Jump to content

Here come the price increases!


margbem
 Share

Recommended Posts

We took the sad decision yesterday to move our deposit from Quest's Antarctica cruise next January onto a September 2021 cruise in the Med. We doubt that we would get travel insurance for Antarctica due to its geographical position and we decided that south America travel will probably still be a no-no come January.

 

So we looked at cruises for next year, decided which we wanted to go with and got a quote from our UK travel agent. This morning we asked them to go ahead and transfer our deposit, only to be told that overnight the price has increased by £800pp. I know cruise companies are in financial difficulties but to make an increase of over 10% on an already expensive (in our opinion) cruise just doesn't make sense when they are trying to encourage people to book for next year.

 

Last September we took a 14 night cruise on the Odyssey for £4100pp. This new one, same length of time but on the Ovation (so I know that increases the price a bit) is now £7851pp.

 

Needless to say we have not changed over our deposit and will wait to see what happens. Seabourn's website is still showing the lower price at the moment. Not happy.

 

 

Edited by margbem
grammar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I noticed that this am. Our Mediterranean cruise in October went up by 500 dollars pp. we did have that booked thankfully. Veranda suites in Alaska went up 1000 dollars pp. Supply and demand. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, wesport said:

I noticed that this am. Our Mediterranean cruise in October went up by 500 dollars pp. we did have that booked thankfully. Veranda suites in Alaska went up 1000 dollars pp. Supply and demand. 

Is it supply and demand, though? In just two suite categories we had a choice of 14 suites and that was dismissing any with interconnecting doors or no bath.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Surely everyone expects the prices to increase substantially?

They are talking about only having 50% occupancy on a ship - they are a business looking to make money and obtain financial stability again.

Looked to book 2 first class train tickets in UK yesterday for a 1 hour 35 minute return journey on a Saturday. Price for two people pre pandemic £90 return a person. Price yesterday for next three months dates £335 a person. Again trains having to substantially reduce capacity.

I for one am ok paying the price increases if this is needed to make travel safer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Jane21 said:

They are talking about only having 50% occupancy on a ship 

That's a number which has been suggested however there's no actual proof that I've been able to see at this point that says that's true. Seabourn already has low passenger density, they may have to make some adjustments but I'm not sure it will be that bad. 

 

I think prices increasing are indeed, as someone already wrote, because of supply and demand. The demand is from the huge number of passengers who have future cruise credit and need to use it up by a certain date. It was predicted back in March/April when they started offering 125% FCC with a limited term that cruise prices were going to rise to reabsorb some or all of that 'free money'. I expected to see just-before-sail prices a full 25% higher than they were the last few years. 

Edited by rols
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, wesport said:

You also have to take into consideration all the new safety and health protocols that will be in effect. All that will increase the cost of a cruise. 

 

These new protocols have increased the cost of getting a haircut.  Why would one not expect cruise prices to increase as well?

 

And, has anybody else noted the increase in the cost of groceries during 2020?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

 

And, has anybody else noted the increase in the cost of groceries during 2020?

 

 

Very much so.

 

Nothing of course to do with the bottle of gin in the trolley 😂

 

(Missed our long cruise in April and tried to recreate a few cocktails a lá Seabourn!)

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Mauzac said:

Nothing of course to do with the bottle of gin in the trolley 😂

 

(Missed our long cruise in April and tried to recreate a few cocktails a lá Seabourn!)

 

I hope you were successful!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, instead of our cruise in May to Alaska to which we looked forward (12 days return Vancouver, all nicely planned, darn it!) as I am working from home a lot more we have finally bit the bullet and are renovating our home office. We are using the money refunded from that cruise. The renos are about the price of that cruise plus, plus (renovations always cost more than one plans, in my experience anyway).

 

If the cruise lines raise prices so much that some people won't want to cruise, or may have other uses for their vacation dollars (either a different type of vacation or using the funds for other things, as we are doing), such price increases may well be self-defeating. The sales of RV's are apparently way up, and many people, who can afford it, are also looking at buying vacation properties, or taking land vacations, etc.. For example, in mid September we will go visit family in another province, assuming that other province is in the relative clear. Yet instead of flying, as there is no way I would board an airplane at present, especially as our carriers are now selling the middle seat (!), we will drive. I also want to avoid airport line-ups with strangers from heaven-knows-where. Thus, flying to the cruise-port is also problematic for some. Its a factor, or a hurdle to consider.

 

If the cruise lines are no longer perceived as delivering value for the vacation dollar, once it is safe to cruise--and in my opinion that happy day is still far in the future--the natural group of customers for all the lines may have shrunk a lot. First, sadly there are those who lost their employment or, due to the stock market, no longer "feel" as comfortable spending the amounts that (before the increase) used to be spent to book a cruise. Then there are those whose priorities have shifted, and who will not throw down the additional funds being asked for a two week vacation. They will explore other vacation options.  

 

Don't get me wrong. We love cruises and enjoyed our time on ships very much over many years. Yet a combination of factors may now conspire to keep us on dry land for some time to come. If so, we'll adapt, and look to a return to cruising when, for us, its viable from both a safety and financial perspective.

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, ON cruiser said:

f the cruise lines raise prices so much that some people won't want to cruise, or may have other uses for their vacation dollars (either a different type of vacation or using the funds for other things, as we are doing), such price increases may well be self-defeating

 

Being able to sail on a ship for a vacation was once considered to be a luxury that only some could afford.  We may be heading in that direction again.  Time will tell.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My family was solidly middle class but we managed to cruise once a year in the sixties.

We were in inside cabins, bunk beds, with only a sink, however we looked forward to our cruise all year.   It was always possible to sail at a decent price if you were willing to sail in such accommodations.   We all had the same food, back in the day, and alcohol and soft drinks were not included.    It was a much more elegant affair and we dressed for dinner every evening and also carefully planned our embarkation clothes.   As teenagers, we did not want a humiliating photo hung for everyone to see, believe they were $2 back then and black and white.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The 25 pc FCC given for our cancelled cruise this May just about covers the increase in price for the 2022 identical cruise. I would not book the 2021 as I have no idea if it will sail or under what conditions. yipee.!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...