Highest Prices We Have Seen

[Florida_gal_50]

Just now, wdw1972 said:

I'm also still working, plus I insist on having a Retreat cabana - lately one of the two family cabanas onboard.  In order to get that I can't wait for fares to drop - I need to book early.  Even when I retire I'll still have the cabana issue, unless I'm doing Alaska or somewhere that cabanas are either not practical or not popular.

 

Sue/WDW1972

You are right about that.  I forgot about that. I remember a time when I booked a cruise within a couple weeks of cruising and had no problem getting a cabana.  That was pre pandemic and it’s just a regular cabana.  I think there is zero percent chance of that happening now.  It seems the same with club orange.  Booked a fall cruise a couple months ago a got one of the last 5 spots. I booked a cabana shortly after.  Serves us right for speaking highly of these amenities.

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Yes absolutely correct . HAL leaves off the Advantage Fares(refundable deposit fares ) ;but we see them with refundable deposits   on a TA  web site 

You are right.  I remember seeing them on some ta website.  I don’t know why hal has to keep it a double super secret meet me in the beer bunker for pricing 😛.

[sciencewonk]

2 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We were speaking to HAL today ,With regards to a March 23 ,2024 Mexican Riviera cruise on koningsdam .Shocked to learn that a refundable deposit on a VH cat handicap with Club Orange for upgrade was $2988  for 2 refundable  deposit  cruise fares .The Club Orange added a total of $350 to the over all cost . Port taxes are $135 per pax included in the dare above. No on board credit

 

 In 2019  that cruise would have been about $1700 for 2 people .Taking off Club Orange at $25 per day per person ,the fare comes down to $2638 . $ 938,00 more than we once paid.That is a rather substantial increase in a cruise  fare

Interesting.  In another forum you were saying that HAL cruises were terrible and Celebrity cruises were excellent, inferring that you were only going to cruise on Celebrity and not HAL.  Today you are complaining that HAL is too expensive. If you only want to cruise on Celebrity, why would you care what HAL prices are?

[mcrcruiser]

15 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

You are right.  I remember seeing them on some ta website.  I don’t know why hal has to keep it a double super secret meet me in the beer bunker for pricing 😛.

Because  they & other cruise lines try to get more money from the buyers

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

That means a 55% increase over 2019 prices .Even inflation is no where close to that kind of increase .How many people can afford to take multiple cruises at a 55% increase ?

According to CNBC average hotel rates in the US had risen by 64% during the past year. Yet people are booking hotel rooms.

[mcrcruiser]

1 minute ago, sciencewonk said:

Interesting.  In another forum you were saying that HAL cruises were terrible and Celebrity cruises were excellent, inferring that you were only going to cruise on Celebrity and not HAL.  Today you are complaining that HAL is too expensive. If you only want to cruise on Celebrity, why would you care what HAL prices are?

You  have misquoted me . We can not cruise on Celebrity  because we no longer fly .Celebrity very rarely has a ship  locally ,I mean rarely .The Soltice being in LA was because covid was in Hong Kong .After Alaska repo that ship ,Soltice is gone for ever from LA

Since we live 28 miles to the San Diego cruise port & don't fly .It is Holland America that sails regularly from our home port of SD .Hope this helps you to understand 

 

[lissie]

1 hour ago, sunviking90 said:

That’s a lot of money to pay for Mexico. We are newly retired and have decided for this year to see what we can do kind of last minute when the deals come up. I see that you need a handicap cabin which makes thing more difficult of course. Konigsdam also seems to have higher prices overall. I’ve noticed that on this years Alaska itineraries.

 

Our cruise is coming up for payment - 25 nights ex Boston - its dropped from A$7500 pp  in Nov to A$7100 now - about US$4800 - that's for an inside no HIA or anything else. We think its a good deal to someo fo the most remote and expensive countries on earth (Greenland/Iceland) 

[mcrcruiser]

11 minutes ago, ldtr said:

According to CNBC average hotel rates in the US had risen by 64% during the past year. Yet people are booking hotel rooms.

and people lie as well . Do you really believe every thing you hear on TV? Hotel rates have increased but 64%  .Even i'if " that were true ,how long would that last .Can employers give gigantic raises to compensate ? LOL  .

 The only possibility will be for a very short term. Corporate hotel rates & even there the corporate world must save cash, especially now

Many corporations are laying off thousands of employees& the US is headed into a deep recession  or worse  . 

Edited April 4, 2023 by mcrcruiser

[sunviking90]

9 minutes ago, lissie said:

Our cruise is coming up for payment - 25 nights ex Boston - its dropped from A$7500 pp  in Nov to A$7100 now - about US$4800 - that's for an inside no HIA or anything else. We think its a good deal to someo fo the most remote and expensive countries on earth (Greenland/Iceland) 

Yes, for sure that’s one of those unique itineraries and its good idea to book ahead. 

[sunviking90]

11 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

and people lie as well . Do you really believe every thing you hear on TV? Hotel rates have increased but 64%  .Even i'if " that were true ,how long would that last .Can employers give gigantic raises to compensate ? LOL  .

 The only possibility will be for a very short term. Corporate hotel rates & even there the corporate world must save cash, especially now

Many corporations are laying off thousands of employees& the US is headed into a deep recession  or worse  . 

The report of hotel rates up 64% “on average” is absolutely true. It certainly tracks with what we’ve seen as we plan our travel. Whether it will last is another thing.

[ShipWalker]

27 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

You  have misquoted me . We can not cruise on Celebrity  because we no longer fly .Celebrity very rarely has a ship  locally ,I mean rarely .The Soltice being in LA was because covid was in Hong Kong .After Alaska repo that ship ,Soltice is gone for ever from LA

Since we live 28 miles to the San Diego cruise port & don't fly .It is Holland America that sails regularly from our home port of SD .Hope this helps you to understand 

 

Since you don't fly, taking Amtrak up to Seattle or Vancouver, BC opens up a lot more cruise options for you. (on several different cruise lines at that.)

[Destiny0315]

41 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

41 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We can not cruise on Celebrity  because we no longer fly .Celebrity very rarely has a ship  locally ,I mean rarely .The Soltice being in LA was because covid was in Hong Kong .After Alaska repo that ship ,Soltice is gone for ever from LA

Since we live 28 miles to the San Diego cruise port & don't fly .It is Holland America that sails regularly from our home port of SD .Hope this helps you to understand 

 

So if your choices are Holland America or nothing why come on here always evaluating or questioning the corporate motives and mostly disparaging the only thing you have?

[terrydtx]

I am sorry but I have to chuckle at people here complaining about HAL prices. We recently booked 2 HAL cruises for Nov this year and August next year because of the great deals they offered compared to Celebrity. No casino deals for us either. 

 

Since 2019, we have been booking with Celebrity almost exclusively, except for one Oosterdam cruise last year. Celebrity has been raising prices by 30-40% and loyal Celebrity customers are jumping ship as fast as they can. We are now, for the future, booking with HAL and Oceania as Celebrity's suite and higher-end verandah pricing has gone to the ridiculous. In some cases for similar cruises, a Celebrity Sky Suite cost is much higher than a HAL Neptune suite. Celebrity Aqua class verandah cabins cost more than a Vista or Signature suite with HAL on most similar itineraries. Celebrity's specialty restaurants cost 30-40% more than on HAL, and room service is still free on HAL. I believe if you think HAL prices are high, every other cruise line is also much higher than pre Covid and all lines are reporting big increased booking numbers

[Boatdrill]

6 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

,With regards to a March 23 ,2024 Mexican Riviera cruise on koningsdam .Shocked to learn that a refundable deposit on a VH cat handicap with Club Orange for upgrade was $2988  for 2 refundable  deposit  cruise fares .The Club Orange added a total of $350 to the over all cost . Port taxes are $135 per pax included in the dare above. No on board credit

 

 In 2019  that cruise would have been about $1700 for 2 people .Taking off Club Orange at $25 per day per person ,the fare comes down to $2638 . $ 938,00 more than we once paid.That is a rather substantial increase in a cruise  fare

I was curious about the deposit  requirement you were quoted by HAL, so I looked up the March 23, 2024 Koningsdam cruise on HAL's res system. 

These fares are for the VH's and include $135 tax. Club Orange not included. No extra charge for  handicap room. Refundable deposit. 

$1669 per person with Have It All

$1319 per person without Have It All 

Deposit: $700 total ($350 per person)

 

Why was your deposit nearly $3000 ?

 

.

Edited April 4, 2023 by Boatdrill

[Stateroom_Sailor]

6 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

That means a 55% increase over 2019 prices .Even inflation is no where close to that kind of increase .How many people can afford to take multiple cruises at a 55% increase ?

 

The Ultra Premium and Ultra Luxury markets haven't taken this jump, but they're generally not under the same debt burden.  In my view, it is more important than ever to compare prices factor in all that's included.  It some regions it might be a total wash.

[sfaaa]

5 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Because  they & other cruise lines try to get more money from the buyers

Come again? Why is this so wrong? When did cruise lines ever state they are nonprofit charity organizations? 

[Mary229]

Cruising is a discretionary activity.  If you can’t afford it find another way to travel.  The ships seems to be full - by media report, corporate statements and from anecdotal reports, including my personal experience.   Businesses raise prices when demand meets supply…. and that is exactly how it should be.   If you were a shareholder you would be quite miffed it it was otherwise.   
 

Are you complaining as loudly about the valuation of your residential property?  Are you complaining about your cost of living increases?

[SargassoPirate]

12 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

That means a 55% increase over 2019 prices .Even inflation is no where close to that kind of increase .How many people can afford to take multiple cruises at a 55% increase ?

 

First off, it's the basic law of the marketplace from economics 101 - charge what the traffic will bear.

 

Secondly - here's how the Pirate household affords multiple cruises - and we have been on six now since the restart and have five booked through 2025, one of which is a world cruise. We worked hard and saved all of our working lives.  We don't buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't even know.  We drive a 25 year old car and a 20 year old truck - both well maintained and ready for a cross-country road trip anytime. We have some loyalty status with several cruise lines but are not fiercely loyal to any.  

 

Thirdly - a lot of the extras offered by cruise lines have little value to us.  We don't do the spa, specialty dining, the casino, or the Melanoma deck.  A quiet spot to read and watch the ocean go by, somewhere to get some food, and (for me) a wee dram in the evening and we are fine.

 

And as soon as the full 2025 cruising schedules are out we'll be booking some more.

 

 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

Cruising is a discretionary activity.  If you can’t afford it find another way to travel.  

 

Many of us have, especially during the shutdowns.  I've gone from cruising twice a year, and am transitioning into cruising once every-other-year.  As prices narrow with ultra premium lines, and as we save money with alternative travels, we are no longer limited to the mass market.

 

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

The ships seems to be full - by media report, corporate statements and from anecdotal reports, including my personal experience.   Businesses raise prices when demand meets supply…. and that is exactly how it should be.   If you were a shareholder you would be quite miffed it it was otherwise.   

 

I don't disagree.  One thing to keep in mind are the scrapped ships, which have reduced the supply.  Passengers currently onboard are voting with their dollars from prior experiences.  How current cuts affect that demand remains unknown.

 

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

 

Are you complaining as loudly about the valuation of your residential property?  Are you complaining about your cost of living increases?

 

I can't speak for the OP, but housing affordability is a major issue for first time buyers.  Not only have housing prices jumped in the past 6 years, but interest rates have doubled.  

 

Like cruising, people tend to complain about cost of living increases that exceed inflation, such as eggs.

[albingirl]

You keep carrying on about your negativity and Holland America.  There are other vacation options. We have friends who love camping with a tent.  They are very happy.

[seagarsmoker]

Last week we booked two more HAL cruises, with a total of four booked. All are Caribbean cruises, two are seven-day cruises, and two are the same itinerary 11-day cruises. I looked at the prices for our 11-day cruises from this year and next year, same aft corner suite, and the price for 2024 we just booked is 14% higher than the 2023 cruise. The seven-day newly booked 2025 cruise is 15% higher than the 2024 cruise. For us, it was expected and to be honest, I thought it would be more of an increase considering food and oil prices have gone up considerably in the last couple of years.  

[Mary229]

21 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

I don't disagree.  One thing to keep in mind are the scrapped ships, which have reduced the supply.  Passengers currently onboard are voting with their dollars from prior experiences.  How current cuts affect that demand remains unknown.

The facts are is capacity continues to grow
 

https://cruising.org/-/media/clia-media/research/2023/2023-clia-state-of-the-cruise-industry-report_low-res.ashx

Edited April 4, 2023 by Mary229

[albingirl]

Inflation.  Nothing is as reasonable as it was. Gone out to eat lately?

[Mary229]

.  During 2020-2021 the OP loudly proclaimed cruising was dangerous and we should not be so foolhardy to book cruises.  So instead I took advantage of the low deposit offers and locked in the low prices as far out as possible.   
 

now I ask, why didn’t the OP use FCD on his last recent sailing to lock in both the $100 deposit and the extra OBC?   

[SargassoPirate]

One more thought, I had a World Cruise booked prior to the pandemic, as well as a South America cruise, and a cruise to Norway.  Covid took care of those.

 

As the market started to reopen and schedules were nnounced, I now have the World Cruise booked, the Norway cruise booked, and the South America cruise booked.  When I compared the current bookings with those that were cancelled, the prices are all in the same ballpark.  No major jumps in prices.  And, at prices I am willing to pay for the adventures.

 

Thank goodness, we still have a free market economy.