Cruise Travel: Cruise fares fairly priced

This would be about my third ever "letter to the editor," but I was prompted to comment on the three letters complaining about "overcharging of single travelers" in the June 2004 Cruise Travel. I was particularly triggered by the person suggesting suing for fairness.

I have never been employed by a cruise line but do have a long background in marketing, and perhaps that gives me some understanding of pricing policies. As the cruise-travel industry evolves and more and more folks learn to enjoy cruising, I think that they might better understand the economic realities that affect cruising for all of us. Much like airplane seats and bananas, space (i.e., a stateroom) is a very perishable commodity. If an airplane takes off with empty space (or seats), that space is lost revenue. To have affordable cruising, operators must do all they can to sail nearly at capacity, or we customers will end up paying more in the future.

A single cruiser occupying a cabin intended for two is essentially ensuring that the ship leaves with unfilled capacity. If we were just talking about a stateroom, that would be almost acceptable; but not only is the space not filled, but all of the money that the potential passenger's empty space will not spend is lost too. In this day it is clear all cruise lines are looking for additional revenue sources beyond the cruise fare--excursions, drinks, stores, spa, casino, etc. The single person is not, I would assume, going to spend like two passengers. The single, even by paying double for the stateroom, is not going to be equivalent to two passengers.

Like airlines tickets the cruise fares are market priced. With that go some of the luxury and flexibility that the lines had when they could break even on under-booked cruises; but in return we can be assured that we, the customers, are getting what we asked for and paid for. There is a wide variety now in cruise lines, destinations, and services, and that is ultimately good for the traveler. Let's not gripe about fair pricing.

R. Goedjen, Saratoga, CA