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One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard over the years about modern cruising is just how discriminatory some cruise lines behave toward the single passenger. Most cruise lines impose what is called a “single supplement” anytime a single passenger is occupying a cabin designed for two. This supplement can range from a lowly 10% or 20%, and go all the way up to 100%. What this supplement means is that the single passenger is paying their fare plus a percentage of a second person’s fare that is not even on board.
In bygone days cruise ships were not the cookie cutter affairs that they are today. Cruise ships of old, like the QE2, had many different cabin configurations, many of them specifically for single passengers. Thus, a single traveller could book a single cabin and pay only for single accommodation. But today’s modern cruise ships are different. Pretty much all the cabins in a given category are identical – the same square footage, same number of beds, etc. Only the deck on which they are located could be different. So, when a single occupies a cabin, they are taking up space that two people (thus paying two fares) would use. So, you really can’t blame the cruise lines for wanting to collect their fair amount of revenue on this accommodation.
So the single’s first order of business is to find a cruise line that is more ‘single’ friendly than others. The things to look for would include low single supplements, single share programmes, ships with a limited number of “single staterooms,” and an onboard staff that caters to the single cruiser with special “singles meet and mingles” and other such activities.
Once you find a cruise line that you think you would enjoy, check out its various itineraries. Sometimes single supplements are more attractive on certain itineraries and during certain times of the year. If this is the case on the cruise line you are interested in, chances are that you’ll find a lot of other singles on your sailing, simply since those folks will be looking for the same sort of deal that you are.
If you decide to book with a cruise line offering a “single share program,” try to get the cruise line to match you early in the booking process and then put you in touch with your “share partner.” While many cruise lines will be hesitant to do this – after all, they are not running a social agency – some may agree to it if both parties are willing to give out their contact information. By getting to know each other well in advance of the cruise, either by telephone or by email, you can often make a quick determination as to whether the share arrangement is going to be a pleasurable one or a living nightmare. For example, if you like to retire early, but your cabin mate likes to party into the wee small hours of the morning, often returning to the stateroom falling down drunk and in need of some food from room service, it’s a fair bet that there is going to be a problem. If you like lots of quiet time, but your prospective cabin mate expects the two of you to be glued at the hip for all activities, again there are going to be problems. These can of course be averted by cancelling the share arrangement well in advance and opting for a single stateroom.
Another option for singles is working with a travel agency that caters specifically to the needs of single travellers. Many of these agencies will run “hosted” singles cruises where a whole menu of activities is offered exclusively to the group. These activities are designed to help people get to know each other. Many of these cruises will be specifically tailored to certain types of single cruisers. For example, one large online travel agency, offers a variety of hosted singles cruises each year. While many of them are general singles cruisers, others are billed as for cruisers of 55 years and older or single parents with children, or even widowed cruisers. The ship and itinerary selected will be geared toward this type of traveller, as will the activities offered onboard. Note too that many of these large travel agencies, will host special message boards for their single cruisers so that people can meet well before sailing date, and perhaps even work out arrangements for cabin sharing, thus avoiding the single supplement imposed by the cruise line if only one person occupied the cabin.
Finally, single cruisers can often find happiness on a cruise that is built around a theme. For example, a cooking themed cruise will appeal to all kinds of people, male and female alike, and booking such a cruise will offer the opportunity for the single to make a lot of friends onboard – often lifelong ones.
While singles are often discriminated against price-wise by the cruise lines, there are ways around this problem. There is no reason why the single traveller today has to shy away from cruising. With the many opportunities to meet new people onboard, coupled with the special programmes for singles now being offered both by cruise lines and by some large travel agencies, the single cruiser can often sail as cheaply as her partnered friends. She can also have a good time, meeting new people onboard - many single like her - and sharing new experiences with them. So there is no reason today for the single person (male or female) to avoid cruise ships when making their holiday plans. Especially since it is specifically those ships that offer some of the best opportunities in the travel marketplace for the carefree and single traveller to meet other like-minded individuals.
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