Warm nights at sea, soft breezes, starry skies-can a person find happiness cruising alone, or is it a vacation for two or more?
If you`re looking for shipboard romance, you might be in for disappointment. But if you`re on your own and just out for a good time, a cruise can certainly fill the bill.
Cruises cater to the single vacationer in different ways; the important thing is to know what you want and what you`ll get on the different lines.
First, some caveats: Most cruise ships have a singles ”mixer” at the beginning of the cruise and that`s the extent of an event specifically geared for singles. Also, being single on a cruise and traveling alone on a cruise can be two entirely different things: Many cruise lines, such as Carnival, have groups of singles traveling together. The number who are actually alone is few (3 percent on Princess), so it takes initiative to hook up with others. That`s assuming you want to be with other people. For many people, an ideal vacation is sitting on a deck chair, absorbed in a good book and having another meal just a few minutes away. If that`s the case, you don`t want a ship whose agenda is jammed with activities that are going to be continually pulsating around you.
If you are traveling alone but don`t mind sharing a cabin, most cruise lines will try to match you up with a cabinmate. If you really want to be alone, in your own cabin, you probably will pay a premium. The single supplement is usually 25 to 50 percent more than what you would pay in a shared room.
Both the Carnival and Royal Caribbean lines have activities that appeal to the funnybones of many, and can provide a starting point of conversation.
”When I get someone who is young and says they`re looking for what`s perceived as the ultimate in a fun cruise, I don`t hesitate to recommend Carnival,” says Nancy Kelly of Oak Brook-based Kelly Cruises, a travel agency that specializes in cruises.
”But if I get a person who says they really don`t want a party scene, they don`t want the bar scene, then I start thinking of other options . . . Royal Caribbean also has a good singles program, but has a different atmosphere. Perhaps more sophisticated, although that doesn`t necessarily mean sedate.”
Royal Cruise Line (out of San Francisco, a different line from Royal Caribbean, out of Miami) caters to the single woman with its male escort program. These gentleman, 50 and over, are hired to dance with single women and escort them on shore excursions. ”We have many more single women on board than single men, and we don`t want them sitting on the sidelines,” said Royal Cruise`s Valerie Gadway. ”They are usually divorced or widowed, retired and charming . . . we even have one retired Presbyterian minister.”
Sports programs always offer opportunities for singles to meet others. Cunard Line`s Cunard Princess offers a SeaSport program, in which passengers can sign up for organized golf ($149 extra), tennis ($99) or hiking programs while in dock.
Along the same line are the health and fitness activities now offered by many ships. Carnival`s new Fantasy has a fully equipped health spa, aerobics classes and jogging track. Some people have the stamina to strike up conversations with strangers while jogging.
