Cruising Alaska Solo

Solo cruising has two problems: cost and company. Alaska solves the second better than most destinations, because the shared experience of a glacier day gives strangers something to talk about. The cost problem needs the right cruise line.

Cruising alone has two obstacles: what it costs and whether you will spend a week not talking to anyone. Alaska handles the second unusually well.

The cost problem

Cruise fares are quoted per person based on two people sharing a cabin, because the cabin costs the line the same either way. A solo traveller in a double cabin therefore pays a supplement.

On a $1,500 balcony fare, a 175 percent supplement means $2,625 rather than $1,500. That is the gap to solve.

The lines that solve it

Norwegian

The clear leader. Norwegian builds dedicated studio cabins, roughly 95 to 100 square feet, sold at a single occupancy rate with no supplement, and clustered around a private Studio Lounge with a bar and coffee, accessible only to studio guests.

That second part matters as much as the first. It gives solo passengers a natural place to meet each other on day one, which is the hardest part of travelling alone.

Studios are limited in number and sell out early. Book well ahead.

Holland America

Some ships carry dedicated single cabins, and more importantly the line offers fixed dining seating, where you are assigned the same table and companions every evening. For a solo traveller that is genuinely valuable: you meet the same five people nightly rather than starting over each time. See Holland America.

Cunard

Single cabins on some voyages, a strongly sociable structure, and the last line at sea that still provides gentlemen dance hosts for the ballroom. The enrichment programme also gives solo travellers a natural daytime focus. See Cunard.

Everyone else

Most lines will sell you a double cabin at a supplement. Some run occasional promotions with reduced supplements, particularly on shoulder dates in May and September.

Why Alaska is easier than other destinations

Shared experience. Standing on deck at Margerie Glacier with two hundred other people watching for a calving event is a natural conversation. So is a whale surfacing.

Naturalist programming. Talks and ranger presentations create a shared daytime focus that nobody attends as a couple activity.

Excursion mixing. Small boat trips of eight to sixteen people are inherently sociable, and the guide usually does the introducing.

Passenger mix. Alaska attracts people who came for the destination rather than for a romantic escape, which changes the social texture of the ship considerably compared with a Caribbean sailing.

Practical advice

• Book fixed dining if the line offers it. Repeated contact with the same people beats one off encounters.
• Attend the solo traveller meetup on day one if there is one. Most lines run them.
• Book at least one small boat excursion. Twelve people on a boat for three hours will talk to each other.
• Sit at the bar rather than a table on the sea day.
• Use the observation lounge. It is the most sociable public space on any Alaska ship.
• Consider a longer itinerary. Ten to fourteen nights gives relationships time to form; seven can be over before they do.

The cost comparison

A Norwegian studio in shoulder season is one of the best value cruise products available to a solo traveller anywhere.

Safety and comfort

Cruise ships are among the easier travel environments for solo travellers: enclosed, staffed, with clear procedures and no navigation required. Ports are small and safe. The main practical advice applies to everyone: note the all aboard time, carry your ship card and identification separately, and tell someone at home your itinerary and cabin number.

More on choosing a cabin in choosing the right cabin.