Solo Cruising: What’s Changing and How to Cruise Smarter

Solo cruising has never been easier to love — but lately, it’s been getting harder to afford and harder to book. Gary Bembridge of Tips for Travellers, who has completed 87 solo cruises, says the landscape is shifting in ways solo travelers need to know about.

Cruise Lines Are Pulling Back on Solo Travelers

Cruise lines are putting more focus on families. A cabin with four guests generates far more revenue from add-ons like drink packages, Wi-Fi, spa treatments, and excursions. That shift is showing up in how ships are being built — and how solo travelers are being treated.

Norwegian Cruise Line has been the gold standard for solo travelers, with dedicated solo studios and a private lounge across its fleet. But at the end of 2025, Norwegian announced plans to reduce the number of solo cabins and shift focus toward families.

Carnival Cruise Line, the world’s largest cruise line by passengers, has no solo cabins at all — and no plans to add any on new ships. Royal Caribbean offers a limited number of solo cabins, mostly on Quantum-class ships, but their newest vessels — like Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas — have none.

MSC Cruises has very few solo cabins on its newest ships. The World Europa and World America each have just 28 solo cabins, which works out to about 1% of all available rooms. Among premium lines like Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Holland America, solo cabins are rare. Luxury lines like Viking Cruises, Silversea, Seabourn, and Regent have none — and none planned for new builds.

Solo Quotas Are Making Booking Even Harder

It’s not just the number of solo cabins shrinking. Bembridge says many cruise lines appear to limit how many solo travelers can book any given sailing. He noticed that searching for a cabin for two people on Celebrity often shows many available options. Switching that same search to one person sometimes shows fewer cabins — or none at all.

“If I change it back to two people, they all reappear,” Bembridge explains. On top of that, the price shown for a solo traveler is sometimes higher than what two people would pay for the same cabin.

Some lines are upfront about these restrictions. Bembridge found that Ponant, for example, openly stated it would only make a set number of cabins available for solo travelers on any given sailing.

The Right Ship Matters More Than the Lowest Price

Most solo travelers jump straight to asking: “How do I get the cheapest fare?” But Bembridge says that’s the wrong first question. Choosing the wrong ship or cruise line — no matter how great the deal — almost guarantees a disappointing trip.

His advice is to start by figuring out what kind of experience you want. Then find the line that matches your travel style. Price comes after that.

Bembridge personally prefers smaller ships. “As a solo traveller it is easier to connect and meet people,” he says, “just like if you are in a small town versus a large city.” One of his best solo experiences was on a barge cruise in France with just 15 guests total.

Solo Programs on Most Ships Are Underwhelming

Most mainstream and premium cruise lines offer very little in the way of organized solo activities. The hosted meetups that do exist are often left completely unstructured, with no one guiding the group or helping people connect.

Norwegian still offers the best solo setup, with keycard-access studios and a lounge, plus scheduled meetups. On the luxury end, lines like Silversea, Regent, and Crystal use social hosts to organize drinks and dinners for solo guests. Bembridge noted that on a recent Regent Seven Seas Splendor sailing, there were daily hosted meetups and group dinners every night — including visits to specialty restaurants.

But on most ships, solo meetups come with their own set of problems. Some people mix up “solo” with “singles” and treat meetups like a dating event. Others may latch onto you and be hard to shake for the rest of the cruise. And often, the only thing solos at a meetup have in common is that they’re traveling alone.

“Being solo may be the only similarity, and you all have very different interests,” Bembridge says. “Why would you connect with these people on a cruise when you wouldn’t any time else?”

Smarter Ways to Meet People Onboard

Bembridge rarely attends official solo meetups. Instead, he uses a set of strategies that consistently lead to better connections.

Before You Board

• Join the Cruise Critic Roll Call or Facebook group for your specific sailing.
• Start building relationships with people who share your interests before the trip begins.
• Sign up for the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet, which many lines officially host on embarkation day.

Onboard Activities

• Attend trivia contests, game shows, and sports events — people are usually happy to include new players.
• Look for special interest meetups: LGBT gatherings, Friends of Bill W., veterans groups, crafters, and more. Lines will often add a group if you request one.
• Book activity-based shore excursions like snorkeling, cycling, or kayaking. You’ll see the same people port after port, which makes it easy to strike up conversations.
• Use anytime dining and ask to share a table. You’ll meet a wide variety of people and naturally click with some of them.

Guaranteed Ways to Not Feel Alone

If you’re nervous about solo cruising, a hosted group cruise is your best bet. Several travel YouTubers and agencies organize group sailings where solos are welcome. Bembridge has hosted his own group cruises — including a recent Panama Canal sailing with 20 solo travelers — complete with organized events and like-minded company.

Large travel agencies like Vacations2Go also run hosted cruises specifically for solo travelers. Some of these require sharing a cabin to get the best rate, but if no match is found, you keep the cabin to yourself and pay only for one person.

How to Find Affordable Solo Fares

The solo supplement — the extra cost for occupying a cabin alone — is the biggest financial hurdle for solo cruisers. Here are the strategies Bembridge uses to reduce or avoid it.

Book Early

Solo cabins are limited. Booking as soon as a sailing opens for reservations gives you the best shot at getting one — and at the best price. The website CruiseFever.com maintains an updated list of ships with solo cabins.

Look for Repositioning Cruises

Repositioning cruises happen when ships move between regions at the start and end of each season. They typically run in April–May and October–November. These sailings often cost about half the per-night price of regular cruises. They’re heavy on sea days, which makes them a great fit for travelers who love relaxing at sea.

Watch for Shoulder-Season Deals

Cruise lines sometimes drop or eliminate the solo supplement on sailings at the start or end of a season, when overall demand is lower. Luxury lines like Seabourn, Silversea, Ponant, and Regent often list these deals on their websites. Several river cruise lines — including Avalon and AmaWaterways — do the same. Tauck offers no solo supplements on lower-category cabins throughout the season.

Follow Cruise Lines on Social Media

Flash sales on Instagram and Facebook can dramatically reduce solo costs. Bembridge tracked a Celebrity flash sale offering 60% off a second passenger, which effectively cut his solo supplement to just 30%. A Virgin Voyages sale offering 80% off a second passenger brought the solo supplement down to just 20%. He’s used these opportunities to book sailings he had on his wish list at prices he couldn’t have found otherwise.

Consider a Cabin Mate

Sharing a cabin eliminates the solo supplement entirely. Apps and websites like My Cabin Mate and Cabin Mate Finder connect solo travelers looking to share. Another option is to split a cabin with a friend or family member as a third guest — the third-person charge is significantly lower, and splitting the total cost three ways can save everyone money. If you go this route, look for cabins that have a curtain separating the bed area from the sofa bed for added privacy.

The Bottom Line for Solo Cruisers

Solo cruising is facing real headwinds. Fewer cabins, pricing quirks, and shrinking solo programs are all making it tougher. But with the right approach — choosing the right ship first, connecting before you board, and using smart booking strategies — solo cruising is still very much worth it.

Information and quotes in this article are sourced from Gary Bembridge of Tips for Travellers. Watch his full video on solo cruising on YouTube.