Why do some cruise lines/travel agencies not like us?

In my experience as a solo traveler, the people who do travel solo are of a demographic that has more disposable income and use it to travel. Really no penny pinchers here.

I always spend more than couples I travel with; I can tell by who buys rounds of drinks, buys lunch etc. For example, a couple may buy a lunch for the group but so do I; I would buy 2 lunches for them and they only would buy me one and usually do not buy me another later on. I plan for these types of things in my travel budget.

People who travel solo spend lots of money. I believe there are a few more options for solos now however when the rest of the travel industry gets on the bandwagon I will remember who treated me poorly before, (I am stupid because I am not married? That in itself is a whole different conversation and can be debatable :p) and would hesitate to book with them. The power is in the people who have the money; us solo travelers. :D

Happy and safe cruising all!!

Caron

Good question, why do some cruise lines/travel agents not like solos. I called one of the very nice cruise lines once that was advertising a two for one fare. I think it was even one of the all inclusive lines. I asked them, does your great offer extend to solo travelers? The answer was not just "no", it was an icy, condescending no. I could feel my face turn red with the way the cruise line's rep spoke to me, like I was the bottom of the barrel and of course you are not welcome on our line.

I can't remember what line it was. If I did I'd tell you!

Some cruise lines are really nice to solo travelers. I guess we just have to find them.

Some cruise lines are really nice to solo travelers. I guess we just have to find them.

I'm sure many lines will be nice to you as a solo passenger, but it will cost you more ;)

I have found them. I just can't afford them anymore. Seabourn treated me like a Duchess!

Seabourn treated me very well, too, on my Baltic cruise last year. That's part of the reason I'm traveling solo with them again at the end of this month.

Seabourn treated me very well, too, on my Baltic cruise last year. That's part of the reason I'm traveling solo with them again at the end of this month.

Maybe I will be able to try them one day (if I hit the lottery:eek:).

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Something that I especially liked about Seabourn was that, as a solo traveler, I had an invitation every evening to a hosted dinner table. During my Baltic cruise, I had an opportunity to meet many people I wouldn't otherwise have met - and have delightful conversations with several officers and entertainers among the crew. That strikes me as an excellent policy for the solo folks on board.

Something that I especially liked about Seabourn was that, as a solo traveler, I had an invitation every evening to a hosted dinner table. During my Baltic cruise, I had an opportunity to meet many people I wouldn't otherwise have met - and have delightful conversations with several officers and entertainers among the crew. That strikes me as an excellent policy for the solo folks on board.

That's good to hear -- one of the things I like about Crystal's traditional seating dining in the MDR is that I have an assigned table and don't have to search for one when I want to eat and not know if I'd be sharing or not. That way I got to meet some lovely people to share dinner with.

I disagree. This is not always the case on cruises. A solo who drinks will spend more on cocktails than a couple who are teetotalers. A solo who books the ship's shore excursions will spend more than a couple who go sightseeing on their own. A solo who plays Bingo will spend more than a couple who don't play Bingo. A solo who eats in surcharge restaurants will pay more than a couple who do not. And on and on.

 

Many years ago, I wanted to book a land vacation in Mexico. I saw a brochure that said that a room would cost $75 per person per night if it were occupied by a couple, and $50 per person per night if it were occupied by three people. I figured that the cost would be $150 per night for one person. But no! The charge was $200 per night for one person.

 

I called the tour operator to ask why. The people kept telling me that it was the single supplement. I told them that the single supplement should not make the room cost more than $150. They just couldn't understand my reasoning. I kept getting switched from person to person, and I kept telling them that it made no sense that I should lie and tell them that my friend Betty is coming with me so that I could save $50 per night. And that I should eventually tell them that Betty couldn't go after all, but she doesn't want her money back.

 

Finally someone understood what I was getting at and said, "Maybe they give you a bigger room" as an explanation for the extra $50 per night. "Why couldn't they give me a room they were going to give to two or three people?" I asked. "If it's big enough for them, I'm sure it would be big enough for me."

 

Then she said that maybe the hotel just didn't want people by themselves staying there, and that's why the price for a room for one person was too high. She said that a couple staying at the hotel would most likely eat all of their meals at the hotel and buy bottles of champagne, while someone by himself would most likely eat elsewhere.

 

When I disagreed, she suggested that people traveling by themselves tend to be unmarried, and if you couldn't find someone to marry you, you must be really stupid, and that's why the charge for the room was $200 and not $150, because the tour company figured that if you were single, you were really stupid, and you wouldn't be able to figure out that you were overcharged.

 

Of course I did not book a hotel with that tour operator.

😢 wow, that's mean😢

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