Single pairing?

[diann744]

Hello Venerable Halsters,

 

I know that HAL has a “pairing up” program for solo travelers but I can’t seem to find any details on the website. Has anyone tried this?

 

I’m getting a little tired of paying the single supplement but wouldn’t want to be paired with someone who wasn’t a decent match. Does anyone know what the criteria are?

 

Very preliminary but looking at the 22-day Spain to Sweden (Eurodam, *gasp*) on May 12, 2011. Any advice? Or takers?

 

Diann

[xxoocruiser]

Suggest you also post this question on the Solo Forum http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=373

 

Checked into this program a while back and the "Single Partner Program" works like this; for those willing to share a stateroom with another traveler of the same gender, HAL will charge each the regular per person, double occupancy rate for the stateroom. Be aware, however, that HAL rarely matches travelers on any criteria other than gender, so you could wind up sharing a stateroom with someone of a vast age difference. If the cruise line is unable to find a partner for someone in this program than you have a stateroom all to yourself -- while still paying the per person rate.

 

 

 

[DizzyDallasDi]

I've read that the only criteria HAL uses to match up roomies is gender and smoking. If you like those odds, go for it.

[luvcruisn']

Checked into this program a while back and the "Single Partner Program" works like this; for those willing to share a stateroom with another traveler of the same gender, HAL will charge each the regular per person, double occupancy rate for the stateroom.

 

The last time I checked into the "guaranteed share program" I was told that it is not the double occupancy price, but it is somewhere between the single supplement rate and the double occupancy price. When I asked why, the HAL rep said it was because the other person might not be a mariner. I then asked would we get the double occupancy rate if the other person was a mariner, but I was told no. Since then, I have either shared with someone I know, or taken an inside cabin and paid the single supplement.

 

The share program isn't posted on the web site. You either have to ask the HAL rep for it, or ask your travel agent to ask HAL for a cabin using the share program. The share program is only done for the Cabin K inside, or F outside on most HAL ships.

[Taxguy77]

Only experience was 2 ladies DW and I met on a cruise. Very different people, one wanted to get married (widow) and other had a husband who didn't like cruising. Lots of fun. Emailed one for years.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Only experience was 2 ladies DW and I met on a cruise. Very different people, one wanted to get married (widow) and other had a husband who didn't like cruising. Lots of fun. Emailed one for years.

 

Interesting and nice story. But, how did the roomies get along? Hopefully they were happy campers.

 

I just cannot imagine doing HAL's roommate match program in my wildest dreams. I'm single (twice divorced) by choice and love my independence. I don't want to run the risks that a total stranger sharing a room with me might entail. There are just too many variables that come into play that would ruin their trip or mine. Let's say my rommie uses a cpap machine.....that would be a YIKES moment for me. Then, there's the trust issue. Who gets the run of the safe? What about early risers and night owls? This could cause strife.

 

Congratulations to those who have made this a successful program....it is not for me. I prefer to know what I'm getting into and that's me and me alone. The monetary savings do not outweigh the possibilities for a week or so of bad roomies. Simply not worth it to me.

[dmwnc1959]

Unless it was a blood relative I would never consider cruising with anyone else in my cabin again, much less a complete stranger. And not that i don't trust a complete stranger with my valuables, passport and money just laying around either. I have had the 'pleasure' of cruising with friends and co-workers before and once onboard, their Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona took over and the whole thing was just a mess and not very fun at all. One co-worker snored SO LOUD that I ended up sleeping on the floor between the bed and the wall with a pillow over my head! No kidding!*

 

I don't smoke but those roommates of mine that did always came back from topside or the balcony smelling (breath, clothes, and all) like an ashtray, and soon so did the cabin.*

 

And not that I am a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but I have also had late night drunk roommates, let's bring the girl we just met at the bar and can you go find something to do for an hour roommates, let's be a bathroom slob and dirty clothes on the floor roommates, and let's watch a movie on TV at 2am*roommates. No thanks! I'll pay the Single Supplement every single time from now on. I simply prefer the privacy, peace and quiet, and alone time on a sometimes busy cruse ship that I can get out of being the sole occupant of my cabin.

[Court's DH]

I'm single (twice divorced)

 

[...]

 

I prefer to know what I'm getting into

 

Sounds like it. Sorry couldn't resist. ;)

[cruz chic]

Interesting and nice story. But, how did the roomies get along? Hopefully they were happy campers.

 

I just cannot imagine doing HAL's roommate match program in my wildest dreams. I'm single (twice divorced) by choice and love my independence. I don't want to run the risks that a total stranger sharing a room with me might entail. There are just too many variables that come into play that would ruin their trip or mine. Let's say my rommie uses a cpap machine.....that would be a YIKES moment for me. Then, there's the trust issue. Who gets the run of the safe? What about early risers and night owls? This could cause strife.

 

Congratulations to those who have made this a successful program....it is not for me. I prefer to know what I'm getting into and that's me and me alone. The monetary savings do not outweigh the possibilities for a week or so of bad roomies. Simply not worth it to me.

I'm SO with you on that one. My holiday time is precious to me and the monetary savings doesn't sway my decision at all.

[Cruzman]

Interesting and nice story. But, how did the roomies get along? Hopefully they were happy campers.

 

I just cannot imagine doing HAL's roommate match program in my wildest dreams. I'm single (twice divorced) by choice and love my independence. I don't want to run the risks that a total stranger sharing a room with me might entail. There are just too many variables that come into play that would ruin their trip or mine. Let's say my rommie uses a cpap machine.....that would be a YIKES moment for me. Then, there's the trust issue. Who gets the run of the safe? What about early risers and night owls? This could cause strife.

 

Congratulations to those who have made this a successful program....it is not for me. I prefer to know what I'm getting into and that's me and me alone. The monetary savings do not outweigh the possibilities for a week or so of bad roomies. Simply not worth it to me.

 

I understand your legitimate concerns, but..... a CPAP machine? Why on earth would that concern you?

[bcd2010]

I understand your legitimate concerns, but..... a CPAP machine? Why on earth would that concern you?

 

Aren't CPAP machines noisy? Doesn't have to be much noise to make it hard for light-sleepers.

[Faith77]

I know I've been lucky--over the years I've shared a cabin (on a Russia rivercruise) and rooms on two tours with someone I did not know before the trip. All worked out pretty well. But in recent years I've decided not to do room sharing with a stranger--I've just seen too many bad matches.

 

Who wants this drama on a vacation. There are so many things that can go wrong. Now I just wouldn't be willing to take the chance. Faith

[KAYEF]

I visited often with a woman who uses this program on one of our cruises and she had VERY good experiences..................it's the only way she cruises. She said she'd once had a roomie who wasn't as good as all the others had been, but that it still wasn't bad. And, she cruises often with two of the assigned roomies with whom she became good friends.

Me? I think I just couldn't risk it. Just got off a 14 day cruise to AK and on two different nights my SIL snored so loudly I had to get up, get dressed and exit the cabin................and I knew her. Think if it was a stranger I'd be even more upset.........:mad:

With just one safe, I can't imagine keeping my things safe...........maybe people lock their passports and cash in their suitcases?????????

I wish someone who has had good experiences would comment on here.:confused:

[DizzyDallasDi]

I understand your legitimate concerns, but..... a CPAP machine? Why on earth would that concern you?

 

The noise would drive me nuts.

[scamper]

I understand your legitimate concerns, but..... a CPAP machine? Why on earth would that concern you?

 

I was told it was like sleeping with Darth Vader.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

My sister, who is my cruise companion, uses a CPAP machine. The noise it makes resembles the sound of waves washing up on shore and receding. I find it very soothing, actually. But, to each his/her own.

 

My first few cruises I did with my husband and children. None of them was that fond of cruising, and they don't wish to cruise any more. So then I did a couple of cruises as a solo, which worked out great, because I met other CC'ers through my roll calls, and made some good friends. But I booked a cabin by myself. In my experience, if you book an inside cabin or certain outside categories, you pay 120-150 % of the double occupancy fare.

 

Now, hallelujah, I have found the perfect cruise companion in my sister, who lives nearby and has a flexible work schedule. It's wonderful! I should have thought of it sooner! The original poster of this thread, Diann744, also frequently travels with her twin sister and brother-in-law. If you enjoy reading hilarious, well-written, and fast-paced cruise reviews, then you need to read Diann's.

 

Have fun on the Eurodam, Diann!

 

PS And to address your original question, DizzyDallasDi is correct. The only critieria for a "cabin share" are gender and smoking preferences. Not good enough for me. I'll pay the extra, thanks :-)

[TracieABD]

Too risky for me... I would rather cruise a little less and know that I can protect my serenity...:)

[KAYEF]

Hello Venerable Halsters,

 

I know that HAL has a “pairing up” program for solo travelers but I can’t seem to find any details on the website. Has anyone tried this?

 

I’m getting a little tired of paying the single supplement but wouldn’t want to be paired with someone who wasn’t a decent match. Does anyone know what the criteria are?

 

Very preliminary but looking at the 22-day Spain to Sweden (Eurodam, *gasp*) on May 12, 2011. Any advice? Or takers?

 

Diann

Were you just on the Amsterdam to Alaska? From reading farther down on this Thread, it sounds like you.................we ate with you at the Mariner's Luncheon if it's you.

If it is, please send me the itinerary/dates of the cruise you are interested in.

Thanks,

Monette:)

[NMLady]

Aren't CPAP machines noisy? Doesn't have to be much noise to make it hard for light-sleepers.

 

My husband uses a CPAP and I have no trouble sleeping right next to him in the same bed. I sleep fine. Think of a CPAP as 'white noise', very soothing.

[luvcruisn']

I recently shared a cabin with someone I had met on a previous cruise. She ended up using the safe, which was quite small, and I locked all my stuff in a drawer with a key. Worked fine for us, except sometimes I forgot to take the key out of the drawer, and had to go back to the cabin and get it.

[KAYEF]

I recently shared a cabin with someone I had met on a previous cruise. She ended up using the safe' date=' which was quite small, and I locked all my stuff in a drawer with a key. Worked fine for us, except sometimes I forgot to take the key out of the drawer, and had to go back to the cabin and get it.[/quote']

I guess THAT would work BUT, I've had drawers with the keyHOLE but the key has never been in it!:confused:

Can you get the key from somewhere or was yours just right there, in the keyhole?

[Essiesmom]

I have traveled on land tours with a guarantee share...The older I get, the worse they are. I can't stand roommates who walk into the room and the first thing they do is turn on the TV to 'see what's on' and it runs until after they go to sleep. Now I just suck up the single supplement. EM

[diann744]

Thanks everyone,

 

I think you’ve confirmed what I expected – not worth the risk. A young lady we met on the most recent Rotterdam Holiday cruise booked through the cabin-share program and was lucky enough that they had no match (or extra room) and she got a cabin to herself. I guess I was hoping to find that was more the rule than the exception.

 

Still, even if that were the case, I doubt I’d be brave enough to try it. The wrong roomie could result in a dramatically different cruise than anticipated.

 

I’m surprised the only criteria are gender and smoking. As a female smoker, (chardonnay drinker and crossword puzzle fiend) I would say I’m definitely not compatible with every other female smoker. Maxine from the comic strip, sure. Courtney Love, not so much.

 

I don’t have a C-Pap that would bother anyone but if the rhythmic dripping of the still is a problem, it’s best I travel alone.

 

MiddleAged Mom – we definitely need to cruise together sometime. You and your sis, me and mine – would be a hoot. My next outing, which is actually with a friend, not the twin, starts and ends in your neck of the woods. I’ll be on the Amsterdam roundtrip Seattle leaving September 20th. Any chance you’re on that one?

 

Kayef – no, sadly, it wasn’t the Chardonnay Sisters on the Amsterdam Alaska cruise. Although that one’s on our list. Since we’ve got some substantial HAL credits due to the Rotterdam cruise that we have to book by the end of the year, and Alaska tends to get cheaper as you close in on summer, we thought we’d look to something even meatier to use the credits. That’s what brought up the European itinerary.

 

Thanks for all the insights,

 

Solo Cruiser Diann744

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Thanks everyone.....................

 

MiddleAged Mom – we definitely need to cruise together sometime. You and your sis, me and mine – would be a hoot. My next outing, which is actually with a friend, not the twin, starts and ends in your neck of the woods. I’ll be on the Amsterdam roundtrip Seattle leaving September 20th. Any chance you’re on that one?..................

 

Thanks for all the insights,

 

Solo Cruiser Diann744

 

Diann, I would love to do that 4-day round trip Pacific Coastal itinerary. There is quite a large and lively roll call for that cruise. Sounds like a fun group. My sister and I did the 14-day Alaska itinerary on the Amsterdam this May 17-31, and we enjoyed ourselves so much we are going to do it all again next year, May 27-June 10, 2011. Come join us:) We're also doing the 15-day Hawaii itinerary on the Zaandam this October 2nd-17th. So, no September 20th Amsterdam, as I need to spend at least a little time with my husband and children;).

 

Please let me know if you have any questions about Seattle that I may (or may not) be able to answer.

 

Karin

[Gablin]

On my very first cruise ever I shared a cabin with a stranger. It was not on a HAL ship. She was 18 on on her first trip without a parent. I was 42 and on my first trip without my children. At our first meeting in the cabin, we stared at each other with big eyes. I promised not to give motherly advice and she promised to be an adult.

We both broke our promises.

We got along fairly well, given our age differences. Even so, I have only shared sleeping space (on land only) with very few people since, all of whom I knew very well before the trip.