I have just spent a week onboard Princess Cruises Sky Princess, and although I went on the trip with some other travel content creators, we did have a lot of time to ourselves and I ended up spending a fair amount of time alone on the cruise.
I have travelled solo around the world in many different countries, I love being by myself and I love solo travel but until I was sat having breakfast on my own I had never thought about going on a cruise alone before, and I realised that it really isn’t a bad idea!
Most of us have a cruise on our bucket list whether it’s to travel the Caribbean, Europe or the Norwegian Fjords, but just like many other bucket list items, it’s usually one that we wait to do until we have someone to do it with.
I’m a big fan of not waiting, and doing things by yourself instead because often waiting for someone else means you’ll never get around to it! That’s how my travels started 11 years ago anyway!
So in this cruise travel blog, I’m going to talk about the positives and negatives to cruising as a single, who a solo cruise is good for and might not be good for, and the best cruises for singles.
Related Post: 5 BIG Reasons To Cruise With Princess Cruises from Southampton!
Going On A Cruise Alone
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Is Cruising Alone Good?
Safety
If you want to travel but don’t have people to travel with, and you don’t fancy travelling totally solo, maybe because of fear of danger or fear of loneliness, a cruise is a safe way to travel.
Everything is controlled on a cruise and there is a high level of security, this makes female solo travel on a cruise, especially, very comforting.
Meeting other people
Although you will board the cruise alone and may spend time eating meals alone and being alone, you will have thousands of people around you.
I found that the passengers on board cruises are very friendly and striking up a conversation with other passengers should be very easy and possible, this means you might even leave the cruise with friends.
I also found the staff onboard Princess Cruises incredibly friendly too and I can guarantee that they would cheer you up and give you some comforting vibes if need it.
Cruising for single people
If you do want to meet other people, you can look out for solo events. Onboard the Sky Princess, Princess Cruises arranged a solo and singles meet-up on the first night so this would be a great way to meet other solo cruisers.
Group Excursions & Things to do
The nature of a cruise is to see amazing places around the world and a cruise is usually split between some days at sea on the ship and some days off the ship.
Excursions are always arranged for off-ship days so if you don’t want to be solo when your get off the ship, you can join a group excursion, adding even more of a level of safety and comfort to your travels.
Talking of activities, there are not only activities off the ship. Each day with Princess Cruises I got given a daily activity sheet with things like Fitness Seminar’s, Zumba, Movies, Live Music, Masterclasses, Art Auctions, Quizzes and so many other things that were going on on the ship and going to most of these solo is totally ok.
I’m sure that even people who get on the cruise with a friend or partner might still go to one of these activities on their own too.
Paying for Additional High Quality Services
If you are planning a solo cruise, I’d recommend looking into all options onboard the ship. For example, on my recent cruise, the main pool area was always very busy and being here alone wasn’t that appealing or nice.
However, the Sky Princess offers a place called The Sanctuary with sun loungers, a hot tub and really good service. It costs extra whereas the main pool doesn’t but sitting here alone felt completely fine and comfortable.
Who Solo Cruising Good for?
I would say that a cruise alone is good for someone who is already comfortable being on their own. Someone who has eaten meals alone, drank a coffee alone in a cafe and is already comfortable looking around and being the only one sat at a table for 1.
I say this because there will be couples and groups of friends and families around you and this is by no means scary or intimidating but I know some people have never even been for a coffee alone so going into this environment alone if that’s the case, might be intimidating.
As mentioned, there are ways to meet other people onboard but if you’re like me, sometimes you’re happy to do a full trip totally alone.
A solo cruise is good if you want to meet people onboard and be sociable with new people, but also good if you want to keep yourself completely alone.
Negatives to Going on a Cruise Alone
Cruise Single Supplement
Being able to split the cost of a cabin is definitely a positive to going on a cruise with someone else, you might end up paying nearly the cost for 2 people by opting for single cabin on a cruise.
Looking for cruises for single people is definitely a good idea to help this which I detail below.
FOMO
There will probably be activities and events even the most confident solo traveller would rather miss out on so you may have a feeling of missing out when it comes to a few things and I would be prepared to feel this way, however there is still plenty you can do.
For example, when I’m solo I know I tend to be a day-activity person and head to bed or back to my room come evening.
Best Cruises for Singles
Some people might go on a cruise alone because they want to spend time alone, others might go to meet other people as cruises are a great way to meet others.
Here are some brilliant articles on the best cruises for singles and why:
Top 10 Cruise Lines for Solo Cruisers
Best Cruises for Singles of All Ages
7 Best Luxury & Premium Cruise Lines for Singles
David Smith
Sunday 17th of March 2024
Thanks for this great post. I’ve been thinking about taking a solo cruise but have a number of fears you mention in your article. Unfortunately, I lost my wife to cancer last year. I prefer to be on my own for meals. I went on a group holiday with my wife to Japan many years ago and remember the organisers enforcing a ‘eating together’ rule. I’d prefer to decide when I want to talk to people or be left alone. Thanks again. David.
TheWanderingQuinn
Monday 18th of March 2024
Glad you found the article helpful. I recently went on another cruise in January in the Caribbean and noticed many solo travellers so it is a common thing to do and as you say, on cruises you can eat on your own when you want and where you want unlike joining a group trip where everyone has to eat together so I would suggest it. Regards,