Question liveaboard cabin allocation for single diver?

[Parlem]

Hi!
A question for single divers with extensive liveaboard experience in the Egyptian Red Sea: have you ever had to share a cabin with a stranger even though the boat was not full and there were one or more empty cabins on your trip?

I'm considering a March trip on a boat that will likely be pretty empty and was wondering if it would be worth paying extra for single occupancy when I might end up being assigned a cabin all to myself, anyway.

It's happened to me before, but I don't have enough experience to say whether this is standard practice or I just got lucky. It'd be nice to save the 50% single occupancy surcharge ...

TIA.

 

[Tippytoes12]

My husband and I do Emperor boats and on one occasion in the Maldives there were only 9 divers and they guides said that the unoccupied rooms were being refurbished, so the several singles had to share. March will be the low season.You could contact the company and ask if they could comp the supplement or reduce it a bit.

The Red Sea is very popular and I do think that there will be fewer half empty boats than in the past.

Good luck !

 

[also_anon_dc]

Whenever there were empty rooms in liveaboards I've been on, the front office assigned people together that didn't pay the single supplement but the cruise director didn't care and let people spread out and have their own room.

 

[rongoodman]

I wouldn’t bother paying the surcharge. If the boat isn’t full you might well not have to share and if you do, no big deal.

 

[Finn_Diver]

I travel solo and have done more than 10 liveaboards in the Red sea with different operators. I have always got a single cabin, when they have been available. Only Emperor Divers asked on the board little extra for it, if I remember right 50-100 Euros. (Other than that they are an excellent company and highly recommended).

Emperor Divers at Maldives ( 2 times) did not ask for single supplement on board.

 

[Parlem]

Thank you all for your input!