Double Occupancy?

[mpc1258]

Whats the Deal with Double occupancy for ABD trips. I travel alone and hesitant to book based on occupancy restrictions. Does anyone know what the policy is, or if there are groups for single travelers. I'm not about paying extra just because I travel alone!!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

The single supplement seems to be between 40%-50% depending on whether you are booking a land tour or river cruise with ABD. Single supplements are industry standard, though there are some companies that run single supplement discounts on occasion (I've encountered single supplement discounts with Tauck, Uniworld, Amawaterways and Lindblad. I believe Overseas Adventure Travel also tries to keep costs low for solo travelers, though I don't know if they waive the single supplement). I think it's very rare on a tour or cruise that you will find 0% single supplement as they would be losing money by assigning only one person per room and not charging extra.

 

[mpc1258]

The single supplement seems to be between 40%-50% depending on whether you are booking a land tour or river cruise with ABD. Single supplements are industry standard, though there are some companies that run single supplement discounts on occasion (I've encountered single supplement discounts with Tauck, Uniworld, Amawaterways and Lindblad. I believe Overseas Adventure Travel also tries to keep costs low for solo travelers, though I don't know if they waive the single supplement). I think it's very rare on a tour or cruise that you will find 0% single supplement as they would be losing money by assigning only one person per room and not charging extra.

Ok so I kinda understand cruises but lets say for instance the California Disney Land trip. I know for a fact that the California Adventure resort sleeps 5. Why do I have to pay extra for a single, yet a party of 2, 3 or 4 doesn't have to pay more to fill that room?

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Ok so I kinda understand cruises but lets say for instance the California Disney Land trip. I know for a fact that the California Adventure resort sleeps 5. Why do I have to pay extra for a single, yet a party of 2, 3 or 4 doesn't have to pay more to fill that room?

But they do have to pay more. If it's a party of 2, they are paying for 2 people to take the tour. For example, if the cost is $3000 per adult to do that tour and they have a party of 2 adults, it will cost them $6,000. If you are traveling as a single, it will cost you approximately $4200. The extra you pay is offsetting the money they are losing by booking the single. You are actually getting more included in a land tour/river cruise as there are more inclusions on those trips than on a standard cruise. You are getting food, transportation, hotel and guided tours included. Keep in mind, there are only a certain amount of spots and a certain amount of hotel rooms they can book for these tours, so they have to charge a single supplement to offset losses from not booking a double/triple/quad.

I look at it the opposite way as we are a family of 3 and it irks me that I have to pay full adult price for THREE people to share ONE hotel room, LOL! Doubles and Quads are the best cost scenarios, IMHO! Edited to add: I love standard cruises for our scenario as the third guest is typically substantially cheaper when booking one stateroom for all three of us.

 

[Lilsia]

But they do have to pay more. If it's a party of 2, they are paying for 2 people to take the tour. For example, if the cost is $3000 per adult to do that tour and they have a party of 2 adults, it will cost them $6,000. If you are traveling as a single, it will cost you approximately $4200. The extra you pay is offsetting the money they are losing by booking the single. You are actually getting more included in a land tour/river cruise as there are more inclusions on those trips than on a standard cruise. You are getting food, transportation, hotel and guided tours included. Keep in mind, there are only a certain amount of spots and a certain amount of hotel rooms they can book for these tours, so they have to charge a single supplement to offset losses from not booking a double/triple/quad.

I look at it the opposite way as we are a family of 3 and it irks me that I have to pay full adult price for THREE people to share ONE hotel room, LOL! Doubles and Quads are the best cost scenarios, IMHO! Edited to add: I love standard cruises for our scenario as the third guest is typically substantially cheaper when booking one stateroom for all three of us.

That is assuming that they would have sold that space. And where does it end?They could easily then charge only 2 people for 4, because, "you could have brought 2 kids with you". I understand their theory, but it is kind of crappy for them to do that when they don't know for sure that they would have even sold that room to someone else, or the amount of people that would have booked that room. There are many ABD that do not sell out and even cancel due to low interest.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

That is assuming that they would have sold that space. And where does it end?They could easily then charge only 2 people for 4, because, "you could have brought 2 kids with you". I understand their theory, but it is kind of crappy for them to do that when they don't know for sure that they would have even sold that room to someone else, or the amount of people that would have booked that room. There are many ABD that do not sell out and even cancel due to low interest.

I'm not trying to defend ABD. I'm just pointing out this is industry standard. There are other costs involved beyond just hotel rooms when it comes to land tours (staffing, transportation - all costs that increase the more people you book) and ABD does offer other discounts to incentivize people to book. They've been in this business a long time. I speculate if they felt lowering the single supplement would be profitable for them, they would do it. I'm not sure low interest in tours equates to singles being disincentivized to book. If that's the case, then singles will be disincentivized to book industry-wide. In terms of land tours and cruises, it's the cost singles choose to pay to travel. There are alternatives - book with companies with lower or no single supplements, with companies that will try to find you a roommate (they are out there - try OAT for example) or create a DIY travel plan.

Also, if you book as a quad (4 people) with ABD, you typically get 2 rooms for your family, so it's the same as if you booked two doubles. So the idea they would up-charge a 2 person booking to a quad doesn't really make sense.

As I mentioned, as a family of 3 ABD "adults" (my DS is 12, so is now an "adult" in ABD's eyes), I can barely stomach paying full price for 3 adults for one hotel room on ABDs. When I research actual hotel room costs for each leg of an ABD, it hurts my stomach to realize what the upcharge is for our family. So, imagine, a single will pay, perhaps, 40% more for one room, as a family of 3, we are paying 50% more for one room. It's the biggest reason our ABDs are few and far between and I've done DIY travel in some countries (Greece, for example) as opposed to booking ABD.

Some tour companies actually limit the amount of singles they will even sell. I was eyeing a Tauck Eastern Canada tour for myself, as a single, and it's sold out for singles. If I book as a double, they would be happy to book it for me at 200% the single cost. Again, many companies offer single supplement discounts and it's certainly worth looking into. I priced out an Ama cruise a few weeks ago (decided to book ABD for much more, but what ABD offered for our family was worth it for us), and they were going to give us a substantial discount on the single stateroom supplement if we had booked. It was still more than what we were paying total for the double however, but, for connecting staterooms, all in, it was a good price. It's just the nature of the game. If one wants to avoid single supplements altogether, booking stand-alone hotel rooms and private tours is probably the way to go, but even then, if you are paying a fixed rate for a tour (for instance a WDW VIP tour which accommodates 10 people), you aren't saving anything by booking as a single person.

We can rail against this all we want, but it is what it is and it won't change unless ABD thinks it will positively affect their bottom line. Until then, we all have the power to research, price out and purchase what will best suit our needs no matter how big or small our families may be.

 

[abdgeek]

Whats the Deal with Double occupancy for ABD trips. I travel alone and hesitant to book based on occupancy restrictions. Does anyone know what the policy is, or if there are groups for single travelers. I'm not about paying extra just because I travel alone!!

Unfortunately, having to pay a single supplement is a part of traveling solo. As OP have said, unless you can find companies that don’t require it. I travel solo all the time and have made peace with the single supplement. I also travel almost exclusively with ABD and DCL. ABD charges about 140% for singles and DCL was 190% the last time I traveled with them. To Disney’s credit, they didn’t charge singles the full 190-200% for the longest time even though other cruise lines were. If I had to wait for someone to want to travel where I wanted to for the price I’m willing to pay, I would never be able to travel. Paying the single supplement allows me to go solo and not have to share my room with anyone.

 

[sayhello]

Unfortunately, having to pay a single supplement is a part of traveling solo. As OP have said, unless you can find companies that don’t require it. I travel solo all the time and have made peace with the single supplement. I also travel almost exclusively with ABD and DCL. ABD charges about 140% for singles and DCL was 190% the last time I traveled with them. To Disney’s credit, they didn’t charge singles the full 190-200% for the longest time even though other cruise lines were. If I had to wait for someone to want to travel where I wanted to for the price I’m willing to pay, I would never be able to travel. Paying the single supplement allows me to go solo and not have to share my room with anyone.

This, exactly. Do I enjoy paying an extra 40%? Of course not. But it's part of the price of traveling solo. I'm not a fan of sharing a room; I like to have my own space. So I pay extra for that.

Even if you booked a trip on your own, if you book a hotel room, the price of the room is the price of the room. You are not going to book the room for 1/2 of what two people are paying for that room. And most hotels will charge extra for more than 2 people. The price of most hotel rooms *assumes* double occupancy. A certain percentage of the price of your ABD is the hotel room. That hotel room costs ABD the same amount whether they have one person in the room or two. So you pay a bit more to cover that cost. Honestly, most cruises charge 100% extra, and I'm not eating, drinking or doing activities for two, or taking up 2 seats in the theater. I don't think railing against ABD is the answer. 40% is actually pretty decent for a single supplement. If you don't want to pay it, find a company that doesn't have a single supplement, or get a roommate. It's just the way the travel industry is.

Sayhello

 

[Dtw002]

How does it work on ABD if you have 5 people in your party? Looking at the London/Paris trip. 3 are kids with one under 10. Would we have to get 3 rooms; pay extra for the 5th person? Thanks!

 

[lovetotravel]

You will have 2 reservations: A double and a triple occupancy. At least one adult per room. Make sure you ask for connecting or adjacent and bed type preference (double, singles, etc)

Notes on Accommodations: (Subject to Availability):

Parties of 3:
In London: 1 room with 1 queen bed and 1 rollaway
In Paris: 1 room with 1 queen bed and 1 rollaway

 

[DisneyWishes14]

How does it work on ABD if you have 5 people in your party? Looking at the London/Paris trip. 3 are kids with one under 10. Would we have to get 3 rooms; pay extra for the 5th person? Thanks!

You will have 2 reservations: A double and a triple occupancy. At least one adult per room. Make sure you ask for connecting or adjacent and bed type preference (double, singles, etc)

Notes on Accommodations: (Subject to Availability):

Parties of 3:
In London: 1 room with 1 queen bed and 1 rollaway
In Paris: 1 room with 1 queen bed and 1 rollaway

Yes, exactly as lovetotravel says. OP, you won't have to pay a single supplement for your reservations as you are booking a double and a triple (no singles). You will pay the price listed for each guest - anyone 12 and over will pay the "adult" price and anyone 11 and younger will pay the "child" price

 

[dt14890]

Whats the Deal with Double occupancy for ABD trips. I travel alone and hesitant to book based on occupancy restrictions. Does anyone know what the policy is, or if there are groups for single travelers. I'm not about paying extra just because I travel alone!!

This will probably get deleted as it mentions another tour group but here it goes. If you are looking at tours in the US, look at national park tourz ( yes, with a z at the end). Their single supplement is nominal, about what ABD was when they first started out. Southwest Splendors ( now Arizona/Utah) had a supplement of $250 back in 2007 and I got an early booking discount of $200. Sweet deal back then.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I rarely travel alone but I took my daughter on the ama waterway Christmas market cruise last year. For a variety of reasons we don’t share a room. I got one cabin for no single supp and another at 50% of the usual Additional single rate. I thought that was great. It’s not economically feasible for companies to offer certain travel, like a cruise, for the cost of just a single person. They would essentially be losing 50% of their going rate.
That said I’ve heard Norwegian Cruise is offering some single cabins. Pretty small but still no supplement. And some of the luxury lines like crystal sometimes offer cabins at only a small percentage, Like 10 or 20 percent, over the cost of one passenger. We have traveled with gate 1 travel, although as a couple, but their single supplement seems quite reasonable.

 

[kaseyC]

And some of the luxury lines like crystal sometimes offer cabins at only a small percentage, Like 10 or 20 percent, over the cost of one passenger.

That is true. I have an upcoming transatlantic crossing I'm doing solo with Seabourn. At the time I booked they were doing a lower single supplement for a Single Verandah GTY. Regent and Silversea also offers reduced single supplements on certain itineraries and/or dates.

 

[DisneyDarling216]

As a family of 3, I travel with my parents, the joke has become I haven't slept on a bed on vacation for close to 10 years now, between Cruises (Sleeping on a Couch), or sharing European hotel rooms, where I get a Cot. Before we left on the Danube River Cruise, I slept on a padded shelf. I've finally decided that it is worth it for me to pay the single supplement on the River Cruise we would like to take in September. As the third person it is about $2500 more for my own room, and I don't have to sleep on a pull-out chair, yes that's right not a couch a chair. I know for 2021 River Cruise we are taking with ABD I was able to get a single room, so no supplement there.

I completely understand needing the single supplement, and it is something that we all just have to live to, you don't just want to break even, you want to make money, and sometime it is worth paying that supplement to have a better sleeping arrangement!

 

[OhanaCuz]

As a family of 3, I travel with my parents, the joke has become I haven't slept on a bed on vacation for close to 10 years now, between Cruises (Sleeping on a Couch), or sharing European hotel rooms, where I get a Cot. Before we left on the Danube River Cruise, I slept on a padded shelf. I've finally decided that it is worth it for me to pay the single supplement on the River Cruise we would like to take in September. As the third person it is about $2500 more for my own room, and I don't have to sleep on a pull-out chair, yes that's right not a couch a chair. I know for 2021 River Cruise we are taking with ABD I was able to get a single room, so no supplement there.

I completely understand needing the single supplement, and it is something that we all just have to live to, you don't just want to break even, you want to make money, and sometime it is worth paying that supplement to have a better sleeping arrangement!

You really made the right choice. Three adults sleeping in that room would be really tight. The single supplement was a huge factor in deciding on our second river cruise.

 

[sayhello]

You really made the right choice. Three adults sleeping in that room would be really tight. The single supplement was a huge factor in deciding on our second river cruise.

The only reason I decided to do the Rhone was because they had a Single category cabin with no single supplement. The only reason I signed up for the Danube was because they had a special on the Single Supplement for a category C cabin that first year ("only" 50%). 100% is way more than I'm willing to pay for a Single Supplement.

Sayhello

 

[laceltris3]

Tauck generally always has a class of rooms with no single supplement at all on its river cruises (at least the Bridges ones). We are a family of 5, but the cheapest way for us to go was to book 4 in one of the suites and one in a room with no single supplement. We will still likely just get extra keys and sleep 2/3 on the boat anyway, but it's nice to have the flexibility and access to the suite amenities. The cost for each person in the suite was the same cost as the price for the single (no supplement) in the lowest category room.

 

[Aelin1977]

Whats the Deal with Double occupancy for ABD trips. I travel alone and hesitant to book based on occupancy restrictions. Does anyone know what the policy is, or if there are groups for single travelers. I'm not about paying extra just because I travel alone!!

The cost of the trip that you see listed that is per person, only accounts for 1/2 the cost of the room. As with any hotel booking, if I'm travelling alone, I have to foot the full cost of that $400 a night room. If I'm travelling with someone, that cost is cut in half so we each pay $200 a night. The single supplement is basically the other half of the hotel room costs. I've travelled with a number of different companies and each one has a single supplement for solo travellers unless they are willing to share a room with another solo traveller of the same gender. I think I've only come across one or two tour companies that offer trips for solos where the supplement is waived but the number of trips they offer is very limited.

 

[Sakura1017]

As a family of 3, I travel with my parents, the joke has become I haven't slept on a bed on vacation for close to 10 years now, between Cruises (Sleeping on a Couch), or sharing European hotel rooms, where I get a Cot. Before we left on the Danube River Cruise, I slept on a padded shelf. I've finally decided that it is worth it for me to pay the single supplement on the River Cruise we would like to take in September. As the third person it is about $2500 more for my own room, and I don't have to sleep on a pull-out chair, yes that's right not a couch a chair. I know for 2021 River Cruise we are taking with ABD I was able to get a single room, so no supplement there.

I completely understand needing the single supplement, and it is something that we all just have to live to, you don't just want to break even, you want to make money, and sometime it is worth paying that supplement to have a better sleeping arrangement!

How did you word it so you got the single room with no supplement charge? Im going on s rhine cruise where my parent are in one category, and Im in another category, but its a single supplement charge.