Singles to get Double Points

[A&L_Ont]

Categories JS and Higher = 2 points per night per solo cruiser + 1 bonus pt.

 

Is that 1 bonus point mean per night or for the entire sailing? For example at the end of a 7 night solo cruise do you have 15 points or is it 21 points?

[molly361]

Is that 1 bonus point mean per night or for the entire sailing? For example at the end of a 7 night solo cruise do you have 15 points or is it 21 points?

 

 

You would have 21 points

[A&L_Ont]

You would have 21 points

 

Thanks Molly,

 

That was what I originally thought.

 

Andrew

[Allaboutsailingrc]

I have been cruising solo since the beginning of 2002...several cruises a year at 200%. Finally, a small bonus for solo travelers who have been paying for two people (minus taxes,etc.)...thank you Royal.:) My fear is that the "schemers" will be noticed and Royal will eventually change back to the old policy.:mad:

[LMaxwell]

My fear is that the "schemers" will be noticed and Royal will eventually change back to the old policy.:mad:

 

I truly doubt you will see enough cruises with supplements below, say, 125% to where it makes sense financially for a couple to book two rooms instead of one. And after all it is within the rules of the program; no need to get mad about it if it does happen.

 

It's a new benefit that takes away nothing from others. I don't understand all this concern that it will be diluted. :confused:

[Starry Eyes]

It's interesting to see all the couples that are scheming to get extra points by booking 2 connecting cabins. Funny how they didn't feel this way for the years that solos paid extra and didn't get the extra points.:rolleyes: Many that claim they don't care about the extra points are the the ones who have posted the most on this thread and have been busy scheming but yet "they don't care". It is clear who the point chasers are no matter how much they try and deny it.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

A simple fix to avoid such schemes would have Royal not giving bonus points to any solo cabins booked for members of the same household/spouses. Only if they booked solo cabins on separate ships would bonus points be awarded. That would help avoid the point chasers taking advantage of something that was designed to be a perk to the true solo passenger. Ultimately the room stewards would be the ones that would lose out the most if many couples booked solo in connecting cabins.

 

Actually, some people did like connecting cabins before the new bonus points offer for solos. Booking that way does not necessarily make us point chasers.

 

When DH and I book hotels, we often look for two room suites. DH is an extreme early bird, so he is in bed before me and up before me. With two rooms, he can go to bed in the first cabin while I stay up comfortably in the second cabin. In the morning while I sleep in a bit, DH can get up, go to the second cabin, dress and start his day comfortably.

 

DH and I booked a balcony and connecting inside on Explorer last December, as it was less expensive than a two of us in a JS. It worked well for us for the above reasons, plus we get two bathrooms, which can be nice, too. When terrific deals came out on Allure this fall, we booked connecting cabins for less than sharing one balcony cabin. We loved it, and that was before the bonus points for solos. While I do not ever again expect a deal as wonderful as this fall's Allure cruise, I will happily book connecting cabins when the price differential is not too great....that goes whether we get single points or extra points. I know a few others booked this way for pricing and space prior to the solo point announcement. Probably not many, but I do not think there will be that many point chasers doing it either.

 

 

They could refuse point to people at the same address, but it may not be fair to all. For example,at one address might be mom and adult child(ren), siblings, friends and so forth, who might really be, in their hearts, solo entities desiring solo cabins. As far as I know, the cruiseline does not typically ask for proof of relations, so I assume couples do not have to link their profiles. Or they could link them for a while, then unlink them for a while, then link then again. I know a few couple who do the on and off thing for real; how is the cruiseline to know who has really split up but not moved out. So it might be neither fair nor simple.

[squadron]

I have been cruising solo since the beginning of 2002...several cruises a year at 200%. Finally, a small bonus for solo travelers who have been paying for two people (minus taxes,etc.)...thank you Royal.:) My fear is that the "schemers" will be noticed and Royal will eventually change back to the old policy.:mad:

I appreciate the extra points - and have wondered where other posters get these small supplements - I, too, end up with 200% minus taxes. It will encourage me to stay with RCI and not bounce to other cruise lines. Actually, the only one I would go to is Celebrity and take my level with me.

[tlatrice]

35 pages. wow.

[Ocean Boy]

I have been cruising solo since the beginning of 2002...several cruises a year at 200%. Finally, a small bonus for solo travelers who have been paying for two people (minus taxes,etc.)...thank you Royal.:) My fear is that the "schemers" will be noticed and Royal will eventually change back to the old policy.:mad:

 

I truly doubt you will see enough cruises with supplements below, say, 125% to where it makes sense financially for a couple to book two rooms instead of one. And after all it is within the rules of the program; no need to get mad about it if it does happen.

 

It's a new benefit that takes away nothing from others. I don't understand all this concern that it will be diluted. :confused:

 

The poster said that if abuse of the system causes RCI to rescind the new point policy for solos then he/she would be mad. The solo cruisers would be out a new benefit. No need to get mad?:confused:

Edited October 28, 2013 by Ocean Boy

[LMaxwell]

The poster said that if abuse of the system causes RCI to rescind the new point policy for solos then he/she would be mad. The solo cruisers would be out a new benefit. No need to get mad?:confused:

 

I need to clarify my point. Re-reading it I see now how one could easily interpret it to mean me saying no reason to get mad if the incentive is taken away. Not what I had meant though. To clarify; there is no reason to get mad if a couple books two cabins each as solo. I don't really view it as cheating the system. It's a clearly advertised and promoted policy by RCI.

 

Perhaps it would convince couples to sneak in another cruise here or there that they may not have otherwise taken, even if they are just chasing points. Still nothing to be mad over.

 

Otherwise, to your point, if the incentive for solo travellers was removed I would certainly understand them being mad about it.

 

Hope this clears up my thoughts.

[Starry Eyes]

Maybe I am naive, but I did not think there are very many long-term point chasers. Short term, sure. For example, it is easy to imagine people slipping a cruise (now perhaps a solo cruise) to get to the next level before a longer, much anticipated cruise. In doing so, the cruise line sells another cabin, then lounges contain one more couple one cruise sooner. That does not seem like a big deal, and such people would have been in the lounges after that long cruise anyway.

 

Longer term point chasing just seems less likely to be prevalent. Are lots of D+ couples really going to spring for the extra cost of separate cabins to get another crystal block sooner? Or the extra amenity a bit sooner? Granted some here on cruise critic really want to make it, but, in the general cruising population, are there that many people chasing points for Pinnacle? And, even if there are, would the cruise line want to discourage them from spending more money on their way to PC?

[A&L_Ont]

Maybe I am naive, but I did not think there are very many long-term point chasers. Short term, sure. For example, it is easy to imagine people slipping a cruise (now perhaps a solo cruise) to get to the next level before a longer, much anticipated cruise. In doing so, the cruise line sells another cabin, then lounges contain one more couple one cruise sooner. That does not seem like a big deal, and such people would have been in the lounges after that long cruise anyway.

 

Longer term point chasing just seems less likely to be prevalent. Are lots of D+ couples really going to spring for the extra cost of separate cabins to get another crystal block sooner? Or the extra amenity a bit sooner? Granted some here on cruise critic really want to make it, but, in the general cruising population, are there that many people chasing points for Pinnacle? And, even if there are, would the cruise line want to discourage them from spending more money on their way to PC?

 

For us we would only do it if we were less than 7 points from Pinnacle. That is a long time from now.

 

If you lived where you could drive to port there could be a benefit to solo cabin cruising.

[Cuizer2]

Maybe I am naive, but I did not think there are very many long-term point chasers. Short term, sure. For example, it is easy to imagine people slipping a cruise (now perhaps a solo cruise) to get to the next level before a longer, much anticipated cruise. In doing so, the cruise line sells another cabin, then lounges contain one more couple one cruise sooner. That does not seem like a big deal, and such people would have been in the lounges after that long cruise anyway.

 

Longer term point chasing just seems less likely to be prevalent. Are lots of D+ couples really going to spring for the extra cost of separate cabins to get another crystal block sooner? Or the extra amenity a bit sooner? Granted some here on cruise critic really want to make it, but, in the general cruising population, are there that many people chasing points for Pinnacle? And, even if there are, would the cruise line want to discourage them from spending more money on their way to PC?

 

I think you make an excellent point.

[Starry Eyes]

For us we would only do it if we were less than 7 points from Pinnacle. That is a long time from now.

 

If you lived where you could drive to port there could be a benefit to solo cabin cruising.

I am also a long way Pinnacle. Too far to consider that making it to be a goal.

 

Solo or sharing, I'd consider living within driving distance to a port to be a benefit in and of itself:). Maybe someday when I retire, sigh. Then if I have loads of free time and no air fare issues, I imagine if I were chasing points I'd do it by spending money on more frequent cruises (including last minute ones) rather than spending more on solo connecting cabins. Time will tell.

[Cuizer2]

Then you are responsible for booking ANOTHER cabin for your psychiatrist.

My psychiatrist is my other personality. :D

[A&L_Ont]

I am also a long way Pinnacle. Too far to consider that making it to be a goal.

 

Solo or sharing, I'd consider living within driving distance to a port to be a benefit in and of itself:). Maybe someday when I retire, sigh. Then if I have loads of free time and no air fare issues, I imagine if I were chasing points I'd do it by spending money on more frequent cruises (including last minute ones) rather than spending more on solo connecting cabins. Time will tell.

 

Ah, you are like minded. I guess one day we both could be Starry Eyed;)

[Aggie71]

I have mixed feelings on all this, but in the end the cruise line decides as they do on everything else. It's not to please guests it's an economic issue.

 

We fly to every cruise, adding that expense. So we pick & choose wisely.

 

Please don't shoot the messenger, just offering some facts.

Solo travelers never "really" paid 200%. They paid 1 port charge, 1 tax, & up to 200% on the cruise portion only. The 1 person then received the same shipboard credit if they booked onboard or had a shareholder benefit as the 2 people in the double cabin had to share. If the single person qualified for a balcony discount then they had the same credit that the 2 people had in the double cabin. Same with the amenities that were earned. And, if the single was lucky enough to have cruised 50 times (or over 349 days) their cruise portion of the charges was never more than 150%.

So, I can say when we booked a 15 night transatlantic & paid $649 for a balcony, it would have been cheaper to book 2 cabins but we did not do that. We should have but it seemed like the wrong thing to do to take up 2 cabins. However having 2 onboard credits of $200, 2 balcony discounts, & so on would really have made a difference.

I know this isn't always how it works out for singles, but I'm just saying there are some deals to be had for a single rate.

 

Now for a bad piece of news. I just found out today that when RCCL closed down the etire reservation system over the weekend they also changed things. Now the single must pay port charges for both guests! So they get extra points but now they pay more. Under those circumstances how many couples will want to book 2 cabins? The math will have to be done for anyone to figure this out & to personally know if it benefits them for $ saved or for the goal of more points.

[JosieCat-MN]

Is that 1 bonus point mean per night or for the entire sailing? For example at the end of a 7 night solo cruise do you have 15 points or is it 21 points?

 

I just took a solo 3 night cruise in a JS and earned 9 points.

[Merion_Mom]

I have mixed feelings on all this, but in the end the cruise line decides as they do on everything else. It's not to please guests it's an economic issue.

 

We fly to every cruise, adding that expense. So we pick & choose wisely.

 

Please don't shoot the messenger, just offering some facts.

Solo travelers never "really" paid 200%. They paid 1 port charge, 1 tax, & up to 200% on the cruise portion only. The 1 person then received the same shipboard credit if they booked onboard or had a shareholder benefit as the 2 people in the double cabin had to share. If the single person qualified for a balcony discount then they had the same credit that the 2 people had in the double cabin. Same with the amenities that were earned. And, if the single was lucky enough to have cruised 50 times (or over 349 days) their cruise portion of the charges was never more than 150%.

So, I can say when we booked a 15 night transatlantic & paid $649 for a balcony, it would have been cheaper to book 2 cabins but we did not do that. We should have but it seemed like the wrong thing to do to take up 2 cabins. However having 2 onboard credits of $200, 2 balcony discounts, & so on would really have made a difference.

I know this isn't always how it works out for singles, but I'm just saying there are some deals to be had for a single rate.

 

Now for a bad piece of news. I just found out today that when RCCL closed down the etire reservation system over the weekend they also changed things. Now the single must pay port charges for both guests! So they get extra points but now they pay more. Under those circumstances how many couples will want to book 2 cabins? The math will have to be done for anyone to figure this out & to personally know if it benefits them for $ saved or for the goal of more points.

 

It is my opinion that this is a glitch in the website "improvements". Clearly one person does not pay two sets of taxes and fees. Those are PER PERSON charges. It is simply not showing up properly on the website.

[LMaxwell]

 

We fly to every cruise, adding that expense. So we pick & choose wisely.

 

....it would have been cheaper to book 2 cabins but we did not do that. We should have but it seemed like the wrong thing to do to take up 2 cabins. However having 2 onboard credits of $200, 2 balcony discounts, & so on would really have made a difference.

 

It's a VACATION. If you can do something that reduces the cost and affords you greater accommodations, and be playing well within the boundaries or any rules, why would that ever seem "wrong"? I'd argue that you paid more and got less.

 

Now for a bad piece of news. I just found out today that when RCCL closed down the etire reservation system over the weekend they also changed things. Now the single must pay port charges for both guests! So they get extra points but now they pay more. Under those circumstances how many couples will want to book 2 cabins? The math will have to be done for anyone to figure this out & to personally know if it benefits them for $ saved or for the goal of more points.

 

I will call shenanigans; never in my life have I been compelled to pay double taxes for anything. I highly doubt the cruiseline is going to charge 1 person taxes for two; how would that even work? This is not "kill the messenger" but I think maybe you are misinterpreting something or were told something incorrect and are passing it on. I don't fault you for sharing what you believe to be the latest information, but it just doesn't seem plausible.

[A&L_Ont]

I just took a solo 3 night cruise in a JS and earned 9 points.

 

I think it is great for a solo cruiser in a suite to get that. Enjoy your sailng.

 

Andrew

[JosieCat-MN]

It is my opinion that this is a glitch in the website "improvements". Clearly one person does not pay two sets of taxes and fees. Those are PER PERSON charges. It is simply not showing up properly on the website.

 

I think you may be right. I called on my free M Life cruise yesterday (you just pay taxes and gratuities) and she quoted me $150 for taxes and I told her it was just going to be me and she recalculated them and it was $75.

Edited November 2, 2013 by JosieCat-MN

[Tagsalong]

I will apprehensively admit that we booked the Enchantment with two (side-by-side) cabins for just $2 more than a single cabin for both of us. This is a November sailing in two weeks. This was booked before the system up-grade. So I was just wondering what it would be like post up-grade.

 

I just did two mock bookings for the lowest priced Nov. sailing on the Enchantment and got the following results: $421.82 total price for two pax in one cabin, $409.91 for a solo pax. This is way more than 200% of the base price. That's because a guarantee rate is available for two pax in a room, but the guarantee is not available for a solo traveler. I doubt this disparity is a system glitch problem.

 

So at this time solo bookings can be as high as 240% (338/139) to as low as????.

Edited November 2, 2013 by Tagsalong

[Gil T. Azell]

It is my opinion that this is a glitch in the website "improvements". Clearly one person does not pay two sets of taxes and fees. Those are PER PERSON charges. It is simply not showing up properly on the website.

 

You are correct that the solo cruiser only pays 1 set of port taxes but I think the above poster was confusing port taxes with non commission fare. The website does not show 2 sets of taxes for a single cruiser but does show it is 200% of the full fare.

 

I confirmed and it is not a glitch. This is the new way of doing things now. Singles in cabins now have to pay the supplement % on the full fare. No longer is it only double on the base fare. You do only pay one set of taxes still but now the fare involves a solo to pay even the non commissionable amount twice.

 

However it's possible that if they continue with this than solo bookings may go down on sailings that are charging the full 200% supplement. If that happens then they'll end up having to run more 125-150% single supplement sales. Will be interesting to see what happens in regards to fares and supplement percentages.

[Gil T. Azell]

I will apprehensively admit that we booked the Enchantment with two (side-by-side) cabins for just $2 more than a single cabin for both of us. This is a November sailing in two weeks. This was booked before the system up-grade. So I was just wondering what it would be like post up-grade.

 

I just did two mock bookings for the lowest priced Nov. sailing on the Enchantment and got the following results: $421.82 total price for two pax in one cabin, $409.91 for a solo pax. This is way more than 200% of the base price. That's because a guarantee rate is available for two pax in a room, but the guarantee is not available for a solo traveler. I doubt this disparity is a system glitch problem.

 

So at this time solo bookings can be as high as 240% (338/139) to as low as????.

 

A solo passenger will never have to pay 240% of the cruise fare. The max supplement is 200% and then one set of taxes. When comparing prices you must use the same category. Not all categories will be available to singles just like not all categories are available for 3 and 4 passengers.

Edited November 2, 2013 by Gil T. Azell