Marella getting too pricey?

[2BACRUISER]

I've been looking for a baltic cruise for next year May/June.

Virtually same itinerary.

Marella £2049

P&O £1449

Princess £1299

Now I know Marella is AI and there are drinks to buy with p&o and gratuities to add with princess but there is no way in the world we will spend the £1000+ that going with Marella would cost us on either of the other two lines.

I wondered if anyone else was feeling the same as our last cruise on D2 was imo defo 3* at a 5* price. 

I really wanted to go on the Ex2 baltic as we loved her but the price is a killer. 

 

[so,ton saint]

4 minutes ago, 2BACRUISER said:

I've been looking for a baltic cruise for next year May/June.

Virtually same itinerary.

Marella £2049

P&O £1449

Princess £1299

Now I know Marella is AI and there are drinks to buy with p&o and gratuities to add with princess but there is no way in the world we will spend the £1000+ that going with Marella would cost us on either of the other two lines.

I wondered if anyone else was feeling the same as our last cruise on D2 was imo defo 3* at a 5* price. 

I really wanted to go on the Ex2 baltic as we loved her but the price is a killer. 

 

 

 

Hi 2BAC yep fill the same we love our Caribbean cruise and stays have had many over three ships over the years, this year we have jumped ship and doing a Virgin come Carnival cruise and stay from Barbados on the Fascination all-inclusive hotel and a lot cheaper, my wife does not drink so i will pay as i go along  PS did get $50 bucks on board spend.

[dronnygirl]

Hi 2BA, totally agree. Marella are getting very expensive and we have been pricing P&O for the Baltic. However for us the itinerary is the most important factor and whereas Marella have 8 ports, P&O only have 6 with more sea days. Also, have you sailed with Princess? In 2 weeks you could easily rack up £1000 in tips and drinks and extras. We only did 1 Princess cruise and it was fabulous but the extras have put us off.

If Marella want to keep a loyal following they need to look at their pricing.

[okavango]

3 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

I've been looking for a baltic cruise for next year May/June.

Virtually same itinerary.

Marella £2049

P&O £1449

Princess £1299

Now I know Marella is AI and there are drinks to buy with p&o and gratuities to add with princess but there is no way in the world we will spend the £1000+ that going with Marella would cost us on either of the other two lines.

I wondered if anyone else was feeling the same as our last cruise on D2 was imo defo 3* at a 5* price. 

I really wanted to go on the Ex2 baltic as we loved her but the price is a killer. 

 

Is that brochure price ?

[2BACRUISER]

34 minutes ago, okavango said:

Is that brochure price ?

No both marella and p&o websites and princess a n other cruise agent. To be fair I did see Marella at a slightly earlier date at £1849 but it's still over £100PPPD. 

Edited October 30, 2019 by 2BACRUISER

[okavango]

2 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

No both marella and p&o websites and princess a n other cruise agent. To be fair I did see Marella at a slightly earlier date at £1849 but it's still over £100PPPD. 

 

This year the Baltic ones dropped quite a lot ,think the first one came down to about £900 deck 10/12 inside ,anyone who paid for a balcony that trip totally wasted their money LOL ,it was certainly baltic.

[2BACRUISER]

Just seen in The Mail today Celebrity Silhouette Baltic £1819 & £1799 same dates and with a free perk inc. 

[oxygenbanditnot]

2BA, May 2020 Baltic is today available on the official website for £1631 pp = £116 pppn.

But, a lot less than your first quote and now worth looking at compared with the P&O price (£103pppn).

A saving of £13 pn will get just a couple of drinks.

Also, you will get at least 2 extra days in the cold north .

Prices do vary almost daily, keep looking; also someone on the forum may be able to advise on what the best price is likely to be and when for the Baltic.

We are on Exp 1 in late Jan (14 days) to the canaries for £1302 each, flying from our local airport Newcastle.

Typical prices from P&O were £110 for 12 days. Might even be from Southampton, can't remeber.

[howmuch!]

If it helps at all, we booked 2 cruises in March/April this year

 

We payed around £1600 for the Baltics in July, for an inside deck 9 on the Explorer. I seem to remember it went down to around £1300 a couple of months before departure.

 

We payed £1300  for a B2B cruise on Discovery 1 deck 6 inside, cruising around the Med and Adriatic this month, which went up to £1900 late August (6 weeks before departure)

 

We always book a cabin midships, so dont like booking too late, but never book too early as prices are too high. As one of our cruises went up, and one went down in price, I'm fairly happy as both cruises were the best we have done to date (but we have only done 9 to date - all with Marella/Thomson).

 

I agree with all that Nancy has said regarding whats being offered today compared to the past, so as others have said, I will be checking alternatives if service continues to suffer through reduced manning in bars and MDR.

 

 

[2BACRUISER]

I only started looking now to get a heads up on cost, we never book anything usually until around 6-8wks prior to sail date due to farm/work schedules. Guess I better get saving up! 🤔🙂

[lexdisic]

Its all about timing. Gone are the days of booking well in advance. There is, of course,  a trade off with cabin choice and those that are not able to be flexible due to commitments of work etc. Those who seek loyalty are going to get nothing and those that do will only get it because others and themselves have paid for it, so why be loyal to a cruise line. There is a huge choice out there and bargains are to be had - its constant trawling through the cruise companies and hit the button when a bargain appears.. I am now going on my 2nd Marella cruise and have snagged a bargain twice - it is possible especially when doing repositionals. Shop around - don't follow the crowd

 

[2BACRUISER]

16 minutes ago, lexdisic said:

Those who seek loyalty are going to get nothing 

 

That's so true with Marella nothing for being a frequent customer. We have stayed with Tui in the same hotel in Tenerife since 1993, we never get any recognition from Tui though the hotel itself does remember us and we usually get a bottle of cava or bowl of fruit and a welcome back card. I like the Marella brand, I like the regional flight options it gives you and I like the people but it's a bit like why you remain loyal to the same bank, electric co, make of car etc its comfy so maybe once in a while you have to make that leap of faith into the unknown and try something new. 

[davecttr]

Cruising is still good value for money, going off topic slightly I recently checked how much Queen Mary prices in her first year would be in todays prices. Inflation is about 70 times since then. The prices are one way.

 

- Cattle class bunk beds separate bathroom etc approx. £1340 per person

- First class outside with bathroom, size similar to a largeish oceanview. approx. £4250 per person

- first Class top suite approx. £9550 per person

 

Back on topic - As a solo cruiser I have to book early to get a cabin but to compensate Marella have some very reasonable single supplements. Several cruise lines are out of my price league because they charge double for single occupancy.

[anchorweight]

Yes, I paid £1000 less to go AI on the NCL Epic, than i would have on D2 or Explorer in September. Far better ship too.

[nancyneptune]

On 10/30/2019 at 7:32 PM, howmuch! said:

If it helps at all, we booked 2 cruises in March/April this year

 

We payed around £1600 for the Baltics in July, for an inside deck 9 on the Explorer. I seem to remember it went down to around £1300 a couple of months before departure.

 

We payed £1300  for a B2B cruise on Discovery 1 deck 6 inside, cruising around the Med and Adriatic this month, which went up to £1900 late August (6 weeks before departure)

 

We always book a cabin midships, so dont like booking too late, but never book too early as prices are too high. As one of our cruises went up, and one went down in price, I'm fairly happy as both cruises were the best we have done to date (but we have only done 9 to date - all with Marella/Thomson).

 

I agree with all that Nancy has said regarding whats being offered today compared to the past, so as others have said, I will be checking alternatives if service continues to suffer through reduced manning in bars and MDR.

 

 

 

The cruise we had been tracking went up by £250 pp after the collapse of TC. It remained at that price for a couple of weeks then gradually dropped in price to slightly more than it was when we first started looking.  It has sold out now from all airports except Luton & Gatwick and is now half the price of what it was when Marella hiked the price after the collapse.  We didn't book it. 

On 10/30/2019 at 3:19 PM, okavango said:

 

This year the Baltic ones dropped quite a lot ,think the first one came down to about £900 deck 10/12 inside ,anyone who paid for a balcony that trip totally wasted their money LOL ,it was certainly baltic.

 

 

[paphoslady]

Best cruise we had to the Baltics was with Celebrity. I managed to get a Conceige Balcony cabin with a drinks package for way less than £2049. There's so much competition it pays to shop around.

[howmuch!]

Lexdisic - yes repositioning cruises are the bargains with Marella (along with timing). 2 yrs ago we did 13 nights on Celebration, outside cabin, from Newcastle - Malaga via Ireland and northern Spain £650 each - no drinks included, and last year 14 nights Malaga to Aquaba on Discovery. inside cabin deck 2 for £930 each.

 

Helps balance out the more expensive recent ones

[geecee1]

On 10/30/2019 at 9:03 AM, so,ton saint said:

 

 

Hi 2BAC yep fill the same we love our Caribbean cruise and stays have had many over three ships over the years, this year we have jumped ship and doing a Virgin come Carnival cruise and stay from Barbados on the Fascination all-inclusive hotel and a lot cheaper, my wife does not drink so i will pay as i go along  PS did get $50 bucks on board spend.

Could not agree more. We like to book late and were interested in Marella for early  December 2019. Current prices for a 14 night cruise on Explorer 2 (inside cabin) on 1st December £3167 for two people. P&O have a 14 night cruise on Azura (inside cabin) on 29th November £2198. Marella are AI  but I doubt that we would spend close to £1000 on drinks, plus we like the itinerary.

[so,ton saint]

On 11/6/2019 at 9:17 AM, geecee1 said:

Could not agree more. We like to book late and were interested in Marella for early  December 2019. Current prices for a 14 night cruise on Explorer 2 (inside cabin) on 1st December £3167 for two people. P&O have a 14 night cruise on Azura (inside cabin) on 29th November £2198. Marella are AI  but I doubt that we would spend close to £1000 on drinks, plus we like the itinerary.

 

Iam ready to book a B/B for summer 20/21 from Port Canaveral does any one think there will be a price drop ,or hang on around Christmas time i always book with my local T.A just a thought.

 

[mart901]

Almost undoubtedly it will drop. Normally when brochures launch they do so at brochure full price. Give it till as you say Christmas time or maybe New Year/January and prices drop. I tend to make a note of the price now and monitor it, and book when it's at its best. 

[so,ton saint]

8 minutes ago, mart901 said:

Almost undoubtedly it will drop. Normally when brochures launch they do so at brochure full price. Give it till as you say Christmas time or maybe New Year/January and prices drop. I tend to make a note of the price now and monitor it, and book when it's at its best. 

 

I think your right Mart, have been on Discovery twice lovely little ship and will look forward on sailing on her again.

[Vitalsign]

I checked prices fir the repositioning from Montego Bay to Port Canaveral yesterday and was surprised at how expensive it was for 12 days inside deck 6 from Manchester Then I saw a 19 day repositioning from Montego Bay with the first week in the Caribbean at only £700 more However the whole cruise would cost over £3000 at approx £160 pp pd

far more than our 21 day repositioning from Dubai to Palma next April

Also this 19 day cruise only appeared to be available from Manchester cos I tried to compare costs from other airports

what do you think?

[Roland123]

Unless you drink huge amounts of alcohol Marella are now getting very expensive and are attracting the wrong sort of person!

 

Mind you the shows are the best we have seen!

[nancyneptune]

36 minutes ago, Roland123 said:

Unless you drink huge amounts of alcohol Marella are now getting very expensive and are attracting the wrong sort of person!

 

Mind you the shows are the best we have seen!

 

Agree with your comments about Marella being very expensive now and the AI attracting the wrong sort of person. 

On our last cruise we saw several people a bit worse for wear and the women were by far the worst. 

There was some large groups of people who were rowdy and sometimes rude to the waiters. 

 

Marella have some new shows which are quite good and the show team work hard but the rest of the entertainment is holiday camp stuff. Have seen so many of the comedians before and even the ones we haven't seen mostly all tell the same jokes.

 

Friends have recently returned from a cruise to South America on a beautiful MSC ship. They had a balcony cabin which was much , much cheaper than anything they have had on Marella.  Lots of choice of  restaurants, good food and very varied and professional entertainment. They said they are so glad they decided to jumped ship and are unlikely to cruise with Marella again.

[so,ton saint]

On 11/8/2019 at 12:29 PM, so,ton saint said:

 

I think your right Mart, have been on Discovery twice lovely little ship and will look forward on sailing on her again.

 

Well Christmas has gone the price is still the same or thereabouts gone down from £6186 to £6016 for  B/B delux balc on the 13th june 2021  TUI are offering £200  of up to April  2021, will let it go into the new year as i see Balconies are slowly being booked.