Solo Travel

[tashaxxx]

I am looking at booking a room and Grandure of the Seas for 1 person. 

Does anyone have any tips on keeping the price down, at present i am looking at a full 2 person price with just port taxes reduced?

 

 

[JLMoran]

Are you dead-set on Grandeur? Anthem of the Seas has what are called "Studio" rooms specifically sized and priced for solo travelers. They have both interior (old category "SI", new category "2W" for itineraries after April 2018) and balcony type room (old category "SB", new category "2F"), but only a very small number of each (16 of the interior and 12 of the balcony rooms).

Cape Liberty, where Anthem is ported, isn't that far of a drive from Grandeur's home of Baltimore, so it could be an option if you need to save money. The itinerary options on Anthem are pretty good, too.

Apart from Anthem, only Harmony has a miniscule number of studio interior rooms and no balconies; no other ships have these studio room options and require double occupancy in all rooms.

If you still want to sail on Grandeur, I think the only way to save a little money is to purchase a "Guaranteed" room of the type you want (interior, ocean view, balcony, etc.). Guaranteed rooms have a decently lower price than booking a specific room, since you don't know exactly where it will be and may not find out until only a month ahead of time. People have reported getting great rooms this way, but you could also end up with an obstructed view room or a room below / above a major noise source like the pool, galley, or night clubs.

[JLMoran]

I just read your other question about TA discretion, and given that you're looking at a Bermuda and Bahamas itinerary, a studio room on Anthem really could be a good option. Anthem has a 9-night Bermuda and Caribbean itinerary that may work for you -- goes to Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee; where the Grandeur trip is the same 9-night duration but "only" visits Bermuda (for 2 days instead of just one), Nassau, and Coco Cay. So you get a lower per-night cost for the studio room, plus four ports instead of three (although you lose that extra day in Bermuda).

Just from a quick check, a Super Studio interior on the Anthem is $1,455 before taxes and port charges for that 9-night itinerary sailing May 17, 2018. A regular Interior cabin on Grandeur for May 24, 2018 (closest matching sailing) is $1,663.

A Super Studio Balcony room on Anthem for the same trip is $1,652, vs. $3,232 for a standard balcony on Grandeur's sailing (no Guaranteed type room was offered).

So for the price of an interior room on Grandeur, you can get a balcony room on Anthem, along with the benefits of a newer ship, more stuff to do on board during sea days, and an extra port. Seems like a pretty solid deal.

That all said, if you've already been to most / all of the ports Anthem sails to on that itinerary, or you really want the overnight time in Bermuda, then you may not find Anthem such a great option. But Anthem also has 4- and 5-night sailings to just Bermuda, as well as some other Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries, so it could still be a good ship to consider down the line.

[monctonguy]

Not much you can do to keep the price down...cruising solo is an expensive experience.

 

Best advice as someone who has cruised solo in the past is to check multiple booking sites and  keep checking right up to final payment dates for better deals.