How to get a deal when cruising alone?
 

I wonder if there is any chance to get a nice deal on a cruise if one is traveling alone???

The single supplement differs between cruiselines - They range from 200% down to around 140% and sometimes there are special prices for singles cruises.

A good TA could find this for you and /or do it yourself online.

When a cruiseline is running a special or a sale, you would have to pay the supplement on the sale price - not on the brochure price. So that helps somewhat.

Other lines have a single-share program. Where you pay the regular rate but have a roommate, if they have no roommate for you then you get the room to yourself at no additional charge

Thanks Maryann!

If you're one of those easygoing souls who truly doesn't mind sharing a tiny cabin with a total stranger, there are a number of companies that specialize in singles cruises. They buy blocks of cabins from the cruise lines at discount rates, resell them to single people, and pair up their customers to qualify for double-occupancy rates.

Even if you're not looking for partying, romance, or more, this might be a good option. Cruise lines are increasingly marketing to extended families and groups; so if the prospect of being the only single person on a ship full of couples, families, and groups isn't appealing, going with a singles group will at least ensure you will have the company of other singles. You don't have to go to the speed-dating or karaoke parties unless you want to. Since most cruise lines have abandoned "share programs," a singles cruise may be the only way you can save money by sharing with a stranger. Note that a singles cruise won't save you any money if you want your own cabin. The pricing is still "double occupancy," and you'd have to pay the usual penalty.

If the very idea of sharing a cabin with an unknown stranger makes your skin crawl, your best bet is to do some research and find a travel agent who is experienced with single/solo travelers. It's a very rare and exotic &quot;niche&quot; specialty, so there may not be one in your area; you may have to correspond by phone and e-mail. There <i>are</i> occasional cruises that charge singles reasonable prices rather than the usual &quot;one for the price of two,&quot; but those tend not to be publicized because a cruise line has to be really desperate if they can't find enough couples, families, and groups to fill up a ship. A travel agent that specializes in singles/solos may have access to that unpublicized information.

Perhaps better advice might be to defer cruising until you have a friend, spouse, or romantic partner to go with you. That way you can take advantage of all the bargains that are closed to singles; you'll probably have a better time too. There are plenty of other vacation options for solo travelers that are more satisfying and offer better value for money.

I was going to book Princess as a single but then discovered that going single was almost the same price as for doubles!!!!

I therefore took a friend along and paid for her after all it was almost the same price as me going alone .!!
jmvp

Yes, with single-occupancy costing double, paying a friend's fare is another option-- provided you know the friend well enough so that it's an advantage rather than a disadvantage. You'll probably have a better time that way, especially if you're the only single person on the ship. Just make sure the friend is aware that your offer isn't &quot;all expenses paid,&quot; since the nickel-and-diming hard sell is unfortunately part of today's &quot;cruise experience.&quot;

If you want a cruise with other singles, look for a cruise line with a lower single supplement (40% or below). That's what attracts other singles. I cruise alone a lot, and have found that some of the luxury lines are a better bargain for singles than the mainstream lines.

Once you become an &quot;alumni&quot; (sailed once), some cruise lines will offer a special single rate on following cruises. My sister-in-law found this on Princess - perhaps other lines as well. She prefers to travel alone than take a chance on strangers.

A few years back, some of the major cruise lines auctioned off cabins on sites like Egghead.com. The deal was for one or two people. This was a fantastic opportunity for single travelers.

The cruise lines would put the cabins up for auction a month or two before the cruise. Their argument was that it was better to fill the cabins with bargain hunters than to let them remain empty. Empty cabins bring in no revenue during the cruise. Even if the cabin was free, the passengers would still spend money on excursions and on the ship itself.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen deals like this for a long time. If anyone knows of an auction site where cabins are still offered, please let us know.