Norwegian Cruise Line has announced it will be adding nearly 1,000 dedicated solo staterooms across all 19 ships in its fleet.

The cruise line opened the new solo cabins for sale this week, and is for the first time ever offering three new solo stateroom categories.

The new categories include the Solo Inside, Solo Oceanview and Solo Balcony.

These new solo categories will be available for future sailings from January 2^nd, 2024.

Pricing and availability will be dependent on the destination and demand, but solo travelers can expect to pay less than a traditional double occupancy room, according to Norwegian.

“We strive to provide our guests with diverse offerings to create their dream vacation,” 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 travelers.”

“We are continuously listening to our guests to deliver the experience they want,” he added. “After realizing the growing demand of individuals looking to travel on their own, we have now expanded single occupancy staterooms across our fleet.”

Guests staying in the new solo stateroom categories will also have access to the key card entry only Studio Lounge on select ships, which features a dedicated space to relax, and a bar equipped with beer and wine. A variety of snacks are also served daily.

Norwegian Cruise Line is also introducing scheduled activities for single travelers to mix and mingle.

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

Norwegian Cruise Lines introduction of the solo cabins comes in response to a recent surge in the popularity of solo travel within the tourism industry.

A growing number of individuals are choosing to travel solo, rather than in traditional groups of friends, family or with partners.

While there are no exact global figures at the moment, some travel agencies have reported a 200% surge in the number of solo travelers they’re serving.

A common explanation for the growth in solo travel is that post-pandemic more and more people are unwilling to wait for friends or family to be ready to travel.

Although more people are traveling solo, they are not necessarily interested in traveling alone. Travel agencies are creating solo groups and structuring itineraries around social activities so that people ‘travel solo, not alone’.

This makes Norwegian Cruise Line’s introduction of scheduled activities for single travelers to mix and mingle particularly timely in the current travel market.