If you are going on a singles cruise with the sole purpose of finding true love - well, you might want to save your money and stay at home. If, on the other hand, you want to go on a singles cruise to meet other people and to have fun (with no great expectations), there is no better travel option for you. A singles cruise can be fun and adventurous - it gives you the chance to break away from your everyday life and to truly be yourself (or to be whomever else you want!)

What you should and want to know about singles cruises:

If you are cruising single, it is best to sign up for an organized singles cruise. Otherwise, you are likely to get stuck on a ship with very few other single adults, and spouses get weary of you hitting on their loved one!

Perhaps you have shied away from signing up on a singles cruise, thinking that it will simply full of lustful creeps and losers who cannot get a date in the real world - this is not true. After all, you have considered going on one yourself, right? And are you a creep or a loser? Sure, there will be some people that fit in this category, but it is a big ship... you can avoid them. For the most part, the people that sign up for these singles cruises are simply single and looking for fun - they are nice and normal people with real lives back at home.

Consider signing up for a singles group cruise - this way, you do not have to go out and meet other singles completely on your own. Rather, you get to attend cocktail parties, one-minute dating, games, and special shore excursions, etc. with a group that you will get to know over the extent of your vacation. You can not get into certain events if you are not a part of that group.

If you do go on a singles cruise, do not spend the entire time searching for your soul mate. You are bound to have a lot more fun if you concentrate on your beautiful surroundings, too. Also, realize that you might make lasting friendships, not just lasting courtships.

Most likely, you are not going to find true love. I do not mean to sound pessimistic, but it is the truth. There are, however, some couples that meet and later get married! There is hope for love - it is just not very likely. Realize that the majority of the people that you meet are not going to be your neighbors - you are lucky if they even come from neighboring states. People come from all over the country to go on singles cruises, and it can be hard to keep in contact with them once the cruise is over. Realize that there are multiple types of singles cruises that you can sign up for - there are seniors single cruises, Jewish single cruises, Christian single cruises, and other such cruises. There are also gay and lesbian singles cruises, too, of course.

While cruises are relatively cheap, having a single room all to yourself can be quite pricey. If you are not up to the cost, most cruises will help you find a roommate - they generally set you up by basic similarities like sex, age, and whether or not you smoke. There is a chance that your roommate could become your best friend... or your worst enemy. It is good to set up a few ground rules at the very beginning - for instance, what to do if one of you brings back a potential "soul mate" for the night. All in all, though, you are probably going to be spending very little time in your cabin - there is so much other stuff to see and do!

Many cruises have special message boards that you can start using to contact fellow cruisemates up to a month before your actual cruise. This is a good way to find people in advance that have similar interests, etc - most cruises are short and it does not seem like enough time to really get to know someone. It can also be a good way to find a potential roommate.

Do not miss out on the great eating opportunities just because you are afraid that you will look too fat in your bathing suit the next day! While you may not fall in love with a future mate, you certainly will and should fall in love with all of the food options.

Singles cruises are, most definitely, great places to have a fantastic fling. There are few places quite as romantic as a cruise, and it seems that you can get to know someone rather quickly. Of course, as some might say, a fling on a cruise is just like 6-night stand.

The ages of singles on a cruise vary greatly - there are people in the early 20s and people in their late 70s. Generally, you will find older adults on longer cruises - they have accrued more vacation time. Short cruises have a good mix.

All in all, a singles cruise is a fun way to travel, just do not expect to find true love. Besides, you never know - a singles cruise could exceed your expectations.