Is Carnival really cheaper than Cunard?

[Ryancoke]

We've cruised Cunard however I bought CCL shares and would like to experience Carnival, Princess and HAL to compare and get my shareholders' benefit at the same time. Last winter we did Princess so we have Hal and Carnival left to go.

 

So I've been pricing out a 7 day Carnival to western Caribbean and I see the cheapest (Glory) with balcony is slightly higher than a 7 day TransAtlantic crossing in the cheapest Cunard QM2 balcony cabin. Both the regular price and the so called sale price is a bit higher on Glory. Also since the only stop on a Cunard crossing is the final destination, port fees and taxes are about $165 less per person and of course port excursion expenses and meals, drinks etc on land are saved. The price of a domestic beer on Cunard is $4.75 per 12 oz so about the same as Carnival.

 

Do regular Carnival cruisers get some kind of discount that I can't seem to find? I would have expected it to be lower than Cunard.

[firefly333]

Price a TA (transatlantic crossing) on Carnival and you will find it is cheaper per day than a round trip cruise.. because people dont want to pay the airfare.

 

compare apples to apples perhaps.

 

I have a celebrity cruise out of san juan that is cheaper than carnival's... there is nothing saying carnival is always cheaper than other lines.

 

You dont get some special discount because you cruised another line. (only RCL and celebrity do the same loyalty levels, so thats a savings to me).

[Ryancoke]

Price a TA (transatlantic crossing) on Carnival and you will find it is cheaper per day than a round trip cruise.. because people dont want to pay the airfare.

 

compare apples to apples perhaps.

 

I have a celebrity cruise out of san juan that is cheaper than carnival's... there is nothing saying carnival is always cheaper than other lines.

 

You dont get some special discount because you cruised another line. (only RCL and celebrity do the same loyalty levels, so thats a savings to me).

 

For me the airfare to London and back from New York required for a TA is about $200 more than to and from Florida but involves about 12 hours less travel time when waiting in airports is considered so it's kind of a saw off.

[firefly333]

A lot of us are paying $800 and more to fly to europe one way .. so maybe thats why it isnt a deal to me to get a 14 day TA for $399 pp .. vs paying more for a round trip to the caribbean.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Price a TA (transatlantic crossing) on Carnival and you will find it is cheaper per day than a round trip cruise.. because people dont want to pay the airfare.

 

compare apples to apples perhaps.

 

I have a celebrity cruise out of san juan that is cheaper than carnival's... there is nothing saying carnival is always cheaper than other lines.

 

You dont get some special discount because you cruised another line. (only RCL and celebrity do the same loyalty levels, so thats a savings to me).

 

You do get the past guest discount price if you've cruised on any of the other CCL Corp lines unless they did away with that too.

 

Bill

[swscruiser]

Trans Atlantic fares are always less expensive

[CanWeGoYet?]

Compare the same type of cruise (TA) and the same type of cabin, then you will get a real price comparison.

[kerrytens]

You do get the past guest discount price if you've cruised on any of the other CCL Corp lines unless they did away with that too.

 

Bill

Are you sure? I wasn't given any discount on my Carnival cruise after sailing on Princess

[Ryancoke]

The cheapest balcony I found through the Panama Canal last year was on Cunard Victoria. But the ports weren't as good as on Princess. Carnival's offering was Paradise and Inspiration(?) with balconies only at the suite level, over 2x Vic's price.

[firefly333]

You do get the past guest discount price if you've cruised on any of the other CCL Corp lines unless they did away with that too.

 

Bill

 

ES is cheaper though.. and you can get VIPF rate just by signing up,no cruises needed.

 

I guess I dont see past guest or VIPF as a discount over ES though. Carnival just doesnt discount much for past guests like some other lines .. at least to me.

[firefly333]

Are you sure? I wasn't given any discount on my Carnival cruise after sailing on Princess

 

If you asked for the past guest .. AND if it was available at the time (usually a last minute rate to fill the ship from what I have seen) .. they will give it to you. It is not necessarily the cheapest rate though... they probably gave you the cheapest rate or thats what they thought you asked for.

 

past guest is capacity controlled and not always offered. It comes and goes. They have specials with past guest upgrades for instance. Its not a specific discount off of a posted rate.

 

RCL for instance .. depending on your loyalty level .. you get a set $$$ amount off of the price of a balcony and up cabin. Im up to about $150 off a balcony on a 7 day cruise... off any rate. Carnival it is the rate and not combinable with any other rate.

[Ryancoke]

Compare the same type of cruise (TA) and the same type of cabin, then you will get a real price comparison.

 

Well, actually there are ship amenities and activities to consider as well. If a company is repo'ing with many consecutive sea days on a ship designed to cater to port intensive cruises, severe discounting would be expected.

[CanWeGoYet?]

Well, actually there are ship amenities and activities to consider as well. If a company is repo'ing with many consecutive sea days on a ship designed to cater to port intensive cruises, severe discounting would be expected.

 

Yes, of course. I would expect both cruise lines compared would be in the "same boat" so to speak, with consecutive sea days when they would normally have port days. But with the extra amenities, extra staff per passenger of Cunard - don't see how you could expect Cunard would ever be less expensive than Carnival. If you compare the same type of cruise, same # of days, and similar cabins.

[firefly333]

Yes, of course. I would expect both cruise lines compared would be in the "same boat" so to speak, with consecutive sea days when they would normally have port days. But with the extra amenities, extra staff per passenger of Cunard - don't see how you could expect Cunard would ever be less expensive than Carnival. If you compare the same type of cruise, same # of days, and similar cabins.

 

I had a shorter cruise booked on Cunard and it wasnt that expensive. Not everyone wants to get that dressed up. They have a caste system when you eat dinner .. if you pay more you get to eat in a higher caste dining room. I know people who dislike that people dont mix on Cunard. We were to have a couple of balls. Not for everyone.

 

Carnival will have lots of trivia and games and a hairy chest contest and that kind of thing. Cunard will have real lectures.

 

I think prices are not necessarily always higher on Cunard .. not everyone wants to go out of NYC for starters .. or to get all dressed up like that.

[Scott34787]

The pricing models are easy to figure out:

 

Supply vs. Demand :)