Here’s something crazy you probably didn’t know about cruising.
I recently priced a cruise for a family that needed one cabin for 2 people and one cabin for 1 person. Both cabins were the exact same category, right next door to each other. Here’s what came back:
- Cabin for 2 people: $3,349.12
- Cabin for 1 person: $3,127.56
Yep. The cabin for one person came in almost the same price as the cabin for two.
Why this happens
Cruise lines price cabins based on double occupancy as the default, then build in something called a single supplement for anyone traveling alone. That supplement can run anywhere from 150% to nearly 200% of the per person double rate, which is why a solo traveler can end up paying almost what two people pay combined for the same room.
Cruise lines do this because their onboard revenue (drinks, specialty dining, excursions, the casino) is built around a certain number of paying guests per cabin. One person in a room that’s designed to sleep two throws off that math, so the fare gets adjusted to make up the difference.
What this means if you’re planning to cruise solo
A few things actually help here:
- Some ships have dedicated solo cabins. Lines like Norwegian and Royal Caribbean have introduced studio cabins built specifically for one traveler, priced without the steep single supplement.
- Sailing dates matter. Cruise lines will sometimes waive or reduce the single supplement on sailings they’re trying to fill, especially shoulder season.
- It’s worth pricing before you assume. Every ship, cabin category, and sailing date prices this differently. What looks brutal on one cruise can be a much better deal on another.
If you’re a solo traveler or you’re just now hearing about this for the first time, you’re not alone. This catches almost everyone off guard the first time they see the numbers side by side.
Have you run into this before, or is this the first time you’re hearing about it?
Want to learn more about cruising? Check out my blog post on Finding the Perfect Cruise Line.