nuorlenzgal

I would appreciate any advice you can give me about cruising as a single woman. I have never been on a cruise. I'm 64 years old and do not want to share a cabin with someone else. I am thinking of cruising to Alaska.

I'm on a limited budget. I know I'll only make this trip once, so I want to spend my money on the things that really count.

Can you recommend lines with the lowest single supplements? Or lines which offer rooms for singles? Is it worth spending more money to get an outside cabin or a special deck?

I am a casual gal, would prefer not to be around clamoring children.

I am interested in seeing beautiful scenery and flowers, wild animals from a safe distance, pets up close. Love learning about art and cultural aspects. No hikes or camping out for me.

I am comfortable being alone and entertaining myself. Not much of a small talker, but I am friendly and like making new friends. Like games like canasta, scrabble, dominoes, mah jongg and reading. I enjoy a good meal but it doesn't need to be gourmet to make me happy. I have no aversion to one cocktail before dinner or a glass of wine with dinner, but don't enjoy being around a lot of drinking. Am not into wine tasting or gambling.

I hope this isn't too much info....

Which tours do you feel are must sees for someone on a budget?

Is there something I've forgotten to ask that you feel is important?

SusieQQ

Vacations to Go has a site which gives the cruises which offer deals for singles. On the left side of the page under cruise deals click on singles and you will get a list with the discounts they are offering.

http://www.vacationstogo.com/

Rhea58

SusieQQ has give good advice. Also, I believe HAL's
supplement is 150% & there may be others. Most do 200%.

Be forwarned that the ship's excursions in Alaska can be
quite expensive so that needs to be added to your budget.
Read up on what these are before you book a trip.

While an outside cabin is nice, many folks dress accordingly
so they can be outside as ship approaches scenic views.

zwho

I just got some promotional info from NCL and they now offer studios (for 1 person) on some voyages. Don't know about Alaska, but it's worth a phone call. Good luck

Leslie_S

As zwho mentioned, NCL has rooms for one on the Epic - I was just reading about that in Travel + Leisure's March issue. Article also says P&O has recently added single cabins to its new ship, Azura.

OK_Rancher

I'm not a woman, and I'm not 64, but I have travelled solo a number of times. Royal Caribbean and Carnival have a high number of children so they are most likely not your cup of tea. If you are looking to go to Alaska, Holland America does a great trip and they have nice food and a lot of activities. If you are doing this only once, I would look to get an outside room, with or without a balcony. Also, a friend of mine who once worked for a cruise line told me to never plan a trip to Alaska during July. I don't know if it is true, but the two couples I know who traveled there in July saw a great deal of rain; the other two couples who traveled in other months had great weather. It could just be a coincidence, but...

gail

Important point made above about budgeting for off-ship excursions in Alaska - they are expensive because they always involve transportation, sometimes rail or air, to see something memorable. Not much in most ports other than t-shirt shops. If budget is a concern, spend the money on these, even if it means getting an inside cabin to save money.

The on-board Alaska cruise experience should suit you fine. We have been on a number of cruises and found the Alaska crowd to be very different - much more interested in the Alaska experience than drinking and partying. Example - we were looking to have a drink around 11:30 one night and had difficulty finding an open bar on-board (Princess line). People also were less concerned with showing off their new cruise wardrobes - most dressed for comfort and the weather during the day.

doug_stallings

If you are on a budget, you can save a LOT of money by simply not booking ship-sponsored excursions. In Alaska, you can almost always find the same tours at the dock for at least a third less, if not more.

I'd second HAL as a cruise line for solo travelers. But neither NCL Epic nor P&O cruises in Alaska, so those are spurious suggestions in this case.

You want 1) a big ship to minimize the basic fare and 2) an outside cabin (ideally with a balcony) to maximize the view. If you can't pay in excess of $3000 for the cruise, then I guess book an inside cabin and make the most of it. But book a category guarantee rather than an individual cabin. You still might be upgraded to a window cabin that way. Book the highest-level inside cabin category available at a price you can afford and hope for the best.

But my number one recommendation is to speak to a good cruise travel agent who specializes in singles cruising. There are agencies that specialize in such things.

qwovadis

Lots of times better cheaper to book an internal CABIN

for more privacy for me rather than pay big single

supplement to be crammed in with someone I do not know

that might snore like a grizzly bear operating a chain saw.

(been there done that)

www.priceline.com www.vacationstogo.com www.skysuction.com

great deals on Alaska Cruises HAL and Princess for mature set

www.cruisecritic.com for ship reviews review carefully.

Happy Hunting,

KVR

I would also suggest reading the forums on Cruise Critic.

Single Cruises:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=139

Solo Cruises:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=373

Alaska forum:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

We are booked for Alaska in September. Also look on the cruise lines web-sites that you are interested in and review the offered tours in port. It will give you a good idea of things you might want to see/do. Many are pretty expensive as we are paying almost $1,200 for 3 shore excursions for 2 people, but I know it will be worth it.

1965

We are married couple, 63 and 66. We've cruised with Princess, Orient, Grand Circle, and Louis. We like Carnival Cruiseline best because they have the best prices usually, not always, but usually. In September you will not find many children cruising, and Alaskan cruises do not attract many families with youngsters. Some will tell you they are a "party" cruiseline, but that has not been our experience. We are not partiers, and don't even drink. We're about to take our 5th cruise with them. We cruised the inside passage with Carnival in May of '07. Don't remember seeing a child onboard. Our inside cabin was very comfortable. We always get inside cabin because they tend to be quieter, are certainly cheaper, and we are there just to sleep, shower, and nap or rest. We booked a helicopter ride over a glacier to a mushing camp and got to mush. That was pretty expensive. But our other optionals were reasonable. The little villages are pedestrian friendly, so you don't always need to book an excursion. Don't know if this is always the case, but there was a marine biologist or someone like that who alerted passengers if the ship was about to come in view of whales, otters, seals and other interesting wildlife. I loved that. Hope you have a wonderful cruise.