As a solo traveller who likes cruising, I’m always desperate to find a fair deal in a market that’s clearly geared towards groups of two or more.
I understand why there has traditionally been a bias towards catering for couples and families, but times are changing and more people — young, old and in the middle — are travelling on their own. With this in mind, I sometimes get riled when a see “deal” that is patently biased against solo travellers.
Have a close look at the image above, clipped from the website of a cruise travel agent. The price for a single passenger on the same cruise is $50 more than twice the price for each person on a twin-share basis.
Now, assuming we are talking about the same stateroom (and that is a fair assumption), that simple isn’t fair. Somebody’s having a laugh.
The costs associated with providing the cabin may be more or less the same regardless of the number of occupants, so the more people they can get into the space the cheaper it is for the cruise operators.
However, a room with one occupant is easier to clean, and there would be fewer dirty towels and sheets to be laundered. Also, a solo passenger would almost certainly consume less than a couple at the free dining venues and generally take up less space and create fewer problems for the crew. So, in these respects, it’s cheaper for the cruise line to cater for one than for two because the outgoings are less.
So while, at a stretch, it may be fair to charge a solo passenger twice the price of an individual on a twin-share basis, it is decidedly unfair to charge them more than the combined price that two people pay.
The standard advice for all customers is to be vigilant about pricing. That is even more the case for solo travellers.
PS: To be fair, there are some great deals for solo travellers, and you can find some of them under Singles Discounts at www.vacationstogo.com.
