RCCL prices want to jump ship!

[gmacruiser418]

Anyone else debating about changing cruise lines due to high prices at RCCL? Or have you already and regret it?

[ChipLondon]

There are still some great rates out there at different times of year, I am still happy with the value I get for the price I pay. ( with the exception of New Years sailings )

 

Anyone else debating about changing cruise lines due to high prices at RCCL? Or have you already and regret it?

[DonnaK]

We did! We went over to Princess for two cruises, and they were wonderful, but the lacked the WOW factor of RCI. We came back to try Allure, and then found great deals for two cruises on Explorer. We'd like to continue with RCI, but wouldn't hesitate to sail with Princess again or to try Celebrity.

 

Now, back in 2004, we tried Carnival, and lived to regret that decision. We hated the then-new Miracle. Service was horrendous, spread at least twice as thin as on RCI (our wait team had 48 diners and our cabin steward had 27 cabins - 12-18 is the norm on RCI).

 

We don't think NCL is for us either because the freestyle concept is a turn off for us.

 

So, we wouldn't jump ship for Carnival or NCL anytime at any price.

[mac_tlc]

The prices vary so much based on ship, destination, time of year..... There are still some good deals around. Just don't try for Oasis or Allure in the summer.

 

Every time I think RCCL is getting expensive, I price a Disney cruise -- then I feel like RCCL is always on sale!!

 

mac_tlc

[negc]

Anyone else debating about changing cruise lines due to high prices at RCCL? Or have you already and regret it?

 

I believe that high prices simply reflect high demand and indicate what the market will bear. If they couldn't fill the ships at those high prices, they would charge less. Not every sailing has "high" prices so you need to look more carefully to see if there is a cruise you would enjoy at a price you can afford.

RCI provides a cruise experience that my wife and I and many of our friends really enjoy so we are more likely to look for less expensive cruises on RCI ships rather than switching to another, lower-priced line which we might not find as satisfactory. We have sailed on a number of different lines over the past thirty odd years and have concluded that RCI best suits us.

[xxoocruiser]

Prices are totally driven by "Supply and Demand" and that applies to any cruise line.

 

The flexible with date, ship and itinerary there are always deals to be found.

 

Sailed on HAl, Princess and RCCL. Have always found the better deals on RCCL but than I'm very flexible.

[Lionesss]

We booked the Freedom of the Seas last September, for our upcoming July cruise, and since then our booking price has increased by 25%!!!!

If we had to book now, we would definitely have sticker shock, glad we were able to book early.

Safe travels.

[Ocean Boy]

I believe that high prices simply reflect high demand and indicate what the market will bear. If they couldn't fill the ships at those high prices, they would charge less. Not every sailing has "high" prices so you need to look more carefully to see if there is a cruise you would enjoy at a price you can afford.

RCI provides a cruise experience that my wife and I and many of our friends really enjoy so we are more likely to look for less expensive cruises on RCI ships rather than switching to another, lower-priced line which we might not find as satisfactory. We have sailed on a number of different lines over the past thirty odd years and have concluded that RCI best suits us.

 

I agree with you to an extent. However, RCI has also had some pretty big fire sales after final payment date had passed. That indicates to me that those sailings were not priced appropriately. On my recent cruise on Navigator there were major price drops on inside and ocean view cabins about a month before sailing.

 

I very much agree with you that I would be more inclined to look for RCI sailings that I can afford rather than look for lower priced sailings on other lines. We just really enjoy RCI ships and the RCI product. It just would not be worth it to me to go with a product that I don't enjoy as much just to save some money.

[janetz]

My TA sent me an email today showing the prices on the 7 day Explorer to Bermuda in the fall and they are pretty good. :)

[Mybearsbaby]

I love RCCL, so I am always on the lookout for a good deal...we cruise Carnival more often because it it usually, not always cheaper. There are deals to be had, though. If I find a good price, I will book it! Like the cruise we are about to do. Id say if the price is right to try another line, do it! You wont know if its for you or not unless you try.

[Big_G]

Anyone else debating about changing cruise lines due to high prices at RCCL? Or have you already and regret it?

 

Nope! Already played that game and we're back. You get what you pay for.

[DebJ14]

We booked the Freedom of the Seas last September, for our upcoming July cruise, and since then our booking price has increased by 25%!!!!

If we had to book now, we would definitely have sticker shock, glad we were able to book early.

Safe travels.

 

We booked a GS on the Mariner for Jan 2013 on a Friday in Feb. We checked on prices the following Tuesday for friends who wanted to go with us and the price had jumped $600.00 per person - a 41% increase. Needless to say they opted not to go. But, the cabins that were available at the high rate quickly sold, so there are people out there willing to pay the higher prices. We're just glad we booked before the increase.

[seaofwonder]

Nope....we don't find the prices to be expensive.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

There are some great deals, but for us its the airfare that kills the deal!!!

 

***

[gmacruiser418]

I do see great prices last minute so I am thinking about waiting till then to book. I just know that I'm now going inside for what I used to get a balcony for, actually the inside is more expensive and it's the same time of year I've sailed for years!

[orville99]

We've been booking the same weeks (and ships) on RCI for the past four years, and the price for the same category on the same ship (FOS Eastern) has gone up by a total of $102 from May, 2009 to May, 2012. That's a bit more than $25/year. I see the same marginal price drift on our other RCI cruises. Some have actually gone down. Our March, 2013 5-night Jewel cruise actually dropped by $100 over our March, 2012 Jewel cruise. Our annual October Monarch cruises (JS) have stayed exactly the same price for the past three years, and on our NYE cruise on FOS this december we were able to upgrade to a D1 for about $300 less than we spent on the same cruise in an E2 last year.

 

My guess is that if the prices too high now for the OP, then they've always been too high for the OP.

[dln929]

Anyone else debating about changing cruise lines due to high prices at RCCL? Or have you already and regret it?

 

We're shareholders so we've committed ourselves to sailing only on RCI, X, and Azamara because of the added onboard credit offered. That being said, I check the "cruise deals" page of Cruise Critic all the time. Sometimes Celebrity is less expensive, believe it or not, and sometimes RCI is. You have to be flexible about when and where you want to go if you want to catch a good price. As to changing over to another line like Princess or Cunard, etc., never!

[north29]

May very well be now, with the prie of oil/fuel, all cruise lines will have to raise prices, combine that with airline cost that have nearly doubled, THE WOW FACTOR of can I afford it will be kicking in for many frequent cruisers/travelers. Now if I was only taking one trip a year, it might not be a issue.

There will always be some good deals, but after you become diamond level, and drink a little, or a lot plus some other perks, he difference between RCs prices, and other cruise lines may not be that much.

I did cancel one Europeam cruise this year, because of the cost of the air, and picked up a new itenarie to me locally! Florida.

[littlesteelo]

I just paid £1200 less for 4 of us on Indy than I did 2 years ago. I was really surprised to see such a low price with OBC too.

[orville99]

With all of the "how long should I wait before the prices drop" threads on this board, I wouldn't be at all surprised if RCI has created a pricing policy/model that doesn't decrease prices until well after the final payment date. We used to see price drops at random times quite routinely before, but not so much any more. Every cruise we currently have booked up through March of next year has slowly increased in price. We definitely saved big $$ by booking a year out. Even our May cruise (which is well past final payment date) continues to rise in price. So, maybe what the OP is seeing is that the old strategy of waiting until the last minute to get price drops no longer works.:(

[LBumb]

if you want value look to monarch, majesty, or off peak season on almost any ship

[C Cruise Dude]

Anyone else debating about changing cruise lines due to high prices at RCCL? Or have you already and regret it?

 

Are you kidding, I'm getting sales prices for RCCL that I have never seen before. They sent me cruise prices on the big girls $300pp less than usual. :confused:

[sredish]

I feel that "high" is different for everyone. Our Caribbean ocean view sailings run us around $1500, all taxes and fees for two. With food included, I'm not sure what other vacation you could get for that much bang for your buck. I've seen much cheaper too for last minute sailings. I have been tempted to try CCL for a shorter "cheap" cruise, but sailing with the Carni's sorta scares me! We've sailed Princess and while our experience was great, we still prefer RCI.

 

I've also heard many having great luck booking inside first and watching for price drops later. Then they can upgrade for the same or just a little more.

 

To risk sounding like a snob, you get what you pay for. I really feel what I get from RCI justifies what I pay.

[Dave85]

There are still some great rates out there at different times of year, I am still happy with the value I get for the price I pay. ( with the exception of New Years sailings )

 

I completely agree with you. We've actually jumped ship for New Years sailings (which we really enjoy). My last 2 New Year's sailings have been on Carnival and we booked Carnival again for New Years this year (previous to that we did 2 New Years sailings on RCI).

 

Do I regret it? Not at all. I actually found that I prefer the way Carnival rings in the new year!

 

...the rest of the year though, I prefer RCI and try to sail during less expensive times of the year. I may "jump ship" to Celebrity next year though for a Greek Islands cruise, we'll see.

[RoyalDiamond]

I'm jumping ship!!! Next is Rhapsody, then Vision, then Brilliance, then Oasis.....and so on and so on.....LOL. With booking in advance, I get better prices, great locations (corner afts, for example), my balcony discount, and OBC. Taking that all into account, I am NOT giving up my "Royal habit!" LOL