And I had to pay a pretty penny to get it too.

So, Percy, what should I make of the information you posted? I suspect the operating expense increase was due in large part to the cost of fuel. But if their bottom line is that dire, I presumably can expect to see some drastic cost-cutting. Maybe they'll make us take turns rowing?

JBHapgood.

You are funny about the rowing !!

Gee I hope they do not make you row.

I gave it just as information for general interest.
I was a bit amazed that a cruise ship line had their profits curtailed that much.

Maybe it is the high cost of fuel,at least that is the reason used by the airlines when they jackup their flight fees.
Have a good time and Take Care
Percy

Hi jacketwatch:

I do not know what you paid for your cruise.....but by going in August it cost me $1200.00 less than what they wanted on June 11th.

That is not the reason I am going in August, but boy what a saving.

I was prepared to pay the same amount as in June and was pleasantly surprised when my Travel Agent told me how much cheaper it is now!!

What the heck it is only money..I will blow it all on tour guides....unless you tell me not to after you return.

I know I am sounding like a broken record but please do not look at everything...leave some building for me to look at !!!

Good Night
Percy

The cruise lines are dealing with the decreased profits by charging more for many things (remember duty free drink pricing), offering more and more ala carte options (dining, coffees, some snacks, room service) that allow people to spend money.

The days of included fitness classes (most anyway), saunas, etc. are over on most lines.

On Crown Princess, you are now offered a chair in the Sanctuary for 4 hours for 15 pp. Used to be that a quiet spot could be found on most cruises for free

Add in the art auctions, gold by the inch, ludicrous wine mark ups, etc, and the areas they turn to for increased profits are evident.

Our additional costs these days are far higher than in the past, as we opt to enjoy a decent cup of coffee and specialty restaurants, as well as a $10 martini and good bottle of wine.

kfusto:

You are right on.

There are very few things you can do on a cruise ship these days without paying something extra.

I think of it as a floating cash cow...but obviously not enough cash is coming in to meet their profit margins.

Maybe it is from fuel charges , port charges going up (as for the airlines) and perhaps increased salaries for those who are on salary those ..., I mean a real salary!

Sometimes I think this way:

1. If a crusie ship has 2000 passenegers.
2. If 50 % of them have their pictures taken and then buy the pictures...

3. And if the average spending on pictures is $50.00, then at the minimum ,the cruise ship earns ( 1000 x $50.00) fifty thousand dollars just on pictures.

Now add on drinks and tours and shopping and auctions and hmmm !! they are still losing money!!!

Maybe people are just spending less on cruise ships. I don't know.
I know I do not shop on a cruise ship.
I buy the odd pictures because it seems like the thing to do at the time!!

Where are all these pictures.! In a drawer at home.!!

It must take a loooot of money to operate a cruise ship, that I do not even know about!?

Hmmm , those poor cruise lines !!!!
Take Care
Percy

Percy, perhaps in the case of RCI the new builds (one just came in to the US today and I will be aboard for a preview cruise tomorrow) are affecting the overall profit?

Ships these days certainly appear to be sailing full, though on certain sailings there are real bargains to be had (though never on the ships and sailings I have an interest in).

The cost of an 8x10 on some lines is now $30!

I also rarely shop on a ship, except to replenish perfume and high end cosmetics duty free.

I believe that in the not too distant future, cruise ships will become truly floating hotels with lower room costs and few inclusions, perhaps only the buffet restaurant. For those wanting better food, drinks, etc, the premiums will need to be paid.

What do you think? Is my prediction far fetched?

kfusto

How lucky you are to be able to do a preview cruise . It sounds cool.!!

I agree with you about the direction that crusie ships are heading.

Over the past 10 years, I have noticed more items and services that you have to pay for, that once was included.

I can see that in the future the only meal you maybe get with your cruise is the buffet and for a more fancier dinner , one will have to make reservations and pay extra... just like at the 5 star all inclusive resorts!

I hope not .
Cruising should not become an Elite Experience for only the upper class.

Let us know how the preview went and when you are sipping that "free" wine or Champagne...think of us poor peasants. (LOL)
Take care
Percy

I don't expect that RCI will make a lot of money on me. I don't gamble, shop, or drink, and I really don't have much use for pictures of myself. I'm sure they'll find ways to extract some nickels and dimes from me, but they'll just have to work harder than with most people.

I gather that alcohol is a major profit center. The ticket booklet devotes an entire page to describing in excruciating detail their strictly enforced rules against bringing any of your own alcohol on board.

I don't know whether the concept of a cruise as an all-inclusive (or mostly inclusive) vacation will go the way of pleasant air travel. It does give cruise lines a competitive advantage to advertise lower per-person-double-occupancy rates, which of course have to be made up with with as many hidden extra charges as they can dream up. There is already a trend toward inflated "non-commissionable fees" (formerly "port fees&quot which has become scandalous for solo travelers because some cruise lines are charging us double those fees in addition to the usual single penalty. To provide the competitive advantage, nickel and diming may soon become quartering and dollaring. But then there's the risk of annoying passengers, which must be carefully balanced with revenue needs. They probably have some consultants engaged to work out just that balance.

You make some good points JBHapgood,as always.

They don't make any money off me on alcohol, or gambling either.

It is interesting that you should mention solo travelers.

I was going to book a cruise sole with a group of four other people ( my wife was sick).
The cost of the sole cruise was the SAME as for two people.!!! amazing I thought.

So I am taking a friend with me and paying for his cruise.
I would have to pay double anyway and he has never cruised before so he is as excited as can be.!!!.

I feel like Santa Claus !!!
Good Night
Take Care
Percy

Just returned from the Dawn Princess last month. They really have a lot of stuff for sale on board. What annoyed me was that the photographers insisted that we have our pictures taken when we went off the ship at every port, and even when we came out of the dining room, and this wasn’t the formal night.

I do not profess to know what their pay structure is. The services we had were excellent. Beside the $10/day/person, we gave extra on the second day to the waitperson and the assistant (a combine tip of about $100). As a group of 6 friends, we received special treatment every dinner. We had extra escargots, crème brûlée, soufflé, duck appetizers, extra and different kinds of desserts every night. We have special diets and our foods were prepared just the way we like. We also handed a menu for the next day at the end of the meal if we liked to order in advance.

Even we already spent so much for the cruise, a few more $$ for the wait staff is nothing when they give us such an excellent service.

Tip whatever you think is worth for you! Have a fun trip.

Good advice teatravel:

I also agree that the wait staff doa great job.

They really look after you well, so tipping them is never a problem.

About those pictures...you know what ! let them take the pictures... you do not have to buy them.

It sounds like you were eating well and touring also.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip.
Percy

I was on this same ship, same itinerary, by myself in the cabin, heck, I didn't tip twice! The attendant made one bed instead of 2, the waiter brought one plate instead of 2, and the suggested tipping is per person, not per cabin or couple.

I did hand cash in envelopes to everybody personally instead of adding it to the credit card bill.

As for the pics when getting off in port we just keep walking. You don't have to stop. Actually they don't expect you to as not everyone does. We usually get one or two pics on formal night and maybe one at dinner and thats it. We also use our own camrea on formal night too. All those pics do add up so be careful.

Percy, most people (those who travel in couples, families, and groups) are unaware of the single penalty. Awareness often comes only when someone is widowed or divorced after years of traveling with a spouse. If they can't find a compatible friend to travel with, they get kicked in the face when they find out what it costs to go alone.

Sometimes a single pays more than twice the double-occupancy price. That can happen with special offers from agencies or consolidators. If you call and ask about rates for singles, they'll tell you the offer isn't available for single-occupancy (it's happened to me several times, which is one reason I haven't considered cruising until now). If you want to go on the tour or cruise, you have to pay the full "brochure rate" plus a penalty of between 50% and 100%. That can sometimes amount to triple the special offer rate. Cruise lines are the worst offenders when it comes to penalizing solo travelers, but any packaged travel carries a penalty if you're single and don't have an available friend.

With so many people living alone these days, you'd think the travel industry would try to attract that large market with something better than a penalty. But they seem to believe that double-occupancy is an immutable law of nature built into the universe. The best they can do is pair up single customers as roommates, thereby bringing them into conformance with the Law of Double Occupancy. But travel operators are discontinuing these "share arrangements," most likely because too many people complained and/or sued when sharing accommodations with total strangers spoiled their vacations.

There are occasional bargains to be had, but travel operators don't make much effort to publicize them. I suspect they consider it rather embarrassing if their load factor is so low that they have to resort to reducing the penalty for singles to fill empty cabins.

You had a good idea to invite your friend, especially since you're paying for two anyway. Having him along may or may not make the cruise more pleasant than if you went alone. But some of us don't have friends with schedules or vacation times to make that possible.

(Sorry for the length. The single penalty is one of my biggest pet peeves-- as it is for many people who aren't fortunate enough to have someone available to travel with.)

Faina, I took the opportunity to rummage through your voluminous collection of posts and find the report on your cruise. It was interesting and helpful to read, and you confirmed many of my suspicions. I don't expect to make a friend immediately as you did (men tend not to do that), but it's good to know that someone has done that. And I'll be sure to avoid touching any part of either of my thighs during the next few days (I leave on Monday).

I've spent enough time in San Diego and Catalina on my own to be interested in shore excursions there. My only real plan is to take the ferry to Coronado (it leaves from a pier right next to the cruise dock) for the "harbor cruise" and for a lunch of moussaka at a Greek take-out at the Coronado ferry landing. I enjoyed both of those the last time I was in San Diego, and look forward to enjoying them again. What I distinctly remember from my trips to Catalina is that when the cruise ship arrives quiet little Avalon turns into a mob scene (I went in the off-season). So I'll probably just take the tender and walk around all the hills to burn off the calories from the dining room. And I think I'll stay on the ship in Ensenada, as shopping really isn't my thing. Since my purpose for taking this cruise is to see what cruising is like, get away from work, and enjoy what the ship has to offer, it doesn't matter that it's a "destination-free" trip.

It's already proving to be quite a bit different from my normal solo vacation. I'm usually preoccupied with my camera gear and where I'm going to take pictures, with absolutely no concern about what I'm going to wear. This trip is the exact opposite, and it's rather strange.

JBHapgood

I certainly was unaware of the single person penalty until my wife got sick and could not make the trip, nor could she qualify for health insurance until she was symptom free for 6 months.

So we decided I would go anyway with the other group of four.
My price for the cruise was $12.00 short of being double !!!

Since that was the case I might as well take a good friend.

Thank you very much for your helpful insight into this travelling single scenario.

Percy

Percy; You may find this of interest. Check out this easy way to see Stockholm, the hop on, hop off water taxi.
http://www.city-discovery.com/stockh...ur.php?id=2123

Thank you jacketwatch:

I did check out the water taxi and your site was helpful.

I am planning to tour Gamla Stan (Old Town) and then visit the Vasa Museum. I want to see this ship that sank on its maiden voyage and stayed buried in the water for 333 years !!!

Actually all three of the main museums are one the same Island(Djurgarden).

1. Vasa Museum
2.Nordic Museum(building looks like a castle..very nice .
3.Skansen Open Air Museum

I am in a quandry as how to tour at each port.
I know you can do many of the ports on your own walking , but I am thinking of a combination tour guide and then walking on our own.

For example we come in to Tallin at 7 AM and then leave at 1PM.
Yes,the walk from the ship is not far away ,maybe 15 minutes( depending on where we dock.)

But can I see all of the "Old Town"and Toompea Hill , the Dome Church, St.Olaf's Church, Hermann Tower and of course Nevsky Cathedral .
Then there is the lovely Kadriorg park and Palace.

I want to walk the "Short Leg Street" the connection between Toompea and the Old Town.

We come into Tallin on a Sunday,and the Old Town Hall and Toompea Palace is closed on Sunday..se can can only visit from the outside.

My question to myself is : "Can I see all these things on my own walking,even though I know where they all are??

So maybe a tour guide for a few hours would not be bad.? Hmmm decisions decisions.

Let me know how you are making out.

Goodnight
Take Care
Percy

I'm back from my cruise. While my situation in the dining room wasn't as I feared (I never once ate in the buffet for dinner), it wasn't exactly great either. But there was an interesting situation involving tipping that I'll describe later.

Following the advice of Sally Maisel's <i>Cruising Solo</i>, I checked with the maitre-d' just after boarding. He told me I was assigned to a &quot;large table for six,&quot; which seemed fine. That turned out to be two couples, me, and an empty chair. One couple was a 20-something lovey-dovey pair, too absorbed in their effusive display of affection to divert their attention to such mundane matters as conversation with me.

The other couple were (I'd guess) sixty-something and (they told me) from a small Central Valley town. They seemed to have just stepped off the proverbial turnip truck, and appeared overwhelmed by the &quot;elegance.&quot; They at least provided amusement with their genuine befuddlement and even revulsion at the &quot;exotic&quot; menu selections. Once they expressed their utter disbelief that anyone would ever travel alone, they had little to say to me. Maybe they didn't know what to say to a member of an incomprehensibly alien species?

When I scoped out the room, I couldn't find any tables with empty chairs, so I decided that asking the maitre-d' for another roll of the dice would be futile. There were many large, unusually-configured tables for 12, 15, or more, probably to seat groups traveling together. I later found out that there were at least two high school reunions on board, along with a scrapbooking club, a user group for hotel software, and a large contingent from Utah whose purpose I never did learn. The food was good, elegantly presented, and attentively served; though I considered eating in the buffet I never actually did. I didn't dine alone, but it wasn't the enjoyable social experience I was led to expect because the couples at my table essentially ignored me.

The interesting tipping situation arose because we all had decided to prepay the gratuities on the theory that it would bypass the awkwardness. It turns out that even with prepayment we still got those infernal envelopes, to be stuffed with vouchers and dutifully presented to the staff at the appropriate time. The prepaid plan includes a small tip for the head waiter. Our head waiter was a dour Turk who paid our table a perfunctory visit on the first night. Although he spent significant time chatting with the occupants of adjacent tables on all four nights, he completely ignored us after that curt introduction.

On the last night, in the only significant conversation we ever had, we decided that the head waiter did not deserve a tip. After dinner, we all went to the purser's desk to inquire about getting a refund on that part of the gratuity package. We had to go to three levels of supervisors before getting any resolution. No refund was possible because &quot;the computer doesn't have any way of doing that.&quot; But the Food Service Manager can issue a &quot;special override&quot; to credit the waiter with the head waiter's tip. We agreed to that because the waiter indeed gave us good service. Flush from our Victory over Royal Caribbean's Intransigent Bureaucracy, we parted ways forever.

As for the rest of the cruise, it was a pleasant enough escape from work. The food was good, the ship was fun to explore, and I can't complain about the value for money even though I paid double. But I don't think I'll be cruising again unless it's to a destination I really want to visit, and/or I've got a suitable travel companion. The ship's manifest may or may not have been anomalous with all those groups, but I certainly felt like I was the only solo traveler on board.

I followed another one of Sally Maisel's sage suggestions and studied the boarding photos to find others who appeared as individuals rather than couples or groups. I didn't see any. The list of events for the first day listed a &quot;single mingle&quot; at 11:30pm in the disco. I braved fatigue, but I didn't see any sign of singles mingling among the mass of couples gyrating to the deafening din. But the ship resembled many &quot;single mingles&quot; I've attended in that the couples and groups clung to themselves in little cliques that showed no interest in chatting with strangers. Many if not most of the people sunning themselves by the pool had earbuds in their ears. When I asked several apparently unattached women sitting in the buffet during breakfast or lunch whether I could join them, they invariably informed me that they were waiting for their husbands or boyfriends. The last time I tried that, she scowled at me when I replied that I'd like to meet him too. Oh well.

I did chat a bit with some senior couples, who were noticeably friendlier than the younger people. Without exception, they were utterly amazed that I was &quot;brave&quot; enough to cruise by myself-- something they could never do. I (silently) hope that they'll be able to reconsider that belief should the need arise.

I have many years of experience vacationing alone, so I had no trouble keeping myself entertained. But perhaps I had an unreasonable expectation that a cruise would be different. Maybe I just had bad luck with my dinner companions and the composition of the passenger list. Or maybe not. Still, I'm glad I had the experience.