Suggestions please for first time solo traveller

[solo25firsttimer]

Hi, I am planning a trip to Barcelona in October. I would like to include a cruise. I'm travelling solo - can anyone recommend a cruise line for solo travellers.

[spookwife]

Hi, I am planning a trip to Barcelona in October. I would like to include a cruise. I'm travelling solo - can anyone recommend a cruise line for solo travellers.

 

only few ships overall have cabins for singles. NCL has a couple and the newest Royal ships do. but these also tend to be 'overpriced' when compared to a standard cabin and have undesirable locations or configurations( interior, etc).

 

if you choose a regular cabin, yes you pay 'double' minus the second set of port taxes and fees, but in the case of Royal at least, you do get double points. depending on sales and other things, a regular oceanview can be less expensive over all than a single interior.

 

I THINK( and I am not certain as I have never sailed NCL) that NCL offers a few amenities just for singles like your own lounge area.

[Keith1010]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I also wanted to mention that there is a Solo Cruisers Board so you might want to post there as well.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=373

 

Keith

[Glenndale]

I know that P&O and Cunard host coffee mornings for solo travellers.

Once you've made your choice, join the roll call and get to know people before you board.

Azamara offer solo cruisers only a 25% single supplement on some cruises.

Edited March 28, 2016 by Glenndale

[KirkNC]

Hi, I am planning a trip to Barcelona in October. I would like to include a cruise. I'm travelling solo - can anyone recommend a cruise line for solo travellers.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

[zoncom]

So many questions. Solo cruisers comprise just a few % of total, under 5% I recall. Do you want a British or American type ship?Budget or more luxury? I just booked a solo Spring transatlantic plus next Rome segment at unbeliveable pricing online.Look up CelebrityXciting deals.com or something close. Someone else here can give exact wording.. Only 50% single supplement. Get some European cruise books from your library. Berlitz reviews all ships. Fodors and Frommers do good Euro cruise ones too with almost all ports.

Edited March 28, 2016 by zoncom

[jocap]

October is a difficult month in the Med, because many ships are leaving for the Caribbean for the winter. There's usually an NCL ship in Barca, plus there will be the Italian lines MSC and Costa, and the Spanish line Pullmantur- they do a weekly cruise out of the port. Sorry, I don't know much about their single prices... :confused:

[bethco]

There are a lot of transatlantic cruises leaving Barcelona in October and they seem to have a larger number of solo cruisers.

[apminnie]

I'm doing my first ever cruise and I am also going solo as well. We have a port in Barcelona. (for my Mediterranean cruise) Not sure how long you want to stay there. When I did comparisons, I found that Carnival's rate was comparable to or cheaper than other companies based on a single's option or having to double occupancy (if no single's option was available).

[jocap]

If you're going to be based in Barca, make sure that the cruise returns to the city, and isn't leaving there to start a repositioning cruise elsewhere. As far as I'm aware, there are very few lines remaining in the Med, so check with something like Cruisett for arrivals and departures, or Google ships in port and check where they're going and if they're returning. It's no good going for one of the American lines if they're heading to Miami!

As I said earlier, through the autumn/winter months, it's usually an NCL ship, plus Costa, MSC and Pullmantor which sail cruise out and back to the city... perhaps one or two others, but check. ;)

[Quilting_Cruiser]

As PPs mentioned, NCL has studio cabins for one and there's a solo forum here on CC you may find helpful.

 

I just sailed solo on the NCL Epic (Canary Islands and Morocco; it was RT out of Barcelona) in a studio cabin and loved the setup! The cabin is small, but the price was significantly less than paying 200%. When you sail in a studio cabin on NCL, you have 24x7 access to the studio lounge where you can find peace and quiet. :) On the Epic, the coffee maker in the lounge is reputed to be one of the best on the ship, and the coffee was definitely better than I had in the buffet or any of the restaurants. In the mornings there are pastries, cereal, yogurt, and orange juice available and in the afternoons and evenings there are cookies. There's a cruise director for the solos and he or she sets up dinner and show reservations for the solos--there's a sign-up in the lounge. There's a meet-up for solo passengers each evening and there's a bartender available during that time.

[DiDavy]

I'd suggest looking into MSC as I don't think they charge a single supplement. We cruised the Med with them last year and were really impressed. Most of the passengers were European, in fact mainly Italian so not as much English spoken as usual, but definitely would sail with them again

 

 

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