Are studio cabins supposed to be more expensive than if you travel in a double occupancy cabin as a solo?

[Jamesszy94]

I'm like 98% sure a studio cabin is supposed to be much cheaper for solo travelling... but look what I found

The studio cabin was $3012 when I looked at it 3 days ago...

[Jamesszy94]

I was right

[SpeedNoodles]

Sometimes it's a supply/demand issue.

[Plumlee2028]

Anecdotally, I have found pretty shortly after the inventory is released for sale, the studios price higher.  I think the system initially looks at "There are only 12 of these" compared to over a thousand normal balconies etc.  Before long they come back down to pricing where they should.  

[Ampurp85]

Typically, those studio cabins will be cheaper because they are basically like an interior in terms of space......i.e smaller bed and living area, plus regular C&A points. However, on certain sailings and classes of ships they can be hit or miss like all cabins. I have seen, as a solo traveler, that a balcony on Wonder and Odyssey is much cheaper than an interior or Oceanview. It has to do with the demand and inventory. 

[Al Miller]

16 hours ago, Plumlee2028 said:

Anecdotally, I have found pretty shortly after the inventory is released for sale, the studios price higher.  I think the system initially looks at "There are only 12 of these" compared to over a thousand normal balconies etc.  Before long they come back down to pricing where they should.  

This has got to be it. Like the automatic pricing algorithm can't account for these types of cabins until they get manually fixed by some sort of managing auditor.

[Traveling Mike]

To me it looks like someone put double occupancy by mistake.  Simple data entry mistake. If you take 50% of that price it would be what I would expect based on the other room.

[twangster]

When there are only a few left they jump in price.  Try making it refundable and you'll really have sticker shock.  

Harmony's studio cabins have long left one shaking their head.  It's quite common for those cabins to be priced higher than a solo in a double occupancy equivalent.  Pay more and receive fewer CAS points.  I never understand the logic behind that approach.  

[Pattycruise]

5 hours ago, twangster said:

When there are only a few left they jump in price.  Try making it refundable and you'll really have sticker shock.  

Harmony's studio cabins have long left one shaking their head.  It's quite common for those cabins to be priced higher than a solo in a double occupancy equivalent.  Pay more and receive fewer CAS points.  I never understand the logic behind that approach.  

 

That's because many consumers don't research.  A lot of assumptions that a solo cabin would be cheaper.  A lot of people are unaware of the double points for C&A if sailing in a double occupancy cabin.  Thank goodness for this forum, I've learned a lot!

[Mark_A]

I never even bothered looking for a studio cabin. I cruise solo and just book a regular room.  I like the additional space...

[Ampurp85]

I booked a studio on Odyssey and then ended up changing it to an obstructed balcony because the price was better. I thought it was cool at first and then I was like its booked under the double points promotion, I am losing out.  I never search for studio cabins anymore. 

[Al Miller]

For Anthem's return to NJ in November I got a solo inside for dirt cheap. I'd been following their price for a few weeks, and they were slightly cheaper than paying the supplement. Then all the sudden they dropped over $300 for an 8-night sailing. Scooped that up. After taxes and grats it actually was right at about half the price of a regular inside cabin. Prices jumped back up a few days later. Not sure what caused the drop, but for once my incessant mock cruise bookings paid off for me.

[Plumlee2028]

Im going to Alaska on Quantum in September, and it was about a $900 savings in a studio balcony compared to a normal balcony.  I got of the ones on deck 7 where the balcony is half the size of the whole room.  

In the rooms losing the couch is no big deal, I hardly ever use it.  And the full size beds are big enough.  Certainly to save money for drinks/wifi/excursions/ etc. 

[CruiseGus]

trying to explain Royal's pricing scheme is an effort in futility.

I've been researching 2024 cruises this week and over half that I've priced it is cheaper to pick your cabin than to select a "Guarantee"

[Pattycruise]

37 minutes ago, CruiseGus said:

trying to explain Royal's pricing scheme is an effort in futility.

I've been researching 2024 cruises this week and over half that I've priced it is cheaper to pick your cabin than to select a "Guarantee"

I think they do that for newer bookings.  It might be that more people prefer to pick their cabin, and the cruise line would prefer it, rather than having the guarantee in effect at a cheaper rate from the get go.  Customer satisfaction?    With that said a JS guarantee on a new cruise was cheaper than picking the JS.  Since I'm familiar with the ship, and none of the JS seemed to be in a bad spot I went that route.  This will be my first time not in a cabin I chose (aside from a RoyalUp I did-never again).

[nferr]

All depends. I was pricing Anthem 7 night Bahamas out of NY for November 27. Cheapest solo was normal interior at about $1070.  Kept looking and one day a solo balcony popped up at $765.  Figured maybe it was a cancellation but I grabbed it. Right after a solo interior also appeared for about $620. Kept the balcony.  So yeah the solo rooms can be substantially cheaper. But as previously posted I've also seen them priced higher than going solo in a double occupancy cabin. As always it's be a smart shopper.

[Hagar]

I had a B2B in one of the single balconies when Quantum was brand new. DW wanted to go on the 12-night leg and Royal didn't know how to price it. They just cut my price in half so they could add her taxes and off we went >>>>>>>>>>

 

Close quarters is an understatement and a far cry from the suites I spoiled her with later in life 

[twangster]

Also consider that Royal sometimes offers reduced single supplements like 125%, 150%, 175%, etc.  for some or all categories of cabins except these reduced single supplements don't apply to studio cabins which are in theory already benefiting from reduced single pricing.  This can make the rate for a single in a double occupancy cabin better than studio rates.  It's a gift when it happens.

At the end of the day find the best rate that puts you on the cruise you want to take and don't get too hung up on nuances like studio being higher than double cabins.  

As you climb up the C&A ladder it adds another factor in price weirdness where a balcony (with CAS discount) can be near or lower than oceanview.  The reduced solo supplement for having more than 340 C&A points only applies to double occupancy cabins so it rarely makes sense to book studio cabins when you are solo and over 340 points.  Sometimes like for summer cruises where the 340 discount doesn't apply the studio cabins can be cheaper, but most of the time studio rates don't look good over 340 points.

[Al Miller]

4 hours ago, Hagar said:

I had a B2B in one of the single balconies when Quantum was brand new. DW wanted to go on the 12-night leg and Royal didn't know how to price it. They just cut my price in half so they could add her taxes and off we went >>>>>>>>>>

 

Close quarters is an understatement and a far cry from the suites I spoiled her with later in life 

From what I understand, they don't even let you do that anymore. It's one and only one person to a studio cabin.

[Jamesszy94]

I mean in the grand scheme of things, it's probably more worth it to travel as a solo in a double occupancy room for the double C&A points, but I got curious and did a number of mock bookings to see if I could snag a studio cabin. 

[nferr]

12 hours ago, Jamesszy94 said:

I mean in the grand scheme of things, it's probably more worth it to travel as a solo in a double occupancy room for the double C&A points, but I got curious and did a number of mock bookings to see if I could snag a studio cabin. 

They sell fast. Hard to even fine one on a mock booking.

[Travelling Solo]

I found the same issue on this sailing to Australia from Singapore.  I have contacted Royal Caribbean and been told it is a marketing ploy to get singles to book the full size cabin.  It annoys me that my brother and sister in law can book and pay $2177 pp for an obstructed balcony cabin.

if that game is being played then change your Frequently Asked Questions answer to an honest one.

‘Although we don't have specific pricing for single occupancy, we do offer studio staterooms on select ships. The advantage of these studio staterooms is that they can be reserved by someone cruising alone without the usual single supplement fee, which doubles the cost of the cruise fare. We offer an inside studio stateroom, virtual balcony staterooms - as well as a super studio ocean view stateroom with balcony - and these rooms range in size from 101 square feet to 199 square feet. They're the perfect option for someone who wants to cruise alone and are available on Brilliance of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas.’