Prices for 2015 and thoughts

[FIFE1]

Looks like price have gone up (OCT) by around £200 ish. Seems strange given the £ has strengthened by about 5% plus. (Euro in terms of paying Louis and the dollar in terms of paying for fuel). Positives though good flight times from Edinburgh (great), also all those lucky people who can go to Rovinj with the Celebration. What are everyone's thoughts:):):)

[CRUISIN LINDA]

I think we should all wait and see if the prices go down when the free AI comes off :rolleyes:

 

I am trying to be patient and book late :D

[Little Nell]

I priced our Caribbean trip on the Celebration and the price has gone up in the new brochure for like with like by £800 :eek:

[Sailaway487]

I expected Celebration's prices to be high, and are about right to what I thought they probably would be. But I didn't expect such a price rise for the other cruises!

 

As they are putting all ships in the Med, they can in theory make more money anyway, so I kind of expected the prices to be inline with this years, not a lot more!

[Oh-But-Is-It]

Im glad its not just me who thinks the offerings are pricey. Wont be booking anything soon :(

[Julessmiles]

Well, we for sure will not be booking ahead for next year. For a family of 4, now both our teens are counted as adults even though the younger one wouldn't have been in the 'old rules', I have costed up a similar cruise to the one we are doing this year on the same ship (Dream) & same cabin and it would cost us £1800 more than what we are paying for this year's holiday!

 

If we travel with Thomson again, it will have to be a last minute deal like I got last week but being as we are tied to school holidays normally, we probably won't be as lucky.

 

Shame - we have always booked the day the brochures go on sale but not this time. We had such an amazing week on the Celebration last week & looking forward to the Dream in summer but I think our days of family crusing with Thomson will be over after this year :(

[kruzseeka]

Well, we for sure will not be booking ahead for next year. For a family of 4, now both our teens are counted as adults even though the younger one wouldn't have been in the 'old rules', I have costed up a similar cruise to the one we are doing this year on the same ship (Dream) & same cabin and it would cost us £1800 more than what we are paying for this year's holiday!

 

If we travel with Thomson again, it will have to be a last minute deal like I got last week but being as we are tied to school holidays normally, we probably won't be as lucky.

 

Shame - we have always booked the day the brochures go on sale but not this time. We had such an amazing week on the Celebration last week & looking forward to the Dream in summer but I think our days of family crusing with Thomson will be over after this year :(

 

Gosh that's a bit of a shocker Jules - £1800 more! Your problem is being tied to specific holiday dates (usually when prices are at the highest too) so I can see exactly where you are coming from. I expect there will be deals later and let's just hope you can pick something up as you did with Celebration - trouble is the uncertainty. You never know whether the prices will drop - or when - or for which itineraries. Doesn't make for families planning for, and looking forward to, their holidays. But good luck - let's hope the picture changes to your advantage later on.

[Jakanne1]

I had to pay adult price for a 9 year old on Spirit over the Easter holidays! There was no difference in price between 2 adults and 1 adult and 1 child. Mind you my onboard bill was very low compared with other cruises. :D

 

Tbo for years when our two were younger we still had to pay for 4 adults as it was difficult to get rooms in hotels for 4 so we had to buy two rooms. Staying in a taverna/apartment block one year there was little difference between the apartment for 4 and having 2 studios. So we took two studios and had 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies......and we had a tidy room! :D

[Jim The Scot]

Like for like cruise/stay on the Dream 2015 then a week at the Son Matias to our last time on the Dream 2013,eg same airport,deck,pre booked cabin,AI etc up £261

[kruzseeka]

Like for like cruise/stay on the Dream 2015 then a week at the Son Matias to our last time on the Dream 2013,eg same airport,deck,pre booked cabin,AI etc up £261

 

 

Per person Jim or for the booking?

[Julessmiles]

Gosh that's a bit of a shocker Jules - £1800 more! Your problem is being tied to specific holiday dates (usually when prices are at the highest too) so I can see exactly where you are coming from. I expect there will be deals later and let's just hope you can pick something up as you did with Celebration - trouble is the uncertainty. You never know whether the prices will drop - or when - or for which itineraries. Doesn't make for families planning for, and looking forward to, their holidays. But good luck - let's hope the picture changes to your advantage later on.

 

 

The thing is Kruzseeka; we didn't go in school holiday time last week; I got permission to take my daughter out of college & only booked it a week before departure & there's no way we could do that with our family holidays; we have to plan time off work & in the peak season we couldn't risk doing that. It really was a totally un-planned holiday last week; I had been watching all the cruise prices dropping & dropping all winter & decided to make the most of it - we got it at it's lowest price though as it went back up 2 days later.

 

I am sure there will be times in the future that we will be able to do that but I fear that this will be the last year we will be cruising with Thomson for a while.....the cruises are wonderful but not £1800 extra wonderful lol!!!

[kruzseeka]

That's a shame Jules. Hope you find some enjoyable and rewarding alternatives but I can imagine how disheartening it is for you.

[Julessmiles]

That's a shame Jules. Hope you find some enjoyable and rewarding alternatives but I can imagine how disheartening it is for you.

 

 

I'm sure we will; it is disheartening especially having had such a wonderful time last week but there's nothing wrong with change; lots of people remain loyal to the Thomson brand whilst others sail on various different lines so it will be good to try something else for a change & whatever holiday we go on, we will make the most of and enjoy every minute. :).

[Jim The Scot]

Per person Jim or for the booking?

 

For the booking in total kruzseeka

[geomagot]

yes prices going up....cost cutting:confused:

 

makes me feel a little uneasy about where thomsons are heading?

 

with fraser at the helm we have been presented with: 2 ships in caribbean, a couple of new ports/itinearies, the demise of the red sea & ex uk itineraries, return of the black sea & some new balconies

 

all the ships have now been hearalded as platinum

 

they seem to have invested a bit in their exsisting fleet and this seems to be the format for the next couple of years (there have been no hints of any major changes now for the forseeable?)

 

I have noticed recently that thomsons are much hearalding the fact that their ships are smaller and therefore more intimate almost like this is some kind of advantage over the competition?

 

so? no new ships then?

 

despite tui building new ships for the german market....why is that? is the german market bigger than the uk? do they have something we dont? (do they have more time off/more money? I just dont get it?) it makes me think that tui arent really all that interested in thomson cruises:(

 

do thomsons have a plan....or are they sleepwalking? how long can the present uk thomsons situation continue? they are surviving on second hand tonnage.....eventually they will have to replace those ships (probably sooner than later)

 

but cruise ships are getting bigger all the time? in the future any second hand ships will be too big for thomsons

 

they will struggle to fill them up, they will have to reduce the number of itinaeraries and have less ships

 

or they may have to market their cruises to a more international audience? or try to attract new clients from other lines/somewhere/somehow?

 

or will they just continue on with their smaller second hand ships to the bitter end?....and then what?

 

fraser has jumped ship.....the new managing director will have to make some sort of call sooner or later? Eventually it will be make or break for thomsons imo

Edited April 29, 2014 by geomagot

[FIFE1]

Think Thomson relying on repeat passengers who won't go anywhere else. Which is a fine strategy (IF) you give enough value to these customers. Staff great, entertainment great,,, But its all the small cut backs (no full cans of soft drinks, etc.) There will come a point where even very loyal customers will think, the cost is not appropriate to the product. :):):)

[mainelycruising]

It seems extraordinary that people pay over the odds to sail with Thomson. I can only attribute it to its High Street presence.

 

There are so many other options, with newer ships, for the same - or less.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

You think Thomson ships are old ! They were built between 1982 & 1992. Did you know two of Fred.Olsen's ships were built in 1972 :O

[Jim The Scot]

It eems extraordinary that people pay over the odds to sail with Thomson. I can only attribute it to its High Street presence.

 

There are so many other options, with newer ships, for the same - or less.

 

Yes but there a many like me that have no interest in cruising on these new all singing all dancing cruise ships with ice rinks,climbing walls etc and thousands of passengers

[SuzyPaulB]

A note of hope for Jules - as long as you can hold your nerve!!

 

Hi, have started to get mailings from some Cruise Agents and was very interested to see one particular Fjords cruise for one week with Princess ex Southampton, 9th August this year, £1376 total! Unlike Thomson, Princess is 18 and under for children!!

 

I don't know what you are looking for next year, but I reckon with three HUGE ships going out of Southampton, there will be some bargains to be had generally with cruising in the school hols!

 

94 days until I'm off which means 101 for you - ish?!!

 

Suzy

[joeholiday2]

I also think that the ventura prices will drop in summer holidays too, it's a big ship to fill. The prices for May, June and early July are already very cheap compared to the Majesty.

[SuzyPaulB]

Joe - I know! I'm fascinated by how much they are all dropping at the moment!

 

2015 for us Brits that love cruising will be interesting - ex Southampton Royal Princess, P & Os Brittania and Anthem of the Seas as well as all the regulars!! Oceana ex Venice so Azura AND Ventura!!

 

I think that although Thomson have the small and friendly aspect covered lots of customers might "jump ship" as the price will be right!! Supply and demand after all!!

 

Suzy

[Julessmiles]

A note of hope for Jules - as long as you can hold your nerve!!

 

Hi, have started to get mailings from some Cruise Agents and was very interested to see one particular Fjords cruise for one week with Princess ex Southampton, 9th August this year, £1376 total! Unlike Thomson, Princess is 18 and under for children!!

 

I don't know what you are looking for next year, but I reckon with three HUGE ships going out of Southampton, there will be some bargains to be had generally with cruising in the school hols!

 

94 days until I'm off which means 101 for you - ish?!!

 

Suzy

 

Thank you Suzy. As you might have seen, myself & my daughter just had a 'sneaky week' on the Celebration & got such a good deal - it's a shame Thomson don't encourage their early bookers with more reasonable prices rather than 'giving the cruises away' at the last minute.

 

Even more looking forward to the Dream now!!! Are you on for 1 or 2 weeks? I can't remember!

[nancyneptune]

You think Thomson ships are old ! They were built between 1982 & 1992. Did you know two of Fred.Olsen's ships were built in 1972 :O

 

But Fred's ships have been better maintained than Thomson's ships over the years. Thomson's so called platinum upgrades are a bit late in coming.

 

Was watching Planet Cruise earlier this evening. Some beautiful ships, great itineraries and prices similar ( or less ) than Thomson.

[nancyneptune]

Joe - I know! I'm fascinated by how much they are all dropping at the moment!

 

2015 for us Brits that love cruising will be interesting - ex Southampton Royal Princess, P & Os Brittania and Anthem of the Seas as well as all the regulars!! Oceana ex Venice so Azura AND Ventura!!

 

I think that although Thomson have the small and friendly aspect covered lots of customers might "jump ship" as the price will be right!! Supply and demand after all!!

 

Suzy

 

I think lots of customers have already jumped ship. The last minute prices recently, especially from London airports, have been so low, they are practically giving the cruises away.

 

With all these new ships and P & O now offering regional flights, I think it would be a mistake to book early with Thomson. Probably be lots of late deals to fill the ships near to departure dates.