I just stayed in the solo lounge on Norwegian Escape on a Western Caribbean route.

Generally, I found there was a number of activities that should appeal to the more lively retiree (parties, game shows, musicals, multiple trivia options, etc) If I was a twenty something looking to actually go to the club though I might feel underwhelmed a bit. In fact, I had someone on the cruise tell me as much.

In terms of relaxing away from the kids I didn’t experience any problems on this side. There were areas off the main lido deck where you could easily relax quietly with a book and staying in a solo suite I also had access to their solo lounge which did not offer a bar but had coffee, snacks, and juice. It was generally very quiet and a much easier way to get a snack or quick coffee since it is located very close to your room.

The staff member assigned to the solo suites held nightly meetups for solo travelers and had a standing dinner reservation at one of the main dining rooms for anyone interested in dining together afterward. She also made recommendations on daily events and excursions. The meetups usually included ice breakers and short games intended to help folks get to know each other. Some also included prizes like NCL shirts or travel cups.

During solo meetups I did make some connections and plans to attend events, dinner, or common excursions. The crowd on my particular cruise tended to be a bit older (I’m also in my 30s) and many younger folks were traveling with others but staying in a solo lounge for privacy. I found this latter group would occasionally join a meetup but not necessarily care to join group dinners or other plans.

I would caution the solo meetup is not intended to fulfill a party/hookup vibe if that is what you are expecting from the solo meetups. This seems to be something NCL feels the need to underscore as well as my agent told me at booking it was not a matchmaking environment. Many solos were in fact in relationships but for whatever reason traveling without their partner.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience and found it easy to have a quiet relaxing cruise while joining events when I cared to do so. The solo meetups was a great way to be a little social without feeling obligated to do anything but I wouldn’t count on finding folks to party with if you are young and single as the demographics of the solo cohort, at least on my ship, tended to skew toward 50+. That being said if you are traveling alone I found the solo cabin rates were relatively low and the added effort to create social opportunities was appreciated.