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Thread: Disney Cruise Line increases fares for solo passengers

  1. #1
    Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
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    Disney Cruise Line increases fares for solo passengers

    Another piece of interesting DCL news: effective August 21, the company is increasing the "single supplement," the added fare paid by solo passengers sailing alone in a stateroom, to 200% of the regular fare. The single supplement was 175% for categories 5-12; Cats 1-4 (now called "R, S, T and V") were already at 200%.

    This increase, along with the switch to a single queen-size bed in each stateroom on the new Fantasy and Dream, instead of the convertible queen = 2 twin beds offered on the Magic and Wonder, makes DCL an even less attractive option for solo cruisers who don't care to share a room, much less a bed, with a stranger.

    Thanks to Mary Kraemer for the heads up.

    Adrienne

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    Ready for MA World Explorers! Drince88's Avatar
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    Wow. That means Disney considers the fact that you are only one diner at meals, in the shows, at the pool, etc to be of no monetary value. AND if I go on the new ships I have to share a bed. Gee, thanks, Disney.

    Cathy

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    Read Everything-Assume Nothing GusMan's Avatar
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    Wow, and I thought the current upcharge for singles was already quite steep. But now with no option for single beds other than another person using the folding couch, it just does not seem too attractive of a solution.

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    Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
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    Quote Originally Posted by Drince88 View Post
    Wow. That means Disney considers the fact that you are only one diner at meals, in the shows, at the pool, etc to be of no monetary value.
    Actually, solo travelers *cost* the cruise line money. They consider all the alcohol your second person isn't drinking, the shore excursions they aren't taking, the spa treatments they aren't booking and the merchandise they aren't buying as lost revenue. The Single Supplement is designed to recoup some of that.

    Personally I agree this sucks. I've sailed solo on Disney before, and it annoyed me to pay 150% (at the time) when so much of the ship was empty. I wish they'd adopt a model where they offered single rates on underbooked cruises as a way to fill some rooms.

    AVP
    If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.

    MousePlanet CEO, writer and photographer. Foster and Adoptive Mom. Owner of MouseShoppe and CharmingShoppe. Long-distance walker. Not in that order. In my spare time, I try to sleep.

  6. #5

    As far as not being able to split the bed, I'm sharing a room with someone on a Fantasy cruise in February and we've been told by our travel agent that there will be separate beds, not one on the bed, one on the couch. We'll see if that's true when we get one the ship.


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    Read Everything-Assume Nothing GusMan's Avatar
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    Out of curiosity and for comparison, what is the upcharge for solo guests on other cruise lines? If this charge is in line with RC or NCL or others, then I guess its one more sign of the times.

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  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by stan4d_steph View Post
    As far as not being able to split the bed, I'm sharing a room with someone on a Fantasy cruise in February and we've been told by our travel agent that there will be separate beds, not one on the bed, one on the couch. We'll see if that's true when we get one the ship.
    Sorry, Stephanie...

    Disney made the decision that the actual bed in the staterooms on the Fantasy and the Dream do not split into two separate beds as they do on the Magic and the Wonder. They said the decision was made in response to guest preferences.

    The couch converts into a bed.

    I've shared staterooms on both the Dream and Fantasy on agent trips. Whoever gets the real bed wins! The couch-bed is OK, but not great for anyone who's tall. If you have a third person, they can use the bunk (there are weight restrictions for its use).
    Mary@MasterpieceTravels.com

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    Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
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    Quote Originally Posted by GusMan View Post
    Out of curiosity and for comparison, what is the upcharge for solo guests on other cruise lines? If this charge is in line with RC or NCL or others, then I guess its one more sign of the times.
    110% - 200% is the range. NCL has a ship (the Epic) that actually has single cabins. They are strange little rooms - essentially a bed, closet, shower stall and toilet (the latter is behind a privacy wall) - with no living area. The rooms share a common "lounge" that is open only to those passengers.

    AVP
    If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.

    MousePlanet CEO, writer and photographer. Foster and Adoptive Mom. Owner of MouseShoppe and CharmingShoppe. Long-distance walker. Not in that order. In my spare time, I try to sleep.

  10. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by AVP View Post
    110% - 200% is the range. NCL has a ship (the Epic) that actually has single cabins. They are strange little rooms - essentially a bed, closet, shower stall and toilet (the latter is behind a privacy wall) - with no living area. The rooms share a common "lounge" that is open only to those passengers.

    AVP
    Well, when you consider the wavy walls in the regular staterooms on the Epic, I would consider the idea of 'strange little room' with a pinch of salt. In some respects, I think the idea of these single cabins is great, especially for budget-conscious solo travelers...as long as they are happy with an inside stateroom. There are no solo staterooms on the Epic in the ocean view or balcony categories without paying the supplement.

    Interestingly (and perhaps ironically), one of the biggest complaints I've heard about the Epic staterooms are the frosted glass shower and potty enclosures in the regular staterooms, which can be obscured with a curtain for privacy from the rest of the stateroom. In the studios (staterooms for solo travelers), there's an actual door. Go figure! Some interesting design choices on that ship, that's for sure.
    Mary@MasterpieceTravels.com

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    Ready for MA World Explorers! Drince88's Avatar
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    When the Epic first rolled out - it was actually more expensive on some of the cruises to book a single room than to pay the single supplement! The demand was just so high (and the common lounge area was really appealing.

    Cathy

  12. #11

    I'm really not getting the logic behind this move. Disney pulled out of the Mexican Riviera and has had to seriously discount and theme the Pacific Coast cruises to generate interest. They've had to re-tool the Galveston cruises and again offer discounts to encourage people to book. Yet they're ticking off a large group of potential passengers by forcing them to pay for two people in a cabin even if there's only one?

    I've enjoyed the couple of Disney cruises I've taken on my own, but since Disney's signaling that they don't particularly appreciate my business with this move, maybe it's time for me to seriously consider booking cruises on other lines instead.


  13. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by stan4d_steph View Post
    As far as not being able to split the bed, I'm sharing a room with someone on a Fantasy cruise in February and we've been told by our travel agent that there will be separate beds, not one on the bed, one on the couch. We'll see if that's true when we get one the ship.
    I will be interested to learn what you find out as I am traveling on the Fantasy in a year and I am traveling with my caregiver. I need separate beds for us.
    Siggy aka Jill

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