Matching Program for Single Traveling Passengers

[travelingman]

Has anyone ever started a campaign with Viking for them to have a matching program for single traveling passengers on the Ocean and/or River cruises?

This matching program would have Viking pairing up single traveling passengers in a cabin to avoid having to pay a single supplement or the whole cabin.

Some cruise lines will waiver the single supplement if they cannot pair you up with another single traveling passenger.

 

I was looking at the Anarctica Expedition cruise which has a pretty hefty price (all cruise lines).  I noticed another cruise line that does a similar cruise that does have a matching program which makes it hard to pay the single supplement or the whole cabin with Viking in comparison.  However, I would prefer to go with Viking except for the Single supplement pricing situation.

 

Stan

[friendlyfifer]

Why would you want to share a cabin with a complete stranger. I would rather pay the full fare or travel with a cruise line offering cabins for singles.

[travelingman]

50 minutes ago, friendlyfifer said:

Why would you want to share a cabin with a complete stranger. I would rather pay the full fare or travel with a cruise line offering cabins for singles.

 

There generally are some criteria you can put in for your cabin mate. Question is - would you want to pay $23,000 to $31,000 for the single supplement or the full cabin versus $15,500 to have a cabin mate.  All of us cannot afford it!

 

Stan

[Jim Avery]

In the "Olden Days" I booked a single passage on QE2.  I was put in a double (two single berths) cabin with another male.  He was in his 40s, I was 21.  We sort of lived different lives so did not see each other that much.  Not sure I ever knew his name but no issues and it made my Transatlantic on the World's newest, coolest ship all of $180.00.  Of course that was 1969 Dollars. 😎  It was common practice back when ships were transportation, not entertainment.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I noticed Ponant has single cabins on their expedition ships.  I wondered what was the purpose of some narrow cabins.  They have one single bed!  I think they do Antarctica.

[Jim Avery]

Hey Ragnar, were you the old guy in my cabin on the QE2?😱

[deec]

"Vantage" travel also offers reduced or free single supplements on some trips.  I am not sure if the new "expediation" type ship that they have has designated singles.  We have had 3 really great trips with Vantage but  they had  chartered someone else's ship.  We did Irrawaddy, Mekong and the Peruvian Amazon which included Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.

[Heidi13]

On 7/21/2020 at 1:44 PM, Jim Avery said:

In the "Olden Days" I booked a single passage on QE2.  I was put in a double (two single berths) cabin with another male.  He was in his 40s, I was 21.  We sort of lived different lives so did not see each other that much.  Not sure I ever knew his name but no issues and it made my Transatlantic on the World's newest, coolest ship all of $180.00.  Of course that was 1969 Dollars. 😎  It was common practice back when ships were transportation, not entertainment.

 

Jim - it was the same on the P&O ships Oriana & Canberra, although the also has 4-berths cabins. When DW & I met, she and a friend were booked in a 4-berth cabin, which had 2 other young ladies assigned. This was in Dec 77, when they boarded Oriana in Vancouver.

 

On those ships, most, if not all, the lower deck cabins were multi-berth sharing cabins.

[luxecruisers]

From what I've been told by Viking representatives, Viking used to have a matching service way back when, but decided to discontinue the program ... I'm sure being an intermediary isn't any fun when personalities clash.

 

They had single cabins on only two of their ships - Legend and Prestige - which sailed the Danube. Not sure if those ships are still in commission.