What cruise lines are you considering, due to increased X prices?

[Stateroom_Sailor]

With the recent spike in prices from Celebrity sailings starting next year, what cruise lines are you considering trying, or sailing more frequently with?

 

For those what Choose "X is still a Great Choice", that could mean any number of different things, such as:

A. The new prices are worth it, especially considering the new ships and revamps.

B.  Perks and loyalty benefits offset the cost, there's more than base fare to consider.

C.  We're booking like normal, but hoping for price drops.

D.  Just as loyal, but sailing a bit less often.

E.  Sailing just as often, but in a lower cabin category.

 

[sailco]

You seriously rate Princess above Celebrity?

[Stateroom_Sailor]

1 minute ago, sailco said:

You seriously rate Princess above Celebrity?

 

No, I rate them both at Premium Mass Market.  I've never sailed Princess, so can not compare.  Only the first 4 choices are in order of class.

[4774Papa]

Celebrity is our preferred choice and I will pay a modest amount above other lines to go with X,  however I will not pay a significant amount above what is reasonable.

 

I will look for bookings without perks.  Adding perks to a bundled price forces me to pay more.    We are modest drinkers, largely of wine at happy hour and dinner.  Prior to drink packages, we would spend no more than about $300 on alcohol for a 2 week cruise.  Unfortunately, NCL also bundles, inflating bottom line pricing.

 

Celebrity still appears to have base line pricing for TA cruises as an option, so I will continue to compare X with Royal and now MSC (we have friends that have done MSC and recommend it-its prices are great).

[FlorenceItaly]

More and more I am seeing with Celebrity that booking after final payment, and 30-45 days before sailing is probably the best price point with most itineraries.

[PelicanLvr]

Good survey.  Thanks for doing it!

[mek]

1 hour ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

No, I rate them both at Premium Mass Market.  I've never sailed Princess, so can not compare.  Only the first 4 choices are in order of class.

Where did you come up with this premium mass category?  Mass is mass IMHO.  I've sailed on all of them except MSC and they are all more similar than not - and I know this will make some people cringe, but that includes Carnival - especially the newer ships.  I'm not saying the lines aren't different, because they are, but one line will do something really well in one area and another will do it in something else.  Variety is fun.  In a million years I would never sail exclusively on one cruise line.

 

I don't care about the new pricing structure because I don't book a year or more out. I can wait to book after the final payment deadline . I like most cruise lines and go by itinerary and price.  I'm not loyal to any one brand, but I do have Elite status on most mass lines because I have cruised so much.

 

And for goodness sake, if you don't like the new pricing structure, then don't book with X - if bookings drop then so will the prices.

Edited April 16, 2019 by mek

[Cruise Junky]

My next two trips are land trips but I actually booked Regent yesterday. Dipped a toe into the luxury market for the first time. Got a killer deal. Probably no more a night than Edge 😳

Edited April 16, 2019 by Cruise Junky

[George C]

We priced edge sky suite and msc seaside yacht club and msc was half the price, love celebrity suite perks but msc perks seem just as nice . 

 

[Tapi]

8 minutes ago, mek said:

Where did you come up with this premium mass category?  Mass is mass IMHO.  I've sailed on all of them except MSC and they are all more similar than not - and I know this will make some people cringe, but that includes Carnival - especially the newer ships.  I'm not saying the lines aren't different, because they are, but one line will do something really well in one area and another will do it in something else.  Variety is fun.  In a million years I would never sail exclusively on one cruise line.

I get the gist of what you’re saying, and I do agree with some of it,  but I do find that there’s a clear line between “mass” and “premium mass”. The differences that I see boils down to the small details, some which can be subtle, Take for example Holland America. The quality of their linens and china. The white gloved service, and the level of etiquette that their crew is trained to, the fresh flowers throughout the ship, the laundry delivered in tissue with a gold seal, the room service delivered in real china. The lack of annoying announcements advertising gold chains by the inch or free liquor tastings, etc. These are all things that give enough of a bump to their product quality but not quite enough to place it in a truly premium tier. 

 

And im sorry, but I need to disagree about Carnival. Love them, have sailed on them many times, I’m Platinum on them, but there’s a marked difference between the product that they offer and other cruise lines. It’s enough that my wife cringes when I tell her that I want to go on a Carnival Cruise. 

[mek]

28 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I get the gist of what you’re saying, and I do agree with some of it,  but I do find that there’s a clear line between “mass” and “premium mass”. The differences that I see boils down to the small details, some which can be subtle, Take for example Holland America. The quality of their linens and china. The white gloved service, and the level of etiquette that their crew is trained to, the fresh flowers throughout the ship, the laundry delivered in tissue with a gold seal, the room service delivered in real china. The lack of annoying announcements advertising gold chains by the inch or free liquor tastings, etc. These are all things that give enough of a bump to their product quality but not quite enough to place it in a truly premium tier. 

 

And im sorry, but I need to disagree about Carnival. Love them, have sailed on them many times, I’m Platinum on them, but there’s a marked difference between the product that they offer and other cruise lines. It’s enough that my wife cringes when I tell her that I want to go on a Carnival Cruise. 

LOL - I'm Platinum on Carnival also, but stopped sailing on them about 5 years ago - primarily because I hate the entertainment - don't care for Hasbro game shows as only evening entertainment option and I think Playlist productions are lacking, but I think they have good food , I LOVE guys burgers, and I always have fun on a Carnival cruise.  

  My son was recently on the new Carnival Horizon and he thought it was as nice as Princess.  I'm not saying Carnival  offers the same cruise experience as X, or HAL, (which I think are both really low keyed), but they're all mass, just different and they all basically cater to the same demographic.  

Edited April 16, 2019 by mek

[FlorenceItaly]

I'm also Platinum on Carnival.  Once we cruised Celebrity in 2015 there was no turning back.    We have cruised with them eleven times since then with a few Princess and HAL sprinkled in.  I am now leaning towards HAL a little more.  

I do not consider Princess, HAL or Celebrity Premium.  Imo, they are mass.

[nhsails]

Groupings are...shall we say unique? Get the gist,however all lines are up, Economics 101. What I would add is many cruisers started after 9/11 when all lines tanked prices to get the ships sailing full again. Then came the housing crash in States, again prices were artificially kept lower for ships to sail fuller. Now a more stable economy plus higher demand due to great social media marketing and you again have a market adjustment except this time it is higher. Check different lines and assess your value vs cost. Happy Sailing

[villauk]

Thing is, I still consider X but recently have looked at other options too.

[Mike981]

Our first two cruises were on Celebrity in 2000 & 2001 (Mercury & Millennium). Then we did land vacations and other cruise lines, mostly Carnival. We just returned to Celebrity and cruised Equinox this past January. From our experience having been gone from Celebrity for so long, the difference between Carnival has shrunk considerably. Yes, there is still a difference. But not like it was for sure.
I truly respect those who have actually cruised both lines and give an honest answer and not just regurgitate what they read online. For example, the MDR experience isn't that much different and staffing levels all over the ship is certainly less than it used to be on Celebrity. For example, we are drinkers and love having the drink package. But rarely did we see a bar server, except in the Ocean View. 

By the way, we are booked on the Reflection next January. When I price shopped Carnival was very close in price for a balcony room, with no perks.

[Mike981]

10 minutes ago, nhsails said:

Now a more stable economy plus higher demand due to great social media marketing and you again have a market adjustment except this time it is higher. Check different lines and assess your value vs cost. Happy Sailing

 This ^^^^^

They charge what they can. Before I booked our cruise for next January, I looked at booking a room at Sandals Royal. We always do a butler room and it was crazy expensive ($1,000+ a day), I know I could get a discount with my TA, but not that much. And honestly, they have really watered down the butler service, so it's not worth it.
The travel industry is in a good place at the moment.

[Arubalisa]

Christmas/New Years 2019 we looked long and hard at Celebrity 12 nights on the Silhouette or B2B on the Equinox or Summit. 
Aruba, all inclusive, for 12 nights, with business class airfare, was still less expensive than oceanview cabins. 
We likely could have done HAL B2B for about the same as Aruba but handicap cabins are hard to come by and booking this late <<eye roll>>, we would not have had 3 cabins together.
For a family traveling together, 3 cabins or 3 hotel rooms, the savings are CONSIDERABLE. 
Upside, no chair hogs and we have a huge beach to spread out on. Life is good. 😍

[George C]

We also like all inclusive resorts like sandals but they have even less entertainment than celebrity. We loved our music charters on celebrity great entertainment but even more money than normal celebrity cruise.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

1 hour ago, mek said:

LOL - I'm Platinum on Carnival also, but stopped sailing on them about 5 years ago - primarily because I hate the entertainment - don't care for Hasbro game shows as only evening entertainment option and I think Playlist productions are lacking, but I think they have good food , I LOVE guys burgers, and I always have fun on a Carnival cruise.  

  My son was recently on the new Carnival Horizon and he thought it was as nice as Princess.  I'm not saying Carnival  offers the same cruise experience as X, or HAL, (which I think are both really low keyed), but they're all mass, just different and they all basically cater to the same demographic.  

 

Having sailed Carnival, X, and HAL, I would say that it is a different demographic.  Overlap for sure, especially if you compare a 14 night Carnival cruise to a 7 night X cruise, age and income may be similar.  Since the behavior on our last Carnival Journey cruise began to deteriorate halfway through, and ended with a lido deck full of F bombs, blatant pushing and shoving in the buffet, and intentional cold sharing, I'm hoping our 12 night on X doesn't follow the same path tomorrow.  

 

Different terminology, but here's a great video, comparing the different classes of lines.

 

 

[ak1004]

3 hours ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

No, I rate them both at Premium Mass Market.  I've never sailed Princess, so can not compare.  Only the first 4 choices are in order of class.

 

I totally agree with your categories.

 

X, Princess and HAL and more expensive that Carnival or RCI for a good reason. Personally I would never sail on Carnival or RCI again.

 

I find X, Princess and HAL in the same league in terms of overall experience. I would suggest checking Oceania. They are more expensive, but few steps above. And cheaper cabins might be compatible in price with X or Princess, especially inside and OV. 

[chemmo]

We still love X to the point we are reluctant at present to book other lines although we are following carefully comparative reviews!

 

I can see us just cruising once rather than twice a year and having more land based vacations, particularly in the Mediterranean, where the prices are the highest...

[roxievegas]

We did our first real cruise in 2011 - roundtrip out of Rome for 11 nights.  It was on Celebrity and it was wonderful.  A Balcony cabin $899 pp, flight roundtrip $999 pp.  

Since then we only did Celebrity cruises - but we no longer want to fly and we are limited leaving out of Los Angeles.  So last year we did 28 night out of LA on Princess - we have just completed a Mexico cruise on Princess, have two more booked and considering two more.  We did Carnival over 25 years ago out of LA, but we may try it again

Future cruise are based on price - no flying, we do not care about designation.

[yorky]

We are not looking at any particular cruise line but will book something within our budget. For us that’s a maximum of £3000 for around 14 nights. So with that budget will will look at whatever cruise looks like the best value taking into account the quality of the product. That may be a very early offer or a particular cruise that is below the price it would normally be due to slow sales. I still believe there are deals to be had, even with Celebrity as long as it’s not Edge, you just need to check regularly and jump in quick when you see something.

[chemmo]

21 minutes ago, yorky said:

We are not looking at any particular cruise line but will book something within our budget. For us that’s a maximum of £3000 for around 14 nights. So with that budget will will look at whatever cruise looks like the best value taking into account the quality of the product. That may be a very early offer or a particular cruise that is below the price it would normally be due to slow sales. I still believe there are deals to be had, even with Celebrity as long as it’s not Edge, you just need to check regularly and jump in quick when you see something.

 

The snag with us this side of the pond is that many of the great late deals are in the Caribbean...When I retired a couple of years ago we spotted one or two and then before booking looked at flights. Not only were most of them £££ lots of them involved two stops both ways rather than one stop. Just didn’t make sense, anything we gained from the cruise price we lost on the airfare...We are still generally finding our best deals have come from early bookings.

 

Still looking for a cheap cruise from Southampton, just a shame they don’t have a wider range of itineraries....

Edited April 16, 2019 by chemmo

[yorky]

5 minutes ago, chemmo said:

 

The snag with us this side of the pond is that many of the great late deals are in the Caribbean...When I retired a couple of years ago we spotted one or two and then before booking looked at flights. Not only were most of them £££ lots of them involved two stops both ways rather than one stop. Just didn’t make sense, anything we gained from the cruise price we lost on the airfare...We are still generally finding our best deals have come from early bookings.

 

Still looking for a cheap cruise from Southampton, just a shame they don’t have a wider range of itineraries....

Personally I find most of the cruises from Southampton a complete rip off. We do tend to book the Caribbean ourselves as flight to Miami tend to be pretty good on the whole.