You might be surprised to learn that a singles cruise is largely the same as a standard cruise in terms of the cruise experience itself. The activities, dining options, and travel itineraries available on singles cruises and normal cruises are alike in many ways, and the same ships are used for both. So, singles cruises aren’t some sort of extraordinary event where singles are funneled into each other for a week at sea of lawless lust – a singles cruise is really of the same genus as any other cruise. Yet it remains a unique species nonetheless, offering as it does a vacation that appeals to a narrower subset than the general population. Moreover, what one does on a cruise will be for the most part self-determined, so of course every cruise will be unique, and this applies in equal measure to normal and singles cruises. Basically, there are many similarities and a few differences between regular cruises and singles cruises, and we propose to set them down for you.
First, the similarities. The most obvious characteristic common to singles cruises and regular cruises is that they use the exact same cruise ships. Carnival, for example, offers many singles cruises, and these cruises take place on ships in the Carnival fleet that are used for any number of other types of cruise vacations. Since the same ships are used, the facilities and amenities on board are mostly the same. It’s not like a cruise line reconstructs a ship for a week-long cruise for singles. Singles cruises and normal cruises also follow similar itineraries, taking passengers to various cruise destinations around the world where they can engage in whatever pursuits and activities are available. There is a seven-night Alaskan singles cruise that starts in early August, and its itinerary, which lists the places the ship will sail to and the sites to be seen, reads like a normal Alaskan cruise, expect there are periodically references to singles events.
And this is of course where singles cruises become distinct from normal cruises. On normal cruises, there generally aren’t events – mixers and such – that are exclusively designed for singles. Also, when you are on a singles cruise, you are ipso facto advertising yourself as available. Naturally, this has consequences for the way days and evenings unfold, and also for the general atmosphere on board the ship. A Caribbean cruise for singles in their 20s (such things exist) will have a radically different feel than a cruise filled with retirees looking to see Europe (which also exist).
Overall, singles cruises are definitely their own thing – they are planned with satisfying singles in mind, so they have to be – but they are also fundamentally similar to any other cruise. Singles cruises use the same cruise ships as other types of cruises, meaning the facilities and amenities are common to both types of cruise, and the ships sail to the same places. People might think that a singles cruise is some sort of wild and morally dubious enterprise, but really they are a lot like any other cruise.
For additional information, you might read up on how to book a singles cruise, and you might also look into which singles cruise is best for you.
