Fares in 2024

[wowzz]

7 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Presuming the OP is in North America (they declined to include their location), they should not wait at all to book the voyage they want.  Book now and watch for price drops - that way, desired cabin is secured.  I know you know this from your posting history and we over here know you don't have this luxury in UK as you only get to re-price once and it costs 100 GBP to do it.

Exactly -  us Brits have two chances to book - if we choose wrongly the first time, we have to pay if we want a second chance !

[Steelers36]

On 1/4/2023 at 3:22 PM, Mud_Shark said:

We sailed 3 times in 2021 and twice in 2022 and got rock bottom pricing (of course because COVID was keeping demand down) - best we have ever seen for deals.  Yes, it came with some travel risk, but great pricing for the consumer as the cruise industry was trying to show itself safe and viable to regain consumer confidence.  We also made our 2023 cruise reservations right away (3 cruises), and got decent pricing for which we are fully satisfied, (but not in the same bargain classification as the previous ones.)

 

But looking at 2024, the deals are over!  The cruise lines are out to recoup losses, and don't appear too motivated to offer cabins at bargain prices.  I can understand, but we loved those bargains!  Cost of travel is up all over - airlines, hotels, restaurants, admission tickets, ground transport... so options are all costly.

 

Bottom line is, that at this point, I don't really see anything that attracts us for 2024 cruises, so we will not book anything at this point.  Not ruling it out, but just not desperate to travel enough to pay the current asking price.  We'll watch the state of the economy over the next year and the state of the household finances before making plans.

I concur.  I have not looked much at future pricing for Europe in Fall 2024, but I know we are extremely unlikely to ever see the net pricing we got for our Fall 2022 voyages.  Excellent value by booking during Pandemic and monitoring pricing religiously.  

[nattie]

We just booked Circle Japan for July 2024 and as I was going through booking process cabins were disappearing. Had to get PVP to find a mini for me that could accommodate 3 people. BUT, that is for unique sailings, ie my itinerary is available ONLY on July 1, 2024. I am not expecting for it to drop in price and expect it will be fully sold out. On the other hand, sailings that are available throughout the season (Med, Alaska, Caribbean) should go down in price. In fact, I have booked my upcoming Med sailing about a year out and have successfully asked for re-fare twice. 

[ersheajr]

Are prices doubling in 2024? Is this normal?

 

I'm looking to book a cruise to send my mom on in 2024. It's a gift, but I'm looking at the 2024 timeline so that I have more time to save money for her. When I first started, I was looking at 2023 prices, but now the 2024 itineraries are available, and they are literally double.

 

The cruise I was looking at is a 12 day British Isles cruise.

A balcony room in 2023 = 1500$ PP

A balcony room in 2024 = 2947$ PP

The itineraries are slightly different, but they are pretty much the same. The cruise dates are both the start of July.

 

I'm just wondering if this price discrepancy is normal, or is it that travel is just shooting up in 2024?

 

[Guest ldtr]

2 minutes ago, ersheajr said:

Are prices doubling in 2024? Is this normal?

 

I'm looking to book a cruise to send my mom on in 2024. It's a gift, but I'm looking at the 2024 timeline so that I have more time to save money for her. When I first started, I was looking at 2023 prices, but now the 2024 itineraries are available, and they are literally double.

 

The cruise I was looking at is a 12 day British Isles cruise.

A balcony room in 2023 = 1500$ PP

A balcony room in 2024 = 2947$ PP

The itineraries are slightly different, but they are pretty much the same. The cruise dates are both the start of July.

 

I'm just wondering if this price discrepancy is normal, or is it that travel is just shooting up in 2024?

 

based upon the increase in the price of land resort hotels compared to 2019, and recent comments by the CEOs of the various cruise line parent companies I would expect prices in 2024 to be, on average, around 50% higher than in 2023. Though they might be trying more to see if it sticks.

 

Are you sure that this are for the same type fare and not basic vs one that includes a package?

[ersheajr]

1 minute ago, ldtr said:

based upon the increase in the price of land resort hotels compared to 2019, and recent comments by the CEOs of the various cruise line parent companies I would expect prices in 2024 to be, on average, around 50% higher than in 2023. Though they might be trying more to see if it sticks.

 

Are you sure that this are for the same type fare and not basic vs one that includes a package?

That makes sense. If people are going to pay, they have incentive. 

But both of those prices that I screen shot are for the basic package. With Princess Plus, it jumps to 3660$ per guest on the 2024 cruise. It just seems like an intense jump in prices. Perhaps the demand is there. 

 

I was looking at Royal for a similar itinerary, and they, too, have a jump in price, but that price increase is for only a few hundred dollars between 2023 and 2024.

 

I'm new to cruising as I went on my first one in 2022, and with the prices and experience, I was prepared to keep doing cruises, but if this is the future of prices, I just don't know.

[snoozecrooze]

59 minutes ago, ersheajr said:

I'm new to cruising as I went on my first one in 2022, and with the prices and experience, I was prepared to keep doing cruises, but if this is the future of prices, I just don't know.

This is my optimism speaking here but I think the prices will definitely come down more by the time final payment rolls around. Perhaps not, but I just feel it (that is, unless your booking is selling like hot cakes). If you want the sailing, you should just hold it and watch it for price drops, but I'd also price out land-based alternatives if you want to see the British Isles, cruise or not. The reason I have this optimism (perhaps ill-conceived but it's what gets me going when I look at itineraries lol) is because I definitely recall some 2023 bookings looking pretty steep when they first came out. I hope you don't give up on cruising!

[LibertyBella]

For Ersheajr--

 

I think many prices will drop as time goes along.  That is the way of any new product--fashion, cars, electronics, etc.,--when they are first introduced, because they are innovative and attractive, they are usually at their highest price. As time goes on and demand weakens, and other, newer choices appear, there is frequently a price readjustment.

 

The challenge is whether you absolutely must go on a certain itinerary, ship, or time period, and you want to plan far in advance.  Then you just have to book it, then wait it out and see if you choice will go down in price.  Sometimes it happens, sometimes not, if it is popular or rare.   

 

I have seen many, many cruise bargains out there, and so many great offers came my way (and are still coming) that I was almost overwhelmed.  Unfortunately, our work schedules did not allow us to "drop and go,"  sometimes the airfare was too expensive or too limited to book, and above all, we have dogs that need to be boarded, so we have to reserve for that well in advance.

 

If you absolutely must have the British isles cruise, then book it, or you can wait it out until half a year or less before the cruise to see if there is a downward adjustment, which I think will probably happen.

 

In any case, it is very kind and generous of you to gift a cruise to your mother!  I did that for my m-i-l, and she became a dedicated cruiser afterwards!

[Engineroom Snipe]

7 hours ago, ldtr said:

based upon the increase in the price of land resort hotels compared to 2019, and recent comments by the CEOs of the various cruise line parent companies I would expect prices in 2024 to be, on average, around 50% higher than in 2023. Though they might be trying more to see if it sticks.

 

Are you sure that this are for the same type fare and not basic vs one that includes a package?

 

My observations agree with your hypothesis. 50% higher than 2023 at this point.

 

Only two things can happen:

 

1. Future bookings remain strong and the prices eventually go to the !00% increase for the last remaining cabins with no decreases as the cruises are almost full before 90 days out.

 

2. The initial pent-up demand of saved money for travel starts to be depleted as revenge travel at any price starts to recede to a more normal number. People took that huge special vacation and might do a "lighter" vacation the following year. This might keep the increases moderated with occasional pricing going below what cruise lines would like to post as the new normal.

 

 

I read all of the posts. I do not have to be reminded how everything is more expensive now. I get it.

 

Things can change quickly: interest rates will affect consumer spending. Vacations are important but optional. 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Engineroom Snipe
general comment

[roadster08]

The unsettling thing is that 10 years from now the 2024 cruise prices will seem like bargains.

[ersheajr]

Thank you for those replying to me. I was kind of hoping that we might see a price decrease. In my mind I was wondering if they priced that particular cruise so high because the 2023 one hasn't really filled, and they want to push people to the one this year before looking to the next year. I'll see what happens. Lots of other itineraries didn't have that same bump, so there's probably some sort of explanation for it. 

 

It will be interesting to watch these prices. I'm probably going to wait to book, and look for alternatives if that particular itinerary doesn't come down. I'm just trying to send my mom on some sort of adventure, so she might have to make due with a different itinerary 😂

 

Thanks again everyone.

[bjkTX]

On 1/3/2023 at 5:07 PM, bjkTX said:

We booked a 14 day Caribbean cruise in August for Feb 2024 at what I thought was a fairly high price.  Now with two major sales behind us - one being "The best sale ever" the price is up about $2,000 from what we booked for!  I had anticipated, like always, the price would drop $1,000 or more by now - not looking likely.

Just for grins, since we have done this same 14 day cruise twice before I pulled out our folders and looked at pricing.  We had/have the same aft facing corner premium balcony on all three.  Based on the price we paid at booking the cruise in 2024 is $1,200 more than when we took it in 2018 (both with the Plus Package) and $2,500 more than the 2011 cruise (without the Plus package).  And as I indicated in the original post the price has gone up over $2,000 since we booked - so it is $3,200 and $4,500 more than the previous cruises as of today.  Not insignificant...but we're still booked 🙂

[paradiselivin1]

I think the destination may have a lot to do with pricing and potential price drops. I booked a Greenland cruise in May '21 when it was 1st released for Elites. The cruise is this August and the price continues to drop. We've saved more than $1,500 total after re-faring twice and picked up an additional $200 OBC. This cruise appears to have a considerable amount of availability after being offered for almost two years.

[Engineroom Snipe]

6 minutes ago, paradiselivin1 said:

I think the destination may have a lot to do with pricing and potential price drops. I booked a Greenland cruise in May '21 when it was 1st released for Elites. The cruise is this August and the price continues to drop. We've saved more than $1,500 total after re-faring twice and picked up an additional $200 OBC. This cruise appears to have a considerable amount of availability after being offered for almost two years.

 

There seems to be a lagging price droop (intentional, not price drop) which you are noticing.  The cruise lines are trying to be optimistic. Thank you for posting your observations. You have to watch for the best price available!