Why are SOLO cabin prices DOUBLED like all the others ?

[glrounds]

A lowly happy Carnival cruiser with over 30 cruises, I have a question.

 

I cruise solo a lot and living mostly on SS now, I'm always looking to find the least expensive cabin at the least expensive period of the year. Don't mean to be cheap, it just has to be that way if I continue to cruise. Intrigued by the SOLO cabin concept of some of the newer NCL ships I see pricing on their site of $599-$799 for a week and find this well within my parameters. However, whenever I try to book one of these cabins NCL always DOUBLES the price like it does with every other cabin ? (just like Carnival does) But, if this is by definition a SOLO cabin why do they double the price upon selecting it on their website ? Am I entering information incorrectly or what ? Thanks for your help and please don't beat up on me. :D

[ColinIllinois]

Make sure that for the number of passengers in the booking you only select one. It sounds like you have two selected.

[trivimp]

NCL really does a good job with solos, but you may need to double-check what you're entiering in the search screen.

 

1. If you're booking a Studio, those are the ones that are designed for single occupancy, and you can't in fact book them for two.

2. If you're looking for a cheap Inside or any other category, those will default to double occupancy. Make sure you're setting the "Number of Guests" dropdown box in the left-hand column to "1 Guest." Once you've done that, change the "Sort by: " to Price in the upper-right corner if you want the bargains to pop to the top. Also, look for cruises that have the little blue "Solo Cruiser Discount" flag listed in the specials.

 

Good luck! I love my solo cruises & I think the NCL search screen is the easiest to use of all the lines I typically research.

[sanger727]

Are you use you are looking at solo cabins? Only studio cabins, available on only some ships, are sold as ‘solo’ cabins. The rest double like everyone else but the studio ones should not. I do think they book up rather early.

 

 

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[adam_s_allen]

Also some cabins will offer solo traveller discount but that does not mean half of what double occupancy rate is.

[eileeshb]

The pricing does vary massively, the studio cabins rarely drop to bargain pricing levels compared to the interior cabins. On the ships without studios there is usually a solo discount on the cabin prices but it won't be the per person price paid if there was 2 sharing.

[casofilia]

I think that you will have to wait till after final payment day and then get in touch with your PCC to see what can be done to travel solo in an un-booked cabin at a better rate than the normal. An partially filled cabin is better than an empty one!

[pinklady65]

NCL doesn't charge double occoupancy prices for solo travellers. They do offer all cabins at a slightly discounted rate. For example the current pricing for my next cruise on the Getaway in September is £1149 each for balcony double occupany (£2298) but for solo occupancy it is £2068. Unless this is only a UK thing but I have never paid for double occupany with NCL.

[oliver033]

I only cruise solo and rarely (if ever) find the studios to be cheaper then booking a solo inside gty.

[oliver033]

:halo:

NCL doesn't charge double occoupancy prices for solo travellers. They do offer all cabins at a slightly discounted rate. For example the current pricing for my next cruise on the Getaway in September is £1149 each for double occupany (£2298) but for solo occupancy it is £2068. Unless this is only a UK thing but I have never paid for double occupany with NCL.

 

Actually that is the double occupancy price minus port charges/fees because NCL only doubles the fare, not the port charges/fees.

[pinklady65]

Thanks Oliver033. The website clearly shows there is a single cruiser discount but perhaps that is as you say just not paying the port charges/fees twice. I'm happy whatever.

[oliver033]

Thanks Oliver033. The website clearly shows there is a single cruiser discount but perhaps that is as you say just not paying the port charges/fees twice. I'm happy whatever.

 

Indeed, a "Single Cruiser Discount" does exist, just don't think it is in your example.

 

Off peak season I typically find the multiplier to be 1, 1.5, or 1.75 the double occupancy fare.

 

As to the original point, ships with studio cabins are often (if not always) priced at a higher fare than inside guarantees with the "Single Cruiser Discount."

[oliver033]

Again NCL does NOT double the fare. The fare quoted is PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY, egro the price for the cabin is twice what the DOUBLE OCCUPANCY per person rate is. If you choose to book that cabin yourself, the cabin price does not change, you just have to pay the full price yourself.

 

....You just worded the same thing I said differently.

[oliver033]

For example, one of the January sailings the studio is more expensive than even the balcony for a solo traveller.

 

https://www.ncl.com/booking-quote?guestCount=1&itineraryCode=BREAKAWAY14NYCPCVNPIOCJGECBPIRTBCZMNYC&shipCode=BREAKAWAY&sailMonths=4294953430&selectedStateroomMeta=STUDIO&voyageId=11198810&activeStep=1&activePanel=3&sailDate=2018-01-19

[SeaShark]

For example, one of the January sailings the studio is more expensive than even the balcony for a solo traveller.

 

https://www.ncl.com/booking-quote?guestCount=1&itineraryCode=BREAKAWAY14NYCPCVNPIOCJGECBPIRTBCZMNYC&shipCode=BREAKAWAY&sailMonths=4294953430&selectedStateroomMeta=STUDIO&voyageId=11198810&activeStep=1&activePanel=3&sailDate=2018-01-19

 

That is not an accurate comparison. The studio cabin comes with the Free at Sea offer. The balcony price you see is for a Sail Away rate which comes with NO perks. To get a balcony with the comparable Free at Sea offer, the minimum price is $2,998.

[oliver033]

That is not an accurate comparison. The studio cabin comes with the Free at Sea offer. The balcony price you see is for a Sail Away rate which comes with NO perks. To get a balcony with the comparable Free at Sea offer, the minimum price is $2,998.

 

That's a great point I had not considered.

 

When I quote the Studio and Inside with the beverage perk, the inside is still $300 cheaper.

[SeaShark]

That's a great point I had not considered.

 

When I quote the Studio and Inside with the beverage perk, the inside is still $300 cheaper.

 

Then book the inside if price is your consideration point. However, book the studio if you still want to be in the adult-only, keycard access area with access to the private lounge.

 

Different strokes for different folks.

 

Remember...Insides and Studios are different metas. Nobody ever said that Studios would be priced lower than any other cabins. Pricing is always determined by supply and demand.

[oliver033]

Then book the inside if price is your consideration point. However, book the studio if you still want to be in the adult-only, keycard access area with access to the private lounge.

 

Different strokes for different folks.

 

Remember...Insides and Studios are different metas. Nobody ever said that Studios would be priced lower than any other cabins. Pricing is always determined by supply and demand.

 

FYI any solo passenger is invited to use the private lounge in the evening during the daily solo and singles get together.

 

Also, NCL initially had placed emphasis on the price when these cabins first came out...I think the original posters point is that they aren't impressed if "priced for solo" is supposed to be a feature of these rooms.

[denatravels]

That is not an accurate comparison. The studio cabin comes with the Free at Sea offer. The balcony price you see is for a Sail Away rate which comes with NO perks. To get a balcony with the comparable Free at Sea offer, the minimum price is $2,998.

 

 

 

This is why— you have to compare prices in the studio to non-guarantees. I rarely see the other categories come out less than the studio if you are comparing free-at-sea promos.

 

 

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[SeaShark]

FYI any solo passenger is invited to use the private lounge in the evening during the daily solo and singles get together.

 

Also, NCL initially had placed emphasis on the price when these cabins first came out...I think the original posters point is that they aren't impressed if "priced for solo" is supposed to be a feature of these rooms.

 

I am well aware of the lounge policies. However, that ONLY applies when the gathering is held in the lounge...solos staying outside the studio complex do not get 24/7 access like those in the studios do. I just returned from a week on the Breakaway, and the lounge was not always the place for the solo gathering.

 

Emphasis is still on the price. They are (and have always been) priced for the solo traveler without any sort of single-supplement rate. They are not, and never have been, advertised as less expensive than other cabin types. The problem that the OP is having stems from the fact that he/she is under the mistaken impression that the price for the studio should be the same as the per person price for an inside...which it is not.

[oliver033]

This is why— you have to compare prices in the studio to non-guarantees. I rarely see the other categories come out less than the studio if you are comparing free-at-sea promos.

 

 

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What ships and itineraries do you normally see this on? I would be interested in finding out the dates in case they work with when I can cruise. Thanks.

[missquito]

A lowly happy Carnival cruiser with over 30 cruises, I have a question.

 

I cruise solo a lot and living mostly on SS now, I'm always looking to find the least expensive cabin at the least expensive period of the year. Don't mean to be cheap, it just has to be that way if I continue to cruise. Intrigued by the SOLO cabin concept of some of the newer NCL ships I see pricing on their site of $599-$799 for a week and find this well within my parameters. However, whenever I try to book one of these cabins NCL always DOUBLES the price like it does with every other cabin ? (just like Carnival does) But, if this is by definition a SOLO cabin why do they double the price upon selecting it on their website ? Am I entering information incorrectly or what ? Thanks for your help and please don't beat up on me. :D

I have the same issue. When I booked last March for March 17th 2018, solo was $849, now the balcony’s are $929 so I wanted to see if the solo price came down and it now shows $1599 for solo, and yes I put in 1 guest.

[glrounds]

Thanks, everyone for the responses.

 

I think my initial interest was what one poster suggested as the $799 pricing for the SOLO cabins some time ago. I try to avoid flying and NCL doesn't have a "regular" ship doing the Mexican Riviera out of San Pedro like Carnival does, so when I, during a search of NCL cruises, came across the Bliss doing the MR this Fall and Spring I looked into it. I think the Bliss is one of the newer, if not the newest, ships in the NCL fleet. This "newness" may be part of the problem also.

 

My question evolved from thinking just maybe a SOLO cabin on an NCL ship would be less expensive than an inside cabin on Carnival (currently booked on the Splendor for $998 for everything, including the taxes, port fees and added DO charge). Here was a chance, I thought to see a different cruise line as well in spite of all the "upcharges" I hear about.

 

On NCL's website I saw a SOLO cabin for $1389 and an inside cabin for $799 DOUBLED . . . so $1389 versus $1598. (just guessing these numbers from memory) I didn't see a big "savings" from what I had anticipated. That's the reason I asked the question.

 

Again, I want to thank you all for your responses.

Edited December 7, 2017 by glrounds

[glrounds]

Also, NCL initially had placed emphasis on the price when these cabins first came out...I think the original posters point is that they aren't impressed if "priced for solo" is supposed to be a feature of these rooms.

 

Yes, Oliver, this was EXACTLY my motivation for looking into the NCL SOLO cabins. Thank you.

[Travelin_Teacher0710]

Unfortunately, MOST lines do this. But today I booked a 10 day southern caribbean on NCL for $599. NO SOLO SUPPLEMENT!!!! You've just gotta be patient and learn when/where to look. Best of luck to you!

Happy Planning and Smooth Sailing!