Prices

Can't imagine what your bar bill will be

Can't imagine what your bar bill will be ��������

Last year we went on two weeks to Carribean with Marella costing 1,100 pounds each, all inclusive. Marella is worth no more than this price. There are better quality and value cruises elsewhere

Last year we went on two weeks to Carribean with Marella costing 1,100 pounds each, all inclusive. Marella is worth no more than this price. There are better quality and value cruises elsewhere

Hardly a fair comparison as that 24 night cruise is a Trans Atlantic round trip so no flights involved. Its also a late saver so a one off. The fare does not include dining time choice, no free shuttles in port, no cabin number choice and no flexibility to change the booking. The true price is actually £2231 for a standard inside. The Marella Trans Atlantic equates to £77pppn but includes AI drinks and flights, compared to £75pppn on Cunard for no AI, none of the perks as previously mentioned and no flights involved. Marellas pricing is also consistently low and not a one off.

Yes there are deals to be had out there, but to get consistently low prices, I think Marella are hard to beat.

Hardly a fair comparison as that 24 night cruise is a Trans Atlantic round trip so no flights involved. Its also a late saver so a one off. The fare does not include dining time choice, no free shuttles in port, no cabin number choice and no flexibility to change the booking. The true price is actually £2231 for a standard inside. The Marella Trans Atlantic equates to £77pppn but includes AI drinks and flights, compared to £75pppn on Cunard for no AI, none of the perks as previously mentioned and no flights involved. Marellas pricing is also consistently low and not a one off.

 

Yes there are deals to be had out there, but to get consistently low prices, I think Marella are hard to beat.

I do take your point - we can only take a snap shot when we are looking to book for similar itineraries, length of cruise, type of cruise (ie fly/cruise or cruise only) and cabin category. However it's true to say that some cruise lines provide loyalty benefits such as a 10% discount for early bookings for repeat passengers and provide quite an attractive amount of obc which you have to factor in if drawing comparisons.

The first time we did the Caribbean with a cruise line other than Thomson I very carefully calculated the costs taking into account gratuities (I calculated that we paid them in full even though they can be removed in full), base cabin price and weighed up the differences. Granted we only had a guarantee cabin (not specific cabin booked - but no booking fee for the cabin either). Often shuttle buses are provided by the port authorities - we've been on many cruises where we've never had a paid shuttle bus -certainly not in the Caribbean. With the obc taken into account it would have cost us £1000 more to travel with Thomson discounting any bar bill on Thomson (not AI) which would have increased the differential - I assumed the not insignificant obc would cover our on board expenses on the other ship. I was disappointed not to choose Thomson but decided to give the other cruise line a whirl on the basis of that. We did have two less islands on the itinerary but we felt the £1000 saving would go a long way towards another trip and we didn't fly by a Dreamliner (but then not all Thomson flights are from some airports).

So it's a complicated picture. And often very difficult to quantify the differences - how much is a visit to another island worth in £sd? How much is the excellent entertainment worth to you? These are all questions I've asked myself.

All I can do is choose what for us looks like a good deal trying to assess all elements a cruise offers - but there are deals on other cruise lines and in my experience depending on what you're looking for (not the 6* experience!) I have found deals which have been as good as or better than Thomson. But I have an open mind and continue to search for what I think will suit us - at a competitive price.

I do take your point - we can only take a snap shot when we are looking to book for similar itineraries, length of cruise, type of cruise (ie fly/cruise or cruise only) and cabin category. However it's true to say that some cruise lines provide loyalty benefits such as a 10% discount for early bookings for repeat passengers and provide quite an attractive amount of obc which you have to factor in if drawing comparisons.

The first time we did the Caribbean with a cruise line other than Thomson I very carefully calculated the costs taking into account gratuities (I calculated that we paid them in full even though they can be removed in full), base cabin price and weighed up the differences. Granted we only had a guarantee cabin (not specific cabin booked - but no booking fee for the cabin either). Often shuttle buses are provided by the port authorities - we've been on many cruises where we've never had a paid shuttle bus -certainly not in the Caribbean. With the obc taken into account it would have cost us £1000 more to travel with Thomson discounting any bar bill on Thomson (not AI) which would have increased the differential - I assumed the not insignificant obc would cover our on board expenses on the other ship. I was disappointed not to choose Thomson but decided to give the other cruise line a whirl on the basis of that. We did have two less islands on the itinerary but we felt the £1000 saving would go a long way towards another trip and we didn't fly by a Dreamliner (but then not all Thomson flights are from some airports).

So it's a complicated picture. And often very difficult to quantify the differences - how much is a visit to another island worth in £sd? How much is the excellent entertainment worth to you? These are all questions I've asked myself.

All I can do is choose what for us looks like a good deal trying to assess all elements a cruise offers - but there are deals on other cruise lines and in my experience depending on what you're looking for (not the 6* experience!) I have found deals which have been as good as or better than Thomson. But I have an open mind and continue to search for what I think will suit us - at a competitive price.

Yes, it is a complicated picture and certainly not a one size fits all. We have cruised 12 times using 8 different cruise lines and we won't be tempted to stick with one line as loyalty is not rewarded to any significant degree - variety and all that is more important to us. We also find that where we have cruised the same line, we tend to compare whereas we don't with different lines because of difficulty comparing the apples with oranges. So going to Daveth10 post saying there is better value elsewhere than Marella is only applicable to him. To say that there are better prices than Marella, I still have to disagree as I cannot find a cheaper cruiseline that is consistent in its pricing - value is another matter of course as it is so personal. We are now willing to sacrifice some aspects of our "value" to be able to continue to cruise in our retirement and Marella at the moment is enabling us to do so. Long may it continue.

For the last few years we have sailed with Fred Olsen and as we only want UK round trips now and enjoy the cruising experience rather than itineraries, we are to some extent easily pleased. We use inside rooms and look for Anchor fares which enable us to keep cruising. That line’s message (to me) is non-intrusive, quiet enjoyment.

In the summer we sailed on Discovery to Iceland etc. We thought it was a fantastic holiday. We had sailed on the ship as RC previously. That was after sailing on Celebrity Galaxy which is now also a Marella ship.

At that time, 12 or so years ago, RC was a cheaper version of Celebrity and it was noticeable e.g. no sommeliers; presentation of menus etc.

We have sailed Cunard transatlantic a few times where the message is constantly reinforced that you are ‘on a voyage’ and ‘special’. We loved the splendour of QM2.

On Discovery, the food and entertainment were great. We enjoyed freedom dining and loved the Italian restaurant. We did miss the opportunity to play Bridge and variety of daytime lectures/talks but it didn’t matter. It was different, that’s all.

We also loved the AI aspect. We are not big drinkers but it was great to have wine with the meal and a brandy afterwards plus a nice coffee in the afternoon knowing there was no extra bill. I thought Marella’s message was ‘you are on holiday - relax and enjoy’.

That trip was cheaper than the FO one next month for which we have gratuities and drinks to pay for on that one.

We will certainly look at Marella next year without hesitation and hope to find something (anything really :)).

(anything really :)).

Like it :D

I do take your point - we can only take a snap shot when we are looking to book for similar itineraries, length of cruise, type of cruise (ie fly/cruise or cruise only) and cabin category. However it's true to say that some cruise lines provide loyalty benefits such as a 10% discount for early bookings for repeat passengers and provide quite an attractive amount of obc which you have to factor in if drawing comparisons.

The first time we did the Caribbean with a cruise line other than Thomson I very carefully calculated the costs taking into account gratuities (I calculated that we paid them in full even though they can be removed in full), base cabin price and weighed up the differences. Granted we only had a guarantee cabin (not specific cabin booked - but no booking fee for the cabin either). Often shuttle buses are provided by the port authorities - we've been on many cruises where we've never had a paid shuttle bus -certainly not in the Caribbean. With the obc taken into account it would have cost us £1000 more to travel with Thomson discounting any bar bill on Thomson (not AI) which would have increased the differential - I assumed the not insignificant obc would cover our on board expenses on the other ship. I was disappointed not to choose Thomson but decided to give the other cruise line a whirl on the basis of that. We did have two less islands on the itinerary but we felt the £1000 saving would go a long way towards another trip and we didn't fly by a Dreamliner (but then not all Thomson flights are from some airports).

So it's a complicated picture. And often very difficult to quantify the differences - how much is a visit to another island worth in £sd? How much is the excellent entertainment worth to you? These are all questions I've asked myself.

All I can do is choose what for us looks like a good deal trying to assess all elements a cruise offers - but there are deals on other cruise lines and in my experience depending on what you're looking for (not the 6* experience!) I have found deals which have been as good as or better than Thomson. But I have an open mind and continue to search for what I think will suit us - at a competitive price.

Excellent well balanced posts Kruzseeka.

One other point as my original post was about prices. Pensioncruiser mentioned not much change in the prices over the years. It all depends which airport you fly from. Tui / Marella have cut the number of flights from some regional airports.

For most cruises, especially in winter, there is only one flight from Scotland and that's Glasgow. Flights from Glasgow serve the whole of Scotland and the Borders and fill up fast therefore the prices start high and stay high. I have sometimes seen as much as £200 + difference in the price between Glasgow and Gatwick / Birmingham. There's a lot of competition down south from other companies and Tui at times find it difficult to fill their planes so the price of flights / cruises from Gatwick can be a lot cheaper than departures from Glasgow.

There are better deals to found with other lines with a lot more to offer. As Kruzseeka says keep an open mind.

Out of interest just re checked our Dream Xmas/New Year Cuban Fusion and Mayan Treasures B2B cruise in 2016 and the closest equivalent now is actually £500 odd cheaper! (paying extra for equivalent cabin) AI is included and we previously paid £280 for it. Our pre Xmas cruise this year is half what we previously paid and as transatlantic we will be eating and drinking more on board so getting even more of a bargain. Also wont miss one long haul flight one bit! Cannot complain about Tui/Marella value. Might want to go on a diet over the UK Xmas though!

Many aspects of cruising are very subjective. What some people experience as good food, others experience as poor quality. What some people view as good value, others view as poor value.

 

We all pay our money and we all make our choices.

How true. I have just returned from an impressive solo Explorer cruise and the Social hostess was telling us that filling in the online questionnaire really does make a difference as they have weekly meetings to discuss the results and plan improvements where possible. What amazed her was the totally different opinions of the ship and cruise, as if it was an entirely different ship!

An interesting article from the head of NCL Holdings regarding cruise pricing. No doubt all cruise lines will follow suit.

https://www.avidcruiser.com/2018/09/frank-del-rio-mind-the-curve/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9-16-18-Avid-Cruiser-newsletter

Interesting article but it must be borne in mind that the figures quoted both relate to luxury brands with smaller ships. There already seem to be far fewer 'good deals' on the luxury brands (not that I can afford them anyway!). The larger mainstream cruise lines keep expanding meaning that the number of available berths has rocketed. With respect to the UK market, I would think prices on P&O's larger ships will be very competitive as they are introducing two very large new ships within less than 4 years. Marella is perhaps more of a niche market and appears to be expanding but not as quickly - so it is anyone's guess what will happen to Marella prices.

Interesting article but it must be borne in mind that the figures quoted both relate to luxury brands with smaller ships. There already seem to be far fewer 'good deals' on the luxury brands (not that I can afford them anyway!). The larger mainstream cruise lines keep expanding meaning that the number of available berths has rocketed. With respect to the UK market, I would think prices on P&O's larger ships will be very competitive as they are introducing two very large new ships within less than 4 years. Marella is perhaps more of a niche market and appears to be expanding but not as quickly - so it is anyone's guess what will happen to Marella prices.

I think that all prices will increase dramatically, and by the looks of it the luxury market will be faster. The travel industry like any other works on supply and demand except that it allows algorithms to set the prices to the maximum it can get away with. Flights for instance are cheap a year out and get increasingly expensive as the planes fill up and only fall if the demand isn't there. The rate at which ships are being built can only mean high demand is there and hence people will be willing to pay more to get on one. There will always be deals to fill the last minute empty cabins and repo cruises that in comparison aren't in high demand. The UK market may react differently to the US, but considering most cruise lines are owned by the US majors, I sense it would catch up with them eventually

We first cruised in 2000, and what a change there has been. The bean counters went on a cost cutting crusade over the past few years and now they are on a crusade to extract the maximum amount of $$$ possible. What was perceived as "only for the well to do" may return - lets just hope its a phase they're going through.