Single Cruising

[IndianaJoe]

I am reasonably newly single and want to take a cruise but the prices are so high...any hints on cruising single. Nope not a "single cruise". Not looking just love cruises and want to continue.:(

[6rugrats]

There is a forum here for single cruisers. You may want to go there and start reading for information.

[spookwife]

Only a few ships across the board have cabins that only hold one. Many times with a good sale you spend no more money by sailing a standard occupancy cabin even paying the supplement.

[xxoocruiser]

When cruising solo you need to consider the following :

 

• Set a budget that you're willing to pay for a cabin.
  
• be flexible with your dates and itinerary
  
• check regularly
  
• watch for sales that have 50% off the second passenger as that will be applied to a single booking supplement rate.
  
• If the ship has solo cabins you need to also check the price of a standard cabin as well. I have found that it's often cheaper to book a standard cabin at a single supplement rate than to book a cabin specifically designed for the solo traveler.
  
• Princess , Holland, Celebrity and Regent tend to be most costly for the solo cruiser.
  
• NCL has a couple ships, Epic is one of them, that have a dedicated studio cabin area with a lounge specifically for those cabins where you can meet other solo passengers.
  
• Some of RCCL's Radiance Class ships as well as some of it's new ships such as the Quantum, Anthem and Harmony have studio cabins. As previously mentioned you need to compare the studio cost against a standard cabin at a single supplement rate.
  
• Carnival as a few ships that have smaller cabins that are less expensive for the solo traveler.
  
• The best over rates tend to be when a cruise itinerary has first opened for booking.
  

Edited August 10, 2016 by xxoocruiser

[SadieN]

There are deals, few and far between.

Our next Princess cruise had an awesome Solo deal on inside cabins about 14 months out.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[slidergirl]

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruise discrimination ;)

 

We solo travelers among the masses have two choices: search long and hard for a cruise on any line that either has a reasonable solo rate or "single supplement" or bit the bullet and choose the cruise you want on the one you want and resign that you will be paying for you and your non-existent "friend."

 

This is the reason I do land travel far more than I cruise - airfare and hotels are the same price whether I'm traveling solo or with an actual second person. There are places in the world where my hotel room is less because it is just me and not me and another person, just the opposite of a cruise.

Edited August 10, 2016 by slidergirl

[CruisingAlong4Now]

You generally pay the same single or double for a hotel room. Same rules apply to a cabin.

 

You are not paying for a non-existent friend, you are renting the cabin, aka "the room"!

[navybankerteacher]

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruise discrimination ;)

 

We solo travelers among the masses have two choices: search long and hard for a cruise on any line that either has a reasonable solo rate or "single supplement" or bit the bullet and choose the cruise you want on the one you want and resign that you will be paying for you and your non-existent "friend."

 

This is the reason I do land travel far more than I cruise - airfare and hotels are the same price whether I'm traveling solo or with an actual second person. There are places in the world where my hotel room is less because it is just me and not me and another person, just the opposite of a cruise.

 

Kind of silly post ----- there are ships with single cabins - which cost less than doubles, just like the hotels you mentioned -- so those rooms are "just the opposite" of hotels which do not offer single occupancy rooms.

[slidergirl]

Kind of silly post ----- there are ships with single cabins - which cost less than doubles, just like the hotels you mentioned -- so those rooms are "just the opposite" of hotels which do not offer single occupancy rooms.

 

then, I am restricted to only those few ships that have single cabins...

 

In Europe, I find pricing for a room as a single lower than pricing for 2 in a room all the time, same for Asia. It is usually in the US where the price remains the same regardless of 1 or 2 people. Right now, my favorite hotel in Florence is 340EU for 1 person, 380 for 2 people...

 

Your travels have yielded different results from mine and I'm not calling yours silly, nearly anecdotal...

[navybankerteacher]

then, I am restricted to only those few ships that have single cabins...

 

In Europe, I find pricing for a room as a single lower than pricing for 2 in a room all the time, same for Asia. It is usually in the US where the price remains the same regardless of 1 or 2 people. Right now, my favorite hotel in Florence is 340EU for 1 person, 380 for 2 people...

 

Your travels have yielded different results from mine and I'm not calling yours silly, nearly anecdotal...

 

Just as you are restricted to those (not so few) hotels which have single rooms.

 

The silliness is in comparing apples to oranges (or hotels to cruise ships). They are quite different: hotels primarily operate to get room rents, while cruise ships rent rooms at low price to get people to spend money on board - they have very little incentive to have rooms with single occupancy because that has only one spender taking up the space which might be occupied by two. They do not mind letting one person have the room, but they do not want to make it cheap.

[cruisejunkie76]

Norwegian Cruise Line has several ships with cabins for Solotravellers.

you might want to check with them

[slidergirl]

Just as you are restricted to those (not so few) hotels which have single rooms.

 

The silliness is in comparing apples to oranges (or hotels to cruise ships). They are quite different: hotels primarily operate to get room rents, while cruise ships rent rooms at low price to get people to spend money on board - they have very little incentive to have rooms with single occupancy because that has only one spender taking up the space which might be occupied by two. They do not mind letting one person have the room, but they do not want to make it cheap.

 

Where did I state I have restricted myself to those hotels which have single rooms? The silliness lies in the inability to think other experiences are out there (do you cruise/travel solo? What anecdotal information do you have personally?)

 

I understand the difference, duh. Your statement above does show we do get the short end of the stick on pricing. That was what we were talking about in the first place. We were letting the OP realize that he is in for a 100% "single supplement" in most cruise scenarios.

[Midwestern Cruiser]

I am reasonably newly single and want to take a cruise but the prices are so high...any hints on cruising single. Nope not a "single cruise". Not looking just love cruises and want to continue.:(

 

I'm in the same boat, IndianaJoe (pun only kind of intended).

You can find some good solo info on a site with cruise and plum in its name and there's a board on CC called Post Cruise Line Single Supplement/Solo Bargains Here where people share good solo rates they find.

It's take more effort (and generally more money) to go solo, but I've found the few times I pushed for a cabin mate, instead of going solo, I return wishing I hadn't.

Good luck to you!