Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), an innovator in global cruise travel, announced on Thursday that it is set to introduce nearly 1,000 dedicated solo staterooms across its diverse 19-ship fleet. 

Beginning this week, the company will open for sale for the first time three new solo stateroom categories, including Solo Inside, Solo Oceanview and Solo Balcony for future sailings starting January 2, 2024. With pricing and availability dependent on the destination and demand, solo travellers can expect to pay less than a traditional double occupancy room.

“We strive to provide our guests with diverse offerings to create their dream holiday,” said David J Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Since we first launched our solo staterooms in 2010 with Norwegian Epic, they have been quite popular with single travellers. We are continuously listening to our guests to deliver the experience they want. After realising the growing demand of individuals looking to travel on their own, we have now expanded single occupancy staterooms across our fleet.” 

Guests who stay in the new solo stateroom categories will also have access to the key card entry only Studio Lounge, available on select ships, which features a dedicated space to relax, a bar equipped with beer and wine and a variety of snacks served daily. In addition to their own lounge, solo cruisers can enjoy activities scheduled for single travellers to mix and mingle.

With the capacity of solo stateroom categories expanding from nine ships to the full 19-ship fleet, single cruisers have more opportunities to visit bucket-list worthy destinations such as Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand on vessels which historically have not had this unique offering. 

This announcement comes in response to a recent surge in the popularity of solo travel within the tourism industry, with a growing number of individuals choosing to travel the world solo, rather than traditional group travel with friends, family or partners. According to a study by Travelport, solo travel made up nearly 18% of global bookings in the travel industry.

More recently in solo travel statistics, Radical Storage reported a 267% increase in online searches for the term “solo travel” between December 2020 to April 2022. Lastly, from 2019 to 2022, Norwegian saw an increase in guests booking accommodations as a single occupant in non-studio staterooms. – TradeArabia News Service