Caribbean cruises - How are prices these days.....

[j3000]

I haven't been following prices since "the pandemic", and I guess we took our last cruise in 2019. Generally speaking,  how do prices compare now vs then...? Higher? Lower?(Specifically for 7-day Caribbean cruises out of Florida....) Comments appreciated.🙂

[Denversail]

We also hadn't cruised since 2019. We just booked two cruises for this year. I thought they were outrageous compared to previous pricing. We couldn't even bring ourselves to book a summer one cause the prices were so high. We ended up in spring and over Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving trip was expensive but at least it is over a holiday. I feel like prices at least in the balconies that we like to book are about 1/3 higher than what we used to pay. For us the flights are also way higher than what we used to pay so that is also a hit to the vacation budget. We cruise with Royal so maybe other lines have better pricing.

[Essiesmom]

It depends on time and cruise line.  I get offers for outrageously low prices, but I’m sailing solo since I lost my partner, thus willing to occupy any cabin class.  My sister liked a balcony, I seldom used it.  If you are tied to only one line, your options are limited.  If you are flexible or adventurous, you have more options.  EM

[mom says]

Seems to me you could go to any of tye large online cruise TAs to do a price comparison of the cruise lines and itineraries you are interested in. Prices are all over the place, depending on what you want.

[George C]

To get more of a bargain look at older ships , you definitely pay more for the new ones . 

[horseymike]

There has been many a good tune played on an old fiddle. 😀

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, George C said:

To get more of a bargain look at older ships , you definitely pay more for the new ones . 

Not necessarily. Two of the better lines (verging on premium): Azamera and Oceania offer superior cruises on ships about 20 years old.  The real “bargains” (if by that term you mean “cheap”) are to be found on the more recently launched Walmarts of the Sea - the 4,000+/- pax mass market vessels of NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, etc.

[George C]

58 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Not necessarily. Two of the better lines (verging on premium): Azamera and Oceania offer superior cruises on ships about 20 years old.  The real “bargains” (if by that term you mean “cheap”) are to be found on the more recently launched Walmarts of the Sea - the 4,000+/- pax mass market vessels of NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, etc.

What I was saying is for a example if you book the newest oasis class of royal Caribbean or a older version on the same class you most likely will find a huge difference, I rarely book a brand new ship . The ships are close to identical, just different restaurants etc . 

[Honolulu Blue]

12 hours ago, horseymike said:

There has been many a good tune played on an old fiddle. 😀

There have been many good tunes played by old fiddlers. 😆

[AKJonesy]

For the most part, we've found prices to be 1/3 higher post pandemic.  We've cruised 4X post pandemic and MANY before.  You can always find a great fare or promotion here and there, but overall prices are higher and services are less.  I loved cruising right after covid when few people were on the ships, and cruiselines were begging for customers.  Since then, I've found the ships are pretty full, prices higher and enrichment and other programs discontinued or are far less.  I am speaking in generalities.   We haven't cruised any lines that charge in the range of $10k pp so I can't comment on those. 

[hallux]

Even over the last couple months the prices (at least on the cruise I'm following for comparisons) have been going crazy high.

 

In Sept. I booked a Studio cabin on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the NCL Escape.  By final payment the cabin had dropped from $899 to $799.  I got that price drop and made my payment.  I looked earlier this week and the price had gone over $1,000.  Those cabins are now sold out, an inside is $1798 for a solo traveler and a balcony is almost $3,000 (all these prices are before free-at-sea gratuities and port fees and taxes).

 

I sailed in a balcony on the Joy last year, Western Caribbean itinerary, also by myself (no Studio cabins on that ship) and paid under $700 for the base fare, but I booked that only 2 weeks before sailing.

[navybankerteacher]

19 hours ago, George C said:

What I was saying is for a example if you book the newest oasis class of royal Caribbean or a older version on the same class you most likely will find a huge difference, I rarely book a brand new ship . The ships are close to identical, just different restaurants etc . 

I would imagine that itinerary and dates would play a much larger role in fixing cost than the age of a ship.  

[vaindioux]

On 1/27/2023 at 9:39 AM, Essiesmom said:

It depends on time and cruise line.  I get offers for outrageously low prices, but I’m sailing solo since I lost my partner, thus willing to occupy any cabin class.  My sister liked a balcony, I seldom used it.  If you are tied to only one line, your options are limited.  If you are flexible or adventurous, you have more options.  EM

Any tips where to subscribe for last minute deals? Caribbean cruises.

 

Thxs

 

Pat

[Markanddonna]

6 hours ago, vaindioux said:

Any tips where to subscribe for last minute deals? Caribbean cruises.

 

Thxs

 

Pat

We aren't allowed to say on CC.