Solo travel - which cruise company/ship is best for me?

[Helloautumnagain]

Please help as my head is now fried from reading reviews and watching YouTube videos.

i’ve an urge to do a solo cruise, mainly because DP really seems to have an aversion to this form of holiday and I enjoyed the four cruises I did many years ago. I’m late 50s:

I’d like:

A mid size ship, maybe 2 - 3000 passengers
A company that looks after solo travellers, rather than being just an add on
A balcony cabin, which I know will come with an added cost
Not Butlins at sea but not mega stuffy either. I’d enjoy getting dressed up for a formal night or two
Interesting activities on board eg informative talks (not climbing walls etc!)
Good food

I’m thinking Mediterranean or Canary Islands for my first solo trip. Someone recommended the website Passion for Cruises which I’ve had a look at. I like their concept, but the cruises they have for the areas I’m interested in mainly seem to be on ships with poor reviews (eg P&O Azura).

I’d really appreciate any thoughts that MN experts can share, thank you.

I’m a solo traveller and I like the Yacht Club on MSC but I’ve also been very happy in a balcony cabin. I also like NCL. Not that I ever go for either companies huge ships and I think if you want a small ship then Holland America could be for you.

Ooo following this, DH can’t get time off for October half term and the kids are in football club the whole week so I’d love to do something like this. We have cruised with DC before on RCL and loved it, albeit with much larger cruise ships and eye watering prices for single occupancy.

@Weepixie thanks for these suggestions. I haven't looked at MSC in detail, however I have cruised with NCL in the past and I enjoyed it. They seem to have more of a solos offer than some other companies so I'll have a more detailed look.

The main challenge is the cost of a balcony cabin. I know I'd have enough space in an inside cabin by myself but I think I'd get quite claustrophobic. I even hate being in a hotel room with a window that doesn't open!

@ClassicalQueen sounds like a great plan!

Would the Fred Olsen ships be too small for you? They're not too formal, but also not climbing wall style either 😆

Would your DH consider a tall ship cruise like Star Clipper?
DH isn’t a cruise fan but loved the tall ship.

TUI/Marella sounds about right. They had lots of things set up for single travellers by the entertainment team - plus different meet ups and outings in port as well.

Smaller ship, not the fanciest but more than adequate and their Europe trips in summer are great. We did one around the Adriatic last year and it was brilliant.

My widowed father had good experiences on Holland America. He also liked Princess and Celebrity ( but that was before they got rid of black tie events twice a cruise). He hated P&O and Norwegian which were more family orientated and ( he said) downmarket.

In Holland America I believe he had the option to choose to be allocated to a table with ( the same) others for ‘fixed dining’ every night. He made good friends on the table so had company when he wanted it on excursions etc but could have privacy too if he wanted a quiet night dining in stateroom or in buffet/ elsewhere. I think the cruise companies do some light ‘matching up ‘ of folks on tables.

Although I haven't sailed solo myself, I know of some people who have sailed NCL as a solo and had a great time. On some ships they have dedicated solo lounges and events so you can get to meet with other solo travellers, plus a member of staff allocated to the solo travellers to help them get together with others. You can arrange to have dinner with others, or dine alone if you want. You can turn up to restaurants whenever you want, and request to sit with other solos or groups if you haven't made prior plans.

Thank you, really appreciate all these suggestions and will spend some more time browsing. I lurch between being really excited by the idea and then panicking that it would be a nightmare.

@stayathomegardener I don't think DP would be up for any ocean based holidays tbh. I can't quite get to the bottom of why not, but I don't want to go on a holiday I'd had to force on him.

@EvelynBeatrice your Dad sounds like my parents! They've done a lot of cruising and would make a similar assessment I think.

Saga have lots of single cabins but are for over 50s. Friends rave about them

Give Passion For Cruises a call. I travel solo a lot and their knowledge is amazing and they honestly get some amazing deals. I’ve had balcony cabins every time and they’ve been double occupancy for solo use, not tiny solo cells. Maybe look at Celebrity or Princess, agree Azura would appeal to me either!

On YouTube there is a channel called 'Tips For Travellers' - Gary often cruises solo. His channel is full of content about the best lines and ships for different types of cruisers (solo, older, family, extended family groups etc) plus tips for saving money and avoiding cruise scams. He also has a website
https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/

@Helloautumnagain If you can afford it, Noble Caledonia has small ships and lots of singles. You get included and it’s very sociable for everyone.

Highly recommend a you tuber called “Travel blog Jamie”. He does so many solo cruises, inside cabins, across all different cruise lines and isn’t afraid to be honest. I absolutely love his blogs.

Scenic.

I’ve gone solo on Virgin. They have a solo sailor program and there’s always a dinner that can be joined if you want to. There’s no main dining room or formal dress code so you don’t stick out as being alone.
Sometimes they have great deals on no single supplement. But not so often now.

I've just spotted that there's been some further responses to my questions, thank you all so much.

I've had Passion for Cruises recommended to me by a colleague too and agree that Gary on Tips for Travellers is really good. Watching cruise vloggers on YouTube is a bit of a guilty pleasure, so thank @Pepperedpickles for the suggestion as I haven't come across Travel blog Jamie. I'll investigate later!

Ambassador. Lots of single people and they do a special lunch for them. 1600 people, great talks and fantastic food.