Joey's seven-day cruise was originally priced at $3,000, but she purchased it on sale for $2,000.
Even at the sale price, it was still $700 more than Monica's cruise, which cost $1,288 including gratuities.
Joey's higher price was due to two main factors. First, she bought a mid-tier room, which had a window. Meanwhile, Monica sailed in the Carnival Vista's cheapest room category, an interior stateroom.
An interior room on a Royal Caribbean ship can be between $50 and $500 cheaper than an ocean view room, according to Royal Caribbean Blog, so even if Joey had booked one, it likely still would have cost more than Monica's stateroom did.
Royal Caribbean also charged Joey a single supplement fee, which doubled the total price. Monica was not charged any additional fees for traveling solo, likely because the ship was running at partial capacity. According to USA Today, Carnival does charge a single supplement for solo cruisers but often runs promotions that waive the fee.
Insider paid for both cruises, per our reporting standards.