Solo Costs MORE Than Double?

I was looking at a Panama Canal cruise on Princess on a travel agency website yesterday, and the per person/double occupancy price seemed reasonable, even if doubled, so I tried to click through to the selection page. When I got there, and changed the number of passengers from "2" to "1," the total cost was MORE than twice the PPDO price. And when I changed it back to "2" and it gave the total cruise price for both people, that amount was still less than the solo price.

Does this ever happen, or was this a website/travel agency glitch of some kind? If it DOES happen, what kind of justification would there be for such a pricing model?

I was looking at a Panama Canal cruise on Princess on a travel agency website yesterday, and the per person/double occupancy price seemed reasonable, even if doubled, so I tried to click through to the selection page. When I got there, and changed the number of passengers from "2" to "1," the total cost was MORE than twice the PPDO price. And when I changed it back to "2" and it gave the total cruise price for both people, that amount was still less than the solo price.

 

Does this ever happen, or was this a website/travel agency glitch of some kind? If it DOES happen, what kind of justification would there be for such a pricing model?

Yes, it can happen when it is a high demand cruise and they want to seriously discourage solo travelers in order to sell the cabins to two or three passengers instead.

I was looking at a Panama Canal cruise on Princess on a travel agency website yesterday, and the per person/double occupancy price seemed reasonable, even if doubled, so I tried to click through to the selection page. When I got there, and changed the number of passengers from "2" to "1," the total cost was MORE than twice the PPDO price. And when I changed it back to "2" and it gave the total cruise price for both people, that amount was still less than the solo price.

 

Does this ever happen, or was this a website/travel agency glitch of some kind? If it DOES happen, what kind of justification would there be for such a pricing model?

I find it happens on promotions. If it is a sales price based on 2 occupants, it can happen that the solo price is double the non sales price. Cunard had a great sale, but the solo prices was over 3 times the sale price. I was not amused. There was fine print that explained the criteria on the sales. Direct cruise line sales also may price this way, so I think one has to decide that if you can actually get a sale at 2x the price, you should be 'thankful'; otherwise don't be surprised if more than double. A sad thing, for sure.

I discussed this a few weeks ago. One of the posters said he got around this by having a 'no show'; but I am not sure I could pull that off. Needing passports details prior to sailing makes that a little more chancy and it means drawing someone else into the subterfuge.

John,

Sometimes when you see weird pricing like that, it's best to contact the TA or cruise line directly, and get pricing from them.

Roz

It could also be an error!! There have been many mistakes recently. I would call the cruise line

I have seen this happen quite a lot. It's usually when there is a deal on offer.

I've been browsing the RCI website, looking at 2017. Some of the Med cruises seemed reasonable until I changed the occupancy to 1.

I've seen this too, mostly on "private" sales from the cruise line.

I have also tried pricing a cruise with 6-8 weeks to go on a "big box" website that is known for good deals and found there is no availability at any level once the 2 pax is changed to 1.

I have seen this happen many times with Royal Caribbean, they were charging triple instead of double.

About 1-2 years ago MSC would not even let solo cruisers book.....:rolleyes:

Not sure about now, no reason to look. :)

Book a second fictional person to get the double rate then they just don't show up.

Book a second fictional person to get the double rate then they just don't show up.

If you do that, do you make up everything? Passport info, addresses, etc?

Book a second fictional person to get the double rate then they just don't show up.

I don't know if it's true, but I have heard that people that have done that have been denied boarding.

I don't know if it's true, but I have heard that people that have done that have been denied boarding.

I can see that they would charge someone the difference, but not just deny boarding entirely -- i.e. they deny boarding unless you pay any difference between what's been paid and the solo occupancy cost.

I don't know if it's true, but I have heard that people that have done that have been denied boarding.

I've done it several times. No issues. I cruise Carnival mostly and they charge solos double so they got paid just got back port fees for phantom cruiser.

I've done it several times. No issues. I cruise Carnival mostly and they charge solos double so they got paid just got back port fees for phantom cruiser.

How did this work? Didn't you need to put in the 'other person's' information when you checked-in before you went?

A TA I am working with said this works since I/we paid the double rate and it happens all of the time; just a bit curious about the logistics.

Thanks!!! :)

How did this work? Didn't you need to put in the 'other person's' information when you checked-in before you went?

A TA I am working with said this works since I/we paid the double rate and it happens all of the time; just a bit curious about the logistics.

 

Thanks!!! :)

I am curious too.

Consider NCL studios. That's why I pretty much exclusively travel with NCL now.

Consider NCL studios. That's why I pretty much exclusively travel with NCL now.

The problem with that is on rare occasions I have seen 'Inside' cabins available for solo travelers for less that the 'Studio' cabins.

Example: Norwegian Escape on Aug 28 - Sep 03, 2016 has the 'Studio' at $749 but the 'Inside' cabin for $399.

My memory may be fooling me, but I think I have even seen a cruise where the 'OceanView' cabin was the same price as the 'Studio' for a solo traveler.

No: Same cruise as above 'OceanView' is $449 and Balcony is $499.

If you just want a peaceful, restful cruise where you are not wanting to talk to people a lot 'Studio' is not always the best buy.

How did this work? Didn't you need to put in the 'other person's' information when you checked-in before you went?

A TA I am working with said this works since I/we paid the double rate and it happens all of the time; just a bit curious about the logistics.

 

Thanks!!! :)

I've done it on NCL and Carnival....but instead of a "phantom" person I used a friend/relative that wasn't interested in the trip but didn't mind being on the booking. Then they are simply a no show at the port, which is what would happen with any last minute emergency cancellation. As the OP said - the port fees and taxes for the second person are then refunded.

How did this work? Didn't you need to put in the 'other person's' information when you checked-in before you went?

A TA I am working with said this works since I/we paid the double rate and it happens all of the time; just a bit curious about the logistics.

 

Thanks!!! :)

I said my 25 y/o daughter was going, using birth certificate.

I've done it on NCL and Carnival....but instead of a "phantom" person I used a friend/relative that wasn't interested in the trip but didn't mind being on the booking. Then they are simply a no show at the port, which is what would happen with any last minute emergency cancellation. As the OP said - the port fees and taxes for the second person are then refunded.

So, just to get this straight, I do need to find a person who will let me use their Passport number for the booking? I am going on an international trip so just a BC will not be sufficient.

I guess my question now is, will the cruise lines let you print out the ticket without the Passport number of the second person? Has anyone done this either solo or in this type of situation?

Thanks! :)