11/02/2012
Single Cruising
Cruises just aren't that way in the vast number of cases. Ships are mostly populated with couples and families traveling together -- and a romantic connection with a stranger is the last thing on their minds. A situation that is hardly ideal for a single person looking for even a casual conversation, let alone a love connection. But even though the romantic trysts served up on the "Love Boat" were totally fictional, that doesn't mean single people cannot find Love Boat-style cruises if they know where to look.
Because cruises are targeted at couples and families, with only a few exceptions all passenger cabins come with one bed for two people and are only sold as "double occupancy" -- meaning the standard cruise fare is charged to both of two persons sharing a room. That bed can be separated into two single beds, but unlike hotel rooms, if you want to occupy that room alone you have to pay for both beds. The surcharge is called a "single's supplement" that is typically stated as 200%. So if a double occupancy stateroom is selling for $500 per person, your price is 200% of that, or $1,000.
But there are alternatives. Two cruise lines, Holland America and Princess, now have roommate matching services although the best these do is fill the empty bed. Some cruise lines will occasionally offer sale prices for solo cruisers, with a lower single's supplement of 125%, 150% or 175% - mostly luxury cruise lines. On those cruises, it is common for widowed ladies to sail alone, but the cruise line will often provide "gentlemen hosts" to dance and dine with them.
For the people truly seeking the "Love Boat" experience there are "singles cruise" operators who specialize in filling large numbers of cabins on specific sailings with single people. These singles cruise travel agents will help you find a compatible same s*x roommate, then during the cruise they organize events where you can meet the other singles in your group. They may have cocktail parties, speed dating, and/or dining experiences just for your group.
Norwegian Cruise Line's largest cruise ship, Norwegian Epic, was the first vessel designed with a dedicated section solely for solo cruisers. The ship has 128 "studio staterooms," all aligned on a corridor leading to a shared "living room" where you can congregate with other singles for free coffee and snacks, big screen TVs and the all-important blackboard to list all the scheduled events for singles during the cruise.
The staterooms are built for one with a double bed in a mere 100 square feet, but they are very utile, cozy, comfortable, and downright romantic. They come with mood lighting and shower glass designed to cover just the "naughty bits." These staterooms were a revolutionary step for solo cruising and I recommend them highly, although they are not as cheap as sharing a regular stateroom. The line's new ship Norwegian Breakaway, scheduled for an April 2013 debut, also contains 59 studio staterooms.
You should also know that not everyone will be on there to "hook up." Some people just want a studio or shared stateroom to save money.But most solo cruisers will be well-educated, employed, independent and energetic. You will meet quality people, but do not let your guard down and become too gullible; never lend money, for example. Still, cruises are great vacations for solos for many reasons - especially that everyone is on for the full trip, so you have some time to get something real started. It is even true that many couples have met on cruise ships and ended up married. Not many other vacation options for
