Single travellers, is there a supplement?

As a Cruise specialist we try always to get the best price for everyone that call about a cruise, but the dreaded single supplement is one of the circumstances when the price will be the number one reason why the single passenger will choose not to cruise.


The cruise lines have typically charged up to double the fare for a person wanting to travel alone in a cabin, although this does vary from cruise to cruise and line to line. Fortunately, there is some good news for solo travellers thinking about taking a cruise in the near future.

In addition to those single cabins available on Fred Olsen ships, P&O Azura has 18 single cabins with a Pullman berth in 12 outside cabins and six inside cabins. Having seen these they are a little larger than I anticipated.

In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line launches Epic in June and this ship will feature a number of single cabins. There will be 128 studio staterooms within a separate complex accessed by keycard. The studio complex will also include a private two-storey lounge called The Living Room.

The staterooms will be off a private interior corridor down the middle of the ship on two decks. Spanning both decks, and located mid-ship, the Living Room will be where studio guests can enjoy morning coffees and evening cocktails.

Each of the 100sq ft studio staterooms will include a full-size bed, flatscreen-TV, storage spaces and colour-changing mood lighting. Since many of the studio staterooms are connecting, they allow friends to travel together while giving each their own private space.

'Research shows that 35 million adults take solo vacations but only five per cent opt for cruises,' said Courtney Recht, public relations manager for Norwegian Cruise Line.

All the single cabins that are available can be booked without paying a single supplement, but don't think that they will be the same price as the price for each single passenger in a double occupancy cabin. Additionally, there are a limited number on each of the ships, with the exception of the Epic so availability is limited.

The single traveller may now be able to get a cabin at a reasonable price, but might have to book early to get the cabin they want or take pot luck and take the only sailings that are available!