Travel Question: Why do cruise companies charge huge prices for singles?

Q I read your story about the rise of solo travellers. That being the case, can you explain why cruise companies still charge astronomical single supplements? Sometimes it costs more for one person than it does for two people put together.

Iris E

A The mainstream travel industry appears to be very slow to respond to changing social trends. A survey earlier this week by ABTA, the travel association, showed that around one in six people between 25 and 75 take holidays alone. And for 75-plus travellers, many of whom take cruises, the figure is one in four.

The propensity to travel alone has increased by 150 per cent in the past seven years. But much of the infrastructure, from cruise ships to hotel rooms, is designed for couples.

It might sound counter-intuitive, but from a cruise line’s perspective, having two people in a cabin is preferable to solo occupancy. Sure, the extra person is going to eat, yet the marginal cost of providing those meals is probably only £10 to £12 per day – which will typically be covered by the voluntary-but-customary daily service charge.

Couples are likely to order more drinks than a single traveller. There is the prospect for selling more places on excursion places, taking more cash at the casino and in onboard spend in the shops. So it makes financial sense to price a cabin for solo use at more than the cost for two. But it’s still infuriating.

On many expedition voyages, you can find a berth on a ship without paying for two, because the companies operating these journeys will usually allocate you a cabin sharing with someone of the same gender. This does, I realise, limit the range of destinations open to you.

Let’s hope that the cruise lines soon come up with a way of dealing with the trend towards more solo travel, for example by creating a meaningful number of “economy singles” that use space more efficiently.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder