Cunard Cruise Ship Gets new Single Cabins in Multi-Million Dollar Refit

[LauraS]

Check out the latest Cunard news from Cruise Critic:

 

Cunard Cruise Ship Gets new Single Cabins in Multi-Million Dollar Refit

[zider]

Check out the latest Cunard news from Cruise Critic:

 

Cunard Cruise Ship Gets new Single Cabins in Multi-Million Dollar Refit

You are a bit late with the latest news I posted about this in a reply on a thread 7.5 hours ago. Edited May 16, 2014 by zider

[Scrapnana]

Hope those new solo staterooms are well insulated. From what I heard they will be next to the casino (unless they move it), across from the pub and be close to the Queens Room.

 

I wonder what the single supplement will be for them?

[wripro]

Wow, nine whole single cabins! None for the Grills!

[Al54]

If I remember well, the Vistafjord/Caronia had 54 single cabins and the QE2, more than 100, from inside to suites. Nine cabins on deck 2 near the Casino : waouh! Happy (solo passengers) days are here again!

 

 

Envoyé de mon iPad à l'aide de Forums

[fantasy51]

Interesting reading. I notice they are also going to introduce insulated tea and coffee pots in the dining room. I wish they'd bring back the insulated pots for room service (on QV)!

 

I notice also that they obviously think single passengers will not want balconies. (Actually, I guess they are doing the best they can with the space they could find, and there was none available on a floor supporting balconies.) I would want to see one of the cabins before I booked it. Looking at other lines, I think singles pay more per square metre for a single cabin than they do in a double cabin (even with single supplement). I like the graciousness of space as I spend time in my stateroom.

[Austcruiser84]

I'm assuming solo passengers booked in inside cabins will be offered the solo ocean views on the voyages immediately following the dry docking since these aren't showing on Cunard's voyage booking system.

 

Having seen what other lines offer solo passengers I don't hold high hopes for this move personally, but there is clearly a market and it is good Cunard is responding to demands.

 

Like a poster above, I'm a solo traveller and am happy to pay single supplement for the space a normal stateroom affords. Plus, having tasted the balcony life on a cruise 6 months ago I quite like having this feature.

 

The new carpets will be a welcome feature I'm sure. QE is only 4 years old but I'm sure the carpets have had their fair share of foot traffic in that time.

 

I feel somewhat fortunate to be getting a new and improved QE (well, sort of) next month. After experiencing the refitted QM2 I have full faith the changes will be positive.

[Dancer Bob]

Having experienced the studio cabins on NCL Epic, I must agree that booking a single before you see it is a risk.

[capnpugwash]

In my view there should be no single supplement at all for these cabins, I've looked at the pricing on P&O for an idea and the single seems to be about 15% cheaper than the fare for a regular cabin for single occupancy. I would prefer to pay that slight increase and have plenty of space rather than stay in a box. I've also seen the NCL studios and wasn't impressed by them. How can you charge a supplement for single occupancy in a cabin designed to be occupied by a single!

Edited May 19, 2014 by capnpugwash

[ToadOfToadHall]

Interesting reading. I notice they are also going to introduce insulated tea and coffee pots in the dining room.

 

Now if they only put some coffee in the coffee so it tastes like coffee (as opposed to warm water with brown grit in it) then that really would be an improvement.

[Scrapnana]

In my view there should be no single supplement at all for these cabins, I've looked at the pricing on P&O for an idea and the single seems to be about 15% cheaper than the fare for a regular cabin for single occupancy. I would prefer to pay that slight increase and have plenty of space rather than stay in a box. I've also seen the NCL studios and wasn't impressed by them. How can you charge a supplement for single occupancy in a cabin designed to be occupied by a single!

 

If Cunard does like NCL there will not be a single supplement as such. Instead, the price of a single is more than a per person double occupancy price for the same grade. So a solo traveller still pays more (just different wording).

 

If the new staterooms are anything like NCL's studios I would rather pay extra for a regular one.

[Austcruiser84]

If Cunard does like NCL there will not be a single supplement as such. Instead, the price of a single is more than a per person double occupancy price for the same grade. So a solo traveller still pays more (just different wording).

 

If the new staterooms are anything like NCL's studios I would rather pay extra for a regular one.

 

Indeed. The solo cabins on the market presently are like shoe boxes. I get more space on the flight to the UK or Europe!

 

I suppose they could always add more space in single cabins by having the bed fold up into the wall :P

 

Bit rich to charge more for a single than a per person double occupancy price though.

[Dancer Bob]

I didn't find the Epic studios actually too small for one person, except they were badly planned and organised with little desk and closet space. And it was either 13 or 17 separate light switches! The shower and toilet were especially bad, the floor was always wet after a shower.

So I'll keep an open mind to see whether Cunard used a competent designer and prices them fairly.

[davecttr]

Hopefully they will make a better job than they did when they added single cabins to P&O Ventura. I tried one last year and it was very noisey with constant creaking and squeaking from the walls and ceiling when the ship was underway. I was moved without argument after the first night.

[caber]

I wonder if there will be any other changes?

[ATLJC]

It's ludicrous charging a single supplement for a cabin that only holds 1 passenger. It makes absolutely no sense, and I can't believe Cunard would gouge its customers in such a way.

 

Checking the rates for the 2015 Ireland/Iceland cruise on the QE finds these tiny cabins are just as expensive as a regular 2-person cabin with a larger bed. In fact a deluxe inside is just a few dollars more than the new solo cabin.

 

I really expected the pricing to be just a bit hight than the per person double occupancy rates. I see nothing exciting about these new cabin options, given the current cost associated with them. I was mistaken in thinking the whole point in providing these accommodations was to make it more affordable to the single traveler.

Edited June 5, 2014 by jayclancy

[Underwatr]

The single cabins (159-162 square feet) are larger than some inside cabins (152-243 square feet), so maybe they're not "tiny" for one passenger.

[Salacia]

The single cabins (159-162 square feet) are larger than some inside cabins (152-243 square feet), so maybe they're not "tiny" for one passenger.

 

True, especially since the bed is smaller in the single cabin, which means more floor space.

[serenityj1]

It's ludicrous charging a single supplement for a cabin that only holds 1 passenger. It makes absolutely no sense, and I can't believe Cunard would gouge its customers in such a way.

 

Checking the rates for the 2015 Ireland/Iceland cruise on the QE finds these tiny cabins are just as expensive as a regular 2-person cabin with a larger bed. In fact a deluxe inside is just a few dollars more than the new solo cabin.

 

I really expected the pricing to be just a bit hight than the per person double occupancy rates. I see nothing exciting about these new cabin options, given the current cost associated with them. I was mistaken in thinking the whole point in providing these accommodations was to make it more affordable to the single traveler.

 

 

I was on the Queen Victoria to the Baltics when word came out on the internet about these single cabins. The group of singles at my table were very excited and immediately went to the tours office only to find out they did not have any information about them.

Now that I'm home, I receive the email about the refitting of the Queen Elizabeth and I also called to price the same tour to Ireland etc on July 11,2015.

(THE CABINS PRICE DID NOT SHOW UP ON THE AD, you had to call them.)

The price is over $7500 for both the ocean view single cabin and the larger ocean view for two. I am extremely disappointed in Cunard.

Solo baby boomers make up a huge portion of travelers. And now that we are retiring with lots of disposable income, I would advise Cunard (and other cruiselines) to start noticing. Shame on them.

[fantasy51]

It's ludicrous charging a single supplement for a cabin that only holds 1 passenger. It makes absolutely no sense, and I can't believe Cunard would gouge its customers in such a way.

 

Checking the rates for the 2015 Ireland/Iceland cruise on the QE finds these tiny cabins are just as expensive as a regular 2-person cabin with a larger bed. In fact a deluxe inside is just a few dollars more than the new solo cabin.

 

I've looked at that cruise (11 July 2015?) and can't see any option for single cabins. I am positive, though, that when you see a price for a single cabin, that is what you will pay. There won't be any supplement because you couldn't fit a second person in.

 

You may already be doing this, but I can't check on our system to see if you are. I'm sorry about that. When comparing, you need to compare the stated single cabin price with double the stated price for any other cabin. Are they still the same?

 

Hmm, just seen seen Serenity's post. Those prices are very high! That IS ridiculous. Single cabins should be there to save money for solo passengers.

[ATLJC]

Look for grade LC for the inside fare and KC for the outside fare. When you click on availability, it states 1 passenger maximum in this grade. We're doing the 12 night out of Southampton on the 14th of July and was hoping to bring along a friend who is traveling solo and prefers his own cabin, but I'm afraid, not at that price.

Edited June 5, 2014 by jayclancy

[serenityj1]

Also, one more comment on Cunard's pricing.

 

When one of my tablemates and I were checking on the single cabins, we also asked for pricing of a regular ocean view. We were both interested in this cruise next July to Ireland and the Faroes. We both are travel solo.

 

The difference in the prices for a UK resident (her) and a US resident (me) was a little over $1000. SAME CRUISE, SAME CABIN CATEGORY. I would be paying $1000 more. The tour agent admitted that for most European cruises, this was very common for Cunard. They identify you by your World Club number.

 

Really Cunard?? !!!

[Salacia]

Yes, the pricing of the solo cabins does seem odd. I was just reading an article from the Los Angeles Times...

"...To find out more about these uniquely designed fares, I called Cunard reservations; it's not easy to tell from the website which cabins those singles are. The inside cabin on a Southampton, England, to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., January sailing was $2,850; the outside cabin was $3,322, not including taxes. Both had already sold out, but the agent told me another cabin was available -- not a single but roomier -- for $2,623.

 

In an online search, the lowest price for two in a standard inside high deck forward or aft cabin was $1,999 per person, not including taxes and fees."

Interesting article in full here: http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-cunards-queen-elizabeth-to-add-9-single-staterooms-20140604-story.html

Edited June 5, 2014 by Salacia

[Dancer Bob]

Just had a look at the floor plan. If the bed is supposed to be 48" wide, then it's only about 60" long. Oh, really?

When I was on Crystal, the cabin layout was somewhat similar, there was barely room to squeeze past the bed. The picture of the cabin they used, when you compared the size of the bed to the size of the pillow, was, shall we say, "optimistic". (My travel agent was shocked, he thought Crystal's cabins were supposed to be something special.) So I get out my ruler and measure what they're claiming.

Also, there doesn't seem seem to be any revised plan for Deck 2?

[pkpon]

What's going on here? I am hoping it is a computer glitch and it has mistakenly added on the 75% single supplement.

 

If those really are the prices it seems Cunard have lost the plot and they are implying that they really don't want singles on their ships.

 

If you price up a single balcony on P&O's new ship Britannia it is about 25% more than a double balcony.