A cruise is possibly the perfect holiday for a solo traveller. Everything is laid on in a safe and relaxed environment, there’s entertainment around the clock and staff to look after you at every turn.

But above all a cruise is a very communal and sociable holiday and with everyone onboard for the duration, dining together and taking excursions as groups, it’s a great place to meet like-minded people. Many single passengers make life-long friendships on ships, and cruise again together in the future.

Single cruisers vary in age from teens or twenty-somethings in groups of friends, to older possibly widowed travellers looking for life-enriching travel and good company. So it’s important to pick the right ship.

Generally cruise lines with an older clientele tend to be more geared to singles than, say, the mainstream family ships. Look out for ships that still operate table-sharing in the dining room as this can be a great way to meet people, and some cruise lines will deliberately seat single cruisers together.

Many ships have dance hosts to lead the floor, who particularly look out for solitary passengers. Some have single passenger get-togethers and all have activities onboard where you can meet others with similar interests. There are even sailings entirely themed to interests such as art, classical music or golf, where like-minds are guaranteed.

Of course cruising alone doesn’t mean you have to throw yourself into new friendships – with extensive communal areas it’s easy to find private corners to read and contemplate your travels, and most ships have room service for private dining.

However, while cruising itself is ideal for solo passengers, it’s important to research the accommodation options. Only a handful of ships have single cabins, and these tend to sell quickly. Cruise lines do their best to accommodate single passengers, some offering a set number of cabins at no supplement, others offering voluntary sharing schemes. But on many ships single passengers will have to occupy a double cabin and pay a supplement.

Your ACE travel agent will be able to advise you on the best options.