Tips on Booking a Solo Alaska Cruise Aboard a Small Ship

February 9, 2024 • Lis Larson
Find good company in Alaska with our small ship cruises that are great for singles. Read tips on what it’s like, answers to your questions on single supplements and how to book at the best solo traveler rate.
A single female traveler waves from the entrance to a tribal house in Alaska

Want to go to Alaska as a single traveler? An Alaska small ship cruise is an excellent way to go if you’re up for adventure. While the experience will be quite different from something like a themed Alaska singles cruise aboard a large cruise ship (see our Big Ship vs Small Ship for all the core reasons why), if your idea of fun is more off the ship than on one, then you’ll find good company.

There are currently no dedicated Alaska singles cruise sailings aboard expedition ships, but there are plenty of ways to get aboard with a mix of couples, families and other solo travelers.

Solo Cruises to Alaska – What They’re Like

Aboard a small expedition ship with AdventureSmith Explorations, it can be a lot like “a summer camp for adults,” as one of our past passengers described it. Depending on your ship and cruise itinerary, often different levels of adventure are offered, pairing you with different small groups of other travelers multiple times each day. One day, for example, you might pair up with a guide or another traveler into a double kayak. You might take a shoreline walk, or opt for a longer hike into wilderness with a group of 8. Meals are casual affairs with open seating and various table configurations, and often the guides join you for meals.

A solo Alaska traveler seen paddling on a white paddleboard with bright yellow moss on the shoreline behind her

Alaska Cruise Single Supplements Explained

Imagine booking a hotel room as a solo traveler: the rate is the same whether you have two people in the room or not. That’s the same with cabins aboard a ship. But to help out single travelers, cruise operators will often offer a “single supplement.” This equates into a percentage that a person will pay in addition to the double-occupancy rate to book the cabin for solo occupancy.

For example, some single supplements are 50%. This means the solo traveler would have to pay the normal double-occupancy price, plus 50% of the cabin’s other listed (per-person) double-occupancy rate. The same concept for Alaska single cruise supplements, listed another way by some operators, is noted as “1.5x the per-person rate.”

A man in a black jacket and hat standing on the deck of a ship with a tidewater glacier and mountains in the background with a cloudy sky.

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Finding No Single Supplement on Alaska Cruises & Other Deals

To avoid a single supplement, simply find a ship that offers dedicated single cabins. These may not always be priced as low as double-occupancy cabins, but some might be. Dedicated single cabins are often smaller in size, and have a single twin bed, versus two twin beds. Ships with dedicated solo cabins in Alaska include, for example, the 22-guest Safari Quest, 36-guest Safari Explorer, 74-guest Wilderness Explorer and 60-guest Wilderness Adventurer. And some ships like the 12-guest Sea Star do not charge a single supplement at all for a few of their double-occupancy cabins.

Another way to skip single supplements is to browse our many Alaska cruise deals to find special offers for waived or reduced single supplements on Alaska cruises. Take a peek, or contact our team to search the best Alaska singles cruise deals for you.

We are experts at matching travelers to the cruise that fits their interests, ability and budget. We will help you find the best price and experience in Alaska. Let us assist you sorting through all the logistics, planning and booking your trip.

FIND THE BEST SOLO CRUISE

See the full list of our Alaska cruises,
or view all our deals & filter by the “solo traveler” topic.

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