Cruises without single supplement??

Hi....I am pretty new to the cruise world. I went on a cruise last week with a group of students. We went on the Crystal boat that is part of the Louis cruise lines and we sailed from Athens for 7 days, Istanbul and the greek Islands, and I just fell in love with cruising!!! I loved everything on the cruise, the staff, the food, the activities, the motion of the ocean, etc. :)

I would love to take a cruise with friends of mine but we are now in our 40's and don't wish to share our cabin. Are there any cruise lines that have single cabins and therefore don't charge extra for single persons?

We even had a bit of a tumultuous sea in our cruise and I did not feel a bit of queasiness. I found that it rocked me to sleep;)

Thanks in advance for your answers!

To my knowledge, none of the mass-market cruiselines have single cabins with no single supplement. Maybe some of the high-end luxury lines (I wouldn't know, can't afford them so I don't look at them).

Carnival does have "1A" cabins that tend to have low single supplements. They're generally inside cabins with two twins, usually a traditional one on the floor and another one that folds out of the wall (which goes unused during single occupancy). I've read here on CC of some variation - occasionally a porthole, occasionally a layout that permits two twin beds on the floor - but the norm is one on the floor, one on the wall.

If you follow the link in my signature to my pictures, go to my Carnival Ecstasy cruise; there are a few pix of my 1A cabin in there.

And occasionally, other lines do have "sales" on select sailings where the single supplement is reduced.

On Royal Caribbean there are sometimes sales where single supplement is reduced on certain sailings to 125% or so. I sailed single twice last year and both were last-minute bookings with the 125% supplement.

The best cruiselines for solo travelers have traditionally been HAL and Crystal cruise lines, which normally charge 125% as a single supplement.

By the way, for those of you who do not know about single supplements:

A "125% single supplement" means, the fare is just 25% more than the "per person" rate whenever they say "per person - double occupancy". So let's just say a cabin costs $2000 for two people... each person would be paying $1000. But with a "125% single suppliment", you would pay just $1,250, as a single traveler, for that cabin.

Back to the OP: I am certain you will have absolutely no qualms or regrets about cruising as a solo traveler. Cruises are often considered to be the very best type of vacation you can take as a solo.... you will often feel like you are part of a large group, you will make friends instantly, and you will always feel safe and secure at all times. Many times the crew, as well as your fellow passengers, will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and welcome.

There is an entire forum on Cruise Critics dedicated to solo travelers, with many, many threads concerning single supplement discounts/bargains... and also many tips, stories, suggestions, etc.... It is under the category of "Special Interest Cruising"..... Here is the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=373

I hope this helps!

- Rick

Thanks to all of you! 25% more of the quoted price does not annoy me, I am used to paying hotel rooms when I travel by myself which I love to do, but 100% does. I will look at the cruise lines you recommended. If I travel alone or with friends, I will want my own room so I am looking for cruise lines that offer bargains.

Even if we were 29 people on this cruise (26 students and 2 teachers), I realized that I would love to do a cruise by myself. I had little time alone but I felt that I would love being alone on a cruise ship. The little time I had alone I went to the spa and read in the piano bar!

New York was my primary addiction when I traveled but I now have a second addiction...cruises!

Come check out the "Solo Cruisers" Board, we are many people who enjoy travelling solo and we post deals when we see them.

Some European based cruise lines sail older ships that have a few single cabins, Saga Holidays comes to mind, but you are not old enough to sail with them. QE2 had cabins for singles (and boy, were they tiny!) bu the fare still reflected a single supplement of 150% of the lowest category cabin. Fred Olsen Cruises has several ships with a number of single cabins. EM

The best cruiselines for solo travelers have traditionally been HAL and Crystal cruise lines, which normally charge 125% as a single supplement.

 

By the way, for those of you who do not know about single supplements:

A "125% single supplement" means, the fare is just 25% more than the "per person" rate whenever they say "per person - double occupancy". So let's just say a cabin costs $2000 for two people... each person would be paying $1000. But with a "125% single suppliment", you would pay just $1,250, as a single traveler, for that cabin.

 

 

- Rick

You need to look at more than just the single supplement percentage. You need to look at the total price you're going to pay. Sometimes a single supplement of 150-175% results in a lower total price than a single supplement of 125% because the base price is lower. When you are pricing solo cabins, be sure to price the cruise all the way out to determine what you are going to be paying. By carefully watching the cruiseline websites, I can always find a good price as a solo cruiser.

Regent is offering some sailings at 0% upcharge for singles. On a few other sailings, there is a 25%-30% single supplement!