Celebrity at it again, I guess the new CEO can’t seem to tell the truth!

[BytownMatt]

Just completed my 13th solo cruise with Celebrity. I continue to love the Celebrity onboard product but like many others I am not keen on its recent approach to pricing for solo cruises (along with some other changes). I'm prepared to pay extra as a solo cruiser but the solo "premium" has increased significantly over the past year or so. As others above have correctly pointed out, these amounts are not insignificant.

 

A recent example I found for an 11-day S-class cruise in 2025:

-Celebrity price for 2 people sharing a veranda stateroom (AI + tips + taxes and fees):

$10,612.68 ($CAD)

-Celebrity price for one person in the same veranda stateroom (AI + tips + taxes and fees):

$14,145.34 ($CAD)

 

Whether you consider this disrespectful, mean-spirited, unfair or some other adjective, clearly Celebrity feels this is a reasonable policy in the current supply-and-demand market.

 

That said, I think you can still find more reasonable fares for at least some cruises if you shop around and avoid the Celebrity website fares. One TA in my area gave me a quote of $7,217.34 ($CAD) for the same conditions above. There will also be last-minute discounts for some cruises. I recognize there is a lot of variability here, this example likely does not apply to all cruises, and some people can't travel on short notice or at certain times of the year, but I think there are some ways to manage what Celebrity is doing.

[mnocket]

Perhaps the Celebrity fanboys and apologists have missed the OP's point? As the OP pointed out, at the last webinar with the new CEO, this was brought up and she was adamant that this would stop, she even agreed it was wrong!  So while some here defend the practice, the CEO said she did not, and the practice would change.  The issue here is not so much whether the practice is justifiable or not - it is, can we rely on this CEO to walk her talk?

[Stockjock]

3 hours ago, pzsdd6 said:

I know this has been hashed out here many times, so much so that the last webinar with the new CEO, this was brought up and she was adamant that this would stop, she even agreed it was wrong!

Well, I guess she just can’t tell the truth! 
This has to do with the highly distasteful practice of gouging solo travelers. According to Celebrities CEO, this issue was addressed many months ago, well not true! See below…….

Before any of the Celebrity cheerleaders pipe up about how cruise lines can do as they please, just stop! This practice is WRONG! Period!

What do you have to say now Laure Hodges Bethge? Seems as though ever since you were made CEO, all you do is piss of cruisers with all of your changes. Do everyone a favor, stop lying and go back to your old job! You clearly don’t have what it takes. Bring back Lisa Lutoff-Perlo! 

In this case, could a solo traveler book a cabin with 2 occupants and then one simply fails to show up?

[mac_tlc]

6 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Perhaps the Celebrity fanboys and apologists have missed the OP's point? As the OP pointed out, at the last webinar with the new CEO, this was brought up and she was adamant that this would stop, she even agreed it was wrong!  So while some here defend the practice, the CEO said she did not, and the practice would change.  The issue here is not so much whether the practice is justifiable or not - it is, can we rely on this CEO to walk her talk?

Obviously, we can not..

 

Three more examples . All are V1 Veranda cabins, on S class ships, within a week of each other. All non-refundable deposit, all no perks.

 

Silhouette - 10 nights - 4/28/2025:

Total Price for 1 = $3089

Total Price for 2 = $2217

 

Reflection - 8 nights - 4/26/2025:

Total Price for 1 = $3774

Total Price for 2 = $2689

 

Equinox - 14 nights - 4/19/2025:

Total Price for 1 = $2505

Total Price for 2 = $2860

 

Frankly, the pricing for 2 for all three is pretty attractive.

 

 

mac_tlc

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

My question is this.

What happens if you simply book for 2 people and one is a no show at the port/check in?

If the cabin doesn't get repriced at the port then that seems the simple solution to your issue.

Thats exactly what I would do…

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

5 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Take a look at other lines.  Don't other lines have solo cabins?

Also on our AMA Waterways cruise they had solo cabins that were in between single and double fares for solo.

 

I don't want a solo cabin.  Celebrity has them on their E class ships.  They're tiny, have hardly any storage or hanging capacity, and cost almost as much as a real cabin.  What I want is a regular cabin at the same price as a couple pays.  That's how it always was before.  Once in a while, there were even discounts for solo travelers.

[drakes2]

49 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I don't want a solo cabin.  Celebrity has them on their E class ships.  They're tiny, have hardly any storage or hanging capacity, and cost almost as much as a real cabin.  What I want is a regular cabin at the same price as a couple pays.  That's how it always was before.  Once in a while, there were even discounts for solo travelers.

I'm looking at an 11 night cruise next May on the Ascent.

I've already booked the TA which ends May 5th so thought since I'm in Rome why not take a cruise to Europe don't know when I'll get the opportunity again but price for a single inside cabin  is almost $8K. Ridiculously priced for one person. Its actually cheaper for me to share with someone and just pay for their portion. 

[horseymike]

$$$$$ is the bottom line for the cruise line as well as the customer.

Try and keep your options as flexible as possible and hunt down the best deal on a cruise that you think you will enjoy. 
Forget any loyalty, that is a thing of the past with all these corporate bean counters these days.

Hopefully you will find a cruise you will enjoy at pricing that you are comfortable with.

There are differences between cruise lines , that keeps it interesting.

All the Best 🍀👍😎🚢

[twins_to_alaska]

As a solo I look often at the prices and compare. I have a Nov cruise that I booked with a ghost person in the room but then there was a drop and the new solo price was less than $30 more than the total double price minus one person's taxes/fees so I changed to solo.

 

I didn't feel badly creating an account for my non-cruising husband for my Apr cruise and sadly 🙂 having him 'miss the boat' to get the much cheaper final cabin price with double occupancy instead of solo. They were very prompt returning his taxes/fees.

Edited June 8 by twins_to_alaska

[drakes2]

17 minutes ago, twins_to_alaska said:

As a solo I look often at the prices and compare. I have a Nov cruise that I booked with a ghost person in the room but then there was a drop and the new solo price was less than $30 more than the total double price minus one person's taxes/fees so I changed to solo.

 

I didn't feel badly creating an account for my non-cruising husband for my Apr cruise and sadly 🙂 having him 'miss the boat' to get the much cheaper final cabin price with double occupancy instead of solo. They were very prompt returning his taxes/fees.

I was told if there was a no show the price would revert back to the prevailing rate for a single occupancy minus taxes and port fees. 

[Judyrem]

7 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

Isn't this more a by product of the second passenger 75% off stupid "sale".  Don't 3 passengers in a cabin have the same issue?   I agree it's not right, that they should just put a real price on the product.

I haves been doing a lot of research and I found some deals and booked two cruises solo in a  sky suite.  4700$ for a 6 day Caribbean on Beyond, 4800$ on Constellation 7 days southern Caribbean.

 

I think that's a very good deal.

[pcur]

I sail solo.  Since I had reached the level in RCCL's Crown and Anchor Society by the time my sweet husband passed away, it was an easy choice who to book with when I got 50% off the solo supplement with RCCL. I checked out Princess, HAL, NCL, and Celebrity, but their pricing was always too high.  Or, like Carnival, the room size was showing me I would be claustrophobic after an hour in the cabin.

 

But, with the new policy to match Zenith with Pinnacle across the RCCL and Celebrity loyalty clubs, I started looking at solo cruising on Celebrity, expecting it would still be too expensive.  I was wow'd by the perks I got as Zenith, which are even better than being Pinnacle with RCCL.  Double wow'd by the rate I got from my TA for a 4 night cruise on the Reflection: $620 in a Prime Verandah.

 

Maybe a fluke, but it will keep me hunting..............

 

I gave up resenting the disadvantage / discrimination of sailing solo: it was what it was. No matter how "wrong" I thought it was, it was the market price for what I wanted to buy.

 

Also, I have never in the last 3 years experienced a different price at a hotel for 1 or 2 people. I've even added a friend who just needed the parking privilege with my hotel booking, or added my sis for the meet-up for free breakfast before boarding the ship. Same price.

[canderson]

For those of you dealing with solo pricing issues, and especially those of you who have achieved a high status on X along with the newly provided status reciprocity with Silversea, you might want to investigate their offerings.  They have set up a solo-specific list, available here:

 

https://www.silversea.com/find-a-cruise.html?refinementList[promoCodes][0]=SINGLES_FARES

 

It's certainly not all itineraries and all dates, but it does cover a fair swath of cruising experiences.

There are presently 42 offerings.

[as3369]

8 hours ago, the penguins said:

My question is this.

What happens if you simply book for 2 people and one is a no show at the port/check in?

If the cabin doesn't get repriced at the port then that seems the simple solution to your issue.

yep.. that was my initial thought

[Straughn]

This idea of having a no show cabin mate has been suggested/discussed here a number of times. Celebrity, by now, is aware of this practice. Don’t be surprised if they start charging when “oops” my friend /spouse had to cancel at the last minute.  Celebrity may be a lot of things, but when it comes to pricing, they are on top of it. They want two people in a cabin and don’t consider solo cruisers a significant revenue stream. 

[dreamer321]

4 hours ago, twins_to_alaska said:

As a solo I look often at the prices and compare. I have a Nov cruise that I booked with a ghost person in the room but then there was a drop and the new solo price was less than $30 more than the total double price minus one person's taxes/fees so I changed to solo.

 

I didn't feel badly creating an account for my non-cruising husband for my Apr cruise and sadly 🙂 having him 'miss the boat' to get the much cheaper final cabin price with double occupancy instead of solo. They were very prompt returning his taxes/fees.

I'm a solo traveler also.  I have a cruise booked in Nov. 2025 with the second passenger TBD (to be determined).  Since your "non-cruising husband" wasn't able to make the cruise were you awarded double or single Captain's Club points for the cruise?

Edited June 9 by dreamer321

[dreamer321]

10 hours ago, ngrund said:

The 2nd one has the non-refundable deposit discount, first doesn't.

Since the cruise is only a month and a half out both price options have to be paid in full at booking.  

 

If you have a travel agent they have access to more code categories than is listed on the website.  They may be able to book the cabin for a solo at the same price as a couple would pay except for double port fees & taxes for a couple instead of one set of fees and taxes for a solo.

[edgee]

11 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

 

That's a very North American perspective. In much of the world, you pay different prices based on occupancy.

Your point has little merit considering we are on a U.S.based cruise line catering to mainly a North American market.

[miched]

When anyone books a cruise or a hotel you are paying for the room or cabin.   1 or 2 persons don’t really make a difference you are paying for the space.   That is why the cruise lines will promote 3rd or 4th passenger sails free.  
 

If you rent a house or an apartment it doesn’t matter how many are living there.   You are paying for the space.  If utilities are included you may have to pay extra pp.  
 

I think a person traveling solo gets double the CC points.    Therefore If I am paying for the cabin even though there  are 2 people in it why shouldn’t I get double the points?   I think that is not fair because I am paying the same price for the cabin and have to share it with someone else.   A solo person gets the  cabin to themselves.    
 

Look at the revenue being lost with only one person in a cabin.  The gratuities pp, a drink pack if purchased that is required for all in the cabin,  shore excursions,  specialty restaurants for two instead of one, gaming, and etc. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

[BeasleysMom66]

4 minutes ago, miched said:

I think a person traveling solo gets double the CC points.

 

I can verify this.   I just logged into my Celebrity profile and checked my points after my cruise last month and I was given double points as I traveled and booked solo.

 

5 minutes ago, miched said:

Look at the revenue being lost with only one person in a cabin.

 

It is a wrong assumption on the part of Celebrity.  First if there is only one passenger the crew isn't doing as much work therefore double gratuities aren't needed for that cabin.  It also assumes every passenger books excursions, drinks packages, and specialty restaurants when that isn't accurate either.

 

On my cruise last month I booked private excursions in 2 ports (one in Seward because that was the starting point and private was the only option prior to boarding) but did use ship's excursions in the rest.  I did not need or want a drink package as it far exceeded what I would use and was not financially beneficial.  I brought a 12 pack of my Pepsi on board and avoided having to buy those at $4/can.  Being a port intensive itinerary I did Tuscan one night with 2 others and we were sorely disappointed.  I will not be doing that expense on future sailings I might book because of that.  I prepaid gratuities.  While I gambled, the casino did not seem to be very busy on most nights but I also wasn't there every night either.  Even if I was cruising with a companion I wouldn't be spending differently.

 

14 minutes ago, miched said:

When anyone books a cruise or a hotel you are paying for the room or cabin.

 

Which is why my opinion is the price of the cabin should be the price of the cabin.  If you put two people in then the port fees and taxes are x 2.  3-4 same thing.  No different with the gratuities. Those billables are multiplied by the number in the cabin.   However, if Celebrity REALLY wants to maximize that extra spending they need to improve their product.  The staff in the MDR at our table was friendly and helpful but slower than a herd of turtles running a marathon in peanut butter.  We noticed EVERY night many tables finishing 30 minutes before us and we still didn't have our dessert menues let alone the actual food.  We never got drink refills other than water and seemed to be an after thought for the staff on everything.  Worse the food was meh at best and frequently not cooked as requested (i.e. steaks).  The staff noticed we weren't finishing it and offered other options but we all discuss it would be a waste of food since we weren't likely to enjoy it.  I did better in the buffet but even that was lacking.  I got ice cream one afternoon at the cones place:  the chocolate was brown but had NO FLAVOR what so ever.  None of them did.  I dined in Tuscan with 2 different people and NONE of us finished our meals and were not happy with the quality at all.  The spaghetti and meatballs I had was so bad it made Olive Garden look 4 star Michelin quality.  

 

Don't get me wrong the cruise was fabulous and the trip of a lifetime but the way it was the last time I cruised back in 2012 was very very different.  The focus now seems to be on nickel and diming passengers rather than product quality.  The constant pandering and questioning about how everything is gets tiring on vacation.  If you are truly delivering the quailty you want passengers to have you don't have to hammer then 24/7 asking if they are doing it right.  There are ways to make passengers feel valued and still make money and quality of the product doesn't have to necessarily be compromised in order to maximize profits but for now my impression is the focus seems to be more on the profit margin and less on customer satisfaction as long as that bottom line is where they want it.  

[the penguins]

5 hours ago, Straughn said:

This idea of having a no show cabin mate has been suggested/discussed here a number of times. Celebrity, by now, is aware of this practice. Don’t be surprised if they start charging when “oops” my friend /spouse had to cancel at the last minute.  Celebrity may be a lot of things, but when it comes to pricing, they are on top of it. They want two people in a cabin and don’t consider solo cruisers a significant revenue stream. 

My question was does X charge at check-in?

From the other answers it would appear to be no which makes the "no show passenger" the easy solution.

[molly361]

I just priced the Equinox for myself for next March at $3550 solo but if I put in 2 passengers it goes down to $2850  Crazy.  

[twins_to_alaska]

9 hours ago, dreamer321 said:

I'm a solo traveler also.  I have a cruise booked in Nov. 2025 with the second passenger TBD (to be determined).  Since your "non-cruising husband" wasn't able to make the cruise were you awarded double or single Captain's Club points for the cruise?

 

I just checked as I hadn't looked at my points since the cruise. I made elite before this one so it will be a while before the points matter.

I was awarded double, the same as when I book solo. This was my first time with a planned 'no show'. I was in concierge for a short 3 night cruise and I did the GoGreen program.

So 5 pts a night * 3 nights =15 points + 5 points for GoGreen + 15 points for being solo with husband as 'no show' = 35 points

 

Edited June 9 by twins_to_alaska

[twins_to_alaska]

13 hours ago, drakes2 said:

I was told if there was a no show the price would revert back to the prevailing rate for a single occupancy minus taxes and port fees. 

That hasn't happened yet. Plenty of folk have had the same experience as me.

Will it in the future? I guess before that happened they'd state as a policy that it would take effect.

The folk who do this on purpose are probably very very small compared to folk who actually have an unexpected life event. I had never booked a ghost person before they made the pricing so unfair. I don't mind paying the same price for my cabin as a couple but I don't think I should pay sa lot more than they pay together.

Edited June 9 by twins_to_alaska

[twins_to_alaska]

8 hours ago, miched said:

I think a person traveling solo gets double the CC points.    Therefore If I am paying for the cabin even though there  are 2 people in it why shouldn’t I get double the points?   I think that is not fair because I am paying the same price for the cabin and have to share it with someone else.   A solo person gets the  cabin to themselves.    

 

 

 

You aren't paying the same price per person if you have a roommate. If there are two people in the room your share is 1/2 the total price. Not everyone who travels shares a room with someone they share expenses with.

Edited June 9 by twins_to_alaska