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I have several questions pertaining to this topic:

 

1. Why is the single supplement 100%?

 

2. If a solo traveler is basically paying for 2 people, why don't they get a rebate of the unused second set of perks?

 

3. Why can't some other set of perks be developed for solo travelers?

 

My final question concerns CruiseCare:  WHY is it necessary that ALL occupants of a cabin have to purchase this IF only one person wants it?

 

 

Thank you for your time.  I ask these questions on all of my post-cruise questionnaires; to date NONE of them have been addressed to me.

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Not an uncommon dilemma. 

 

Revolutionizing these policies might be one way in which an initiative like #CrewUpWithWomen could blaze trails in every aspect of cruising; running the business and where it matters most–proportionate value for all guests on board.

 

Are solo travelers more likely to be women? Maybe. That means that the money they have to work longer than men to earn (unequal pay for same jobs in so many cases) or even lose out to because they may leave to have a child, well, women must also then pay more to take a cruise vacation. Just because. 

 

Controlling and managing costs while providing value are always paramount for any business. But the cost to provide each level of vacation experience will vary somewhat democratically in relation to the the choice that the guest is seeking when there are two or more guests on board; the synchronicity seems to disappear with solo guests.

 

If there is a sound economic reason justifying why, other than what one can only assume is basic math, one guest must pay significantly more to occupy the same space that two people might otherwise occupy, perhaps simply being forthright about it (if it cannot be eliminated or improved) would at least let guests feel like they understand the why of it. Being on the inside of things tends to feel better than stuck with a question and no answers.

 

Ideally, finding a way to reduce or eliminate the supplement completely is the best way to appeal to your solo travelers. Marketing is a powerful tool. I know metrics are too (profit/costs per room) If the company wants to get it to work, they can and I'm not saying use a social movement to sell something, but if ever there was a time, now might be it.

 

I'm only one of many women on our boards that at times, has traveled the world solo. One of the nicest things, though, is meeting and talking to people I encounter wherever I go. There are challenges to solo travel but they are generally overcome by many wonderful and unexpected rewards. Of course any solo trip costs money, it's a given but the only time a traveler should have to contemplate cost differences is when one is deciding upon why type or level of service they seek, can afford, or prefer to have during their holiday as opposed to a price to pay simply for being able to even have the opportunity to take the vacation at all. Could be losing an opportunity. Maybe the guest will switch to a seaside resort instead of a holiday on the sea. 

 

And to be fair, surely men/nonbinary travel alone too whether it's young singles, older retired folks or whomever in between. Hotels and resorts used to try and charge extra for one person in a room but they don't anymore. Cruise is going to go out anyway if it's not full or there's one person in cabins made for two. Or make more cabins that are 1/2 optional, sort of like sleeper train cars. 

 

Somehow, Ms. Lutoff-Perlo, there needs to be momentous change along the lines of what is happening in the world now, at long last. Celebrity is a great line, one of the most popular on the boards I moderate. I look forward to imaginative, thoughtful new policies in which Celebrity leads (of course!) setting the new industry standard for individual cruisers.

 

Thank you for visiting us here at Cruise Critic! It's always wonderful to get information directly from the heads of cruise lines sharing updates, answering questions, listening to members comments, ideas and suggestions. We appreciate your time and your efforts, especially with #CrewUpWithWomen. Anything celebrating #GirlPower is something to be thankful for 🙂

 

Cheers!

 

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I can just about accept that as a single I will need to pay a hefty supplement (up to 100%) to pay for the cabin. I can almost accept that the supplement will also apply to the meals part of things - or at least understand that assigning a portion of the fare to the meals is fraught with problems.

Where I really struggle is when the price of the 'perks' is involved. I'm UK based, so these 'perks' are still marketted as being 'free', but with the US pricing, the perks now have a bundled price.

Looking at a Reflection cruise on 29/Nov this year on a US TA, the price difference between the base NRD fare and the Sail Plus fare is $900 whether one or two passengers are sailing. As a single passenger, I only need 1 beverage package, 1 daily gratuity etc., why should the price be the same for a couple buying two.

 

To slightly counter-balance this, I do see it as unfair on the cabin steward, that will receive only 50% of the auto-grats for servicing a single occupancy cabin than they would for a normal double occupancy.

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I am the somewhat more rare male client who sometimes must cruise as a single since most of my friends are younger and simply do not have the financial ability. I understand the need for X to charge slightly more for the single passenger but, 100% is a good reason to not cruise as often as I'd like. X should give at least some consideration to the fact that we baby boomers are losing spouses/partners but would still like to enjoy X for a number years.

I appreciate this thread where questions can be presented. I also note that NON, at least as of today, have been answered.

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I have often travelled solo (not on a cruise) and have had to pay a supplement. Whilst I can see the “lost” profit from the second person that would otherwise have occupied the cabin, I won’t eat or drink double and will create less “mess” in the cabin, so 100% supplement is excessive. 

 

It it is likely that I may be travelling solo on cruises in the future (currently travel with my 80 year-old father) and don’t see why costs are excessive or forcing me into an interior cabin. 

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On 7/27/2019 at 1:49 PM, PROCRUISE said:

I am the somewhat more rare male client who sometimes must cruise as a single since most of my friends are younger and simply do not have the financial ability. I understand the need for X to charge slightly more for the single passenger but, 100% is a good reason to not cruise as often as I'd like. X should give at least some consideration to the fact that we baby boomers are losing spouses/partners but would still like to enjoy X for a number years.

I appreciate this thread where questions can be presented. I also note that NON, at least as of today, have been answered.

 

Thank you so much for your comments and perspective, valid points of view and as I stated, not necessarily always a female (or non-binary) traveler. It's especially interesting as it relates to how the supplement would possibly discourage a new cruiser from sailing but then as you mention, dissuade a solo cruiser from becoming a loyal cruiser because the costs are simply too prohibitive.

 

And perhaps even more of an issue is the fact that mature cruisers are more likely to be solo although more and more people are either marrying later (and tend to travel more!) and some divorce or even lose spouses unexpectedly early but wish to be in the company of other people though not necessarily out on a singles-only type of thing, but mixed in with other people, sort of like IRL (in real life). 

 

For people of a certain age, or newly single people, or budget might often be an issue, especially when it comes to discretionary spending. Most who have a travel budget and a certain preference for style and amenities (let's face it, how many people are truly unlimited with their budget that don't have a yacht moored off the Côte d'Azur?) probably don't have a budget for the cost of two on their desired cruise vacation, nor would anyone willingly want to pay that amount. It's rare to simply say "yes, take my money!" 

 

I won't get into the disparities between nation pricing, TAs, having to pay double for drink packages (remember when everything was included in cruises?) and double gratuities although I have worked for tips and do understand what that's like BUT....if there's only one person to attend to in the cabin, then isn't that 50% less work to do, in theory though I get that guests can be more demanding although that can vary when there are multiple people in a cabin and no factoring will compensate a weary attendant for having to weather those swells. 

 

I do not know what the solution is other than a more personalized booking process and not unlike there are premium accommodations (these are limited) such suites etc., why can there not be a certain number of accommodations for single travelers available (or converted as needed from larger cabins) and the math made to work better so it's not prohibitively expensive? There may still always be some surcharges but I can't think of anywhere else one must pay for two anymore; not airlines (ok, children over a certain age, people requiring extra room which I know is hotly debated), hotels, trains, buses. Life is always changing, why doesn't a cruise vacation?

 

Here's hoping 🙂

 

PROCRUISE: questions will be answered, thanks so much for your patience!! I believe our guest is due to start visiting soon with her appearance scheduled mid-month. We wanted to get some conversations underway so that by the time she started to visit, there'd be lots of great things for her to read. Please stay tuned and keep an eye out for notifications when chatter comes alive in this thread very soon, and thank you and everyone here for participating in the discussion. It's how change sometimes happens 😉

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Interesting read with a lot of excellent points about those of us who cruise solo. Most hotels charge the same rate for a hotel room whether it is one person or two. Other than those properties that offer breakfast, meals and gratuities are not included. As previous posters have pointed out, solo cruisers rarely eat for two, (unless possibly an expectant mother 😁), the cabin steward only receives gratuities for one. To be fair, if the OBC is selected as a perk, we get double $.  I would like to see them allow solo travelers to add an additional perk. If the solo price includes two perks, the solo traveler gets three, or even better, all four. Perhaps upgrade the beverage package, if selected as a perk, to the premium package. There are a number of things Celebrity could do to make paying double more palatable.

 

I also understand  the argument that two passengers spent more $ than one. Actually, for me it is the exact opposite. When traveling with my late husband, we were more likely to book shore excursions with private vendors, more likely to not have a spa treatment, etc. By myself, I generally book tours thru ~X~, to enjoy a facial or massage, and to spend $ in the shops. Now, DH did spend more $$$$ in the casino than I do, but, he also lost more! That was to the ship’s advantage.

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Hi Olive and everyone, good question 

Guests traveling solo have become a big trend in recent years.  We have responded by offering more single-staterooms onboard Celebrity Edge, and on future ships, than on any other ship in the fleet.  The feedback has been fantastic and are always exploring other ways to respond to the needs of solo-travelers.  On Edge and new ships coming, a single traveler does not have to pay a 100% supplement due to the solo-staterooms. 

Our team is always exploring other ways to respond to the needs of solo-travelers.  I will make sure to share your request and comments with our team.  

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I didn’t realise that the new ships were offering single-staterooms! Having sailed single the cost can be a barrier at times, so very glad to see that this barrier will be reducing down.

Now all we need are some sailings that embark from Scotland and life with Celebrity cruises would be perfect! 

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6 hours ago, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said:

Hi Olive and everyone, good question 

Guests traveling solo have become a big trend in recent years.  We have responded by offering more single-staterooms onboard Celebrity Edge, and on future ships, than on any other ship in the fleet.  The feedback has been fantastic and are always exploring other ways to respond to the needs of solo-travelers.  On Edge and new ships coming, a single traveler does not have to pay a 100% supplement due to the solo-staterooms. 

Our team is always exploring other ways to respond to the needs of solo-travelers.  I will make sure to share your request and comments with our team.  

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for pointing out that there are solo cabins on the Edge and future ships.  I was on the Edge for 4 weeks in January/February and had a chance to see a single infinity balcony cabin occupied by a female, who stored her belongings in her suitcase under the bed. I am not sure if you are aware, that the storage is less than desirable, even for a single person. The room has a queensize bed taking up most of the space, there is not 1 single drawer available for your personal belongings like t-shirts, p-j's, undies etc. The available closet holds barely your dresses and slacks and blouses. A smaller bed and a dresser, or over the bed storage would work wonders. The storage might be fine for a 7 day Caribbean cruise, but not for a B2B European cruise combined with a transatlantic where warmer clothing is needed. I tried to share my concern with your team in March, without success, but it took 2 months to even get an answer to my email.

It would be nice to find out if you would consider changing that? 

Thank you in the name of all single cruisers who might be interested in a solo cabin,

Rose 

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17 hours ago, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said:

Hi Olive and everyone, good question 

Guests traveling solo have become a big trend in recent years.  We have responded by offering more single-staterooms onboard Celebrity Edge, and on future ships, than on any other ship in the fleet.  The feedback has been fantastic and are always exploring other ways to respond to the needs of solo-travelers.  On Edge and new ships coming, a single traveler does not have to pay a 100% supplement due to the solo-staterooms. 

Our team is always exploring other ways to respond to the needs of solo-travelers.  I will make sure to share your request and comments with our team.  

 

I'm not interested in the Edge, and even if I was, those single cabins are TINY!!!  I have been sailing in suites since 2010.  Last November, I sailed solo in a penthouse.  And yet, my butler and the people who took care of me only got ONE set of gratuities. THIS should be a very easy fix.  Just keeping the profit you make from solo travelers is just plain WRONG>

I know it.

YOU know it too.

The single supplement doesn't need to be 100%.

I know it.

YOU know it too.

 

Perhaps Celebrity doesn't need my business anymore....

 

 

I guess you don't feel like addressing the insurance issue....

 

 

13 hours ago, CocoCronut said:

I didn’t realise that the new ships were offering single-staterooms! Having sailed single the cost can be a barrier at times, so very glad to see that this barrier will be reducing down.

Now all we need are some sailings that embark from Scotland and life with Celebrity cruises would be perfect! 

 

 

The single-occupancy cabins on Edge are nothing more than a bed, a small closet, and a tiny bathroom.  You will indeed be disappointed, I promise you.

 

Solo travelers are treated like second-class travelers when they end up spending the most for their vacations.

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On 8/13/2019 at 6:33 AM, Olive1950 said:

 

I'm not interested in the Edge, and even if I was, those single cabins are TINY!!!  I have been sailing in suites since 2010.  Last November, I sailed solo in a penthouse.  And yet, my butler and the people who took care of me only got ONE set of gratuities. THIS should be a very easy fix.  Just keeping the profit you make from solo travelers is just plain WRONG>

I know it.

YOU know it too.

The single supplement doesn't need to be 100%.

I know it.

YOU know it too.

 

Perhaps Celebrity doesn't need my business anymore....

 

 

I guess you don't feel like addressing the insurance issue....

 

 

 

 

The single-occupancy cabins on Edge are nothing more than a bed, a small closet, and a tiny bathroom.  You will indeed be disappointed, I promise you.

 

Solo travelers are treated like second-class travelers when they end up spending the most for their vacations.

My TA advised to NOT consider a solo cabin. It equates to being put in a closet! Perhaps, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, you should spend a week in one before raving about how sensitive Celebrity is to the needs of solo travelers.

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