Time to stop single passenger supplements

[TXGalAJ]

First, let me say that say that sometimes the cruise lines do charge more for 1 person than for 2. I priced a May cruise on RCCL and the price for two people was $300 less than for one. That I find unfair.

 

But as a solo traveler I think the 200% is close to fair. Something like 175% would be more fair. I completely understand the cruise line loses out of additional revenue when they have a solo. When I can get a reduced rate I count myself lucky. But I've had times where I've cruised with friends and still had my own cabin because it can be nice to have the privacy and space. I was willing to pay extra for that single cabin.

 

I also tip my cabin steward as if there were two people in the room because I think it is about the same amount of work for them.

[4boysnana]

As a solo traveler I feel that around 150% would be about right. I know as the cruise date gets closer that prices might go down so why not fill the cabins with solo cruisers before deep discounting? Or base the supplement on our cruise history and loyalty.

I would love a solo balcony with a smaller footprint. I hope the cruise lines are listening. In my dream world I would love a solo HC balcony at a great price.....and a port in Arizona.

For now I will book about a year to a year and a half out and not enjoy many price breaks.

 

Happy travels to all

 

4boysnana

[hubofhockey]

It is VERY UNFAIR that lone travellers have to pay hefty supplements to travel alone.

 

It is about time the travel industry, especially cruise lines did away with this very unfair supplement.

 

Whi agrees with me?

 

You mention travel industry. Do you think hotels should charge 1/2 price for singles booking rooms? If you're taking up a room with two beds, you should pay for it.

[geoherb]

I think singles for most cruises should pay 150% to 175%. I'm hoping DH and I will have many more cruise years together. But when the day comes that one of us has to take cruises without the other, I hope whoever it is will keep cruising.

[navybankerteacher]

Of course, it all comes down to the cruise lines' "unfair" wish to operate profitably. It is generally acknowledged on the mass market lines that they break even on the basic fares and make their profits from the on board spending. Two people in a cabin will virtually certainly spend more then one would, so the lines have a natural and understandable desire to have two ( or more) in each cabin.

 

If there were legislation requiring cruise lines to apply zero single supplement, the cruise lines, being deprived of revenue, would have a much stronger right to call "unfair" than single travelers now have.

[cruisevv]

I don't. I mostly travel solo. I don't like paying 200% of prices. BUT if they removed supplements what's to stop a 5 person group of girlfriends from each reserving their own cabin or a couple that decides they want two bathrooms and a larger balcony to book both rooms for the price of one? The ships would rapidly loose both cabin revenue and sales overall which means financially they'd be sunk. So no. I wouldn't do away would solo supplements. I'd ask that they be capped at something like 150% or introduce an incentive program - cruise solo for 40 nights and get 4 nights free. But as it stands I'm content with it - I find deals and I book them.

[cruisevv]

I think instead, they need to start building ships with smaller, one person rooms that they can sell for discounted fares.

 

I don't know about this. The Norwegian Epic studio rooms for solos are not my cup of tea. They're loud and tiny. I go on the ships to relax whereas most solo rooms seem built for someone out to party out and do nothing but sleep in.

[sail7seas]

First, let me say that say that sometimes the cruise lines do charge more for 1 person than for 2. I priced a May cruise on RCCL and the price for two people was $300 less than for one. That I find unfair.

 

But as a solo traveler I think the 200% is close to fair. Something like 175% would be more fair. I completely understand the cruise line loses out of additional revenue when they have a solo. When I can get a reduced rate I count myself lucky. But I've had times where I've cruised with friends and still had my own cabin because it can be nice to have the privacy and space. I was willing to pay extra for that single cabin.

 

I also tip my cabin steward as if there were two people in the room because I think it is about the same amount of work for them.

 

 

 

I wouldn't dream of sharing a cabin at this stage of my 'travel life'. I either have my own cabin/room or I don't go. Thus, I pay for it. :rolleyes:

 

[cruisevv]

Are you saying that a single is charged more than the full price two people would pay? Your $3,000 cabin jumping to $10,000 is simply not credible..

 

This makes no sense at all. If a line offers a "single" at more than twice the per person portion - then you should simply reserve as a double - and have your imaginary roommate simply not show up at boarding.

 

All the time and yes.

 

Also note - every. single. BOGO deal on Royal Caribbean means the cabin is cheaper with two people than one. Just note that lol.

[sail7seas]

The poster who you've quoted has made it blindingly clear (in various callous posts over the years) that she has no idea why anyone would ever travel solo. I wouldn't hold your breath expecting a response.

 

I wish her the best and hope she is always blessed to have her DH/partner/mate by her side. We all hope for that but many of us have them taken from us far too soon. My 47 years as a couple with my DH were not nearly enough.

 

Edited May 19, 2015 by sail7seas

[cruisevv]

I would love a solo balcony with a smaller footprint.

 

4boysnana

 

It's silly but this is why I don't book Aft Balconies even with sweet deals. Those things are HUGE and great for 2-4 people. Even my normal balcony is more than enough space for just me.

[vms]

Are you saying that a single is charged more than the full price two people would pay? Your $3,000 cabin jumping to $10,000 is simply not credible..

 

This makes no sense at all. If a line offers a "single" at more than twice the per person portion - then you should simply reserve as a double - and have your imaginary roommate simply not show up at boarding.

 

I didn't take a screen shot, so I don't have anything I can show you to prove it to you, although I did post on the solo cruisers board about the non-deal at the time I saw it. But it does happen that selecting 1 passenger provides a rate that is more than 2x the per-passenger rate.

 

I did comment at the time that I would be tempted to make-up a second passenger, although I'm not sure how I convince someone else to give me their passport number to make the fake reservation. Instead I chose not to purchase the cruise at all.

 

Is the cruise line making so much more in onboard purchasing that they're willing to discount the cabins to 80% off list price for a couple in a last minute deal, rather than getting a guaranteed solo passenger at 150% of the normal per-person rate and know that the cabin is sold before final payment? Someone has done the math and it seems that's the side the cruise lines have come down on, at least for now. Only time will tell.

[BlueRiband]

I don't. I mostly travel solo. I don't like paying 200% of prices. BUT if they removed supplements what's to stop a 5 person group of girlfriends from each reserving their own cabin or a couple that decides they want two bathrooms and a larger balcony to book both rooms for the price of one? The ships would rapidly loose both cabin revenue and sales overall which means financially they'd be sunk. So no. I wouldn't do away would solo supplements. I'd ask that they be capped at something like 150% or introduce an incentive program - cruise solo for 40 nights and get 4 nights free. But as it stands I'm content with it - I find deals and I book them.

 

You've outlined exactly what would happen if a single supplement was zero. I wouldn't take long for a couple to figure out that they could each get their own cabin and use the lesser one for luggage and an extra bathroom.

 

It would however end the scooters-in-the-hall problem. Just get the second cabin and use that to get anything you're not using out of the way.:rolleyes:

 

Then watch fares skyrocket because fare and on board spend revenue has decreased dramatically.

Edited May 19, 2015 by BlueRiband

[notentirelynormal]

You've outlined exactly what would happen if a single supplement was zero. I wouldn't take long for a couple to figure out that they could each get their own cabin and use the lesser one for luggage and an extra bathroom.

 

I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[paul929207]

I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Just making up numbers, but if I am paying $1000 each for a balcony now (total $2000). If they eliminate the supplement, I would get a balcony for one of us for $1000 and an inside for the other for $700. Thus I save $300. We would then use the inside for storage and both live in the balcony.

[Hlitner]

Solo pricing does seem unfair, but it is simply the application of sound economic/financial principles. Our society has reached a point where if anyone feels things are unfair, or somebody is "offended," something must be done. Or, folks think the government should get involved and pass a law, regulation, executive order, etc.

 

But the reality is that cruise ships are designed and built with the intent of most cabins carrying 2 or more persons. There are only a handful of ships that have cabins designed for solos, and even these cabins are not very economical (which is why there are so few). So when folks argue that its "unfair" that solos get hit hard with the cost, one could also offer a counterargument that if cruise lines were to give a big break to solos the rest of the cruisers would be subsidizing those solos.

 

In economic terms just think of an empty berth as "opportunity lost revenue." Cruise lines now depend on onboard revenue as a main contributor to profits (and the tips associated with each berth help defray the cost of the crew). An empty berth means that the line loses the money, it would have gained from another person, forever! As long as a cruise line can fill the berths in a cabin there is no financial incentive to give a break to solos. However, in cases where they cannot sell a cabin to a couple (or more) then it does make sense to offer special deals to solos.

 

Sometimes life can be very unfair. But that is just the way it is!

 

Hank

[cruznjan]

I don't see where they'd lose money lowering the single cruise fare. Many cabins are booked by multiples (3+ in a cabin).

[DirtyDawg]

I don't see where they'd lose money lowering the single cruise fare. Many cabins are booked by multiples (3+ in a cabin).

 

Cruise lines typically run just over 100% occupancy (Carnival's was 104.1 in 2014) which means that only about 4% (net) of the cabins on average have 3+ in them. So if there were zero single supplement theoretically the cruise lines ticket revenue could drop by almost 50% if all the cabins were sold as singles. Since a cruise line only makes a profit of about 5% - 10% on total revenue an almost 50% decline in ticket revenue would cause them to loose lots on money.

Edited May 19, 2015 by DirtyDawg

[rpb718]

Just making up numbers, but if I am paying $1000 each for a balcony now (total $2000). If they eliminate the supplement, I would get a balcony for one of us for $1000 and an inside for the other for $700. Thus I save $300. We would then use the inside for storage and both live in the balcony.

 

It also wouldn't take long for a couple who are platinum cruisers to decide to book 2 cabins, 1 in each stateroom, to get the amenities that are "one to a cabin" if the supplement would be eliminated.

Edited May 19, 2015 by rpb718

[paul929207]

It also wouldn't take long for a couple who are platinum cruisers to decide to book 2 cabins, 1 in each stateroom, to get the amenities that are "one to a cabin" if the supplement would be eliminated.

We are Elite, so would each get a mini-bar setup if we booked separate cabins. Currently, we share one setup in our cabin.

[lady_cruiser]

You folks just need to think about the pricing differently..and it would help if the cruise lines didn't advertise prices as "per person"...it makes you think you're getting a raw deal! If it says $500 pp....then the price of the CABIN is $1000.....for UP TO 2 PEOPLE.....

 

This is a great way of looking at it.

[kteachcruiser52]

I read on some cruises that were no single supplement, some couples were booking 2 rooms with connecting doors when possible and then had double the space and 2 bathrooms for the price they would have paid for 1 cabin. It also let them get 2 $100 credits for stock that was individually owned. If you look at it as cabin price square foot per passenger, 2 people in a cabin are paying X amount of dollars each for 92.5 square feet per person. A single person in a cabin is paying the same X amount of dollars for the cabin, but he/she gets 185 square feet per person - double what each person gets when the cabin is occupied by 2 people. A single pays double the price, but gets double the square feet per person. When my husband travels, the hotel doesn't give him a deal because he is the only one in the room. if I go with him, the price of the hotel is still the same.

[wichitastatecruiser]

Actually hotels already have different prices. Double rooms at most hotels cost more than a single room. Usually its just $10-20 more for a double so maybe that should be the reduced price for anyone just wanting a single bed on a cruise ship.

[sail7seas]

I think for someone with a high number of days with a cruise line has shown that cruise line great loyalty. HAL tells me I have over 800 days with them and all of those days have been in a "Neptune 'SA' category Suite". What a nice gesture if they returned that loyalty with a small discount when I book that same cabin as a newly single widow. It will not keep me from booking if I chooses to should HAL never consider such a benefit for their most loyal guests but it would be something that I would think appropriate..

 

[navybankerteacher]

I don't see where they'd lose money lowering the single cruise fare. Many cabins are booked by multiples (3+ in a cabin).

 

What don't you see? If they lowered the single supplement by just $1, they would lose that $1.

 

The bigger loss would come from having just one person in a cabin that could hold two, and that one person spends what one person spends on a cruise instead of having two people each spending what one person spends -- and such on board spending is where the big profits are.

 

Every cabin sold to a single passenger is a cabin that cannot be sold to two passengers -- and it makes no difference that some other cabins might hold three: that one cabin sold to a single passenger generates less revenue.

 

Of course, if just before sailing date there were many unsold cabins, the line would cut fares - but the fact is that with their pricing models the lines are pretty good at selling all their cabins.