Looking for tips/tricks for solo booking

[LisaLisa87]

Hello! I'm venturing into new territory and could use some assistance from those of you with experience booking as a solo cruiser. DH and I have decided that one of us should take a solo cruise sometime in the next few months so that we'll be Diamond in time for our February sailing on Icon. I want to acknowledge out of the gate that I'm aware some people think this is a dumb thing to do. FWIW, we'll only do it if the cost of the "extra" cruise is the same or less than the cost of 4 cocktails/day/person. Additionally, we plan to pay for the cruise with rewards $ from our Chase Sapphire card.

 

I'm 9 points shy of Diamond and DH is 13 points shy. On the surface, it's obvious that I should be the one to take the extra cruise, but there's a wrinkle. I sailed on Oasis for 4 nights with my sister earlier this year, so it's really his turn. He also has a lot more vacation time than I do. I've spent hours at this point searching for inexpensive 7-night cruises, and I expanded the search today to 3/4 night B2Bs. I've also specifically checked "Going, Going, Gone" sailings. The process has been time and labor intensive, but that isn't really the issue. I'm finding that instead of the solo rate being twice the per person double occupancy rate, it is often much higher than that. For example, say the per person fare is $519/person double occupancy. Instead of the solo fare being $1,038, it might be $1,600+. Why is that? And more importantly, are there certain types of sailings (i.e., # of nights, ships, departure ports, etc.) that tend to have smaller solo markups?

 

I apologize if these are stupid questions but, as I said, this is all new for me. Thanks in advance for any insight! 🙂

[majmaj4]

1 hour ago, LisaLisa87 said:

Hello! I'm venturing into new territory and could use some assistance from those of you with experience booking as a solo cruiser. DH and I have decided that one of us should take a solo cruise sometime in the next few months so that we'll be Diamond in time for our February sailing on Icon. I want to acknowledge out of the gate that I'm aware some people think this is a dumb thing to do. FWIW, we'll only do it if the cost of the "extra" cruise is the same or less than the cost of 4 cocktails/day/person. Additionally, we plan to pay for the cruise with rewards $ from our Chase Sapphire card.

 

I'm 9 points shy of Diamond and DH is 13 points shy. On the surface, it's obvious that I should be the one to take the extra cruise, but there's a wrinkle. I sailed on Oasis for 4 nights with my sister earlier this year, so it's really his turn. He also has a lot more vacation time than I do. I've spent hours at this point searching for inexpensive 7-night cruises, and I expanded the search today to 3/4 night B2Bs. I've also specifically checked "Going, Going, Gone" sailings. The process has been time and labor intensive, but that isn't really the issue. I'm finding that instead of the solo rate being twice the per person double occupancy rate, it is often much higher than that. For example, say the per person fare is $519/person double occupancy. Instead of the solo fare being $1,038, it might be $1,600+. Why is that? And more importantly, are there certain types of sailings (i.e., # of nights, ships, departure ports, etc.) that tend to have smaller solo markups?

 

I apologize if these are stupid questions but, as I said, this is all new for me. Thanks in advance for any insight! 🙂

Edit Oops looks like I referenced some search engines…

 I would use a 3rd party search engine that supports search for solo cruises rather than the RC site. 

Edited September 17, 2023 by majmaj4
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[Dan83]

I did this very thing myself last October. We were 8 points away from Diamond, so I took a 4 day cruise solo. My wife and kids are linked so that made all four of us Diamond on 2 cruises sooner than we would have. I got a crazy cheap deal, and the math worked out in our favor. Plus I enjoyed the 4 day cruise in peace and quiet. 
 

Since pricing has gotten out of hand lately, I think it will be difficult to find a cruise cheap enough to make the math work out. Probably impossible if airfare is involved. The reason that solo booking is sometimes higher is because guarantee cabins are often not available to solo travelers. A very good travel agent may have some work arounds for that though. That being said, there are some elusive deals out there. Just this last week, I needed to add a family member to our transatlantic cruise next month. Just by dumb luck there was a deal on a solo balcony guarantee. I didn’t even think those existed. My excellent TA snatched it for me quickly. It was actually cheaper than inside guarantee for 2. 
 

Keep deal hunting, you will need a solo 5 day for yourself, or a solo 7 day for DH. 

[molly361]

1 hour ago, LisaLisa87 said:

Hello! I'm venturing into new territory and could use some assistance from those of you with experience booking as a solo cruiser. DH and I have decided that one of us should take a solo cruise sometime in the next few months so that we'll be Diamond in time for our February sailing on Icon. I want to acknowledge out of the gate that I'm aware some people think this is a dumb thing to do. FWIW, we'll only do it if the cost of the "extra" cruise is the same or less than the cost of 4 cocktails/day/person. Additionally, we plan to pay for the cruise with rewards $ from our Chase Sapphire card.

 

I'm 9 points shy of Diamond and DH is 13 points shy. On the surface, it's obvious that I should be the one to take the extra cruise, but there's a wrinkle. I sailed on Oasis for 4 nights with my sister earlier this year, so it's really his turn. He also has a lot more vacation time than I do. I've spent hours at this point searching for inexpensive 7-night cruises, and I expanded the search today to 3/4 night B2Bs. I've also specifically checked "Going, Going, Gone" sailings. The process has been time and labor intensive, but that isn't really the issue. I'm finding that instead of the solo rate being twice the per person double occupancy rate, it is often much higher than that. For example, say the per person fare is $519/person double occupancy. Instead of the solo fare being $1,038, it might be $1,600+. Why is that? And more importantly, are there certain types of sailings (i.e., # of nights, ships, departure ports, etc.) that tend to have smaller solo markups?

 

I apologize if these are stupid questions but, as I said, this is all new for me. Thanks in advance for any insight! 🙂

Mariner  from PC 11/6/23 solo interior Florida resident rate total $764  Or Mariner 11/25/23 Florida resident rate solo inside $746

Edited September 17, 2023 by molly361

[LisaLisa87]

Thank you for the replies so far. I should have mentioned a couple of other things:

 

1. We live in FL so would not need to fly.

 

2. I found a couple of 5-night Mariner sailings from PC that would fit the bill for me. If at all possible, I would like for DH to be the one to go (it's only fair).

 

3. The best deal I've found so far is a 3/4 night B2B on Freedom in late October. The total cost is a little more than we'd like, though.

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by LisaLisa87

[LisaLisa87]

18 minutes ago, majmaj4 said:

Edit Oops looks like I referenced some search engines…

 I would use a 3rd party search engine that supports search for solo cruises rather than the RC site. 

 

I didn't realize that was a thing! I'll do some searching.

[LisaLisa87]

13 minutes ago, Dan83 said:

Plus I enjoyed the 4 day cruise in peace and quiet. 

 

I want this for DH. He has a very stressful job and I think he would love every minute of a solo cruise. The challenge would be to keep his bar tab under control!

[LisaLisa87]

6 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Mariner  from PC 11/6/23 solo interior Florida resident rate total $764

 

Thanks, Molly. I wasn't logged in when I was searching, so I may not have been seeing FL resident rates. I'll keep that in mind going forward.

[Ky Bill]

Lisa, For what it's worth I don't think your idea is dumb at all!  If it's right for you and your family it's right.  I'm following your post getting ideas as we're not many points from Pinnacle.  We get five free drinks each per day and free drinks at the suites lounge in the evening.  This keeps us from needing a beverage package which really adds up.  I'll be following to see the final outcome.

[jk04]

@LisaLisa87 Don't know what the cost of the Mariner 4/3 out of Miami was, but Indy also goes out of Miami and you has a 4/4 somewhat reasonably priced.  The first leaves Nov 2nd and the second Nov 6th.  Both did offer a Florida discount.

[Ourusualbeach]

If you see a gty stateroom you would have to book that as a double and have the second guest be a no show (no double points) although I just did one for a client and I called and was able to get revenue to open it up for a solo booking so double points and the guests 150% solo supplement would apply.

[LisaLisa87]

22 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

If you see a gty stateroom you would have to book that as a double and have the second guest be a no show (no double points) although I just did one for a client and I called and was able to get revenue to open it up for a solo booking so double points and the guests 150% solo supplement would apply.

 

Thanks, Ken. I was prepared for a 200% solo supplement, but I'm seeing 250% and more. It occurred to me a little while ago that having me sail solo on a 3-night in a JS might work. I'm going to explore that option now.

Edited September 17, 2023 by LisaLisa87

[brillohead]

I highly recommend booking through a TA who is familiar with RCI's rules and who has access to group rates.

As @Ourusualbeach mentioned, sometimes knowing who to call at Corporate can work in your favor.  

As for why you're seeing higher rates for solos, that's likely for GTY fares, which usually aren't available to solo cruisers.  If you compare non-GTY fares for two with non-GTY fares for one with single supplement, you'll probably find that they are the same price.  Again, this is a situation where having a knowledgeable TA can make all the difference. 

 

My "usual" TA 😉 is able to give me all kinds of guidance for ways to get group rates that I didn't have access to otherwise. 

 

[Kiki and The Noush]

Are you familiar with Brandon The Weekend Cruiser?  He does videos on the popular video site.  He has been sailing solo for quite a long time and is a wealth of information.  Good luck!

[LisaLisa87]

46 minutes ago, brillohead said:

As for why you're seeing higher rates for solos, that's likely for GTY fares, which usually aren't available to solo cruisers.  If you compare non-GTY fares for two with non-GTY fares for one with single supplement, you'll probably find that they are the same price.  Again, this is a situation where having a knowledgeable TA can make all the difference. 

 

Thanks @brillohead. I had a lightbulb moment when I read the above part of your response. It seems like common sense now, but I wasn't seeing any references to GTY fares since I was changing the number of guests from 2 to 1 before I got to that point.

 

I agree that it would be nice to have the expertise and connections of a TA in this situation. Since we hadn't planned (and budgeted) for this extra cruise, we're planning to book it through Chase Sapphire and use some of the rewards dollars we've been saving for the past couple of years. So unfortunately it wasn't an option to work with a TA this time.

 

 

[LisaLisa87]

7 minutes ago, Kiki and The Noush said:

Are you familiar with Brandon The Weekend Cruiser?  He does videos on the popular video site.  He has been sailing solo for quite a long time and is a wealth of information.  Good luck!

 

Yes! I'll go check out his videos to see whether he addresses the booking process.

[RD64]

2 hours ago, LisaLisa87 said:

 

Thanks, Ken. I was prepared for a 200% solo supplement, but I'm seeing 250% and more. It occurred to me a little while ago that having me sail solo on a 3-night in a JS might work. I'm going to explore that option now.

Search on the Celebrity boards for this type of situation - no rhyme or reason, but many solo cruises going for far more than 200% - some actually in the 400 to 500% range. It seems that RCL, Celebrity, and  MSC are only taking a certain amount of single bookings, then increasing rates dramatically, or refusing bookings entirely

[seasidemama]

I know you said you want your husband to do the solo, but just putting this out there: a 3 night in a JS will get you your 9 points and a close in freedom sailing might not be that expensive and no vacation days from work since you live in FL. Haven’t checked pricing but just an idea.

[Starry Eyes]

I appreciate your sense of fairness and that it us your hubby’s turn; that’s admirable.  Still can you set those thoughts aside for a moment.  I want to ask about the big picture.  Right now you are reaching for D, but you seem to be avid Florida cruisers, so there will be more point goals ahead (D+, crystal blocks, 340, pc).  

Which one of you is more likely to want to take cruises without the spouse in the future (solo cruise or cruise with kids, or friend, or parent)?  
If that person is you, then you should be continue to be the “point leader” for your linked C&A account.  You take this cruise to get to D because this is good strategy as a couple and this is a cruise for strategic reasons.  He benefits as you collect points.

If that person is DH, then he should now take over the role of “point leader” on your account by taking the cruise.  He would go not simply because it is his turn but because it is good point strategy.

 

[LisaLisa87]

@Starry Eyes, that is a really good point. We just moved to FL two years ago, and I do think that we'll be cruising much more frequently than we did when we lived in MD. I don't think either of us will cruise solo much, but I can see myself cruising with my sister every so often. This solo cruise is really just a way to get us to D so we won't have to pay for the beverage package going forward. 😃

 

We're actually leaning toward me taking a 3-night in a JS since that's the most efficient way to get the points we need. I have my eye on a December sailing on Liberty. It isn't the cheapest option, but it requires the least time off work and will have the least impact on the person who stays behind.

 

I appreciate all the input!

[rj59]

I always cruise solo. I've found that with full occupancy, RC and Celebrity are more than doubling the solo price, but the way around that is to book for two, when you get to the pier say the other person couldn't make it, and they'll refund you the port fees for the second person. For searches, I use a major travel sites, which allows you to search for number of passengers, which is good for showing the few cabins on a ship that are studios, which sell out. So I found a studio on Quantum going to Hawaii for a good price, and Europe next May on Anthem in a balcony studio for a good price. Some of the older ships, like Brilliance, Radiance, and Mariner will have 4 or so studio cabins, so you can get good prices going out a year or so. Prices are high now because demand is high, and they have to justify their stock price, which doubled recently, but perhaps there will be lower fares if demand falls off, if there's a recession, etc.  It's supply and demand, so for the past couple of years, I got great deals so the single supplement didn't hurt as much. I also find a lot of waived or reduced single supplements on Princess and Norwegian, and you can search by number of passengers on their websites. I'm not sure if I can mention websites, but if you search for 'single supplement cruise search', it should bring up a very good search website with the fruit prunes come from in the title. They have sections for hot deals and single supplement deals, which allowed me to find the first deal I've seen in Virgin Voyages, 9 nights from Barcelona to Athens next October for $100/nt (it quickly sold out). My advice for RC is to not search for the largest ships now, since demand is high for families, but to go for Quantum, Ovation,  Anthem, or Spectrum, since they have solo cabins but a lot of the same cool stuff as the larger ships. The weird, irritating thing I've found is that if you see a studio cabin price on the RC website, it won't let you book it---it shows the price but when you select the cabin it goes to an inside price, so I use a TA website instead.