A recent Booking.com survey of over 20,000 global travelers found that 40 percent of Baby Boomers had taken a solo trip in the past year and another 21 percent were planning to take one in the near future. Responding to this explosive travel trend, Victory Cruise Lines has eliminated single supplements on select 2019 cruises, provides 30 percent early-booking single-supplement discounts and offers no-supplement “Singles Save” fares on every departure.
Single supplements have been completely eliminated on four cruises in 2019: May 3, 10-night “St. Lawrence Seaway and Jewels of French Canada” cruise on Victory I from Portland, Maine, to Toronto, Ontario; May 18, “French Canadian Great Lakes, Nova Scotia and New England” sailing on Victory II from Boston, Massachusetts, to Montreal, Quebec; Oct. 19, 10-night “French Canadian Great Lakes, Nova Scotia and New England” sailing on Victory II from Montreal to Boston; and Oct. 22, 10-night “St. Lawrence Seaway and Jewels of French Canada” voyage on Victory I from Toronto to Portland. All four cruises are priced from $5,100 per person, plus port charges.
On every Victory Cruise Lines sailing, two matched solo guests traveling in the same stateroom qualify for a Singles Save fare, which is the all-inclusive per-person price plus port charges with no single supplement.
“Research shows that the greatest impediment to solo travel is cost, and cruise line single supplements often can be as high as 100 percent of the per-person fare,” said Hans Lagerweij, president and CEO of Victory Cruise Lines. “We want to be known as the solo traveler–friendly boutique cruise line, so we are removing that cost barrier on select cruises and offering a supplement-free fare on every one of our cruises for solo travelers who share a stateroom.”
Some restrictions apply to Victory’s solo traveler program. Solo travelers can only share a stateroom with a person of the same gender. Also, the solo program is not available to guests with sleeping or breathing problems, such as persons who use a CPAP device. If Victory cannot find a suitable match, a guest traveling solo can have a stateroom without supplemental charges.
Victory Cruise Lines’ standard single supplement is 60 percent of the per-person fare. During 2020 the line will offer an early-booking discount on most of its departures that reduces the single supplement to 40 percent.
Owner suite accommodations are not eligible for single supplement promotions or discounts, or the share program.
Lagerweij noted that a study conducted by YouGov and Agoda Travel found that 61 percent of respondents said relaxation and time to unwind was the number-one motivator for solo leisure travel. Another 52 percent said getting away from their routine was a top motivator and 45 percent wanted to explore new cultures.
“Those characteristics describe the Victory branded experience perfectly,” said Lagerweij. “Our slower pace of travel, extra time in ports, immersive shoreside experiences and onboard enrichment programs provide our guests opportunities to enjoy new experiences and create memories that last a lifetime.”
With attention to detail, a focus on personalized service and enriching experiences, Victory Cruise Lines caters to sophisticated travelers seeking an off-the-beaten-path journey. The identical 5,000-ton, 300-foot-long Victory I and Victory II feature an 80-person crew and all-inclusive shipboard amenities, with all food and beverages as well as shore excursions and immersive cultural encounters covered in the fare.
For more information about Victory Cruise Lines’ cruises for solo travelers, contact a travel agent, call 1-888-907-2636 or visit www.victorycruiselines.com.
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About Victory Cruise Lines
Miami-based Victory Cruise Lines operates Victory I and Victory II, identical 202-passenger ships, on all-inclusive cruises to Canada, Cuba, the Great Lakes, New England and Mexico. Travel agents are invited to join Victory’s select travel trade Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/victorycruiselines.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Buck Banks
NewmanPR
+1 305-461-3300
Media Resources: https://www.victorycruiselines.com/media/
For Travel Agents: https://www.victorycruiselines.com/travel-agent/