solo cruises

[1causeway]

Where is the best place to find solo cruises from Florida? I keep trying the cruise lines themselves with no luck. Would like to go first part of the year. From either Tampa or Canaveral.

[Lois R]

Where is the best place to find solo cruises from Florida? I keep trying the cruise lines themselves with no luck. Would like to go first part of the year. From either Tampa or Canaveral.

 

There are only certain ships that sail from those ports. Not sure what you

are asking.....there are not "solo cruises"...there are cruises that might

have solos sailing on them but they are regular cruises.

Pt. Canaveral has a couple of Carnival ships, Royal has a ship and

Disney has ships from there.

I know Carnival and Royal have ships that sail from Tampa.

 

Travel Agencies are not allowed to be posted on here (Cruise Critic

Policy). But if you are interested in only sailing with solo cruisers?

Not going to happen.....it is always a mixture of people:)

[dreamer976]

I think that the OP might be thinking of "singles cruises" vs. cruising alone. I think most people who refer to themselves as a solo cruiser just happen to be traveling alone; if the purpose of your trip is to meet other singles who are looking to "date" onboard and possibly beyond, then I would say that "singles cruise" is what you'd call it and I do think I've heard of groups that organize these, even if not leasing an entire sailing.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Where is the best place to find solo cruises from Florida? I keep trying the cruise lines themselves with no luck. Would like to go first part of the year. From either Tampa or Canaveral.

Just a quick word of warning about Port Canaveral. Customs agents there seem to have a problem with solo cruisers. I myself was searched all over, and the guard indicated it was because I was cruising by myself. (I'm 30, male.) He found nothing he wanted, obviously, and looked clearly miffed at that. While I was being searched, I saw an older lady cruising solo get pulled aside too.

 

You may want to clarify if you're looking specifically for singles' cruises, or simply for cruise lines that are solo-friendly. The latter would be any mainstream cruise line, with a possible exception of NCL (their Freestyle dining was developed specifically for families and groups of friends who are not looking to dine with new people). But don't think that couples and friends will automatically exclude you; I found people to be very welcoming when I cruised solo.

[cruising grandma]

Just a quick word of warning about Port Canaveral. Customs agents there seem to have a problem with solo cruisers. I myself was searched all over, and the guard indicated it was because I was cruising by myself. (I'm 30, male.) He found nothing he wanted, obviously, and looked clearly miffed at that. While I was being searched, I saw an older lady cruising solo get pulled aside too.

 

You may want to clarify if you're looking specifically for singles' cruises, or simply for cruise lines that are solo-friendly. The latter would be any mainstream cruise line, with a possible exception of NCL (their Freestyle dining was developed specifically for families and groups of friends who are not looking to dine with new people). But don't think that couples and friends will automatically exclude you; I found people to be very welcoming when I cruised solo.

 

 

I cruised without my husband in August and October on Freedom of the Seas from Port Canaveral and had NO searches or anything unusual from the customs agents. I have cruised solo from several other ports, too, with no problem.

 

Norwegian Epic and Breakaway are VERY singles oriented. They even have single cabins with a separate lounge(living room), just accessible for those in the solo cabins, for them to get to know others travelling solo. Even though my husband and I were travelling together on Epic, we did meet quite a few solo cruisers.

[dreamr]

Just a quick word of warning about Port Canaveral. Customs agents there seem to have a problem with solo cruisers. I myself was searched all over, and the guard indicated it was because I was cruising by myself. (I'm 30, male.) He found nothing he wanted, obviously, and looked clearly miffed at that. While I was being searched, I saw an older lady cruising solo get pulled aside too.

 

You may want to clarify if you're looking specifically for singles' cruises, or simply for cruise lines that are solo-friendly. The latter would be any mainstream cruise line, with a possible exception of NCL (their Freestyle dining was developed specifically for families and groups of friends who are not looking to dine with new people). But don't think that couples and friends will automatically exclude you; I found people to be very welcoming when I cruised solo.

 

Wow, I can't believe you excluded NCL from being solo-friendly. I think they're one of, if not the most solo-friendly cruise line out there!

 

I sailed in the studios on the Epic last year and will be doing so again in about 2 months (woo hoo!) and I'm paying a lot less than I would if I had booked a regular inside room by myself (the cruise I'm on, an inside room is currently $749pp... I paid $899 for my studio)... plus I get access to the studio lounge, which is a key card access lounge for people traveling solo. It has snacks, sandwiches, and breakfast foods available a good portion of the day and an awesome FREE coffee machine (I'm not a coffee drinker, but I do love an occasional mocha, latte, or macchiato - especially with cookies XD). I emphasis the 'free' because I've heard that those specialty coffee drinks cost elsewhere on the ship and are only free in the studio lounge. There are also vending machines in the studio lounge (and further down the studio corridor).

 

Each night of the cruise last year, there was a solo gathering in the lounge, where we got to hang out and meet other solo cruisers and then a large group of us went and ate dinner together after the meeting each evening. There's a 'solo director' who helps plan the dinners and helps to get people to mingle with each other, etc. (All of this is voluntary, of course. You are not required to go to the meetings or the dinners.)

 

There is also a dry erase board in the lounge where you can post if you are looking for someone to share an excursion, specialty dinner, play card games, or even a taxi once you disembark. I saw it all. lol

 

I thought NCL really did a great job to give the solo cruisers a 'community' so that they don't feel so excluded in a sea full of families, which is why I booked another cruise within a month of returning home from that one. So they are definitely not an 'exception' to the solo-friendly set. Unless you mean they do it exceptionally better than everyone else. :p

Edited November 10, 2013 by dreamr

[zoncom]

Two cruise agencies do singles group cruises, usually monthly. We cannot mention names here. But do a Google search for Hosted Singles Cruises. Found CCL Legend out of Tampa starting at $684 this Dec.8,if you share(they find you cabinmate,) It says last call. This is only one for year.Hurry.

[Scrapnana]

Wow, I can't believe you excluded NCL from being solo-friendly. I think they're one of, if not the most solo-friendly cruise line out there!

 

I sailed in the studios on the Epic last year and will be doing so again in about 2 months (woo hoo!) and I'm paying a lot less than I would if I had booked a regular inside room by myself (the cruise I'm on, an inside room is currently $749pp... I paid $899 for my studio)... plus I get access to the studio lounge, which is a key card access lounge for people traveling solo. It has snacks, sandwiches, and breakfast foods available a good portion of the day and an awesome FREE coffee machine (I'm not a coffee drinker, but I do love an occasional mocha, latte, or macchiato - especially with cookies XD). I emphasis the 'free' because I've heard that those specialty coffee drinks cost elsewhere on the ship and are only free in the studio lounge. There are also vending machines in the studio lounge (and further down the studio corridor).

 

Each night of the cruise last year, there was a solo gathering in the lounge, where we got to hang out and meet other solo cruisers and then a large group of us went and ate dinner together after the meeting each evening. There's a 'solo director' who helps plan the dinners and helps to get people to mingle with each other, etc. (All of this is voluntary, of course. You are not required to go to the meetings or the dinners.)

 

There is also a dry erase board in the lounge where you can post if you are looking for someone to share an excursion, specialty dinner, play card games, or even a taxi once you disembark. I saw it all. lol

 

I thought NCL really did a great job to give the solo cruisers a 'community' so that they don't feel so excluded in a sea full of families, which is why I booked another cruise within a month of returning home from that one. So they are definitely not an 'exception' to the solo-friendly set. Unless you mean they do it exceptionally better than everyone else. :p

 

Is there a broad range of ages among the solo cruises in the studios?

[dreamr]

Is there a broad range of ages among the solo cruises in the studios?

 

There was in November. There's no way of guaranteeing that it'll be like that every week, but in November, the group that went to dinner each night ranged in age from mid-20s up to...70s, I think? I didn't ask everyone their ages, but there was definitely a mix of ages. :)

[travelnap]

[quote name=LandlockedCruiser01;

 

You may want to clarify if you're looking specifically for singles' cruises' date=' or simply for cruise lines that are solo-friendly. The latter would be any mainstream cruise line, with a possible exception of NCL (their Freestyle dining was developed specifically for families and groups of friends who are not looking to dine with new people). But don't think that couples and friends will automatically exclude you; I found people to be very welcoming when I cruised solo.

 

I am platinum on NCL and have always traveled solo and have found them to be very solo friendly. Yes, some people assume that because NCL does not offer fixed dining it is because they wish to dine alone, but I think that is a misconception. Freestyle was set up to allow more flexibility to their guests. Instead of dining at the same time each night, you can dine whenever you feel like it. When I dine in the MDR I just ask for the next available table, the same way I do it on any other line that offers anytime dining or whatever that line calls it. No, you don't get to know your dining partners as well as you do with fixed dining, but you do get a meet a lot more people with the free style dining.

 

As others have posted, NCL also offers solo cabins on their mega ships, and I think the new ship on RCI will also offer solo cabins. I don't care for the big ships so I have never tried one to comment on them. I haven't found any of the mass market lines that were anti solo, and I have sailed on most of them.