Lynn2629

I enjoyed my cruise on Equinox last spring, but I’m out until they stop slapping solos across the face. The prices listed on the website on a per-person are very doable, when I simply double it, but when I plug in “1” the price skyrockets. When Celebrity decides solos are welcome on their ships, I’ll reconsider. Until then, I can go on a true luxury line for the same price as “Solo Gauging” charged by Celebrity.

Well, everyone’s idea of “truly special” is subjective. To me, a cruise to the Scandinavian countries and the Norwegian fjords IS truly special, and thus I bit the bullet in paying $3,800. My idea of a “regular” cruise is to the Caribbean, and for that I’d pay $2,000 tops.

In both cases, the oceanview is just that - a window, no balcony. And in both cases, too rich for my blood. I’ve booked a Cunard cruise for $3,800 for a 10-day Scandinavia cruise this summer. Even that is a splurge, but do-able. It seems that the current prices for RC knock me out of the running, For comparison’s sake, I just returned this Sunday from a 7-day on Anthem, The balcony cabin was only $1200, solo rate. But deals like that are nowhere to be seen now.

I agree the prices are insane! I just checked out a 12-night Caribbean cruise RT on Odyssey for January 2025, and the price for an overview (as a solo traveler) is $10,000! So I figured if they’re asking luxury prices, I might as well check out a luxury line. Crystal has an 11-night Caribbean cruise for $6,200 (solo), which is 40% less.

To me, as a solo, it’s a no-brainer. I would be paying for the Internet anyway, and for $10/day more a day - or $70 total for the week - it is worth it to me for the following: 1) Early embarkation. Last time, I was on board by 10:45 a.m., giving me an hour or so to explore the ship before sitting down to….. 2) ….A relaxed sit-down welcome lunch, No fighting the crowds at the Windjammer. 3)….A relaxed disembarkation breakfast, with the ability to skip the lines and walk right off the ship when I choose. 4) The ability to drop my carry-on off and not have to drag it around for hours until the cabin is ready. 5) The saved seats in the theater, as long as you arrive 15 minutes ahead. Also, a nice plus at the end is when your luggage is in the small group with Key passengers, making it easier to find.

Yes, that can be true, especially when you consider how high Celebrity is pricing their voyages. For me, the 10-day Scandinavia on Cunard’s new Queen Anne (obstructed balcony) works out to $400 a day, and that seems like a nice deal: on land, I would pay around $300 a night on a hotel, so for the extra $100 a night, I get three full meals, entertainment and activities, and of course the transportation from city to city. I hope I’ll like Cunard as much as I’ve enjoyed Celebrity.

I also was taken aback by Celebrity’s pricing when I started to look for next summer’s Scandinavia cruise. I always enjoy the time I spend on the balcony, but the best I could swing would be an oceanview cabin at $6000 for 11 days. Then I explored other options, and came across Cunard’s new Queen Anne for an obstructed balcony at $4000 or an unobstructed for $4700 for a 10-day Scandinavia cruise. I’ve heard mixed things about the food, but the ship will be so beautiful and the price so much less - for better accommodations - that I went ahead and booked. * prices are for solo ** for those who don’t like formality, Cunard might not be a good fit. For me, I like to spiff up!

FWIW it’s worth, RCCL is doing the same thing as far as charging much more than 200% of the PP price fo solo travelers. I always have my eyes open for a relatively last-minute deal, and I came across one for late October: a 6-day cruise to the Bahamas for $530 per-person in a balcony. A 6-day getaway for $1060 in a balcony sounded appealing, so I checked the pricing: for a solo, it’s $1800!

They seem to be actively discouraging solos. A few months ago, they advertised rates for $400 pp on a 7-day Alaska cruise (oceanview), meaning $800 per couple, which I expected to pay. Still a GREAT deal. Lo and behold, when I (started to book), I found that for a solo to occupy the cabin would be $1600.

Unbelievable! An oceanview stateroom for a solo traveler, such as myself, is $13,000 - or more than $1,000 a night! By comparison, I can book a similar 12-night European cruise on Crystal. Their oceanview for a solo is $7200 - or $600 a night. So one could get a TRUE luxury cruise for practically half the money. I don’t know what Celebrity is thinking.

Thank you….looking forward to it!

That WAS the regular veranda I posted - an aft veranda for $7600. The IVs were all over $6000, and the solo IV was $5200. All a lot more than the Queen Anne.

I wrote earlier about my choice between the brand-new Queen Anne and the new Apex on a Scandinavia cruise. I made my decision between: 1) a 10-day on Queen Anne on an obstructed balcony for $4000 2) an 11- day on Apex in a regular veranda for $7600, or the small, solo infinite veranda for $5200. I simply couldn’t justify the big difference in price that Celebrity is charging. I booked the Cunard.

So then I would say that for a SOLO traveler, you can enjoy a luxury cruise on Crystal for less than the price of a premium cruise on Celebrity.

Yes, that was my point exactly. If Celebrity is going to charge the same or MORE than Crystal, I’m going with Crystal. Luxury prices for a luxury experience.