Why do people traveling alone sometimes have to pay more for a cabin? The concept of a single supplement is not unique to the cruise industry. It is, in fact, quite common in most areas of travel. Group land tours, hotels, or anything that involves overnight accommodations will generally charge a single supplement.
"When booking a cruise as a single passenger, it is always more expensive (per person) than when booking a cruise with a travel companion," said Emily Motycka, a seasoned travel agent with AAA Travel in Omaha, Nebraska. One of Ms. Motycka's specialities is helping travelers find the right sailings for their travels, including her many single clients. "Cruise lines, like hotels, base their pricing on a double occupancy." So when someone is traveling alone, the price goes up. This is often called a "single supplement" in the travel industry.
To view this from another perspective, the cruise lines do not charge extra for two people who share one room. "If you're traveling with a friend or partner, this is great!" said Ms. Motycka. But, if you're traveling alone, it means that you alone must bear the burdeon of the entire cabin charge by yourself.
For example, if a regular cabin on a seven-day cruise costs $3000 based on double occupancy, that comes out to be $1500 per person. But a single traveler may be required to pay the entire $3000 - double what it would cost if traveling with a companion. Of course, the calculation is not as simple as this, but this example helps to simplify the concept of the "single supplement."
The concept of a single supplement is not unique to the cruise industry. It is, in fact, quite common in most areas of travel. Group land tours, hotels, or anything that involves overnight accommodations will generally charge a single supplement.
The single supplement on group tours, such as land tours of changing fall leaves in the New England states, will often be lower than the single supplement on cruise lines. (Though this is not necessarily the case in every circumstance.) This is because tours usually include extras that are charged per person - breakfast, museum admissions, air fares, and the like.
The single supplement on a cruise is generally much higher than the supplement on these land tours because a the vast majority of the total trip cost on a cruise is actually the cost of the cabin, and there are very few per person fees on a cruise.
No matter how the single supplement is calculated, the cost of a single person traveling alone should never be more than the cost of two people traveling together. If you find that you are being overcharged - charged more than what it would cost two people traveling together - "change travel agents or cruise lines immediately!" advised Ms. Motycka. "I do happen to know a great travel agent you could call instead!"
The only reliable way of avoiding the single supplement is to travel with a companion. Some single travelers have a few friends - either friends they know locally, or friends they meet through online travel groups - that they travel with regularly. But this is not always an option for the single traveler. If this is the case for you, you may be able to find a cruise line that will attempt to match you with a roommate of the same gender, upon request. Additionally, a few travel companies specializing in single travel may be able to match up two travelers who can agree to be roommates on a cruise in order to avoid paying the single supplement.
