What is the atmosphere on board like for solo/single cruisers?

I also don't want to wear a hat and blow a kazoo whilst meeting other guests.

How about just a vuvuzela?

How about just a vuvuzela?

That's more appropriate for a block party as it is loud and gives a mono tone.

Why we can't be left alone by a cruise company to meet fellow guests in a lounge whilst the band is played in the background is beyond me.

Why we can't be left alone by a cruise company to meet fellow guests in a lounge whilst the band is played in the background is beyond me.

I think we've all confused the heck out of them, especially when many continue to beat the "the large ships are too impersonal and have lost the cozy charm of the small ships" drum.

Granted, I think the block parties are an awful idea... but I don't like any kind of forced socializing which is what they feel like. I'd feel the same way if they made us play an icebreaker game after the lifeboat drill (please, NO ideas Seabourn corporate folks).

I think we've all confused the heck out of them, especially when many continue to beat the "the large ships are too impersonal and have lost the cozy charm of the small ships" drum.

 

Granted, I think the block parties are an awful idea... but I don't like any kind of forced socializing which is what they feel like. I'd feel the same way if they made us play an icebreaker game after the lifeboat drill (please, NO ideas Seabourn corporate folks).

They have;)

I think Seabourn should have taken a Las Vegas approach. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Or in this case, what Regent does, stays on Regent.

Well this thread took a turn, Back on topic. I have sailed solo on probably 20 cruises with Seabourn and of all the cruise lines I have sailed with they treat singles the best. I have been invited to officers tables every night and usually, unless it's the Capt. Table, turn down the offer but I know many singles like that. The other guests are incredibly friendly also and if I am dining alone (which I prefer) I am always asked by other guests to join them. Alternatively if I have made friends I can ask them to join me as the open seating allows that wonderful flexibility.

Some people get intimidated walking into a dining room by themselves, I don't but for those that do there is always a handsome member of staff to escort the ladies to a table. I have seen the female wait staff escort solo gentleman as well.

How many of those cruises were on the little ships v. big? You were very non-specific about that, and at least from what I've experienced the solo cruiser was far better looked after on the little ships. Then again, on the big ship it seemed men were only escorted if elderly, whereas on the little ships any single man had an escort.

How many of those cruises were on the little ships v. big? You were very non-specific about that, and at least from what I've experienced the solo cruiser was far better looked after on the little ships. Then again, on the big ship it seemed men were only escorted if elderly, whereas on the little ships any single man had an escort.

5 on the larger ships the rest on the original triplets. As a solo lady traveler I see no difference between the Odyssey class and the original triplets in the way I am treated.

My 25 year old daughter and sailed the legend last march on our first seabourn cruise. 6 out of the 7 nights we were invited to a hosted table in the main dining room. We were extremely impressed with the effort to help us meet other cruisers. We sat with some of the entertainers, staff and fellow cruisers and always enjoyed the evening. It was Usually a table of 12. Now I am contemplating an extended voyage next winter by myself and hope seabourn continues to extend invitations to the hosted tables. I really like this aspect of seabourn dining and have not experienced anything like it on other lines (Crystal, Cunard, regent) while traveling solo.

My 25 year old daughter and sailed the legend last march on our first seabourn cruise. 6 out of the 7 nights we were invited to a hosted table in the main dining room. We were extremely impressed with the effort to help us meet other cruisers. We sat with some of the entertainers, staff and fellow cruisers and always enjoyed the evening. It was Usually a table of 12. Now I am contemplating an extended voyage next winter by myself and hope seabourn continues to extend invitations to the hosted tables. I really like this aspect of seabourn dining and have not experienced anything like it on other lines (Crystal, Cunard, regent) while traveling solo.

It is part of the Seabourn culture to extend invitations to solo sailors and it will continue. I have never sailed with a cruise line that handled solo sailors as well as Seabourn. GO for it.

I've sailed twice as a solo on Seabourn, and I LOVE the hosted tables. I have always felt very comfortable traveling on my own on this cruise line, and I've had no trouble meeting compatible companions.

Count me as another solo who has just booked a second Seabourn cruise on Odyssey. Like the poster above, I went on my first cruise alone looking forward to getting good and isolated with a good book. Turned out I had a busier social life on board than at home. It was a real treat and one I look forward to again. (I met my next door neighbors as we left the dock chatting around the veranda divider. It was a nice start to the friendly tone of the voyage. (Count me as one who wants to dine alone at breakfast reading and journaling, but who loves a hosted dinner in the evening, it's nice to have somewhere to be sometimes.)

Is it like Noah's Ark or are people welcoming to new Seabourn passengers-solo/single specifically

Like any social setting, it's easier to make friends, if you are friendly yourself. I do a lot of solo traveling and rarely have trouble making new friends and having a wonderful time. HOWEVER, I always make the first move. Here's my advice on board: Say hello, ask someone what they thought of the show, the caviar, the food. Compliment their clothes, comment on the book they're reading. There are many ways to break the ice. Some folks will be frosty (they want to be left alone). Most are eager to make friends, but may be shy! Take the initiative and you'll have a blast!

I know this thread is over a year old but it is very enlightening........I always sail solo and considering a cruise on

Seabourn.........it looks like I would have a very enjoyable time:)...........(from reading all the responses, albeit a few

negatives).....I am looking at the Oddessy to the Caribbean in the spring:D

I too have sailed solo a number of times and can echo the previous comments that I found SB to be the most solo-friendly line to travel in the way they treat us "soloists" at dinner in particular. I enjoyed the hosted tables tremendously and RSVP'd a hearty yes to almost all of the invitations I received during my May 2017 Med cruise aboard Encore. I did meet a number of other soloists during the 2 weeks on board, and I dined with one very nice lady one evening. Another evening, I dined with a lovely couple from Sydney, Australia that I met during the first afternoon on board. I never felt like the proverbial third-wheel amongst Noah's ark couples. Most people were extremely friendly and eager to engage in conversation whether on board, or during a shore excursion. And because the passenger population is not ever so great (compared to some of the mega cruise ships out there), I did bump into fellow passengers that I had met earlier in the cruise and could then join them for drinks, after-dinner chat, lunch or whatever.

The positive nature of the entire experience as a soloist on Encore was a major factor in my booking my next cruise on Seabourn: The Ovation in July 2018 along the Norweigan coast. Can't wait!!

I am considering Seabourn for a solo cruise. Could you please let me know how do I find out about solo supplements?

Ivi

I am considering Seabourn for a solo cruise. Could you please let me know how do I find out about solo supplements?

Ivi

Call 1-866-755-5619

The usual Single Supplement for Seabourn is 75%. There are, however, some cruises that will offer a lesser SS. The best way to find out is to call Seabourn yourself, or ask your travel agent to explore for you.

Happy solo sailing!

Seabourn has, on occasion, published a list of cruises on which they are reducing the solo rate.

This is the last list I saw.

https://www.seabourn.com/assets//seabournclub/DiamondElite_SingleSupplementSailings_v01_161116.pdf

In 2016, they had several sailings with excellent single rates but they were all ones that were not selling well otherwise. Do not expect to pick up a great deal on a popular cruise.

I did the late October Athens-Monte Carlo 10 night in 2016 as a single. There were many of us onboard with over 20 at the solo gathering on the first night (and several others we met later). I had a fantastic time and met many interesting individuals on that cruise, both fellow solos and some nice couples.

I don't hope to sail solo again any time in the near future, but it was nice to know I could do so comfortably thanks to the great care Seabourn took in looking after their solo travelers.

Our experience with hosted tables has been a good one. And, like another poster experienced, we were sometimes asked to join a hosted table at the last minute as we reached the MDR due to someone canceling at the last moment. At the hosted tables, we met people we might not ordinarily meet--and all of conversations have been good ones. I can't remember dining in the MDR a single night where it was just the two of us. I will remember to tell the hostess next time that we would be delighted to be joined by a single person as well as by another couple.