Cruising for singles...

**Ally** · 12-10-2006, 01:02 PM

Who goes where

# Fred. Olsen ships are of a classic cruise ship size, smaller than those larger vessels designed for the mass market. There is a constant welcoming and personalised onboard mood where all passengers get to know each other and there is a friendly service that's always attentive but never obtrusive. The size of the ships make it perfect for making new friends among fellow guests.
Travelling alone on Black Prince offers excellent value in single cabins on Main and Lido Deck and a good selection of inside and outside cabins, designed specifically for single occupancy. Black Watch also offers single inside and outside cabins as well as deluxe cabins, tailor made for the solo traveller to cruise in comfort. Gentlemen hosts are available to ensure that single ladies are never too long without a dance partner. On Black Watch four hosts are available on each cruise, while on Black Prince there are two hosts on longer cruises and the Christmas / New Year cruise.

# Holland America Line welcomes single travellers with a 'Tradition of Excellence' that includes a special cocktail party that enables guests travelling alone to meet up. Lady or gent share accommodation is available to keep the costs of solo cruising down. On longer voyages, such as the Panama Canal and Hawaii cruises (12 days+), social hosts keep single guests laughing and dancing.

# Norwegian Coastal Voyage is the ideal alternative cruise for the single traveller. Sailing along an ever-changing coastline, your journey is provided by one of the world's most stunning coastlines. The coastal voyage is an informal cruise on very modern or traditional working vessels in an atmosphere perfect for meeting fellow passengers from around the world. Norwegian Coastal Voyages also have special single departures with no supplements.

# Orient Lines is a very 'singles friendly' company. Long cruises of the Marco Polo and Crown Odyssey feature a trio of gentleman hosts for dancing, cocktail parties and bridge and to provide friendly companionship for ladies travelling on their own. On each cruise there is also an introductory cocktail party for solo travellers. The line operates a 'lady share' or 'gentleman share' scheme, to enable single travellers to share a twin cabin with a person of the same sex. A limited number of single cabins is available at no supplement, while supplements for sole use of a twin cabin start from only 10 per cent. On long-haul cruises, the supplement does not usually exceed 25 per cent. Singles can also benefit from late sales offers.

# Page & Moy have dedicated single cabins, although numbers are limited and often get booked up well in advance. They also offer to match people up with other singles of the same sex to share a cabin and thus save costs. Individuals sailing alone should contact Page & Moy before sailing, as the number of cabins available for single occupancy may occasionally be increased.

# P&O Cruises carries a high percentage of single passengers on all its ships: Arcadia, Aurora, Oriana and Oceana. Singles can enjoy the wide range of activities and entertainment available to all passengers. In addition, there are optional dedicated gatherings for those travelling on their own. If passengers wish to attend the Captain's Gala Cocktails in a group, there are often organised get-togethers arranged beforehand. All ships have numerous cabins for single passengers while Aurora and Oriana have the extra advantage of double-bedded cabins.

# Princess Cruises: Those travelling on their own on any of the nine Princess Cruises ships will be able to enjoy a wide choice of activities and entertainment on cruises ranging from the Caribbean and Alaska to the Mediterranean and world-wide. These range from scuba diving lessons, wine tastings and aerobics classes to spectacular shows and cabarets, fashion shows and golf putting competitions. 'Grand Class' cruising with Princess means freedom of choice for passengers to create their own cruise experience.

# Silversea Cruises has a limited number of suites available for purchase on a single occupancy. The single supplement ranges from 10 per cent to 100 per cent of the per person fare depending on the cruise and accommodation type selected. While on board single travellers are invited to a special cocktail party to meet new friends.

# Sta Cruises vessels have a daily programme full of activities that the single traveller can join in with just as much as if they were travelling with others. Once onboard the friendly atmosphere ensures it is not long before you have new friends to share your trip. Free & easy dining means you have the choice of being seated alone or staff will introduce you to a couple or group of dining companions who are always willing to share their experiences of the day.

# Swan Hellenic: Single passengers travelling on Minerva II will find themselves able to take advantage of the many opportunities open to those cruising alone. The 'no fixed seating' policy in the dining room gives people the chance to meet new companions at each meal. Single cruisers are also invited to their own cocktail party during the cruise. The increase in one-week cruises is encouraging more and more single travellers to sample Swan Hellenic.

**Ally** · 12-10-2006, 01:04 PM

The reasons why

Cruise ships are an excellent choice for people travelling alone. On a cruise, you take your hotel - and all its facilities - with you as you go.

So you can enjoy a pleasant meal, take in a show, have a night-cap in a quiet piano bar or even dance the night away in a night-club without the worry of how to get back to base afterwards.

And because a cruise ship is to an extent an enclosed society, it will offer a sense of community and friendliness often lacking in shoreside resorts.
By day, you'll find plenty of activities to participate in, from pool parties, beauty demonstrations and fashion parades to lectures, arts and crafts classes, cookery lessons and keep-fit sessions.

So discovering new hobbies, learning new skills and making new friends really couldn't be easier.

Port adventure

When you go ashore, you have the security of knowing that the ship's crew keep tabs on who's aboard and who isn't - so people will be aware
if anything goes wrong and you don't get back to the ship. And since all ships offer an extensive programme of organised excursions ashore, single travellers can go exploring in good company.

Younger solos will also find plenty of active options on shore tours. The days when a shore excursion simply meant a coach tour around the main sights are long gone. Coach-based tours still exist for those who enjoy them - and they're often a perfect way to see the great cities and sights of the Mediterranean.

They have also been developed to include extra elements like al fresco lunches in smart restaurants, walking tours of outstanding areas and beach stops, so passengers can enjoy a really good day out.

But there are also plenty of other options for fun ashore; on a Caribbean cruise, for example, passengers can take a catamaran trip and go snorkelling, or dive beneath the waves in a submarine, while in Alaska they can try their hand at kayaking, white water rafting or mountain biking.

Trying something new ashore not only creates bonds between passengers, it also provides plenty to talk about back at the ship when they meet for dinner - and on cruise ships, single travellers never have to dine alone.

Sociable dining

Though modern ships have a fair proportion of tables for two and often a range of dining options - from intimate bistros to Chinese, Italian and Mexican restaurants - the majority of ship dining rooms still seat most guests in groups of four, six or eight.

Again, this makes them a good choice for single travellers, who can rest assured they won't be shoved away in a corner with nothing but a book for company.

On some ships, dinner tables are hosted by senior officers adept at chatting and putting others at their ease. But even without an officer to jolly things along, many cruise passengers have established firm friendships with people they first met around a ship's dining table - and lines do make an effort to match up passengers with others of a similar age and background.

But the joy of the latest generation of big, modern cruise ships is that they leave solo travellers free to be as sociable or as quiet as they wish. Though there will be a regular place at table in the ship's formal dining room for every passenger, guests are always free to take advantage of more casual dining outlets with new-found friends, or even to eat in splendid isolation in their cabin if they fancy a bit of peace and a 'night in' with a good film on TV.

You set the pace

The same goes for social activities. Most ships will organise special singles get-togethers early on in a cruise for solo travellers who'd like to get to know each other. Others - mindful of the fact that women tend to live longer than men and therefore outnumber men on many cruises - employ special hosts to socialise with older ladies travelling alone. Lines with hosts on board include Cunard Line, Crystal Cruises, Holland America Line and Orient Lines.

These hosts are carefully screened to ensure they are of impeccable character, and they play a useful role in helping single ladies make the most of their cruise by enjoying a dance, a conversation or a game of cards.
Such initiatives aim to ensure that solo travellers are not left feeling isolated or left out. But at every stage of a cruise, the extent to which they participate is left entirely up to them.

**Ally** · 12-10-2006, 01:05 PM

A question of cost

One bone of contention for all single travellers - whether they are taking a cruise or staying in a hotel - is that most prices are based on two people sharing a room, so solos must pay extra to get a room to themselves.

Some cruise ships have dedicated single cabins (but these tend to fill quickly, so get in early if you want one). Others charge a supplement - usually one and a half times the per person sharing a twin cabin rate - for single occupancy of a double cabin because the cabin must be cleaned and serviced as much for one person as it would be for two.

If this makes the cost a little steep for your budget, you could enquire whether your chosen cruise line can match you up with another single of the same sex so that you can save costs by sharing a cabin.

Many lines do this, and a potential benefit is that if a 'cabin mate' has not been found by time of sailing, you may get the cabin to yourself (but be aware this is never guaranteed). Another option is to keep an eye out for special offers - sometimes single supplements are reduced depending on availability.

**Ally** · 03-09-2008, 11:38 AM

Quote:

A nice thing about cruises is you needn't worry about dining alone, since you'll be seated with other guests (if you don't want to be, seek a ship with alternative dining options). You also needn't worry much about finding people to talk to, since the general atmosphere on nearly all ships is very congenial and allows you to easily find conversation, especially during group activities. And the ship may even host a party to give singles a chance to get to know one another and/or offer social hosts as dance partners.

The downside is that you may have to pay more for the cruise experience than those sharing a room. Since cruise line rates are based on two people per cabin, some lines charge a "single supplement" rate (which sounds like a deal, but it's you who pays the supplement) that ranges from 110% to an outrageous 200% of the per-person, double-occupancy fare. As a single person, you have two choices: find a line with a reasonable single supplement rate or ask if the line has a cabin-share program, under which the line will pair you with another single so you can get a lower fare. You may not be able to get much information about your roommate before the sailing, although all lines match gender and most also try to match age. Some lines also offer a single guarantee program, which means if they can't find you a roommate, they'll book you in a cabin alone but still honor the shared rate. On some older ships (including the QE2 and Caronia) and a few small ships, there are special cabins designated for single travelers, and in some cases they carry no additional charge. But keep in mind that these cabins, originally designed on the older ships for nannies or maids accompanying passengers, are really really small, and that they tend to sell out fast.

To increase your chances of meeting other singles, book a cruise through a travel company that specializes in bringing singles together. These companies include Cruiseman (tel. 800/805-0053; Cruises to the Caribbean, Alaska, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Europe, and Alaska) and Discount Travel Club (tel. 800/393-5000; www.singlecruise.com). Such firms coordinate groups of as few as 30 or as many as 300 singles on specific sailings, and typically have a tour coordinator on board to organize mixers and make sure people get a chance to meet. Singles in these groups tend to be in their 30s to 50s (of course, some may be younger or older).

Matching the Cruise to Your Needs