This was my second cruise aboard the Solstice, a ship full of art and beautifully managed in terms of cleanliness, service, food and safety. I booked through Celebrity and enjoyed the benefits of airport transfer to the ship, early boarding, in addition to a great bargain on the flight to Barcelona.

It's disappointing that Celebrity does not offer to singles an incentive to travel with them. I have no interest in 'hooking up' or sharing my personal space with someone else. Accordingly, I am required to pay twice the fare, and I find this not only punitive for my consumption on the ship (other than a room based on double occupancy) but also discriminatory based on my personal status in life.

That said, I was fortunate to find a dear friend who was willing to accompany me on this cruise, at my expense. To be clear, I paid her fare for the cruise, and she paid for her other expenses to and from the departure port and on-board and shore costs. For me, the cost was very close to what I would have paid had I travelled alone; the benefit to me was to travel with a very good friend to share the experience, something I had notably missed on my first cruise. Read more