Is anyone else reluctant to commit far ahead to cruises now?

[shipgeeks]

We did four cruises in 2022; have two more booked in 2023, with a third and/or fourth in the Probably stage.  Will we keep booking anything that appeals?  Yes!  We are never devastated if an itinerary changes, and we rarely have to fly to a port.  We just love being on a ship.

[Joebucks]

Stressing out because they might not deliver your favorite type of orange to your room, or some other crazy specific, unnecessary service or one that must be rolled up into the price vs a nominal fee. I couldn't imagine living life like this.

 

I cruise because there is solid food, entertainment, variety, and amenities, all at a good value. Booking in advance has all but confirmed your price. Prices are extremely unlikely to go down from here. 

 

Life changes everyday. Always living a baseline of what used to be a miserable experience. Sure I have my favorite things. If something no longer does it for me, I find a new favorite. The grass isn't greener anywhere right now. 

[hubofhockey]

19 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

I have not cruised since before Covid started, or at least until Covid made it the US in November of 2019, when we did SE Asia.  We missed Galapagos on the new Silverseas ship and Japan on Azamara.  I am finally ready to book Japan for 2024 on Celebrity.  I do think cruise ships create the perfect storm for circulating Covid, but life goes on.

Didn’t realize this thread was about the price increases on Celebrity.  I thought it was about cruising with Covid still out there.  We cruise for itineraries and don’t take generic cruises, so not going to worry about little charges that may wind up to add up to $200 on a cruise.  

[sparks1093]

22 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

With so many changes over the past few months at all the mainstream, US operations based cruise lines, is anyone else feeling reluctant to commit deposits more than 6 months or a year out?  There are too many changes and downgrades occurring too quickly to feel confident that what I book today is what I will receive at time of sailing.  Usually we have anywhere from 4-6 cruises lined up with deposits stretching out 18+ months.  Currently I only have 1 deposit far ahead for a short cruise, and not excited to make others. Looking at some of the big ticket ones that would run 10K+ for unique destinations. 

I haven't read any of the responses but for us, no, we aren't reluctant at all. We already have a cruise booked for 2024 and are looking at 2025. I look all around me and see a decline in quality in a lot of things and supply chain issues. I would expect this to affect cruising, since they aren't immune to these issues. I also see labor shortages in many industries so that would also be expected to affect the cruise lines. We don't know what the future brings, but we do know that we are going to go on our cruises and make the best of it, realizing that outside forces might diminish some of what we enjoyed about cruising to being with.

[DirtyDawg]

21 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

 

Really, @hubofhockey Boston is the hub of hockey. Don't you think that screen name should be reserved for someone from Montreal 

or Toronto 

 

Please change your screen name immediately. May I suggest "hubofgoodhockey" 😁

 

[DirtyDawg]

23 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

With so many changes over the past few months at all the mainstream, US operations based cruise lines, is anyone else feeling reluctant to commit deposits more than 6 months or a year out?  There are too many changes and downgrades occurring too quickly to feel confident that what I book today is what I will receive at time of sailing.  Usually we have anywhere from 4-6 cruises lined up with deposits stretching out 18+ months.  Currently I only have 1 deposit far ahead for a short cruise, and not excited to make others. Looking at some of the big ticket ones that would run 10K+ for unique destinations. 

With all the griping over on the X and Royal Caribbean boards it seems like mainstream cruise lines are going to the dogs (bad) (not Dawgs - good 😉). Are there any cruise line boards around here where CC'ers are NOT griping about cut-backs and new charges? 

Edited January 6, 2023 by DirtyDawg

[9tee2Sea]

the only thing that would stop me from booking cruise 1 year+ out, is if I had to get shots in order to get on the ship.  I would always see folks coughing and sneezing all over pre-covid.  Now, I assume, people are starting to realize that if one is sick, stay home.  I have 1 cruise booked for 2024, and looking into 1 for 2025.  I pre-plan 1 major cruise each year, and if prices are right,  additionally take a surprise cheap cruise once a year

[ymncruise]

I mainly don’t book far in advance because I like to do things spur of the moment. Also, I don’t know where I’ll want to go in 24/25 or which cruise line I will want to use. 

[ldubs]

Up to now I would have said "no" about being reluctant to book future cruises.   But some of the cutbacks are starting to catch my attention.  All we can do is watch closely (and hope for accurate reporting).  

[YourWorldWithBill]

On 1/5/2023 at 9:05 AM, jelayne said:

We have 7  cruises booked over the next 15 months and we will see how it goes.  The recent changes have little impact on us as we don’t use room service and don’t eat dinner in the buffet.  The  prices increasing is happening in everything from food to insurance.  
 

Our biggest concern regarding travel is the prices airlines are charging.  All of our cruises involve flying and most start and or end overseas.  
One way flights that were $800-900 last year are now over $2kpp.  

Good point: airline fares are shockingly high. For us to get to Amsterdam for our next cruise, the total airfare for two of is about $3,600.

[George C]

3 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Good point: airline fares are shockingly high. For us to get to Amsterdam for our next cruise, the total airfare for two of is about $3,600.

My sister is taking her entire family for a Amsterdam cruise in June flying all 11 first class. 
 We are doing our normal two cruises music charter in March on summit, I am positive we will book nexts years while on board , we don’t want to give up our royal suite. In November we will do harmony out of Galveston, happy to say I have cruised every year since 1977 and normally two each year. Not sure if we would do Europe again unless first class air goes way down.

[lifes-a-beach]

We have 4 booked already this year and looking at 2 more in 2024.  In fact, we leave Tuesday.  My wife went on 10 in 2022 and I got 5 in. (Yeah, she's retired and I'm not)  I don't see us slowing down. 

[Keksie]

Not ready to book anything yet.  We still don't trust that our cruise wouldn't have a last minute protocol change that would ruin the cruise for us.  Add to that the reports of cutbacks and having to try to get a good check in time to secure the dining and entertainment reservations we would want just makes a cruise less desirable to book right now.  

[Joebucks]

8 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

With all the griping over on the X and Royal Caribbean boards it seems like mainstream cruise lines are going to the dogs (bad) (not Dawgs - good 😉). Are there any cruise line boards around here where CC'ers are NOT griping about cut-backs and new charges? 

 

To be fair, it was the same way before the shutdown too.

[navybankerteacher]

10 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

the only thing that would stop me from booking cruise 1 year+ out, is if I had to get shots in order to get on the ship. ...

Really?  Precautions are the ONLY thing?

[Hlitner]

We do have some concerns about the waning quality of some cruise lines.  While it has not stopped us from booking in advance (we seldom book more than 15 months in advance for any cruise) it is a concern.  

 

As to the food issues, there is a broad group of folks that I call "picky eaters."  The reality is that picky eaters come in many varieties be it gluten free, vegetarians, vegans, etc.  There are at least 7 kinds of vegetarians!  And then there are many folks with various sensitivities and allergies.  For cruise lines to deal with all these different types of picky eaters is a real challenge and some do it better than others.  Most picky eaters we have met have learned how to deal with their situation (for better or worse).  But expecting any cruise line to easily adjust to each person's own problems, wants, and desires is not always rational.  Picky eaters must simply take on a lot of personal responsibility for their situation and be their own advocate.  I recently learned that there are at least 22 different kinds of "milk"  There are also many types of sweeteners and DW sometimes complains that she can find anything but real sugar on some ships :).  

 

I do think picky eaters need to have lots of patience, perseverance, and a sense of humor.  With all the cut-backs we are seeing (and reading about) on ships, I suspect that it will gradually become more difficult for cruise ships to accommodate all the different requests.  

 

Hank

[9tee2Sea]

12 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Really?  Precautions are the ONLY thing?

yes, covid restrictions are the ONLY thing that would stop me from booking a cruise.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, 9tee2Sea said:

yes, covid restrictions are the ONLY thing that would stop me from booking a cruise.

The problem with COVID restrictions is that it is like trying to hit a moving target.  The cruise lines and governments change their rules with little notice.  When we travel, internationally, we always make sure to be prepared with COVID test kits, Paxlovid, and our vaccination cards.  Shortly before we leave on any trip or cruise, we check the latest info from the cruise lines and every government where we plan on visiting.   I think this is the new world and it will be the norm for the foreseeable future.

 

About 1 1/2 years ago when we returned to cruising there were some folks here on CC which said they were not going to cruise or travel until COVID was no longer a threat.  At that we expressed our opinion that COVID will likely be with us for many decades and there will always be new variants and new viruses.  Unfortunately, that has proven too true.  Those that are waiting for all this to pass will likely be waiting forever.  Last spring when we were driving around parts of Europe, we noticed a noticeable "joie de vivre" unlike anything we have experienced in the past.  Many folks had come to the realization that it was time to live their lives, enjoy themselves, and accept that life is full of risk. 

 

Others, continue to live in fear, minimize socialization, and radiate a degree of sadness.  Even on our cruises (and we have cruised with Seabourn, MSC and Princess within the past year) there are those who obviously are cruising in fear and spend much of their time in self-imposed isolation.  That is their free choice but a tough way to live.

 

Hank

[ABoatNerd]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:40 AM, FlyingAnchor said:

I have so many train trips I'd love to do based off of this show! Do you set the guides/hotels/food up all by yourself or are there TAs that specialize in this type of vacation? 

Apologies for the delayed response. We organize everything ourselves, because we know what we want. It is not difficult as there are many service providers out there and they all know English. Seen the places in the world best seen by ship, so no more need for cruises, especially with the downgrading and apartheid class segmentation on Celebrity in particular. If we cruised it would be on the premium lines.

[ABoatNerd]

20 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The problem with COVID restrictions is that it is like trying to hit a moving target.  The cruise lines and governments change their rules with little notice.  When we travel, internationally, we always make sure to be prepared with COVID test kits, Paxlovid, and our vaccination cards.  Shortly before we leave on any trip or cruise, we check the latest info from the cruise lines and every government where we plan on visiting.   I think this is the new world and it will be the norm for the foreseeable future.

 

About 1 1/2 years ago when we returned to cruising there were some folks here on CC which said they were not going to cruise or travel until COVID was no longer a threat.  At that we expressed our opinion that COVID will likely be with us for many decades and there will always be new variants and new viruses.  Unfortunately, that has proven too true.  Those that are waiting for all this to pass will likely be waiting forever.  Last spring when we were driving around parts of Europe, we noticed a noticeable "joie de vivre" unlike anything we have experienced in the past.  Many folks had come to the realization that it was time to live their lives, enjoy themselves, and accept that life is full of risk. 

 

Others, continue to live in fear, minimize socialization, and radiate a degree of sadness.  Even on our cruises (and we have cruised with Seabourn, MSC and Princess within the past year) there are those who obviously are cruising in fear and spend much of their time in self-imposed isolation.  That is their free choice but a tough way to live.

 

Hank

Hank, excellent assessment. The Mass Psychosis is significant but declining. My concern about cruising is not the covid but the manipulations of the cruise lines to downgrade the experience and their attempts to hide it. Not buying it. 

[ABoatNerd]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:05 AM, jelayne said:

We have 7  cruises booked over the next 15 months and we will see how it goes.  The recent changes have little impact on us as we don’t use room service and don’t eat dinner in the buffet.  The  prices increasing is happening in everything from food to insurance.  
 

Our biggest concern regarding travel is the prices airlines are charging.  All of our cruises involve flying and most start and or end overseas.  
One way flights that were $800-900 last year are now over $2kpp.  

Hence why there is much reluctance to fly, especially the world's worst airline air canada. I certainly am not paying those prices for poor service.

[Tapi]

On 1/5/2023 at 11:14 AM, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Yes, Disney may be more expensive, but I know what I'm getting with them and I know the quality is there. Looks like the Mouse will have my cruising money going forward.

For us, Disney was a "one time and done". I agree that they have wonderful customer service, beautiful ships, and top notch entertainment, and I'm glad I "got the T-shirt", but everything else was either comparable (and sometimes worse) than other cruise lines we've sailed on. Hard to justify paying 3 times more for Disney specially when we're not hardcore Disney fans. 

 

My best friend is taking his family on a Disney cruise this summer. 3 nights on Disney Wish for $10,000. There's not enough quality for me to justify spending that money on a weekend cruise to the Bahamas on a mass market cruise line. He's nauseous just thinking about how much this trip is going to cost (he hasn't even added flights, hotel, excursions, onboard expenses, etc), but hey, his wife has been begging to go on a Disney cruise and he wants to make her happy! 

[Hlitner]

I cannot speak to Air Canada, but some decent international air fares can often be found by booking through the cruise lines (especially HAL, Seabourn and Princess who all use the same system).  I do agree with ABoatNerd, that many (but not all) cruise lines have significantly downgraded their product and used COVID as an excuse.  But we have found (through trial and error) that MSC's Yacht Club has managed to maintain their quality and our cruises on Seabourn have all been close to pre-cruise quality although there have been some bumps along that road.  

 

As to the cost of Disney, that line has always been somewhat expensive but current pricing can be nutz.  But Disney is not the only cruise line and there are other lines that offer some pretty good deals.  When folks are willing to pay the high prices, the pricing will continue at those levels (or higher).  One reason (out of several) that we stopped cruising with Celebrity (even before COVID) was that we no longer thought their product offered a reasonable value when compared to some other lines (including some luxury lines).  We all get to vote with our money.   On the other hand, inflation is causing lots of problems for everyone and the cruise lines.  

 

Hank

[mafig]

"We all get to vote with our money." 👍

[cruisemom42]

I am not reluctant to book. I only book refundable fares, so other than the (slight) hassle of dealing with potential cancellations, I'm fine with advance planning/booking.

 

If anything, I expect fares to increase and deals to be fewer over the next few years. When I see a good rate (often when the next season's itineraries are released) I'll book it. Doesn't always mean I end up taking it, but as a solo traveler and one who is still working, I can't always take advantage of the other "sweet spot" for good deals, e.g., at the last minute.

 

Right now I have cruises booked out to Spring 2025 (a B4B on Celebrity that makes up a nice Pacific voyage....)