TORONTO — Solo travellers in search of a cruise will find options as varied as the cruise lines themselves.

And that’s because cruise lines – from those with the biggest ships, to the smallest niche vessels – are catering to solo travellers like never before.

For this final installment of Travelweek’s Solo Travel series, we connected with Terri Haas, VP of Sales and Marketing for Star Clippers America, and John Chernesky, Senior VP of North America Sales for NCL, to find out what these two very different cruise lines offer solo travellers.

Onboard Star Clippers’ unique tall ships – the 227-passenger Royal Clipper and the 166-passenger sister ships Star Clipper and Star Flyer – the relaxed and intimate atmosphere allows single travellers to fully unwind, without getting overwhelmed by a rigid schedule or large crowds, according to the company. Star Clippers passengers can take advantage of waived single supplements for select 7- to 10-night sailings booked by Jan. 31, 2024.

Meanwhile NCL is a trailblazer in solo cruising, introducing the industry’s first solo staterooms with the debut of Norwegian Epic in 2010. In October 2023 NCL announced the fleet-wide expansion of its solo stateroom category. NCL’s product offering for solo cruisers just keeps growing, as Chernesky tells Travelweek.

Terri Haas, VP Sales and Marketing for Star Clippers America

Terri Haas

VP Sales and Marketing

Star Clippers America

Travelweek: Why do solo travellers like Star Clippers?

Haas: “Our small vessels make it easy to meet new friends. The casual atmosphere and friendly, outgoing guest mix contributes to this as well. And we waive the single supplement on select sailings throughout the year, making the pricing more attractive.”
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Travelweek: How does the company cater to solo travellers?  

Haas: “Waiving the single supplement on select sailings goes a long way with our guests. Onboard, the crew is on the lookout for solo travellers, and will help to seat them with other guests early in the cruise to make it easier for them to mix and mingle and find new friends.”
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Travelweek: What trends do you see for solo travel going forward?

Haas: “Many people are feeling comfortable travelling solo to smaller destinations on smaller vessels, and looking for a unique experience; we also see more small groups of friends who like to travel together but don’t necessarily want to share a room.”
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Travelweek: What advice does the company have for agents looking to tap into the solo travel market and close more bookings with these clients?

Haas: “Suggest ‘girlfriend getaway’ or ‘friends group trips’ for groups who want to travel together but stay in their own cabins. Promote sailings with a waived single supplement for the savings.”

Star Clippers’ Royal Clipper

John Chernesky, Senior VP of North America Sales for NCL

John Chernesky

Senior VP North America Sales

Norwegian Cruise Line

Travelweek: What percentage of NCL passengers are solo passengers?

Chernesky: “In 2023, solo travellers, a growing demographic, made up around 9% of all Norwegian Cruise Line guests.”
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Travelweek: NCL has become a leader in its product offering for solo cruisers, especially with its fleetwide expansion of the solo stateroom category. Why is NCL prioritizing this market?

Chernesky: “Although solo travel has been on the rise for many years now, Norwegian actually tapped into this market in 2010 when we pioneered the industry’s first solo staterooms with the debut of Norwegian Epic.

“Priced and designed for the solo traveller in mind, Norwegian Epic featured the Studios where single cruisers could sail on their own and pay less than a traditional double occupancy room without a single supplement.

“As a result of seeing a recent surge in popularity of solo travel both within the brand and industry wide, we expanded our solo stateroom offerings to include inside, oceanview and balcony categories across the 19-ship fleet.  We recognized the importance of the solo traveller demographic and wanted to offer more opportunities to these guests by making it easier for them to sail around the world aboard our entire fleet.”
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Travelweek: How does NCL cater to solo travellers?

Chernesky: “As the first cruise line to debut the first ever studio staterooms in 2010, Norwegian has long been the leader in offering experiences tailor-made for solo travelers.

“The success of the Studio staterooms, available on board nine of our latest ships, reinforced the demand for solo accommodations, and as a result we increased our solo traveller occupancy by 144%.

“In addition to the recent expansion, the nine ships that originally featured the Studio staterooms also boast the Studio Lounge, which is a private, keycard access only area for like minded travelers to mix and mingle.

“Our offering for solo travellers goes far beyond just staterooms. We actually incorporate onboard programming for solo travelers on all of our sailings. While on board, solo travellers can attend solo traveller meet ups. Our cruise staff will help our solo travellers organize group activities like seeing a show or attending dinners together. We’ve even seen some solo guests get together to experience shore excursions and then continue to keep in touch following their cruise.”

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Travelweek: What feedback does NCL hear from solo travellers?

Chernesky: “Guest feedback is an incredibly valuable consideration when evaluating our onboard experience.

“While Studio stateroom feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, we found that solo travellers desired more options as well as guests travelling with groups who prefer their own rooms. They wanted the ability to see more of the world and have more itinerary options beyond those on our newer larger ships that featured Studio staterooms. Our guests also wanted the ability to enjoy more stateroom categories, including those that offer more space and breathtaking ocean views, without paying a single supplement, and we are thrilled to now offer them this option across our fleet.”

Norwegian Aqua, scheduled for delivery in 2025

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Travelweek: What does the company expect to see in the future for solo travel trends?

Chernesky: “With more consumers favouring experiences over products, we see the opportunity for all travel, and especially solo travel, to continue to grow. Solo travellers, like all travellers, are indeed eager to explore new places across the world. Cruising offers an easy, safe and engaging environment for people to travel solo.

“With dedicated solo staterooms now expanded across the entire fleet, there is more opportunity than ever before to book solo travellers on longer, more immersive journeys to many of the bucket-list destinations we visit like Europe, Alaska, Asia, Hawaii and beyond.

“We also expect to see an uptick in guests choosing to stay in the solo staterooms despite travelling with others for a bit more privacy and personal space.”
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Travelweek: What advice does NCL have for agents looking to tap into the solo travel market and close more bookings with these clients?

Chernesky: “When working with single travellers, we encourage travel partners to highlight how cruising is the most convenient way to travel solo.

“Many guests who are interested in exploring an immersive destination, such as Europe, can find it daunting and costly to arrange for transportation and accommodations across numerous cities. Cruising removes this hassle by allowing solo travellers to have a home base that they can return to each night before walking around in a new city each day, all while only having to unpack once!

“For those interested in exploring ports with other travellers, our ships offer onboard programming opportunities for solo guests to get to know one another through fun activities.

“Additionally, for the travel partners who have a large or multigenerational group looking for a seamless, easy vacation, our Studio and solo stateroom categories perfectly cater to those who have a member who prefers to travel in their own room.”

NCL’s Solo Balcony Staterooms will be available across the entire fleet

Click here for Travelweek’s interview with Steve Born, Chief Marketing Officer for the Globus family of brands on Cosmos’ solo traveller product, and here for a chat with Charlotte Field, Marketing & E-commerce Director with solo travel specialist Just You.