Cruise prices are geared toward couples. Yet about one in four cruise passengers travels alone or as a single parent. How do they fare?
Cruising, in general, is designed for couples. Many solo passengers feel that cruising penalizes them, because most lines charge them a solo-occupancy supplement. The reason is that the most precious commodity aboard any ship is space. Since a solo-occupancy cabin is often as large as a double and is just as expensive to build, cruise lines feel the premium price is justified. What’s more, because solo-occupancy cabins are at a premium, they are less likely to be discounted.
Solo supplements
If you are not sharing a cabin, you’ll be asked to pay either a flat rate or a solo ‘supplement’ to occupy a double-occupancy cabin by yourself. Some lines charge a fixed amount – $250, for instance – as a supplement, regardless of the cabin category, ship, itinerary, or length of cruise. Such rates vary between lines, and sometimes between a particular line’s ships. Since there are so few solo-occupancy cabins, it’s best to book as far ahead as you can. One notable exception is Norwegian Cruise Line, whose Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Escape, and Norwegian Getaway all have a special section with Studio cabins. These are small, but excellent, for solo cruisers.
Some cruise lines charge low solo supplements on selected voyages. Saga Cruises has no additional supplements for solo travelers on any cruise, but it offers special fares. Look out for sneaky cruise lines that may try to charge you twice for port charges and government taxes by including that non-existent second person in the cabin you occupy as a solo traveler – check your cruise fare invoice carefully.
Cunard provides dance hosts.
Cunard
Guaranteed solo traveler rates
Some lines offer solo travelers a set price for a double cabin but reserve the right to choose the cabin. This means that you could end up with a rotten cabin in a poor location or a wonderful cabin that happened to be unallocated.
Guaranteed share programs
These allow you to pay what it would cost each half of a couple for a double-occupancy cabin, but the cruise line will find another passenger of the same gender (and with preferences such as smoking or non-smoking) to share it with you. If the line doesn’t find a cabin-mate, the solo traveler may have the cabin to themselves at no extra charge. Some cruise lines don’t advertise a guaranteed share program in their brochures but they will often try to accommodate such bookings at times when demand for space is comparatively light.
Solo dining
A common irritation concerns dining arrangements. Before you take your cruise, make sure that you request a table assignment based on your personal preferences; table sizes are typically for two, four, six, or eight. Do you want to sit with other solo travelers? Or do you like to sit with couples? Or is a mixture of both ok? And are you happy to sit with passengers who might not speak your language?
When you are on board, make sure that you are comfortable with the dining arrangements, particularly in ships with fixed table assignments, or ask the maître d’ to move you to a different table. Aboard ships with open seating or with several different dining venues, you can choose which venue you want to eat in, and when; Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is an example of this arrangement, with its Freestyle Dining, as is Star Cruises.
Cruising for women traveling solo
A cruise ship is as safe for women as any major vacation destination. It may not, of course, be entirely hassle-free, but it should not be a ‘meat market’ that keeps you under constant observation.
If you enjoy meeting other solo travelers, the easiest way is to participate in scheduled activities. However, beware of embarking on an affair with a ship’s officer or crew member, as you may not be the only one to have done so.
Gentlemen cruise hosts
The female-to-male passenger ratio is typically high, especially among older people, so some cruise lines provide male social hosts. They may host a table in the dining room, appear as dance partners at cocktail parties and dance classes, join bridge games, and accompany women on shore excursions.
These men, usually over 55 and retired, are outgoing, mingle easily, and are well groomed. First introduced aboard Cunard’s QE2 in the mid-1970s, gentlemen hosts are now employed by a number of cruise lines, examples include Crystal Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea Cruises, and Voyages to Antiquity.
If you think you’d like such a job, do remember that you’ll have to dance for several hours most nights, and be proficient in just about every kind of dance.
Options for LGBT travelers
Several US companies specialize in ship charters or large group bookings for gay and lesbian passengers. These include the California-based Atlantis (www.atlantisevents.com), San Francisco’s lesbian specialist Olivia (www.olivia.com), or New York’s Pied Piper Travel (www.piedpipertravel.com).
One drawback of LGBT charters is that they’re as much as 20 percent more expensive than the equivalent general cruise. Another is that they have been greeted with hostility by church groups on some Caribbean islands such as Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Bermuda. One Atlantis cruise was even denied the right to dock. But their great advantage is that they provide an accepting environment and gay-oriented entertainment, with some big-name comedians and singers.
Another idea is to join a gay affinity group on a regular cruise at normal prices; these groups may be offered amenities such as private dining rooms and separate shore excursions.
If you are concerned that on a mainstream cruise you might be seated for dinner with unsympathetic companions, opt for a cruise line offering ‘open-choice seating’ (where you sit where you want, when you want at dinner, and you can change time you dine), for example Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International (request this option when you book). That doesn’t mean that any of the major cruise companies are not gay-friendly – many hold regular ‘Friends of Dorothy’ gatherings, sometimes scheduled and sometimes on request – though it would be prudent to realize that Disney Cruise Line, for example, will not really offer the ideal entertainment and ambience. Among the smaller companies, Windstar’s sail-powered cruise yachts have a reputation for being gay-friendly.
Gay families are catered to by R Family Vacations (www.rfamilyvacations.com), although it’s not essential to bring children. Events may include seminars on adoption and discussion groups for teenagers in gay families.
Transgender passengers may encounter some problems, such as the passport name being of one gender, while appearance and dress reflect another. Ships sometimes encounter problems in some ports when passenger ID cards do not match the gender on the ship’s manifest.
A DJ keeps youthful late-night clubbers dancing.
MSC Cruises