Solo Cabins

[Coral]

4 minutes ago, land lover said:

 If you hit Denver and like BBQ...Roaming Buffalo is a place to check out, considered number 1 in the area.Look it up...its a hole in the wall....but they have a great web site and exceptional food.

Thanks! I am looking at Colorado Springs and am not sure if I will venture to Denver or avoid it all together. It will be nice to drive to a vacation spot for the first time in a long time. I do like BBQ!

[Brisbane41]

7 hours ago, diane.in.ny said:

I was just wondering if anyone besides me thinks it would be great if Princess added solo cabins to their new builds? And not charge 2x single rate!

 

Bad idea! P&O UK already have single cabins on some of their newer ships and they are half the size of regular cabins at twice the price which is ridiculous. With what P&O are charging for a single cabin you are better off paying full single occupancy for a regular cabin and get more space.

 

The only thing Princess would do is make the cabins smaller and charge more. The system is fine as it is right now.

[Brisbane41]

5 hours ago, DDG 41 said:

Why not 200%? You are taking up a Cabin space which is usually split between 2 people so you pay what the cabin is worth so for it will be half as two people are using the cabin. IF you don't want to pay twice you need to book a solo cabin which can't be split between 2. If you have a problem or don't like reality, Don't Cruise.

Don't be ridiculous. The fare includes port taxes and charges included in the fare. What a single pays should be what the entire price is for the designated cabin minus the fees and taxes that would be imposed on the other person should they take up the space.

 

Cruise lines benefit from singles as they even out the passenger numbers by making the ship less crowded and enabling more 3 and 4 berths to be sold. The singles use less food, water and often pay more for excursions than what a couple would who go on their own opposed to organised trips in some cases. Compared to the times a few years ago when strangers would do a friendly share cabin which have thankfully been abolished singles used to pay 160% of the fare before it reverted to full price. 

 

What you fail to understand is that there are many elderly people who cruise and some of them are widows or widowers and cruising was a good way for these people to maintain quality of life with social interaction and stimulate their mental health by keeping them happy and motivated because of a holiday. There were always a great number of these sorts of passengers on cruise ships. The high single supplements are only penalising the likes of them. Whether you like it or not it is the people who add to the enjoyment of a cruise and it takes all sorts to make up the passenger mix. No matter where you go in the world you are always going to find singles and cruise lines do benefit from their business. If the single supplement is too high then what we will see is a return to social networking where strangers book a cabin together and we have no end of problems with strangers not getting on and fighting and the ship having to resolve the issues. Twenty years go when this was a policy to mix strangers with strangers you could walk out onto the promenade deck at night and see endless bodies covered in blankets on the deck chairs sleeping because they could not get on with their cabin partner. I do not want to see a return to this era on cruise ships.

[diane.in.ny]

24 minutes ago, Brisbane41 said:

 

Bad idea! P&O UK already have single cabins on some of their newer ships and they are half the size of regular cabins at twice the price which is ridiculous. With what P&O are charging for a single cabin you are better off paying full single occupancy for a regular cabin and get more space.

 

The only thing Princess would do is make the cabins smaller and charge more. The system is fine as it is right now.

 

 

Why would anyone pay more for a smaller cabin?  Am I reading you wrong? Doesn't make sense

[diane.in.ny]

2 hours ago, land lover said:

BTW ..HI OP Diane.....my Sea Princess friend.....

 

Enjoy cruising everyone...

 

Hi Lori 😊  just got around to finishing my Shutterfly album for the trip. Thanks again for sharing your GBR pictures 

[Thrak]

5 hours ago, stoneharborlady said:

Has anyone sailed solo with a line that has solo cabins?  Are they truly closet sized, or just smaller than a regular inside.  I have never seen one.

 

Google for images and you can see for yourself.

[Brisbane41]

36 minutes ago, diane.in.ny said:

 

 

Why would anyone pay more for a smaller cabin?  Am I reading you wrong? Doesn't make sense

You are reading me right. People are paying more for a smaller cabin. Take a look at P&O Cruises UK who used to own Princess. They operate some Grand class ships pretty much identical to the Crown, Ruby and Emerald Princess. What you want to do is look at the single cabins on Azura. When you find the prices for them on cruises and correspond to the equal grade of twin cabin you will find that the singles are paying more for the single cabin with only a single bed and half the size of a twin than it would cost them to fork out the money for sole occupancy of a twin.

[GrammySpo]

I have been a promoter of solo prices for Princess for a couple of years asking for consideration in my closing surveys where they ask if they could do anything to improve the experience. Someone somewhere pointed out that when you book a double occupancy hotel room they don’t offer lower prices for solo travelers. I don’t like paying double but this did make sense to me.

[rj42]

Last year Princess had some summer NB/SB  Alaska cruises with no single supplement, so I got a NB with amazing sunny weather all the way until debarkation. The other option for singles, especially on the West coast, is to do Pacific Coastal cruises--all the 3-day ones were down to $118 at one point for a solo (still available on the Coral on May 5).  

 

The other consolation for solos is that you get double cruise credits, so on my Star coastal next month I will have completed 8 cruises and 30 cruise days...and be at Elite status (I can drown away the resentment of 200% fares with the free minibar setup). 

 

 

[alanstarr]

In a perfect world, it would be nice if they had a policy similar to what Southwest Airlines used to have. If a Passenger of Size can't fit into one seat, they were asked to pay for two seats. However, if the flight doesn't sell out, the price of the second ticket gets refunded (since the airline didn't actually lose revenue). 

 

In reality though, its all market driven. Singles pay 100% simply because the cruise lines can get it. 

 

BTW, as someone solo cruising to Alaska this summer, I wouldn't mind at least having a useful coupon book. BOGO deals are no good for singles - how about 50% off specialty dining?

Edited April 29, 2019 by alanstarr

[HaveDogWillTravel]

7 hours ago, stoneharborlady said:

Has anyone sailed solo with a line that has solo cabins?  Are they truly closet sized, or just smaller than a regular inside.  I have never seen one.

I am huge fan of the new single rooms on the QM2.  

 

 

[Coral]

7 hours ago, rj42 said:

Last year Princess had some summer NB/SB  Alaska cruises with no single supplement, so I got a NB with amazing sunny weather all the way until debarkation. The other option for singles, especially on the West coast, is to do Pacific Coastal cruises--all the 3-day ones were down to $118 at one point for a solo (still available on the Coral on May 5).  

 

The other consolation for solos is that you get double cruise credits, so on my Star coastal next month I will have completed 8 cruises and 30 cruise days...and be at Elite status (I can drown away the resentment of 200% fares with the free minibar setup). 

 

Many of us could care less about gaining Elite status. I obtained it on Day 1 when they announced the different levels. I also don't live near the East Coast and have no desire to fly all that way for a 1 or 3 night cruise. I am interested in longer cruises.

[Mike_DeA]

18 hours ago, stoneharborlady said:

Has anyone sailed solo with a line that has solo cabins?  Are they truly closet sized, or just smaller than a regular inside.  I have never seen one.

I've stayed in a Norwegian's solo studio cabin.  They're set up with enough room for one person and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.  The bed is about 2/3rd of full size and there is no separate bathroom; it's a toilet with a sliding door on one side, and a shower stall across the room.  The sink is a few steps away.  Closet space is sufficient for most people unless you travel heavy. 

 

There is a lounge just for those staying in the solo cabins (card access is required to enter the entire solo studio area), which has various food/snacks throughout the day.  There is a hosted daily solo meetup before dinner which is well-attended, where folks can find dinner/show/shore excursion companions, if desired.  One of the best perks is the coffee machine, which is complementary and makes espresso/cappuccino/etc, along with hot water for tea and the hot chocolate packets which are free as well. Some of the best chocolate chip cookies on the high seas can be found here as well.

 

My issue is the pricing, which can sometimes be higher than an inside cabin when they lower or eliminate the solo supplement on regular cabins closer to the sail date.

[Silverwonder]

Hi... my first cruises with Princess were in the mid-1990s and we only paid 125% for our inside/outside cabin.  They upgraded me to a balcony and that was the end of the that.  That's all I sail now but pay as much as 200%.  On the original Pacific Princess from Tahiti to Honolulu I was upgraded to a single persons suite (one single bed on the top deck) with living room and full bathroom with tub.  It was great and size was small.  I have also sailed 2 Cunard cruises - they have single outside and inside but have not done it and 5 Celebrity cruises who do not have single staterooms.  I like being waken by natural light and I do like to step outside but that would not be a deal breaker - the natural light would be.  Have done inside twice and I never wanted to spend anytime in the room.  Occasionally I like to watch a movie which I doubt I would do in an inside stateroom.

[Steelers36]

13 hours ago, rj42 said:

Last year Princess had some summer NB/SB  Alaska cruises with no single supplement, so I got a NB with amazing sunny weather all the way until debarkation. The other option for singles, especially on the West coast, is to do Pacific Coastal cruises--all the 3-day ones were down to $118 at one point for a solo (still available on the Coral on May 5).  

 

The other consolation for solos is that you get double cruise credits, so on my Star coastal next month I will have completed 8 cruises and 30 cruise days...and be at Elite status (I can drown away the resentment of 200% fares with the free minibar setup). 

 

 

Might be something you didn't disclose, but you won't be Elite with 8 cruise credits and 30 cruise days.

 

[Steelers36]

This topic has come up before - when Princess bumped up the supplement.  We had one of our daughters booked in a single several years back at about 30% supplement (I think).  In the end she couldn't go and the next thing I knew it was 200%.

 

I get that a hotel room is not 1/2 price - or anything less - when I stay on my own.  However, on the ship, the cruise fare covers meals and entertainment, not to mention general passenger services, such as security and front desk, etc.  So, if they could carve out meals, I could see lowering the supplement by x%.  Princess costs are the same for entertainment, etc.  All that more single occupancy does is reduce the demand for seats in the theater.  LOL.

 

So, from the passenger viewpoint, there is justification for less than 100% surcharge.  But perhaps Princess felt that they are losing out on extra income from one less person booking tours and consuming drinks.  Not saying I agree with them, but if I were alone and looking to cruise, I would certainly suffer from sticker shock.  But maybe a lot of land options, like going to a resort would be similar situation.

 

I think the poster that mentioned useless BOGO offers such as for specialty dining has a good point.  Either the single cruiser should receive a discount or get the BOGO on a second visit (i.e. not the same visit).  OTOH, perhaps one single meets another and they dine together at the specialty twice sharing coupons (or split the dining cost of one visit).  Sounds like a good deal to me.

 

[tonit964]

My dad and I both cruise solo. He said he would drive me crazy because the tv is on all night, he's done that for decades and he just prefers his own cabin so there is only two of us but we are paying for four, now that's crazy.

[Coral]

In the scope of the cost of the cruise - I also don't care for the BOGO coupons and how they affect my cruise. Small peanuts. 

 

For all of those individuals who think they are married and don't have to worry about this - I hate to say it but one day you may.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Coral

[flag fan]

The NCL solo cabins get very good reviews, but that line has made an effort to appeal to solo cruisers with its special lounge for the solo cabins.  In terms of whether the 200% cost is fair, the cruise line actually loses money on single passengers staying in regular cabin because they make so much from the on-board spending from passengers--excursions, drinks, specialty dining, spa, shops, casino.  If they can sail to capacity, they will not be offering discounts to solo passengers and with all the new and larger ships being built, it looks to me like the cruise industry is able to fill its ships to capacity regularly.  I always sail solo and would love a discount but am reconciled to the fact that I will have to pay full fare, meaning 200% of single fare, if I want to cruise.  

[suron]

21 hours ago, stoneharborlady said:

Has anyone sailed solo with a line that has solo cabins?  Are they truly closet sized, or just smaller than a regular inside.  I have never seen one.

I have been on Norwegian Epic twice and will be returning on 15th May.  The studio cabins are not huge but have all the amenities you would want. There is a Studio Lounge which has a dedicated crew member who will arrange for groups of solo passengers to dine together/go to shows together and even organise shore excursions.  There is no obligation to join in but it is a nice place to meet your fellow solo travellers.  I made some good friends on my first trip on Epic and met up with some of them on my second cruise.  We are still In contact with each other and some good friendships have been formed.  It’s a pity more cruise lines do not have the studio cabins and the services of a crew member.

 

Suron (Suzanne in Bristol UK)

Edited April 29, 2019 by suron

[Mike_DeA]

2 hours ago, steelers36 said:

Might be something you didn't disclose, but you won't be Elite with 8 cruise credits and 30 cruise days.

 

Solo cruises get double credit, so 8 solo cruises = 16 cruise credits which gets them to Elite (15 cruises).

[Cruiser_1977]

I have done one solo cruise and three more booked. I have sailed inside, OV and Jr. Ste. My preference is a balcony. In my limited experience the solos are generally inside. I wouldn't do that even if it were less expensive. I try not to focus on anything other than does        ship going to        places for $     make sense for me? If yes, I do it and don't look back. If not, I keep searching for one that does. 

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, steelers36 said:

Might be something you didn't disclose, but you won't be Elite with 8 cruise credits and 30 cruise days.

 

DOH!!!!  This is wrong.

[geoherb]

Princess should consider making some of it's already tiny cabins into solo cabins. We were "upgraded" to P201 on the Caribbean Princess. It's around 145 square feet. It's so tiny that the bed when made as a queen is against the wall on one side.

[cruisingrob21]

On 4/28/2019 at 12:45 PM, diane.in.ny said:

I was just wondering if anyone besides me thinks it would be great if Princess added solo cabins to their new builds? And not charge 2x single rate!

HAL typically charges 170%-180% for a solo cruiser in a regular cabin.  This is less than on the Koningsdam and Niuew Statendam where they have solo rooms but are comparably priced with mid range oceanview cabins - the location of these solo rooms is pretty lousy if i recall.

 

If you just want to be on a boat and dont care about the line HAL does fine.