Prices go up

[Redtravel]

I got an email alert today that the cruise that I have been watching had increased in price. I also checked prices on other cruises...most are up. I know that the cruise that I have been watching has not been selling. There are hundreds of empty cabins. Does anyone know what's happening? Are they about to announce one of those phony price drop sales. Meanwhile, I just got mail from the competition announcing decreases in prices. As much as I like Azamara, with prices going up, I may switch to the other line.

[Ronin23]

I have found the same thing. The cruise I was watching in May has gone up quite a bit. Has now made me rethink if there are better options...

[takemewithyou]

It has been reported here that the new CEO plans to increase Azamara prices starting in Nov - Dec. It has been recommended to book before Nov - when prices could go up!

 

Azamara has been significantly less expensive than Oceania for quite some time. Now, Azamara's prices may start to mirror Oceania's.

 

HAL certainly has been commanding huge prices for the Prinsendam for a long time and its' Prinsendam is essentially the same size as O's and A's fleet. People are willing to pay to sail on it.

[cpgrneyes]

We booked an August 2010 cruise last month, and the price increased a little over 10% when I checked today. And here I was monitoring for a decrease...

[MVPinBoynton]

I hadn't checked prices in a while, since I didn't expect them to be coming down. The price for our SE Asia cruise has increased by over $800 pp. We booked this cruise over a year ago and we got a further price reduction in February. This is a 30% increase in the base fare (excludes port charges). Since our price was under $200 p/day, it seems that the price increase was justified based on the wonderful things I have read about Azamara.

[susiesan]

AZ may try to raise prices, but with unemployment over 10%, more and more people losing their jobs, the weak economy, and the dollar in the toilet I doubt the price increases will stick. There is already a glut of cruise ship cabins and I believe the prices will come down next year due to soft bookings. There was an article in my local paper today saying wait and book 2010 cruises in Jan. and Feb. because that's when the costs will plummet. So that's what I will do for a potential Caribbean cruise for Dec. 2010.

[Christine Frances]

If there is an itinerary I really want to do I will book it at early as possible. I have the best choices of cabins and location at that time. If the prices come down the cruise line will adjust my fare:). If they go up I am protected. Same deposit amount now or if I book later and I can cancel if I change my mind. I would be so po'd if I had been watching the prices for my dream cruise hoping that they would go down and then saw it had gone up:eek: I am just thinking that the cruise lines are looking 1-2 years out and adjusting for what they think the economic recovery will be like at that time. JMO

[Redtravel]

Booking in advance with price protection only gets you OBC no cash back. I was watching a Caribbean cruise. There are hundreds of unbooked cabins. Since I don't drink and seldom take excursions in the Caribbean, I didn't want to get OBC if the prices went down. I've received some very good deals from competing lines. Maybe, I'll book with the other line....or if the economy gets worse, I'll be happy that I didn't book any cruise. Nobody who works in my family has gotten a raise this year, a few have been laid off, and social security is not doing any COLA increases. Raising cruise fares in this economy is not a good idea.

[alidor]

I think they are going after the more luxury cruiser - those who sail Oceania, Regent, Seabourn, etc. These cruises are higher and they are going out filled, so there is definitely a market out there. If they are going to price themselves to this market, they are going to have to make sure they provide the service and amenities these lines do. I can guarantee you their tie in to RCCL can be a negative and I hope they can distant themselves from that.

[Susan-M]

I think they are going after the more luxury cruiser - those who sail Oceania, Regent, Seabourn, etc. These cruises are higher and they are going out filled, so there is definitely a market out there.

 

I agree ... there seem to be enough people unaffected by the recession that I don't think Azamara will have a problem charging a fair price for the higher end product that they provide.

 

The price increases that people are noticing now seem to be on cruises that are not too far off. In the case mentioned above re the February 2010 Asia itinerary going up by 30% in price, it's only 3 months away and probably selling well. Look at the same itinerary for Feb. 2011 and it's a bargain.

[takemewithyou]

I just checked prices on the cruise I booked last month for September, 2010 on Quest...the price is up over $400 pp.

 

I think what Susiesan said in an earlier post may be all too true.

[MVPinBoynton]

Excellent point Susan. Our cruise for next year is just slightly higher than this year, excluding the OBC we got. I would have expected next year's to be higher than that.

[Christine Frances]

That's why I booked our Mar/Apr 2011 two months ago - the cruises far out were cheaper.. The first 14 night leg has already gone up $330 pp. Either way it's a gamble - I just know I'm so excited to be going:D

[gillianrose]

If prices have increased, then the strategy now becomes to take a chance and book after final payment when some people will have cancelled. Although you won't have as much selection of cabins, odds are the prices will be better.

 

The luxury lines are NOT all going out full. Check the boards of the luxury lines and you will see that the lines that refuse to discount are sometimes sailing with far fewer passengers.

[alidor]

No, not every sailing is full, but they are doing pretty well. There are lot of cruisers out there who don't want to do St. Thomas for the 30th time and they are looking for something new and more personal. The luxury lines fill this well with different itineraries and better amenities and service. I know a number of people who would not touch a mass market line, no matter how low the cost may be. I think these are the people Azamara is hoping to attract.

[California Native]

Our b2b in Oct and Nov next year also increased significantly for each segment

So much so, that it would no longer be an reasonable option for us, if we had not booked it 6 months ago.

Theres so many places in the world to go explore that we would have rethought cruise travel altogether since we are still young and able to lug the suitcase on trains etc.

 

We had also been watching for a decrease...

I;m sure that AZ noticed for a very similiar itinerary, Princess had their "little princess" priced much higher than they did without nearly as good as port times and reset their prices accordingly!

[Jade13]

I think a lot of people on these boards may not travel on Azamara once the prices go up. We truly got a good deal earlier this year for our Asia cruise because now the Insides are more than what we paid for a Verandah. The increase is really 100%. Actually the Verandas are sold out for Feb 6.

 

The pricing was a selling point since its not an all inclusive and also a new ship for us which had mixed reviews at the time we booked (much better reviews lately).

 

One thing I noticed is that Holland America Line is much more steady with their pricing. They actually start off higher and lower the prices closer to sailing if the cruise is not selling. Azamara seems to be going in the other direction. They are just trying to figure out what the market will bear. We also can't tell what percentage of our cruise is Americans vs those from Europe or Asia, and how that affected pricing. I also think Azamara benefited from cruise lines like HAL pulling their ships out of Asia for most of 2010 (they have a World Cruise in the area) when there were problems with the economy.

 

It all depends on the service and what we would be willing to pay a second time on the ship if prices double.

[Redtravel]

Just in the past week, I was informed by my travel agent that Azamara prices have gone up and Caribbean hotel prices have gone way down. Everyone loves a good deal. In this economy saving money matters. I've noticed amazing decreases in winter hotel rates in the Caribbean. The recent price decrease will save us $110 per night on our winter hotel booking. That's impressive. My agent informed me that hotels in the islands are very empty. Maybe an extra week in the Caribbean is a good option to a cruise.

[almostnewtocruise]

Just in the past week, I was informed by my travel agent that Azamara prices have gone up and Caribbean hotel prices have gone way down. Everyone loves a good deal. In this economy saving money matters. I've noticed amazing decreases in winter hotel rates in the Caribbean. The recent price decrease will save us $110 per night on our winter hotel booking. That's impressive. My agent informed me that hotels in the islands are very empty. Maybe an extra week in the Caribbean is a good option to a cruise.

 

The best way to save money is to stay home..

It's pointless to compare a week in a Caribbean hotel to an Azamara cruise. A week in the Caribbean is really an option only to a week spent in a hotel in some other place (or maybe only to a Caribbean cruise - and there are plenty of bargains among those!)

 

You usually choose a cruise (and that's especially true with Azamara) because of its itinerary.. (and then after you've already cruised with them - you want to go again because they do it so well)

 

By the way - if one is looking for a "good value" and a cruise - no matter WHERE - then a Transatlantic cruise NOW can be a nice choice . There are great bargains there too..

 

 

That said, I would love the prices to remain low.. But - sadly - I realize that the bargain we had earlier this year (June 2009) may never come back.. (and - between us - maybe rightly so. I can't imagine them keeping up their high standard of service with those prices..)

 

Miriam

[topcop]

Our March cruise on the Journey has gone up by about $500 per.

[critterchick]

Booking in advance with price protection only gets you OBC no cash back.

 

My understanding is that the Azamara program works the same way as RCI - if the price goes down before final payment, you get cash back (after all, you could simply cancel and rebook). After final payment you get OBC, but it's refunded if you don't use it all. So the line will hold on to your money a bit longer -60 to 90 days - but in the case of price drop OBC it is refundable if unused (unlike the shareholder credit or onboard booking credit, which is use it or lose it).

[capecodder2]

I believe you are correct, critterchick.

[Jancruz]

My understanding is that the Azamara program works the same way as RCI - if the price goes down before final payment, you get cash back (after all, you could simply cancel and rebook). After final payment you get OBC, but it's refunded if you don't use it all. So the line will hold on to your money a bit longer -60 to 90 days - but in the case of price drop OBC it is refundable if unused (unlike the shareholder credit or onboard booking credit, which is use it or lose it).

 

I do believe the OBC is no longer refundable

Jancruz1

[uktog]

you are as ever correct Jan

[Redtravel]

A Caribbean cruise is nice....and I take Caribbean cruise when the price is good. The price increase for the cruise is not good. However, I never miss my winter vacation in St. Martin. I have been staying there for over 20 years. The beaches and the food are fabulous. Cruise food is good, but cannot compare to the gourmet food in the French restaurants. I just booked another week. So when the daytrippers catch their cabs back to the ship, I'll be sitting back and enjoying. If the cruise prices drop enough to get me interested, I may think about taking it. For now, Winter in SXM and maybe I'll take a cruise latter this year...or not if the prices go up.