Royal Caribbeans Studio Staterooms
Royal Caribbean boasts the most single digs of any cruise line, with about half of the ships in its fleet housing at least two. However, the most impressive are Super Studio staterooms with balconies, found on Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas.
Reaching up to 199 square feet with 55-square-foot balconies, these cabins are outfitted with a mix of bedding types and plenty of space for one person.
How Carnival Cruise Line Could Score Big With Solo Cruisers
Recently, Carnival Cruise Lines Brand Ambassador, John Heald, took to his Facebook page to address, among other things, the topic of solo cruisers. In part, he expressed a somewhat admiration for those who opt to cruise by themselves in general and, more particularly, those who choose to dine alone. I feel sorry for them, he admitted. I know I shouldnt, but I really do.
But it was toward the end of the post that he acknowledged a far bigger problem faced by solo cruisers: I know, many have the challenges on the price to pay for the cruise, and I wish there was something I could do to change that right now.
And, seeing as he brought up the topic, I thought that I might mention a few ways in which Carnival can help solo cruisers such as myself.
Celebrity Cruises Edge Solo Cabin
If there is one addition Im excited for its the Celebrity Edge ship, debuting in December 2018, with 16 Edge Verandah solo cabins. The category code is much higher than the normal inside cabin be warned as they are verandah level. Located on forward deck 6, there are 16 solo cabins that look fabulous . With approximately 142 sq. ft. which includes balcony, these will be an indulgence for the luxury solo traveler.
Celebrity is a favorite line because of the wellness spa menus, entertainment and self-service wine kiosks sadly they dont offer solo cabins on their other ships. I sailed solo on the Celebrity Constellation Connie from Istanbul to visit Turkey and the Greek Islands. It was a fantastic first cruise on Celebrity.
- Celebrity Edge Single Cabin Edge Single Verandah 16 swoon worthy single cabins
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Top 10 Cruise Ships For Solo Cruisers
Many people may find the idea of going solo on a cruise daunting but the truth is that millions of passengers enjoy cruising solo every year! Now with more cruise lines adding extra sole-occupancy cabins and offering better discounts rather than hefty surcharges for those travelling alone, it’s all good news for solo travellers!
Cruising is an attractive holiday for solo travellers as there is always something to do, people to meet, and it is a safe and hassle-free way to travel. Most ships have meet-and-greet sessions for solo cruisers and some have specific tables assigned for those who may not want to eat alone, plus there is a wide range of activities and events on offer.
Heres 10 cruise ships that are bound to make your solo cruise experience enjoyable:
Virgin Voyages Seriously Suites
Virgin Voyages is new to the cruise industry, but it knows whats up. Positioning itself as a hip anti-cruise line, it has built its first vessel, Scarlet Lady, to include 46 cabins for single passengers, 40 of which are insides and six of which provide rare forward-facing views of the sea.
Theyre a bit small at just larger than 100 square feet, but these Seriously Suites are cleverly named and even more cleverly appointed with full-sized beds and sleek, stylish furniture, decor and bathrooms.
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The Joys Of Cruising Solo
Sailing in and out of ports, an aft-facing balcony gives you a whole new perspective.
Since first I fell in love with cruising about five years ago, Ive taken around a dozen voyages, all of them by myself. Im a huge fan of getting away from it all including my friends and family to enjoy a week of me time. Thats not to say I hole up in my stateroom like some kind of an antisocial hermit.
In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. But theres a certain freedom that comes with doing what you want, when you want without anyone to answer to.
Want to sleep all day? Go for it. Want to party all night? Have at it.
While I always travel solo, thats not to say that I dont sometimes know people on board. There are almost always familiar faces whom Ive cruised with before, especially since some of us try and coordinate our cruises.
But theres a difference between traveling with people you met on a cruise and doing so with people who know you in every day life.
Using Travel Agents Or A Tour Operator To Book Your Singles Cruise
As a solo traveler you have two options if you want to go on a cruise and mingle with other single travelers and that is to either book directly with a ship that caters specifically for solo travelers or you can book through a company that will organize singles cruises.
The benefit of booking with a travel agency is that they will be able to offer you a vacation with specific events that will be organized with singles in mind. This will allow you a space to be able to enjoy yourself knowing that you are going to be in the company of fellow single travelers.
With these types of tours and cruises though you will often have double occupancy with two single beds instead of a double bed. This might suit the more adventurous travelers but for a lot of people theyd prefer to just be in a room on their own.
While some ships will be able to offer some events with singles in mind, these companies will be all about the single trip and therefore will have a lot more available to you. You will have to pay an extra charge for these services with your upfront costs but a lot of people will see it as value for money, especially if you are looking to find a partner and new friends.
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What Are P& os Single Cabins Like
Like Royal Caribbean, the type of solo cabin will depend on the ship.
Arcadia, Azura, Britannia, Iona and Ventura have a small number of single interior cabins.
Aurora, Azura and Ventura have single sea view cabins
Arcadia, Aurora, Iona and Britannia have single balcony cabins.
Note also that you will be sleeping in a single bed in all of these cabins.
Arcadia and Aurora are adult-only ships, perfect for those looking for a child-free holiday!
Solo Travel: Which Cruise Ships Have Solo Cabins From P& o To Royal Caribbean
Solo cruises have become more and more popular as travellers seek to explore the world on their own – but which cruise ships offer solo cabins?
Solo cruise holidays are fantastic for all sorts of reasons, from being able to do exactly what you want when you want to making a plethora of new friends along the way.
In the past, this used to pose a problem due to the hefty sum globetrotters had to fork out for the luxury of travelling independently.
However, costly single supplements are a thing of the past on many cruises these days and lines are offering singles events, sociable seating and solo cabins.
ROL Cruise sells a wide selection of holidays on cruise ships that cater well for solo travellers and have single rooms. This is everything you need to knowâ¦
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Royal Caribbean Solo Cabins
The newest ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas offer interior and ocean view options for solo cabins with space of 101-119 sq. ft. and full size beds while others offer twin bed in the smaller space on their other ships. The balcony category is the most interesting to me since the other ships are all inside cabins. A new feature is the virtual balcony view on the interior rooms of some ships.
- Anthem of the Seas Interior 14 solo cabins / Ocean view 12 solo Cabins
- Adventure of the Seas Interior 5 solo cabins
- Brilliance of the Seas Interior 3 solo cabins
- Harmony of the Seas Interior 3 solo cabins / Ocean view 12 solo cabins
- Jewel of the Seas Interior 3 solo cabins
- Ovation of the Seas Interior 16 solo cabins / Ocean view 12 solo cabins
- Quantum of the Seas Interior 16 solo cabins / Ocean view 12 solo cabins
- Radiance of the Seas Interior 3 solo cabins
- Serenade of the Seas Interior 3 solo cabins
Cruising Solo In A Double Occupancy World
There is no denying that cruise ships are traditionally configured for guests who are sailing with at least two people in each stateroom.
The cruise model is based on double occupancy, which means the profitability of a ship assumes two people per room.
When cruising solo, you will likely become quickly familiar with the term, “single supplement fee”, which means you are charged extra for cruising with just one person in a stateroom. The single supplement fee makes up for the lost revenue by not having a second person booked in the same room.
While single supplement fees are common, there are a few ways around this fee.
First and foremost, Royal Caribbean offers solo rooms on select cruise ships. Ten Royal Caribbean ships offer a limited amount of studio staterooms that are designed for solo cruisers. These rooms do not come with a single supplement fee associated with the booking.
Another way around the fee is if you have at least 340 or more points in the Crown and Anchor Society . If you are that high up in the system, the single supplement cruise fare is reduced to 150% from 200%.
One other way to get around the single supplement fee is on some rare sailings, the fee may be waived in order to encourage bookings. This is typically offered on last minute cruises, where the cruise line wants to quickly increase bookings.
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Are Single Cruise Cabins Good Value In 2022
Historically, from a financial perspective, cruising has not been a great choice for solo travellers. The absence of single cruise cabins and single supplements approaching 100 per cent have penalised those travelling alone.
Heres the thing it has not been in cruise lines interests to include single cabins.
Traditionally, cruise operators have worked on a financial model based on double occupancy of a cabin or stateroom. Whilst single cabins take up almost as much square footage as twin cabins, they generate half the revenue.
However, the tide is turning.
Cruise lines are slowly recognising the growing and lucrative solo traveller market, and are designing their ships accordingly. With the introduction of their stylish single cabins, Norwegian Cruise Line has led the charge, and other operators are following suit.
But do these shiny new single cruise cabins represent good value to the solo traveller? To help you decide, lets take a look at what six of the most popular cruise lines are offering solo travellers.
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How Carnival Is Failing Solo Cruisers
Carnival Sunshine leaving Port Canaveral.
While Im not big on labels, if there was one which defines me as a cruiser it would be solo. And people like myself look at things slightly differently than do most of our fellow passengers. Were constantly looking for ways to either avoid the dreaded single supplement or significantly reduce it.
We bookmark sites like CruisePlum.com and rely on the fact that sometimes, unsold cabins will be greatly reduced at the last minute. And yes, sometimes we just bite the bullet and if theres a ship or itinerary we really want to sail pony up the full fare.
Thats how I wound up taking an absolutely amazing trip on the Carnival Sunshine a while back. It was during that voyage that I fell in love with the Alchemy Bar, and it was on that ship that I first experienced the pleasures of sailing north as opposed to south from my homeport of New York City. Ill be taking a similar trip next fall after the Carnival Triumph completes her transformation into the Carnival Sunrise.
The mixologists at Alchemy Bar have the cure for what ails you.
But Ill be honest: The majority of my cruises have been booked with Norwegian and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines because, much as I love Carnival, they havent done much to embrace the solo traveler. This makes sense on a certain level, seeing as Carnival has long had a reputation of catering to families. And in that regard, theyre hitting home runs.
Rendering of a Studio Room
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Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines offers guests a traditional cruising experience from many ports across the UK. The fleet consists of four classic-style mid to small-size ships: Balmoral, Bolette, Borealis and Braemar.
The cruise line offers a number of single occupancy cabins on each of their cruise ships. They can be found across all levels, from interior to suite.
Alternatively solo guests can occupy twin accommodation. All twin cabins have a single supplement charge, however, sometimes Fred. Olsen have some great offers on Twin Cabins for sole occupancy, so its worth checking!
P& o Cruise Line Single Cabins
P& O ships, owned by Carnival Cruise lines, of which there are about seven currently, three are adults only, are British based ships offering modern British cruises. They offer P& O single cabins on their ships and the passengers are generally European. Their itineraries are often longer to accommodate the holiday schedules of their guests .
- P& O Azura 12 outside solo cabins / 6 solo inside
- P& O Arcadia 2 outside solo cabins / 4 inside solo
- P& O Aurora 4 outside solo cabins
- P& O Britannia 15 solo balcony cabins / 12 solo interior
- P& O Oriana 2 inside solo cabins
- P& O Ventura 12 outside solo cabins / 6 solo interior
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Best For Over : Saga Cruises
Courtesy of Saga Cruises
- Ship Name: Spirit of Discovery
- Itinerary: Aalborg, Denmark Aarhus, Denmark Gothenburg, Sweden Oslo, Norway Esbjerg, Denmark Southampton, England
The U.K.-based cruise line, Saga, offers ocean cruising on smaller ships for the over 50 crowd and its newest ship, Spirit of Discovery, will debut more than 100 cabins dedicated to solo travelers. All single’s cabins have balconies and average 245 feet of space, and theres even single’s suites for more space. The company offers door-to-door pick-up service to transfer guests to the ship followed by a sail away cocktail party. The ship focuses on boutique luxury cruising, and the intimate atmosphere makes it easy to create comradery with other guests. Even more, theres a singles mingle drink hour, singles lunch and singles meet-ups for cultural shore excursions like Scandinavian jewelry and art workshops.
When Do I Need To Worry About The Single Supplement
In the old days of cruising, every line charged extra if you wanted to sail in a cabin by yourself. Thats because cruise fares are priced for double occupancy. If a cabin only had one person in it, the line charged double. Of course independent sailors balked at this and so some lines began instituting reduced single supplements or waiving them completely on certain sailings .
Luxury cruise lines like Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn all offer reducedand sometimes waivedsingle supplements as do a variety of river cruise companies, like Avalon Waterways and Riviera River Cruises.
However, as cruise lines really started listening to passengers, they understood that something had to change. Today, many cruise linesboth ocean and river-goingwaive single supplements on more sailings. Others have designed ships not just with cabins built for one person but also amenities like a lounge dedicated to all solo travelers on board, special group dining tables for people that want company at a meal and even singles meetups throughout the voyage.
Today, you dont have to worry as much about the single supplement as you did in the past. But as you research cruise options, be aware that some lines still charge up to double to book a cabin on your own.
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Rolling On A River Cruise
If cruising the blue Danube, pausing in Prague on the Elbe or capturing images of castles on the Rhine are more your calling than ocean voyages, consider a solo journey that takes you to the heart of the cities on Europes glorious rivers. Single supplements are waived on a good number of departures, with socializing facilitated by leading cruise operators such as Grand Circle Cruise Line, Uniworld, Tauck, AmaWaterways and Avalon Waterways. Whether youre looking for a foursome for an after-dinner bridge game or a partner for exploring Venices Rialto Bridge, camaraderie on river cruises is sharply in focus these days. After all, as Tauck points out, your trip director is not only in the know about the itinerarys destinations, but is a professional solo traveler, too. Check carefully on whether the offer is for a single supplement waiver, a cabin purpose-built for one or a roommate matching service.
References
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Best Alaskan Cruise: Royal Caribbean
Courtesy of Royal Caribbean
- Ship Name: Ovation of the Seas
- Itinerary: Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria
Solo travelers can explore scenic Alaska on Ovation of the Seas, one of Royal Caribbeans newest vessels. Step inside the North Star, a rotating glass capsule for 360-degree views of the stunning Alaskan wilderness, or, for even more thrills, try the sky diving or surf simulators. The Ovation of the Seas has two types of solo staterooms: studio interior cabins with virtual floor-to-ceiling views ranging from 96 to 104 square feet, or super studio cabins with private balconies at around 119 square feet. Either way, both come with full-sized beds. The cabins can also be difficult to book online so plan in advance and try calling a travel agent or Royal Caribbean directly.
See more reviews of the best Alaska cruises you can book today.
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