Best Cruise Lines For Solo Cruisers (Tried & Tested, Pros & Cons!)
Cruising alone can be a lot of fun but it also comes at a cost.
Solo cruisers can expect to pay a ‘solo supplement’ on most cruises which means that you could end up paying substantially more than you would if you were cruising with another person.
Below are the cruise lines that I recommend when asked to recommend a cruise to a solo cruiser.
Cruises are priced per person but are usually based on two people sharing. Some cruise lines have solo-specific cabins and many have onboard activities designed to bring solo cruisers together.
I have personally cruised on all cruise lines mentioned below but haven’t sailed in solo cabins on all.
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Onboard Cruise Experience
Saga includes a lot in their cruise fare. Gratuities, drinks with meals and WiFi are all included, as well as a transfer from your front door.
Saga cruises also include your travel insurance so once you’ve paid for the cruise fare there is very little extra that you’ll have to spend.
The service and food provided by Saga are second to none.
I honestly wish they didn’t have the 50+ age restriction because I’d be quite happy to cruise on Spirit of Discovery!
Why Are Saga Good For Solo Cruisers?
Saga’s Spirit of Discovery has over 100 solo cabins. This is amazing!
The solo cabins range in size and price but I was lucky enough to stay in a ‘deluxe solo balcony cabin’. It was far bigger than any cabin that I’ve ever had before and the fact that it is for a solo cruiser makes it even more amazing.
All solo cabins on Spirit of Discovery have balconies.On other lines, solo cabins are mostly insidecabins.
Solo cabins are often small and tucked away in rubbish locations. This isn’t the case on Spirit of Discovery! The cabin shown in the video below is balcony cabin S507.
There were so many little touches that I really loved:
UK plug sockets
USB sockets by the bed
Guidelight by the bathroom door
HUGE walk-in wardrobe
Kettle 😉
1.5x size balcony!
Solo Events
Saga also has a number of events designed to bring solo cruisers together.
Possible cons:
Variety in Ship Design
I loved Spirit of Discovery but some of Saga’s ships are smaller and older.
British Experience
I personally don’t think that this is a con. I love the endless cups of tea and little British touches. Having UK plug sockets in the cabins is so helpful. If you would prefer a more multicultural cruise experience Saga may not be for you.
50+ Cruise Line
I really do think that this one is anegative. I loved my time on Spirit of Discovery but I am too young to book a cruise on her!
Other Things To Consider
You do have to be 50+ to cruise with Saga.
If you are cruising with somebody over 50 and you are 40+ this is allowed. Saga is very strict on this age restriction and there are no exceptions.
I actually tried to order a brochure from the Saga website recently and it wouldn’t let me until I pretended I was 50!
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line are one of the largest and most popular cruise lines.
They’re popular with younger cruisers, families, people that cruise solo and me! Norwegian Cruise Line are widely regarded as being one of the best cruise lines for solo cruisers.
They don’t just provide solo cabins but also provide solo events and solo lounges. The solo cabins aren’t just used by people cruising alone but also by families who might have a member travelling alone, for example, a grandparent.
The solo cabins also provide a great experience for groups of friends who are cruising together but may not want to share a cabin.
Reviews from our Facebook group:
Cruised solo with NCL and I would recommend it! Especially like the solo meet ups every day. Met a lot of great people! Staff and other people cruising.
Ann-Charlotte
Onboard Cruise Experience
Norwegian Cruise Line is all about freedom of choice and flexibility.
There are no formal nights and no official dress codes on any of the ships. Cruisers can eat when and where they want whenever they are hungry.
On a number of the ships, food is available 24 hours a day.
The daily schedule on Norwegian cruises is always busy, there are activities taking part around the ship constantly.
If ever you have a spare minute you can go for a walk and you will definitely bump into an event going on somewhere.
This is one of my favourite things about cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line.
Me (right) and my cousin Libby in front of the Norwegian Spirit, my first-ever cruise ship!
Why Are Norwegian Cruise Line Good For Solo Cruisers?
In my opinion, Norwegian Cruise Line offers more for solo cruisers than any other cruise line.
The Norwegian Epic was the first ship to have a designated solo space on the ship and all Norwegian Cruise Line ships since have featured a similar area.
Norwegian Cruise Line have solo cabins which are all located together. They usually interconnect and will have a central solo lounge for the studio cruisers to spend time in.
I hear that the solo lounge has free tea, coffee and snacks. Count me in!
All of the solo specific solo cabins on Norwegian Cruise Line are inside cabins – which I think is a bit of a shame. They do have windows though which look out onto the corridor.
I haven’t personally cruised in one of these cabins but Jessalynn has previously reviewed a solo cabin for us on the Norwegian Bliss.
My cabin was small, but I expected that. Amazingly, even though I stayed in it for 12 nights, it never felt cramped or claustrophobic. I loved the small virtual “window” (that even had a shade to lower at night!). I found that keeping the room tidy helped it feel bigger. The room had two cupboards for clothes and my only complaint was the lack of actual dresser. There were no drawers to put away my clothes – I had to sort of stack them on the bottom of the cupboard. (Fortunately, I travel with packing cubes, so those came in quite handy.) I definitely missed a few things about having a full-sized room, such as a mini-fridge and a regular bathroom and shower. The shower in the studio cabins is basically in the room, and the toilet is enclosed in a room so small I could barely shut the door while I was in it! Overall, though, I would recommend the studio cabins for solo travelers, but I would caution against them for larger people – they might not be as comfortable.
I bought my first Mia Tui bag in 2017 and I've not used another brand since. They come with me on every cruise and are FANTASTIC. They are beautiful, almost indestructible and have so many pockets and useful parts.
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Possible Cons
Not all ships are the same
Not all of Norwegians ships were designed for them and as a result, the facilities vary by ship.
The smaller/older ships are some of my favourites but it is the newer ships that have better solo facilities.
Norwegian Epic was the first to have a solo specific lounge and all ships since this date have the same features.
Cruise lines are increasingly focusing on solo cruisers which I think is exciting!
Larger ships can be busy
On the larger ships, you have to book theatre shows in advance and you may find yourself lining up for things.
This isn’t a Norwegian-specific problem but it is something that comes with cruising on mega-ships, of which Norwegian have quite a few.
Other Things To Consider
One of my favourite things about Norwegian Cruise Line is the ‘waterfront’ which features on the newer ships. The waterfront is a promenade deck which is lined with bars and restaurants.
Have a look at what the newer Norwegian ships have to offer cruisers here:
P&O Cruises is a British cruise line owned and operated by Carnival Ltd.
If you are from the UK you have probably seen TV advertisements for P&O cruises as they advertise heavily to attract the British market.
That said, passengers from other parts of the world are always welcome.
There is an Australian portion of P&O Cruises although this is very different from the British part. In this post, I will be talking specifically about the UK portion of the brand.
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Onboard Cruise Experience
The majority of cruisers on P&O cruises are from the UK, I found the other guests to be extremely friendly and polite.
P&O offer a number of cruises from Southampton and often offers short cruises.
You’ll find British favourites in the restaurants and the buffet on P&O cruises. There is a kettle with tea and coffee making facilities in all the cabins too!
P&O do have formal nights and the dress codes are usually strictly adhered to.
Men often wear tuxedos and women wear long evening gowns. It is possible to avoid the formal nights if you don’t want to dress up although I believe this would be a real shame! Try it at least once.
P&O offer both fixed and flexible dining. Table sharing is usually an option but it is also not required.
P&O’s newer larger ships Iona and Arvia are less formal and traditional if you want a more relaxed cruise.
Review from our Facebook group:
Have cruised solo twice so far with P&O, and another one coming up in a couple of weeks. Did a week to the fjords and also a 3 week transatlantic. Both brilliant cruises and never had a problem with being on my own; always people to socialise with if you feel like it. Would definitely recommend it.
Adam
Find out about my cruise on P&Os biggest ship, Arvia here:
Why Are P&O Cruises Good For Solo Cruisers?
P&O offer both inside, outside and balcony cabins for solo cruisers.
We offer single cabins, or if you’d like more space, we can offer a bigger room to make your travels extra special. When you stay in our cabins, you’ll have all the luxuries that are needed to make your solo travel a home away from home. There is also a room service menu for you to enjoy as you relax in your cabin.
P&O Cruises
P&O Britannia Solo Inside Cabin
P&O Britannia solo Balcony Cabin
P&O Britannia solo Balcony Cabin
Possible Cons
No solo lounge or area reserved for solos
Formal dress/nights
Okay okay, I know some people LOVE formal nights but some people also really hate it.
The formal nights on P&O are quite formal and might not be to everybody’s taste.
You never have to participate in formal nights if you don’t want to. You can eat in the buffet, or in a speciality restaurant.
Other Things To Consider
Arvia and Iona are P&O’s largest and most informal ships. They attract a lot of families, and there is lots to do onboard.
Azura, Ventura and Britannia are mid-sized ships.
Aurora and Arcadia, the smallest ships in the fleet are adult only.
I sailed on P&O’s Ventura down to the Canary Islands from the UK one Christmas. We had storms and rough seas. Find out all about that here:
MSC provides some of the best value cruises around.
MSC are an Italian cruise line and guests onboard speak a variety of languages. Announcements and entertainment happen in multiple languages but the staff on MSC cruises do speak English.
I’ve been on many MSC cruises and there has always been a high percentage of English speakers onboard.
MSC are very popular with families and young cruisers, they have solo cabins on their newer ships and occasionally have ‘no solo supplement’ promotions.
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Onboard Cruise Experience
MSC cruises are relaxed and fun. MSC do have ‘Gala’ nights although these aren’t very formal.
I once saw a man wear a vest top (tank top) and a baseball hat to the Gala night.
The design of MSC’s cruise ships are all very similar, they’re modern and usually include diamonds/sparkles!
MSC Cruises provide amazing value for money.
It is possible to cruise for under £50 per night if you book last minute and/or cruise out of season. MSC Cruises include dining in the main restaurant and buffet, accommodation and entertainment.
To find out more about what the MSC cruise fare includes check out this post
One of the best things about MSC Cruises, in my opinion, is that their itineraries are extremely flexible.
Guests are able to embark and disembark the ship in almost any cruise port which means that you can really cater the cruise to you.
On most cruises, you’ll have a set embarkation and disembarkation date and won’t be able to change this.
Because guests board and disembark every day there isn’t a traditional ‘first/last’ night show and muster drills are completed every day.
I recently took a cruise on one of MSC’s newest and largest ships, MSC World Europa. I had a “quirky” cabin! Find out what I thought of that here:
Why Are MSC Cruise Line Good For Solo Cruisers?
MSC have solo cabins on MSC:
Meraviglia
Bellissima
Seaside
Seaview
Grandiosa
Euribia
World Europa
MSC don’t, as far as I am aware, hold solo meetups or events but I put MSC on this list because of how fun and friendly the atmosphere is onboard.
I believe that MSC cruises are some of the best ones for making friends.
I’m not sure if this is to do with the fact that multiple languages are spoken on board but just speaking the same language as your fellow guests feels as though it automatically makes you friends.
Possible Cons
Upselling
MSC cruises are pretty cheap which means that they’ll try to ‘up-sell’ you drinks packages and dining when you’re on board.
On other cruise lines, this will usually stop after the first night but because guests embark every day with MSC Cruises the upsell seems to happen a lot more.
The food may not be to the taste of cruisers used to cruising with American/British cruise lines.
I have never had any problems with the food on MSC Cruises.
I took 5 friends with me on the MSC Meraviglia and nobody ever had any complaints.
The food was all hot and the portions were of a decent size. That said, cruisers used to big American/British portions may not like the food on MSC.
The below cruise lines also have great solo options but I haven’t personally tried them. I don’t recommend anything unless I have first-hand experience.
