Taking a cruise always used to be joked about as the ideal hunting ground to track down rich widows looking for romance. In fact, cruising has long been held up as an ideal option for single travellers wanting to meet like-minded souls in social and safe surroundings. With shared tables at mealtimes, group activities onboard and ashore, and even gentleman hosts to ensure that no one is stuck for a dance partner, it’s easy to see why cruise ships are such a magnet for today’s Bridget Jones’s.
Some cruise lines cater more strongly for single cruisers than others, with popular choices including Fred Olsen, Cunard and Swan Hellenic. P&O Cruises also caters for singles, though it’s most popular ships for this market are Oriana, Aurora and Artemis where up to 5% of passengers can be lone travellers. Cruises which tend to attract a higher proportion of single cruisers include longer voyages, northern Europe sailings and transatlantic crossings.
The market has grown beyond more mature single cruisers to include family groups where one or tow of the party might require their own cabins. Steady demand from solo customers – a market which some cruise lines feel is destined to grow – has prompted P&O Cruises to build its first single cabins in recent years on its new ship Azura, to be launched in 2010, would have 18 outside and inside single cabins, which would be 25% smaller than standard two-berth cabins. They will measure 120 square feet, as opposed to 160sq ft for two-berths, but will be designed to be more comfortable for single customers with a wider single bed. P&O had been prompted to add single cabins by demand from customers.
Post your comments below.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment