Cruising over a week or two really provides a great opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers in a relaxed and casual environment. Limited passenger numbers on our recommended small ships provide plenty of opportunity for expeditioners to really get to know each other, and there’s simply no need for anyone to feel left out or a ‘third wheel’.
However, as any regular single traveller will surely tell you, their biggest bugbear is the dreaded single supplement, which can sometimes almost double the cost of a Kimberley cruise.
So why do cruise lines seemingly penalise single travellers for holidaying on their own? Simply put, most small ships are designed and built to cater to a minimum of two people sharing a cabin, and the cabins are priced accordingly. So, when just one traveller wants to occupy a cabin cruise lines will often add what is known as a ‘single supplement’ in recognition that they could have recouped more money if two people were sharing the room instead of one.
Whilst it hardly seems fair to single travellers, as often it’s through no fault of their own that they require a single room, single supplements are a reality and the best thing we can do is try and minimise the amount of the supplement paid.
With that in mind, the team at Kimberley Cruise Specialists has put together a little guide for single travellers, outlining how you can cruise the Kimberley coast at the best price possible!
Low Single Supplements
Yes, you heard right! The good folks at Eco Abrolhos and Reef Prince have bucked the trend by allowing single travellers to occupy their own cabin with minimal single supplement!
In 2021 Eco Abrolhos will be charging just a 12% surcharge for single use of a Lower Deck cabin on their Kimberley Cruises. And you can travel on the recently-refurbihsed Reef Prince in any room grade upon payment of just a 20% surcharge.
We reckon the teams at both Eco Abrolhos and Reef Prince should be applauded for this great initiative. If you’re not too keen to pay a large supplement or share with another single then there is simply no better option to cruise the Kimberley Coast.
Singe Traveller Match Ups
If you’re outgoing and adventurous, and keen to meet new people, then this could be the option for you. Several cruise operators offer a match up scheme where you can pay the usual per person price (no single supplement) and they will try to pair you up with another single traveller of the same gender.
Often, if they can’t match you up they will allow you to travel in the room on your own without the single supplement being enforced.
It is the cruising equivalent of roulette however, and like Forrest Gump with his box of chocolates ‘you never know what you’re going to get’. You could be paired up with a potential life-long best friend, making your cruise through the Kimberley an absolute joy. Or, you could be rooming with the most annoying person imaginable, and if that’s the case it could be a real drag on your trip – particularly as there is no escape aboard a ship!
Speak to us today about which ships offer Single Traveller Match Up programs.
It is a gamble, but one many are prepared to take when looking at savings of several thousand dollars on the cruise price.
Paying the Single Supplement
Ok, so you’re looking at a ship other than Eco Abrolhos and Reef Prince, and don’t want to share your cabin space with a stranger, you might just need to bite the bullet and pay the single supplement. Supplements can range between 50% and 100% on top of the twin share price, depending on the ship and cabin grade.
Here’s an overview of what our Kimberley cruise partners charge for single use of a cabin:
Coral Discoverer
Single Supplement = 50% on Promenade Deck (B) Staterooms
All other cabin grades at 100% surcharge
Coral Geographer / Adventurer
Single Supplement = 50% on selected stateroom grades
True North
Single Supplement = 2X the twin share fare less 20%
Kimberley Quest II
Single Supplement = 50% on all cabin types
Great Escape
Single Supplement = 80% on all cabin types
Odyssey
Single Supplement = 50% on all cabin types
Diversity Charters
Single Supplement = 80% on all cabin types
Kimberley Pearl
Single Supplement = 50% on all cabin types
If you’re a single traveller looking to embark on a Kimberley adventure cruise, give our expert team a call on 1800 90 20 80 (or +61 7 4041 2101 if calling from outside Australia), email us or visit www.kimberleycruisespecialists.com.au
