You don't need a partner or group of friends to enjoy a cruise. Cruise lines have added solo studio cabins, solo traveler meetups on their itineraries and so many activities to enjoy onboard and off-board. Take a solo cruise and I know it will be a vacation you will love!
I traveled solo on the Norwegian Epic sailing from Barcelona, Spain. With a port stop everyday this 7-day sailing went by so fast! I met so many people on the ship, in the studio lounge and during my excursions that I truly never felt alone.
“Travel is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. It allows you to just be yourself as you find yourself and what can be better than that!”
You can make your own schedule. You can spend the entire day at the pool. You can get up anytime you want. You can dine at any dining venue you get a craving for. Now that's what I call a vacation!
Which cruise line should you choose?
Let me share my recent solo cruises and you can decide which one would be right for you. I will start with my Europe cruise on the Norwegian Epic. Norwegian cruise lines offers solo cabins in a separate, private area of the ship only accessible to guests who are staying in the cabins. Along with the beautiful solo cabins (that are all interior rooms), you also get access to the lounge area that has complimentary coffee and pastries all day. There is also a bar in the lounge that is open during evening hours. This is a great space to meet other solo cruisers and Norwegian makes it easy by including a Solo Guests Meet-Up on the daily itinerary planner each evening so solo guests can meet up and coordinate to have dinner, go to shows, or the casino together or just to say hi. A cruise with many port stops gives you the opportunity to go out and explore either on your own or with others on excursions which truly made the time go by fast and made my trip so much more memorable.
An Alaska cruise is also a great itinerary for a solo cruiser. I enjoyed the Princess Discovery sailing out of Seattle on a 7-day Alaska voyage and it was quite amazing! It was my second sailing to Alaska but this time I decided to hike and walk around rather than do the all day excursions that I had done previously with my family. This trip was more of a relaxing and take it all in trip and there is no better place to do that than in Alaska. The ship was quite amazing and I enjoyed my time in my room and in the spa while onboard. I made it to the gym everyday and ordered room service a day or two. It was what I needed both onboard and offboard the ship and highly recommend it for anyone seeking a vacation to relax and explore.
Sometimes you just want to have some fun and be a kid. Well, I decided a solo cruise on the Disney Dream would give me just that, and I have to tell you that I was 100% right on that. It was my fourth Disney cruise and I do visit Disney World quite often as a Disney annual passholder. I still get gitty when I see Mickey Mouse, no matter how many times I see him. What made this cruise so memorable for me was the slow motion of it all as a solo cruiser as I took my time enjoying the ship and relaxing in the Quiet Cove pool. There was no rushing to meet the characters or attend a game show. I enjoyed the spa and the gym and getting dressed up to enjoy my table of 1 in the dining room with my servers who were intentional on making sure I did not feel alone. There is just nothing quite like a Disney Cruise no matter what stage in life you are in. As an empty nester I enjoyed this next chapter of my life and keeping Disney part of it makes it so magical.
Shifting gears to a solo cruise with no kids around, my Virgin Voyages solo cruise onboard the Scarlet Lady was magical in a whole different way. Virgin Voyages is an adults-only cruise line with adults-only nightly entertainment. So as a solo cruiser you do not have the partner to share in the sometimes intimate and romantic settings of the programming, but you can still have fun. The guests onboard Virgin Voyages are fun, inclusive, energetic, and did I say fun! The dining is the best on the high seas and every restaurant is what you would categorize as a specialty restaurant onboard any other ship, except on Virgin Voyages all the dining is included in your fare. If you want to wine and dine, dance the night away and meet some fun sailors along the way, then Virgin Voyages is my recommendation for you.
Now if you want to choose fun as a solo cruiser, Carnival may be what you're looking for. I enjoyed a solo cruise onboard the Carnival Vista. I had so much fun! This ship was just the right size, not too big and not too small. I did enjoy it in early 2022 when the ships were sailing out at lower capacity than they are today. I have to say that Carnival had one of the best adults-only lounging areas of any cruise line. The Serenity Retreat on this ship is huge with so many types of loungers and chairs to choose from, a salad bar where you can make your own salad with every topping you can want, a bar, of course, and a pool and whirlpools. They also have Carnival Kitchen where I enjoyed three different workshops and had so much fun with the other guests and the chef as I made tailgate food, brunch and decorated cupcakes. I also enjoyed a wine tasting that was fabulous!
The last solo cruise I will share is the shortest one I have taken and my most recent. I enjoyed the 2-night sailing on Margaritaville at Sea as a solo cruiser. This cruise sails out of Palm Beach Port to Grand Bahamas Island the next day then back to Palm Beach Port. There were many couples and families onboard this ship. It is a fairly small and older ship and I found myself just lounging around, and, of course, at the spa for a much needed massage. I met a lot of guests onboard and everyone was friendly and having a good time, I mean it is Margaritaville.
No matter what ship, itinerary or port you choose, taking a solo cruise is a lot of fun. You're never truly alone on a solo voyage. What I love the most is that I can enjoy my vacation as I want to enjoy it. Give it a try and you will see that solo cruising is truly a great way to vacation!