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[parsonaritha]

I thought I would ask my Disney Family What would you do? My Mom can now travel with us our cruise is set for October 25,2012, we are in a Deluxe OceanView Stateroom with Verandah/Deck 7/Cat 06b. Should I updated to the Family Stateroom or start a new ressie and just have her in a inside stateroom?

I am not sure what to do.

[iloverags2]

First, how awesome your mom will be able to vacation with you!

How many people are currently in your stateroom? If more than just two of you, what are everyone's ages? The staterooms can become cramped once you start talking about 4 or 5 people, especially if everyone in the party are adults! And consider how long your cruise is...7 nights tripping over each other might become tiring as well.

If you book her in an inside, she can always come over and sit on your verandah with you. And if you have little ones, they could have a sleepover with her for a night or two.

[parsonaritha]

Thanks Cindy for the feedback, there are 4 of us in the room, 2 adults, a 14 year old and a 4 year old, we are on a 3 day sailing. I did call and they said we can upgrade to a Deluxe Family and add her to our room and it would be $798 additional, I thought that was high until they said if we book her seperate in a inside it would be $1,014. So we will go with the cheaper of the two.

[iloverags2]

You should be good! A 3-day, and with a younger one and young teen...sounds like it's the perfect mix! Enjoy!

[ilovedisney0_0]

See, and I would have said to just pay the extra $400 so she could have her own space. But I am like that - I would rather have to room to spread out. Glad you came to a decision, though!

[lanejudy]

Originally Posted by parsonaritha

Thanks Cindy for the feedback, there are 4 of us in the room, 2 adults, a 14 year old and a 4 year old, we are on a 3 day sailing. I did call and they said we can upgrade to a Deluxe Family and add her to our room and it would be $798 additional, I thought that was high until they said if we book her seperate in a inside it would be $1,014. So we will go with the cheaper of the two.

That's because they are charging her as a double for the inside stateroom! Single cruisers are charged the full fare of 2 adult cruisers, no discount for being just 1 person in a stateroom.

Enjoy your cruise!

[Dave Marx]

Originally Posted by lanejudy

That's because they are charging her as a double for the inside stateroom! Single cruisers are charged the full fare of 2 adult cruisers, no discount for being just 1 person in a stateroom.

Enjoy your cruise!

What's "fare" for a single cruiser is certainly open for argument. My feeling is that the cruise line is entitled to get full payment for the "real estate" - the actual value of the stateroom accommodations. Same goes for the ship's other fixed expenses like entertainment and recreation staff. Those costs don't change when one less person is in the stateroom. However, we hit a gray area when we look at food and beverage - in theory, the cruise line saves money (or is in a position to save money). Practically speaking, they do have to take supplies on in full case quantities. When, say, they can get by with one case less of lettuce, one less of sirloin steak, etc., there are savings to be had. So, when there are enough singles/empty staterooms/fewer families of 3 or 4... they can start cutting back on provisions. It's not a sure thing that just one less person can make a difference. Similarly, the dining rooms prepare meals in advance, based on estimated demand, and they tend to prepare a bit more, just in case demand is higher. So, can one guest fewer make a dent in that? Probably not. Another factor, from the cruise line's perspective, is that fewer guests on board means fewer optional items sold - excursions, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments, souvenirs, etc. All those optional items may make the difference between profit and loss for the cruise line, so a ship full of singles, even at double fare, is not as profitable as a ship full of couples and families.

As someone who sometimes cruises single, I'd much rather get a break than pay double fare, as would any other solo cruiser. Alas, the cruise lines have all been cutting back on or eliminating solo cruiser breaks. If the cruise lines feel they can fill their staterooms with couples and families, they don't have much of an incentive to encourage solo cruisers.

The one "break" that should exist under all cases is the pass-along for port fees and taxes, since those are nearly always per-person charges by the ports and governments.

[iloverags2]

Originally Posted by Dave Marx

What's "fare" for a single cruiser is certainly open for argument. My feeling is that the cruise line is entitled to get full payment for the "real estate" - the actual value of the stateroom accommodations. Same goes for the ship's other fixed expenses like entertainment and recreation staff. Those costs don't change when one less person is in the stateroom. However, we hit a gray area when we look at food and beverage - in theory, the cruise line saves money (or is in a position to save money). Practically speaking, they do have to take supplies on in full case quantities. When, say, they can get by with one case less of lettuce, one less of sirloin steak, etc., there are savings to be had. So, when there are enough singles/empty staterooms/fewer families of 3 or 4... they can start cutting back on provisions. It's not a sure thing that just one less person can make a difference. Similarly, the dining rooms prepare meals in advance, based on estimated demand, and they tend to prepare a bit more, just in case demand is higher. So, can one guest fewer make a dent in that? Probably not. Another factor, from the cruise line's perspective, is that fewer guests on board means fewer optional items sold - excursions, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments, souvenirs, etc. All those optional items may make the difference between profit and loss for the cruise line, so a ship full of singles, even at double fare, is not as profitable as a ship full of couples and families.

As someone who sometimes cruises single, I'd much rather get a break than pay double fare, as would any other solo cruiser. Alas, the cruise lines have all been cutting back on or eliminating solo cruiser breaks. If the cruise lines feel they can fill their staterooms with couples and families, they don't have much of an incentive to encourage solo cruisers.

The one "break" that should exist under all cases is the pass-along for port fees and taxes, since those are nearly always per-person charges by the ports and governments.

You said it perfectly, Dave! I was excited to see NCL was putting in studio staterooms on the Epic, geared towards single/solo travelers...until I saw pictures of those staterooms. Oy! Are they ever tiny. I understand they should be smaller since they are accommodating just a single person (or at most two who want to be squeezed into one of those cabins), but they are beyond small...they are downright claustrophobic. I would love to see the cruiselines add single person staterooms...just not at the size NCL did.

[jkrislc]

I'm late to the conversation, but moving your 14 year old into your mom's cabin, even if he doesn't sleep their may reduce the per person cost since your mom was paying for double occupancy anyways. The only reason this would t work is if the kids were sailing free.

[MBUS]

Originally Posted by jkrislc

I'm late to the conversation, but moving your 14 year old into your mom's cabin, even if he doesn't sleep their may reduce the per person cost since your mom was paying for double occupancy anyways. The only reason this would t work is if the kids were sailing free.

That's what I was going to say. We are a family of 5, and my DM likes to cruise with us. We always put one of the kids into her room.

Beth