Finding a roomie

[PICKLEBALL WIDOW]

Whatever happened to the cruise lines that would, as a last resort maybe, sell half of a cabin to a single person and try to pair them up with another single person? If they had no luck finding a roomie, they'd let the room go for the single rate. I'm NOT looking for mate (I am very happily married and don't fool around) or someone to stay out late partying with. All I want to do is find a person who wants to share a room on just about any cruise. (Yes, I am addicted to cruising.) My husband can't go as often as I can and everyone I know is busy with kids they won't leave and jobs they can't take time off from. Does anyone know if there are any boards or websites to help? The "SINGLE CRUISE" sites are all for people who are single, and I'm not...I just would like to find a Female roomie to go cruizing with now and then. Any help finding a site like that would be appreciated. The single supplement the cruiselines offer is typically almost twice the rate for one person. Why would they rather send the ships out with empty cabins?

[chasetf]

My guess is if it was successful they would have continued it. But, given they no longer offer that service there must have been too many downsides...... most likely complaints about who they were paired with.

 

One cruise line (I think HAL) had a deal where if they did not find you a roommate then you still sailed for the half fare..... But too many were probably betting the line would not match them up..... and then were disappointed when they did end up with a roommate.

[DocF]

I'm sure the reason was dissatisfaction with the forced roommates.

 

Those of you who lived in freshman dorms have to remember the horrors of the college assigned roommates. Even if you caught a good one, you know of stories about your friend being paired up with an alcoholic, pill-head, ax murder.

 

Doc:D

[PICKLEBALL WIDOW]

I take it, then, that there are no services for people like me, huh? It's kinda sad because I know there are more like me out there who would crujise a lot more if they could get away from the single supplement. HAL doesn't do it anymore. If anyone reads this and comes up with any ideas, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

[PICKLEBALL WIDOW]

Thanks for your thoughts. Personally I think it's ashame that there are no ways for "single" travellers to get a better deal than having to pay for a double supplement. I know there are more people like me who have bad choices: pay double or stay home.

 

HAL doesn't do it anymore, but if any of the cruiselines get smart and start offering last minute, unfilled cabins at a decent price for singles, I'll keep my eyes opened.

 

In the meantime, if anyone comes up with any ideas, I'd love to hear about them.

[chasetf]

I take it, then, that there are no services for people like me, huh? It's kinda sad because I know there are more like me out there who would crujise a lot more if they could get away from the single supplement. HAL doesn't do it anymore. If anyone reads this and comes up with any ideas, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

Thanks for your thoughts. Personally I think it's ashame that there are no ways for "single" travellers to get a better deal than having to pay for a double supplement. I know there are more people like me who have bad choices: pay double or stay home.

 

HAL doesn't do it anymore, but if any of the cruiselines get smart and start offering last minute, unfilled cabins at a decent price for singles, I'll keep my eyes opened. In the meantime, if anyone comes up with any ideas, I'd love to hear about them.

I do not think you could expect the cruise lines to change their current policy seeing they seem to be able to fill all cabins to at least double (and many time triple and quadruple) capacity. There could possibly be "last minute" opportunities, but even that I would not hold out hope for because they can deeply discount at cabin to say 60% of the normal fare and still get more than a single fare without supplement (and also get two drinkers, two gamblers, two tour takers, etc).

 

So if I was in your situation (and may be someday but hope not) I would be looking for a travel friend ....or start a board ....or use an existing board like Craigslist to advertise and find yourself a compatible traveling companion.

 

My mother, for many years, traveled without my stepdad because he did not like sightseeing. Her solution was to travel with her single sister. ;)

[Geckospot]

I had terrible luck when it came to getting random roommates - particularly in college. I would hope that cruise lines do not start this practice up again....for the sake of people like myself who always get the crazy lunatic to live with.

[PICKLEBALL WIDOW]

I AM happily married, it's just that I have more free time to travel than he does. It's just hard when you don't know anyone else who has the time to go.

 

Thanks for all the responses.

[jp2001]

Hi Weeble,

Are you on the East Coast?

Please, e-mail me at jplamondon2001@hotmail.com

Thanks!

JP

[Scrapper43]

Weeble, I understand your dilemma. I am widowed and have had to work at finding single women to travel with. I joined a women's travel club and did a tour of Beijing. Fortunately, I was paired with a woman in similar circumstances and we became good friends. However, that club doesn't do cruises. I found EONS and found a cabinmate for a cruise in February. I am very careful about developing associations with people I meet on-line, but I am also adventurous enough to give most anything a try.

 

It isn't easy, but it does require a little more effort. Put the word out to your friends and relatives. Maybe they know someone in a similar situation.

[PICKLEBALL WIDOW]

Weeble, I understand your dilemma. I am widowed and have had to work at finding single women to travel with. I joined a women's travel club and did a tour of Beijing. Fortunately, I was paired with a woman in similar circumstances and we became good friends. However, that club doesn't do cruises. I found EONS and found a cabinmate for a cruise in February. I am very careful about developing associations with people I meet on-line, but I am also adventurous enough to give most anything a try.

 

It isn't easy, but it does require a little more effort. Put the word out to your friends and relatives. Maybe they know someone in a similar situation.

 

Thanks for the advice, but those avenues have been traveled a long time ago. I guess I live a sheltered life. I don't mind going by myself, but the single supplement is always ridiculous. I wish they'd take pity on people like us. CruiseCritic has what sounds like a wonderful singles group, BUT you have to be SINGLE, and I'm very happily married. Oh well. Maybe someday....

[foxyroxy40]

i have never cruised before but i am going to in january with my sis for my 40th birthday any hoo i was asking questions on yahoo answers about safety for women traveling alone and a woman answered me who was a travel agent and she said she always got groups of women who liked to cruise but didn't want to cruise alone and they went as a group she invited us to come along with her group but it didn't work out for us to so were going just the two of us were both married with kids but it's just a girls trip no kids no spouses i don't remember her name but if you go on yahoo answers and ask she'll contact you theirs is no obligation to cruise with them well hope this helps happy cruising:)

[cruiserbryce]

I am not sure how comfortable I would be with that...my wife and I are all about meeting new people while on ships, but at the end of the day you need your space and sharing a cabin with a stranger certainly would prevent that

[PICKLEBALL WIDOW]

i have never cruised before but i am going to in january with my sis for my 40th birthday any hoo i was asking questions on yahoo answers about safety for women traveling alone and a woman answered me who was a travel agent and she said she always got groups of women who liked to cruise but didn't want to cruise alone and they went as a group she invited us to come along with her group but it didn't work out for us to so were going just the two of us were both married with kids but it's just a girls trip no kids no spouses i don't remember her name but if you go on yahoo answers and ask she'll contact you theirs is no obligation to cruise with them well hope this helps happy cruising:)

 

Thanks so much for your reply. I'm not sure how to find her. Do you remember her name or the name of her travel agency? I'd love to give it a try. I've traveled alone before, been on 4 cruises without my ever-so-busy husband (can't complain...retirement:D ) I've had a great time on the cruises but they're usually so expensive. Any ideas would be helpful.

[Essiesmom]

They used to call it a guaranteed share, and if there was noone to share, you got it for the pp rate. My Royal Princess cruise in 1999 I roomed with my sister, but her oldest daughter went as a share. She was fine with it, but the roommate was initially hostile, as she had thought she would hve the cabin to herself. I have done this with land tours, but now prefer to swallow the single sup. E

[PICKLEBALL WIDOW]

I appreciate all the feedback on this subject. It sounds like there's very few places that do anything to help find roomies. Oh well...can't win em' all. I just wish the cruiselines would get realistic about single supplements during the last few weeks before sailing when there are cabins available. Why send them out empty?

 

Happy holidays to all!

[cruiserbryce]

Why send them out empty?

 

I really do understandthis way of looking at things...I am in the hotel industry and an occupied room is always preferred over a vacant one...but only to a certain point...they still have to cover costs and that includes a certain amount of profit...just because it might cost our hotel $43 to turn a room and prepare it for a new guest, that doesnt mean selling it for $52 is the best business decision...not making much $$ there

[shazbski]

Weeble,

 

I was matched up years ago with a group called Single World (not necessarily single people, just single travelers) and I had a great time. I am actually looking for someone my self for a booked cruise in April 08 as my cabin mate is not going now. There are some sites that you can post that you are looking. Let me know if you are interested as I don't know if I am supposed to post another site address here.

 

Shazbki

[PICKLEBALL WIDOW]

Weeble,

 

I was matched up years ago with a group called Single World (not necessarily single people, just single travelers) and I had a great time. I am actually looking for someone my self for a booked cruise in April 08 as my cabin mate is not going now. There are some sites that you can post that you are looking. Let me know if you are interested as I don't know if I am supposed to post another site address here.

 

Shazbki

 

Are you a male or female? I am leaving tomorrow on my way to a cruise leaving from Fort Lauderdale and will not have access to my email again until 12/1. I am interested, and you can email me at wobblyweeble-cruise@yahoo.com.

 

Thanks! And have a wonderful holiday.

[shazbski]

Female - I just sent you an email. Enjoy your trip. I wish I was going now

[janbrady]

I work for a senior organization where our travelers are typically 70-85 years old and 90% of our clients are widowed or widowers. Among our many services (transportation, nutrition services, home financial services, health & fitness, socialization clubs, etc...), we offer a senior travel club. Seniors have money to travel and most of our clients, of course, are looking for roommates. When requested, we try to pair them up with others so that they can avoid the single supplement.

 

We have HUGE success stories and have had HUGE failure stories in pairing roommates. I was on a ship once where the two we paired absolutely did not get along. I mean this was cut throat... this was serious - I now know how people come up missing on ships.... they get paired with a roommate they can't stand ;-) NCL tried to find a separate room, but the ship was full. While in their cabins, the two travelers yelled and screamed at each other and when in public they emphatically complained about the other... all of this was greatly affecting the other travelers in our group of 50 to Hawaii. After 48 hours of this... I finally got NCL to see how serious this was and they somehow managed to move some of their staff to open up a very low class inside cabin in the bowels of the ship. Each of the travelers were charged a huge premium for this... and the room was terrible... but they were just happy to be away from each other.

 

While we did not receive any request to pick up this cost, I can see how the travelers might have expected us to do this since we are the ones that helped them get paired. This might be one of the many reasons cruiselines are not comfortable with this service.

 

I would think forums like this would be a better way to find a roommate. Chat for a while to make sure you find someone who you could live with for a whole week.

 

Just a note: They are not all horror stories... we have many seniors who have made lifelong friends after having been paired on a trip through the travel club.

[crabby apple]

Just sent your email to a woman who is looking for someone to bunk up with too!

[PICKLEBALL WIDOW]

Just sent your email to a woman who is looking for someone to bunk up with too!

 

I appreciate your help. Thanks!

[librarycin]

It's unfortunate there aren't any ships with single rooms. It took me about 6 months to find someone to do my next cruise with (and we finally booked it about a week ago! Woo hoo!). I certainly can't afford to go alone. I assume the cruise lines don't make enough money to offer single rooms? It would be nice if they could offer just a few single rooms on each ship, at least...

[Summers]

I would be afraid of being paired up with just any old person.

 

Just me personally, I think the prices I have seen are still reasonable paying the extra amount. I totally understand wanting to save the $$ and travel twice as much, but I need "alone" time and what if their schedule wasn't similar to mine, as in coming and going at the same time, waking, going to sleep, showering. ....

 

Anyway, I hope that you find someone to go with you! :)