Solo cruisers unite! Thank you Zach for bringing this to our attention and for following up. I have an upcoming transpacific cruise on Celebrity this fall, but I booked it a year in advance, before the “gouge the solos” policy. I have booked a Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian for fall 2025. I will be sailing in one of their solo cabins. It will be my first time in an interior cabin, but it was a great deal, and it’s a very port-intensive cruise, so I won’t be spending much time in my cabin except to sleep. Celebrity execs please note, if you want my business (and you should), you will have to price your product fairly.
I'm so disappointed in Celebrity. I used to love them, but between this solo cruiser policy, and getting rid of the drinks/tips included, it's just not the same. I wish they'd bring back the old president, she seemed to really have a clear vision of the brand. Thanks for the great info!
Stopped sailing on Celebrity Cruise Line after sailing on the Celebrity Silhouette. Since my wife passed away I am a solo cruiser. Don't want to pay 200+ percent. Besides, The Celebrity Silhouette wasn't a good cruising experience and won't go back. Other cruise lines, not NCL or RCCL, provide better cruises. The NCL solo staterooms are more expensive. Last cruise was on Princess Cruises. Had to pay a single supplement although I was paying for two people all along. You should cancel your Celebrity Cruise Line cruise. I do vote with my pocketbook.
Zach I will never sail Celebrity again because about a year ago I did a B2B and I got a great deal which was booked post COVID $905.00 for each week in an inside room but I saw a big quality difference in the food in the buffet and there was not a lot of variety from day to day and the staff and officers in the buffet for the most part had attitudes. After your last report of how they were treating solo cruisers I won’t even look at X. Thanks for the update !
I'm not a solo cruiser, nor do I plan to be, but I think it's terrible to punish solo cruisers. I can see charging double (if the room normally accomodates two people), but charging more than double (to make up for the lost additional revenue that a second cruiser would likely generate) and/or limiting options for solo cruisers seems wrong. And, really, what percentage of cruisers are solo? I can't believe it impacts their bottom line all that dramatically.
The cruise lines are following the airlines "screw the customer" marketing program. What they don't realize is that if you have to travel within a couple of days, an airline is your only option. Cruises lInes please remember: No One HAS to cruise! Pretty soon you'll see a lot of empty cruise ships leaving ports. Don't get me started on Celebrity's stupid move to charge $2.00 of a chocolate chip cookie. That ended REAL fast. It's what happens when bean counters become the CEO. Used to sail Celebrity exclusively, now I sail Princess.
I'm a travel agent and when Celebrity started doing this, I would book my clients with a fictitious second guest. Before final payment, I would just have them removed. The prices was not adjusted except for removing port fees and taxes for the second guest. The second guest could also be a no show and this would also work. This worked every time. I think Celebrity realized that many had figured this out. Royal Caribbean also
You think they are bad try regent the top of the top cost wise. I could not believe the frozen tiny prawn they serve at the buffet. Like krill absolutely rubbish and they had zero herbs . The buffet food was so bad then the entertainment was terrible non existent
Great show!! I'm a solo cruiser but mostly on Royal Caribbean. I have found the same pricing scams on Royal also. Many times when I search for 2 people there is an abundance of cabins available. However when I search for 1 person....guess what....sold out. Grr..not fair!!
I’m a TA and solo traveler myself…solo travel, and especially solo cruising, is BOOMING! I get so many inquiries from solo travelers but few of them book because they won’t pay a single supplement! Celebrity really fucked up when they implemented that excess solo supplement. Meanwhile I will be taking my first Celebrity cruise next year on Silhouette in one of their solo cabins!
I still haven't been on Celebrity. Was booked twice on Reflection but found better deals elsewhere. Since their bad decision making several months ago I haven't even considered them. I really liked Norwegian and their solo program. I would definitely sail with them again.
Fairly new to cruising and solo, when comparing pricing looking for a cruise I found celebrity at the time was close to 1000 dollars dearer. I understand paying for 2 in a cabin and totally accepting of that fact but anything on top I’m out of there and not going back EVER! Also as much as I enjoy Princess I have found a couple of times lately when putting in 1 traveller there are no balconies but try with 2 and guess what balconies, if people are willing to pay I don’t think choices should be taken away. I also know couples that cruise and go out of their way not to spend more than their fare cost so no real benefit either! I haven’t given up on princess yet.
This discrimination against solo cruisers is also taking place on Royal Caribbean. I’ve done exactly what you said, I’ve gone to the website and tried to book for two people, and the price is X amount, when I go back into the site and put one person, the price jumps up to more than double. Since celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean, it appears as if this is a corporate practice. I have sailed solo on Princess a few times and I’ve gotten some good prices with 50% or less solo supplement, also Norwegian as you mention is a good option, but it depends on which ship I sailed on Holland America earlier this year, but that I had to pay 200% or the equivalent of two passengers in the cabin since it was a circumnavigation of Japan and demand was through the roof, so there was no way were going to sell the cabin for less than the price of two passengers, but it was well worth it. I loved the cruise. Thanks for making this video but I personally will more than likely be staying away from celebrity, unless I see a change pricing practices related to solo cruisers. Also just wanna throw in there sometimes people wind up as solo cruisers due to the death of a spouse or a break up or for numerous reasons. Solo cruisers have money to spend and the cruise lines like celebrity are missing out on that revenue.
I am a solo cruiser who cruised with Virgin in May as my first cruise. I loved it so much I've booked three more cruises with Virgin in 2025. Why? Because of the solo inside cabins. I feel like I am valued as a customer with Virgin where I would not be with Celebrity. I will not cruise Celebrity with their current trend of ripping off solo cruisers.
One way I get my clients around the inventory holdback is just have the solo cruiser book and inside with pax 2 TBD. Once final payment is made. You just no show the second passenger and you get back their port fees and expenses too boot.
I've sailed once on Celebrity (just over a year ago) and was very happy with the cruise (Celebrity Summit). I had planned on doing more cruises with Celebrity, but then they came out with this new solo pricing strategy six months ago. I unsubscribed from all their mailing lists and vowed I wouldn't cruise on Celebrity again. I'm still sticking with my promise and will be sailing on Princess to Alaska next month. Apparently Celebrity still has no idea what damage this policy did to their reputation, especially amongst us solo cruisers.
I started cruising on a German cruise line (nicko cruises) that charges only a 15% upcharge for solos on most of their cruises. They have only one pretty old HAL ship but the price is simply unbeatable.
After Celebrity raised prices and pretty much disrespected solo cruisers, I booked 4 cruises with Princess. I will see how Princess is. Celebrity is still restricting their promotions against solo cruising. Read the fine prints.
Well done video. Solo cruisers pay more and eat less. Use less towels. And much more. There is a huge greed here from the cruise lines. Almost feels like a penalty for going alone.
Thanks for this video highlighting the issues that face solo travellers when contemplating a cruise. If I travel to a holiday destination and book a hotel room, I pay for the room and even a half board or all inclusive deal is priced for one, not two. Cruises are different and I think it has something to do with the fuel, ports fees, food waste and revenues from dinks and speciality dining as well as luxury shop sales. The fuel costs the same regardless of the number of passengers so each passenger is making a contribution to the fuel costs. If there are a lot of solo travellers, then the cost must be divided by all travellers aboard which is less travellers, more per traveller. I am not sure how much port fees apply, I thought it was for the ship, not how many passengers it was carrying - but please correct me if I am wrong. I guess if it is per ship then the cost must be divided by the number of passengers and allocated to each fare. At the outset of a cruise, estimates must be made for the amount of food required, a couple would likely eat more than a solo traveller (but I can eat for two if required) so there might be more waste. I don't think this is a relevant argument however as I believe the food waste on a 14 day cruise would be enough to feed a small African village for a year regardless of how many solo travellers there were. Speciality dining ? same thing. Drinks however might be an issue as clearly the cruise line makes a big proportion of its profits from drink sales. Clearly one passenger might not be able to consume the same quantity of alcohol as a couple (but I do try). And buying gifts in the shops, profit is made here for the concession and the cruise line and a couple may spend more than a single person. There are flights on fly cruises but I don't think I should pay for the person sitting next to me with a double fare ! As all other costs to the cruise line are the same, then it seems to me hard to justify 1.5x, 2x or 3x for a single occupancy. I have cruised 3 times on P&O (UK) and generally the cost to me was about 1.75x. They do have a few smaller single bed cabins on some of there larger ships but the price is still 1.5x or more. What does annoy me though, was that they gave onboard spend as an inducement to book a more expensive guaranteed cabin (you pick the cabin number) and I only got half the amount that a couple would have got. If anyone knows exactly how they work out the solo fare then please share it.
I’m skeptical, too. I’m wondering if this is temporary due to the recent change in advertising pricing to reflect taxes and fees. If a solo price is displayed as 300% solo supplement AND taxes/fees, it would completely turn solo travelers off and away. So reducing the supplement makes it more “desirable” (until we all get use to the new price reflections). Awesome vid and update on the solo supplement with Celebrity-thanks, Zach!
The solo supplement % is definitely a consideration for me, but overall price is a bigger factor. I appreciate that NCL caters to solo cruisers more than most lines, but I don’t drink alcohol or soda so the “freestyle” thing just increases my cost unnecessarily. Another huge factor for me is smoking policy - I won’t cruise on a ship if it’s difficult to avoid smoke (e.g. if the casino allows smoking and the smoke can migrate or you have to walk thru it to get somewhere else. Some NCL ships are good on that score but not all.
I found the weird 'no availability' on a cruise. I found the solution is to use a 3rd-party travel agent, which had full availability and a good discount. The other positive is that they now allow you to search by number of passengers, so I have a saved search for Celebrity. The other key is to look for ones with less-insane demand, like Pacific coastal and north-south Alaska on Summit, and I found a cheap Constellation, and their cheapest solo cruises seems to be Transatlantic. For cruiseplum, the solo deals are usually more expensive per night than just searching Hot Deals or do a thorough search for per night, which is the most important thing, not the actual single supplement. Another alternative I did was to book Quantum of the Seas, which has studio cabins, and I've also been trying HAL standby program, which charges the same for one person as for two in a cabin, but it's more difficult now to actually get a spot on a cruise--I'm 0 for 3 this summer in Alaska.
While it has been a couple months since I actually dug down and researched any cruises with my formerly favorite cruise line, what I have found is even worse than what you cited. The ocean view and balcony verandas available on the cruises I researched only showed aqua class. So 300% doesn't even come close to what they showed me. I'm an elite level loyalty person so I have history with both RC and celebrity. I feel like they're telling me to bend over Really not feeling much loyalty based on their recent take the money and run business practices It's a seller's market right now They know it I'm not playing or buying Other lines are going to get my business until their business practices get adjusted. Buh bye Celebrity
I feel like I'm being driven out of the cruise market. Like Zach, I'm almost always a solo cruiser, and Celebrity has been my favorite cruise line. I've been totally turned off Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean due to terrible food and a strong dislike of mega ships and screaming children. I can't afford the small-ship, adults-only luxury lines. Celebrity and HAL were all I had left, and now Celebrity is saying they don't want my business.
Very good video Zach. Agree with pretty much everything you say although I am maybe even more skeptical given the restrictions you cite. When I looked at this issue a few days ago, it was even more restrictive on certain cruises for E-class ships - solo cruisers could choose either a single balcony stateroom (priced more than a regular sized stateroom) or the Retreat. This is another version of the extra solo supplement pricing policy. In some ways it's worse - you can't even choose to pay a 250-300% supplement to get the stateroom category you may want. Can't tell whether this is some kind of a trial or the start of a broader policy but it's discouraging to put it mildly. It's one thing to prioritize couples and families, it's another to actively discourage, restrict and punish solo cruisers. I continue to really enjoy the onboard experience on Celebrity ships but I'm finding it tough to reconcile these experiences with the company's policies and decisions, including its apparent view that it would prefer fewer or no solo cruisers on their ships. Have a several Celebrity cruises booked at decent prices (prior to the anti-solo cruiser policy) but will also try other lines going forward. Appreciate your analysis and suggestions.
I don't get it. If they are charging you a 300% upcharge over a standard double occupancy rate, what's to stop someone from booking a double and then just having the second person no show?
Lots of people have suggested this but I’ve not tried it. I imagine it would be an issue for the cruise line if they notice someone doing it repeatedly.
@FloridaGiGi No, they won't refund the fare (but will port fees and taxes), and they wouldn't charge you more at the port. But Zach is right. They may catch on if you do it repeatedly (I've booked a R/T air and threw away the return once because it was cheaper. I imagine this would be similar). I mean if they have the nerve to charge at 300% instead of 200% they're asking for it, IMHO. I know on Royal, once you reach a certain point level, i think you only pay 125%? I think Brandon the Weekend Cruiser explained that, but I'm with Zach. If i ever cruise solo, NCL is the way to go!
Actually, this is exactly what I did. I am sailing on the celebrity ascent on August 3. I booked it as two people per the room and canceled after the final payment about two weeks ago. They refunded me the port fees for the second person, but that’s it. That’s how I’ve handled the solo issue. In fact, I list my name twice, first time with my first name last name and second with my middle name last name. It has worked on all of my Celebrity bookings so far and have 4 Celebrity cruises over the next year. Here’s to hoping it gets better.
Love the Celebrity ships, but the price makes it less fun for me as a solo cruiser also. One thing they're doing now, at least when I search their website, is showing the cruise price for one person before I even click on it. Maybe a cookie on my computer, but whatever, I like it. No yikes when the price doubles after clicking further to investigate the option. I've been choosing Princess after realizing the huge price differences and continue to listen to you and other solo cruisers in helping to choose best options. I tried Holland America to Alaska this month for the best solo price and along with two Princess cruises next year, trying Norwegian based on your input. Thanks for your insights! Happy sailing. ~ Pam
Its a tough one, I have a NCL room booked but I'm in the process of cancelling because of the cost as a solo cruiser (I booked a while ago but with economy right now I can't do it). MSC have the same issue as sometimes when I search for a room as a single traveler it comes back with 'no room available'. I feel like the trick is to just look for deals and not stick to one line.
Celebrity isn’t worth the money even at double the cost of a solo cabin. Maybe 25 percent more but that’s it. My 7th and last Celebrity cruise is in November Barcelona to Florida. I booked that a long time ago when they gave an actual 75 percent off for a sec on person. I’ve done 3 cruises at this price. Celebrity is worth the 25 percent extra nothing more. They have dropped down in quality since I first sailed in 2019. The buffet has better food than the main restaurant. The rooms on their older ships are tired and in need of a major refurbishment. Not only that in 5 years time large cruise ships (3000 passengers and above) will be banned from most ports. Celebrity is a 4.5 star maybe, maybe a 5 star but that’s pushing it. Celebrity is a junior Royal Caribbean heading towards the class of a Carnaval line
Fellow solo cruiser here… I’ve been booking two people for the room, and then two weeks before embarkation canceling the second person. So far it is kept it to the regular double occupancy rate, and then they reimburse the port fees for the second person. I am Five days out from boarding the celebrity ascent for a Greek Isles cruise which worked. I have three other celebrity cruises scheduled over the next year going this route or just booking single now that 200% seems to be the max. I get similar results from Princess and Holland America, which I have cruises booked on for 2025.
I was looking at an Alaska cruise with Celebrity and it had plenty of rooms available in all categories if there were 2 people selected, but if you switched to 1 person, all categories changed to sold out except the Retreat at well over $11,000. This tells me they do not value solo cruisers and prefer if they don’t book with them. I have decided to book with NCL instead who seem to welcome solo travellers.
We had fabulous cruises on the Edge and Beyond in the Retreat. However they’re now pricing at more than $1k/day for 2 people in the entry sky suite (Caribbean itineraries) so we’ve moved our business to Viking and haven’t looked back.
We love Celebrity and have been loyal guests for years. We are not affected by the double occupancy policy and we agree it is unfairly targeting solo cruisers.
Going back well over a decade Celebrity and Royal have offered meta category guarantees (inside, oceanview, balcony, aqua, suite) under category codes w, x, y, z etc. Those meta guarantees have NEVER been available for solo travelers to book. Whether we agree with that methodology or not is irrelevant. If they have inventory in defined cabin categories that either allow cabin assignment, or a guarantee (I1/2, O1/2, V1/2/3 , etc) then those will be made available to solos. So if interior and oceanview are not available to solos to book it is most likely that they only inventory available is the meta guarantees. Hope that helps clarify.
We are drifting away from Celebrity too. Food quality has gone downhill and the drinks package is not fit for purpose. The specialty dining is average at best.
The 200% pricing is why I don’t really cruise (or go on tours). I start looking and then I end up doing an independent land-based vacation. Sometimes I’ll include a 2-4 day cruise (with less then 20 passengers) into my trip. In those cases, meals & tours will be included. You maybe pay for transport and just a tip at the end. I’m finally going on my 3rd ocean cruise (my first one was 20 years ago) this September with NCL, since I want a more relaxed vacation & they have solo balcony pricing. Let’s see if I like this big ship thing. And for everyone who always comments about how hotels aren’t discounted - there’s a lot more options and price ranges. In some countries, hotels will have rooms for solo travelers. Depending on the size of the city/town, you can choose to stay in a hostel, B&B, hotel, serviced apartments, Airbnb/VRBO or other options - it depends what you’re comfortable paying. Pre-pandemic, I was always able to find accommodations in the
I agree, no line is beating NCL right now, but you can find some pretty good deals with Princess. They also have some pretty amazing cruise destinations as well. So, while the "solo" deals aren't as good as they are on NCL, they still can be pretty good with amazing cruises.
I really hope the decision makers at Celebrity see this great video and read the comments. Their management team definitely needs to figure out a better pricing strategy than drastically overcharging solo cruisers while limiting our cabin choices. I have two remaining sailings with them for this year. Moving forward though, I see no reason to remain loyal to this company due to the way they're blatantly overcharging us.
Celebrity was my favorite cruise line when I cruised with my husband. I’m now a solo cruiser and decided Celebrity was out for me with their solo policy announcement. My 1st cruise was on NCL and it’s once again my go-to cruise line. I’ve done 3 sailings on them as a solo within the last 9 months and have 2 more booked. Until the other lines start solo offerings like NCL, I won’t sale them.
I was able to cruise Celebrity as a solo with one of the post Covid deals. I tried them out and gave them a chance at a time the cruise line industry was suffering. I liked it so much that I planned on becoming a loyal Celebrity cruiser and now they go and do us like this??? I now cruise NCL in the solo cabins which are super cute and reasonably priced. They still make up their single supplement because I buy add-ons such as the thermal spa.
If you want to get around the Cekebrity policy, book for two, pay in full, cancel second passenger. Then buy the drinks package. You get the port charges refunded. Not to mention they hide GTY category to solos.
I like your thought about voting with your pocketbook. So true, we shouldn’t feel obligated when they set higher prices for their cruises. Search around for other Cruises that match our pocketbooks. Some people are fine with paying the high prices which makes some cruise lines more determined to keep the higher rates.
I've been solo traveling on NCL for years, and have loved their attention to solo travelers. I have my first cruise on Celebrity in a couple of months The pricing was good, so that wasn't a problem. It will be interesting to compare how these two differ from each other when it comes to how they treat solo travelers.
It does stink how solo cruisers are over charged and I'm not even a solo cruiser. There are times I would love to go solo but it's so expensive. Why should I pay the same as if my husband came. I'm not comfortable sharing a room with anyone unless it my family anymore. Even then I'm fine without anyone. There's a reason I stay at my moms at times. I like my solitude. lol
Hi Zach, very interesting video. We don't cruise solo but we understand your perspective. We still love Celebrity and look forward to your videos - next up for us, a 10-night Med in Sept. We do believe that Celebrity listens and we noted that the service on our last cruise (Silhouette Transatlantic this spring) was the best we have experienced (esp the F&B Director, Mazy) and the food and wine were great as expected. We see that the cost of hotels and air travel has gone up a lot more over the same time, but that's no reason to penalize solo cruisers.
Gty cabins do not show up in a search for 1 guest. You can book them. You book it with a TBA guest and then call in to have it reduced to a single. It’s been like that for years.
Great content keep it up. Celebrity also fluctuates the price and cabins available while you are in the booking process it’s crazy. Was booking Reflection pick my cabin and the price was 175% went to log in and pay and the cabin was not available anymore and the price jumped to 250%
I agree Celebrity partially reversed this policy for selective sailings, like my October 2025 transatlantic repositioning cruise. I checked the prices for solos and two persons before booking, and I am only paying the same as two persons (less the extra taxes and gratuities). The partial reversal is also due to Celebrity’s ongoing promotion of 75% off the second guest. Often the rate they advertise is the average per-person rate for two people traveling together at 75% off. Since they do not offer this discount to solos, the solo rates are triple the advertising rate or a third higher than the rate for two people traveling together. I like Celebrity, but I will only book cruises that offer a fair rate to solo travelers. I also plan to look at other cruise lines like NCL and Virgin that offer better rates and experiences for solo travelers.
I've seen the same issue on Royal Caribbean (Parent Company of Celebrity). Not seeing as many 300% and more supplements, as I did a few months ago, but I have recently seen the Inventory game. Thank you for putting this info out there.
Cruise fares now include taxes, fees, and port charges. They can't charge a single person double for those fees. So if the total price they show for singles is the same as they charge two people, they are charging more than 200% of the cruise fare.
I just book what I can afford. All lines are doing the same, even NCL. However, I just found three itineraries with Celebrity reasonably priced for the solo cruiser. Of course, these are during the low season for them, which coincides with the best time for me, early autumn. All of these options are on old ships. No problem with me. I usually use HAL but they have increased the prices a lot.
Zac, would it be correct to say then, that we can reverse outsmart Celebrity by simply booking an interior for two (while your friend has no intention of showing up) vs booking a verandah/suite for solo with 200% (or more) solo supplement?
When i saw your video popped up i was sweating because i booked my first Celebrity cruise yesterday. But with double occupancy. Still not ok what i learned about them through this video 😢
I sailed 7 nights solo in a solo cabin on NCl Bliss this past May. Although I see where NCL is praised for having the solo program, I found that the service and quality of the food, entertainment, and room amenities were far below of what I just experienced on a 14 day sailing, similar itinerary on the Royal Princess. On a per night basis, I paid less for a standard interior room on Princess vs the solo cabin on NCL. I found the included food and entertainment to be of better quality. On Princess, “no” was not in the vocabulary of the staff, whereas on NCL it was the norm. I feel I am in a good position to be making this comparison by taking the two cruises within 2 months of each other. I believe both ships are similar age, class, and capacity and directly compete with each other for the Alaska sailings.
My first cruise was on Norwegian and I was so impressed about how they actively take care of solo cruisers. I was on the Ascent in February because my parents love Celebrity. I know you really loved that ship but tbh I wasn’t impressed. It was so loud everywhere. The food was okay but not what it used to be according to my parents. My intention is to stick with NCL.
Here is my take on solo cruisers. Cruise lines are there as a business and to make profits. Cabins exist for double occupancy. Prices are based on double occupancy. Solo cruisers are already paying full price for a cabin and to be charged double over the normal fares is not right. Cruise lines should implement a program to provide sharing of cabins to solo travelers. It is the soloist to accept whether to choose privacy over savings.
We have taken 10 Repositioning cruises with Celebrity. They used to have great itineraries. I have noticed since the new CEO has taken over there are far less ports of call on these cruises. They also have scheduled Bermuda & Ponta Delgada on most of these itineraries. In my opinion not the best choice.
I am not a solo cruiser but my wife and I like yourself identified as Celebrity cruisers. We stopped after they made the solo change. We also were mad about the retreat butler change. We have a cruise in September on the Summit that we booked almost two years ago. They still say we will have a dedicated butler but if that turns out not to be true we are probably done with Celebrity. A pity since we will move up to Elite level with this cruise. What a shame that they have damaged such a nice brand. Hope ncl is filling the void.
I was sticking to celebrity as a solo cruiser because I felt safe, it's less crowded and less cattle market in comparison to the MSc cruise I went on. If Celebrity keep price gouging solo cruiser's, then I'm quite happy to take my ££ to a luxury resort 🤷🏾♀️
Wow, I did not know about this, no wonder when I was originally looking for bookings as a solo the options were limited! Having my sister want to go with me suddenly made it easier to schedule an inside cabin. And here I thought they were sold out a year out. Approaching the question more in the mindset of appeasing shareholders is how you'll get your answer. I think sure, they are listening to consumers, but the loudest voice to them is the shareholders, thus the high end cabins only being available to get those dollars! I don't think the people in charge of any company anymore understand brand loyalty and serving people, I think that generation was all left in the dust for the newer ones who only care about shareholders.
I have only ever cruised twice, and both times with Celebrity. First time in 2013, second time, 2016 and noticed a disappointing difference. Increased charges, being nickel and dimed Food quality and quantity decreased . We have’s not cruised since , and might never again. The greed is intolerable and I refuse to be taken advantage of .
Wild. Cruising is slowly losing its value for me so im not sure if this will make me change lines or just book a non cruise vacation. I generally like royal and celebrity the most but this pricing scheme is leaving a bad taste. I didnt like ncl at all, princess tried to scam me so i am avoiding all carnival brands, and disney is for kids. I am considering msc and virgin but i have heard some concerning things from others. Msc is described as not the best for unusual food allergies and this is a concern for our party. Virgin the menus are not picky eater friendly and some people i know who have went described nudity and things like that onbard which isnt for me. We went to a local beach recently and athough it wasnt great it also wasnt exactly as boring or bad as we remembered.
I just got off of the Eclipse Sunday. It wasn’t the Celebrity I know and love. Food was borderline inedible, public restrooms dirty, crew not smiling, room attendant issues. It was so disappointing. I did file a complaint while onboard. Guest relations did call me to discuss, but the restrooms continued to be a disaster the remainder of cruise. The head of MDR “looked after us” for the remainder of trip but of course it didn’t change the quality of food. There was a weird vibe we felt. It felt like the crew was just going through the motions and didn’t want to be there in comparison to our other celebrity cruises.
I am staying with Norwegian for the time being. Starting on Aug 1, they say that all solo bookings will be at 140 percent for any room, and that the solo cabins will be even lower since they are designed for solo I even recieved an email telling me that I was receiving a price difference refund for three cruises that I had already paid for later this year I don't think they can be beat for solo travelers at this time
I enjoy your channel and your cautious approach to Celebrity is a valid one. But you usually travel balcony class or higher so this limited inventory wouldn’t impact you, nor those of us who also only book balcony/veranda. I agree you nor anyone should be ripped off but you’ve created a real influential niche focusing on Celebrity. There’s so many more vloggers with content on Norwegian that your niche is at risk.
We are sailing on the Eclipse on Sept. 19 for New England and Canada. This will be our first cruise on Celebrity. We normally sail on Oceania or Viking. I did an Eastern Mediterranean cruise on HAL last October and was pleasantly surprised. Hope this Celebrity cruise isn’t a big disappointment.
I’m writing this on a Diamond Princess cruise in Japan and one of my fellow solo cruisers made the same complaint about Celebrity. It’s too bad because Celebrity’s Edge class ships in particular look beautiful. BTW, thank you again for recommending Japan. While Diamond Princess shows its 20 years of age in many places, I’m otherwise having a great time.
I've cruised solo on NCL twice with zero supplement and also MSC twice with zero supplement. Those are the only two lines I"ve found that don't charge an upgrade charge. I'm not too keen on trying Virgin.
Great advice. I usually sail NCL given their solo policies. I did get a reasonable deal on a Princess cruise for next year. Celebrity is not on my list.
I’m a solo cruiser and do prefer balcony/veranda. But, it sounds like they’ll still try to charge 300%. I think celebrity is sister company with royal Caribbean. Right?
CRUISE PLUM is the absolute BEST tool for me! Virgin Voyages really spoiled me when they had those year long "no solo supplement" for sea terraces. I plan to try their solo insider next year, but I feel sad that I won't get the hammock..😂 On a serious note, these cruise lines think we can't price compare and SEE that we're getting ripped off? Yiesh..
Elite Plus here on X and so sick of the X money grab. I’m moving over to Princess. The value is great for the money and their onboard technology far exceeds Celebrity. When you do their upgraded packages they are truly all inclusive and not nickel/ dime like Celebrity. I don’t give a damn about Zenith.
I loved Celebrity in the past. However, after their greed in regards to solo cruisers no more. I’ve done 4 NCL cruises and have 3 more reserved. I’m a big researcher and I can’t find better for my money than NCL. Just my two cents. Love your channel.. Keep up the good work.
I’d still like to see you do a Celebrity cruise where you only eat meals at included venues, just to see what that experience is like. But I also don’t want to make you suffer for content. 🙈😂
@@ZachtheTravelingMan yay for taking one for the team! 🙌🏻 You should allow yourself the buffet too, though, in case the MDR hours don't work around your schedule.
I am a solo cruiser. I have a Royal booked for 2025 first time, will see. Also I cruise a lot on Princess as well, they are pretty good for solo travelers. I have been loyal to Celerbity have one this year. Love Celerbity but always will book for the price for me. Thanks for the info on Plum.
Booked a cruise via a friend. He complained about only being offered an interior room. They agreed to offer a veranda room however it's small due to veranda.
my guess is that even paying double for a room they'd probably still prefer two people because two people can eat twice as many specialty meals or use twice as many spa services. if they don't want solo cruisers (if they can get groups) then raising the price would be one way to tip the balance in whatever direction they want.
I've always been a solo traveler and I'm really tempted to switch to the Virgin ships even though I've been loyal to Celebrity for years now. My last cruise was....ok. The food quality wasn't what it was pre-Covid, and there was less to do on ship than previously on the same ship. We will see.
I've given up on celebrity cruises. I done three cruises with them last one was in 2013. They had become so greedy, and so outrageous with their price. It's just no fun. And the other failure you haven't brought up is their "balcony". It's a complete flop.
Don’t know about the negative reviews but Celebrity is our only cruise line. We’ve sailed on others but keep coming back. I’ve never had a bad experience and have always loved their ships. Food is great, shows are great . No complaints. We did a celebrity cruise from Honolulu to Sydney Australia and ended up getting Covid and were confined to our cabins for most of the trip. They gave us free premium wifi, drinks etc. at the end of our cruise they refunded our money and gave us a discount on the next cruise we took out of Florida. They may be a little pricier but I’m not interested in taking a “budget cruise “ after hearing the horror stories on line.
Just back from a solo cruise on NCL Encore - inspired by your videos about the solo rooms on this ship. I was a bit overawed the first couple of days, due to the sheer number of passengers on the ship, but got into a routine after that. I'd definitely travel solo with NCL again.
This is worrying. I had fallen in love with just the idea of my Apex cruise next year. I did as suggested and just went to have a look at my booking and did a mock comparison for two travellers. I am pleased to report that as a solo traveller, I paid £224 less than a couple. Whew! 😅
What happens if you book a cruise for two but you cruise partner drops out at the last minute? Can you cruise solo or do you have to pay a hefty surcharge or cancel?
Luckily I booked my 2025 Celebrity cruise back in 2023 and feel like I got a good deal on a balcony cabin. I have been checking each month for price drops but I still have the best price. I have also booked a HAL cruise for this year and a Princess cruise for 2026. I used to always cruise on RCL but their prices have been higher than these other cruise lines.
I agree that it's not right to charge more than 2 X the price but I know why they did it. They see the loss of the sales, dining, drinks and all the money a second person would spend while on the ship.
I am not a solo traveller at all and I get that its a money making business but charging more than 200% for a solo traveller is a crap move especially if you are talking 250-300%. Just because you are one person does not mean that you will spend less on other things than 2 or 3 people. I do hear that Celebrity is more of a cruise line for couples and mature groups of people so maybe they are just trying to dissuade a lot of singles. This was actually one of the reasons we decided to try out celebrity and cruises in general. ( Going on our first cruise in October with them. ) We wanted to be in an environment with very few children, couples especially the more mature age range. We did not want a party or family boat or a swingers boat XD. I will say I would rather have singles on my cruise than kids. I really hope they completely reverse this.
Solo cruisers unite! Thank you Zach for bringing this to our attention and for following up.
I have an upcoming transpacific cruise on Celebrity this fall, but I booked it a year in advance, before the “gouge the solos” policy. I have booked a Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian for fall 2025. I will be sailing in one of their solo cabins. It will be my first time in an interior cabin, but it was a great deal, and it’s a very port-intensive cruise, so I won’t be spending much time in my cabin except to sleep. Celebrity execs please note, if you want my business (and you should), you will have to price your product fairly.
I'm so disappointed in Celebrity. I used to love them, but between this solo cruiser policy, and getting rid of the drinks/tips included, it's just not the same. I wish they'd bring back the old president, she seemed to really have a clear vision of the brand. Thanks for the great info!
Just got back - Prem Drink package never paid any additional - tips are included
Stopped sailing on Celebrity Cruise Line after sailing on the Celebrity Silhouette. Since my wife passed away I am a solo cruiser. Don't want to pay 200+ percent. Besides, The Celebrity Silhouette wasn't a good cruising experience and won't go back. Other cruise lines, not NCL or RCCL, provide better cruises. The NCL solo staterooms are more expensive. Last cruise was on Princess Cruises. Had to pay a single supplement although I was paying for two people all along. You should cancel your Celebrity Cruise Line cruise. I do vote with my pocketbook.
Zach I will never sail Celebrity again because about a year ago I did a B2B and I got a great deal which was booked post COVID $905.00 for each week in an inside room but I saw a big quality difference in the food in the buffet and there was not a lot of variety from day to day and the staff and officers in the buffet for the most part had attitudes. After your last report of how they were treating solo cruisers I won’t even look at X. Thanks for the update !
I'm not a solo cruiser, nor do I plan to be, but I think it's terrible to punish solo cruisers. I can see charging double (if the room normally accomodates two people), but charging more than double (to make up for the lost additional revenue that a second cruiser would likely generate) and/or limiting options for solo cruisers seems wrong. And, really, what percentage of cruisers are solo? I can't believe it impacts their bottom line all that dramatically.
Why would you expect a company to lose on board revenue and not be compensated?
The cruise lines are following the airlines "screw the customer" marketing program. What they don't realize is that if you have to travel within a couple of days, an airline is your only option. Cruises lInes please remember: No One HAS to cruise! Pretty soon you'll see a lot of empty cruise ships leaving ports. Don't get me started on Celebrity's stupid move to charge $2.00 of a chocolate chip cookie. That ended REAL fast. It's what happens when bean counters become the CEO. Used to sail Celebrity exclusively, now I sail Princess.
I'm a travel agent and when Celebrity started doing this, I would book my clients with a fictitious second guest. Before final payment, I would just have them removed. The prices was not adjusted except for removing port fees and taxes for the second guest. The second guest could also be a no show and this would also work. This worked every time. I think Celebrity realized that many had figured this out. Royal Caribbean also
thank you!
Celebrity is such a greedy company now. Ridiculous prices in Europe in general. I avoid them nowadays.
They are all greedy.
You think they are bad try regent the top of the top cost wise. I could not believe the frozen tiny prawn they serve at the buffet. Like krill absolutely rubbish and they had zero herbs . The buffet food was so bad then the entertainment was terrible non existent
Seems like Celebrity's new CEO has made a lot of bad calls. 🤨
Great show!! I'm a solo cruiser but mostly on Royal Caribbean. I have found the same pricing scams on Royal also. Many times when I search for 2 people there is an abundance of cabins available. However when I search for 1 person....guess what....sold out. Grr..not fair!!
Absolutely, I've seen the same with Royal- it's so infuriating!
Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean.
No such thing as a "pricing scam". You Don't like the price, you move on. Presto...no scam.
just book for 2 person
I’m a TA and solo traveler myself…solo travel, and especially solo cruising, is BOOMING! I get so many inquiries from solo travelers but few of them book because they won’t pay a single supplement! Celebrity really fucked up when they implemented that excess solo supplement. Meanwhile I will be taking my first Celebrity cruise next year on Silhouette in one of their solo cabins!
They losing more money by being greedy it seems
I still haven't been on Celebrity. Was booked twice on Reflection but found better deals elsewhere. Since their bad decision making several months ago I haven't even considered them. I really liked Norwegian and their solo program. I would definitely sail with them again.
I love Norwegian’s single program!
Fairly new to cruising and solo, when comparing pricing looking for a cruise I found celebrity at the time was close to 1000 dollars dearer. I understand paying for 2 in a cabin and totally accepting of that fact but anything on top I’m out of there and not going back EVER! Also as much as I enjoy Princess I have found a couple of times lately when putting in 1 traveller there are no balconies but try with 2 and guess what balconies, if people are willing to pay I don’t think choices should be taken away. I also know couples that cruise and go out of their way not to spend more than their fare cost so no real benefit either! I haven’t given up on princess yet.
This discrimination against solo cruisers is also taking place on Royal Caribbean. I’ve done exactly what you said, I’ve gone to the website and tried to book for two people, and the price is X amount, when I go back into the site and put one person, the price jumps up to more than double. Since celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean, it appears as if this is a corporate practice. I have sailed solo on Princess a few times and I’ve gotten some good prices with 50% or less solo supplement, also Norwegian as you mention is a good option, but it depends on which ship I sailed on Holland America earlier this year, but that I had to pay 200% or the equivalent of two passengers in the cabin since it was a circumnavigation of Japan and demand was through the roof, so there was no way were going to sell the cabin for less than the price of two passengers, but it was well worth it. I loved the cruise. Thanks for making this video but I personally will more than likely be staying away from celebrity, unless I see a change pricing practices related to solo cruisers. Also just wanna throw in there sometimes people wind up as solo cruisers due to the death of a spouse or a break up or for numerous reasons. Solo cruisers have money to spend and the cruise lines like celebrity are missing out on that revenue.
Great, Great video on Standing on What is Right for us! Thank you so much for all of your videos. Keep up the great work! Amen
I am a solo cruiser who cruised with Virgin in May as my first cruise. I loved it so much I've booked three more cruises with Virgin in 2025. Why? Because of the solo inside cabins. I feel like I am valued as a customer with Virgin where I would not be with Celebrity. I will not cruise Celebrity with their current trend of ripping off solo cruisers.
I'm a Solo cruiser and I will never stop sailing on Celebrity, I have tried NCL , still love my Celebrity Cruise.
One way I get my clients around the inventory holdback is just have the solo cruiser book and inside with pax 2 TBD. Once final payment is made. You just no show the second passenger and you get back their port fees and expenses too boot.
I've sailed once on Celebrity (just over a year ago) and was very happy with the cruise (Celebrity Summit). I had planned on doing more cruises with Celebrity, but then they came out with this new solo pricing strategy six months ago. I unsubscribed from all their mailing lists and vowed I wouldn't cruise on Celebrity again. I'm still sticking with my promise and will be sailing on Princess to Alaska next month. Apparently Celebrity still has no idea what damage this policy did to their reputation, especially amongst us solo cruisers.
I started cruising on a German cruise line (nicko cruises) that charges only a 15% upcharge for solos on most of their cruises. They have only one pretty old HAL ship but the price is simply unbeatable.
After Celebrity raised prices and pretty much disrespected solo cruisers, I booked 4 cruises with Princess. I will see how Princess is.
Celebrity is still restricting their promotions against solo cruising. Read the fine prints.
I love Princess
Well done video. Solo cruisers pay more and eat less. Use less towels. And much more. There is a huge greed here from the cruise lines. Almost feels like a penalty for going alone.
Thanks for this video highlighting the issues that face solo travellers when contemplating a cruise. If I travel to a holiday destination and book a hotel room, I pay for the room and even a half board or all inclusive deal is priced for one, not two. Cruises are different and I think it has something to do with the fuel, ports fees, food waste and revenues from dinks and speciality dining as well as luxury shop sales. The fuel costs the same regardless of the number of passengers so each passenger is making a contribution to the fuel costs. If there are a lot of solo travellers, then the cost must be divided by all travellers aboard which is less travellers, more per traveller. I am not sure how much port fees apply, I thought it was for the ship, not how many passengers it was carrying - but please correct me if I am wrong. I guess if it is per ship then the cost must be divided by the number of passengers and allocated to each fare. At the outset of a cruise, estimates must be made for the amount of food required, a couple would likely eat more than a solo traveller (but I can eat for two if required) so there might be more waste. I don't think this is a relevant argument however as I believe the food waste on a 14 day cruise would be enough to feed a small African village for a year regardless of how many solo travellers there were. Speciality dining ? same thing. Drinks however might be an issue as clearly the cruise line makes a big proportion of its profits from drink sales. Clearly one passenger might not be able to consume the same quantity of alcohol as a couple (but I do try). And buying gifts in the shops, profit is made here for the concession and the cruise line and a couple may spend more than a single person. There are flights on fly cruises but I don't think I should pay for the person sitting next to me with a double fare ! As all other costs to the cruise line are the same, then it seems to me hard to justify 1.5x, 2x or 3x for a single occupancy. I have cruised 3 times on P&O (UK) and generally the cost to me was about 1.75x. They do have a few smaller single bed cabins on some of there larger ships but the price is still 1.5x or more. What does annoy me though, was that they gave onboard spend as an inducement to book a more expensive guaranteed cabin (you pick the cabin number) and I only got half the amount that a couple would have got. If anyone knows exactly how they work out the solo fare then please share it.
I’m skeptical, too. I’m wondering if this is temporary due to the recent change in advertising pricing to reflect taxes and fees. If a solo price is displayed as 300% solo supplement AND taxes/fees, it would completely turn solo travelers off and away. So reducing the supplement makes it more “desirable” (until we all get use to the new price reflections). Awesome vid and update on the solo supplement with Celebrity-thanks, Zach!
The solo supplement % is definitely a consideration for me, but overall price is a bigger factor. I appreciate that NCL caters to solo cruisers more than most lines, but I don’t drink alcohol or soda so the “freestyle” thing just increases my cost unnecessarily. Another huge factor for me is smoking policy - I won’t cruise on a ship if it’s difficult to avoid smoke (e.g. if the casino allows smoking and the smoke can migrate or you have to walk thru it to get somewhere else. Some NCL ships are good on that score but not all.
I found the weird 'no availability' on a cruise. I found the solution is to use a 3rd-party travel agent, which had full availability and a good discount. The other positive is that they now allow you to search by number of passengers, so I have a saved search for Celebrity. The other key is to look for ones with less-insane demand, like Pacific coastal and north-south Alaska on Summit, and I found a cheap Constellation, and their cheapest solo cruises seems to be Transatlantic. For cruiseplum, the solo deals are usually more expensive per night than just searching Hot Deals or do a thorough search for per night, which is the most important thing, not the actual single supplement. Another alternative I did was to book Quantum of the Seas, which has studio cabins, and I've also been trying HAL standby program, which charges the same for one person as for two in a cabin, but it's more difficult now to actually get a spot on a cruise--I'm 0 for 3 this summer in Alaska.
While it has been a couple months since I actually dug down and researched any cruises with my formerly favorite cruise line, what I have found is even worse than what you cited. The ocean view and balcony verandas available on the cruises I researched only showed aqua class. So 300% doesn't even come close to what they showed me.
I'm an elite level loyalty person so I have history with both RC and celebrity. I feel like they're telling me to bend over
Really not feeling much loyalty based on their recent take the money and run business practices
It's a seller's market right now
They know it
I'm not playing or buying
Other lines are going to get my business until their business practices get adjusted.
Buh bye Celebrity
I feel like I'm being driven out of the cruise market. Like Zach, I'm almost always a solo cruiser, and Celebrity has been my favorite cruise line. I've been totally turned off Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean due to terrible food and a strong dislike of mega ships and screaming children. I can't afford the small-ship, adults-only luxury lines. Celebrity and HAL were all I had left, and now Celebrity is saying they don't want my business.
Very good video Zach. Agree with pretty much everything you say although I am maybe even more skeptical given the restrictions you cite. When I looked at this issue a few days ago, it was even more restrictive on certain cruises for E-class ships - solo cruisers could choose either a single balcony stateroom (priced more than a regular sized stateroom) or the Retreat. This is another version of the extra solo supplement pricing policy. In some ways it's worse - you can't even choose to pay a 250-300% supplement to get the stateroom category you may want. Can't tell whether this is some kind of a trial or the start of a broader policy but it's discouraging to put it mildly. It's one thing to prioritize couples and families, it's another to actively discourage, restrict and punish solo cruisers. I continue to really enjoy the onboard experience on Celebrity ships but I'm finding it tough to reconcile these experiences with the company's policies and decisions, including its apparent view that it would prefer fewer or no solo cruisers on their ships. Have a several Celebrity cruises booked at decent prices (prior to the anti-solo cruiser policy) but will also try other lines going forward. Appreciate your analysis and suggestions.
I don't get it. If they are charging you a 300% upcharge over a standard double occupancy rate, what's to stop someone from booking a double and then just having the second person no show?
No might still be charged… don’t think they would refund after a no-show????
Lots of people have suggested this but I’ve not tried it. I imagine it would be an issue for the cruise line if they notice someone doing it repeatedly.
@FloridaGiGi No, they won't refund the fare (but will port fees and taxes), and they wouldn't charge you more at the port. But Zach is right. They may catch on if you do it repeatedly (I've booked a R/T air and threw away the return once because it was cheaper. I imagine this would be similar). I mean if they have the nerve to charge at 300% instead of 200% they're asking for it, IMHO.
I know on Royal, once you reach a certain point level, i think you only pay 125%? I think Brandon the Weekend Cruiser explained that, but I'm with Zach. If i ever cruise solo, NCL is the way to go!
Actually, this is exactly what I did. I am sailing on the celebrity ascent on August 3. I booked it as two people per the room and canceled after the final payment about two weeks ago. They refunded me the port fees for the second person, but that’s it. That’s how I’ve handled the solo issue. In fact, I list my name twice, first time with my first name last name and second with my middle name last name. It has worked on all of my Celebrity bookings so far and have 4 Celebrity cruises over the next year. Here’s to hoping it gets better.
Love the Celebrity ships, but the price makes it less fun for me as a solo cruiser also. One thing they're doing now, at least when I search their website, is showing the cruise price for one person before I even click on it. Maybe a cookie on my computer, but whatever, I like it. No yikes when the price doubles after clicking further to investigate the option. I've been choosing Princess after realizing the huge price differences and continue to listen to you and other solo cruisers in helping to choose best options. I tried Holland America to Alaska this month for the best solo price and along with two Princess cruises next year, trying Norwegian based on your input. Thanks for your insights! Happy sailing. ~ Pam
Its a tough one, I have a NCL room booked but I'm in the process of cancelling because of the cost as a solo cruiser (I booked a while ago but with economy right now I can't do it). MSC have the same issue as sometimes when I search for a room as a single traveler it comes back with 'no room available'.
I feel like the trick is to just look for deals and not stick to one line.
Celebrity isn’t worth the money even at double the cost of a solo cabin. Maybe 25 percent more but that’s it.
My 7th and last Celebrity cruise is in November Barcelona to Florida. I booked that a long time ago when they gave an actual 75 percent off for a sec on person. I’ve done 3 cruises at this price. Celebrity is worth the 25 percent extra nothing more.
They have dropped down in quality since I first sailed in 2019. The buffet has better food than the main restaurant.
The rooms on their older ships are tired and in need of a major refurbishment.
Not only that in 5 years time large cruise ships (3000 passengers and above) will be banned from most ports.
Celebrity is a 4.5 star maybe, maybe a 5 star but that’s pushing it. Celebrity is a junior Royal Caribbean heading towards the class of a Carnaval line
The rooms are built cost wise for a minimum of 2 people. Many of the cruises now offer 3rd and 4 person sails for free.
Fellow solo cruiser here… I’ve been booking two people for the room, and then two weeks before embarkation canceling the second person. So far it is kept it to the regular double occupancy rate, and then they reimburse the port fees for the second person. I am Five days out from boarding the celebrity ascent for a Greek Isles cruise which worked. I have three other celebrity cruises scheduled over the next year going this route or just booking single now that 200% seems to be the max. I get similar results from Princess and Holland America, which I have cruises booked on for 2025.
I was looking at an Alaska cruise with Celebrity and it had plenty of rooms available in all categories if there were 2 people selected, but if you switched to 1 person, all categories changed to sold out except the Retreat at well over $11,000. This tells me they do not value solo cruisers and prefer if they don’t book with them. I have decided to book with NCL instead who seem to welcome solo travellers.
We had fabulous cruises on the Edge and Beyond in the Retreat. However they’re now pricing at more than $1k/day for 2 people in the entry sky suite (Caribbean itineraries) so we’ve moved our business to Viking and haven’t looked back.
We love Celebrity and have been loyal guests for years. We are not affected by the double occupancy policy and we agree it is unfairly targeting solo cruisers.
not sure if it will last, but went and reviewed my cruises for next year and was able to save $500 by rebooking. appreciate the heads up
Yes!! So glad to hear that, Todd!
Going back well over a decade Celebrity and Royal have offered meta category guarantees (inside, oceanview, balcony, aqua, suite) under category codes w, x, y, z etc. Those meta guarantees have NEVER been available for solo travelers to book. Whether we agree with that methodology or not is irrelevant. If they have inventory in defined cabin categories that either allow cabin assignment, or a guarantee (I1/2, O1/2, V1/2/3 , etc) then those will be made available to solos. So if interior and oceanview are not available to solos to book it is most likely that they only inventory available is the meta guarantees. Hope that helps clarify.
We are drifting away from Celebrity too. Food quality has gone downhill and the drinks package is not fit for purpose. The specialty dining is average at best.
The 200% pricing is why I don’t really cruise (or go on tours). I start looking and then I end up doing an independent land-based vacation. Sometimes I’ll include a 2-4 day cruise (with less then 20 passengers) into my trip. In those cases, meals & tours will be included. You maybe pay for transport and just a tip at the end.
I’m finally going on my 3rd ocean cruise (my first one was 20 years ago) this September with NCL, since I want a more relaxed vacation & they have solo balcony pricing. Let’s see if I like this big ship thing.
And for everyone who always comments about how hotels aren’t discounted - there’s a lot more options and price ranges. In some countries, hotels will have rooms for solo travelers. Depending on the size of the city/town, you can choose to stay in a hostel, B&B, hotel, serviced apartments, Airbnb/VRBO or other options - it depends what you’re comfortable paying. Pre-pandemic, I was always able to find accommodations in the
I agree, no line is beating NCL right now, but you can find some pretty good deals with Princess. They also have some pretty amazing cruise destinations as well. So, while the "solo" deals aren't as good as they are on NCL, they still can be pretty good with amazing cruises.
I really hope the decision makers at Celebrity see this great video and read the comments. Their management team definitely needs to figure out a better pricing strategy than drastically overcharging solo cruisers while limiting our cabin choices. I have two remaining sailings with them for this year. Moving forward though, I see no reason to remain loyal to this company due to the way they're blatantly overcharging us.
Celebrity was my favorite cruise line when I cruised with my husband. I’m now a solo cruiser and decided Celebrity was out for me with their solo policy announcement. My 1st cruise was on NCL and it’s once again my go-to cruise line. I’ve done 3 sailings on them as a solo within the last 9 months and have 2 more booked. Until the other lines start solo offerings like NCL, I won’t sale them.
Thanks you. As a solo cruiser myself I was wondering if it had changed yet. May be time to try a different line
I was able to cruise Celebrity as a solo with one of the post Covid deals. I tried them out and gave them a chance at a time the cruise line industry was suffering. I liked it so much that I planned on becoming a loyal Celebrity cruiser and now they go and do us like this??? I now cruise NCL in the solo cabins which are super cute and reasonably priced. They still make up their single supplement because I buy add-ons such as the thermal spa.
If you want to get around the Cekebrity policy, book for two, pay in full, cancel second passenger. Then buy the drinks package. You get the port charges refunded. Not to mention they hide GTY category to solos.
I did wonder if there was anything stopping solos from just booking for 2 people and the friend calls in sick
I like your thought about voting with your pocketbook. So true, we shouldn’t feel obligated when they set higher prices for their cruises. Search around for other Cruises that match our pocketbooks. Some people are fine with paying the high prices which makes some cruise lines more determined to keep the higher rates.
I've been solo traveling on NCL for years, and have loved their attention to solo travelers. I have my first cruise on Celebrity in a couple of months The pricing was good, so that wasn't a problem. It will be interesting to compare how these two differ from each other when it comes to how they treat solo travelers.
It does stink how solo cruisers are over charged and I'm not even a solo cruiser. There are times I would love to go solo but it's so expensive. Why should I pay the same as if my husband came. I'm not comfortable sharing a room with anyone unless it my family anymore. Even then I'm fine without anyone. There's a reason I stay at my moms at times. I like my solitude. lol
Hi Zach, very interesting video. We don't cruise solo but we understand your perspective. We still love Celebrity and look forward to your videos - next up for us, a 10-night Med in Sept. We do believe that Celebrity listens and we noted that the service on our last cruise (Silhouette Transatlantic this spring) was the best we have experienced (esp the F&B Director, Mazy) and the food and wine were great as expected. We see that the cost of hotels and air travel has gone up a lot more over the same time, but that's no reason to penalize solo cruisers.
Gty cabins do not show up in a search for 1 guest. You can book them. You book it with a TBA guest and then call in to have it reduced to a single. It’s been like that for years.
Great content keep it up. Celebrity also fluctuates the price and cabins available while you are in the booking process it’s crazy. Was booking Reflection pick my cabin and the price was 175% went to log in and pay and the cabin was not available anymore and the price jumped to 250%
I agree Celebrity partially reversed this policy for selective sailings, like my October 2025 transatlantic repositioning cruise. I checked the prices for solos and two persons before booking, and I am only paying the same as two persons (less the extra taxes and gratuities). The partial reversal is also due to Celebrity’s ongoing promotion of 75% off the second guest. Often the rate they advertise is the average per-person rate for two people traveling together at 75% off. Since they do not offer this discount to solos, the solo rates are triple the advertising rate or a third higher than the rate for two people traveling together. I like Celebrity, but I will only book cruises that offer a fair rate to solo travelers. I also plan to look at other cruise lines like NCL and Virgin that offer better rates and experiences for solo travelers.
I've seen the same issue on Royal Caribbean (Parent Company of Celebrity). Not seeing as many 300% and more supplements, as I did a few months ago, but I have recently seen the Inventory game. Thank you for putting this info out there.
Cruise fares now include taxes, fees, and port charges. They can't charge a single person double for those fees. So if the total price they show for singles is the same as they charge two people, they are charging more than 200% of the cruise fare.
I just book what I can afford. All lines are doing the same, even NCL.
However, I just found three itineraries with Celebrity reasonably priced for the solo cruiser. Of course, these are during the low season for them, which coincides with the best time for me, early autumn. All of these options are on old ships. No problem with me. I usually use HAL but they have increased the prices a lot.
Zac, would it be correct to say then, that we can reverse outsmart Celebrity by simply booking an interior for two (while your friend has no intention of showing up) vs booking a verandah/suite for solo with 200% (or more) solo supplement?
When i saw your video popped up i was sweating because i booked my first Celebrity cruise yesterday. But with double occupancy. Still not ok what i learned about them through this video 😢
I sailed 7 nights solo in a solo cabin on NCl Bliss this past May. Although I see where NCL is praised for having the solo program, I found that the service and quality of the food, entertainment, and room amenities were far below of what I just experienced on a 14 day sailing, similar itinerary on the Royal Princess. On a per night basis, I paid less for a standard interior room on Princess vs the solo cabin on NCL. I found the included food and entertainment to be of better quality. On Princess, “no” was not in the vocabulary of the staff, whereas on NCL it was the norm. I feel I am in a good position to be making this comparison by taking the two cruises within 2 months of each other. I believe both ships are similar age, class, and capacity and directly compete with each other for the Alaska sailings.
My first cruise was on Norwegian and I was so impressed about how they actively take care of solo cruisers. I was on the Ascent in February because my parents love Celebrity. I know you really loved that ship but tbh I wasn’t impressed. It was so loud everywhere. The food was okay but not what it used to be according to my parents. My intention is to stick with NCL.
Here is my take on solo cruisers. Cruise lines are there as a business and to make profits. Cabins exist for double occupancy. Prices are based on double occupancy.
Solo cruisers are already paying full price for a cabin and to be charged double over the normal fares is not right. Cruise lines should implement a program to provide sharing of cabins to solo travelers. It is the soloist to accept whether to choose privacy over savings.
We have taken 10 Repositioning cruises with Celebrity. They used to have great itineraries. I have noticed since the new CEO has taken over there are far less ports of call on these cruises. They also have scheduled Bermuda & Ponta Delgada on most of these itineraries. In my opinion not the best choice.
I am not a solo cruiser but my wife and I like yourself identified as Celebrity cruisers. We stopped after they made the solo change. We also were mad about the retreat butler change. We have a cruise in September on the Summit that we booked almost two years ago. They still say we will have a dedicated butler but if that turns out not to be true we are probably done with Celebrity. A pity since we will move up to Elite level with this cruise. What a shame that they have damaged such a nice brand. Hope ncl is filling the void.
I was sticking to celebrity as a solo cruiser because I felt safe, it's less crowded and less cattle market in comparison to the MSc cruise I went on. If Celebrity keep price gouging solo cruiser's, then I'm quite happy to take my ££ to a luxury resort 🤷🏾♀️
Wow, I did not know about this, no wonder when I was originally looking for bookings as a solo the options were limited! Having my sister want to go with me suddenly made it easier to schedule an inside cabin. And here I thought they were sold out a year out. Approaching the question more in the mindset of appeasing shareholders is how you'll get your answer. I think sure, they are listening to consumers, but the loudest voice to them is the shareholders, thus the high end cabins only being available to get those dollars! I don't think the people in charge of any company anymore understand brand loyalty and serving people, I think that generation was all left in the dust for the newer ones who only care about shareholders.
I have only ever cruised twice, and both times with Celebrity. First time in 2013, second time, 2016 and noticed a disappointing difference. Increased charges, being nickel and dimed Food quality and quantity decreased . We have’s not cruised since , and might never again. The greed is intolerable and I refuse to be taken advantage of .
Wild. Cruising is slowly losing its value for me so im not sure if this will make me change lines or just book a non cruise vacation. I generally like royal and celebrity the most but this pricing scheme is leaving a bad taste. I didnt like ncl at all, princess tried to scam me so i am avoiding all carnival brands, and disney is for kids. I am considering msc and virgin but i have heard some concerning things from others. Msc is described as not the best for unusual food allergies and this is a concern for our party. Virgin the menus are not picky eater friendly and some people i know who have went described nudity and things like that onbard which isnt for me. We went to a local beach recently and athough it wasnt great it also wasnt exactly as boring or bad as we remembered.
I just got off of the Eclipse Sunday. It wasn’t the Celebrity I know and love. Food was borderline inedible, public restrooms dirty, crew not smiling, room attendant issues. It was so disappointing. I did file a complaint while onboard. Guest relations did call me to discuss, but the restrooms continued to be a disaster the remainder of cruise. The head of MDR “looked after us” for the remainder of trip but of course it didn’t change the quality of food. There was a weird vibe we felt. It felt like the crew was just going through the motions and didn’t want to be there in comparison to our other celebrity cruises.
Please let me know how the volume of music and activities is on your eclipse cruise. Thanks
I am staying with Norwegian for the time being. Starting on Aug 1, they say that all solo bookings will be at 140 percent for any room, and that the solo cabins will be even lower since they are designed for solo
I even recieved an email telling me that I was receiving a price difference refund for three cruises that I had already paid for later this year
I don't think they can be beat for solo travelers at this time
I enjoy your channel and your cautious approach to Celebrity is a valid one. But you usually travel balcony class or higher so this limited inventory wouldn’t impact you, nor those of us who also only book balcony/veranda.
I agree you nor anyone should be ripped off but you’ve created a real influential niche focusing on Celebrity. There’s so many more vloggers with content on Norwegian that your niche is at risk.
I loved celebrity but when they changed policy the cost was way out of line and I had to cruise another line for Northern Europe this summer
We are sailing on the Eclipse on Sept. 19 for New England and Canada. This will be our first cruise on Celebrity. We normally sail on Oceania or Viking. I did an Eastern Mediterranean cruise on HAL last October and was pleasantly surprised. Hope this Celebrity cruise isn’t a big disappointment.
I’m writing this on a Diamond Princess cruise in Japan and one of my fellow solo cruisers made the same complaint about Celebrity. It’s too bad because Celebrity’s Edge class ships in particular look beautiful.
BTW, thank you again for recommending Japan. While Diamond Princess shows its 20 years of age in many places, I’m otherwise having a great time.
Hope you have a great trip!!
I've cruised solo on NCL twice with zero supplement and also MSC twice with zero supplement. Those are the only two lines I"ve found that don't charge an upgrade charge. I'm not too keen on trying Virgin.
Great advice. I usually sail NCL given their solo policies. I did get a reasonable deal on a Princess cruise for next year. Celebrity is not on my list.
I’m a solo cruiser and do prefer balcony/veranda. But, it sounds like they’ll still try to charge 300%. I think celebrity is sister company with royal Caribbean. Right?
Yes that is correct.
CRUISE PLUM is the absolute BEST tool for me! Virgin Voyages really spoiled me when they had those year long "no solo supplement" for sea terraces. I plan to try their solo insider next year, but I feel sad that I won't get the hammock..😂
On a serious note, these cruise lines think we can't price compare and SEE that we're getting ripped off? Yiesh..
Elite Plus here on X and so sick of the X money grab. I’m moving over to Princess. The value is great for the money and their onboard technology far exceeds Celebrity. When you do their upgraded packages they are truly all inclusive and not nickel/ dime like Celebrity. I don’t give a damn about Zenith.
I loved Celebrity in the past. However, after their greed in regards to solo cruisers no more. I’ve done 4 NCL cruises and have 3 more reserved. I’m a big researcher and I can’t find better for my money than NCL. Just my two cents. Love your channel.. Keep up the good work.
Glad you brought this topic up - I wonder why they want to charge more than 200% for a solo traveller.
I’d still like to see you do a Celebrity cruise where you only eat meals at included venues, just to see what that experience is like. But I also don’t want to make you suffer for content. 🙈😂
I’m going to try and do that on my upcoming Celebrity Cruise! MDR only. 😬
@@ZachtheTravelingMan yay for taking one for the team! 🙌🏻 You should allow yourself the buffet too, though, in case the MDR hours don't work around your schedule.
@@ZachtheTravelingManget extra health insurance you’ll need it
Love the Ocean View. Ate there instead of Blu last cruise.
I am a solo cruiser. I have a Royal booked for 2025 first time, will see. Also I cruise a lot on Princess as well, they are pretty good for solo travelers. I have been loyal to Celerbity have one this year. Love Celerbity but always will book for the price for me. Thanks for the info on Plum.
Booked a cruise via a friend. He complained about only being offered an interior room. They agreed to offer a veranda room however it's small due to veranda.
my guess is that even paying double for a room they'd probably still prefer two people because two people can eat twice as many specialty meals or use twice as many spa services. if they don't want solo cruisers (if they can get groups) then raising the price would be one way to tip the balance in whatever direction they want.
I've always been a solo traveler and I'm really tempted to switch to the Virgin ships even though I've been loyal to Celebrity for years now. My last cruise was....ok. The food quality wasn't what it was pre-Covid, and there was less to do on ship than previously on the same ship. We will see.
I've given up on celebrity cruises. I done three cruises with them last one was in 2013. They had become so greedy, and so outrageous with their price. It's just no fun. And the other failure you haven't brought up is their "balcony". It's a complete flop.
What do cruise lines do if you book a room for two but then one of you doesn't show up for the sailing?
Solo cruiser, I've been on Celebrity mainly and I booked a MSC Cruise as well. Not thrilled about the additional cost as a solo cruiser.
Don’t know about the negative reviews but Celebrity is our only cruise line. We’ve sailed on others but keep coming back. I’ve never had a bad experience and have always loved their ships. Food is great, shows are great . No complaints. We did a celebrity cruise from Honolulu to Sydney Australia and ended up getting Covid and were confined to our cabins for most of the trip. They gave us free premium wifi, drinks etc. at the end of our cruise they refunded our money and gave us a discount on the next cruise we took out of Florida. They may be a little pricier but I’m not interested in taking a “budget cruise “ after hearing the horror stories on line.
Just back from a solo cruise on NCL Encore - inspired by your videos about the solo rooms on this ship. I was a bit overawed the first couple of days, due to the sheer number of passengers on the ship, but got into a routine after that. I'd definitely travel solo with NCL again.
Great to hear!
This is worrying. I had fallen in love with just the idea of my Apex cruise next year. I did as suggested and just went to have a look at my booking and did a mock comparison for two travellers. I am pleased to report that as a solo traveller, I paid £224 less than a couple. Whew! 😅
What happens if you book a cruise for two but you cruise partner drops out at the last minute? Can you cruise solo or do you have to pay a hefty surcharge or cancel?
I just asked the same question.
Luckily I booked my 2025 Celebrity cruise back in 2023 and feel like I got a good deal on a balcony cabin. I have been checking each month for price drops but I still have the best price. I have also booked a HAL cruise for this year and a Princess cruise for 2026. I used to always cruise on RCL but their prices have been higher than these other cruise lines.
Great info thanks Zac.
I agree that it's not right to charge more than 2 X the price but I know why they did it. They see the loss of the sales, dining, drinks and all the money a second person would spend while on the ship.
I am not a solo traveller at all and I get that its a money making business but charging more than 200% for a solo traveller is a crap move especially if you are talking 250-300%. Just because you are one person does not mean that you will spend less on other things than 2 or 3 people.
I do hear that Celebrity is more of a cruise line for couples and mature groups of people so maybe they are just trying to dissuade a lot of singles. This was actually one of the reasons we decided to try out celebrity and cruises in general. ( Going on our first cruise in October with them. ) We wanted to be in an environment with very few children, couples especially the more mature age range. We did not want a party or family boat or a swingers boat XD. I will say I would rather have singles on my cruise than kids. I really hope they completely reverse this.
It’s frustrating. I cruise solo with Royal most of the time and it’s been going the same way. It’s ridiculous how they play the game.