A question for the "old school" cruisers

[John&LaLa]

If I were retired and living as close to port Canaveral as you I would probably be sailing at those prices also.

Off on Allure at a considerably higher price in 10 days. I do have that longggggg drive to FLL to deal with.

 

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[Ocean Boy]

Off on Allure at a considerably higher price in 10 days. I do have that longggggg drive to FLL to deal with.

 

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Have a safe drive.:) I hope Bella doesn't start feeling like an orphan.

[John&LaLa]

Have a safe drive.:) I hope Bella doesn't start feeling like an orphan.

She'll be fine. Actually have house sitters. It's really not that hard to find someone to stay with her. 😉

 

The real test will be April. 28 days on Mariner

 

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[Clarea]

Have a safe drive.:) I hope Bella doesn't start feeling like an orphan.

 

She'll be fine. Actually have house sitters. It's really not that hard to find someone to stay with her. 😉

 

The real test will be April. 28 days on Mariner

You should seriously consider sending Bella to service dog school.

[John&LaLa]

You should seriously consider sending Bella to service dog school.

Not a good candidate. You've met the beast. Seriously, taking care of her all day is not my ideal getaway.

 

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[Ocean Boy]

You should seriously consider sending Bella to service dog school.

I suspect that Bella has service parents.

[John&LaLa]

I suspect that Bella has service parents.

Can I send you an application? I'm sure your background would put you near the top of the list. 😉

 

3 weeks open in August/September

 

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[Biker19]

Title the thread with what you really want to say,

There's no shortage of misleading thread titles on CC.

[2LoveBikes]

An ongoing complaint on cruise critic is that cruising just isn't "what it used to be" 20-30 years ago.

 

 

 

To that, I ask, what were you paying 20-30 years ago during those "good old days?"

 

 

 

According to the US government, $900 in 1988 has the same buying power as about $1,900 in January 2018.

 

 

 

In 2018 dollars, you can get a 7 night OV balcony cabin on on Oasis class ship for 2 adults at about that $1,900 price point. Maybe lower, maybe higher, sure, but let's use $1,900 as our example.

 

 

 

That being said, what were you paying in 1988 for a 7 night OV balcony cabin on the "latest and greatest" cruise ship for 2 adults? Was it more or less than $900? If so, how much more or less?

 

 

 

I think the answer to this question will put some things into perspective.

 

 

 

Thanks for putting things into perspective. Cruising is the best value for a wholesome vacation

 

 

 

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[shereese]

Does anyone else remember betting on the horse races?

That was the best! I was never “an owner,” but it was sure fun.

Yes I do. I was an owner. Got to name the horse,dress them up and show them off for a week. So much fun. Wish they would do that again 🤣

[siren]

1985 went on the Sun Viking for our honeymoon. $3500 for a 10 day cruise with an inside cabin. Labadee was just sand and you had to purchase Labadee pirate coins on the ship to make purchases on the island. Dress theme nights in the dining room almost every night. The ship even provided costumes and accessories if you wanted. Hitting golf balls off the back of the ship. Exercise classes gave you ship shape dollars to redeem for prizes, like t-shirts,hats, etc. Flaming baked Alaska on the heads of the waiters and flaming cherries jubilee made table side. The horse races poolside was soooo much fun! Caviar was an appetizer..no extra charge. Ah, the memories. Yes time has changed things. We just go with the flow!!!

[poncho1973]

1985 went on the Sun Viking for our honeymoon. $3500 for a 10 day cruise with an inside cabin. Labadee was just sand and you had to purchase Labadee pirate coins on the ship to make purchases on the island. Dress theme nights in the dining room almost every night. The ship even provided costumes and accessories if you wanted. Hitting golf balls off the back of the ship. Exercise classes gave you ship shape dollars to redeem for prizes, like t-shirts,hats, etc. Flaming baked Alaska on the heads of the waiters and flaming cherries jubilee made table side. The horse races poolside was soooo much fun! Caviar was an appetizer..no extra charge. Ah, the memories. Yes time has changed things. We just go with the flow!!!

 

That's about $8,200 in 2018 dollars. Not sure if you meant per person or total, but either way... wooo doggie!

 

I know for 8k (even more so for 16k if you meant each) I could get an insane cruise with a lot more pampering than I could for what I typically pay for a long cruise today.

[CruisingNole]

That's about $8,200 in 2018 dollars. Not sure if you meant per person or total, but either way... wooo doggie!

 

 

 

I know for 8k (even more so for 16k if you meant each) I could get an insane cruise with a lot more pampering than I could for what I typically pay for a long cruise today.

 

 

 

That's kind of the point I was trying to make with this thread. I read a lot of folks wishing things were like "the good old days" of cruising but based on what I've read, the bare bones economy fare in the 80s is the same as what you'd pay for a sky class suite on an Oasis ship in 2018 when adjusted for inflation.

 

As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

 

 

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[Doralice]

I can’t add to the cruise price discussion, but I do have a price point for airfare. I flew round trip from Tucson to San Juan in May 1987 coach class on Eastern Airlines. We had a very nice dinner, Chicken Kiev I believe. The ticket price was $1300.

 

For my November 2016 cruise, Tucson to San Juan round trip business class was $860. The meal was much better in 1987, but 2016 had no smokers on the plane. Baggage claim in San Juan was equally slow.

 

 

I do enjoy hearing stories of how cruising used to be. But I really have enjoyed not having smoking everywhere now. I would never book a balcony room if smoking was allowed on them. Flying is not much fun now, but we live in a very different world since 9/11. And I really appreciate not sitting in a smoked filled airplane for several hours.

 

Unfortunately life has changed in many ways for the worse, but also in some ways for the better. I enjoy taking a vacation and not having to cook or clean for an entire week. I don't get to travel very much so try to enjoy the time I do.

 

Just my few thoughts.

 

 

 

 

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[kruzerci]

I simply wish there was a line that offered large, innovative ships, and a more 'resort' quality experience- fine foods, higher level of service, etc. I'd gladly pay 50% more for better attention to detail and a more quality experience like "the good ole days".

Yes, you have the option of upscale lines, but the upscale lines like Celebrity and Princess often also get the same complaints- that they have turned mass market. You also have the option of the Sky and Star class suite experiences and specialty restaurants, but you're still in a family environment and have the mass market experience.

It's basically go small and expensive or cheap and big. I'd be interested in them raising the price point of Celebrity and evolving into a more refined league of their own. It seems at this point that they are often fairly similarly priced, branded as a premium experience, but how much difference can you ultimately expect at a similar price-point.

[flips7]

Does anyone else remember betting on the horse races?

That was the best! I was never “an owner,” but it was sure fun.[/quote/] My wife and her friend were jockey's one time and the names of the horses were hysterical. The owners got to dress the horses and carry them around the ship. The betting could get really big on some of them.

[grandgeezer]

I'm tired of hearing what people paid 20+ years ago, it's meaningless. I paid $2500 for my first Apple computer (2E) and now you can get one for 75% less that is 50 times better.

More meaningful would be what you paid and what you got five years ago. Just the cruise with taxes and fees, and gratuities nothing else. In 2014 we did a TA, and the first cruise in Europe, on the Equinox. We were on the ship for 26 days in Concierge and are total price was a little over $2600 p.p. all in. Price it for 2018, I doubt if you'd come anywhere close to that, and that was before the cuts.

[mexico8]

One of our first cruises was with Chandris cruise line (I don't know if they still exist now) and we had a cabin in the lower part of the ship (read cheapest cabin) and believe it or not we did not have our own bathroom. We had to go down the hall to use a communal bathroom. We had bunk beds in our cabin.

 

I thought the food was very good and everything seemed really fancy to us in the dining room etc. Ice carvings and lavish buffets. Wish I could remember how much it cost but it would not have been too much. We have taken many cruises since then and laugh when we remember our first cabin.

[CanadaRob]

I simply wish there was a line that offered large, innovative ships, and a more 'resort' quality experience- fine foods, higher level of service, etc. I'd gladly pay 50% more for better attention to detail and a more quality experience like "the good ole days".

It's basically go small and expensive or cheap and big. I'd be interested in them raising the price point of Celebrity and evolving into a more refined league of their own. It seems at this point that they are often fairly similarly priced, branded as a premium experience, but how much difference can you ultimately expect at a similar price-point.

 

Isn't that kind of the point of Azamara already?