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The question: I want to get on an Oceania Baltic cruise in June and the cruise line insists on a hefty fee.

TRAVEL CONCIERGE: Single supplement: two words that make solo adventurers growl.

The industry generally prices everything – cabins, hotel rooms, guided trips – on per-person, double- occupancy rates. When a single traveller takes up a double-bunk room, the single-supplement charge incurs. On cruise ships, that extra charge runs from 10 to 200 per cent of the lowest fare, says Denis Lim, president of Cruise Experts Travel.

For Oceania's Baltic Treasures Cruise, which sails from Copenhagen to Stockholm, fares start at $7,398 (all amounts in U.S. dollars) a person, double occupancy, or $14,796 with the single supplement. "Oceania Cruises occasionally offers a reduced single supplement on select sailings, but they are more the exception than the norm," the cruise line says. Lim recommends asking your cruise agents to help you select a ship that charges singles less, or to ask whether they know others

interested in sharing a cabin. Or suss out friends and family. Who wouldn't want to join you exploring the medieval squares of Tallinn this summer?

















Send your travel questions to Travel Concierge.

Karan Smith is a former Globe Travel editor.

Special to The Globe and Mail

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