Would I Recommend Queen Mary 2 for a First Solo Cruise?

The short answer is: it depends.

I know that's not particularly helpful when you're looking for a simple yes or no, but having now sailed on Queen Mary 2 myself, I don't think the question is really whether she's a good ship for solo travellers.

I think the better question is:

Is she the right ship for you to travel solo on?

Because there's a big difference between taking your first cruise alone and taking your first-ever cruise and your first-ever solo holiday at the same time.

And that's where I'd be asking a few more questions before suggesting Queen Mary 2.

If you've cruised before but never sailed solo

This is a maybe from me.

You already know how cruising works. You understand that first slightly disorientating day when you're finding your cabin, working out where everything is and discovering which venues you like.

The new part is doing it without someone beside you. And Queen Mary 2 does offer plenty of opportunities to be around other people without necessarily having to be particularly outgoing.

There are lectures and activities during the day, live music, dancing and plenty of places to simply sit and enjoy being amongst other people. If you enjoy dancing, there are also dance hosts, which I thought was a particularly lovely touch for someone travelling without a partner. And, of course, sometimes you don't want company at all.

One of my favourite things onboard was going for a swim in the indoor pool. I also loved sitting in the Chart Room with a cocktail and watching the world go by.

Being solo doesn't mean having to spend the entire holiday trying to meet people. Sometimes it's about becoming comfortable enjoying your own company.

If you're a confident solo traveller but have never cruised

I'd still consider Queen Mary 2, but we'd have a longer conversation first. Because she's an unusual ship.

I regularly found myself having to work out how to get from one place to another. There are areas where you have to pass through one venue to reach another and, because of the way the ship is designed, she doesn't always work quite like the cruise ships you may have seen online.

Even after a few days I was still learning her. That's part of her charm, but if you're already slightly nervous about your first cruise, it's worth knowing. For a confident traveller who is accustomed to arriving somewhere unfamiliar and working things out? That probably wouldn't bother me. For somebody who wants everything to feel immediately easy and obvious? We might look at some alternatives.

But what if it's your first cruise AND your first solo holiday?

This is where I'd hesitate.

Not because I think Queen Mary 2 is unfriendly to solo travellers. Far from it. It's because you'd be asking yourself to navigate two completely new experiences at once.

Your first solo holiday can already involve lots of little firsts.

The first meal alone.

Walking into a bar by yourself.

Deciding what to do with your day when nobody else is making that decision with you.

Then add your first cruise: learning how life onboard works, finding your way around and getting used to being at sea.

And then add Queen Mary 2, a ship with a character and layout all of her own. For some people that would be an adventure. For somebody already wondering, “Can I really do this?”, it might simply be one new thing too many. There are other ships — including Cunard's Queen Anne — that I might consider before QM2 for someone's very first solo cruise.

But that's not a rule.

If someone told me, “I've always dreamed of crossing the Atlantic to New York, I don't want to fly and I want to do it on Queen Mary 2,” we'd be having a completely different conversation. Because then QM2 isn't simply the ship we've chosen for the holiday. She's part of the reason for taking it.

Dining alone doesn't have to mean eating alone

This is one area where I'd think carefully about the choices you make before travelling. I had flexible dining, which suited me, but I noticed that people arrive and leave their tables at different times. Even though the tables can be quite close together — close enough that conversation with your neighbours happens quite naturally — there's no guarantee the same people will be there when you arrive. For a solo traveller who actively wants company at dinner, I'd be inclined to look at fixed dining and requesting a shared table.

That gives you the opportunity to see familiar faces each evening rather than wondering who might be sitting nearby.

For somebody perfectly happy eating alone? Flexible dining may suit them beautifully. Neither is better. It's about knowing which experience would make you more comfortable.

You don't have to be sociable all the time

I think this is something we sometimes get wrong when talking about solo travel. We concentrate so much on reassuring people that they'll meet others that we can accidentally make it sound as though making friends is the objective. It isn't.

There are plenty of opportunities to talk to people on Queen Mary 2. But there are also lectures to disappear into, pools to swim in, books to read, promenades to wander and quiet corners where nobody will think twice about you sitting alone. You can join in when you want to. And retreat when you don't. For me, that's far more important than simply saying a ship is “good for solos.”

So, would I recommend her?

For an experienced cruiser taking their first holiday alone?

Possibly.

For a confident solo traveller trying cruising for the first time?

Again, possibly — after a good conversation about what they want from the experience.

For someone taking both their first-ever cruise and first-ever solo holiday?

I'd want to understand them before I said yes.

And that's perhaps the biggest thing sailing on Queen Mary 2 taught me from a solo-travel point of view.

There isn't really such a thing as the best ship for solo travellers. There's only a ship that's a good match for a particular person, at a particular point in their solo journey.

So if someone asked me:

“Is Queen Mary 2 good for solo travellers?”

I'd probably answer with another question:

“Tell me about you.”

Because that's where I'd start.

Come and join the conversation over in my Facebook communities:– The UK Cruise Network – for all cruise lovers, from first-timers to seasoned sailors– Solo Cruise Club – a supportive space for solo travellers seeking confidence, connection, and community at sea

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