As cruise holidays have become increasingly popular, with the industry booming, so have the number of solo travellers opting to take to the seas alone. If you want to experience an ocean, river or expedition cruise but you're anxious about taking the leap on your own, don't worry!
Solo cruises are a fantastic way to not only see the world, but to meet other likeminded travellers. Some cruises are designated solo voyages, where everyone on board is in the same boat (if you pardon the pun!) and travelling alone. This allows guests to mingle and get to know each other.
Even if you're not on a specific solo sailing, most cruise lines will host cocktail evenings or arrange group dinners for guests on board who are travelling alone. So you needn't ever worry about eating alone if you don't want to.
If, however, you appreciate the opportunity to travel on your own without feeling the need to socialise every day, solo cruises are a brilliant way to discover extraordinary destinations and pamper yourself on a luxury, small-ship cruise holiday.
So whether you want to lie by the pool, take a hike up a vineyard, take an art class or learn about the antiquities in a museum tour and then have room service in front of a film that evening, the choice is totally yours on solo cruises. A solo cruise is one of the best ways to get a truly personalised holiday experience that is exactly what you want and exactly what you need.
If you have been considering taking a solo cruise for some time but can’t quite seem to take the plunge, at Panache Cruises we will be on hand to guide and advise you as to whether this is the right choice for you.
If you would like to see our top solo offers, join our Facebook group, where you can also meet like-minded single travellers and share tips, advice, and experiences. Click here to join: Panache Cruises Solo Sailors.
A solo cruise is simply for someone who is travelling by themselves. They are becoming an increasingly popular way of seeing the world. For the most part, you will find that the people on solo cruises will be mingling in and amongst the couples, families and groups who are also on board.
As solo cruising has grown in popularity lately, you will find more other solo travellers on your ship than ever before. On many of the types of cruises offered by Panache Cruises, you’ll find smaller ships with a more intimate and friendly atmosphere, this means that you are likely to meet friends who might be part of a group or a couple too
You will find a variety of people who are taking their own solo cruise. Some you will find are happily married, having left their spouse at home. Perhaps it’s been on the individual’s bucket list to take a solo holiday or solo cruise and they want to tick it off. Health problems might limit travel for one half of a couple or perhaps a cruise has only ever appealed to one of them. For some people, those who might be single by choice, divorced or even widowed, a holiday alone might be the only way you get to go away or see the world. So in that instance, a singles cruise can be perfect.
This will depend on what cruise line you choose and even what stateroom type you choose for your solo cruise. In the case on many river cruise ships, they actually offer cabins specifically designed for those on solo cruises and these will be a little smaller than a standard cabin for two. Steps are taken to try to ensure that guests don’t have to pay the full fare of two guests in order to secure a suite suitable for a solo cruise.
There are measures in place that can help you to avoid dining alone if you would rather eat in company so you need not let it put you off going on solo cruises. Many of the more luxury cruise lines allow for open seating across all the dining rooms so you will not be allocated to a set table to eat with the same guests every night. Instead, you can ask the maître d’ at the entrance to seat you with others who are open to it and who might also be travelling alone.
With a full range of activities available on board, from quizzes to cards, to lectures to gym classes, you can get as involved in these as you like. You will have the ability to join or share tables at dinner and with different events which introduce you to others, you’ll never feel lonely.
You can be safe in the knowledge that cruise holidays are quite simply some of the safest in the world. Being in such a confined space means that criminal activity is less likely as the culprit will still be on board the ship, making it much easier to be caught! When it comes to your time ashore, the excursions will be extremely well planned out and organised so that you are safe. Transport will be provided to and from the ship and in many cases, you’ll find they are fully guided
You can opt for one of the single occupancy staterooms on a river ship – there are a limited number available on several of the cruise ships so you pay purely for yourself. If you can’t secure one of these, you will have to go in a stateroom designed for two people and the cruise line could end up charging you more for this. Some of the cruise lines offer reduced single supplements to make the price more favourable to guests travelling alone.
‘No single supplements’, ‘zero solo supplements’ and similar phrases all mean that there are no additional charges for booking a double occupancy cabin as a solo traveller. Many cruise lines charge for double occupancy no matter how many people are in the cabin. Others add a percentage to the rate so you might pay 150% (1.5 people) for a double occupancy cabin. However, some cruise lines offer reduced or no single supplements to make the price more favourable to guests travelling alone.
This is of course possible and we will be happy to help with all the arrangements, however, it is not something we would recommend you do all the time. Usually, we recommend booking your cruise 6-12 months ahead of time (at least!) depending on the time of year, the cruise line and the itinerary. Just get in touch with our team as soon as you’re thinking of a solo cruise and we can help you find the perfect sailing.