Was single boring or was just bad luck on my last cruise

I think it depends on the cruise, but I know when I sent to the singles meetup event on my last cruise, it seemed like there weren't a large number. Perhaps there were other events or parts of the ship that were more social with singles, but I'm not sure.

Def depends on the cruise. We cruise as a couple, always looking for single men to join us, and even for us the vibe changes every time. Shorter party cruises, like 3-4 nights, usually have way more single people looking to mingle. Longer or off-season sailings can be hit or miss. The official meetups are hit or miss too. You gotta check the adult areas/pool bars later in the evening. That's where the real social scene usually is, not the scheduled event.

Was it carnival? If so kinda surprised. Very cruise dependent - line, itinerary, time of year, ect. Also depends on the age range you’re looking for. For example you’ll probably find more single retirees on many cruises over singles in their 20s-50s. Caribbean cruises are probably the best, lots of people getting away with friends/family to relax. Alaska can be pretty good too, although I think that tends to be a “couples” trip. Europe/Med can be hit or miss - lots of US couples and retirees but there can be a younger European crowd, especially on a European line. No idea on Asia. Other less popular and thus more expensive routes are more likely to be retirees. Lines are probably the biggest factor. First when it comes to age/demographics, for example carnival and NCL are known for a younger party crowd. Royal and MCS usually have a young crowd but they’re much more geared to families. Celebrity almost always has an older crowd or lots of couples. Holland is primary retirees. I don’t know much about them but Virgin sounds like it may be a good solo cruiser choice. Also some lines like carnival offer single cruiser specific rooms while royal charges double for a single occupancy. So again, more singles will book those to save money. Shorter cruises often have more singles, especially those looking for a fun weekend away. While 12+ day again, more couples & retirees. Finally ship size makes it a pure numbers game. No matter the time of year you’ll probably have better luck finding more solo cruises onboard the 5,000+ passenger icon of the seas vs the under 2,000 passengers on Norwegian Sun..

i think the ship's atmosphere has a huge effect. i've been on ones where the whole upper deck bar after dark just felt like one big low-key party. but ive also been on ones where it felt like everyone just retreated to their cabins. you just gotta feel it out night by night.

I don’t know if it me or just the crowds on the ship…. But I am currently on the third leg of a b2b2b and first one had ZERO action. Things warmed up on the second one and the one I am on now has a ton of potential! Hoping to go 2 for 3!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

It definitely depends, but the onboard app chats and social spaces have been a game changer for us. A few cruises back, we connected with another couple through an (unofficial) adults-only group there before we even sailed. Made the whole week way more fun. The official meetups are often awkward, but if you find the right online group or forum for your specific sailing ahead of time, you can get a feel for the crowd. Sometimes it's just about finding where the more open-minded people congregate after dark.

We're a couple but we've found the same thing. Totally depends on the sailing. We’ve had amazing luck booking during known lifestyle-friendly weeks—the crowd is just more open from the start.