Cruise Pricing: Few Deals like the Good Old Days

[lovevacadays]

I am seeing prices from Celebrity, Princess, and RCI up across the board. There are some sales but only on sailings that are not popular. it's a supply and demand thing. The economy is doing better than what it was a few years ago. I'm in the staffing industry. Unemployment is way down which means more people have money for vacations. Cruise lines are starting their prices out high and will lower only if bookings are lower.

 

I still think cruising is a good value. But, like you, I have had some sticker shock when looking at cruises. I am paying more for my cruise in December on the Regal Princess in a balcony cabin than I have for any other balcony cabin or mini-suite I have booked on any cruise line.

[SheriffJoe]

a lot depends on when you book. We got a great deal on Summit for April 2017 which includes the bev pkg. That same cruise now is more than double what we paid for it

 

I typically book as soon as itins are out for longer cruises. Then watch and see if any price breaks. It is rare. Once in a blue moon the price goes down, mostly it just goes up so I am glad I book early.

 

Exactly right, but that's the way its always been perks or not......great deals have to be researched and located same as it was 20 years ago and likewise today but they are out there you just have to look. Our last 2 X cruises with 3 perks as well as the current one booked are significantly less expensive than we paid 15 years ago once you factor the original price and what we typically have to pay at the end of the cruise......cruise lines are in the business of making money and they do hand over fist from a lot of pax but on others like me, not as much. They obviously make some from my bookings or they would not have made the offer but they do make significantly more from uninformed pax and close to fully booked ships. Speaking of which I do believe that lines offer great deals early to get the ships as full as possible quickly so they can double the price on the last 20% of cabins, especially on popular routes like Alaskan cruises. Those last 20% of cabins paying twice what early bookers paid help subsidize the early bookings......

[Gail & Dan]

I don't have to be an accountant to know that my next Equinox deal is a great one. Concierge hump cabin' date=' with classic drink package, gratuities, $600 OBC. 10 nights in prime season Caribbean. $3700 total for 2 people which includes tax.

 

Twenty some years ago, we paid that much and had a very large bill at the end.[/quote']

 

Exactly compared to all inclusive or other venues Cruising is a better deal for sure

Edited July 1, 2016 by Gail & Dan

[teecee60]

 

Cruises/Land tours, etc. What was, for us, any kind of travel adventures of 3 weeks to a month were between $5k and $8K are now between $10 and $15K or more.

 

Having said that, one Travel Agency we have used has around two week hub and spoke tours to many places with B and D daily including air and transfers for less for about $2800 PP when we did one it was $2300,

 

I would be stuck sitting at home forever at those prices... :(

 

But... I just recently did a 35 night B2B on Explorer OTS for $1,667pp... $618pp for the 11 night New Zealand leg, and $1049pp for the transpacific leg. (Taxes and tips WERE extra, but almost totally cancelled out by the $875 OBC) The flight from Minneapolis to Sydney was $760pp, and from Seattle to Minneapolis $154

 

 

...that's the way its always been perks or not......great deals have to be researched and located same as it was 20 years ago and likewise today but they are out there you just have to look.

 

cruise lines are in the business of making money and they do hand over fist from a lot of pax but on others like me, not as much. They obviously make some from my bookings or they would not have made the offer but they do make significantly more from uninformed pax and close to fully booked ships.

 

Speaking of which I do believe that lines offer great deals early to get the ships as full as possible quickly so they can double the price on the last 20% of cabins, especially on popular routes like Alaskan cruises.

 

Those last 20% of cabins paying twice what early bookers paid help subsidize the early bookings......

 

I agree completely...well...almost...;) :) :o

 

Sometimes, those last few cabins are the absolute LOWEST priced ones. Three years ago I got a 15 night transatlantic on the Reflection for only $449pp! (by booking only 10 days before departure) :eek:

Edited July 1, 2016 by teecee60

[varoo]

.......Sometimes, those last few cabins are the absolute LOWEST priced ones. Three years ago I got a 15 night transatlantic on the Reflection for only $449pp! (by booking only 10 days before departure) :eek:

 

While cruise prices in general are higher, those last selling cabins are often the LOWEST priced.

 

Many passengers are unaware of those great last minute deals because they are usually only offered to those who qualify for special category discount pricing.

 

On a recent cruise, we were chatting with a couple in a neighboring stateroom who were smugly bragging about what a bargain they had received by booking early.

They claimed that they kept checking the Celebrity website and never saw the price fall below what they had paid.

 

We did not have the heart to tell them that we, (and likely others who booked last minute), paid a much lower price for the same category accommodations.

 

 

Some people get a great price on a transatlantic cruise every year. They just keep watching prices on a number of transatlantic cruises that look appealing to them and don't really care which one they end up on.

They are flexible on dates and basically just want an inexpensive cruise to (or from) Europe.

 

 

Then there are also the last minute practically give-away prices offered to locals who live near the cruise port, just to fill any remaining unsold cabins.

 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2016 by varoo

[funandsun]

Exactly compared to all inclusive or other venues Cruising is a better deal for sure

 

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

 

My family of three just spent 5 nights at a highly rated all-inclusive in the Puerto Vallarta area for $950 oceanfront. Double that for the ten nights and I'm still well ahead of the $3600. Maybe not quite as many entertainment choices, but several restaurants included plus drinks and never a problem getting loungers around the pool.

 

Don't get me wrong, we enjoy cruising, too (two X cruises in the next six months for wife and I). Just pointing out that deals can be found at all-inclusives that can better the cruise experience/cost, at least in my opinion (which is worth about as much as a used sock).

[insidecabin]

I think all cruise lines tried the put the prices up people will pay(almost cartel like) and it probably worked for a while as new business knew no better

 

The regulars are a bit smarter and and can see the prices no longer represent good value unless you are a perk user.

 

they added perks(mainly drinks packages) and racked the prices up.

 

they all did it within a short period and announced no more late discounts.

 

then the cracks started showing,

 

NCL(which I watched a bit more closely) put a 30day embargo on perks, then they started dropping prices within 30days, then they started doing no perks pricing(a bit like the X/RCI GTY rates), then they dropped the 30day on us bookings, then extra perks....

 

 

The no more discounts was marketing, they are there if you look.

sometimes they don't push them as much as they want to keep the headline prices high, some are through TA only package deals.

 

They have probably got more revenue upfront for the popular cruises and squeezed more out of those that can't get full value from the perks but the slow sellers are still slow sellers and people just don't book or wait and cancel around final if the prices don't drop.

 

Another trick the lines use is regional discounting, they will keep the prices high in most regions but promote to one, eg. X relocation cruises don't get perks in US, UK they do. prices are similar but throw in a drinks package on UK bookings.

 

Princess Baltic cruises are being pushed to Asian and Russian cruisers.

 

Think of the US state discounts on a world wide basis.

Edited July 2, 2016 by insidecabin