Traditionally, guests that book a Royal Caribbean cruise (or a cruise in general), have booked a stateroom with at least two guests sharing a room. The cruise industry was built on this model, but in recent years, more and more guests have opted to cruise alone and Royal Caribbean has responded to this new demand with a special kind of stateroom category for folks that want to cruise alone.
Here is your guide to understanding what a solo cabin is all about, and why you might want to reserve one if you elect to cruise alone.
Why book a solo stateroom?
The primary reason why someone cruising alone would want a single/solo stateroom is because Royal Caribbean will charge a fee for someone trying to stay in a traditional stateroom by themselves. Royal Caribbean refers to this fee as a "single supplement fee," and it is a means of recouping the cost of that second passenger that is expected to be in the stateroom. Quite often, the single supplement fee is equivalent to double the cost of a single guest. Because the cruise lines business model depends on staterooms filled with at least two guests in them, single supplement fees have been the means of ensuring the cruise line is not taking a loss on a solo cruiser.
With single staterooms, there is no single supplement fee. When Royal Caribbean added these rooms, they designed them to be respective of the ship's business model and this means solo cruisers do not have to pay double the cost of what the cruise should be.
Studio staterooms are smaller than standard rooms, but they are meant to have enough space for a single guest to live in during their cruise.
Which ships have solo staterooms?
Here is a breakdown of the studio staterooms across Royal Caribbean's fleet.
| Ship | Stateroom Category | Bed Size | Total of Staterooms |
| Anthem of the Seas | Studio Interior with Virtual View Super Studio Ocean View with Balcony | Full Full | 14 12 |
| Adventure of the Seas | Studio Interior | Twin | 5 |
| Brilliance of the Seas | Studio Interior | Twin | 3 |
| Harmony of the Seas | Studio Interior Studio Ocean View | Full Full | 3 12 |
| Jewel of the Seas | Studio Interior | Twin | 3 |
| Mariner of the Seas | Studios Interior | Twin | 2 |
| Odyssey of the Seas | Studio Ocean View Balcony | Full | 12 |
| Ovation of the Seas | Studio Interior with Virtual View Super Studio Ocean View with Balcony | Full Full | 16 12 |
| Quantum of the Seas | Studio Interior with Virtual View Deluxe Studio Ocean View with Balcony | Full Full | 16 12 |
| Radiance of the Seas | Studio Interior | Twin | 3 |
| Serenade of the Seas | Studio Interior | Twin | 3 |
| Spectrum of the Seas | Studio Interior with Virtual ViewSuper Studio Ocean View with Balcony | Full Full | 16 12 |
Why you might want a regular room
It is important to note that while solo cruisers may seek out a studio stateroom, there are two main advantages of booking a regular room, despite the single supplement fee.
First, a regular stateroom will offer significantly more living space, along with a far greater variety of choices. As you can see from the chart above, there are not many variations available for studio cruisers and no options for a solo cruiser that wants a suite.
Second, Royal Caribbean does offer double Crown and Anchor Society points for guests that pay the single supplement fee for cruising alone. While it does have a higher cost than a studio stateroom, the extra Crown and Anchor Society points can help guests move up the status levels quite quickly.
Depending on your budget, booking a regular cabin may be an option to consider.
