I.e. you’re travelling by yourself? Do they charge double? Do they usually have a limited selection of single-occupancy rooms that are more expensive but not twice as expensive?
I ask because if I ever run into money and retire comfortably, seeing Europe by going in an ocean liner would be how I would do it. At double occupancy rates it’s competitive with first-class airfare. Paying double the going rate, not so much. (As it stands, it’s not so much the money issue as the time issue. 7 days is a pretty long time to be stuck in any one place, even if it’s a luxurious place with lots to do. But if I had the time it would beat spending slightly more than a day in airports/airplaces and the hassle of limited baggage!)
They charge double pretty much across the board. The only break you get is on the automatically deducted daily “tip”, they don’t make you tip for two.
I go on a cruise once a year or so and since I insist on single occupancy I always pay double…it’s a big luxury but worth it, I’m way too old to share a room with my female friends…I need solitude.
A couple of NCL cruise ships have been offering single occupancy rooms as of late and I looked into those when planning my latest vacation. They cabins were hip and stylish but really small and had no balconies…I can’t imagine spending a week in a cabin that measures 120 square feet. However, these cabins are arranged around some sort of central lounge and it might be an enjoyable arrangement for someone younger than myself.
Cruise fares in general can vary widely depending on the date of the sailing and the kind of deal you get…my latest cruise --leaving in 2 weeks !!–was on sale and the single occupancy fare was actually the same as the full price double occupancy fare for the same room on during a prime week.
The only other tip I can offer is some of the specialty cruise lines …Saga, maybe…that cater to an older crowd will offer to match you with same sex roommates.
My family is doing a Disney cruise this summer (i.e. Disney Cruise Line). My mother is going as well, and she will be in a cabin by herself. Her fare (single occupancy) is exactly 66% more than the fare per person for a double occupancy cabin.
So there is a single occupancy surcharge, but it’s not quite as bad as a 100% surcharge (i.e. double the fare per person in a double occupancy cabin).
It makes sense to me. While she’s taking up a cabin that would normally hold two passengers, she’s only eating meals for one.
I doubt they’d mind if you were willing to pay double for a double room by yourself.
On the other side of this equation, two years ago we went on a cruise with our daughter, 3 to a room, and we paid almost nothing for her. A fairly small daily charge for food, that was it. This was NCL also. Given how little time you spend in your room on a cruise, I doubt the small size would be a problem. But then I’m claustrophilic.
My mother is booked in a cabin that normally sleeps 2-3 passengers, and she is by herself. As I stated previously, however, you pay a surcharge if there is fewer than two people in the cabin.
As with hotel rooms, the cost per night or per week for the cabin is a fixed amount. With a cruise, each passenger pays an amount that includes the room rental, plus meals, plus entertainment, plus on-board amenities. The regular rates are based on the most popular arrangement, i.e. two people per room. The cruise line would lose money on the second half of the room rental if they allowed a single to just pay the regular rate. The single supplement adds the second portion of the cabin’s rental to your fare.
However, some cruise lines will do something called a guaranteed share, or some other similar term. You pay the regular rate, and if another single person of the same gender also books that cruise for a guaranteed share, you get a roomie. If no other single books, then you get lucky.
I suppose it depends on the ship. Some of them have single cabins. If you’re lucky you’ll pay for a single and get put in a double (or larger) cabin. I’ve sometimes booked overnight ferries where I paid the single rate and got put in an enormous family-size cabin with six beds.
Did you bring the mannequin along to the dinner buffet, and theater, and pool? I hope you at least picked up a string bikini and Carmen Miranda-esque sunhat for it.