Here is another edition of Mailbag Monday. Today we talk about single cabin pricing, age restrictions on both drinking and gambling and also a question about the Titanic.
Double vs. Single Occupancy Cabin Pricing
Since the price listed for a cruise cabin says it’s based on double occupancy that means they expect all cabins to have 2 passengers, right? So if I go on a cruise by myself will I still have to pay for a cabin for two?
Well, the answer to your question is both yes and no. While it’s true that most cruise cabins are based on double occupancy you probably will not have to pay double the rate. You will have to pay something called a single supplement which is basically a way for the cruise line to offset having only one passenger in a cabin. This single supplement will vary depending on the cruise line and will usually be anywhere from an additional 50% all the way up to double the rate (additional 100%). However since you will be the only passenger in your party physically occupying space on the ship you will get a slight break in port fees. So, even if you have to pay double the rate it will be slightly less than if two people actually took the cruise.
Please note that some cruise ships do have a fair amount of single cabins (the Norwegian Epic comes to mind). It also seems that the cruise lines are starting to acknowledge that more cruisers want to cruise solo so I would expect the amount of single cabins on cruise ships to more or less increase with each new build.
Can you drink if you’re under 21 on a Cruise excursion in Mexico?
I know that the drinking age in Mexico is 18 and Carnival will only let you drink on their ship if you’re 21. I’m finding out that a lot of the excursions they offer on land include drinking. If I’m twenty years old can I drink on the excursions?
I don’t see why not. Obviously while on a cruise ship you are subject to whatever rules the cruise lines observe, which in the case of a ship departing from the United States would be a legal drinking age of 21. However, once you are on land you are governed by the laws of the area you are visiting. So, even if the excursion is offered by the cruise line the laws of the land take precedence. The only exception to this rule would be if you are on an excursion to someplace owned by the cruise line. For instance, many cruise lines own private islands. If you are on an excursion to the Carnival private island of Half Moon Cay (Bahamas) the drinking age will follow Carnival’s rules rather than the 18 year drinking age observed throughout the rest of the Bahamas.
When a cruise ship is at sea, at what age can a person gamble?
When onboard a cruise ship the minimum age a passenger needs to be in order to gamble on a ship departing from a U.S. port doesn’t ever change. While in port the Casinos will be closed meaning age isn’t a concern and while at sea the minimum age will be either 18 or 21 years of age.
For the following cruise lines passengers need to be 18 years of age or older to play in the casino: Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean.
If sailing on Crystal, Cunard, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn Yachts or Silversea Cruises you will need to be 21 years or older.
Are cruise lines still charging the fuel surcharge they reserve the right to charge?
On my last cruise we had to pay a fuel surcharge. But when we boarded the ship we ended up getting a credit and I haven’t heard anything about this since then. I am looking to book another cruise and since gas prices are pretty high I was wondering if the cruise lines are back to charging that surcharge.
Yes and no. About 5 years ago when the price of oil hit a sharp spike cruise lines instituted the fuel surcharge as a way to subsidize the additional cost of fuel. After a while they rescinded those charges but stated they still reserve the right to reinstate those charges if certain conditions are triggered. To date I am not aware of any cruise lines reinstating those charges even though many of those triggers were hit long ago.
The main reason why those charges were never put back into place was because it was a public relations nightmare. Passengers hate the idea of being told they have to buy the gas for their cruise. However, cruise lines figured this out and instead decided to just roll the cost of the surcharge into the cruise fare. You see we don’t mind paying for the fuel as long as you don’t tell us we are paying for the fuel. So, what we saw was a rise in the cost of the cruise, everyone wins. The cruise lines still get to pass on the cost of fuel while passengers get to pretend they aren’t buying it.
How Large Was the Titanic Compared to Todays Cruise Ships?
I know this is the 100year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. In its day the Titanic was a huge ship but that was in 1912. How large would the titanic be compared to today’s cruise ships?
In 1912 the White Star Line’s RMS Titanic was a marvel of technology. Up until that time the world had never seen a steamer as large and as advanced as that ship. However, in 100 years a lot can change. So even though the Titanic was a Behemoth, by today’s standards it would be quite small.
The Titanic was about 882 feet in length and 92 feet wide. Its gross tonnage was somewhere around 46,000 tons. The ship had 9 decks and carried about 3500 passengers and crew. So while the Titanic was gigantic (lol I rhymed) in 1912 but in today’s terms that would be a baby of a ship. In comparison the largest of the Royal Caribbean ships (Oasis and Allure of the Seas) weigh more than 225,000 gross tons, have 16 decks and carry nearly 8500 passengers and crew.
Even the older ships at sea, such as the Carnival Fantasy, Dawn Princess and the Monarch of the Seas from Royal Caribbean are nearly twice the size of the Titanic. If you want an accurate size comparison you would need to look at the luxury cruise lines. Ships from Seabourn and Regent are a much better comparison.
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