Will RCCL ever come down in prices

[Sugar*Magnolia]

i don`t think you will be happy with msc please check reviews

My suggestion was due to the OP's questioning price. I dont have intentions of going on that cl..but for someone looking to cruise and spend the least possible, it could be an optin for "them". I beleive you get what you pay for, but there are some folks that cant afford it.

 

cruisedivanj

[Sequim88]

Who are all those people who can afford to cruise? I wonder sometimes too.

 

Like who are all those people who can afford Junior Suites or Grand Suites. Or who can afford to cruise on Celebrity or HAL or Regent or Seabourn or Crystal.... an on up the scale. I wonder because we have fairly average income and live pretty frugal but cruising is a choice we make and weighing the alternatives it is still a really good value. We do what we can to make it even more of a value by watching for sales and doing gauranty type cabin or doing a repositioning cruise. We never would have considered cruises before our kids left home and opted for driving vacations with a tent trailer. So now $550/pp for an inside or $800 for a balcony is our splurge but what we get for that (plus airfare) would be hard to come by in a destination vacation. Trying going to Disneyworld for a week by the time you pay for everything like meals and entertainment. :eek:

 

I think there is a cruise version of the old Peter Principle where people tend to rise to the cruise line and accomodation level where personal means becomes a limit.

 

I don't see RCI base prices coming down ever. In fact I would not mind a little increase (that's "little") to bring back some of the service level and notch up the MDR food but then I could get that right now by going with X instead.

[cgr377]

My suggestion was due to the OP's questioning price. I dont have intentions of going on that cl..but for someone looking to cruise and spend the least possible, it could be an optin for "them". I beleive you get what you pay for, but there are some folks that cant afford it.

 

cruisedivanj

i totally agree wiyh you,i personally like 10-12 day cruises i think you get a better bang for your buck

[bajathree]

Crashdavis565, we just sailed in December on the Oasis. (on 12/11/10) We had originally booked it in June of 2010. Unfortunately, our heat pump crashed later that month. I knew the RC has Tuesday sales so my hubby and I talked it over and we decided to take a gamble on it being on one of the sales. I watched every Thursday when they posted the new sailings, and lo and behold...it appeared in late October. We saved nearly $800 by waiting. I see great sailings every week on the Tuesday sales. We had already booked our airfare so we had that part down. The pattern for the sales are anywhere from 4 weeks out to 14 weeks out from the actual sail date. You just have to make it a point everyweek to check and be ready to book. Basically, our son sailed for free on the Oasis. Was it worth it? YES...! We had a great time on our cruise. It was a 10 out of 10!:D

 

Just keep in mind that Oasis/Allure are unique as you can reserve your entertainment ahead of time. The longer you wait the less the availability of entertainment and specialty dining reservations....often close to date they get filled and then you have to wait till you get on the ship and scatter to try to make reservations.....I can't tell you how many people were standing in line just a couple weeks ago on Allure frantically trying to get reservations to shows and specialty dining upon boarding.....I looked and laughed.....this IMHO is no fun...so just keep that in mind.....MUCH nicer experience when you have all your reservations arranged ahead of time.

[Jerseyboy1]

Who are all those people who can afford to cruise? I wonder sometimes too.

 

Some of them are credit card purchasers. Reality will set in when they are back home and the bill arrives in the mail.

 

Right now cruise lines are counting on enticing first time cruisers to sail with them on the new innovative ships. Some of these folks probably have no idea what the final cost could be.

 

I do think in the future though that if the economy doesn't improve drastically at some point, there may eventually be less cruisers overall.

[Cruising89143]

It's all about supply and demand. Cruise lines are going to price their product at what the public is willing to pay. Doesn't always work. If a particular ship or sailing is not selling well then you will see the prices drop. The cruise industry has managed to do very well during a very rough economic time. People still see a value in cruising over other vacation options. I know that we do. Ever price a week a Disney? :eek:

 

Someone mentioned the prices of Oasis and Allure. Number of ports has nothing to do with the prices charged. Those two ships are in a class by themselves and will be for a long time. They are very popular. RCI is marketing the two ships very heavily in Europe and South America and I know on my cruises, at least 40% of the passengers were non U.S citizens. I don't expect those prices to drop dramatically unless it's a last minute to fill up open cabins.

 

RCI is also moving a record twelve ships to Europe next year which limits options here in the US and creates more demand for the remaining cabins left which means higher prices.

[CincinnatiGal]

I am checked my cruise sailing again today and just cannot believe the increase today. I booked our cruise on an older RCCL ship ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS for October 6 sailing to New England and Canada. I initially booked my D1 category balcony room for $1729 a person and today it is $1929 that is quite an increase! Does that mean we can get better quality food on this sailing?

[Sugar*Magnolia]

To some it is a "value", maye not to all. There will always be those folks who pay what they're asked, dont watch the site for price reductions, ahve busy lives and can only cruise with their families during PEAK season. So, for those who cruise off season, well of course it will be less then winter break, spring break or summer.

 

We also much prefer the longer cruises, 9-14 nights, but realistically not everyone has the advantage of taking off that much time from work, or from school. We consider ourselves very lucky and our kids appreciate their cruises, they have been on 8 since we have started cruising again (since DH and our first in 1987 on Amerikanis!)

 

Oasis/Allure are the destination in themselves. After spending a couple hours last night looking at 1/2011 compass' from the Oasis western caribbean and trying to select the times we want to see shows, I have really, really, REALLY decided, this will most likely be the one and only time we go on Oasis. It is DS's choice, since it is his HS graduation. It is only a 7 night sail, I must book my shows prior (not my style! specialty dinner- definitely, booking shows- rather not be forced to do this prior to my cruise). We quickly switched to MTD because there was no way I would personally want to have to see a show at 5:30 on a formal night, becaue I had late seating. (hope that made sense)

 

So, is it affordable? Depends on the length and your pocket. I also think it is a lot more affordable then an AI during prime time.

[Cruising89143]

I am checked my cruise sailing again today and just cannot believe the increase today. I booked our cruise on an older RCCL ship ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS for October 6 sailing to New England and Canada. I initially booked my D1 category balcony room for $1729 a person and today it is $1929 that is quite an increase! Does that mean we can get better quality food on this sailing?

 

So did you price go up? The ship must be sailing well enough that RCI felt that they could raise the price.

[bajathree]

It's all about supply and demand. Cruise lines are going to price their product at what the public is willing to pay. Doesn't always work. If a particular ship or sailing is not selling well then you will see the prices drop. The cruise industry has managed to do very well during a very rough economic time. People still see a value in cruising over other vacation options. I know that we do. Ever price a week a Disney? :eek:

 

Someone mentioned the prices of Oasis and Allure. Number of ports has nothing to do with the prices charged. Those two ships are in a class by themselves and will be for a long time. They are very popular. RCI is marketing the two ships very heavily in Europe and South America and I know on my cruises, at least 40% of the passengers were non U.S citizens. I don't expect those prices to drop dramatically unless it's a last minute to fill up open cabins.

 

RCI is also moving a record twelve ships to Europe next year which limits options here in the US and creates more demand for the remaining cabins left which means higher prices.

 

Or how about a week at Atlantis with food included:eek:....and every time I go there they are PACKED....they seem to fill rooms at their 2 most expensive towers...The Reef and Cove quite well.

 

People here seem to forget that there are a lot of international customers who come here to cruise...so while the economy here may not be booming it is in some other places.....also may I remind you of the stock markets performance over the last 2 years....those that watched there 401 K's crash are now feeling OK again....and those that jumped into the market during the lows.....well they are feeling very rich about now.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

FYI: We're sailing on Oasis 6/25 and the prices arent coming down yet, and there seesm to be a lot of cabin availability.

 

cruisedivanj

[CincinnatiGal]

So did you price go up? The ship must be sailing well enough that RCI felt that they could raise the price.

 

I have no idea why our cruise has gone up so much because they still have D1 category rooms available on the top floors. It must be fuel or something else driving these kind of price increases.

[Esmerelda]

I can't tell you how many people were standing in line just a couple weeks ago on Allure frantically trying to get reservations to shows and specialty dining upon boarding.....I looked and laughed.....this IMHO is no fun...so just keep that in mind.....MUCH nicer experience when you have all your reservations arranged ahead of time.

 

We had ALL of our extra reservations for shows, and dining made when we made the reservation 40 days out. It was not a problem at all. I also witnessed very few people waiting in lines for things like comedy shows, headliner shows (which we didn't have a reservation for but did get in). This was not any type of issue when we sailed so I would have to disagree with you.

[marci22]

I am checked my cruise sailing again today and just cannot believe the increase today. I booked our cruise on an older RCCL ship ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS for October 6 sailing to New England and Canada. I initially booked my D1 category balcony room for $1729 a person and today it is $1929 that is quite an increase! Does that mean we can get better quality food on this sailing?

 

You are travelling during peak foliage season.

 

http://gonewengland.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=gonewengland&cdn=travel&tm=18&gps=201_393_1020_586&f=20&su=p284.9.336.ip_p531.51.336.ip_&tt=7&bt=0&bts=0&st=31&zu=http%3A//www.boston.com/travel/specials/foliage_map/

Edited March 30, 2011 by marci22

[CincinnatiGal]

You are travelling during peak foliage season.

 

http://gonewengland.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=gonewengland&cdn=travel&tm=18&gps=201_393_1020_586&f=20&su=p284.9.336.ip_p531.51.336.ip_&tt=7&bt=0&bts=0&st=31&zu=http%3A//www.boston.com/travel/specials/foliage_map/

 

the two weeks before me are even more expensive

[bajathree]

My standard balcony on Oasis New Years Eve sailing has jumped from $1599/pp to $2339/pp just since booking in Jan.

[will773]

It also depends on what time and place you are looking for. Some cruises could be really cheap.

[Whitnee1]

We are leaving on Saturday and this will be our 5th cruise with our kids (16/21) and I have to say it has generated a lot of memories that they will cherish forever. That said, there are options you can explore to make it less expensive:

 

1. Consider adding the 3rd and 4th into a cabin. Especially with Princess they discount heavily for that.

2. Try to find a line you can drive to the departure as the air fare will drive the cost up tremendously. Not to mention that you will probably also add an extra night hotel stay to fly out a day early to avoid any delays.

3. Another option is a balcony and an inside across the hall if you want two cabins.

4. Book your excursions independently as you can often save up tp 30-40% from the cruise line price for the same excursion. The boards on here will help you navigate to the reputable ones.

 

This cruise will be our first on RC and we are driving to Baltimore. We have 2 inside cabins and for the 10 days/ 9 nights the total cost with all gratuities pre paid is $2800.00. Pretty tough to beat that as you have to really compare to a landbased vacation with no food included.

[hazeleyez3]

I have to agree that the huge price difference sometimes deals with when you cruise and how early you book.

 

My husband and I had talked about doing a cruise for our anniversary next year (August 25th). I took a look at the Oasis and the Carnival Dream.

 

Both leave the same day, have the exact itinerary, and (for the most part) have the same amount of time in each port.

 

An aft balcony (Fun Select) on the Dream is $2168.80

An aft Oceanview balcony on the Oasis is $2346.36

 

That extra $177 more doesn't seem too bad a deal considering everything the Oasis has

Edited March 31, 2011 by hazeleyez3

[milton333]

Finding a good price requires a lot of flexibility in when you can travel, and a ridiculous ton of research. Taking the example of Disney, we're looking at a Disney cruise next year in a balcony/verandah cabin that is only $100 more than what we're paying to sail in the smallest category of balcony on Freedom OTS during hurricane season. The Disney price, in turn, is a hair more than a huge suite on a Carnival Spirit class ship with a 220 sq. ft. balcony! You get a lot more room and balcony on the Carnival ship, vs. the Disney experience, and it's honestly tough for us to decide.

 

A lot of research can help - for example, on the Disney Magic and Wonder, there are "secret verandah" cabins. They are categorized and priced the same as the navigator's verandah (which is like an open porthole with an enclosed balcony and limited line of sight to the water. The "secret verandahs" have the steel structure starting to impinge on the balcony, with the top corner of the balcony enclosed by the structure, but are otherwise a great-sized and very open balcony. The vista suite that I'm looking at on the Carnival Spirit class is incredibly hugely enormous for only $10pp/day more than a "normal" suite that has a balcony maybe 1/4 the size.

 

It also depends on what you're looking for from the cruise - the ship, the particular cabin (if you spend a lot of time there), the itinerary, departure port, time of year, etc. The more of these factors that you can put into play, the easier it is to find a deal. But it's a LOT of work to find deals, even very far in advance, and too risky for us to wait until last minute with our work schedules. So I spend a ridiculous amount of time on the computer.

 

Keep in mind that you can also save money with other components of your vacation - fly out on less expensive days, go with a discount carrier, accept connections over nonstop flights. See if you can book travel with rewards points - AmEx has some decent rewards options for travel. Search your reward card's website for ways to earn points multipliers - if you're going to buy "x" anyway, why not buy it online through your card's website and get triple points for it? You can cut the cost of a rental car in half with the right coupon. There are lots of ideas out there.

 

Have you seen a show called "Extreme Couponing"? It shows people who manage to buy thousands of dollars of groceries for tiny amounts of money (one guy who got $5k worth of stuff for around $150). It is possible to save money, but it requires a whole disciplined approach and a major investment of time to scope out deals, earn points, and watch for price drops. This level of frugality is really a way of life.

[Keri's Cruisin']

I have many cruises over the line (10 or so) but just cannot justify the prices they want right now. If I take the kids for a week, we are looking at $4000 plus airfare plus onboard charges. I just cannot afford a $6000 vacation.

What gives, how can people afford this?

 

Are people really paying this price or is there a special place to get better rates?

I make a decent living but cannot justify this amount for a week.

 

My 2 sons and I cruised on the Majesty of the Seas for 4 nights over springbreak March 14-18th. We did an inside cabin. The cruise was $329/person and I was lucky to get airfare from Omaha, NE for $250/person but I booked this vacation 9 months in advance. So for the 3 of us the entire vacation cost me approx $1800.00

I don't drink much alcohol, the kids got the soda package and with our onboard credit my final bill was around $50.00. So yes, it can be done with a little planning. We loved the Majesty and would cruise on her again in a heartbeat!

[KCTeach]

I too have to cruise in the summer when school is out. I have been on 15 cruises and have never had a balcony. I have decided that I am just happy being on the ship. I have to plan and budget for each cruise. I watch the prices every day or so after booking. I have seen my cruise this summer go down 5 times. Each time I get the price adjustment until final payment is made. I watched it go down for one day and then up again. If you don't watch you will not know. I also noticed that the 3rd and 4th person price varies based on the cruise. I checked two cruises laving the same time and there was a big difference in the charge. I also use an internet travel agency that will give me on board credit to spend.

[nelblu]

To get the best prices you have to be selective. Booked a Feb 5, '12 cruise on the Adventure Southern Carib. while on the Oasis for $809 pp and taxes, less $225 balcony discount and a $100 OBC.

 

Can't beat this price for a cat. D2 and the cabin that we wanted.:D:D This will be our 5th cruise on the AOS. We love this itinerary, unfortunately they substituted St. Kitts for St. Marteen.:(

[bajathree]

We had ALL of our extra reservations for shows, and dining made when we made the reservation 40 days out. It was not a problem at all. I also witnessed very few people waiting in lines for things like comedy shows, headliner shows (which we didn't have a reservation for but did get in). This was not any type of issue when we sailed so I would have to disagree with you.

 

You might want to check this thread out before saying that getting reservations when booking last minute is no problem......there have been others just like this also.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1392515

[FLACRUISER99]

You might want to check this thread out before saying that getting reservations when booking last minute is no problem......there have been others just like this also.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1392515

Those looked more like last minute to me OP is sailing in less then 3 weeks!