Get in early and stay informed for the best deals, writes Tiana Templeman.
In many ways, cruising is the ideal holiday for solo travellers. There is plenty to do both on and off the ship, it's easy to strike up a conversation with fellow travellers and there is no need to worry about the logistics of getting from one destination to another. However, there is one issue which is anything but smooth sailing: the dreaded single supplement.
Fortunately, cruise lines are adapting to better meet the needs of solo travellers, with some lines waiving this additional fee. Single staterooms are another trend that is revolutionising the cruise industry. Newer ships such as Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Edge, Aurora Expeditions' Greg Mortimer, Holland America's Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam, and Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas, all have cabins designed for solo travellers.
Even with more lines offering single cabins and reduced or no single supplements, solo cruisers should book early to secure the best deals. Other solo saving strategies include joining cruise-line mailing lists to receive solo travel deals in advance or using the cabin-mate matching service available on some lines.
With this option, passengers can request to be matched with a same-sex travelling companion to share the cost of the room. However, this can be akin to playing Russian roulette, as reader and solo traveller Angela from Tauranga discovered on a recent cruise. Unfortunately, on this occasion Lady Luck was not on her side when it came to cabin mates. "It was a disaster and I will never do this again," she wrote.
