Best cruise deals for singles

A cruise is the perfect holiday for solo travellers – safe, secure, and with every chance of making new friends among the other singles on board.
There’s one big disadvantage which prevents many people taking the plunge – the swingeing supplements which in some cases mean having to pay as much for a twin cabin as a couple would.
Now one of Britain’s biggest cruise travel agents has come to the rescue with a selection of cruise deals which have low supplements, and in some cases no supplement at all.
For example, a seven-night cruise on MSC Lirica, from Genoa to Ajaccio on the island of Corsica, Civitavecchia for excursions to Rome, Salerno on Italy’s Amalfi coast, Tunis (provided the political situation has eased), Palma de Mallorca and Marseille in France, has fares starting at £1,079, with an automatic upgrade to an outside cabin, and free return flights from the UK. There’s also £50 to spend on board. (based on October 7 departure).
Book an inside cabin for £1,165 on MSC Orchestra, for an eight night voyage departing from Genoa on September 29, and you will be upgraded to a balcony cabin. The same free flights offer and £50 on-board spend also applies on this cruise, which visits Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Alicante and Barcelona.
Got more time on your hands? Then look at the 25-night voyage on Fred Olsen’s Balmoral, crossing from Rio de Janeiro to Southampton. There’s plenty of time to relax at sea, with just six port days, visiting Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza and Santarem as the ship makes its way northwards up the Brazilian coast, and then calls at Mindelo in the Cape Verde Islands, and Funchal, Madeira, on the way back to the UK. Fares start from £3,099, and the outbound flight leaves the UK on March 9.
Another epic journey is available on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, sailing from Southampton on September 20 for a 24-night exploration of America’s heritage. Leisurely Transatlantic crossings between Southampton and New York bookend a 10-night tour of US history. From the presidential estates of Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello and the hallowed battlefield at Gettysburg, to the countless treasures of the Smithsonian Institution, including the actual Apollo 11 Command Module and the Hope Diamond, this tour goes deep beneath the surface of the country’s past. Fares from £5,195.
Details of these and other singles offers – which are available until February 28 – are in Reader Offers’ online brochure, and there are more solo deals at www.readeroffers.travel/solo. Call 0845 604 7479 for more information and to make a booking.