As I've said before, I've never been on a cruise. So, I have not really written much about them on here until recently. I guess I'm more the the road trip around the country and backpack around Europe kinda gal.

But, I know they are a very popular type of vacation for all types of people - my grandma, my fellow Make A Wish volunteers, my co-workers, married and single friends. But the latter group, sometimes find themselves in a bit of an unfair bind due to either preferring to travel alone or not being in a relationship. The problem, the monetary portion of it anyway, can be summed up in two words: double occupancy.

Unless you're camping, hosteling, or staying with friends, most travelers have come across that phrase because motels, hotels, tour groups, and even cruise ships usually ask that single travelers pay a double occupancy rate, even if there is only one of you. And, financially, it does make sense (for the venue) since you are using a whole room that otherwise would be paid for by two people so why shouldn't you have to pay that full, or almost full rate?

Well, it seems at least one cruise line has noticed this singledom strife and they, more than a year ago, started offering single studios which were attached to a lounge area where the other singles could all mingle.

I see pros and cons to this, as with anything, but mainly pros in that you're not being asked to pay more just because you're traveling alone. However, a con, obviously, is that there may be a reason you are traveling alone (maybe you want some privacy) so a small studio with attached common living room may not be the best idea (but then, if that's the case, going on a cruise - which, though I've admittedly never been, seems like a social affair - may not be a good idea either then and you should stick to road trips and backpacking).

The Norwegian Epic, with Norwegian Cruise Lines, is the only cruise ship I've found so far that offers this sorta studio and it mainly travels for 7-day jaunts to either the eastern or western Caribbean for $799. There are 128 single rooms, which may sound like a lot, but not when you're talking about a ship that can fit 4,100 passengers, not including crew.

Carnival, however, has some single deals as well that seem worth looking into. Again, there are pros and cons, and another con I see at this point is that the single rooms seem to mainly be the ones located in the interior of the ship (which seems to be the case for Norwegian as well). It would be nice to eventually have something available with a balcony too, just like what's used by the newly-weds and couples celebrating anniversaries. But, baby steps...and, hopefully, you won't spend too much time in your cabin anyway in order to enjoy the shows, the restaurants, the amenities, and other attractions.

I'm not the first to highlight this feature and hopefully I won't be the last. Maybe some day I'll check the whole cruise thing out for myself too.

Bon Voyage!