Stung For Being Single!!!

It may come as a surprise to learn that single travellers represent over 25% of the cruise market, that’s approximately 500,000 passengers in 2017 based on the UK Market. So it would be fair to assume the Cruise Lines offer good deals & value for money to appeal to this valuable market – surprisingly this is not always the case.

For example, the three largest P&O ships , Ventura , Azura & Brittania offer 4,900 cabins combined however only 63 of those cabins are for single occupancy which is only 1.3% . Yes P&O offer cabins for sole use but they often come with double the price tag.

I understand there needs to be a supplement but surely not that high especially as there are a number of cabins that remain empty . For example a Southampton 7 night round trip cruise would cost £799 to book early so would cost £1,598 for a single traveller – these have been reduced to £399 on late availability, the single traveller would pay £798. If the cruise line had offered an early booking incentive price of say £999 I bet there would have been single travellers willing to book at that price, and secure a single cabin of their choice, so win-win for the cruise line & the customer.

Cruising is a perfect choice for the single traveller, so why are some forced to share with a friend or family due to the inflated supplements given the choice they would happily book 2 cabins at a reasonable price.

Both Fred Olsen & Cruise Maritime break the norm by having a greater proportion of single cabins or don’t overcharge on the single occupancy supplement. This is great news for the single traveller if these are your cruise lines of choice.

To be fair Norwegian Cruise Line pushed the boat out in 2010 on Norwegian Epic and introduced studio cabins aimed at the single market and provided 128 inside studio cabins for singles. The other ships in the NCL fleet like the Escape which has has 82 studio cabins with the Getaway and Breakaway ships each having 59 studio cabins. On top of this they also provide a dedicated studio lounge for socialising and are within a keycard-accessed area of the ship.

Holland America have a unique offering that could appeal to some, but if you like to select your own cabin buddy this may not be for you. Holland America’s single partners programme offers a roommate matching service – pairing passengers of the same sex who are willing to share. This guarantees that you will pay the agreed price even if a partner to share with cannot be found. A great option if it works out but would you take the risk?

Do you travel alone or do you have to share? What do you think of the cabin supplements for singles?

Please share your comments….