What does a solo cabin look like? Inside Celebrity Ascent's single staterooms.
I walked into a solo stateroom on Celebrity Cruises’ new ship, Ascent, expecting a cozy – if not cramped – space built for one. But the ship’s single cabins punch above their weight.
Many cruise lines have invested more heavily in single-occupancy accommodations in recent years, including Celebrity. Ascent features more than double the number of solo staterooms than Celebrity Edge, which debuted in 2018, according to the line’s president Laura Hodges Bethge.
“So, we are seeing that level of demand for individuals and for solo travel,” she said in a press briefing on board the ship earlier this month. Here’s what passengers can expect.
What are Celebrity Ascent’s solo cabins like?
The ship’s Edge Single Staterooms with Infinite Veranda features a sunroom-like section with a floor-to-ceiling window that retracts halfway, giving guests access to ocean air (but not a full balcony) with the push of a button and helping the cabin feel larger. The area can also be cordoned off from the rest of the stateroom via folding dividers.
Each stateroom has a queen-size bed, a seating area with a table by the window and a desk.
How much do Ascent’s solo cabins cost?
Prices vary by sailing date, length and other factors, but an Edge Single Stateroom with Infinite Veranda currently starts at an average of $1,963 per person for a seven-night cruise to the Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman departing March 31. Celebrity fares include many food options on board, drinks like coffee and iced tea and more.
Travelers booked in those rooms also don’t have to pay the single supplement they would in a double occupancy cabin.
What else should solo travelers know?
Hodges Bethge noted that the cruise line hosts events for passengers who are sailing on their own “so folks can meet each other.” The line’s Activity Team hosts the Solo Travelers’ Gathering and Dinner (the Shore Excursions team also attends in case guests want to buddy up and book an activity).
What it's like to go on a solo cruise: No agenda, new people and plenty of entertainment
There will also be “an unhosted solos’ table every night thereafter for anybody who is enjoying the company of new friends for dinner,” Celebrity’s website reads.
Hodges Bethge said Celebrity has also offered promotions discounting or waiving the single supplement to encourage solo bookings “because we know that it's a trend and something that folks are coming to us for.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside the solo cabins on Celebrity Cruises' new ship