain number of cabins they would have available for solo travellers to book on any sailing.

I will talk later about how I work around this obstacle and how I get better fares as a solo, but first I think there is a more important thing solo travellers should ask before that.

Solo Cruise Tips: Finding Right Experience

The first thing solos ask me is how to get the lowest price as a solo. However, I think they should be thinking first about what experience they you want and what lines and ships offer that and then now to get the best deal for that.

If you go on the wrong line as a solo (or even as a couple), no matter the price, you won’t have a great time.

After deciding where I want to go, I focus first on which is the right line there for me matching what I like and want.

That’s why I often focus on smaller ships because I found as a solo traveller, it’s easier to connect and meet people on them. Just like it is in a small town versus a large city. I am less in need of big evening entertainment, lots of bars, and like more enrichment than packed high energy activities.

As an extreme, one of my best solo experiences was on a barge cruise I did in France with just 15 people.

But when I’m on larger ships in the mainstream and premium space, I keep seeing another obstacle solos encounter. The program or lack of good one for solos – and have solutions on how to overcome that.

Solo Cruise Tips: Lack Of Solo Programs

Most lines don’t have much, nor are changing or improving solo programs.

Probably the best is Norwegian Cruise Line with the keycard access controlled solo studios and lounge area. There are meetups, and ways to connect with fellow solos.

Ultra-luxury lines like Silversea, Regent and Crystal have social hostess / host who hosts daily drinks and dinner table for solos. For example, on my recent Regent Seven Seas Splendor cruise from New York to the Caribbean, there were daily hosted meet ups and dining, which included specialty restaurants.

But on mainstream resort and premium lines, it’s usually an un-hosted solo meetup on the program. Solos are left up to our own devices to meet, make plans, and arrange activities together.

I see some other challenges with the solo set up this way. There are people who confuse solo with singles, and think solo meetups are about laying the ground for hookups.

Sometimes through solo meet ups someone desperate to not be alone can latch onto you, and for the rest of the cruise, having to try shake them off and avoiding doing everything with them becomes challenging.

Another issue with these solo meetups, and dinners, is there often are different ages, likes, and interests. It can be an incompatible mix. For example, a follower of the channel was on Virgin Voyages and was a different age and from a different country to the other solos. So, at the arranged tables, there was little to connect them, and she was largely ignored by them.

A mistake many solos make is working on the assumption there will be a solo program, and it will be a positive. Being solo, may be the only similarity and all have different interests – and why would you connect on a cruise when wouldn’t anytime else?

I usually don’t go to solo meet ups and connect and have a good time by following another route.

Before going on a cruise, I join the Cruise Critic Roll Calls or the Facebook groups for it. I find and start making connections with people who have similar interests on there. So, once you board, I’ve already got people to meet.

I sign up for the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet that many cruise lines host where people who’ve been chatting in the Cruise Critic group meet up.

I also go to other real-life meetings on board, where I will connect cruisers with the same interests.

For example, if you’re a gay, you’ve got the LGBT meetings, you’ve got the friends of Bill W. if in recovery. But often lines run meetups for veterans, crafters, knitters, service clubs, and will add any if you ask.

Also, I attend activities like trivia and deck and sports games. I found whenever I go to a trivia or those events, people are always looking for people to add and join their team.

I’ve also found going on activity driven excursions is good for connecting. For example, I like snorkelling and cycling excursions and find usually the same people will go on those in every port too. You end up talking to people, whether on the catamaran going to the snorkelling area, or when you’re stopping on the bike.

Then go for Anytime Dining option and ask to share a table. You get to dine with different people each night, so meet a range of people some of which you will click and end up doing other activities with.

These have more value than relying on the solo program in my experience, which is more hit and miss.

I don’t mind being alone on solo cruises, but what if you are nervous or worry about feeling alone and this sounds too much taking things for chance? I have a more guaranteed solution.

Solo Cruise Tips: Feeling Alone

The best option is group or hosted cruising.

For example, I have hosted some of my own Tips For Travellers Group Cruises.

The recent one I hosted was a Panama Group Cruise. I had 20 solo travellers on that, not only did they have guaranteed events, meet ups and like-minded people to engage with, go on tours with and so on, but I had solo events arranged too. Several other YouTube channels host cruises too like Paul & Carole Love To Travel and JJ Cruises.

Some travel agents also host cruises. For example, Walter Biscardi of Where’s Walter Travel that I recommend as a great agent in the USA, through to large travel agent groups like VacationsToGo.com who even host many cruises for solos.

But of course, bearing all of this in mind, the biggest obstacle is find finding a way to cruise solo in the most affordable way, and avoid having to pay the same as two people if possible.

Solo Cruise Tips: Paying The Same As For Two

Here are the techniques I successfully use these days, as well as one which I don’t use because it’s not right for me. But may work for you.

Book Early

First, book extremely early when cruises come on sale. That is the only way you can get one of the limited solo cabins, and at the best price. To keep up to date with what ships have solo cabins, I can recommend the list on CruiseFever.com

Repositioning Cruises

Something I use a lot are repositioning cruises as they are often half the price per night of the line’s usual price. So, I effectively have wiped out the solo surcharge.

Repositioning cruises are when ships are moved between the different regions at the beginning and end of each season.

So, for example, they’re moved to and from the Caribbean to Europe and Alaska at the beginning and end of the Caribbean season, between Japan and Alaska, or to and from Australia via French Polynesia and Hawaii to Alaska.

They happen twice a year, usually April/ May and October / November.

If you like sea days, these are one of the best ways to cruise more affordably as a solo.

Solo Sailings

The third thing I do is keep an eye on cruise lines that regularly offer some sailings with low or no solo supplement. These tend to be in the “shoulder” months at the start and end of a season when demand is lower overall.

These tend to be the ultra-luxury lines. Most have a section on their website listing these and include Seabourn, Silversea, Ponant, Regent, Ponant, and Regent.

River Cruising

Several river cruise lines also have low or no solo supplement sailings at start and end of the European summer, including Avalon and AmaWaterways, while Tauck has no solo supplements on their lower-level cabins across the season and Riviera is running a solo only ship (MS George Eliot).

Flash Sales

I find a good way to find more ad-hoc solo deals is by following cruise lines on Instagram and Facebook, as there is where they often run flash sales and solo discount offers.

For example, as I was making this, Celebrity was running a 60% off second passenger and Virgin Voyages an 80% off second passenger flash sale on Instagram and Facebook. This slashes the effective solo supplement to 30% and 20% by using these deals.

I have used these in the past by stepping in when they ran to book a Celebrity Cruises New York via Canada to Iceland cruise I had on my wish list, and a Virgin Brilliant Lady Caribbean.

I also spotted a solo deal on Crystal I was able to tap into in the past this way too.

Solo Travel Agents

Although I have not used them, I know others who have, and these are solo cruise travel agents and sites.

The biggest is VacationsToGo.com, who have a solo cruise section with an up-to-date list of the latest offers with low or no solo supplement, and also their own hosted solo cruises. You can also sign up for their solo newsletter, which sends latest deals and hosted cruises.

Watch out with their hosted solo cruises as in most cases to get the best price, you will need to share a cabin. They will find a cabin mate of roughly the same age and same sex. If they don’t find one, then you only pay for one person.

Other agencies include SoloHolidays.com, which serve the over 50s, and a UK company called Passion For Cruises, which also offer solo deals and hosted cruises too.

Shared Cabins

The next one doesn’t work for me, but could work for you, which is by having a cabin mate.

There are several sites that are very active where you can seek and find one.

One is called My Cabin Mate, this is an App which is free to use. And there’s Cabin Mate Finder.

Also, you could as solo traveller share a cabin with friends or family, and take advantage of the lower third person charge and share the cost between three of you, as it will then be less per person for everyone.

If you do that, I recommend trying to get a cabin that has a curtain between the bed and sofa bed area to give a bit of more privacy

 

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