Solo river cruises: how to get the best value for your clients

APT & TRAVELMARVEL 

Money talks

APT and Travelmarvel offer solo deals throughout the year – Travelmarvel is offering the eight-day Reflections of the Rhine and Main from £2,195pp in August, saving £1,250 for a solo traveller.

Seal the deal

Head of sales and business development Brad Bennetts says: “While margins may seem small initially, investing time into solo sales can yield great longer-term business for those who get it right. Travel partnerships are regularly forged on our ships, and our savviest trade partners are converting solos into profitable group bookings.”

CROISIEUROPE

Money talks

CroisiEurope mainly waives the single supplement as a special offer on selected cruises, and works with a number of UK solo traveller specialists. 

Seal the deal

John Fair, UK sales director, says: “CroisiEurope has a commitment to the growing UK solo traveller market; we look to offer as many no single supplement cabins where we can while ensuring solo passengers dine together onboard. River cruise is perfect for solo travellers as its intimate style allows plenty of opportunity to meet new people, to enjoy the rich culture of the countries visited and to make friends for life.”

JULES VERNE 

Money talks

Jules Verne works with travel partners to remove the single supplement wherever possible on mixed-group tours. Currently, 10 of the operator’s river cruises have no single supplement, while a range of solo group departures – such as the Danube Waltz river cruise – cater to those who want to travel exclusively with other solo guests.

Seal the deal

Abbey Renshaw, business development manager, says: “We have always attracted a high percentage of solo travellers – last year, 10% of our river cruise customers were travelling solo. People decide to travel solo for a number of reasons – whether it’s a desire for personal growth or because their partner and friends simply don’t want the same experiences as them.”

PANDAW 

Money talks

Pandaw offers no single supplement on a wide range of dates in all destinations and through peak months too.

Seal the deal 

Paul Mellon, business development manager for Fred Holidays, the GSA for Pandaw, says: “Pandaw is the most solo-friendly river operator in Asia. We attract a very high number of solo travellers, roughly 20-30% of guests onboard. Our expeditions attract a specific type of traveller, one looking for adventure but still in boutique comfort, rather than five-star luxury in a floating hotel. Our guests are very like-minded, and we have a great informal atmosphere onboard, not only between guests but also including our wonderful crew.”

RIVERSIDE LUXURY CRUISES

Money talks

Riverside offers 0% solo supplements across all ships in the fleet on every departure date in 2024 and 2025 in selected grades of suite – Harmony Suites on Riverside Mozart and Melody Suites on Riverside Ravel & Debussy. Early booking is recommended for Melody Suites, which are limited in numbers.

Seal the deal 

Charlie Hewitt-Davies, managing director UK, says: “With our 0% solo supplement, we attract a good number of solo guests – it can be as many as 30 on ships with a maximum capacity of 162 guests. We advise agents not to limit promoting solo travel on river cruises to ‘cruise clients’, as many of our solos enjoy different types of holidays, from walking and city breaks to gastronomy tours.”

RIVIERA TRAVEL 

Money talks 

Riviera Travel is promoting its largest-ever range of solo river cruises, with 12 dedicated itineraries on offer, up from nine. New options include a five-day Enchanting Rhine Yuletide Markets voyage, from £1,544pp based on sole occupancy. The line has also removed its single supplement across a range of 2024 Rhine and Rhone itineraries, making 533 cabins available to solo travellers at no additional cost, on select departure dates in August and October, which represents an 185% uplift in solo cabin availability.

Seal the deal 

Vicky Billing, head of trade and partnerships, says: “My advice is to highlight to clients how a river cruise seamlessly blends exploration and relaxation, mixing wonderful ports of call and in-depth shore excursions with the calmness and serenity of sailing the world’s waterways.”

TAUCK 

Money talks

Each year Tauck waives the single supplement on every Category 1 cabin onboard every riverboat, on every departure of every river cruise itinerary. On certain higher cabin categories on select departures, the single supplement is reduced by £750.

Seal the deal

Tom Dumbrell, UK national account manager, says: “Solo passengers are cherished by Tauck, and integral to the convivial atmosphere onboard. Our riverboats carry the fewest passengers on Europe’s rivers, offering more space per guest. Our exclusive experiences, such as ‘out of hours’ visits to the Louvre and Monet’s Gardens in Giverny enable solo travellers to enjoy experiences they could not arrange on their own.”

Tui River Cruises

Money talks

Tui River Cruises doesn’t currently have dedicated sailings or specific solo offers available for customers. However, there are a small number of cabins dedicated for solo travellers, which tend to be popular according to the cruise line. 

Seal the deal

Mark Sage, senior commercial manager at Tui River Cruises, says: “Due to the intimacy of our ships, our friendly staff allow every single traveller to feel welcomed and comfortable, and organise solo meet-ups specifically to support solo travellers. We urge retail agents to encourage early booking for solo travellers in order to make use of the deals and trade-only discount codes available as they tend to get booked early. Solo travel is definitely a space that is growing and we continue to look at how we can evolve our offering across our fleet of ships.” 

UNIWORLD

Money talks 

Uniworld has savings throughout the year – it is currently promoting no single supplement fees on 29 European departures between July and December, including Castles Along the Rhine, Enchanting Danube, the Douro River Valley and the Christmassy Belgium Holiday Markets cruise onboard newest Super Ship Victoria.

Seal the deal 

Angela Sloan, UK, Ireland & Europe sales director, says: “We have seen huge increases in solo travellers taking to the rivers over the last few years, with solo bookings up 30% this year on 2023. A majority of these are female solo travellers, thanks to our wide collection of 100% solo supplement-waivered itineraries, highly personalised service and range of interactive experiences, such as yoga and wellness, bike rides, painting and cookery classes.”

VIVA Cruises

Money talks

Single supplements are priced from 20%, depending on the season / month of the year with 30% deals offered during promotional periods such as Black Friday.

Seal the deal

Patrick Ell, marketing & digital director, says: “At Viva Cruises’ smaller-sized ships create a welcoming environment for solo travellers by ensuring an intimate, sociable atmosphere onboard – making it easier to meet like-minded people. Additionally, we offer free sitting in our restaurants and tables of all sizes, so every guest can choose whether to sit independently or with fellow guests.”