spiegeje

I understand that perception exists, but I loved cruising with them because they always seemed to provide a good value with a luxury'ish feel, and they were making money then. It's different now.

I looked as far out as Royal's site allowed...April 2026 and there's a sailing on Independence out of Miami. A standard balcony is $3,277 for seven nights or $468 a night. This same sailing a year or two ago would have been $2,100. It goes to Coca Cay, Charlotte Amalie and San Juan. It's simply not worth it. I have found great bargains in the month of April in the past, but not now. The first screenshot is icognito mode and not logged in. The second is logged in with the same category cabin with the C&A discount. I think the book it early strategy is out the window right now while they ride this Icon publicity. It will have to go back to what competing lines are doing for me to continue with them.

Holy moly...you just hilited what I am seeing....personally, the thing that kept me going back to Royal doesn't seem to be there any more if they are pricing their product that way. I would have expected a higher price with a price check with your timeline, but $5,500 higher??!!! Wow....too bad we can't sell them on the black market.

It's definitely subjective...and I shied away from Carnival because of some of the pics of the interiors of their older ships, however I am intrigued by the Excel Class of the Carnival Corp. Some of the vlogs I've seen have communicated that it isn't like the old cheesy Carnival vibe.

I am Diamond with Royal and use a TA every time, and have benefited from group rates they have a few times. My diamond discount should apply since I did the dummy bookings while logged in. I think they are milking the Icon pub as much as they can and pricing everything within a year to a point where they may be alienating some of their Loyal to Royal guests.

I understand your point, however, pricing for an OV midship (no balcony) on Enchantment is $368.97 per night for two vs Celebration at $363.32 per night for two for a balcony. I predict that Royal's current high pricing may not last as people choose a much better product for lower cost.

I think it is because Royal's marketing is superior to the other lines. That combined with all the recent free publicity...they changed their philosophy from providing a great experience at a great value to getting whatever people will pay. I will walk away from them to another line, personally, and would not be surpised if others do the same...especially now that Carnival is publicizing an answer to Perfect Day with their own Celebration Island. It will be very interesting to see what happens.

I did the comparison because Royal's Enchantment of the Seas (built in 1996) sailing from Tampa in mid-May is priced 50% higher than Carnival Celebration (built in 2022) sailing from Miami in late May. This is not to mention the cost of Icon of the Seas right now. Holy Moly. That's an expensive proposition for dueling pianos and a giant orb with a view of the water.

True, but its a comparison of cruise prices at the same time from Florida ports in the same month using dummy bookings created on the same day. Look at Celebration vs Enchantment. It's not about trying to book a cruise 4 months out. I may do the same thing for two years down the line, but doing dummy bookings with Royal 2-3 years out is shocking as well. I currently have 3 reasonably priced sailings with Royal booked now. I can't get that pricing any longer. Jason Liberty's finance background is starting to show. I predict people may start walking to other lines especially when the Icon honeymoon dies.

I was thinking about how pricing is through the roof these days and given the recent earnings announcements, I wondered if a correction may be coming and how far off it may be. I have no idea, because Royal Caribbean's marketing seems superior to the other cruise lines and demand seems disproportionate to Royal vs other lines. I looked for late May sailings from Miami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral and Tampa. I compared the May 25 sailing on Icon, Symphony, Wonder and Enchantment for similar category cabins to compare with Carnival Celebration. I realize it's not completely apples to apples, but this was eye opening. Results (guarantees when the option was available): Carnival Celebration -- 7 night sailing on May 26 from Miami -- total cost for two is $2,543.30 -- cost per night $363.32 Icon -- 7 night sailing on May 25 from Miami -- total cost for two is $9,767.38 -- cost per night $1,395.34 Symphony -- 6 night sailing on May 4 from Port Everglades -- total cost for two is $2,994.48 (the sailings from PE were limited to Symphony 6 night and 3 night -- not a good comparison) -- cost per night $499 Wonder -- 7 night sailing on May 26 from Port Canaveral -- total cost for two is $4,707.94 -- cost per night $672.56 Enchantment -- 7 night sailing on May 11 from Tampa -- total cost for two is $3,798.76 -- cost per night $542.68 per night --> What??! I have to conclude that unless there is a correction soon, I may be trying other lines. I just don't see that the value that Royal has been known for exists right now considering a ship like Enchantment gets more for 7 nights than Carnival's second newest ship that has been getting good reviews. I am loyal to Royal, but there is a limit, and sadly, I am close to it. I don't think I will be "Loyal to Royal" much longer. I'm curious to know what others are thinking.

I have been to both and they are fantastic. I will give the edge to Jaime's Blue Reef because it is much closer to the port and the amenities, and I really liked the staff at Blue Reef. The food is brought to your palapa on the beach which is in contrast to Maya Chan which is buffet style. In terms of the amenities, I did an impulse scuba dive with Pepe's Dive Shop which is attached to the hotel. There are also several other dive shops and other businesses nearby. I am sure that one day, I will re-visit Maya Chan, but I am already planning to return to Blue Reef soon.