One if by sea
Norwegian Cruise Line changed up the cruise industry in 2010 when it pioneered the industry’s first solo staterooms with the debut of Norwegian Epic. The concept was simple – have an offering where single cruisers could sail on their own and pay less than a traditional double occupancy room – without having to fork over a single supplement fee.
“Solo travellers, like all travellers, are indeed eager to explore new places across the world. Cruising offers an easy, safe and engaging environment for people to travel solo,” John Chernesky, senior vice president of North America sales for NCL, told Travel Courier. “As a result of seeing a surge in popularity of solo travel both within the brand and industry wide, in 2023, we expanded solo stateroom offerings to include inside, oceanview and balcony categories across our entire fleet.”
In addition to a range of staterooms designed for solo travellers, NCL also gives these cruisers exclusive access to a dedicated lounge where solo cruisers can relax and socialize with other solo cruisers.
“With dedicated solo staterooms expanded across NCL’s fleet, there are more opportunities than ever before for solo travellers to book longer, more immersive journeys to many of the bucket-list destinations we visit like the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Asia, Hawaii and beyond,” added Chernesky. “From 2023 to 2024, we have seen an increase in solo cruisers from Canada travelling to a variety of destinations including the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda, the South Pacific and Asia.”
In addition to catering to solo cruises, he pointed out that the solo staterooms aren’t just for those travelling by themselves.
“They are also for large or multigenerational families looking for a seamless vacation, as our Studio and solo stateroom categories perfectly cater to those who have a member that prefers to travel in their own room,” he noted. “For example, the Caribbean is a hotspot for families looking for an easy, tropical getaway, and with 15 ships sailing to the destination through the rest of the year, there are more opportunities for these solo family members to have the comfort of their own stateroom. As a father of two teenage twin boys, I contemplate booking a solo stateroom for myself sometimes.”
As a cruise line that’s exclusively for adults, Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of Virgin Voyages says the biggest trends they are seeing is for kid-free holidays in general, but adds that solo travel is also trending. So much so that the cruise line offers cruise promos entirely for solo cruisers.
“We’ve had a significant increase in solo travel. People love being on the ships on their own. We’ve created programming on the ships for solo [cruisers]. We have solo meetups, we have hosted dinners every night on board the ships, so that people can dine with other people, meet new friends, and it’s been a big part of what’s made the program successful. So, yeah, huge, huge growth in solo travel.”
For agents with solo traveller clients, Saverimuttu suggests that they consider recommending a cruise.
“If you’re thinking about solo travel, going on a cruise is a nice, easy way to do a solo trip because you know that you’re going to be able to meet people, they’re going to be in a safe environment, and everything is taken care of,” he added. “I think it’s a big part of travel going forward.”
It’s not just ocean cruising that’s seeing more demand for solo travellers. At luxury river cruise line AmaWaterways, chief sales officer Alex Pinelo has witnessed an increase in demand from solo travellers.
“More individuals are discovering the benefits of solo travel, and river cruising offers an ideal environment for solo adventurers to explore new destinations in a safe and social setting. To meet this growing interest, we’ve introduced special offers and amenities tailored for solo travellers, ensuring they feel welcomed and well-catered to on board,” Pinelo told Travel Courier. “This demographic is increasingly seeking unique and authentic experiences, allowing them to immerse themselves in new cultures. We are seeing more interest from them for many of our theme cruises – wine, Latin Touch, etc. Solo travellers tend to be well-educated and financially secure, willing to invest in tailored experiences that meet their specific needs.”
Notably, Pinelo points out that the largest segment “is certainly solo female travellers.”
To cater to this growing demand, the majority of the AmaWaterways ships cruising the rivers in France have two solo French balcony staterooms. There is no single supplement but with a limited inventory, he recommends booking early.
Meanwhile, Pam Hoffee, president of Avalon Waterways, believes they’re attracting more solo travellers by design. The river cruise line celebrates solo cruisers by waiving the single supplement on most Europe departures and select sailings on the Mekong in Southeast Asia.
“We are seeing an uptick in solo traveller bookings. That’s probably by design — we have one of the best promotional offers for solo travel, which is we offer a single supplement waiver which goes up to every category other than the Royal Suite. They can get a Panorama Suite with a single supplement waiver.”
Solo cruising selling tips
When speaking to clients, Norwegian Cruise Line’s John Chernesky, senior vice president of North America sales, suggests that travel partners lean into how solo cruising offers guests an opportunity to explore an immersive destination, such as Europe, which some can find daunting as well as costly to arrange for transportation and accommodations across numerous cities.
“Cruising removes this hassle by allowing solo travellers to have a home base that they can return to each night after walking around in a new city each day, all while only having to unpack once. Our ships offer onboard programming opportunities for solo guests to get to know one another through fun activities.”
