10 Tips to Booking a Cruise When Newly Single
While many resorts and land tour operators cater to single travelers, there’s something exciting and memorable about taking a high seas cruise. This type of vacation allows you to easily explore multiple ports-of-call, but be able to retire nightly to your cabin aboard the cruise ship, which is your home away from home for the duration of your vacation. Whether you’ll be traveling alone as a recent divorcee, or embarking on a cruise with a few friends, conduct basic research before making important decisions related your cruise getaway.
First, calculate your overall budget, determine how long you’d like to travel, and where you’d like to go. Popular cruise destinations include the Caribbean, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Alaska, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, South America and the Panama Canal. Next, research which of the cruise lines offer itineraries close to what you’re looking for, during your desired travel dates. This is research you can do online, or with the help of a travel agent or tour operator.
Many of the popular cruise lines specialize in catering to specific types of vacationers, such as honeymooners, families with kids, seniors, or singles. Each ship within a cruise line’s fleet also often offers themed sailings and lifestyle cruises that cater to specific audiences, such as gay travelers, singles, or people with a specific hobby or interest.
“Cruising can be a great way to meet other singles. You should never feel intimidated to go on a cruise by yourself. There will always be other singles aboard the ship in your same situation. What better way to meet new people? There are many websites devoted to cruises specifically for singles. There are also many singles organizations and online dating sites that organize cruises,” said Michelle Jerson, a producer and spokesperson for TravelZoo.
When booking a cruise, every ship has several types of cabins, all of which will be relatively small (compared to traditional hotel rooms). The size of the cabin and its location on the ship, plus the duration of the cruise, and the time of year you’re traveling will all help determine how much you ultimately pay. As a general rule, cabins with ocean views and verandas cost more. The single most important thing to remember when booking a cruise is that you should never pay full price! With a bit of online research, there are amazing deals to be had, especially if you’re booking on a last-minute basis from an online travel website, or plan to travel during non-peak periods.
The following are money-saving tips for booking and planning your cruise vacation:
Search the web for deals.
After speaking with a travel agent and visiting the websites operated by the specific cruise lines, shop for the best deals offered by the popular online travel sites, like Hotwire, Travelocity, Kayak, and Orbitz. Travelzoo constantly updates its website with details about the best travel bargains available, including last-minute cruise opportunities. It’s often possible to save up to 50 percent off of published rates by shopping around for the best deals.
Account for extras.
In order to advertise extremely low rates, many cruise lines charge for upgrades and add-ons, as well as for extra services and amenities while you’re aboard the ship. Land excursions at each port-of-call cost extra. Plan on spending extra for activities, such as spa visits aboard the ship, alcoholic beverages, as well as bottled water and soft drinks during non-meal times. Before departing, determine what’s included and what’s not, and plan your itinerary according to your budgetary limitations. For a three to five night cruise, plan on spending at least $200.00 to $300.00 per person on extras, such as non-included activities, ground transportation, and land excursions.
Find a bunk mate.
Pricing can be more expensive when traveling solo, as much as double the cruise line’s double occupancy cabin rate. You may want to consider sharing a cabin with another single. This is a great way to guarantee a new friend on board from the start. There are a few things, however, you’ll want to determine before booking a room with a roommate, to make sure you’re compatible. “Ask about the other person’s age and social habits, such as whether they smoke, if they’re a heavy partier, and if they are an early riser or night owl,” added Jerson, who states that many single cruise tour operators offer a free cabin-mate matching service to help their clients save money.
Remember to get yourself there!
Often, when you book a discounted cruise, airfare to and from the port from which the ship departs from (Miami, for example), is not included. Thus, you’ll need to book your own airfares. Again, you’ll want to shop online for the best rates and allow plenty of room in your travel schedule for unexpected flight delays. This might mean booking a hotel in your departure city for the night before you set sail.
Book early.
For most land excursions, spa visit(s), and other optional activities, space fills up quickly. These reservations can be made when you initially book your cruise, or from the cruise line’s website prior to your departure. Once aboard the ship, there will be an activities coordinator or concierge who can help you book optional activities, on a space available basis. To avoid getting ripped off by local tour operators at the various ports-of-call, work with your cruise line or your travel agent to pre-book all activities and land excursions. Avoid hopping into a local taxi and planning your own impromptu adventures, unless you know exactly where you’re going and know how you’ll get back to the ship on time.
Consider purchasing travel insurance.
This is a wise move for any international travel. In addition to providing medical coverage, emergency evacuation coverage, as well as coverage for your luggage against theft or damage, travel insurance can protect you if your flights or connecting flights get delayed and you wind up missing your ship’s departure. Check with companies like AIG Travel Guard and Travelex to research your insurance options, or ask your travel agent.
You will need a valid passport.
Without working with a private passport processing company, applying for or renewing your U.S. passport can take two to eight weeks (or longer). To obtain a new U.S. Passport or to renew your existing passport, visit the U.S. Department of State website. If you’re under a time crunch and need a passport within 48 hours, contact It’s Easy: Vital Documents To Go at (866) 487-3279. Plan on spending up to $275.00, including government fees, for the rush service.
Pack appropriately.
While the airlines allow you to check two full-size suitcases (up to 50 pounds each), plus have a carry-on and a personal item, your cabin aboard the ship will be small, with very little room to store suitcases. Pack using soft-sided luggage or a duffle bag that’s easy to carry. During the days, the dress code aboard a cruise ship is ultra-casual. Some ships host one or two formal evenings, so dressy attire is appropriate. You’ll save a fortune if you bring all of your needed toiletries and medications, as well as basic items such as a hat, sunglasses, bathing suits, sandals, batteries, film and sun block from home. These items are available aboard the ship, but you’ll pay a hefty premium. If you tend to suffer from seasickness or motion sickness, speak with your doctor and bring over-the-counter or prescription medication with you.
Arrange for phone service.
Your cell phone will not work aboard a cruise ship, thus, you’ll need to use the ship’s satellite telephone, or the ships cyber cafe to access the Internet. This can be extremely costly — to the tune of $2 to $5 per minute to use the phone, or 75 cents per minute or more for Internet access. Purchasing a pre-paid phone card and making calls when you reach each port-of-call is a much cheaper option than using the on-ship communication services. Near where your ship docks at almost every port-of-call, you’ll find public phones and a cyber cafe offering inexpensive Internet service. From the ports-of-call, some U.S. based cell phones will work (if your service plan offers international roaming), but the per-minute fee will be between $1 and $3 per minute.
Embrace the idea of going solo.
If you’re specifically looking for a singles cruise with the goal of meeting new people, consider booking through an independent tour operator (such as Vacations To Go or wSinglesCruise.com), which specializes in singles cruises. These tour operators reserve large blocks of cabins aboard well-known cruise ships, provide their own onboard host, plus coordinate activities exclusively for single travelers (such as cocktail parties, mixers, games, group excursions, and singles dining opportunities).
Vickie Meeuwsen, a spokesperson for SinglesCruise.com explained, “When you go on a singles cruise, you know there are going to be a large number of singles on board. If you book a regular cruise, you’re not guaranteed to meet and interact with 100 to 150 other singles. Some of our larger cruises, such as our ’20s to 30s Spring Break Cruise’ and our ‘Halloween Cruise,’ have up to 450 singles traveling together. We run between 16 and 20 singles cruise events each year. All day, every day, we plan events aboard the ships for the singles traveling with us.”
When you book a singles cruise through a tour operator, you might pay a premium, but you’re guaranteed to have the vacation experience you’re looking for. We have great relationships with the cruise lines, so we’re able to offer excellent rates, but we charge extra for our program because we have to coordinate the special events and pay our onboard host, for example,” added Meeuwsen, who stated that most singles prefer three to seven-night cruises.
Booking your first singles cruise can be a bit intimidating. That first night aboard the ship, all of the singles are complete strangers, so everyone is in the same boat (literally and figuratively). By the end of the cruise, you’ll have bonded with many other people and probably will have made some great new friends for life. “People who take singles cruises are not necessarily looking for a romantic partner. Some are just looking to meet new people or don’t want to travel alone,” said Heeuwsen.
LEARN ABOUT AVAILABLE CRUISES HERE:
Carnival Cruise Lines – (888) CARNIVAL
Celebrity Cruise Lines – (800) 647-2251
Disney Cruise Lines – (800) 951-3532
Holland America Cruise Lines – (877) SAIL-HAL
Norwegian Cruise Lines – / (866) 625-1166
Oceania Cruises – (866) 765-3630
Princess Cruises – (800) PRINCESS
Royal Caribbean – (866) 562-7625
