Price Comparison For The Same Category 2018 versus 2024

[ak1004]

Here are the numbers from our bookings. All prices are for the lowest category (OV).

 

1. 9 nights Los Angeles to Vancouver $3,099 USD or $345 per night.
   Comparable cruise: https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-cse-008-240624 - 8 nights $4,400 or $550 per night (59% increase)
    
2. 11 nights London to Lisbon $3,549 or $322 per night
   Comparable cruise: https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-cse-010-230812 - 10 nights $5,600 or $560 per night (74% increase)
    
3. 17 nights from Athens to Abu Dhabi $4,550 or $268 per night
   Comparable cruise: https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-csy-017-241206 - 17 nights $8,300 or $488 per night (82% increase).
    

All prices include taxes and are before Crystal Society discounts. Old Crystal sailings were booked in 2019-2020 (before Covid). The sailing seasons are comparable.

Edited February 28, 2023 by ak1004

[Jayayeff]

3 hours ago, ak1004 said:

Here are the numbers from our bookings. All prices are for the lowest category (OV).

 

1. 9 nights Los Angeles to Vancouver $3,099 USD or $345 per night.
   Comparable cruise: https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-cse-008-240624 - 8 nights $4,400 or $550 per night (59% increase)
    
2. 11 nights London to Lisbon $3,549 or $322 per night
   Comparable cruise: https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-cse-010-230812 - 10 nights $5,600 or $560 per night (74% increase)
    
3. 17 nights from Athens to Abu Dhabi $4,550 or $268 per night
   Comparable cruise: https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-csy-017-241206 - 17 nights $8,300 or $488 per night (82% increase).
    

All prices include taxes and are before Crystal Society discounts. Old Crystal sailings were booked in 2019-2020 (before Covid). The sailing seasons are comparable.

 

Well, I'm pleased to see I wasn't the only one whose past and currently available similar cruises show such a significant increase.    It would appear that the biggest increases affect those of us who previously booked in the OV categories whereas those in Penthouse and above are noticing little change.    I have my suspicions as to why that should be the case, but I'll keep them to myself rather than start yet another hostile debate on here!!!

 

Anne..

[crickette]

7 hours ago, ak1004 said:

Here are the numbers from our bookings. All prices are for the lowest category (OV).

...

All prices include taxes and are before Crystal Society discounts. Old Crystal sailings were booked in 2019-2020 (before Covid). The sailing seasons are comparable.

Very interesting thanks.  Just double checking - did your pre-Covid sailings include port fees?  

[ak1004]

2 minutes ago, crickette said:

Very interesting thanks.  Just double checking - did your pre-Covid sailings include port fees?  

Yes, as mentioned in the post. They defined it "Taxes, Fees And Port Charges", and I added them to the basic price.

[ak1004]

4 hours ago, Jayayeff said:

 

Well, I'm pleased to see I wasn't the only one whose past and currently available similar cruises show such a significant increase.    It would appear that the biggest increases affect those of us who previously booked in the OV categories whereas those in Penthouse and above are noticing little change.    I have my suspicions as to why that should be the case, but I'll keep them to myself rather than start yet another hostile debate on here!!!

 

Anne..

 

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.. ak100467 at gmail dot com

[ak1004]

7 hours ago, Jayayeff said:

 

Well, I'm pleased to see I wasn't the only one whose past and currently available similar cruises show such a significant increase.    It would appear that the biggest increases affect those of us who previously booked in the OV categories whereas those in Penthouse and above are noticing little change.    I have my suspicions as to why that should be the case, but I'll keep them to myself rather than start yet another hostile debate on here!!!

 

Anne..

 

I don't know why OV increased more than other categories, and honestly, I don't really care. We don't come to a cruise to spend time in our cabin, so the cabin size is very low on our priorities list. 

 

When we started looking at luxury lines in 2019, we were surprised to see that Crystal prices were significantly lower than other luxury lines. I asked for a reason on Crystal forum, and the explanation was that comparable size cabins have prices comparable to other luxury lines, but there are smaller cabins that are priced much lower.. because they are smaller and cannot compete with 300sqft suites on other luxury lines. This was our main reason to try Crystal.

 

Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore after the massive price increase.

 

Just for comparison, our first Oceania cruise was in 2018, 10 nights Rome to Barcelona. We paid $4,399 CAD for an inside cabin. Today comparable sailings are priced $3,500-4,000 CAD. 

[History&Wine]

When comparing old vs new Crystal, we must also account for amenities.  Looking at the world cruise:  OC included a pre cruise hotel.  I have confirmed that NC will not include this.  OC included ship board credits.  NC?  We don't know.  OC included special shore events.  NC?  We don't know.  OC included special gifts.  NC?   We don't know.

The list goes on.....

[nnn]

The gravy train of the cheap OV rooms on Crystal seems to be over, at least for now.  We, too, enjoyed the relatively lower rates on those rooms in the past.  But if new Crystal can't fetch the higher rates for those rooms, it stands to reason that they will bring down the prices eventually.  Time will tell, right?

 

[ak1004]

4 minutes ago, nnn said:

The gravy train of the cheap OV rooms on Crystal seems to be over, at least for now.  We, too, enjoyed the relatively lower rates on those rooms in the past.  But if new Crystal can't fetch the higher rates for those rooms, it stands to reason that they will bring down the prices eventually.  Time will tell, right?

 

 

The truth is that except for a very small number of loyalists that every cruise line has, most people that I know just want to see the world in the most convenient and economical way. They base their decision on two main factors: itinerary and pricing, and they will book the cheapest possible cabin, simply because they use the cabin for sleep and shower only. When I showed the NC itineraries and pricing to few of our friends side by side with SS and SB itineraries, their reaction was very similar to mine.

 

But as you said, time will tell. I really with Crystal the best of luck and want them to succeed.

[bitob]

I don’t disagree. But there is a totally different category of cruisers for whom the ship is the destination. They have been almost everywhere, can afford an upgraded cabin and want modern ships, spacious cabins and many restaurant choices. 

[travelberlin]

6 minutes ago, bitob said:

I don’t disagree. But there is a totally different category of cruisers for whom the ship is the destination. They have been almost everywhere, can afford an upgraded cabin and want modern ships, spacious cabins and many restaurant choices. 

I agree. However if a cruise line can live depending only on them? 
Ivi

[bitob]

1 minute ago, travelberlin said:

I agree. However if a cruise line can live depending only on them? 
Ivi

No. But if the line depends on only those looking for inexpensive cabins it cannot charge premium prices or provide a luxury experience. Delicate balance 

[travelberlin]

2 minutes ago, bitob said:

No. But if the line depends on only those looking for inexpensive cabins it cannot charge premium prices or provide a luxury experience. Delicate balance 

I think the balance is to attract both type of customers. Specially to get younger clients (40-60) without forgetting the seniors. We have been everywhere but itineraries are still important, and we also pay attention at which prices we are traveling. 
Ivi

[ak1004]

40 minutes ago, bitob said:

I don’t disagree. But there is a totally different category of cruisers for whom the ship is the destination. They have been almost everywhere, can afford an upgraded cabin and want modern ships, spacious cabins and many restaurant choices. 

I don't disagree either. If the ship is the destination and money is not an issue, it's a completely different story. For this category, I can completely understand why people who sailed on Crystal dozens of times and feel it's their home don't really care about the pricing. But I think it's a very small percentage.

 

30 minutes ago, bitob said:

No. But if the line depends on only those looking for inexpensive cabins it cannot charge premium prices or provide a luxury experience. Delicate balance 

But on most luxury ships the number of those (relatively) inexpensive cabins is small anyway. For example, SS has only about 10 Vista cabins. And they always keep those cabins pricing very competitive while making most of the revenue from the more expensive cabins.

[Mr Luxury]

2 hours ago, bitob said:

I don’t disagree. But there is a totally different category of cruisers for whom the ship is the destination. They have been almost everywhere, can afford an upgraded cabin and want modern ships, spacious cabins and many restaurant choices. 

That's me

[TER777]

7 hours ago, bitob said:

I don’t disagree. But there is a totally different category of cruisers for whom the ship is the destination. They have been almost everywhere, can afford an upgraded cabin and want modern ships, spacious cabins and many restaurant choices. 

I do disagree. I know many who are satisfied with the smaller cabin size and would rather continue to cruise often than waste their money on bigger cabins. 

[bitob]

21 minutes ago, TER777 said:

I do disagree. I know many who are satisfied with the smaller cabin size and would rather continue to cruise often than waste their money on bigger cabins. 

Maybe you need to reread my post. I acknowledged that that is one category of cruiser. Can you not also acknowledge that there are others who don’t think bigger cabins are a waste of money?

[ak1004]

36 minutes ago, bitob said:

Maybe you need to reread my post. I acknowledged that that is one category of cruiser. Can you not also acknowledge that there are others who don’t think bigger cabins are a waste of money?

Everyone has different definitions of waste of money. We book the cheapest cabins but fly business class. Sometimes our flight costs more than the cruise. 
 

we all need to respect other people’s choices and priorities.

[Cruise-y]

The itinerary is important to me, even if I’ve been to a place multiple times before, because there is always something new (and perhaps obscure) to experience. I always get off the ship, because it is not my destination. 
 

But I also want a luxury experience with excellent cuisine and included drinks (not because I drink a lot, but because I hate the hassle of constantly signing tabs). I want great modern enrichment. And I do want a veranda and a walk-in closet because I want to enjoy my room space. 
 

In the past, Crystal was well known as a true value luxury experience (if you got a smaller OV room or single supplement) and that was certainly very great - but we all know how that ended. 
 

Going forward, I expect Crystal to be profitable so that the quality will stay high. That comes with a price. 

 

 

[ak1004]

11 minutes ago, Cruise-y said:

The itinerary is important to me, even if I’ve been to a place multiple times before, because there is always something new (and perhaps obscure) to experience. I always get off the ship, because it is not my destination. 
 

But I also want a luxury experience with excellent cuisine and included drinks (not because I drink a lot, but because I hate the hassle of constantly signing tabs). I want great modern enrichment. And I do want a veranda and a walk-in closet because I want to enjoy my room space. 
 

In the past, Crystal was well known as a true value luxury experience (if you got a smaller OV room or single supplement) and that was certainly very great - but we all know how that ended. 
 

Going forward, I expect Crystal to be profitable so that the quality will stay high. That comes with a price. 

 

 

 

I completely agree with you. This is why we don't book lines like Celebrity anymore.

 

But to me SB and SS are not less luxurious, also have excellent cuisine and included drinks, and in many cases are significantly cheaper, at least for the entry level cabins. And they are still profitable.

[crickette]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

Everyone has different definitions of waste of money. We book the cheapest cabins but fly business class. Sometimes our flight costs more than the cruise. 
 

we all need to respect other people’s choices and priorities.

Fits our profile.  Flying economy is agony.  Taking a small Crystal cabin is not agony.

[bitob]

No butler is agony. Lolol

[Cruise-y]

I couldn’t care less about a butler. But I agree flying economy is agony if it is more than a few hours. 

[bitob]

Everyone has different priorities. 
at this point in my life I want it all

 

business class

huge cabin

butler

gorgeous ship

i care less about ports than I used to. We’ve been everywhere on land and sea. I want to love the ship as much if not more than the itinerary 

 

Time is getting shorter 

[Mr Luxury]

18 hours ago, History&Wine said:

When comparing old vs new Crystal, we must also account for amenities.  Looking at the world cruise:  OC included a pre cruise hotel.  I have confirmed that NC will not include this.  OC included ship board credits.  NC?  We don't know.  OC included special shore events.  NC?  We don't know.  OC included special gifts.  NC?   We don't know.

The list goes on.....

We don't know what we don't know yet.