For as much as I love cruising there is one thing I hate about it, and it has nothing to do with the vacation experience.
It’s the dreaded “single supplement.”
Eligible bachelors, like me, and those who simply like to travel themselves are subject to paying up to two times the price of the cruise due to the cruise line’s policies regarding solo travelers.
When shopping for a cruise, you will see prices noted as “per person based on double occupancy.” For two people traveling together, the advertised price of say $599 per person comes out to $1198 plus taxes and port charges. For one person traveling solo, the price is the same for one as it is for two in the majority of cases, unless special promotions apply.
However, cruise lines are now recognizing the fact that more people are traveling solo and opting not to take a cruise due to single supplement policies. They’ve responded to the needs of the solo traveler in two ways: 1) offering discounted single supplement fees on select sailings; and 2) adding single occupancy staterooms to ships that are offered without a supplement.
So what are the single supplement surcharges for the major cruise lines in North America?
For the most part, it’s a standard 200%. However, like I mentioned earlier, you can find deals on cruises where certain category staterooms may have a reduced single supplement on select sailings and you may even encounter some last minute deals where the supplement is waived completely. These offers are pretty hard to come by, and it’s best to check with the individual cruise lines regularly to find such deals.
As of this writing, here is a list of what the major North American cruise lines charge for a single supplement:
- Carnival Cruise Line: 200%
- Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: 200%, no single supplement on studio staterooms on select ships – see list below.
- Holland America Line: 150-200%, a Single Partner Program offers solo travelers the opportunity to have Holland America try to find another same-sex solo traveler to share a cabin together where each guest pays the per-person, double-occupancy rate. Details on this program can be found here. The ms Koningsdam will feature single occupancy staterooms without a supplement when the ship debuts in 2016.
- Cunard: 200% for Queens and Princess Grill staterooms, 175% for inside, outside and balcony staterooms, no single supplement on single staterooms on select ships – see list below.
- Norwegian Cruise Line: 200%, no single supplement on studio staterooms on select slips – see list below
- Regent Seven Seas Cruises: 175% – 200%
- Oceania Cruises: 175% – 200%
- Crystal Cruises: 125% for stateroom categories C1 – E3, 135% for stateroom categories A1 – B3, 150% for stateroom categories P1 – P2, 175% for Penthouse Suites.
- Disney Cruise Line: 200%
- MSC Cruises: 150% – 200%
- Celebrity Cruises: 200%
- Princess Cruises: Interior and Oceanview (standard and obstructed) – 160%, Oceanview (premium), Balcony, Deluxe Balcony, Mini-Suite, and Suite – 200%
So which ships feature stateroom specifically designed for the solo traveler without a single supplement surcharge, and how many are available?
That’s the tricky part! While it’s great to see lines adding the solo occupancy cabins, they are few and far between and are only on a few ships and in few number. One thing to keep in mind, these solo staterooms are very small and are often times inside (no window or balcony).
Royal Caribbean, Anthem of the Seas:
- Studio Interior Stateroom with Virtual View, 101 square feet, 14 total staterooms*
- Super Studio Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony, 119 square feet, balcony 55 square feet, 12 total staterooms
Royal Caribbean, Quantum of the Seas:
- Studio Interior Stateroom with Virtual View, 101 square feet, 4 total staterooms*
- Deluxe Studio Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony, 119 square feet, balcony 55 square feet, 12 total staterooms
Royal Caribbean, Brilliance of the Seas:
- Studio Interior Stateroom, 108 square feet, 3 total staterooms
Royal Caribbean, Radiance of the Seas:
- Studio Interior Stateroom, 108 square feet, 3 total staterooms
Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas:
- Studio Interior Stateroom, 108 square feet, 3 total staterooms
Royal Caribbean, Ovation of the Seas:
- Super Studio Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony, 119 square feet, balcony 55 square feet, 12 total staterooms*
Holland America Line, ms Koningsdam (coming in 2016):
- Single Ocean View Stateroom, 127 – 172 square feet, 12 total staterooms
Cunard, Queen Elizabeth:
- Single Ocean View Stateroom, 159 – 162 square feet, 8 total staterooms
- Single Inside Stateroom, 159 – 162 square feet, 1 total stateroom
Cunard, Queen Victoria:
- Single Ocean View Stateroom, 159 – 162 square feet, 8 total staterooms
- Single Inside Stateroom, 159 – 162 square feet, 1 total stateroom
Cunard, Queen Mary 2 – these rooms available on sailings after June 21, 2016:
- Standard Outside Single Midship, 9 total staterooms
- Standard Outside Single Mid-Aft, 6 total staterooms
Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Epic:
- Studio Inside, 100 square feet, 128 total staterooms
Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Breakaway:
- Studio Inside, 99 – 131 square feet, 59 total staterooms
Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Getaway:
- Studio Inside, 99 – 131 square feet, 59 total staterooms
Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Escape (October 2015):
- Studio Inside, 99 square feet, 82 total staterooms
Norwegian Cruise Line, Pride of America:
- Studio, 107 square feet, 4 total staterooms
*Certain Studio staterooms on Quantum-class Royal Caribbean ships can only be booked as an adjoining stateroom and not individually.
Cruise lines often make changes to stateroom class designations so this information is subject to change at any time.
While I’m not a fan of single supplements, it’s the norm when it comes to cruise fares. It is good to see that lines are recognizing the fact that there are more and more solo travelers and are working on ways to make a cruise vacation more affordable for them.