Single Supplements now 100%?

[Windsurfboy]

12 hours ago, wowzz said:

Which is totally meaningless,  as you have not taken quality into account. 

I can fly 12 hours in economy,  in a  cramped seat with average food, or fly Club with a proper bed and decent food and drink. On a pure price basis,  economy obviously wins, but some of us prefer quality over price.

 

 

I agree ,  but this debate started on the premise thar P&O was getting expensive and that was the question I was answering.  P&O is still a lot cheaper than Saga or Cunard, and does offer good value  

 

The fact that my next two cruises are Saga  32 night Black sea suite and a Cunard QG South Africa to UK in 2022, and I can't get my wife to go to the back of the plane , shows price isn't everything. However I baulk at First prices when business gives you a flat bed , First not good value. By the way I've never had really  decent food or wine on a plane even on Concorde in the old days never tastes the same.

 

 I agree there is more than price. My moto is if saving money is the priority stay at home, but don't waste it.

 

 P&O still offer good quality and a good price. We should have been on 19 day Arcadia Adriatic in June and will go again if it is offered in 23 or 24. To me it is firstly a great intinerary,  but also good value,  suites are well designed in P&O better than Cunard, nearly half price of Cunard QG. Can eat in speciality restaurants most nights,  buy some very good wines, they have a good Barolo and Amaronne for me and champagne for the better half ,   and still be £1000s in pocket.  Cheaper than Saga or Cunard but not your economy seat analogy. 

 

Hence P&O wins on price and offers a very good product, but for varied intineries you cannot stick to one cruise line 

 

 

 

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[Ardennais]

21 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

But the revenue to P&O for the cabin was the same, so no real profiteering, especially as your on board spend, and the profit from that to P&O would be half the norm per cabin.

I was going to post something similar having understood now that the single supplement in a double cabin is basically paying the price that a couple would pay., which seems fair to me. Why don’t they have more single cabins I wonder?

[AnnieC]

2 hours ago, Ardennais said:

I was going to post something similar having understood now that the single supplement in a double cabin is basically paying the price that a couple would pay., which seems fair to me. Why don’t they have more single cabins I wonder?

I guess because they single cabins take up more than half the space of a double but are unlikely to generate as much on board revenue? 

[Windsurfboy]

 

7 minutes ago, AnnieC said:

I guess because they single cabins take up more than half the space of a double but are unlikely to generate as much on board revenue? 

Even the upmarket all inclusive lines Regent, Seabourn which are less dependent on on board revenue have very few singles. 

 

I think  the problem is flexibility,  you can only sell a single as a single,  but you can sell a double to a couple, or to a single willing to pay the price. As I expect very few singles travel during school holidays singles would be empty then.  However adult only ships won't have this problem. Unfortunately Arcadia and Aurora  started off as general family ships. Only Saga has built adults only ships from scratch

 

 

 

[wowzz]

8 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Only Saga has built adults only ships from scratch

Approximately 20% of Saga cabins are singles.

[Windsurfboy]

4 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Approximately 20% of Saga cabins are singles.

 

Yes agree that's what I was saying, I  should have added numbers to post.  Saga have built  ships from scratch to suit their older adult  market. No ship built for general market could afford to have this % of singles and have them empty at peak family time.

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, Ardennais said:

I was going to post something similar having understood now that the single supplement in a double cabin is basically paying the price that a couple would pay., which seems fair to me. Why don’t they have more single cabins I wonder?

 

41 minutes ago, AnnieC said:

I guess because they single cabins take up more than half the space of a double but are unlikely to generate as much on board revenue? 

I guess we should really not join in these single occupancy threads, because our accessible cabins are 50% wider than standard ones, but we only pay exactly the same fare. However I would still far rather be paying for a smaller standard cabin.

[wowzz]

7 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

 

I guess we should really not join in these single occupancy threads, because our accessible cabins are 50% wider than standard ones, but we only pay exactly the same fare. However I would still far rather be paying for a smaller standard cabin.

John, if they tried to charge more, would they not be guilty of discrimination? 

[Windsurfboy]

8 minutes ago, wowzz said:

John, if they tried to charge more, would they not be guilty of discrimination? 

 

Wows I think your right.

 

I think the answer would be yes , as they would then have to prove they couldn't  design a fully  accessible cabin using the same footprint as a standard cabin and charge the same price.  But let's be thankful that they haven't gone down that penny pinching route

[Ardennais]

48 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

 

I guess we should really not join in these single occupancy threads, because our accessible cabins are 50% wider than standard ones, but we only pay exactly the same fare. However I would still far rather be paying for a smaller standard cabin.

But that’s different, your wife has to have the extra room. A single traveller could share, however I understand that might not be desirable in many cases. 

[Britboys]

52 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

But that’s different, your wife has to have the extra room. A single traveller could share, however I understand that might not be desirable in many cases. 

Some single travellers don't have a choice of sharing. I'm lucky that I have two friends I can sometimes sail with but I have no doubt that some solo pax maybe don't have any friends that either want or can afford to cruise...

[Esprit]

Does P&O still accept single travellers to book and share a cabin with complete strangers?

i remember my Mum did it on Oriana back in the 90’s, and she had a fantastic time with two other single women in the same cabin.

[Windsurfboy]

10 minutes ago, Esprit said:

Does P&O still accept single travellers to book and share a cabin with complete strangers?

i remember my Mum did it on Oriana back in the 90’s, and she had a fantastic time with two other single women in the same cabin.

 

My Mum did the same on P&O and Princess , made some good friends,  who then booked together.  

[Son of Anarchy]

17 minutes ago, Esprit said:

Does P&O still accept single travellers to book and share a cabin with complete strangers?

i remember my Mum did it on Oriana back in the 90’s, and she had a fantastic time with two other single women in the same cabin.

 

5 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

My Mum did the same on P&O and Princess , made some good friends,  who then booked together.  

My Mum did that when we used go to Leningrad on the old Soviet ships out of Tilbury.  Different era.  Great fun though.

 

 

[Britboys]

21 minutes ago, Esprit said:

Does P&O still accept single travellers to book and share a cabin with complete strangers?

i remember my Mum did it on Oriana back in the 90’s, and she had a fantastic time with two other single women in the same cabin.

No, they don't. I suspect there were too many instances of people complaining about the behaviour of cabin-mates and demanding to be moved...  It seems the "friendly fours" as they were known were always so friendly...😄

[Ardennais]

1 hour ago, Britboys said:

Some single travellers don't have a choice of sharing. I'm lucky that I have two friends I can sometimes sail with but I have no doubt that some solo pax maybe don't have any friends that either want or can afford to cruise...

I understand, which is why I said that it might not be desirable for all single travellers. It is a shame that there aren’t more single cabins. When my MIL used to come on self catering/caravan hols with us when the children were small, we were forever looking for a single room for her. We ended up in Blackpool one October half term and had a good laugh because honestly, her single room was almost twice the size of our family room which had a double, a single and bunk beds squeezed into it. 

[Britboys]

24 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

I understand, which is why I said that it might not be desirable for all single travellers. It is a shame that there aren’t more single cabins. When my MIL used to come on self catering/caravan hols with us when the children were small, we were forever looking for a single room for her. We ended up in Blackpool one October half term and had a good laugh because honestly, her single room was almost twice the size of our family room which had a double, a single and bunk beds squeezed into it. 

Maybe it is just the language you are choosing. My point was that for some, "desirable" doesn't come into it, "impossible" does...

[Ardennais]

2 hours ago, Britboys said:

Maybe it is just the language you are choosing. My point was that for some, "desirable" doesn't come into it, "impossible" does...

Sorry you took it that way. I sympathise from the single passenger’s point of view and as I said, I wish there were more single occupancy cabins but I can also see why the cruise companies want the full rate for a double cabin. 

[showingdiva]

Despite being perfectly sociable and house trained, I can't imagine much worse than sharing a cabin with a stranger.    More than happy to sit at meals, perhaps go on to the theatre or a bar with, but that's all.   I have been blessed to have had lovely dinner companions on both P&O and Cunard, two of whom are still friends from Arcadia's maiden.

I do see why cruise lines would want maximum fare from each cabin, but personally I happily pay the supplement for a cabin of choice with P&O.  The location of their single cabins - whether on ships where they have been added, or installed in the newer ships from outset - are awful.   High up, very fore / aft or next to noisy public areas.

Queen Mary 2's six single cabins with the double round windows on the other hand, are joyous.  

Edited March 1, 2021 by showingdiva