$8706 for 2W Solo Cabin on Jewel. This must be an error?

[Bellamariya]

We are looking at booking the 12 night Amsterdam to British Isles on Jewel next year. Interiors are from $3290pp (AUD).

2 of our party are solo travellers and usually book 2W Studio Interior to avoid the single supplement.

Just called RCI to check availability and almost had a heart attack when they told me the price for these sole occupancy cabins for this cruise was $8706.

To me this seems to be a coding error but customer service can only work with what the system is showing them.

Can anyone suggest an email contact that would have the authority to check this?

[ARandomTraveler]

Kind of surprising since Jewel is an older ship without many bells and whistles, but on the other hand, it's a unique itinerary, and those seem to cost more these days. I'm on a 12-night spectrum cruise this summer that is selling junior suites for $10,000, which I think it kinda crazy, but $8700 for an inside is truly insane. 

[little britain]

6 hours ago, Bellamariya said:

We are looking at booking the 12 night Amsterdam to British Isles on Jewel next year. Interiors are from $3290pp (AUD).

2 of our party are solo travellers and usually book 2W Studio Interior to avoid the single supplement.

Just called RCI to check availability and almost had a heart attack when they told me the price for these sole occupancy cabins for this cruise was $8706.

To me this seems to be a coding error but customer service can only work with what the system is showing them.

Can anyone suggest an email contact that would have the authority to check this?

So book as a double and have your roomie as a no show? 

[ONECRUISER]

32 minutes ago, little britain said:

So book as a double and have your roomie as a no show? 

Had to do that just couple yrs ago. Even with the SOLO 340+ was cheaper have 2 passengers. 

[MeHeartCruising]

I see this on NCL all the time with their solo cabins.  They are often less expensive than buying a standard inside cabin and just paying the supplement.  Although, I'm not sure I've seen one that was priced at over $8,000.  

 

Computer-defined pricing based on supply and demand is the likely answer.  My guess would be that there are very few cabins in that category still available, so the price has been set high to squeeze revenue out of someone who really, really, really wants that solo cabin.  

[Djsmrs]

Wow - we paid less than that for two rooms (one interior and one balcony) each with two passengers for the 13 night Norwegian cruise also out of Amsterdam on Jewel.    

 

That price is bonkers

[Starry Eyes]

2 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

I see this on NCL all the time with their solo cabins.  They are often less expensive than buying a standard inside cabin and just paying the supplement.  Although, I'm not sure I've seen one that was priced at over $8,000.  

 

Computer-defined pricing based on supply and demand is the likely answer.  My guess would be that there are very few cabins in that category still available, so the price has been set high to squeeze revenue out of someone who really, really, really wants that solo cabin.  

Very few still available?  I’d say there were very few available when booking opened, as there only 3 studio cabins on Jewel, IIRC.  They can sell them as solo studios or as solo inside gty’s.  The high quote suggests the cabins may already be allocated, as anyone receiving that quote is apt to pay a single supplement to book a regular inside cabin.  Or book a double with a no-show.

[MeHeartCruising]

2 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

I see this on NCL all the time with their solo cabins.  They are often less expensive than buying a standard inside cabin and just paying the supplement.  Although, I'm not sure I've seen one that was priced at over $8,000.  

 

Computer-defined pricing based on supply and demand is the likely answer.  My guess would be that there are very few cabins in that category still available, so the price has been set high to squeeze revenue out of someone who really, really, really wants that solo cabin.  

 

I should have said "They are often MORE expensive than buying a standard inside cabin and paying the supplement".

[Bellamariya]

18 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Kind of surprising since Jewel is an older ship without many bells and whistles, but on the other hand, it's a unique itinerary, and those seem to cost more these days. I'm on a 12-night spectrum cruise this summer that is selling junior suites for $10,000, which I think it kinda crazy, but $8700 for an inside is truly insane. 

The annoying thing is this is a tiny inside with a single bed, they can just book a regular inside with king bed for just over $7k. It's so confusing!

[Bellamariya]

14 hours ago, little britain said:

So book as a double and have your roomie as a no show? 

Or they can book the regular inside for just over $7k and get a king size bed and double points, which you actually don't get with the 2W 😛

[Starry Eyes]

1 minute ago, Bellamariya said:

The annoying thing is this is a tiny inside with a single bed, they can just book a regular inside with king bed for just over $7k. It's so confusing!

Annoying or not, it is probably the usual driver if pricing:  supply  and demand.

 

If I have the numbers right for Jewel,

there are 238 regular inside cabins and 3 single inside cabins.  Thus the supply of regular inside cabins is often plentiful while the supply of singles is always minimal.

[Bellamariya]

9 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Annoying or not, it is probably the usual driver if pricing:  supply  and demand.

 

If I have the numbers right for Jewel,

there are 238 regular inside cabins and 3 single inside cabins.  Thus the supply of regular inside cabins is often plentiful while the supply of singles is always minimal.

Yes and of the 3, 2 are available, and at that price I'm not surprised.

[F27TW]

I can't imagine anyone in their right MIND paying over $8000 per person to sail on any RC ship.   Thats nuts. 

[ARandomTraveler]

1 hour ago, F27TW said:

I can't imagine anyone in their right MIND paying over $8000 per person to sail on any RC ship.   Thats nuts. 

I think that too, but I guess if the itinerary is unique enough, I might be convinced. I'm on an Asian sailing that has outrageous prices (though I booked early enough that my room wasn't outrageous).
 

But it did cost me $8,000 in airfare, which some would consider part of the cruise cost, and that would deter a lot of people. For me, I felt the itinerary was worth the $20,000 + I'm spending on the cruise, because it makes a few stops in places I would likely never visit on a land vacation (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam), and it's getting me to Japan, where I'll stay for 2 weeks after the cruise because it's a place on my daughter's wish list. And since it starts in Singapore, we're making a land vacation there beforehand, which is a place I probably wouldn't have visited on its own. 

Edited February 24, 2023 by ARandomTraveler

[goldfish65]

Wondering if what we are seeing, with all the mega-ships, is that Jewel and others are becoming more of a "boutique" commodity? For me, Radiance Class provides exactly what I want. Specifically, fewer kids, fewer people, easy to get around, abundant views outward, and a lower-deck promenade. 

[Starry Eyes]

2 hours ago, F27TW said:

I can't imagine anyone in their right MIND paying over $8000 per person to sail on any RC ship.   Thats nuts. 

The OP is quoting fares in AUD.  8000 AUD is currently 5377 USD.  That’s still asking a lot for a studio, but there’s no reason a solo should fixate on the fare of those few studio cabins.  Sometimes it just makes sense to pay the supplement.

[SamInWa]

On 2/23/2023 at 9:19 AM, Starry Eyes said:

Very few still available?  I’d say there were very few available when booking opened, as there only 3 studio cabins on Jewel, IIRC.  They can sell them as solo studios or as solo inside gty’s.  The high quote suggests the cabins may already be allocated, as anyone receiving that quote is apt to pay a single supplement to book a regular inside cabin.  Or book a double with a no-show.

 

Yeah, you are exactly right, imho... 

 

I've seen this a lot and have decided the most likely situation is their revenue maximizing formula is to blame and nobody has noticed or cares. 

 

When a studio cabin that can only have a single occupant is regularly more (usually) than a regular cabin of similar class even when that regular cabin has the 200% supplement then things are broken from my point of view as the solo cruiser. 

 

However if they manage to sell that studio cabin for more money for whatever reason... well then I guess that's good for the cruise line. The whole thing could be "by design" as they say. 

[Jane T]

We just went through the same crazy pricing trying to book June 11, 2024 12 night on the Jewel. As a couple we could book an inside room with clearance pricing for $2302 total for 2 or a balcony for 2 for $3760. A single traveler was not offered the clearance pricing and the price for one in the same inside room is $5095, the same balcony room is $8457 for one passenger. So we booked a room for our daughter who will travel alone but put two people in the room and will have the second passenger get sick before sailing and be a no show. Crazy how you have to play the system. All pricing in USD.

[Merion_Mom]

On RC's US site, I can book the June 24 cruise out of Amsterdam on the Jewel to the British Isles for $3971 for an interior, and can select my own cabin.