Interestingly, it was not double in this case. And in many cases, the fare is not double for one person. In this case, a solo person pays just $160 more than a double.
Here is the pricing for 2 people:
Guest 1 Cruise Fare$399.00
Guest 2 Cruise Fare$399.00
$798.00
$399 avg/person
Taxes, Fees, & Port Expenses
$537.98
Total (USD)
$1,335.98
Here is the pricing for one person:
Guest 1 Cruise Fare$559.00
Taxes, Fees, & Port Expenses
$268.99
Total (USD)
$827.99
So here is the math (assuming passengers 3 and 4 are free and we are traveling with five people, going to ignore the taxes and port fees for passenger 3 and 4 for a moment since it won't impact the final math)
1 room with 4 people and 1 room with 1 person = $1336 + $828 = $2164
1 room with 3 people and 1 room with 2 people = $2,672
So it saves five hundred dollars to assign 4 to one and 1 to the other.
But it gets even better, given that 1 adult can't drink, 1 adult drinks minimally, and 2 are young kids, you put all of those people into one room. No one gets the drink package. Then you put the one person who actually might drink more into the solo room. You get that person the premium package and suddenly you get to share 4 internet devices without two people needing to buy a package. You also benefit from the photos (yes, the solo passenger will need to be in all the photos, understood). And since both rooms have shareholder onboard credit, those can be better applied towards drinks for the one adult who might need it from the 4 pax berth.
In terms of actual sleeping, obviously we will split that up on board.