Celebrity Cruises introduced new pricing models in late 2023, and the company has been under fire for weeks now after it was revealed that they charge solo cruisers excessively more than common per industry standards.
It has always been customary that as a solo cruiser, you’re paying the full price for the entire cabin which reflects basically the same as if two passengers are traveling minus taxes for the missing second person.
I never found that concept too strange. After all, you’re also paying one price for a hotel room, no matter if one or two occupants sleep in it (with the exception of specific single rooms at some properties).
But what Celebrity has done now goes way beyond that.
The company has started to charge travelers who are looking to book as single occupants not just the full base cabin fare but a huge amount on top of that. In some cases, they don’t even make cabins available at all for single occupants.
It never really affected me in the past because all of my cruises have been casino invites, so the only expenses I’m responsible for are taxes, gratuities, and beverages. But these offers have dried up ever since the pandemic ended and ships are packed to the brim again.
I was eyeing a cruise from Bali to Singapore and the results are even more shocking than what I anticipated for regularly paid fares.
Here is the initial offer as it pops up in the search:
You then search for a specific cabin based on the number of guests:
The search results reveal the prices:
SOLO CABIN
This is absolutely insane, $4,182 + tax for a solo fare that was initially advertised as one-third of that. What in the world is Celebrity thinking?
But what happens when you just book for two passengers ?
DOUBLE CABIN
Now it shows the accurate pricing as advertised. It’s much cheaper to just book for two passengers and then have a no-show for the second passenger. You’ll also be eligible to claim the paid taxes back.
By doing so, you pay significantly less:
- DOUBLE CABIN US$2,866.00 for two pax
- SOLO CABIN US$4,182.00 for one pax
- DIFFERENCE = US$1318.00
Considering this is for an Oceanview Cabin, not even a verandah, I decided not to book it, and I’ll invest the money into the annual Cherry Blossom trip in late March. The maximum I’d be willing to spend on this cruise in cash is $1500.
Mind you, in this case, they at least offer you to pay. On some cruises, they flat-out refuse to sell you any cabin at all if you search for one passenger.
It’s obvious that Celebrity penalizes solo cruisers, likely trying to make up for expected ancillary revenue the cruise line generates by selling beverage packages, specialty dining, excursions etc. But those sales aren’t guaranteed no matter how many passengers are in the cabin.
Especially Elite and Elite Plus passengers book less of these extra services as the membership comes with plenty of benefits related to beverages. I think I never booked a singe excursion on board either.
The whole matter even made it into Forbes last week:
… One cruise line, Celebrity Cruises, is going even further. They are charging solo travelers well over twice the double occupancy rate. I compared prices on an upcoming sailing, an 8-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Reflection. The price for the same balcony cabin was $1,461 for a double occupancy guest and $4,346 for a single. That means the solo traveler would pay $1,424 more than the total paid by two guests. That’s nearly three times the normal rate. …
Solo cruising is inherently expensive. Although some ships incorporate single cabins, they cost more than a double occupancy fare and are a very tiny fraction of the total. Other ships have no single cabins at all. Solo travelers must usually book a double cabin and pay the dreaded “single supplement,” often 100% …
One might question whether a single traveler should pay double the going rate for a cabin. Although they indeed take up a cabin that would hold two people, they eat half the food that two people would and place less strain on free amenities like pool chairs, dining room seating, and entertainment. Surely the single supplement could be less than the full cost of a second passenger, right? …
I don’t know if the term “single supplement” that many people use is really accurate. You’re basically paying for one cabin, so it could be just as accurate to speak of a Double Occupancy Discount rather than a Single Supplement. In the end, this is just wordplay, and what matters is the dollar amount on the invoice.
Over the past few years, I have covered cruising quite often and have since reached Elite Plus status with Celebrity. Maybe that was a wrong choice, and I should have focused on Royal Caribbean Crown and Anchor Club instead. They even reduce the “single surcharge” down to 150% for Diamond Plus members with 340 points or more. Totally contrary to Celebrity, where solo travelers are being screwed.
There has been outrage about this new policy by Celebrity, and hopefully, management will get the message and reverse their take on pricing because people really aren’t happy.
Conclusion
Celebrity Cruises has really gone overboard (pun intended) with its new pricing policy that discriminates against solo travelers. They are now charging a huge premium for single occupancy that goes beyond the usual 100% solo occupancy charge.
Customers who look to book a single cabin are now charged for double occupancy plus another 30-40%, likely in an effort to make up for ancillary revenue that the cruise line loses out on by not having two passengers in the cabin.
If I want to cruise again, I should wait until they send me a casino offer again sometime down the line. I’m not paying these prices, and my girlfriend hates to cruise, so there is no way booking revenue fares is going to happen for me.
