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Comments (15)
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Save/ShareA reader asks how to skip the "single supplement" fee that cruise lines typically charge solo travelers:
I am a single senior citizen who previously enjoyed cruising with my husband. Since he passed away a few years ago, I have been interested on going solo. I have been very disappointed in the fact that there are no opportunities for this, without paying a penalty.I realize that cruise lines will waive the fee if I agree to room with a stranger. But I wish to be on my own. After having spent most of my life living and doing things with the same person, it is very difficult to deal with a roommate.
I have seen single room offers on high end cruise lines only. I wonder why in these tough economic times some innovative person within the cruise industry doesn't come up with a plan and convert some rooms on the ship to single occupancy.
Sincerely,
Leanne Clark
Dear Leanne,
First: We're sorry to hear about the loss of your husband. But we're delighted to know that you're continuing to travel. We understand why you would rather not share a room with a stranger at this point in your life.
You ask: "Why in these tough economic times…the cruise industry doesn't…convert some rooms on the ship to single occupancy?"
Good question! Britain's P&O Cruises has recently announcement that its new superliner Azura, due to be christened next year, will have single cabins for single cruise goers at affordable prices and without supplement fees. Hopefully, U.S. cruise lines will learn from the British example.
What to do in the meantime? Here are a couple of tips.
1. Try one-way, shoulder-season cruise itineraries. The shoulder-season—when families aren't traveling—is a fine time to save on the single supplement on cruise ships. Some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, charge less for the supplement on what these so-called "repositioning cruises," when cruise lines "move their ships from their summer cruising waters to their winter waters (from the North Atlantic to the Caribbean in the fall), or vice versa," reports travel writer Brooke Kosofsky Glassberg.
These cruises often last longer (between 7 and 12 days) than standard cruises—yet cost up to half as much per day per person as the norm. Norwegian, for instance, recently had interior berths on a late October transatlantic cruise going for as low as $399 per passenger, says editor of Cruisemates Paul Motter.
Pick the type of repositioning cruise that suits your style. Some itineraries have themes, such as wine tastings, and multiple port stops, like Holland America's Zaandam's recent itinerary between San Diego and Vancouver, says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of CruiseCritic. Other routes cover a lot of sea with few—if any—port stops, such as an early November Carnival itinerary between Dover, England, and Boston.
Some people might find the lack of port stops boring. But others won't mind: Because these cruises are less popular, the ships are often well below capacity—which means you receive additional special attention from the (underworked) on-board staff without having to pay additional gratuities, says Motter.
When considering a one-way cruise, nabbing an affordable one-way flight home is key to keeping total trip costs down. For international itineraries, consider that, as of May, American Airlines offers redemptions for frequent flier miles for one-way tickets, which is an affordable way to book one-way tickets. Domestically, JetBlue, and Southwest sell one-way fares that are also inexpensive.
2. Look for last-minute deals. Some companies try to off-load unbooked cabins in the weeks before a departure by offering "happy hour" specials in which they reduce the supplement, writes Brooke Glassberg. The sales are typically held the same day they're announced on the companies' websites, says Amber Blecker, a travel agent who founded a website listing discounts on supplements for solo cruisers: singlescruiseresource.com. Most travel agents receive advance warning of the sales.
We hope that if any readers have additional advice for you that they'll share it in the comments section.
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There are two other very pleasant options:
1. River cruises currently are running promotions ELIMINATING the single supplement. River cruises beat ocean cruises any day, anyway!
2. Join a travel club, such as Shillelagh (based in Vienna, Va). Because these travel clubs negotiate directly with wholesaler and because MANY of their members are single senior ladies, they frequently waive the single supplement or make the single supplement low-enough to be affordable.
Posted By pua on June 15, 2009, 12:29 PM
you seem to have decided the single charge is more but some cruises have single cabins, Costa Fortuna in January 2010 charging $679 for one in Caribbean.
Posted By cd on June 15, 2009, 4:00 PM
I agree about the Cruise Lines needing to pay attention to the single traveler. In 2007 I took 4 cruises and 2008 only 2 and for 2009 booked only 1 due to the high costs of traveling single. I would travel very much more if they would cater to the senior single with lower rates.
Posted By Larry Russell on June 18, 2009, 11:03 AM
This would be wonderful innovation for the single traveler. I feel as if I could have composed Leanne's
Letter.
As for the cruise lines, I am sure that they sail with vacancies and without any expense to them - why not offer the vacancies to single travelers?
dmf
Posted By Dorothy M.Freed on June 18, 2009, 12:40 PM
Tom from Tauck World Discovery has kindly pointed out that his company offers a number of cruise and tour departures where it either reduces or completely waives the single supplement. For example, there's a Holland & Belgium In Spring cruise departing soon, where the ordinary single supplement of $1,296 is eliminated, bringing the price down to $3,490 for a solo traveler. If you can splurge on Tauck, you'll get an award winning cruise experience with an escorted personal touch, Tom assures.
Posted By Blog Editor on June 18, 2009, 1:09 PM
I too am a single traveler. I have found only one site that will give single supplement rates along side of regular rates. This allows you to see the percentage markup. I don't mind paying 10-15% more but you are right, the industry just does not care about us. I have a quote from one tour company on the Eurodam from Europe to NY and trying to deal with Holland America is a pain, and I'm a long time Cunard-Family cruiser.
Posted By Tracy on June 18, 2009, 1:11 PM
I traveled on a Cruise West Alaska cruise last year that offered a single cabin. However, although I really liked the cruise and would highly recommend them, the single cabin was much less than satisfactory. The bed was 2' x 6' with walls on three sides; glad I'm not 6'tall. The bathroom was RV style shower and stool combo. I could not turn around in the shower without turning the shower off and opening the door. So, beware of the single rooms and make sure they are adequate.
Posted By Tony Colon on June 18, 2009, 4:56 PM
I've done well over a dozen "repositioning" (or transatlatic) cruises solo at very low prices. The trick is to follow the cruise line prices like following the stock market (an unfortunate comparison, I know). But last year via Priceline, for $964 I scored a single outside room on the Celebrity Summit for a 12-day crossing from San Juan to Barcelona. Expedia and VacationOutlet are likewise helpful. Vacationstogo will match prices from other companies. As the time comes closer to sailing, cruise lines get increasingly "hungry" and do not want to sail with empty cabins. I heard that cruise lines figure an additional $100 per day is gotten from each cabin, thus the money to be made is not necessarily in the cabin price but in the additional spending of the occupant(s). I'd highly recommend Royal Caribbean with whom I've cruised a number of times and Norwegian; both will provide "single" cabins via some of the companies cites earlier. I do two or more cruises, usually of 12 or more per year. You can also if you do your homework. Bought a round-trip air ticket for $502 via a one-way ticket for $800 for London to Dulles. If I use the other half (and I plan to), I'm in good shape. If I don't, I'll still have saved $300.
Posted By Norm Kelley on June 18, 2009, 6:44 PM
I am sorry that your lost your husband & that you are getting adjusted to a different life without him. I own a travel company & take single ladies on tour but we unfortunately have to add a supplement if the room is for two. Will look into designing a tour for singles with single rooms.
Warm regards,
Anne Suire
Posted By Anne Suire on June 18, 2009, 8:15 PM
I would like to know of tour companies that do not charge single supplements for land tours, especially in Spain - and I am not a senior!
Posted By Patty on June 18, 2009, 8:48 PM
I'm completely fed up with the cruise lines as well as most vacation companies and their ridiculous single supplements. After being barraged with e-mails telling me about all the "astounding" travel deals this year, once again, when I inquired about any deals for single travellers I invariably received quotes of between $4000 and $5000 or more for a 2 week vacation. Sorry, but I can make my own travel arrangements and have the freedom to do what I want when I want for a helluva lot less. Travel Industry, YOU SUCK!
Posted By ken on June 19, 2009, 1:11 AM
Mrs. Clark, I'm sorry for your loss. I started cruising as a solo a few years ago. Due to the economy the prices have come down so much I've booked 4 cruises for this summer, paying between 90-125%, instead of the 200%. Sign up for the sale emails, keep checking your local newspaper's travel section, etc. Also, be sure your past cruises are counted toward the cruise line's loyalty program b/c they offer special member pricing or member cruises that will save you money. lastly, Good luck.
Posted By sfcook on June 23, 2009, 1:40 PM
i just took a 21 day repositioning voyage from Florida to Rome solo.
the first leg of the trip dropped to $369 before i left and i was charged double, however from NYC they were only charging 1 1/2 times the cost.
it took Watching the Rates daily or weekly.
after i considere 9 days at 730.00 i calculated it was only 100.00 a day if i stayed on until Rome.
I did hear that one passenger booked at the last moment and got a single cabin for $369 to Portugal.
although everyone told me i would hate it, i loved it and am looking for connections for next year either to sail to austrailian or from.
i had to buy a round trip ticket (as above) and i will be back in italy in March. plan to ferry to greece and then try for a ship going to austrailia.
takes lots of planning, but certainly more fun than the job i have
Posted By lee laurino on August 3, 2009, 1:21 PM
When I was widowed 18 months ago, several people suggested I take a cruise to take stock of my life. Little did I know at the time taking a cruise at a reasonable rate (ie, no single supplement at twice the advertised price) would turn into a cause for me. But now it has paid off. Read on...
There is a perfectly legal way to force cruise lines to give single travelers the “posted” rate for cruises. I speak from experience and have earned a few scars along the way. Since I am not under any order to remain silent on this, let me explain.
A couple of months ago, I received a mailing from Princess Cruises with an advertised rate for a Caribbean cruise of $699. In this mailing, there was no caveat about this being a double occupancy rate. Indeed, nowhere in the entire mailing did the words “Double Occupancy” appear. So I pounced on it. And of course, Princess Cruises basically told me it was double occupany and the rate was $1398. But Princess Cruises was wrong. The ADVERTISED rate really was $699, and I was determined it was going to honor the rate. I refused to give in; either Princess honored its advertised rate, or I was reporting it to the FTC as a classic “bait and switch” maneuver.
I didn’t cave in, but Princess did. Apparently my email and phone calls to Princess made their way to the Legal department, and then to the upper management. Princess had two choices: refuse to comply and face a $100,000 fine by the FTC (the going rate for Bait and Switch) or honor its commitment to anyone who was eagle-eyed enough to notice the rate. Furthermore, the Legal department “suggested” I be given the cruise for free since I had caught Princess in a bait and switch ploy (even if it wasn't intentional, the FTC didn't see it that way). And this is indeed what came to pass. I have a free cruise starting on May 1, 2010.
This is not the end of the story. Fast forward to last week. I received yet another mailing from Princess. This one advertised a Mexican Riviera cruise rate in January 2010 of $499 for seven days. Once again, the mailing never used the dreaded words “DOUBLE OCCUPANCY” anywhere. Once again, I tried to take Princess up on its advertised rate, and once again Princess refused to honor the price. Indeed, while acknowledging it had produced the mailing and sent it out, it said no one else had asked for the advertised rate.
My goal with this posting is to make Princess honor its advertised rates. It is all a matter of it being told by more than one person it has to do so. I’m just one voice. The mailing in question is PP09MX577, and Princess has to honor the $499 rate for a seven-day cruise leaving from Los Angeles on January 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30.
If enough people dare to challenge these cruise lines on their unfair rates for single travelers, then maybe we can finally do something about it. Of course, you have to be eagle-eyed and spot the lack of the words double occupancy, but enough of these mailings are out there now (I’ve actually received four of them from Princess without those legally-required words).
The lesson: really read the mailings. And don't be afraid the challenge these cruise lines. If they do something even slightly illegal, they can be fined far more than the cost of treating singles fairly.
Posted By Michael on September 27, 2009, 2:46 PM
Can anyone tell me directly which cruise lines do look out for the single traveler? I don't mean putting them in a box but actually getting a deal with a view? There has to be 3 or 4 anyway. Thanks!
Posted By Marian Forberg on October 15, 2009, 3:10 PM