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Since you're paying double...


wileyc
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Ships do not make ;profit on sale of cabins., they make their money from on board spending, If there is only one person drinking there is normlly less profit. ONE PERSON gambling, one person on excursions etc etc etc.......... One person paying for meal in speiality restaurant,

 

The pp price of food is relatvely low i n M DR and buffet.

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I lost my husband 3 years ago, and we were long-time travelers on Oceania. I still love the line BUT, I don't believe their policies are fair )to solos. On those trips where there is not a discount and I am paying a full double fare, they do not give you all the excursions (if you chose that package) that they say you are entitled to with that selection.

In an upcoming trip, the options were the beverage package, a $$$ amount, or the excursions. I chose the 6 six excursions.

 

When I went to book them I was told since I was alone in the stateroom I would only be entitled to 3 (EVEN THO I WAS PAYING DOUBLE). I'm going to enjoy this cruise, but this was the push I needed to leave them and shop other lines. It is disappointing.

 

So beware of what you think you might be getting.

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I lost my husband 3 years ago, and we were long-time travelers on Oceania. I still love the line BUT, I don't believe their policies are fair )to solos. On those trips where there is not a discount and I am paying a full double fare, they do not give you all the excursions (if you chose that package) that they say you are entitled to with that selection.

In an upcoming trip, the options were the beverage package, a $$$ amount, or the excursions. I chose the 6 six excursions.

 

When I went to book them I was told since I was alone in the stateroom I would only be entitled to 3 (EVEN THO I WAS PAYING DOUBLE). I'm going to enjoy this cruise, but this was the push I needed to leave them and shop other lines. It is disappointing.

 

So beware of what you think you might be getting.

 

You can change your perk still. I would call them again though, and talk to a different representative. I'm assuming it's a six port cruise? then each stateroom gets six $50 off excursions. It's not per person, it's per stateroom. A family of four would only get one $50 off per port.

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I have booked a solo cabin on a river cruise and the only "perk" (ha) that I received was to pay more than double the price ($87 more in fact than had I booked double occupancy). Go figure!

I will, however, enjoy having the cabin all to myself. Just wish the prices were more reasonable.

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I lost my husband 3 years ago, and we were long-time travelers on Oceania. I still love the line BUT, I don't believe their policies are fair )to solos. On those trips where there is not a discount and I am paying a full double fare, they do not give you all the excursions (if you chose that package) that they say you are entitled to with that selection.

In an upcoming trip, the options were the beverage package, a $$$ amount, or the excursions. I chose the 6 six excursions.

 

When I went to book them I was told since I was alone in the stateroom I would only be entitled to 3 (EVEN THO I WAS PAYING DOUBLE). I'm going to enjoy this cruise, but this was the push I needed to leave them and shop other lines. It is disappointing.

 

So beware of what you think you might be getting.

I just went thru the exact same issue with Oceania. I finally cleared the wait list for the January full world cruise, and bought the "O-Life" package. I too, chose the shore excursion package, and was only given 36 of them (it's a 180 day cruise).

I called the rep back and complained that the offer was for 72 shorex PER CABIN, and since I was paying the full fare for two people (even including the hidden port taxes and fees), I should be entitled to all 72, not half. She elevated my request to 'management', and a few days later told me they agree, and were granting me an additional $3600. OBC, to pay for addtional shorex...

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I'm doing my first solo cruise on Celebrity in January. I have paid double minus the port fees/taxes. I do receive double Captain's Club points so that one good thing.

I think I will be asking my cabin steward to make me towel animals as I'm a big kid and love them :)

I don't know if I would want a cabin upgrade if I was offered one, unless it was still a mid-ship cabin. I'm prone to feeling the motion of the water.

Looking forward to it but also a little bit nervous :)

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I'm doing my first solo cruise on Celebrity in January. I have paid double minus the port fees/taxes. I do receive double Captain's Club points so that one good thing.

I think I will be asking my cabin steward to make me towel animals as I'm a big kid and love them :)

I don't know if I would want a cabin upgrade if I was offered one, unless it was still a mid-ship cabin. I'm prone to feeling the motion of the water.

Looking forward to it but also a little bit nervous :)

 

 

I'm kind of excited and both a little scared doing my solo cruise. It is only my second cruise, the first was 2017 Nov 30th. I'm going to South America, Royal Princess, inside cabin. I'm single and not going to look for anyone... this is a bucket list trip for me. I just jumped in not knowing anyone. However, I've joined the Roll Call and will help with our three Meet and Greets (49 nights)

 

By the way, where are you heading?

 

Ramona

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All cruise lines don't care about single cruisers.

 

The only time a Line will offer single occupancy perks is when bookings are slow.

 

This just happened with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line.

 

Once booking pick up, they will disappear.

 

I've seen this cycle since my divorce in 2001.

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I'm kind of excited and both a little scared doing my solo cruise. It is only my second cruise, the first was 2017 Nov 30th. I'm going to South America, Royal Princess, inside cabin. I'm single and not going to look for anyone... this is a bucket list trip for me. I just jumped in not knowing anyone. However, I've joined the Roll Call and will help with our three Meet and Greets (49 nights)

 

By the way, where are you heading?

 

Ramona

Hi Ramona,

I'm going on the Celebrity Constellation from Singapore to Shanghai. It's a great itinerary.

I'm not totally a solo traveller. I better explain. I'm from Australia and I have a Canadian couple that I have cruised with twice before & I crashed their cruise. Usually I cruise with a friend but she wasn't able to join me this time.

So I will have them to do meals with and hopefully shore excursions. But I will have my stateroom to myself and also they aren't big on going out at night. So that will be a challenge for me. Do I go and have a drink and dance by myself?

The roll call for our cruise is a little quiet at the moment but there is still over 6 months to the cruise so it will probably pick up.

It's all very exciting :):ship: :ship:

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So that will be a challenge for me. Do I go and have a drink and dance by myself?

 

 

Yep, you dance like no one is looking:D On my first cruise, the sail away party had a "few" dancing and a lot of folks looking. I was one of those dancing. On my first cruise, I went with a group but I had a cabin to myself by design. Soooo glad I did. I'm independent ever since I heard the President of my college make a statement, a lot of times, "If you were stuck on a desert island by yourself, could you entertain yourself." Her words changed my life and the way I see things.

 

By the time of my cruise, I will be 67. I'm retired from my grown up job, but now I do another job, unpaid as it is... I took classes to become a Group Fitness Instructor (did it at 66) and I'm going to party like it's 1995, Oops! 2095 Yippie! Yesterday I took a Soca Step Class (Soca is a forum of Caribbean Music @ a beat of 150-170bpm.)

 

Work it girl and party hardy!! I don't drink nor gamble (ship aint' gonna make a lot of money off of me) but I dance like nobody is looking.

 

Ramona

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Yep, you dance like no one is looking:D On my first cruise, the sail away party had a "few" dancing and a lot of folks looking. I was one of those dancing. On my first cruise, I went with a group but I had a cabin to myself by design. Soooo glad I did. I'm independent ever since I heard the President of my college make a statement, a lot of times, "If you were stuck on a desert island by yourself, could you entertain yourself." Her words changed my life and the way I see things.

By the time of my cruise, I will be 67. I'm retired from my grown up job, but now I do another job, unpaid as it is... I took classes to become a Group Fitness Instructor (did it at 66) and I'm going to party like it's 1995, Oops! 2095 Yippie! Yesterday I took a Soca Step Class (Soca is a forum of Caribbean Music @ a beat of 150-170bpm.)

Work it girl and party hardy!! I don't drink nor gamble (ship aint' gonna make a lot of money off of me) but I dance like nobody is looking.

Ramona

I have my drink package included as a free perk so I will make the most of it :) I bought the photo package on my last cruise but don't think I would spend the money again to do that.

And wow good on you!!!! You are amazing!! I'm 42 :) and you are inspiring me to just go out and dance when i want to :)

Look forward to hearing about your cruise and any other tips you can give me :)

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I have my drink package included as a free perk so I will make the most of it :) I bought the photo package on my last cruise but don't think I would spend the money again to do that.

And wow good on you!!!! You are amazing!! I'm 42 :) and you are inspiring me to just go out and dance when i want to :)

Look forward to hearing about your cruise and any other tips you can give me :)

 

I don't drink not because of any restrictive prohibitions but because I'm nutty enough without adding alcohol and I grew up around folks who didn't know how to stop and/or handle their liquor. I'm linking info on one of my three role models, Ernestine Shepherd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernestine_Shepherd Look her up her deeds, accomplishments are all over the Internet.

 

Ramona

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So that will be a challenge for me. Do I go and have a drink and dance by myself?

If you want to! Don't let the fear of being considered odd or doing something unusual keep you from doing what you want to do. On the other hand, don't let someone else's expectations of what you should do push you into doing something you don't want to do. Take advantage of the freedom to concern yourself with what you want to do, not what others think of you.

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I cruise with my husband, thankful for our time together, but love hearing about those of you who CONTINUE cruising even if alone thru widowhood or other. Hopefully cruise lines will do better for solo cruisers in the future!

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If you want to! Don't let the fear of being considered odd or doing something unusual keep you from doing what you want to do. On the other hand, don't let someone else's expectations of what you should do push you into doing something you don't want to do. Take advantage of the freedom to concern yourself with what you want to do, not what others think of you.

 

 

(y) (y) (y) For those of us who use to and for those of us who still do, allowing others no matter the relationship, to make choices for us to serve kills our soul and spirit. There is a difference between holding others accountable for wrong actions and not living ones life because of fear of condemnation.

Ramona

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I tend to sail on ships like Silversea and Regent Seven Seas that offer deals for solo travelers. The most I've paid is 50% more, which was on my first cruise. Since then, I've paid between 10% and 25% more. On Regent Seven Seas, there were only two of us who were solo travelers and we were treated very well - they had a singles cocktail hour every night (singles sharing cabins were welcome), and always had someone to dine with - the social hostess, assistant activity director, members of the entertainment group, ship's officers (first cruise ever and I ate with two ship's officers), the former Ambassador who was a guest lecturer. I thought that was a pretty nice perk. On Silversea, there is a cocktail hour the first night and hopefully you make friends that you can meet for dinner. Because the Silversea ships are smaller, it's pretty easy to make friends. Their longer cruises have gentlemen escorts who will dine with you and dance with you, if you want. But the staff on both ships really go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. One waiter on Silversea ALWAYS escorted me to a table for dinner. I wouldn't say he dropped everything when I came in, but it sure felt like it! The other thing about their cruises is that everything is included (on Regent Seven Seas, even the excursions are included) - you only pay for spa services if you use them or if you want a "special excursion." Silversea often has deals that include at least one excursion per port for free as well. Drinks are all included, gratuities, specialty restaurants (one or two may have a small fee) - and it isn't just the crappy booze/wine - they're actually pretty good (and I'm pretty picky with my wines). I think it's well worth the money. I'm going on a cruise soon on Silversea where I also received an upgraded suite, $1000 SBC (remember Silversea doesn't include all excursions and this SBC covers all my excursions and some spa treatments) and it was only 25% more. This will be my fifth solo cruise.

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i sailed Silver Seas prior to finding Oceania & then Regent. I was with my Mother then as my husband was unable to take the time. I think I will begin to watch pricing on Silver Seas again. It seems they have better single rates. There are still so many places I want to go since I lost my husband.

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I don't see the single supplement as an issue to be honest. I mean, heck, I would be paying double occupancy if I were staying at a resort so what's the difference? And single supplement or not, most often, cruising still comes out to be way cheaper than most land vacation packages, so I still come out on top financially and enjoy a lavish vacation regardless! :)

 

P.S.: And to make up for the single supplement - your excursions will be cheaper because you are only booking for one person, your specialty restaurants will be cheaper because you are only reserving for one person, and if you get the beverage package, you only need to purchase one per cabin where, at least on Carnival, every person over 21 in the cabin MUST purchase if one does. So....solo is still cheaper :)

 

 

And they will only be spending half the additional costs. Why shouldn't the cruise line get an additional supplement.

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As a solo cruiser from Australia, I can safely say that we solo Aussies get NO benefits whatsoever, thanks to regional pricing...just to start with. And there are no advantages to booking early or late either. Meeting Americans on board, I have to shut my ears to the fantastic deals and prices available to them when we start talking. I've also found that the NCL studios are a rip off too, having just sailed with "Norwegian Breakaway" to the Baltic, where the fare saving was non-existent and the solo studio almost claustrophobic.

 

I am fortunate to be able to afford one moderately priced cruise a year, and that also includes a long haul flight (24+ hrs) in order to reach the departure port in Europe or the UK. After a couple of horrendous shared holidays with friends, it's not worth the risk to try doing that again, so I cruise alone and always have a ball, but must stick to the Main Dining Rooms and always book private tours via CC roll calls, in order to save money.

 

Am looking at a Celebrity cruise in May next year to Iceland and Ireland (my first with that line). Does anyone know if they have a solo group on board, as I've found with most other cruise lines? It's always nice to have company for dinner so this aspect is very important to me as a solo cruiser. Would appreciate any advice.

 

Many thanks

Fran in Sydney

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… After a couple of horrendous shared holidays with friends, it's not worth the risk to try doing that again, so I cruise alone and always have a ball, but must stick to the Main Dining Rooms and always book private tours via CC roll calls, in order to save money.

.

Many thanks

Fran in Sydney

 

 

Fran in Sydney --- a sister after my own heart. I did my first ever cruise with a group (Exercise Class Members:eek:) I didn't share a stateroom with anyone and MDR was a nightmare so I only ate there 3 nights out of a 10 day cruise. Exercising with folks is one thing vacationing with them is an entirely different animal.

 

Ramona

 

 

PS Dinner Issue - My TA booked me for Late Dinning with a table of 10, so I'll see. If I don't find that suitable, my Roll Call for S.A. has 300 folk, maybe more 'cause husbands and wives, friends traveling together are under the same CC Handle.

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I've done over 20 cruises with Royal. About 14 solo. Never received an upgrade. I don't believe they value solo travellers. I am tired if seeing couples I know get upgrade after upgrade when they have a lower loyalty status, while I pay more and have never gotten an upgrade of any sort.

I've read many posts by D+ and above cruisers who have never gotten an upgrade of any kind. I don't think it's that we are not valued?

Nancy

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As a solo cruiser from Australia, I can safely say that we solo Aussies get NO benefits whatsoever, thanks to regional pricing...just to start with. And there are no advantages to booking early or late either. Meeting Americans on board, I have to shut my ears to the fantastic deals and prices available to them when we start talking. I've also found that the NCL studios are a rip off too, having just sailed with "Norwegian Breakaway" to the Baltic, where the fare saving was non-existent and the solo studio almost claustrophobic.

 

I am fortunate to be able to afford one moderately priced cruise a year, and that also includes a long haul flight (24+ hrs) in order to reach the departure port in Europe or the UK. After a couple of horrendous shared holidays with friends, it's not worth the risk to try doing that again, so I cruise alone and always have a ball, but must stick to the Main Dining Rooms and always book private tours via CC roll calls, in order to save money.

 

Am looking at a Celebrity cruise in May next year to Iceland and Ireland (my first with that line). Does anyone know if they have a solo group on board, as I've found with most other cruise lines? It's always nice to have company for dinner so this aspect is very important to me as a solo cruiser. Would appreciate any advice.

 

Many thanks

Fran in Sydney

 

 

I've read many posts from Aussies and Brits as well, that the pricing for them is outrageous and that's a shame.

I started cruising solo last year after my divorce, and am quite hooked! My first was a TA from Barcelona to Florida, and I was very anxious about it, but soon found it to be the most therapeutic and enlightening trip of my life. I generally stick with RCCL line, and as a result have really accumulated points quickly. So that's another plus. I recently booked an 18-night from Australia/NZ/South Pacific/Hawaii for 2020, I got a studio balcony for a steal, now just need to find flights.

 

Nancy

Life is what you make it

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