Post CRUISE LINE Single Supplement/Solo Bargains HERE

[Lois R]

I look at the total price of the cruise and if it is within my price point and is it going where I want to go?

And is it a line I want to sail.......breaking it down by day does nothing for me. Maybe I am just an odd ball.but I know what I can spend and that is what is important to me.

[IrieBajan54]

I used to get zero single supplement on a regular basis before the pandemic. Hard to come by lately. Have been booking all cruises after final payment. Now here is my twist on the per night cost. I figure that everybody has to pay port/taxes and gratuities so I don't include those in my calculation. I determine my per night cost from the base fare only which is the advertised price. Comparing base fare is the only moving target (up or down). 

 

ETA: $100 per night would be tops for me. Anything around $60 is ideal. I did an 11 night Auckland to Sydney for $23 per night back in 2019.

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by IrieBajan54
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[jlajr]

On 3/3/2023 at 12:18 AM, irvington said:

This has probably been addressed before, but is there a way to search the Celebrity site for those solo cabins? I'd love to be able to see what they have for solo cabins in say April of '24.

Not exactly the same, but on the mobile version of their site, it is possible to specify one guest on the search criteria. I didn't see that available on the desktop version of their web site.

[jlajr]

Again, as a technical writer, I find this amusing. Does anyone else?

 

[LoveTigerOak]

I also use $100/day as a bench mark but not as a deal breaker.  I am not loyal to any one cruise line.  I am a mid level loyalty tier on Holland, Princess and Royal Caribbean.  Have also been on Celebrity, Carnival, MSC and Cunard once each.  Traveling solo, I have stayed in cabins ranging from balcony to inside cabins.  About 4 times, I have done the guaranteed cabin, which worked out great once.  

 

i include taxes in my calculation of costs per day but not drinks, prepaid tips, internet or specialty restaurants.  I hardly drink alcohol, don't drink coffee and have about 1 soda a day so prepaid drinks is not worth a lot to me.  When prepaid drinks are included, I have asked for other onboard credit but have never been given it.  On the other hand, prepaid gratuities to me are worth the dollar amount that I would have to pay independently.  I get wi-fi at half price on Princess so I assign the value that I would have to pay for such service when making my calculation. In other words, if it would cost me $7.50 a day than it is only worth $7.50 a day to me and not the value that they assign it. 

 

I look at websites for individual cruise lines and for some of the consolidators to compare prices.  

 

I have taken my 16 year old granddaughter on 7-8 cruises with me.  As I see it, it is the same price if she goes with me or I go solo.  Her mom pays for her gratuities and drinks.  I have been very involved with my granddaughter but this has made our bond even stronger. I have also taken a friend who is not as well off as I am.  She again pays her own optional expenses.      

[ILgirl]

Celebrity Apex, 4/6/24, a seven night cruise in a single infinite veranda including classic drink package, wi fi and gratuities for $1,754.  This is a great deal for the all inclusive pricing.  I’ve stayed in the single IV cabins on Edge and Apex and they are quite nice IMO.  184 square feet with a full wall of windows and the IV seating area.  I have not stayed in a Silhouette ship inside cabin (which is referenced in a post above) that were added when the ship was revolutionized.  Those four cabins are only 103 square feet and I think I might get claustrophobic.

[vunico]

Thanks...did you have a source for good single fares on Celebrity?

[ILgirl]

1 hour ago, vunico said:

Thanks...did you have a source for good single fares on Celebrity?

I do find some on cruiseplum as others have mentioned but the majority I’ve found I just have to go into each individual cruise and price it out.  Celebrity does some strange things in their pricing and you don’t see it until you go through the steps.  I sail exclusively on Celebrity, three or four times a year, always solo.  For example, in the booking process on line, you select your cabin type, then cabin number and the next step is to usually pick either all included (drinks, wi fi and gratuities) or cruise only.  For this Apex cruise, the website defaults automatically to all included with cruise only not even a choice.  So if you compare this AI price to other 7 day cruises where you do have a choice, the AI fare is heavily discounted.  I like booking AI so this works well for me!  again, you just have to put time in to look for the deals because Celebrity doesn’t actively promote the solo fares.  I took an 8 night cruise on the Millenium in February.  Standard veranda.  All inclusive at $1,400.  It started in Ft Lauderdale and ended in San Juan.  The one way airfare back to Lauderdale was only $150 so it was still a bargain!

[FlBarb64]

4 hours ago, ILgirl said:

I do find some on cruiseplum as others have mentioned but the majority I’ve found I just have to go into each individual cruise and price it out.  Celebrity does some strange things in their pricing and you don’t see it until you go through the steps.  I sail exclusively on Celebrity, three or four times a year, always solo.  For example, in the booking process on line, you select your cabin type, then cabin number and the next step is to usually pick either all included (drinks, wi fi and gratuities) or cruise only.  For this Apex cruise, the website defaults automatically to all included with cruise only not even a choice.  So if you compare this AI price to other 7 day cruises where you do have a choice, the AI fare is heavily discounted.  I like booking AI so this works well for me!  again, you just have to put time in to look for the deals because Celebrity doesn’t actively promote the solo fares.  I took an 8 night cruise on the Millenium in February.  Standard veranda.  All inclusive at $1,400.  It started in Ft Lauderdale and ended in San Juan.  The one way airfare back to Lauderdale was only $150 so it was still a bargain!

 Just like ILGirl, I do loo at individual cruises as well as cruise plum for deals.  Personally, I like the search function on Cruiseplum and these searches you can save.  I routinely look for good solo cruises on Celebrity.  RIght now I am eyeing South America for 2025 but they are currently charging double (Celebrity Equinox).  You just have to keep looking and checking and when a deal breaks, jump on it!  Especially for those Edge-class single balcony rooms.  I was fortunate to land a B2B in the same cabin for Australia and New Zealand for 2024 at rates we may never see again.

[ILgirl]

NCL Getaway, 6/3 Transatlantic 12 night from Port Canaveral to Lisbon.  For a solo, balcony guarantee with Free at Sea perks and $100 OBC for $1,441.  I’m a dedicated Celebrity cruiser and have heard a lot of negative comments about NCL but this low price for a balcony cabin was just too good to pass up.  Will report back on my return.  Wish me luck!

[jimdee3636]

@ILgirl

That really is a bargain price you got! I haven't been on the Getaway, but my two short cruises on the Bliss and Joy were quite enjoyable. The dining venues---both the MDRs and the specialty restaurants---were surprisingly good.

 

I hope you'll have time to spend at least a couple of days in Lisbon. It's a really nice city; actually, Portugal in general is really nice. Just be prepared for very warm---maybe hot---mid-June temperatures.

 

Please do let us know how it goes.

 

Jim

[jimdee3636]

@ILgirl

A quick follow-up:

 

I looked at your cruise and was surprised to see that your solo balcony cabin was less expensive than either a solo inside or a 100 sq. ft "studio." I have no idea how NCL comes up with these prices, but you got yourself a deal and a half!

 

Jim

[IrieBajan54]

 

Last Minute Transatlantic Solo Deals

 

Norwegian Gem

New York to Rome - 15 days

April 15 to 30, 2023

Solo Inside Sail Away Guarantee

$495 + $241 port/taxes

 

Norwegian Epic

New York to Barcelona - 15 days

April 22 to May 7, 2023

Solo Inside Sail Away Guarantee

$499 + $277 port/taxes

 

Norwegian Dawn

New York to Southampton, England - 14 days

April 20 to May 4, 2023

Solo Inside Sail Away Guarantee

$499 + $313 port/taxes

 

Norwegian Breakaway

New York to Rome - 16 days

April 20 to May 6, 2023

Solo Inside Sail Away Guarantee

$599 + 300 port/taxes

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alanstarr]

NCL Spirit - 7-day Seward, Alaska to Vancouver on May 16th, solo balcony is $1249 total, including drink package and taxes/port fees. 

[bfamily9]

On 2/7/2023 at 5:28 PM, Cruise Kay said:

I find interior rooms cozy. I know it’s gonna be a closet, but….. I’m actually kind of looking forward to it. I think it will be nice. A new experience! Since I travel solo, I only go to my room when I’m ready to go to bed and watch a little TV before I go to sleep. I don’t think it will be an issue. But I am definitely going to blog about the cruise when it comes and I will be sure to share my thoughts!

I have sailed on Azamara in an interior cabin. That was fine with me. Also as a solo traveler, I find it easier and cheaper in those cabins. I have researched Norwegian which has interior cabins and lounges dedicated to solo travelers, but I haven't actually done so yet.

[bfamily9]

4 minutes ago, bfamily9 said:

I have sailed on Azamara in an interior cabin. That was fine with me. Also as a solo traveler, I find it easier and cheaper in those cabins. I have researched Norwegian which has interior cabins and lounges dedicated to solo travelers, but I haven't actually done so yet.

Also last year, I had a solo cabin on Scenic on the Danube. They have one cabin dedicated to solo travelers.

[bfamily9]

On 3/15/2023 at 4:50 AM, jlajr said:

I also look first at price per night. (As a technical writer, I notice that cruise lines can include embarkation and disembarkation in the number of days. I believe number of nights is more accurate and relevant. 😉 )

Usually, an attractive price per night reflects a low or zero solo supplement.

I, too, use USD 100 / night including taxes and port fees as a sort of guideline that I might consider breaking depending on the itinerary and season. However, in general, I naturally avoid itineraries / seasons that drive the price up.

For example, I'm booked on a 16-night repositioning cruise from Barcelona to Kiel, Germany, on Costa Firenze, May 3-19, 2023. Euro 999 in an outside cabin. Not just any outside cabin. This outside cabin, 11203.

During my research, I came across an eight-night cruise on MSC Poesia from Barcelona to Warnemunde with a base inside guarantee cabin, double occupancy price of USD 119. Solo price including taxes and port fees: USD 394 or USD 50 / night. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

 

FYI. Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia has two cabins designated as solo cabins. However I would definitely not consider them reasonable. I was booked into one for May, 2024 until I found out the quoted price was understated by approximately 15%. When I found it would cost over $14,000 for 11 days without air I cancelled.

 

 

[alanstarr]

NCL Star 11-day Lisbon-Southampton on April 30, $938.80 total for obstructed oceanview, including, taxes/port fees, drink package, specialty dining and wifi. (But not crew appreciation.) 

[KKB]

HECK of a deal on June 2 NCL Getaway TA Orlando-Lisbon, 12 nights

$480 INT

$729 OV

$949 BALC 

(all cheaper than solo cabin, lol)

 

If you have or can snag a Cruise Next certificate you can take $250 off ($125 net)

(you can buy them from others on another well known site)

 

Love Syd Norman's & the Waterfront on that ship!

And those newer ships rarely have cheap solo rates.

 

Wish I could go...but I get back from 4 weeks in Europe May 29th...DH balked at another 2 weeks 2 days later. 

DANGIT

Edited April 23, 2023 by KKB

[alanstarr]

NCL just dropped their solo supplement on Alaskan 11-night cruise out of Seattle on May 22nd. Just booked an obstructed oceanview for $1380 all-in, including drink package/wifi/etc. 

[jimdee3636]

@alanstarr

Nice deal! My wife and I once did a 14-night Alaska cruise on HAL in May, and we did fine without a balcony. It was cold up on the top deck, but we saw fantastic sights.

By the way, I see you're from Lawrence. I once had a law office on Common Street. (We lived across the line in Andover).

A lot of great memories from those days.

Enjoy your Alaska cruise.

Jim

[RedgeToo]

Celestyal Journey March 2024, 7 night Three Continents out of Athens

Inside cabin £610 including drinks with meals, £883 all-inclusive

5 excursion package is £243 if you're all-inclusive, £373 if not.

 

Gratuities included.

 

I'm booked!

[sambamama]

All Celestyal cruises (ALL) do solos for a 50% supplement and start at a very reasonable price.  They have 3, 4, 7, and 14 night cruises going to Greece, Greece and Egypt, and Greece, Egypt and Turkey.  The base rate even includes free wine with meals!  I've read reviews and the cruise line sounds very nice.  Smaller ships of around 1600 passengers, the ships are older, but the food is good to excellent, and the crew is great. Excursions look wonderful, and I am definitely thinking of booking.  I think the way to go is to combine  some time in Greece either before or after.  Do book with a travel agency as it is much cheaper than with the line itself.  

[ocean sounds]

For those that wanted to try an Expedition ship, I stumbled upon solo deals, all inclusive - including an excursion in every port, Wi-Fi, wine/beer with meals, laundry, gratuities, and no supplement on Hurtigruten Expeditions.  
 

There are a number of solo voyages for booking through end of This month.  The link below has 60+ Voyages, including Galapagos, Antarctica, Iceland, etc. on several ships.

https://www.hurtigruten.com/en-us/expeditions/offers/no-single-supplement-exp/

 

I decided to chance a 7-day, “Halifax, NS to Boston - History, Seafood and Nature Reserves,” this September.  The Ship, Ronald Amundsen, is only 2 years old,   Even has an infinity pool and hot tub on deck!  That was a surprise.
 

There were a variety of cabin categories when I booked - solo rate starting from $1900 for OV, $2300 balcony, and Suite starting at $2700 and up.  (Suites also get to dine all meals in Specialty restaurant).  
 

This is a small ship, just 600 pax.  What I thought was interesting is that one deck on the ship is a scientific lab.  This cruise fit my budget, considering all inclusive including excursions and gratuities.  I’d love to do a Galapagos one day.  

 

Edited May 14, 2023 by ocean sounds

[ocean sounds]

43 minutes ago, ocean sounds said:

The Ship, Ronald Amundsen, is only 2 years

Correction, Roald Amundsen .   ( victim of  iPhone autocorrect )