Winter 2006: Prices, oh my!

[amagar]

Hi,

 

We're looking to book our 6th cruise...and wow, we're stunned by the prices and lack of availability, particularly for balcony cabins. All of our cruising experience has been post 9/11 when the economy was in a slump. Maybe we were used to getting especially sweet deals. But now, for the price of some balconies on Celebrity/Princess, you may as well turn to Crystal or Raddisson.

 

Has anyone else noticed this? And could it be that a whole bunch of people reserved cruises on board...and will drop as final payment nears (ok, i'm an optimist).

[kendon]

I've noticed the same. I was browsing last week for April '06, and decided that if I didn't book right away, I could be out of the cabin we want. I agree, the prices are way high and so are the bookings! The Queen Mary 2 is looking more affordable, isn't it?

[susancruzs]

I've been expecting this for quite some time and figure this will be the current trend. I'm paying a hefty price for my single cabin on Sea Princess in Sept. (21 days) but when I priced a Med cruise next year for 12 days it was way higher than my 14 day portion this year and the price was cruise only, not air or taxes.

 

I've thought for awhile that the cruise lines would not continue to operate on bargain pricing and I expect prices will stay up, except where they have low volume. I've been on 17 cruises since 1982 and always amazed to see prices so low, 14 day cruises less than what we paid 20 years ago!

 

Susie

[cruzzers]

You are right about the higher prices! We booked earlier than we have ever booked a cruise. We are scheduled on the Feb 25th cruise on the Sea Princess 14 day Caribbean. It was selling out real fast and we had to settle for an inside room to stay within our budget. I think the cruise economy has boomed the past couple of years. We have never booked this far out in advance.

 

Excited to cruise again!!!

[chrysalis]

We only book insides..and for Princess Caribbean (the Sea, not the ship) cruises, our experience has been...immediately after 9/11--$70per night.......to Sea Princess in March 06--$100 per night, but still very much a bargain, in my estimation.

[RumbLine]

Just got off the phone with TA. She says all Fall 2006 cruise schedules are now open except for what I want, Panama Canal - full transit, CA to FL. So I can't report any substanial price increase from Spring 2006 to Fall 2006.

 

Just hope prices are not too far above what is published for the reverse direction cruise in Spring 2006, FL to CA itinerary.

[MichTraveler]

I've noticed the same. I was browsing last week for April '06, and decided that if I didn't book right away, I could be out of the cabin we want. I agree, the prices are way high and so are the bookings! The Queen Mary 2 is looking more affordable, isn't it?

Got a mailing today from Cunard. The QM2 prices seem to be going up too!

[Toto2Kansas]

Supply and Demand strikes again. Once everyone felt comfortable traveling again and the ships started to sell out long beforehand, those prices climb really quickly.

But remember one thing. The prices are usually the highest a year or so in advance, then they drop down within about 6 months of the sailing. Then as the ship sells out, they climb right back sky high again. Only problem with waiting is that the cabin choices get slimmer. BUT, if you have a good TA, when the prices do drop, you can also benefit from it as long as it is before final payment.

[Mike2131]

This is across the board in the industry. There are prices out there now for Carnival that rival what Celebrity was charging a few months ago! The November '05 cruise on Celebrity we booked in January is now 65% higher! I think there are quite a few factors at work, but the end result is that we really have to dig a lot deeper to find some bargains.

If you can travel at the last minute, there are some great deals I have been seeing on Princess. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury.

[sealegs9]

Prices are up! RCCL is much higher than Priness for same type of cruise and same quality of ship. I find RCCL's prices rising faster than Princess- must be the rock climbing wall :rolleyes: . Anyway- that won't stop me from booking the Crown for 8/06 out of NY. Execllent itinerary and LESS than my 9 nite out of NY this Aug on Voyager of the Seas!(and we booked back in 8/04 for VOTS)

[dog]

I booked the Golden a couple of weeks ago. Brochure prices are quite a bit higher than what my TA charged me. Also, prices were higher directly through Princess than with my TA.

[Mike2131]

I booked the Golden a couple of weeks ago. Brochure prices are quite a bit higher than what my TA charged me. Also, prices were higher directly through Princess than with my TA.

 

Cruiseline-direct pricing can be more competitive, but usually a high volume TA will have the best pricing. That can certainly vary by line and agency. It seems that some lines like Celebrity are trying to make prices the same across board.

We usually have a pretty good idea (for us) what the cost per day should be in certain cabin classes. If we see what, in our opinion, constitutes a bargain we grab it.

[Mike2131]

I just got quotes today on the Crown sailing out of New York City. For the 9 night Eastern Caribbean RT leaving on 7/20/06, the price for a BE balcony cabin was $2,225.78 per person! For the 7/02 sailing (same itinerary, but in reverse), the price for a BG (minimum balcony cabin) the price was $3.005.00 per person! I'm sorry, but that is nuts!

 

When Princess prices are more than I would pay for a longer Crystal cruise (not the same time of year or exact itinerary), then it is time to bid Princess (and other mainstream lines that are becoming overpriced) farewell!

[amagar]

and I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in noticing this. For those of you who booked the 14-day sea princess journeys early for jan-feb-march, would you mind saying what you paid?

 

i'm especially blown-away by the 7-day balcony prices. we like to travel 10 to 14 days...sometimes a back-to-back saves money. not now. we have a princess deposit down, but i think we'll throw open to all possibilities now. we've been celebrity cruiser in the past. now, dare i say carnival? probably not, but maybe.

[spongerob]

I've noticed the same. I was browsing last week for April '06, and decided that if I didn't book right away, I could be out of the cabin we want. I agree, the prices are way high and so are the bookings! The Queen Mary 2 is looking more affordable, isn't it?

 

I booked a Dawn Princess 10-day in April/06, AA suite, for a phenomenal price. It was less than what some people are willing to pay for a balcony cabin on the Crown Princess - significantly less than what Mike reported, for example. I've since switched the cruise to sail with friends on Sun Princess, but still got a very fair price for a similar cabin. It's higher, but it's a much more enticing itinerary than what we had on the Dawn, too.

[ahracer]

I'm paying less for my winter 06 cruise then I did my winter 05 cruise(exact same week). So I don't think you can say there has been a price hike across the board.

 

 

Scott

[Northender]

A friend just booked The Star for Nov 27th, Caribe 60X for $985pp. They are thrilled. We just did same ship April 2nd for Aloha 524 at $1180pp. I booked

9 months ahead, she is booking 6 months ahead. Go figure.:)

[vicdreyer]

and I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in noticing this. For those of you who booked the 14-day sea princess journeys early for jan-feb-march, would you mind saying what you paid?

 

We booked a BD Balcony 14 night Eastern Caribbean Islander on Sea Princess sailing out of Ft Lauderdale on April 8, 2006 for $2190/person.

 

Vic

[wags]

We were looking into the Aug.'06 British Isles cruise on the Golden. The fare for a 10 day cruise was much higher then what we just paid for a 14 day Hawaii cruise. I assumed it's because of the weak dollar against the British pound. We will wait a while and hope the dollar gains strength. But if everyone finds the fares rising to other destinations I guess it's just supply and demand.

[kryos]

I'm paying less for my winter 06 cruise then I did my winter 05 cruise(exact same week). So I don't think you can say there has been a price hike across the board.

I think a lot depends on when you choose to sail also.

 

I am always blown away by the price of holiday sailings.

 

Summertime can be high too.

 

It's all a matter of supply and demand. Lots of folks are restricted to cruising when the kids are out of school. Therefore, demand during those times is gonna be high, thus driving up the price.

 

If you can, travel during off-peak times, and you can often find a bargain.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[nho9504]

Just returned from a 14 day Panama Crossing cruise on Celebrity Summit - booked in first week of March, sailed on April 22. Only inside and outside cabins were available. But who can complain for the price of $900 pp inside and $1200 outside for 14 days ?! tax was $136 extra. We opted for the inside as we did not want to be on deck 3. Got a deck 9 forward cabin as the agent blocked the cabin before everything went "guaranteed" before we finalized our booking. quite happy with the internet agent from whom we got his quote via *****.

 

Kept receiving Princess last minutes offers - latest were for Sun and Dawn Late May and up to Mid June sailing for as low as $319 inside to highest of $399 inside ... All are South bound though. I want to do a back to back in Sept and I want Coral or Island. I have seen Coral on sale for May/June, but also South bound.

 

Also received offers of Summit to Alasaka for $500. No, I dont want to get on Summit again after just getting off and not that great an experience (no comparison to Diamond Princess which we sailed on last December).

 

Another great bargain is Star Scandinavian/Baltic sailing, only $799 for 10 days ... the British Isles sailing also fairly cheap - all for this june/july.

 

For those of us who can set sail with short notice, there are no shortage of bargain.

[SaltwaterTwo]

and I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in noticing this. For those of you who booked the 14-day sea princess journeys early for jan-feb-march, would you mind saying what you paid?

 

 

Sea Princess. March 11, 2006. 14 days. Category BA. (Balcony Aloha Deck). 4804.94 total (2402.47 each. Friends are on the wait list for a balcony.

[legalslave]

We have booked Coral Princess 10 night RT FLL Panama Canal for 1/23/06. Paying $1,899.00 pp, this includes all taxes and port fees, for a BA mini suite. We booked the mini suite as we have a 3rd person. Fare for the 3rd person is $899.00 including taxes and port fees. So, I guess it will end up being about $1,566.00 pp.

 

Diane

[Mike2131]

Just returned from a 14 day Panama Crossing cruise on Celebrity Summit - booked in first week of March, sailed on April 22. Only inside and outside cabins were available. But who can complain for the price of $900 pp inside and $1200 outside for 14 days ?! tax was $136 extra. We opted for the inside as we did not want to be on deck 3. Got a deck 9 forward cabin as the agent blocked the cabin before everything went "guaranteed" before we finalized our booking. quite happy with the internet agent from whom we got his quote via *****.

 

Kept receiving Princess last minutes offers - latest were for Sun and Dawn Late May and up to Mid June sailing for as low as $319 inside to highest of $399 inside ... All are South bound though. I want to do a back to back in Sept and I want Coral or Island. I have seen Coral on sale for May/June, but also South bound.

 

Also received offers of Summit to Alasaka for $500. No, I dont want to get on Summit again after just getting off and not that great an experience (no comparison to Diamond Princess which we sailed on last December).

 

Another great bargain is Star Scandinavian/Baltic sailing, only $799 for 10 days ... the British Isles sailing also fairly cheap - all for this june/july.

 

For those of us who can set sail with short notice, there are no shortage of bargain.

 

If you can sail on short notice, there are some incredible deals out there. We, unfortunately, don't have the ability to do that.

 

We have always booked well in advance (January '05 for our November '05 cruise on the Constellation) and received excellent pricing. The industry seems to have shifted its strategy and the result is some of the 2006 pricing we are all seeing. At the same time we are inundated with multiple offers daily for bargain '05 sailings. I still feel that is a bad idea, but I guess we will have to let the market have the final say.

 

As an side, there are lines that appear to be offering some attractive 2006 prices. Oceania offers limited smoking, no formal nights, smaller ships (we have wanted to try one), and (we hear) excellent service and cuisine. On a per day basis (2 for 1 and free air) for an ocean view or balcony, we are leaning that direction.

 

Spongerob - Congratulations on getting a good fare. Do you think it is because everyone is running to the newer ships? We liked the Coral very much, but I remember the Dawn was great when we sailed on her.

[spongerob]

Spongerob - Congratulations on getting a good fare. Do you think it is because everyone is running to the newer ships? We liked the Coral very much, but I remember the Dawn was great when we sailed on her.

 

 

I think that's a big part of it. Freedom of the Seas, Crown Princess are getting huge markups just for being "new". It's amazing that ship just 10 years old is called "old". Let's keep those Sun-class ships our little secret.