Coping with Single Supplements

Almost all modern cruise ships are built with staterooms designed for two or more people. As a result, there are only a few ships - - primarily older ones - - that have cabins designed for single occupancy. Consequently, when a single person wants to cruise, he or she is required to pay a single supplement. These supplements can range up to 200 per cent of the per person cost of a ticket for a double occupancy cabin.

The theory underlying why the cruise lines charge a single supplement is that since the space was designed to be occupied by two people, the cruise line would be losing out on half of the revenue the ship was designed to generate if the cabins were sold to singles at the double occupancy per person rate. The line does have some cost savings in the amount of food consumed when there is one person in a cabin but this is not a significant savings and is offset by the loss in revenue in the bars, shops and shore excursions that the line would have received if there had been a second person in the cabin.

Nonetheless, many single travelers are upset by having to pay a single supplement. Nobody likes to feel that they are paying more than someone else for the same thing. Also, the single supplement makes taking a cruise more expensive for singles.

The first concern is somewhat illusory. A person paying the single supplement and obtaining a cabin single occupancy does get something that the person traveling double occupancy does not get - - he or she gets the cabin to himself or herself while the person in the double occupancy cabin has to share.

In addition, while in theory the single traveler pays more, this is not always so in reality. These days there can be very large differences in the price of a cruise depending upon a host of factors such as when the cruise was booked and which travel agent the parties used. In addition, if the cruise is not selling well, the line may drop or reduce the single supplement so as to get people on the ship. Thus, a single person can end up paying the same or even less than the per person rate for the couple in the next cabin. It does require more shopping around on the part of the single traveler but it can be done.

As to affordability, most people realize that the cruise line could not stay in business if it sold a significant portion of the cabins on each cruise on a single occupancy basis at the per person double occupancy rate. The solution appears to be to build ships like in the old days that had some single occupancy cabins. However, if one looks at the brochures for a ship such as the QE2, one sees that the rate for a single cabin is more than the per person rate for the same category double cabin. In effect, there is a single supplement built into the single cabin rate.

To a certain extent, the concern over the single supplement is a product of the pricing model used in the cruise industry. In most major hotels, the rate for a room is the same regardless of how many people are staying for the night and no one gets upset. The cruise industry has elected not to follow that model but rather advertise prices on a per person basis. As a result, the numbers used in the advertisement are lower and thus more attractive. However, this model produces the opposite result (i.e., it makes the cruise appear to be more expensive) in those instances where there will be less than two people in the cabin. It may be a matter of perception, but until it is more widely explained it will continue to upset people and thus affect sales.

What I have found that works best for me when I am considering cruising by myself is to price the cruise without regard to the per person double occupancy rate or the single supplement. I am just looking for a number - - the price that will be charged to me. If it is a reasonable number and one that I can afford, I book the cruise. Since the actual single fare is rarely advertised, this process requires getting quotes for the cruise which can be done by talking with travel agents or by going online to a number of websites.