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Is Princess really worth this cost?


Presto2
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Hi, for a while we have been pricing up Princess cruises but have always been 'beaten' by the price.

For some background, we have sailed on Celebrity and P&O - often in aft cabins.

We have seen a 14 night cruise on the Enchantment of the Seas and it is coming out as £3,600 per person for an aft cabin on C deck

No flights, no discounts and no perks

 

We are just taken aback at the price as we have already booked Celebrity Edge for 2019 in one of their E2 Infinite Veranda cabins for 11 nights with

a 3 night stay in Rome and all transfers PLUS a Classic Drinks Package for £7200.

 

We have e-mailed Princess and didn't really get much of a response other than to say that they were a premium line. They suggest we go for a £50 per person per day AI if we want a package. Well that would add £1,400 to the bill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is £8,600 before we even add the flights and transfers --- and not even for a deluxe cabin

 

What we want to know is, is Princess really that good that they can justify these prices and be even more expensive than Celebrity's new ship ??

 

We LOVE the look of Princess itineraries and loved Britannia (the P&O sister ship) but the prices always make us look elsewhere

 

PS We are stuck to school holidays so can not make use of late deals etc

 

 

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No, Princess is not that great that you should pay much more than Celebrity. 

 

We are US folks, so we have different booking rules. Because of This we receive various OBC, departure ports, etc that make Princess attractive. 

Edited by neverbeenhere
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Which Princess cruise ship?  Enchantment of the Seas is a RCCL ship.  Enchanted Princess won’t set sail until 2020, and while new ships usually command. Premium price, they really are not worth it.  Check out the current ships sailing on the same itineraries to compare.

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I do no think it is worth that price.  There are deals ....sometimes.  Some deals offer a perception of a discount, some are real discounts.  Unfortunately in the UK you cannot re-fare as easily as we can in USA.   Princess prices are based on supply and demand.  Sometimes they have am amazing deal, and sometimes not so great.  My experience with Princess has been that if I book as soon as the itinerary is released that is usually the best price I'm going to find.  There have been a few occasions where I was able to refare with the 3 for free or Sip n sail, but then there are cases where that is not so.  This year for instance, we booked a Christmas cruise the day the itinerary was released.  We paid well above (more than double!) what the cruise is currently going for and since it's past final payment we have no recourse.  So, if this is a sign of a hurting economy, then perhaps it will pay to wait until after final payment.  

That Celebrity Edge looks amazing and the prices I see are a bit too high for me right now, but it looks awesome!!

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1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Enchantment of the seas?   :classic_ohmy:

No wonder they "didn't really get much of a response" from Princess!

 

Seriously, I presume they meant Enchanted Princess - as a previous poster pointed out,

new ships command a premium in their maiden seasons, especially in the Med.

 

 

 

MARK

 

 

 

 

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I don't think Princess is worth that much more than Celebrity. I usually price out different cruises in similar cabins and choose whichever fits our wants and budget best between Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America. The onboard amenities don't make enough difference between the three cruise lines to pay a whole lot extra to pick one over the other. We've tended to book more Princess cruises because I can usually get them at a better price than the other two lines once we figure in the value of our past passenger perks.

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Unless this is a brand new ship, very unusual for Princess to be priced so high.  I do live in the US, so maybe it is different overseas, but we find really great deals on Princess, more so than on Celebrity (usually).

 

If it is the new Enchanted Princess, due in 2020, new ships are often very expensive for there first year or so.  And no, to me it would definitely not be worth it!

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10 hours ago, cherylandtk said:

... while new ships usually command. Premium price, they really are not worth it.  ...

 

Especially these new Princess ships. We really hate the deck 7 layout.

 

Princess and Celeberity are  prices rather comparably in the US and are generally agreed to be a similar experience. 

 

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26 minutes ago, MauiLvrs said:

Princess and Celeberity are  prices rather comparably in the US and are generally agreed to be a similar experience. 

 

We both grew up watching the Love Boat ... So maybe that skews our preferences ...

But it is the love boat ... and who woulen’t want to be on the love boat ?:classic_biggrin:

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We generally pay less for Princess then Celebrity, but pricing does vary by the cruise (supply and demand).  We notice that the OP is located in the UK where the "rules" are completely different then what we have here in North America.  Consider that Princess allows the "stacking" of On Board Credits (OBCs) while Celebrity does not!  So I might pay $2000 for a Princess cruise but manage to get $700 of OBCs through various means (gifts from our cruise agent, stockholder credit, veterans credit, etc).  So that $2000 cruise actually costs me $1300!  But with Celebrity say I pay $1900 (for the same type accomodation) but only get $200 OBC.   Bottom line is for those of us who shop around for the best deals, all is not what it seems at first glance.

 

Another factor is what has happened to Celebrity since Lisa Lutoff-Perlo took over as their CEO.  She made it clear from the outset that Celebrity was pricing too low...and she quickly took steps to increase the price per passenger day.  She also does a great job muddying the waters by the use of various promos....many of which are valued at high prices so that it makes folks think they are getting a good deal when they are actually getting screwed :(.  Another problem with Celebrity is that under the current LLP reign, there have been a multitude of onboard cut-backs in items related to both staffing and perks.  some of these cut-backs were very small, but others are more obvious.  As a tiny example, once upon a time you could go to the Lido for lunch on Celebrity and find a large bowl of large shrimp.  Try finding that today.  Ironically, we stopped in the Horizon Court on the Regal Princess last week (the last full day of our cruise) and Princess has a large special buffet which included a huge bowl of very large shrimp (there was a long queue).  

 

Hank

 

 

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18 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Hi, for a while we have been pricing up Princess cruises but have always been 'beaten' by the price.

For some background, we have sailed on Celebrity and P&O - often in aft cabins.

We have seen a 14 night cruise on the Enchantment of the Seas and it is coming out as £3,600 per person for an aft cabin on C deck

No flights, no discounts and no perks

 

We are just taken aback at the price as we have already booked Celebrity Edge for 2019 in one of their E2 Infinite Veranda cabins for 11 nights with

a 3 night stay in Rome and all transfers PLUS a Classic Drinks Package for £7200.

 

We have e-mailed Princess and didn't really get much of a response other than to say that they were a premium line. They suggest we go for a £50 per person per day AI if we want a package. Well that would add £1,400 to the bill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is £8,600 before we even add the flights and transfers --- and not even for a deluxe cabin

 

What we want to know is, is Princess really that good that they can justify these prices and be even more expensive than Celebrity's new ship ??

 

We LOVE the look of Princess itineraries and loved Britannia (the P&O sister ship) but the prices always make us look elsewhere

 

PS We are stuck to school holidays so can not make use of late deals etc

 

 

 

Not for you Brits.  

You will be getting the short end of the shaft with that cost.  Better for you to choose another cruise line that fits your budget.  There are many cruise lines to choose from.

Good luck.

King

Edited by Kingofcool1947
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Yes and no.  If one wants to get the maximum amount for dollars spent, then Carnival would be the answer.  But if one is looking for a bit more, more sophistication, beautiful ship, great entertainment, and interesting fellow passengers from all over the world, than Princess is definitely worth the money.

We tend to book a mini-suite and have booked club class which makes it even more expensive.  But most recently we were on the Regal Princess, Baltic Cruise, and we had a fantastic time. 

 

Would highly recommend Princess....as well as Celebrity.

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I hope we haven't made a bad decision.  A vacation, either a cruise or a stay at a resort is what you make it.  We've never really complained and have "gone with the flow" on all past cruises.  We've cruised since 2003, on NCL, RCL and recently on Celebrity, the Equinox and Silhouette.  Just out of curiosity, I compared the cost of booking a cruise on Celebrity, same category, cruise length; and season, compared what we get from Princess on our March 2019 cruise and what we would have gotten if we booked on Celebrity. Celebrity has much more to offer in regards to perks and service.  Princes:  you better show your "stuff" next March and live up to the rave reviews that I've read!  I hope you don't disappoint us!

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22 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Hi, for a while we have been pricing up Princess cruises but have always been 'beaten' by the price.

For some background, we have sailed on Celebrity and P&O - often in aft cabins.

We have seen a 14 night cruise on the Enchantment of the Seas and it is coming out as £3,600 per person for an aft cabin on C deck

No flights, no discounts and no perks

 

We are just taken aback at the price as we have already booked Celebrity Edge for 2019 in one of their E2 Infinite Veranda cabins for 11 nights with

a 3 night stay in Rome and all transfers PLUS a Classic Drinks Package for £7200.

 

We have e-mailed Princess and didn't really get much of a response other than to say that they were a premium line. They suggest we go for a £50 per person per day AI if we want a package. Well that would add £1,400 to the bill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is £8,600 before we even add the flights and transfers --- and not even for a deluxe cabin

 

What we want to know is, is Princess really that good that they can justify these prices and be even more expensive than Celebrity's new ship ??

 

We LOVE the look of Princess itineraries and loved Britannia (the P&O sister ship) but the prices always make us look elsewhere

 

PS We are stuck to school holidays so can not make use of late deals etc

 

 

 

At £3,600, the aft cabin you mention will likely be a Premium Deluxe Balcony so will be slightly larger with sofa and with a larger balcony.

 

Launch fares are always higher. Currently a 14 night cruise in October 2019 on the Sky Princess which went on sale six months ago is £3,199 in a mini suite including ‘free’ flights. We booked this cruise when launched at higher prices but have since re-priced saving a total of around £1,000 from the original price in a combination of price reduction and OBC. We’ll do the same with our Enchanted Princess booking in due course.

 

Like people have alluded to, unlike the US, in the UK we can only re-price once and pay £50 per person for the privilege therefore you must choose wisely when re-pricing because if another better offer turns up later on you won’t be able to change again not without cancelling and losing your deposit and the £50 per person re-pricing fee.

 

The Enchanted Princess launch fares (in fact all of the 2020 fares) do seem higher than ever and are encroaching on Viking prices. The Princess product is a very good one. We find it much better than P&O for various reasons and would definitely pay a premium. As to whether the premium is worth the current 2020 launch fares, it’s debatable. I would suggest waiting for six to twelve months before booking to see if prices fall or pay the £50 deposit now to ensure you get the cabin you want and re-price in due course.

 

The Enchanted Princess looks like it will be a stunning ship and we cannot wait to sail on her. For us, stepping on a Princess ship is like coming home.

Edited by Geoffa30
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Thanks folks. It is interesting that someone has said that this is encroaching on Viking prices. With offers we are getting it is also encroaching on Oceania prices and 6 months out they are offering free excursions, all select dining, and flights. I know that Princess is a good cruise line and we would very much like to sail with them. I always think of them as up market from P&O and in line with Celebrity.

 

I just can't justify these prices -- particularly when there seem to be no perks at all and no OBC etc etc.

 

Shame

 

 

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We sail both Celebrity and Princess in ~ equal measures. We have seen the prices increase on both lines in recent years, with the odd bargain to be had occasionally. Since Celebrity frequently offer their drinks package included, overall it tends to make Princess more expensive in comparison. Here in the UK, Princess very rarely offers perks or OBC. Prices for new ships always command a premium, and are best booked upon release as the price then tends to go up due to supply and demand (as in the Edge prices). 

The bottom line is that as long as the cruise companies can sell the cabins at a higher price, and make more profit for their shareholders, we will not see the prices coming down. It is mainly in areas saturated with cruise ships that you start to see the 'bargains'. 

 

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We like Princess and have been on many Princess cruises.  However, our past several cruises have been either RCI or Celebrity.  When I ask about Princess, Mrs. Ldubs says their prices are too high.  I don't have details because I don't do the booking but I do kind of miss Princess.  

 

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1 hour ago, downsmead said:

We sail both Celebrity and Princess in ~ equal measures. We have seen the prices increase on both lines in recent years, with the odd bargain to be had occasionally. Since Celebrity frequently offer their drinks package included, overall it tends to make Princess more expensive in comparison. Here in the UK, Princess very rarely offers perks or OBC. Prices for new ships always command a premium, and are best booked upon release as the price then tends to go up due to supply and demand (as in the Edge prices). 

The bottom line is that as long as the cruise companies can sell the cabins at a higher price, and make more profit for their shareholders, we will not see the prices coming down. It is mainly in areas saturated with cruise ships that you start to see the 'bargains'. 

 

 

Hi, we always booked really early for any cruises - as soon as they are out. We have done this with P&O and Celebrity and it saves us a lot of money. These lines always have extra perks.

Have looked at Princess now for 2020 and the prices are just sky high and no perks .......

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