Cruises aren’t just for families and couples – they can be just as rewarding and relaxing for solo travellers.
A cruise holiday is a great option if travelling alone, providing opportunities to meet like-minded holidaymakers and see some of the world’s finest tourist destinations, while also being able to escape to your own private cabin.
Daily activities will keep you entertained onboard and organised excursions or solo trips let you see a magnificent range of towns and cities at your own pace.
The cruise planner may have solo-specific events, such as single passenger meet-ups, and you could also share a table with others at dinner to make new friends.
There is also the flexibility to escape to the buffet for a quieter meal by yourself and to enjoy the ship’s facilities at your leisure. Choose the right cruise and you’ll get all of this while avoiding the common ‘single surcharge’.
If you’ve got the itch to book, we’ve rounded up a selection of the best cruise lines for single passengers below.
Read more: The best adult-only cruise brands
Riviera Travel
Riviera Travel operates river cruises around the world, with destinations as far as Egypt and Vietnam.
But one of its main focuses is on European river cruises, with plenty of sailings on the Rhine, Rhone, Seine, Douro and Danube on offer. Packages include return flights, airport transfers and all meals onboard, with an extensive range of excursions and activities including guided tours and on-board folk music shows.
Riviera offers 13 different routes dedicated to solo travellers on iconic rivers in Europe and also Egypt.
Prices include all the same features as a standard booking – such as excursions, onboard meals and Wi-Fi – but with spacious single occupancy cabins and welcome dinners to help you meet people.
Solo bookings also include the ‘superior’ drinks package, which gives guests an extensive selection of alcoholic drinks available both at lunch and between 6pm and midnight. Its Rhine and Yuletide Markets cruise package is currently the most affordable, starting in Cologne and taking you to beautiful towns like Koblenz and Rudesheim.
Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages offers adult-only cruises packed with a huge range of activities, from morning yoga classes to evening cabaret and its famous Scarlet Night parties.
Single passengers are welcome and there are plenty of solo cabins across the Virgin Voyages fleet. Its inaugural ship, Scarlet Lady, has 46 – and itineraries include solo meet-ups, activities and excursions with opportunities to meet other single travellers.
Packages include food, drink and activities as standard.
There may be only four ships in the fleet, but there are lots of different destinations and themed cruises to choose from in picturesque locations in Europe, the Caribbean, parts of Southern Asia and Australia. For example, you can have a laugh while exploring Spain and France from Portsmouth during a comedy cruise aboard Scarlet Lady in August, which will be headlined by Jack Whitehall.
Read more: The best cruises from Southampton
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian was the first cruise company to build ships with cabins and lounge areas that were specifically for solo travellers, and there are now around 1,000 solo cabins across its ships.
Solo travellers can choose from Oceanview rooms, inside rooms, rooms with a balcony and even studios, and they will have access to the Solo Lounge – a private lounge only for guests travelling alone – where various events and happy hours are held.
Normal packages include food and onboard activities, though several bookings let you choose to add extras – from shore excursions to speciality meals or a free bar – for a small added fee. Norwegian sails across a wide range of destinations too, from the British Isles and the Mediterranean to Hawaii, Alaska and the Caribbean.
Read more: The best Norwegian fjords cruise holidays
Tauck
Tauck offers solo savings and no single supplement on European river cruises.
Travellers looking to see the continent ‘solo style’ can benefit from savings of up to £750, and will enjoy more stylish, contemporary ships with fewer guests for an overall more luxurious experience. Trips cover Europe’s main waterways, and prices include all food, drink, activities and shore tours. Choose the Heart of Danube package for an historical and scenic eight-day sailing from Bavaria to Budapest.
Ambassador Cruise Line
Ambassador departs from London Tilbury and other regional ports including Liverpool, Belfast, Dundee and Bristol, providing embarkation options for all types of passengers.
Both Ambience and Ambition have 89 dedicated cabins set aside for solo travellers, available “at a special single supplement against the equivalent twin fare based on selected single cabin categories”. The operator journeys to a range of destinations considering there are only two ships in its fleet, with voyages going as far as Singapore, Brazil and New Zealand.
Ambassador’s cruises contain an extensive programme of activities for solo passengers, including a ‘Welcome Get Together’ and guided tours together with other solo travellers. Other onboard entertainment ranges from West End-style shows to comedy nights, with plenty of opportunities to meet others. If cruising during winter, visit Norway to see wondrous fjords and (possibly) the aurora borealis, with the Land of the Northern Lights package.
Read more: The best Mediterranean cruise holidays
Oceania
Oceania has made considerable investment in providing options for solo travellers, with its newest ship, Vista, containing six 270-square-foot solo cabins that include balconies, premium lounge access and a welcome bottle of champagne. It has fitted its older ships with 14 ‘Solo Staterooms’, all offering magnificent sea views.
Oceania voyages make it easy to meet like-minded travellers with solo meet-and-greet events, large mixed dining tables, mixed shore excursions and single-traveller activities such as art classes. Destinations range from the Mediterranean and Scandinavia to South America and South Africa, as well as the tropics, meaning solo travellers have opportunities to see a large portion of the world alone.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean says it does not have “specific pricing for single occupancy” cabins but it has single cabins on some of their ships, including Brilliance of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas.
These cruises “can be reserved by someone cruising alone without the usual single supplement fee”, and they cover an extensive range of destinations, from Europe to the Caribbean and Singapore to Australia.
Passengers can reserve inside studio staterooms, virtual balcony staterooms and super studio ocean view stateroom with balconies, giving them between 101 and 199 square feet of space.
Everything else will be the same, meaning you can enjoy the same benefits and facilities, ranging from rock climbing walls to sky diving and surfing simulators, as every other guest without paying a premium.
Read more: Best Royal Caribbean cruises
