Price increases for 2014

[iflyrc5]

We recently returned from a 21 day collectors cruise on the Noordam and a 21 day collectors cruise on the Ryndam. Started looking to see what we may want to do in 2014 and found that HAL is offering the same cruises that we just took. The 2014 cruises which are identical to what we just took are 10% more money:mad: We booked this years cruises in Mar of 2011 so the timing is about the same. Has anyone else noticed this for 2014 cruises? Seems like a rather large increase.

[MrsMuir]

I haven't compared the prices closely, but frankly, I would rather pay a bit more and get a better shipboard experience. No, we're not made of money, but, as others have pointed out, there have been too many cutbacks in recent years, ostensibly to keep the prices down and the ships filled.

 

Mrs M

[CruiserBruce]

Curious why you thought they would, or should, go down?

[RuthC]

I would rather see prices increase enough to return to, and maintain, the former HAL standard, than hold steady and continue to see the standards decrease.

I've put my money where my keyboard is by booking a cruise on a line that appears to meet the old HAL standards, but I don't want to leave HAL entirely. I'm fine with charging a fair price.

[iflyrc5]

Curious why you thought they would, or should, go down?

I didn't say they should go down or that the cost is out of line for the experience that we get on HAL - I just think that a 10% increase in one year is more than inflation by a long shot. About the only thing that jumps like that is gasoline prices. I sure didn't get a 10% increase in my social security or my company pension. Maybe this is their way of not adding the fuel charge even though fuel is well above the the $70 threshold were they can add a surcharge.

[itzmered]

I think 10% is a pretty steep increase, others say they would rather pay more for the experience they used to have well I can pretty much lay down a bet that the increase does not mean they are adding more things ;)

[RuthC]

I can pretty much lay down a bet that the increase does not mean they are adding more things ;)

Not cutting more things costs money, too, when the price of so many things has continued to go up.

[AZNative2000]

The 2014 cruises which are identical to what we just took are 10% more money:mad: We booked this years cruises in Mar of 2011 so the timing is about the same. Has anyone else noticed this for 2014 cruises? Seems like a rather large increase.

In my limited experience booking cruises, I have found prices do drop closer to the cruise date. Since we booked our cruise for this October (a year ago) the price has come down twice, at total of over 20%. (And we rebooked at the lower rate.) Just because the price is higher right now doesn't mean it will stay that way.

 

Looking at a South Pacific cruise for April 2014 and the price is quite a bit higher than the same itinerary leaving next month but I think it's just the "starting price" and will come down before final payment is due.

 

We do book early to get the exact cabin we want and if the price goes down it's a bonus.:)

 

Cheers!

[mariner]

Expect the prices to decrease.

 

Carnival said as much in their recent earnings report.

[BruceMuzz]

Fuel is by far the biggest operating cost the cruise lines have to face.

Over the past 4 years the price of bunker fuel has increased by over 100%.

4 years ago the monthly fuel bill for a small cruise vessel was around $1 Million.

Now it is over $2 Million.

Every indicator tells us to expect the fuel costs to continue climbing at a rapid rate.

 

You took a cruise in 2012, and find that the list price of a cruise 2 years later has increased in price by by a whopping 10%.

Why would that surprise you?

[SilvertoGold]

I don't see that a price increase will necessarily translate into a better cruise experience or the maintaining of the current standard or better. Profit is also involved.

[mariner]

Bruce,

 

In fact Carnival's bright spot in its earnings report was a decrease in fuel costs.