Caribbean in summer..

[herb]

Does Princess ever offer cruises to the Caribbean during the summer months? We sailed Princess twice during the summer out of NYC a while back and were impressed with her service/food. We can only sail during the summer and would love to sail to Caribbean islands on their fleet..

[JimmyVWine]

Technically, yes, but practically, no. The first Caribbean cruise will commence on September 21, which is technically still summer. Beyond that, Princess cruises in the Caribbean run from the end of September until the end of April.

[herb]

oh well :(

[stoneharborlady]

I wish.

[long cruiser]

no.

long cruiser

[Colo Cruiser]

Seems every couple of years based on availability of a vessel Princess will place a ship in the Caribbean. For the most part though lately, No. :(

[geoherb]

We sailed last year on the Caribbean Princess in August. A tropical storm made the captain change our itinerary--giving us an extra day at sea instead of going to Princess Cays. It would be nice if Princess kept at least one ship in the Caribbean during the summer, but they can make more money with their ships sailing in Europe and Alaska during those months.

[Pam in CA]

Follow the money. There is greater demand elsewhere and Princess can get higher pricing, making more money. If the market is already being served by another ship or two on other lines, adding a ship means reduced fares needed to fill the extra cabins. Good for the consumer but bad for the corporate bottom line.

[msmoger]

I would love to take this itinerary in the summer. Has Princess ever offered this? I think for me the Caribbean in the summer might be a bit too hot. I was once in Orlando in August (I realize this is inland) and never experienced such a stifling combination of heat and humidity. :eek:

[Colo Cruiser]

I would love to take this itinerary in the summer. Has Princess ever offered this? I think for me the Caribbean in the summer might be a bit too hot. I was once in Orlando in August (I realize this is inland) and never experienced such a stifling combination of heat and humidity. :eek:

 

Not for many years, as close as they came is the stop in Bermuda on the 9 day r/t Caribbean cruises out of NY that started with the Crown in 2006. They were very popular. :)

[kendon]

If money is the reason, then why does RCCL, NCL, and Carnival have a presence in the Caribbean in the summer. They can't all be operating at a loss with that itinerary. Not looking for a NYC/Caribbean run. Lots of us are willing to leave from Port Everglades.

[JimmyVWine]

If money is the reason, then why does RCCL, NCL, and Carnival have a presence in the Caribbean in the summer. They can't all be operating at a loss with that itinerary. Not looking for a NYC/Caribbean run. Lots of us are willing to leave from Port Everglades.

 

It's not as simple as looking at what "the other guy" is making and trying to copy that success. It could be that these other lines have saturated the market and that PCL has concluded that the demographic that sails the Caribbean in the summer is more likely to seed Princess 4th out of 4 in their choice of lines. This would force severe price cuts in order to steal market share away from the other lines. It could also be that one more straw might break the camels back. To mix metaphors, one deer per acre feasts on as much food as she wants. Two deer per acre eat pretty well. Three deer per acre and they all find enough food to survive. Add a fourth deer and they all slowly starve to death. Maybe PCL sees itself as the 4th deer.

 

While there are no absolutes in any of this, perhaps PCL views its customer base as being 'Alaska/Norway/Barcelona/Athens/Great Britain' types of travelers and not 'Nassau/St. Thomas/Aruba' travelers (in the summer). Personally, I tend to agree with this. Are there people who would love to sail on PCL in the summer? Of course. But is the PCL passenger profile also geared toward more expensive itineraries in the summer? Apparently. No sense selling cabins in the Caribbean for $599 per week when you can sell the same cabin for $899 per week elsewhere.

[Pam in CA]

If money is the reason, then why does RCCL, NCL, and Carnival have a presence in the Caribbean in the summer. They can't all be operating at a loss with that itinerary. Not looking for a NYC/Caribbean run. Lots of us are willing to leave from Port Everglades.

That's exactly why Princess doesn't and confirms what I said. Supply and demand. Three lines are already meeting demand. Additional cruises/cabins increases supply to more than demand and forcing all lines to discount fares or offer incentives to fill ships. Princess can offer the same cabins at higher fares on other itineraries.

[MJSailors]

Not for many years, as close as they came is the stop in Bermuda on the 9 day r/t Caribbean cruises out of NY that started with the Crown in 2006. They were very popular. :)

 

My DH ad I took this cruise on the Crown,two years in a row.

We totally enjoyed it! The ship also stopped in San Juan,a port that Princess has apparently eliminated.

While this cruise was scheduled for the Summer,we didn't mind the heat as Long Island,N.Y. can be hot and humid in July-August as well.

We have taken cruises from the NYC area on NCL and Celebrity to Bermuda during the Summer months,but we prefer Princess service and ships.

[Colo Cruiser]

My DH ad I took this cruise on the Crown,two years in a row.

We totally enjoyed it! The ship also stopped in San Juan,a port that Princess has apparently eliminated.

While this cruise was scheduled for the Summer,we didn't mind the heat as Long Island,N.Y. can be hot and humid in July-August as well.

We have taken cruises from the NYC area on NCL and Celebrity to Bermuda during the Summer months,but we prefer Princess service and ships.

 

 

We did it several times, most on the Crown and a couple on the CB.

The first time was a couple of weeks after the dreaded "tilt" cruise in 2006 on the Crown. We really enjoyed that itinerary. :)

Edited April 29, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[kendon]

We did it several times, most on the Crown and a couple on the CB.

The first time was a couple of weeks after the dreaded "tilt" cruise in 2006 on the Crown. We really enjoyed that itinerary. :)

 

Wow, I remember that Crown "listing" cruise well...we had friends on that cruise, one who was injured pretty badly and remained in a Florida hospital for over a month.

[kendon]

That's exactly why Princess doesn't and confirms what I said. Supply and demand. Three lines are already meeting demand. Additional cruises/cabins increases supply to more than demand and forcing all lines to discount fares or offer incentives to fill ships. Princess can offer the same cabins at higher fares on other itineraries.

 

Also, those three mentioned cruise lines are super family friendly lines...great for summer itineraries. I could see that Princess may trail behind them in popularity that time of the year for a Caribbean itinerary.

 

I can still miss them though :)