Affordable Solo/Single Cruise Travel as the Caribbean’s going solo

Royal Caribbean’s goin SOLO

Starting June 2011

It’s official: Royal Caribbean this year will unveil cabins designed for solo travelers — a first for the line.

A Royal Caribbean representative informs USA TODAY a late spring overhaul of one of its 22 ships, the Radiance of the Seas, will see the addition of three cabins for singles — all windowless “inside” rooms.

The 2,112-passenger Radiance is scheduled to enter dry dock for the makeover in late May and emerge (with the new single cabins) in early June. The ship will spend the coming summer sailing in Alaska.

Royal Caribbean president and CEO Adam Goldstein had previously hinted that cabins for singles were coming in comments made at a November preview cruise for international travel agents on the line’s new Allure of the Seas. At the time, Goldstein said only that the line was considering retro-fitting several older vessels with singles cabins.

Single cabins have become a relative rarity in the cruise business, where the business model revolves around cabins designed for two or more people.  But at least one other North American market cruise company, Norwegian Cruise Line, is moving into the market for single travelers in a big way.

Norwegian’s new Norwegian Epic, unveiled in June 2010, has more than 100 cabins for singles, (with about 30 of them with connecting doors for groups of solo passengers), and their line’s CEO already has said the company plans to offer even more solo staterooms (which NCL calls “studios”) on two vessels it recently ordered for delivery in 2013 and 2014. Demand for the new single cabins on Epic has been strong.

While this is still yet a new approach for the North American cruise inventory, it has been offered with a great deal of success on foreign cruise lines: Below is a recap of who has them:

 

Cruise Line Ships Offering Single Stateroom Accommodations

2010 New Ships

P & O “Azura ” April 2010 offers 18 single cabins (12 outside & 6 inside).  Each offering 130sq. ft. of space (Boutique Sheik). April thru Oct. 2010 sailing Europe

 Starting November 2010 sailing the Caribbean

Remodeled Ships

Costa Cruises Most all ships*have single rooms (All but “Atlantia, Mediterrania, & Victoria ”) *but on “Fortuna, &  Magica ”, (are doubles) priced as singles.

Peter Deilmann Cruises “Ms Deutchland” offers 36 single (inside & outside) stateroom

Fred Olsen Cruises “Balmoral” & “Braemar ” offers 50 single staterooms each

There are some North American Market cruise lines which offer reduced single supplement fares (the price they will charge a single passenger in a double cabin.

Cruise Lines offering reduced single supplement fees

Silversea 110% (on selected sailings)

Crystal    125%  (on selected sailings)

MSC   125%

Others Generally charging between 150% to 200%

Note: One North American Market cruise line (Carnival) actually charges an additional on board service fees (for Groups of 10 or more)Solo Passengers in addition to their 200% single cruise fare, plus the extra person taxes and fees.

Cruise Lines offering some type of singles programs or amenities

Holland America – Cabin Mate Program: Guarantees they will match you with a non smoking Cabin mate (same sex)for merely the double occupancy rate. (even if they don’t find mate, they guarantee the dbl. rate price).

For more information on Cruise Lines and Cruise Ships that offer single/solo accomodations, or to book a single cruise journey, you can contact Mike via email mberryhill@cruiseholidays.com  . You can tweet (or follow) Mike at http://www.twitter.com/cruisewithmike  . You can “Join” our Travel Club at http://meetup.com/Sun-Cities-Travelers-Group/  Mikes web site can be found at  www.mberryhill.cruiseholidays.com .  You can follow this blog (or subscribe to it) at http://www.cruisewithmike.com  (or merely click on the subscribe button above to have daily delivery to your email). View all of Mikes uploaded Flickr Photo Galleries at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cruisewithmike/ . Mike also is editor of his own twice daily e-newspapaer called “The Compass Headings” you can see (or subscribe to) it free! at http://paper.li/CruisewithMike

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