First Singles Cruise Experience

I recently returned from my first singles cruise group and had mixed feelings about it. And it seemed like several people in my group felt that previous experiences were better, so I'm now curious to hear from others on the subject. Overall, I liked the idea of being with a group and having our own private activities. However, there were a few things that rubbed me the wrong way.

First, the group as a whole didn't seem to bond very well. Some people did, but many others (especially the women) seemed to form small cliques and spend most of their time together, in some cases staying away from many hosted activities. Someone in my group said previous groups spend lots of time together as a unit. I'd have preferred more of that.

Second, there were a few hosted parties where they had loud music blasting. I don't do well in social situations where I have to strain to hear people talking. And if the whole point is to mingle and meet people, then the whole experience is lost on me.

Third, I felt at times like our group hosts had no idea what they were doing. They were very nice people, welcoming and easy to talk to, but many of the events seemed extremely disorganized. One of the hosts seemed to be constantly checking with the other as to what was going on. If I were hosting a large group of people, I would make it a point to know everything in advance.

I would like to do this again someday, and based on conversations I had within my group, it sounds like I could have a better experience, but could people weigh in on this?

Thanks for sharing.

Which cruise line and ship was this? Sometimes they make a difference. Our friendly mods will get angry if you disclose which group you booked with, so don't do that.

And how big was the group overall? You may not know this if it wasn't disclosed to you or there wasn't a mandatory meet & greet. But do your best.

Again, thank you for anything you're willing to share.

I've done 2 singles hosted cruises this past year.

There are lots of things to take into consideration......do you prefer large or small groups? Certain cruises get a bigger turn out..for example the Halloween cruises get a really big turn out. Now some singles stay away from these because they are not comfortable with a big crowd.

Some hosts are simply more outgoing than others. I was on a cruise last year where one of the hosts didn't do as good a job in my opinion as the others.

When they have function in the nightclub the music is loud to get people up and dancing...otherwise they tend to sit down...and not really get to know one another.

Depending upon how large the group is, really determines whether or not you get to meet all the people. I didnt meet some men until the next to the last day on the cruise.

The singles cruise motto is...its your cruise. You choose to participate in as many activities as you want to.

Some people never have their dinner in the dining room. They choose to eat at the buffet instead for dinner.

Some women aren't interested in chatting with the men who are on the cruise for whatever reason.

Also, some people are shy which sometimes comes across as being aloof. Some women will spend there time with others that they have met on previous cruises, why? Probably because they are insecure.

Some women won't even go on a ships excursion unless they have someone going with them.

I also found some men who always had a buddy with them.

The ship was the Carnival Glory. The group was just over 100 people. I'm told that's fairly small for a singles group, but I'm in the category that prefers smaller groups.

We did have a meet & greet event, though it was not indicated to be mandatory. But it was here that I first ran into the loud music. As noted above, for me loud music is fine if it's a rock concert or a dance club, but this was where I should have been making connections with the other group members and it made me uncomfortable not being able to hear anything.

Regarding the hosts, it's not that they weren't outgoing, just poorly organized. In a few cases, the ship did not provide them everything they needed, but in other cases they just seemed clueless as to how the activities should be run, which to me took some of the fun out of it.

Regarding the group members, it seemed like 90% of the men were traveling solo, while more like 70% of the women came with friends. And there were some people who I hardly saw at any of the activities. It just made me wonder why they'd book with a group if the plan was to hang out with their friends most of the time.

That's just one person's experience. Thanks for sharing your insights.

Thanks for the followup, Michael.

I've been on Carnival ships before, though not the Glory. Just over 100 people sounds on the small end from what I've heard about singles cruises, though your group would probably have been a significant portion of the singles on the whole cruise.

I'm surprised the ship didn't have the things the hosts needed. They had to know about this over a year in advance; after all, they agreed to book it.

Anyway, I make take a singles cruise sometimes and every little bit of information helps. So thank you for it.

Your experience sounds about right. I (F), only did one on Solstice when it was new.Only advantage was cabin share savings. But I enjoyed group dining. Group leader forgot to open one cocktail party, finally arriving 20 minutes late.

Thanks for starting this discussion, Michael. Am giving this a try for the first time in October on a Carnival cruise to the Mexican Riviera....a Halloween singles cruise that I hope is more fun than scary haha. A group of 100 sounds pretty big to me, so if that's small, I'm hoping the one I'm doing is in that category :-0

A couple in the group have mentioned that they're part of it in our roll call and it won't be the first Halloween singles sailing for at least one guy. He made it sound like a lot of fun. I'm not really expecting to mesh with anyone in a week, but kind of think I'll meet a few people whose company I can enjoy while sailing.

I did my first solo cruie last fall and connected with an online group. Got to know them a little and could recognize a few at the M&G. Not sure anyone else was solo, but they were welcoming to their events and I had a great time.

The hearing thing can be a concern (background noise easily overwhelms conversation), but it's likely that applied to most people. When the music's loud, you have to compete with it, maybe step outside for a quick chat or resort to hand signals.

Until I retired last year, I was an event coordinator so if our host needs an assist, I won't hesitate to offer to help. Sometimes getting that close to what's happening helps others be less hesitant to step up too.

Group dining is one thing I'm looking forward to. When you cruise solo, you never know where they'll seat you and being put at a table for 10 with 9 good friends can be cool to say the least.

Thanks for the followup, Michael.

 

I've been on Carnival ships before, though not the Glory. Just over 100 people sounds on the small end from what I've heard about singles cruises, though your group would probably have been a significant portion of the singles on the whole cruise.

 

I'm surprised the ship didn't have the things the hosts needed. They had to know about this over a year in advance; after all, they agreed to book it.

 

Anyway, I make take a singles cruise sometimes and every little bit of information helps. So thank you for it.

I just got back from a singles hosted cruise. The cruise line changed the order of the ports and then changed which night was the 2nd formal night. We have themed parties....which some people dressed up for.

Originally our formal night was going to be the night of the group picture, so everyone would be dressed nicely. Instead the ship changed that which resulted in our theme night being changed so some people were dressed for the theme night and some weren't. The ships photographer who was taking the picture was not able to change the date to take our picture. This was all planned in advance and the ship changed things up at the last minute.

Because I've booked a hosted singles cruise I'm receiving the group's emails which share info and pics from their most recent hosted singles sailing. I was already looking forward to the one I'm on in October, but seeing the recap and photos is making me even more excited. They also recognized guests who had sailed on a hosted singles cruise 5 or more times...and there were plenty who'd done it 15+ times....all those returning guests can't be Hope to see more reviews and overviews from first timers. If you happen to be one, please share.

Because I've booked a hosted singles cruise I'm receiving the group's emails which share info and pics from their most recent hosted singles sailing. I was already looking forward to the one I'm on in October, but seeing the recap and photos is making me even more excited. They also recognized guests who had sailed on a hosted singles cruise 5 or more times...and there were plenty who'd done it 15+ times....all those returning guests can't be Hope to see more reviews and overviews from first timers. If you happen to be one, please share.

I think I know which company you are referring to. I just got back from a weeks cruise on the Allure of the Seas.

If you haven't already, I suggest you join their social media page with over 3,000 members. Also there is an unofficial group page set up for your cruise on that big social media site, join it so that you can meet other members before your cruise. Just ask on the main social media page about the unofficial group page for your cruise. Someone will give you the name.

I think I know which company you are referring to. I just got back from a weeks cruise on the Allure of the Seas.

If you haven't already, I suggest you join their social media page with over 3,000 members. Also there is an unofficial group page set up for your cruise on that big social media site, join it so that you can meet other members before your cruise. Just ask on the main social media page about the unofficial group page for your cruise. Someone will give you the name.

The email I got was about a singles hosted cruise on Ruby Princess, so maybe not the same group. I'll look for this group's FB page, thanks -- though I was kind of waiting for this group's specific page, which won't be available for a while yet...they said 30 days prior. Guess I can ask though, in case someone has already started an 'unofficial' page :-}

The email I got was about a singles hosted cruise on Ruby Princess, so maybe not the same group. I'll look for this group's FB page, thanks -- though I was kind of waiting for this group's specific page, which won't be available for a while yet...they said 30 days prior. Guess I can ask though, in case someone has already started an 'unofficial' page :-}

Ruby Princess out of LA (san pedro) dec. 3 2016?

From prior experience some start an unofficial page a year before the cruise. :)

Ruby Princess out of LA (san pedro) dec. 3 2016?

From prior experience some start an unofficial page a year before the cruise. :)

No. The email I received was for a Ruby Princess cruise just completed (not a future one). And when I booked with them, they said their introduction site/page would not be available until 30 days prior.