Writer Katie Harris aboard Viking Venus in Valdez, Alaska.
America’s 49th state is known for its mountains, glaciers and isolation. Katie Harris shares her experience cruising solo with Viking in Alaska.
It can be thrilling to be alone in a place where no one knows your name.
The promise of new friendships, self-discovery and adventure weighs strong.
I felt all of these 10-fold when arriving solo on Viking’s Venus ship to explore Alaska and the Inside Passage.
Before boarding, I’d always pictured cruising as something people do as couples, families, friends, or at least someone to share a beer with.
But soon after the Venus left our first port, Seward, I learnt that having a plus one was not a requirement for having an unforgettable holiday.
This is partly because you’re never lonely on a Viking. From the second I stepped on the gangway, staff greeted me with enthusiasm and excitement and since Venus is on the smaller side for a cruise ship, with around 900 guests, they get to know you.
As we sailed further, more and more workers would greet me by name, and I would do likewise. By the end of the trip, one of the wine experts, Roweena, became my ship “mother”. The other guests were equally inviting.
Over the course of my 11-day sail, I shared several dinners with friends who had a decade (or several) on me, spent afternoons lounging with passengers from the southern states and a night dancing with Kiwis and Aussies that Viking staff introduced me to on board.
So, yes, I was travelling by myself. But I wasn’t alone.
Early into the journey, I realised travelling under the radar on Venus wasn’t really an option. I’m told the average age of a Viking guest is 67, but those I met ranged in ages from 40 to around 80, and at the tender age of 29, I fall a little short in the laps around the sun department.
The perk of sticking out, however, is that other guests are more than willing to tack a chair on to their table when they saw a lonesome Kiwi at a table for one.
However, sometimes I prefer the solitude of private dining.
My first dinner at Manfredi’s, which would become my favourite restaurant onboard, I embraced my own company and enjoyed a caprese salad, red sauce pasta and caramello dessert with a starboard view.
Although I visited the spot several more times throughout my cruise, each with other guests, it’s my first visit that stands out as the most memorable.
I also loved sitting poolside with a prosecco or two (I’m looking at you, expert wine server Roweena), and relaxing for afternoon tea with a book in the ship’s Winter Garden. When I inevitably ran out of my own reading material, the ship’s large stock of fiction, non-fiction and books kept me more than occupied.
Down in the living room, situated on one of the lower decks, I regularly shook off the day’s adventures with a cocktail while listening to resident pianist Christophe.
Conversation was always a table away, and almost all the guests I met were happy to oblige. If I desperately wanted a chat, I took a seat at the bar, and in-house bartender Seema or Konstantin were more than happy to lend an ear.
Another evening, also at Manfredi’s, I bonded with a couple next to me and stayed long after my dessert was licked clean, despite promising myself that I’d have an early night.
This, unfortunately for my sleep schedule, turned out to be a regular occurrence with a handful of couples I met on the Venus.
That evening, we bonded over travel, beliefs and they shared their love story. This was about their sixth Viking voyage, and the pair already had many more booked.
Most of my favourite friends onboard were made while I was red as a cherry, dripping in sweat and sporting mad hair in the sauna. There’s no hiding behind make-up, nice clothes or a cellphone when you’re in that kind of heat.
I bonded with one California real-estate agent over our mutual love-hate relationship with the post-sauna cold plunge pool.
I found a plucky retired school and yoga teacher who turned out to be my soul sister, and met a surprising number of nurses and medical doctors. These women brought me into the fold with their own friends, and taught me more about life in certain parts of the US than a tour guide ever could.
I came to meet about a dozen or so women in that dripping wet wooden box. Each with their own reasons for coming onboard, and each imparting their own words of advice. Love, skincare, divorce, heartbreak and finances, none of it was off the table when the heat was on. And I enjoyed every minute of it.
When it comes to cruise excursions, there are a few strategies solo travellers can employ to ensure a well-rounded voyage. On my first few, I went alone, but made friends along the way. People on the bus, tour guides and local retailers were all in my sights if conversation was on my mind.
Another way to enjoy time off the boat is a full-solo jaunt. Headphones in, Sabrina Carpenter’s new album on, and scenery further than the eye can see.
On some shore days, I loved nothing more than popping on my comfortable shoes and getting to know the towns from the footpath.
Then there are the trips you make with the friends you’ve made. In Juneau, one of my sauna friends and her posse welcomed me to their hiking crew, and we braved the great outdoors together to see the Mendenhall glacier.
While I loved eating, drinking and dancing with my newfound friends, the beauty of cruising solo is not having to play by anyone else’s schedule. If I wanted to head back into town alone, I could; if lounging by the pool was more alluring, I was there.
Despite the many perks of having a plus-one, not having to compromise on holiday styles has to be one of the best parts of travelling solo.
And it turns out I’m not alone in enjoying a stateroom to myself. The number of passengers who travelled solo doubled from 6% in 2023 to 12% in 2024.
Being aboard a ship like Venus, you’re provided a plethora of activities to always keep things exciting when travelling alone. There are guest lectures, wildlife viewing, show-stopping vocal performances and an onboard spa to rival any Ponsonby retreat.
Speaker Laura Lovelock presented a lecture on the Exxon Valdez disaster shortly after we left the port.
Learning how the disaster occurred, of the countless animals annihilated and the decimation of nature was heartbreaking, but it drove home how important the sea, fish and birds are to the Alaskan people. And how the ramifications of the disaster on the wildlife are still ongoing.
Despite this, we still saw whales, a lifetime worth of sea otters, bald eagles, owls and a whole lot of salmon in Alaska. The sea otters are the stars of the show. Watching them float along with their friends, rolling and prancing on the water’s edge, I realise they’ve been a little like me on this trip; floating together then apart but never alone.
Alaska
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Alaska with one stopover in San Francisco with United and Alaska Airlines.
DETAILS
The writer took the Seward to Vancouver route, stopping in Valdez, Haines, Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan, staying in a deluxe stateroom. The cruise is offered in both directions, with prices from $10,201 per person, based on double cabin occupancy.
Viking offers a 25% solo supplement for the remaining 2026 departures on stateroom categories V2 - DV1.
The next available cruise sails from Vancouver on May 27 next year.
New Zealand Herald Travel flew and sailed courtesy of Viking Cruises.