Disney Cruise Line: What is a Single Supplement?

“Single supplement” is general tourism term for an additional fee charged to solo travelers to make up for their lost revenue by not having a second person sharing accommodations. Single supplements are particularly common with cruise lines and all-inclusive resorts.

Disney Cruise Line does not use the term “single supplement,” but they do employ the concept, using the term “single-occupancy fare.” Per the DCL website, “If you are traveling alone and would like your own stateroom, you will be charged the same total package price as two guests staying in the same stateroom.”

I have sailed solo on DCL twice and would be inclined to do this more often, but paying for a phantom extra person really rankles my sense of fairness. Contrast DCL’s solo pricing with a solo traveler to Walt Disney World. At WDW, your hotel room price will be the same whether you have one or two (or three or four) people in the same room, but solo travelers don’t have to pay for food or entertainment (park ticket) of a non-existent companion. You are paying for the food and entertainment of that non-existent person on DCL.

I understand DCL’s rationale in the abstract, but they don’t even offer last minute solo fares, preferring to leave vacant staterooms rather than filling vacancies with individual guests. If you do want to sail DCL alone, the least expensive way to do this is by getting an inside stateroom. As a solo traveler you’ll find the space to be perfectly adequate, but you will miss out on the sunlight or outdoor space of an oceanview or verandah stateroom.

If you want to go on an ocean cruise and avoid paying a single supplement, there are other cruise lines that have cabins specifically designed for solo guests. For example, Norwegian Cruise Line has several ships with small staterooms designed and priced for individuals. Additionally there is a special lounge just for guests booked in these solo staterooms. Other lines that have solo-friendly cabins on some of their ships include MSC, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, and Virgin Voyages.

“Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy” is an offshoot of our “Disney in a Minute” series. Both are bite-sized nuggets of information that can better help you understand a Disney term or planning topic. Have a question about a DCL term that is unfamiliar to you? Suggest it here for an upcoming segment.