|
If you can afford to take a hotel-based vacation, you can afford
to take a cruise vacation. There are cruises available at all price
ranges - from budget to luxury - and all represent perhaps the best
value for your vacation dollar.
That depends on the ship, but generally the larger ships will have
the most activities. You may wish to lounge on deck by the pool
with a good book, sign up for exercise or cooking classes, swim,
play bingo or bridge, gamble in the casino, take in a Broadway-style
floor show or a magician's act, enter a talent show or a putting
contest, take a dance class, get a massage or attend a lecture.
And on our singles cruises, we offer private activities for our
singles group, such as singles cocktail parties (with complimentary
drinks), games, dances, mixers, and single-mingle dining.
Never! Think of a cruise ship as a floating resort on par with
any Las Vegas megahotel. On-board activities begin at dawn and go
into the wee hours of the night. The scenery is constantly changing,
and every port is filled with new and exciting opportunities for
exploration.
Cruises range from 3-night weekend escapes to 110-night,
around-the-world voyages.
Absolutely not. They range from yacht-like vessels with 100 passengers
to towering megaships with huge atriums and a maximum capacity of more
than 3,000 people.
A Day at Sea is a full day spent sailing between two ports. Most
cruises include one or more Days at Sea. Click here to read about
the many options you'll have to enjoy this time between port calls.
That's a term that refers to anything you do off the ship, in port.
At every stop, you'll have the option of exploring the area on your
own or as part of a group with a planned itinerary. You might hike
a tropical rain forest in the Caribbean, fish for king salmon in Alaska,
tour Mayan ruins in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, or take a
sightseeing tour.
Packing for a cruise is like packing for any resort-based vacation.
You'll want to bring comfortable, casual clothing for daytime on board
and in port, and swimsuits and workout clothes for pools, Jacuzzis,
saunas and health clubs. To be prepared for dinner in the dining
room, check out Dress Codes.
Smoking is permitted in designated areas only. Dining rooms are
smoke free. If you use our match program, we try to assign you by
smoking preference, but we cannot make any guarantees. Even smokers
requesting the match program should not smoke in the cabin unless
both roommates agree.
Most cruise lines charge tips to your onboard account automatically.
These tips can be adjusted to the level of service by speaking with
the purser's desk. Generally speaking, $10 per person, per day is
sufficient for tipping purposes, but you can confirm the guidelines
for any ship with one of our cruise counselors, prior to booking.
Most cruises start embarkation 3-4 hours before sailing. We recommend
that you arrive a minimum of 1 hour before the cruise is scheduled
to set sail.
All cruises now require proof of citizenship. On some itineraries,
a certified copy of your birth certificate and a driver's license
or government-issued photo I.D. are sufficient, on others a passport
is required. Visas may also be required on the more exotic itineraries.
Your cruise counselor will advise you on documents you will need
depending on your itinerary. All non-US and non-Canadian citizens
must verify proof of citizenship and visa requirements with the
embassy, consulate or immigration office of the countries in their
cruise itinerary.
You better believe it! More than ten million people will cruise in
the next year, and cruising routinely earns the highest ratings in
customer satisfaction among all vacation categories. Once you try
it, you'll be hooked.
No, the entire ship will not be single travelers. Singles At Sea
hosts a large group of singles on specific sailings, with numerous
singles-only activities, but not everyone on the ship will be single.
All cruise lines impose a supplemental charge on singles traveling
solo in a cabin. Singles who wish to avoid the single supplement
may bring a friend or use our new Match Program to be paired with
a same-sex single in one stateroom. Singles will be matched based
on smoking preference, and, whenever possible, age. Singles At Sea
guarantees to find you a roommate, whenever you sign-up before the
cut-off date. If we don't, we pay the single supplement on your
cabin and you pay only the per-person, double-occupancy rate! For
those who prefer a private cabin, single supplement rates will apply.
You will find a wide range of ages on any of our singles cruises.
We let you know the age range of each particular ship's "typical"
passengers with hints like "40+" or "for singles in
their 20s, 30s, and 40s".
On most sailings, the number of single cruisers is minimal and
there are few, if any, activities to help the singles meet. Singles
are frequently seated with couples in the dining room, and travel
with couples or families on shore excursions. Singles may have
difficulty meeting people and getting involved. On an hosted
singles cruise, we host a large group of singles and organize
onboard activities, cocktail parties, shore excursions and single-mingle
dining to ensure that no one is ever left out of the fun.
Our singles group will cruise at a great group discount. Your cruise
price includes your cabin, all meals, entertainment, parties and, of
course, all transportation between all the ports on your itinerary.
Your price also includes private activities for our singles group,
such as singles cocktail parties (with complimentary drinks), games,
dances, mixers, a T-shirt, and single-mingle dining. Items not
included are alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, optional shore
excursions, insurance, tipping, any personal services such as laundry,
beauty parlor, etc., and transportation to and from the ship (unless
you purchase airfare from the cruise line).
Not just suitable, they're perfect! Large cruise ships are now
designed with kids-only facilities, counselors, daytime activities
and nighttime baby-sitting. Children of all ages are welcome on
most ships. We even offer Single-Parents-Only cruises from time
to time.
Sorry, no. To be part of our singles group, you must book the
cruise through Singles At Sea. Any singles onboard who did not
book through Singles At Sea will be denied access to our special
events, cocktail parties, shore excursions and dining.
Deposit amounts depend on the specific cruise you are reserving,
and can be found on the online booking form. Most deposits range
from $250-$1000 per person. Final payments are generally due 70-90
days before the sail date.
On most ships, some cabins can accommodate up to 4 people, and a
few ships have cabins that accommodate up to 6 people. Generally,
there is a reduction in price for the 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th passengers
in a cabin. The cabins accommodating more than two guests may have
upper bunks. Ask your singles specialist for pricing and availability
on any triple or quad cabins.
The low group rates we offer do not drop as sailing approaches,
so it makes sense to book early. Prices are not guaranteed until
a deposit is paid. In most cases, our special rates will be withdrawn
by the cruise line about 60 days prior to departure, and rates
will increase. Reserve your space early to ensure the best rates.
The prices shown on our site are cruise-only, but our singles
specialists will gladly provide an air-inclusive price if requested.
If you plan to fly to your port of embarkation, you must decide
whether to arrange airline tickets on your own or use the AIR/SEA
program offered by the cruise line, which includes transfers between
the airport and ship and baggage handling. Click here to view
information that may help you with your decision.
Air schedules are released by the cruise line about 30 days prior
to sailing. The choice of airline, routing and flight times are at
the discretion of the cruise line. The cruise lines will only book
you on flights that will allow you to get to the pier in plenty of
time for departure. If you want to request a specific airline with
a specific routing and/or times, most cruise lines offer special
"air deviation" programs. There will be an airfare deviation
minimum charge of $50 per person for this service.
If you purchase the cruise line's airfare through Singles At Sea,
transfers are already included in the price. If you choose to
arrange your own airfare, you can still purchase round trip ground
transportation between the airport and the ship from your Singles
Specialist here at Singles At Sea. Ground transfers are non-refundable.
As an alternative, local taxi cabs are available at the airport right
outside the baggage claim area.
Unfortunately, cruise lines impose penalties for canceling a cruise
within 75 days of departure, up to and including loss of the entire
cruise price. A few lines penalize for cancellations as much as 90
or 120 days in advance of departure; ask your singles specialist for
the policy of the cruise you are interested in.
An illness, an accident or an unexpected situation can arise before
or during any type of vacation. Such an event might cause you to
cut short your cruise or cause your trip to be cancelled altogether.
Unfortunately, most cruise lines impose penalties for canceling a
cruise within 75 days of departure, up to and including loss of the
entire cruise price. A few lines penalize for cancellations as much
as 90 or 120 days in advance of departure.
We recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect against these
unexpected events. Click here for details regarding
the CSA insurance policy. Insurance Coverage and availability may
not apply to people living outside the U.S. For more information or
a complete copy of a policy, ask your Singles At Sea cruise counselor.
|
Can I afford a cruise?