Deployment 2025-26 booking season begins

[Billy Baltic]

34 minutes ago, livylotte said:

Disappointed with those Indy sailings.
Just 1 low season 12 night itinerary and the rest are short breaks.
Where’s the Med?
And the next longest - 9 days isn’t going to get us very far.

Sorry, RC but a cruise from rainy UK into rainy Northern Europe isn’t my idea of a summer holiday.

I don’t think this will appeal to UK cruisers, especially not if the prices are high as expected.

I’m seriously thinking of 2 weeks in Marmaris 🤪

The shorter cruises are very surprising to me. As you say, it takes a while to reach sunshine. 
Maybe RC are hoping people focus on the overall cost of the cruise, rather than per day cost, so it compares favourably with previous years. 

[gumshoe958]

13 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

The shorter cruises are very surprising to me. As you say, it takes a while to reach sunshine. 
Maybe RC are hoping people focus on the overall cost of the cruise, rather than per day cost, so it compares favourably with previous years. 

The short break market is large and lucrative. Bar sales alone are massive, and people are more willing to pay premium fares if the overall cost is lower. See also Utopia.

 

For people who want 10+ nights there’s plenty of choice with NCL, P&O, Cunard and Princess.

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by gumshoe958

[Billy Baltic]

3 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

The short break market is large and lucrative. Bar sales alone are massive, and people are more willing to pay premium fares if the overall cost is lower. See also Utopia.

 

For people who want 10+ nights there’s plenty of choice with NCL, P&O, Cunard and Princess.

 

Maybe I’m wrong but I see those short breaks as more of a North American thing. I think the UK market is more geared towards the longer “annual holiday”. 

[OCSC Mike]

7 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

Maybe I’m wrong but I see those short breaks as more of a North American thing. I think the UK market is more geared towards the longer “annual holiday”. 

 

It definitely sounds that way from reading the last several posts. You guys are calling 7N "short" while 7N is what I consider standard. 3/4 is short (and yes, very popular here, though too short for me).

 

We did do a 4N last October and just got off a 5N but both were because of good deals and being able to squeeze an extra short cruise into our schedule (we normally can only sail when school is out as my wife is a teacher, and those are always 7N). We consider those short ones bonus cruises, not expected holidays.

 

Everyone has different schedules, budgets, preferences, etc. though. Lots of locals here in FL like going on lots of 3 or 4 nighters year round if it fits their situation (flexible work, retired, whatever).

[smokeybandit]

18 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

Maybe I’m wrong but I see those short breaks as more of a North American thing. I think the UK market is more geared towards the longer “annual holiday”. 

 

Week long vacations are a pretty rare thing in the USA compared to other western countries.  In the UK and Europe, you're encouraged and even expected to take a long vacation. In the USA, many are outright discouraged from doing so.

[Billy Baltic]

9 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

It definitely sounds that way from reading the last several posts. You guys are calling 7N "short" while 7N is what I consider standard. 3/4 is short (and yes, very popular here, though too short for me).

Weather plays into it. We did one cruise from Southampton to the med. It was June but took 2-3 days to reach Gibraltar for the first bit of nice weather. It was 14 days so the bulk of that cruise had good weather. In 7 days it can be difficult to get to higher temperatures, if that’s what you’re into. Those sea days at the start and end can be cool and cloudy. 

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

Weather plays into it.

 

Definitely. We have sailed to the Bahamas and welcomed that it was slightly cooler there than at home. 😁

[island lady]

Noticed Alaska 2025 bookings on website early this morning.  Waited for Next Cruise to open here on Wonder, went to sign up, but was told they did not get the "green light" to book them yet.  Whaaaaat??!!   😲

 

Told her, I could book it online myself now if I wanted to, plus I found out the TAs had already been booking it for days now.  How frustrating for her (and me) that their own Next Cruise agents, employed by RCI are the last to be able to book.  IMHO, they should be the first to be able to book.  Yet another strike to RCI in my book.  She did call me 15 minutes later to let me know she got the go ahead.   By then she had a whole page of people waiting to be called to book it.  She told me the Alaska bookings were the most stressful for them as they scramble to book them for their pax signed up on the wait list. 

 

Luckily were on time to book favorite "hump cabin" GS on Radiance B2B.  🥰

[gumshoe958]

29 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

Maybe I’m wrong but I see those short breaks as more of a North American thing. I think the UK market is more geared towards the longer “annual holiday”. 

Not at all. Cunard and P&O have been doing them for years and they’re immensely popular. Virgin are also back in Portsmouth next year. And away from cruising Easyjet, Ryanair and Centerparcs have essentially built their entire businesses on short breaks.

True, the more ‘traditional’, older cruisers tend to prefer longer itineraries. But shorter cruises are very popular with working families, groups of friends and younger couples who are more pressed for time and might just want a long weekend. And that’s a huge market, much of which is new to cruising.

 

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, Billy Baltic said:

Maybe I’m wrong but I see those short breaks as more of a North American thing. I think the UK market is more geared towards the longer “annual holiday”. 

Agree. Royal making a Fortune with all the 7nite or less stopping at Coco Cay. Though for Myself, haven't done a shorter 7nite Cruise in 22 years. Love my 10-16niters and even those include a B2B or more legs. 7nite or less too new days and like pay fewer Flights

Edited November 1, 2023 by ONECRUISER

[little britain]

1 hour ago, gumshoe958 said:

The short break market is large and lucrative. Bar sales alone are massive, and people are more willing to pay premium fares if the overall cost is lower. See also Utopia.

 

For people who want 10+ nights there’s plenty of choice with NCL, P&O, Cunard and Princess.

 

Remember on sub 4n cruises from the UK they don’t/won’t/can’t sell the DBP. 
Remember on short cruises from the UK you can’t get very far.. as everyone knows it takes 2 days to get across Biscay and to sunshine.

They have usually done a few short cruises over the back holiday weekends in May and August which attracts the stag/hen/party crowd but there is absolutely nothing appealing for families in the school holidays…

[gumshoe958]

44 minutes ago, little britain said:

Remember on sub 4n cruises from the UK they don’t/won’t/can’t sell the DBP. 
Remember on short cruises from the UK you can’t get very far.. as everyone knows it takes 2 days to get across Biscay and to sunshine.

They have usually done a few short cruises over the back holiday weekends in May and August which attracts the stag/hen/party crowd but there is absolutely nothing appealing for families in the school holidays…

What’s not appealing about 7 nights to Spain & Portugal during May half term, or 9 nights ‘Spanish flair’ during the summer holidays?

[GlasgowCruiser01]

Wow - Royal has really given up on the UK. Indy doing ONE longer cruise, and nothing else over 9 nights. Now I would like to do the Norwegian Fjords cruise before that option is out, but overall such a disappointment and makes me question their decisions. Nobody is going to want a sailing where half of it is sea days through Biscay or just doesn't get anywhere warm period.

Edited November 1, 2023 by GlasgowCruiser01

[gumshoe958]

9 minutes ago, GlasgowCruiser01 said:

Wow - Royal has really given up on the UK. Indy doing ONE longer cruise, and nothing else over 9 nights. Now I would like to do the Norwegian Fjords cruise before that option is out, but overall such a disappointment and makes me question their decisions. Nobody is going to want a sailing where half of it is sea days through Biscay or just doesn't get anywhere warm period.

 

Not everyone wants to go to the Canaries.

 

There is serious money in short breaks. Bar revenues will be huge.

[Scoobydobe7]

Sunset Balocnies🤣

Just did a mock booking on the Radiance - July 18, 2025 Alaska

2 people. D+

 

Sunset Balcony (aft)  $10,798

JS Aft (110 or 1602)    $ 7, 352.

Grand Suite               $10,550

 

So, a JS including aft is $3,000+ cheaper than a sunset balcony 😆😆😆

and a Grand Suite is $200.00 cheaper than a Sunset Balcony. 😆😆😆

 

WOW...makes no sense to me....

Edited November 1, 2023 by Scoobydobe7

[Jimbo]

Glad we went to Alaska years ago and got that off our bucket list with the way prices are now.

[GimmeOcean]

19 minutes ago, Scoobydobe7 said:

Sunset Balocnies🤣

Just did a mock booking on the Radiance - July 18, 2025 Alaska

2 people. D+

 

Sunset Balcony (aft)  $10,798

JS Aft (110 ir 1602)    $ 7, 352.

Grand Suite               $10,550

 

So, a JS including aft is $3,000+ cheaper than a sunset balcony 😆😆😆

and a Grand Suite is $200.00 cheaper than a Sunset Balcony. 😆😆😆

 

WOW...makes no sense to me....

Yeah that makes no sense at all.

[island lady]

37 minutes ago, Scoobydobe7 said:

Sunset Balocnies🤣

Just did a mock booking on the Radiance - July 18, 2025 Alaska

2 people. D+

 

Sunset Balcony (aft)  $10,798

JS Aft (110 or 1602)    $ 7, 352.

Grand Suite               $10,550

 

So, a JS including aft is $3,000+ cheaper than a sunset balcony 😆😆😆

and a Grand Suite is $200.00 cheaper than a Sunset Balcony. 😆😆😆

 

WOW...makes no sense to me....

 

Me neither....but do keep in mind this is first offering.   Keep monitoring the prices.  I do, and the only reason I book early is to score choice cabin.   If it goes down...though it seems that does not happen much lately, you can lower your balance until final payment...then it becomes locked in.  

[yyzcruising]

36 minutes ago, Scoobydobe7 said:

Sunset Balocnies🤣

Just did a mock booking on the Radiance - July 18, 2025 Alaska

2 people. D+

 

Sunset Balcony (aft)  $10,798

JS Aft (110 or 1602)    $ 7, 352.

Grand Suite               $10,550

 

So, a JS including aft is $3,000+ cheaper than a sunset balcony 😆😆😆

and a Grand Suite is $200.00 cheaper than a Sunset Balcony. 😆😆😆

 

WOW...makes no sense to me....

 

17 minutes ago, GimmeOcean said:

Yeah that makes no sense at all.

 

People will book up the suites with the higher deposits and then those sunset rooms, with a catchy name, will look more appealing!

[Teeara]

5 hours ago, RedOaks said:

Radiance and Serenade WB Panama Canal are available for booking 2025.

Why book 2025 when we're already on it next year with you?  ;o)

[RedOaks]

11 minutes ago, Teeara said:

Why book 2025 when we're already on it next year with you?  ;o)

I was just looking at those and doing a price comparison to see how much they had increased year over year.

[springaussie]

I thought Granduer  was in the Alaska deployment? 
Not Serenade.  

[sgmn]

4 hours ago, Billy Baltic said:

Maybe I’m wrong but I see those short breaks as more of a North American thing. I think the UK market is more geared towards the longer “annual holiday”. 

Agree,  at a minimum people get four weeks leave plus bank holidays . Most get more, plus retired pax like long warm weather cruises. I've had some very enjoyable 12-14 day cruises from Southampton down into Western Med

[RedOaks]

2 minutes ago, springaussie said:

I thought Granduer  was in the Alaska deployment? 
Not Serenade.  

Currently available to book Serenade, April 13, 2025 Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles, 16 nights via Panama Canal.

[smokeybandit]

2 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Agree,  at a minimum people get four weeks leave plus bank holidays . Most get more, plus retired pax like long warm weather cruises. I've had some very enjoyable 12-14 day cruises from Southampton down into Western Med

Meanwhile the average American only gets 11 days of leave and many employers make it difficult to even use them.