Its been awhile has Carnival raised the rates.

[pjewell910]

Its been 2 or 3 years since I have been on a carnival ship. Not that I didn't have a great time on them just give the other lines a try also...

 

So I wanted to book a family cruise for September and try to make it affordable so I figure going back to carnival. When looking up prices they are not as cheap as I remember. The last time I booked a 7 day about 2 years ago it was like 1200$. Now we are looking at around 1800 for the same cruise.

 

So when did the rates jump and will they still drop as the day gets closer to the cruise.

[HawkIVette]

Pretty hard question to answer. That's like, "is it going to rain on July 4th?

 

It's been a couple of years, demand for cruising is better, so price is justifiably higher

 

The best answer I can give you is that it probably won't get any cheaper, unless you book early saver or past guest with price protection and watch for the price to go down. Then simply call and get the reduced rate or OBC.

[cruisinqt]

We've noticed that the rates have gone up a bit in the last couple of years. :(But you can still find good deals if you're flexible on your travel dates and go off season. During the summer months or any time school is out is always sky high. And the newer ships are always more expensive. But the prices do drop. On our last cruise ours dropped $600 and since we booked early saver they honored the price drop. If you're past the final payment then they don't do that.

[bury me at sea]

If you look at comparable cruises in comparable time frames there has been a steady increase in rates over the last four years. Not necessarily huge from year to year, but definitely steadily upward, as with most other categories of purchases.

 

Simultaneously there has been a fairly steady decline in quality of food and included services/items.

 

Deleted some of the best room service items and instituted a charge for new items. Changed menu in MDR. Think fried chicken or meatloaf instead of Beef Wellington. No tablecloths in MDR except for elegant nights. Noticeable reduction in staff. Some ships pushing once a day cabin service.

 

It's kind of like the rest of life, paying a little more for a little less.

 

To date, though disappointed about some things, I still find it worth the price when compared to other vacation options. And I have enjoyed every Carnival cruise and can hardly wait for my next one.

[riclop]

Its been 2 or 3 years since I have been on a carnival ship. Not that I didn't have a great time on them just give the other lines a try also...

 

So I wanted to book a family cruise for September and try to make it affordable so I figure going back to carnival. When looking up prices they are not as cheap as I remember. The last time I booked a 7 day about 2 years ago it was like 1200$. Now we are looking at around 1800 for the same cruise.

 

So when did the rates jump and will they still drop as the day gets closer to the cruise.

 

And they will continue to go up.

[AdGuyMG]

Changed menu in MDR. Think fried chicken or meatloaf instead of Beef Wellington. No tablecloths in MDR except for elegant nights.

 

Here's video of some of the dining rooms with obviously "bogus" food pics dropped in from some other cruise line.

 

[Jamericannn]

Its been 2 or 3 years since I have been on a carnival ship. Not that I didn't have a great time on them just give the other lines a try also...

 

So I wanted to book a family cruise for September and try to make it affordable so I figure going back to carnival. When looking up prices they are not as cheap as I remember. The last time I booked a 7 day about 2 years ago it was like 1200$. Now we are looking at around 1800 for the same cruise.

 

So when did the rates jump and will they still drop as the day gets closer to the cruise.

 

This is a tricky question to answer because even a specific cruise rate goes up and down. My upcoming April cruise has gone up and down in rates a few times since it was booked. Prices for different time of the year is different so make sure you are comparing apples to apples. In order to get a true figure, you will have to be booking the cruise for the same time or close as possible (month date) and the time out from sail date as you did before.

 

Also,ports of call, ship, and room category comes into play. Not just balcony vs balcony but balcony category vs balcony category

[tallnthensome]

Yes, they've gone up especially if you're sailing the new Vista. Also, if the base cruise prices appear to be the same it comes with more cutbacks and raised prices involving your nickles and dimes on board.

[pjewell910]

I have been looking at other lines and it really not that much more to get a balcony on one of the mega ships.

 

To me the food is the same but the entertainment beats carnival hands down.

But there isn't a chance of price drops on the big ships like there is on carnival and i need to book 3 rooms. what to do what to do?

[LucyR.]

I have noticed that Carnival cruise line rules the Long Beach, California cruise port. Most of the time they charge more than the Princess cruise line that is located in San Pedro, Calif. cruise port.

 

Some times I am able to find some great deals on Carnival but what stops me from booking with Carnival is the Early saver rules that can cost me money if I change my mind and want to cruise on a different date.

 

I miss cruising on Carnival but every time I try to book a Carnival cruise I stop myself because of the Early saver rules. I have lost a lot of money because of the early saver rule.

 

TWO years ago I had booked a Carnival cruise ...when later on when I found out that the Zika virus was in Mexico I decided to not risk getting sick with the virus. I am an older senior with medical problems and can't afford to get sick so I tried to cancel for that reason and Carnival would not let me cancel and return my deposit back. So I had to walk away and lose my deposit. I have chosen to not cruise on Carnival since that date.

 

I miss not cruising on Carnival but they don't care about my health so I have to just walk away from them.

[summersigh]

You don't find the great last minute deals that used to happen.

Prices on cruise lines are now run by computer algorithms that work on the idea of supply and demand.

In the past few years we're finding that the best prices (on a variety of lines and itineraries) are at least 6 months out. On our past 4 cruises the prices climbed until 3 or 4 weeks prior to sailing and then the deals weren't much better than ours given the perks - like free grats and/or OBC - we were able to get booking early.

[Sixtytwo]

Don't look for prices to drop in the coming year. A recent projection was that demand for cruise ship cabins is expected to rise in 2017 and cruise lines will have no reason to discount cabins to fill ships. :)

[luv2trvlnow]

I have noticed that Carnival cruise line rules the Long Beach, California cruise port. Most of the time they charge more than the Princess cruise line that is located in San Pedro, Calif. cruise port.

 

Some times I am able to find some great deals on Carnival but what stops me from booking with Carnival is the Early saver rules that can cost me money if I change my mind and want to cruise on a different date.

 

I miss cruising on Carnival but every time I try to book a Carnival cruise I stop myself because of the Early saver rules. I have lost a lot of money because of the early saver rule.

 

TWO years ago I had booked a Carnival cruise ...when later on when I found out that the Zika virus was in Mexico I decided to not risk getting sick with the virus. I am an older senior with medical problems and can't afford to get sick so I tried to cancel for that reason and Carnival would not let me cancel and return my deposit back. So I had to walk away and lose my deposit. I have chosen to not cruise on Carnival since that date.

 

I miss not cruising on Carnival but they don't care about my health so I have to just walk away from them.

 

Early Saver isn't the only rate you can book a cruise under. They have other rates. Past Guest does not have thr Early Saver restrictions. You can get your deposit back if you cancel before final payment date with Past Guest. It will cost a little more and you can get price reductions up to final payment date, just not after like you get with Early Saver. But other lines don't lower your rate after final payment under any rate.

 

If it is after final payment date it won't matter which cruise line you are on or what rate you booked under, you will loose money depending on how close to the sailing you cancel.

[crusinpsychRN]

Here's video of some of the dining rooms with obviously "bogus" food pics dropped in from some other cruise line.

 

 

What makes you say it's bogus food pics from another line?

[xitappers2bx]

Its been 2 or 3 years since I have been on a carnival ship. Not that I didn't have a great time on them just give the other lines a try also...

 

So I wanted to book a family cruise for September and try to make it affordable so I figure going back to carnival. When looking up prices they are not as cheap as I remember. The last time I booked a 7 day about 2 years ago it was like 1200$. Now we are looking at around 1800 for the same cruise.

 

So when did the rates jump and will they still drop as the day gets closer to the cruise.

 

Just like with hotels and airlines, filling cruise staterooms is an issue of supply and demand. Now that more people are cruising, there is more demand, so prices go up. The cost of operating also increases, resulting in prices going up. Thats not to say you can't find a good deal. If you cruise during less desirable weeks it'll probably be a bit less, but you can definitely get an inside for about the price you're talking about...

[v3cruiser]

Noticed rates are pretty pricey as well compared to years past. Dont think things will be changing any time soon. There are some bargains out there. We usually book around a year out or more.

[NavyCruiser]

Our company has taken a summer cruises for the past 20 yrs, ave 40 - 50 cabins for 100+ people.

2017 will be the very first summer that we're booked at an All Inclusive 5 star resort to Riviera Maya, Cancun.

Company Events Coordinator says their Travel Agent got great corporate rates from AI's with airfare included for much less than cruising today.

Plus travelers & corporate sponsors has complained about poorer service & being nickle & dimed too much lately....

[sfaaa]

Instead of complaining, the smart cruisers would buy Carnival shares and profit on the company success and OBC.

[pjewell910]

So the prices have gone up and the entertainment ,food,and services have gone down. Tell me again why I should carnival over other lines if the price is close.