Many Lines Accommodating the Solo Traveler : There are now more options for privacy- minded singles who don’t want to pay for a double.

Anyone browsing through a cruise line brochure soon notices that printed prices specify “per person, double occupancy.”

But what happens to a passenger traveling alone? Generally, when one person occupies a double cabin, a surcharge is imposed that runs from 125% to 200% of the per-person, double-occupancy, rate.

A letter from Dana Point reader Ruth Kirkwood underscores the frustration that this presents for many travelers.

“Since my husband died, all information I receive indicates that the single person wanting to cruise is as welcome as the plague,” Kirkwood writes. “For privacy, I can pay 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 fare, or I can be assigned an unknown roommate and be practically assured that we will be given an inside cabin. . . .

“Are any cruise lines addressing this situation? I do not believe I am the only widow feeling left out, and I’m sure there are many widowers who feel the same.”

Solo travelers are far from rare. According to Douglas Ward, president of the International Cruise Passengers Assn., about 25% of all calls to travel agents in the United States are made by single people.

There are two obvious ways of avoiding the single-supplement fee: by traveling with a friend willing to share a cabin, or by booking with one of the vintage ships that still have single cabins aboard. In addition, this season Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2, which leads the list of single-cabin ships with 110 inside and outside cabins available, is also offering double cabins for single occupancy in virtually all categories for only 115% of the per-person, double-occupancy fare.

These sailings are for the 1993 around-the-world cruise or any segment of the sailing. Some sample prices: Los Angeles to New York, April 4 for 13 days from $4,030; from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia, Feb. 7 for 20 days from $7,585, and a 91-day full cruise from New York to Los Angeles, Jan. 3, from $28,370.

Round-trip economy air fare is included from major U.S. gateways on all segments, with first-class air fare for passengers opting for the full world cruise.

Some people traveling alone want to be left alone to choose their own companions, others want to mix and mingle in casual social situations, while a few cherish the hope of meeting someone special in a romantic setting.

For the latter, there are several options. Catering to 30- to 40-year-olds, Windjammer Barefoot Cruises arranges “singles cruises” aboard the 248-foot sailing ship Polynesia that guarantee half the 126 passengers are men and half are women. Upcoming singles sailings are scheduled for Nov. 23, Jan. 11, April 19, June 7, July 26 and Sept. 6.

“For singles not traveling with a friend,” says Windjammer’s director of sales, Glenn Dean, “we find a roommate so they can pay the regular rate.”

Prices for the six-day cruises start at $675 per person for a six-bunk cabin with private bath; $775 for a standard cabin with upper and lower berths and private bath; $850 for a deck cabin with portholes and upper and lower berths with private bath, and $900 for the Admiral suite with double bed, porthole or window, private bath, shower and small refrigerator. Don’t expect anything fancy, but people seem to have fun on these cruises.

Over-50 travelers might want to opt for something a little less casual. Single women with social dancing and bridge on their minds may find ships that carry social hosts have a definite appeal.

While the best-known of these lines is Royal Cruise Line, which carries hosts on every cruise on all three ships, some sailings aboard Regency Cruises’ three ships and Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Harmony also carry them. They are usually retired businessmen or military officers.

For singles looking for arranged social activities, going with an escorted group makes it easy to meet other singles. New York-based Singleworld is offering a series of singles sailings aboard Carnival’s Holiday in 1993, offering departures by age groups: 20-33, 29-49 and “all ages.”

Sailings are priced from $1,049 for West Coast gateways ($250 lower than the line’s published fares). These rates are for shared accommodations, with Singleworld guaranteeing a roommate, and include round-trip air fare to Miami. Dates offered for the first part of 1993 are Jan. 9 and 23, Feb. 6 and 20, March 6 and 20, and April 3. Ports of call on the Holiday cruise include Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios.

Travelers who do not wish to share cabin accommodations will find the best selections from lines that offer single cabins.

World Explorer’s 550-passenger Universe, which will make 14-day Alaska cruise departures between May 23 and Aug. 29, 1993, has 10 inside single cabins priced at $2,695 for the May 23 cruise, $2,895 for the remaining sailings, and 12 outside single cabins selling for $3,395 for the May 23 sailing, $3,695 for the others. All single cabins have bathrooms with showers but no tubs.

American Hawaii has a selection of inside and outside cabins that can be booked as singles--without supplemental charges--on both the Constitution and Independence. Outside single cabins are priced at $2,150 for a seven-day cruise around the islands of Hawaii, while inside singles go for $1,725.

A diligent travel agent might find what cruise industry people call a “soft” sailing--one that is not selling as briskly as anticipated--and negotiate a still-lower price from American Hawaii.

And passengers who get on the line’s “singles wait list” can book double cabins for the published per-person, double-occupancy price, if that cabin has not been booked 30 days ahead of sailing time. These prices, however, are not negotiable.

Other ships that carry a number of single cabins include Royal Cruise Line’s 765-passenger Royal Odyssey, with 55 inside and outside single cabins; Cunard’s Sagafjord, with 43, and Vistafjord, with 36; Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norway, with 20, and Westward, with 23; Holland America’s Rotterdam, with 32; and Ocean Cruise Lines’ Mermoz, with 17, Ocean Princess, with 15, and Ocean Pearl, with 11.

One of the best buys for older singles is aboard Ivaran’s Americana, a passenger-carrying freighter that is much bigger and more luxurious than the 12-passenger cargo ships. Here, some of the single cabins actually sell for less than the per-person, double-occupancy fares.

Expect to pay from about $175 a day for an inside single, $200 for an outside single. The ship, which sails the Atlantic from U.S. port cities to South America on itineraries of about 46 days round trip, also sells segments of the voyage.