Prices go up

[seastar2]

I also noticed the price increases for May 2010 on the Quest trip we have been pricing!!!!! :eek: Almost 400 per person. If the itineraray wasn't almost perfect I would look at other lines....our other choice is a land tour but we'd rather be on the ship.

 

We may book and watch the pricing ..can always cancel if we find something better. We have heard and read such good things about Azamara.

 

If the price drops I would like a refund but OBC would be fine since it would cover some of the shore x's.

[Metrodiva]

Actually there was a week at the end of October when Azamara lowered prices by $150 or so in all categories. I happen to book that week. Then I noticed yesterday that the prices are now $400 higher pp from what I booked.

 

I guess I got lucky. I think management is not sure which way to go. Why the price dip last month? Now the heavy increase as the cruise date gets closer? That's like airline seats.

 

It doesn't pay to procrastinate in this -- I learned that with airline tickets. You see a great fare, grab it.

 

Metrodiva in NY:cool:

[shoesonfire]

I also noticed the price increases for May 2010 on the Quest trip we have been pricing!!!!! :eek: Almost 400 per person. If the itineraray wasn't almost perfect I would look at other lines....our other choice is a land tour but we'd rather be on the ship.

 

We may book and watch the pricing ..can always cancel if we find something better. We have heard and read such good things about Azamara.

 

If the price drops I would like a refund but OBC would be fine since it would cover some of the shore x's.

 

I noted that prices on AZ have gotten higher for Quest May 2010 since I booked in Oct. However, I see one of the largest (actually the one that I booked with) still has some excellent pricing and obc offers on balconies and suites. You might want to search carefully.

[Jade13]

The prices have doubled in some cases.

 

I just checked a ton of dates for 2010 and Verandahs on the 12-14 night cruises range from $3,000-$4,500.00pp. On some cruises the Verandah prices were under $2,000 earlier this year, plus at certain times Azamara was offering pre-paid gratuities and OBC this year.

 

We are going on our first Azamara cruise, but it could be our last if suddenly pricing has increased an estimated 100% across the board. This after all is not an all-inclusive with drinks. Was this the November increases or is Azamara stating the pricing will go up even further? They can get whatever people are willing to pay of course.

[suec12]

Well I think their main competitor (Oceania) has in the past used the marketing strategy of when they first roll out their new season, the prices are the lowest - then if the sales go well, the prices can go up. Of course the last year with the bad economy, they had to do some additional discounting. So I am thinking that going forward, the best time to purchase / put down a deposit is when the new schedule rolls out. I am just hoping that A doesn't price up too much - the cruise we booked this year was about $500 per person cheaper than a similar O cruise - but now the prices have been raised and they are alot closer to the competition.

[Redtravel]

Beware. Celebrity/Azamara/Royal Caribbean have all in the past raised prices as a tool to get people to book. Sounds crazy, but it works. Watch for an announcement within the next month of a sale where they drop prices back to their former levels. The same people who were waiting for prices to drop before they went up will get excited and book. They will book at the same prices that they had resisted before the price increase. It's an old trick which works. This strategy sells. Car dealers are notorious for this practice. Many sales are fine, but there are those that are cons. Beware the cruise increase followed by a sale. Cruise lines employ marketing pros who know how to stimulate bookings. If you resist until 2 months prior and there are many empty cabins, you will win. It's still a case of supply and demand. One of the cruises that I had been watching is still very empty.....and if people have their wits it will stay that way until there is a true price drop. Remember, there are many vacation options. Be flexible, be patient, and wait....the sale will happen. The cruise ship will try to fill their cabins, hotels will try to fill their rooms, and airlines will try to fill their seats. While Azamara does the increase/decrease activity, they often turn people off. Those people make other vaction plans and are lost to Azamara this time.

[susiesan]

I have been on 2 AZ cruises, one Panama Canal and one Europe/Med. Each time I paid about the same per day, around $125 pp for a veranda cabin. I'm looking at pricing for Caribbean cruises next Dec. which is typically the least expensive time of year to cruise and Caribbean cruises are always cheaper than European. Unless I see a price that is no more than I paid on my prior 2 AZ cruises per day I won't book with them again. The Caribbean market is so competitive that there will be plenty of choices for this itinerary. Those of us past AZ passengers who got excellent prices on our AZ cruises are not going to pay double what we did in the past, especially if it is the same price as Oceania or another upscale line for the same product.

[almostnewtocruise]

I have yet to see those "cheap Oceania prices" on the itineraries I am interested in (no, not the Caribbean.). In most of them the price per person is aprox. equal to the cost of a cabin on Azamara. We don't drink enough to justify the difference..

 

I would guess that at least one of the reasons that price go up is the weak dollar (as opposed to the Euro or even the English pound) . Azamara cruises are very port- intensive and the ports' fees may have something to do with it. Maybe also the price of oil ?

As to the "excellent prices" we paid with Azamara in the past - that's true. But it was clear even then that they were sort of "unreal" - a fluke caused by the shock of the bad economy combined with a new cruise line searching for its customers..

I too hope for bargains, and would like to pay "less for more" - but when I see a itinerary that I like - with a reasonable price tag - then I'm ready to book. Now I am just glad that we booked our May 2010 Azamara cruise during the 3 days sale in October. There's always a possibility to rebook if the prices go down..

Miriam

[Redtravel]

I am watching a Caribbean cruise which went up about $350pp I'm waiting and not booking unless I get a good price. I don't want to be stuck with OBC if I book and the price goes down. I did call Azamara about a month ago and they confirmed that they will not give back cash or OBC. My last 14 night Europe Azamara cruise cost us $1799pp. Cat. 2A balcony.. It included $300 OBC and prepaid gratuities. It was a great deal. I booked it 3 months before sailing. I believe that there are still good deals to be made if you wait. The economy is awful. Where I live there are many businesses that are closing. The Christmas shopping season looks poor. Stores are empty even with sales. People just are being very careful about spending money.

The euro has gone up, but not that much. The cruise lines contract for services way in advance of the sailings to lock in prices.

[cpgrneyes]

We also booked our 14 day cruise during the 3 day October sale, so have the $500 Azamara OBC - I just saw the second price increase since then. The same cabin category, a SS, is now 13% higher.

 

Is there a sense that Azamara will gradually increase prices to compete with Oceania? For us, there just didn't seem to be enough difference to warrant almost a 40% price differential. I think some people would assume from the big difference that Azamara is a far cry from Oceania, so Az may be trying to change that perception by closing the price gap.

[mom&me_cruising]

The 10 day Greek/Turkey cruise for June 2010 went up about $2000 per person for a veranda room. :eek: That is a big jump.

 

Redtravel, 14 nights Europe 2A for $1799 was a very good deal. That kind of pricing, seems to me, is more in line with a mass market cruise line. What month was the cruise and which ports? I would like to keep an eye out for deals like that.

[susiesan]

We did two 7 day back-to-backs in April 09 Rome to Venice and Venice to Athens in a 2A veranda and paid $1890 each with all taxes and port charges for 14 days. That's $135 a day. That's the max I'm willing to pay on a future AZ cruise no matter the itinerary. I booked 11 months in advance but originally in an inside for more $$. Over time the price dropped and I rebooked 3 times and changed to the veranda for less than what the inside was to cost. We also has prepaid gratuities and $150 a week OBC.

 

For A Caribbean cruise in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the least popular time to cruise, I can wait for a deal because I know there will be plenty of space on all ships. Especially since the economy will be in worse shape as more and more people become unemployed.

[aandjw]

Listening to A's president speak last month he made it clear:

 

Pricing is going up in November. Across the board. The product is priced too low.

 

Remember - he comes from the luxury world. I am not saying that AZ is or will become a luxury line - but I think with a few more additions/inclusions they can demand a much higher per diem and still fill the ship.

 

Most sailings I have checked had a pricing change on 11/7. It is what it is and except for tactical sales (specific sailing needs help), the prices won't go down.

 

Now, should all he** break loose in the cruise industry, this could all change.

 

In terms "watching" a sailing, I am lost on that logic. Pay the deposit, if you don't like the way pricing goes, cancel before final payment. "Watching" a sailing go up in price is like playing red/black on roulette and it comes up green. Everyone loses!

 

btw - on RCI brands - all rate reductions before final are just that - rate reductions. Shipboard credit only comes into play during penalty period. Anyone who says different is mistaken.

 

my $.04.

 

jack

[Redtravel]

This is becoming comical. Just got a price alert that one of the Caribbean cruises that I am watching just went up again. Bookings are way off. Hotel prices in the Caribbean are constantly been going down. My agent alerted me to a price drop in my St. Martin hotel over over $100/night. If this continues, a month in St. Martin will be equal to a week on Azamara. And, the food in St. Martin is fabulous. Azamara is good...but cannot compare to dining on the french side of St. Martin.

On the flip side, a European cruise that I am watching did drop a little. This doesn't make sense. Wait and watch. Be patient and flexible.

[Paulchili]

If this continues, a month in St. Martin will be equal to a week on Azamara. And, the food in St. Martin is fabulous. Azamara is good...but cannot compare to dining on the french side of St. Martin.

 

Does your price estimate include eating for a month on the French side of St. Martin at least 2 meals a day (assuming breakfast is included in hotel)?

[cpgrneyes]

I LOVE St. Martin, but it is not the same thing as a cruise. Yes, the food is wonderful, but there's not much else to do but beach it (admittedly, not a bad thing), while on a cruise, every day is a new exploration. It's all a trade off, but I agree, if you see a cruise you want, put down a deposit and see what happens. Waiting is a losing game.

[Redtravel]

Price did not include food. However, having vacationed in St. Martin for 20+ years, I know lots of excellent restaurants that are fairly priced. Sometimes we eat cheap at the Lolos for less than $10pp. Sometimes we go upscale for about $50pp. We don't drink. Most of the time, our food costs us about $70 for 2 a day....and we really eat well. So, with the price decrease of $110/night at our hotel, it's like we'll be eating for free.

[alidor]

Love those lolos!

[NewPennCruiser]

I found this thread interesting, especially in that we noticed a large price drop in our cruise last month instead of an increase. Maybe we had booked high already, but my partner and I are cruising from Hong Kong in March 2010 on the Quest and we had originally booked one of the cheapest rooms on the ship...I think it was Category 8? Anyway, we noticed last month that Ocean View w/Veranda rooms were going cheaper then what we were paying. We called our TA and we now have a Deluxe Category 2A room on Deck 7 instead of our porthole room on Deck 3 and our final cost went down $100.

 

It certainly pays to watch. Our TA said that the cruise lines are sometimes like the airlines; prices can fluxuate up or down at a moments notice.

 

Dave

[surus]

I just checked prices for verandas on the July 2, 2010 Athens to Istanbul. It has gone up about $500 pp since we booked 4 months ago.

[Jade13]

I found this thread interesting, especially in that we noticed a large price drop in our cruise last month instead of an increase. Maybe we had booked high already, but my partner and I are cruising from Hong Kong in March 2010 on the Quest and we had originally booked one of the cheapest rooms on the ship...I think it was Category 8? Anyway, we noticed last month that Ocean View w/Veranda rooms were going cheaper then what we were paying. We called our TA and we now have a Deluxe Category 2A room on Deck 7 instead of our porthole room on Deck 3 and our final cost went down $100.

 

It certainly pays to watch. Our TA said that the cruise lines are sometimes like the airlines; prices can fluxuate up or down at a moments notice.

 

Dave

 

But what price range did you book? The difference I am seeing for a 14 night in Asia in February is $1,800 for Verandahs earlier this year that are now selling for $4,700pp, not to mention various offers earlier this year such as pre-paid gratuities or OBC from $200.00-$300.00.

 

Ok, I see the March itinerary for a 2A Verandah right now is $2,459.00, so a good price indeed.

[Redtravel]

About a month ago I noticed the really low prices on the March Hong Kong to Shanghai cruise. It was very low and with good reason. Those who know about weather would avoid that area in March. It is cold and wet....snow and ice are not unusual at that time of year. Not a great time to be there. Having been there in March and April, I would never cruise in that area. I was very surprised to see that intinery. The Hong Kong to Singapore is a much better choice. If cheap is what you want, wait. The prices on the March 6 Quest have increased with the rest, but will have to drop to fill up. As for me, I wouldn't sail there at that time of year for free. Been there, done that, and will not repeat that damp miserable weather again.

[Jade13]

About a month ago I noticed the really low prices on the March Hong Kong to Shanghai cruise. It was very low and with good reason. Those who know about weather would avoid that area in March. It is cold and wet....snow and ice are not unusual at that time of year. Not a great time to be there. Having been there in March and April, I would never cruise in that area. I was very surprised to see that intinery. The Hong Kong to Singapore is a much better choice. If cheap is what you want, wait. The prices on the March 6 Quest have increased with the rest, but will have to drop to fill up. As for me, I wouldn't sail there at that time of year for free. Been there, done that, and will not repeat that damp miserable weather again.

 

 

What is weather like the first 2 weeks of February?

[Redtravel]

It's winter. Although I haven't been in Shanghai in February., I'd bet it was cold. Check weather.com

[MVPinBoynton]

Jade,

Fortunately our cruises don't go that far north, so we should have fine weather.