How to do Cruise Price Comparisons

[Hlitner]

From time to time I post some tips, primarily for cruise novices.  These days, it can be difficult to compare two or more cruises/cruise lines when it comes to the REAL cost.  Folks need to understand that that what you pay for a cruise is, often, only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to real cost.

 

The trick is to look at the real (for you) "cost per passenger day."  Using this method will allow you to compare apples to oranges when it comes to ships and cruise lines.   The starting point is to total what you will pay for the cruise price (deposit, payments, final payment).  To this dollar amount you need to add the cost of routine extras such as gratuities (sometimes called "crew appreciation"), and the cost of any add-on packages you might purchase (i.e drink packages, internet packages, dining packages, photo packages, etc).  We also suggest adding your estimated cost of things you might actually buy onboard including drinks (beyond what is covered by a drink package), photos, alternative dining add-ons, etc.  Once you reach your grand total of what you expect to spend, divide this by the total cruise days (how many days you are booking multiplied times the number of cruisers) to get a "cost per passenger day!  This number can than be used to compare against other options.  Also keep in mind that for your budget purposes you need to consider the cost of getting to the port (i.e. air, hotels, gas, etc) and what you might spend during pre/post cruise vacation days.

 

Why do this?   Promotions, inclusions, packages, and add-ons are designed to obscure the true cost of cruising.  The "cost per person day" makes it relatively easy to compare cruise lines (and packages).   Using this method makes it simple to compare a cruise on a line such as Celebrity to a cruise on luxury lines such as Seabourn.  What is interesting (these days) is that there are times when a Premium or Luxury cruise line can actually cost less than a mass market line!  This recently happened to us when we were looking at booking a MSC Cruise (in their pricey Yacht Club) and realized that we could take a cruise on Silverseas (a top rated small ship luxury line) for about $1000 less!  We have also pointed out in numerous past posts that booking pricy suites on mass market lines (i.e. RCI, Celebrity, Princess, etc) might actually cost more, per passenger day, than a similar cruise on a luxury line.  Luxury lines are generally all-inclusive so already include many extras (i.e. drinks, Internet, alternative dining, etc) that cost extra on mass market lines.

 

Hank

[Mick B]

Hi,

Yes we too do a similar thing. Lets say we have managed to save £3000.00 towards a holiday.

We have an idea of what we will spend each day of our holiday which includes the cost of the cruise, any flights, trains and any hotels. So a 14 night cruise may turn into a 15 or 16 night holiday.

Also, as D+ with RCI we do not require a drinks package and are happy eating in the MDR so no beverage or dinning packages needed.

Lets say we wanted to spend just £100 per day per person and wanted to be away for 14 nights on board the ship plus a day in a hotel or travelling, so that's £1500 pp x 2 = £3000.

So now I have to find a cruise with flights and hotels and transport that comes to around the £3000 mark.

A 15 night TA on a older ship with an interior cabin and flights just one way with one nights stay comes to just a little more than that.

Lets say a 15 night TA is £900 per person and the flights are £450 per person, so £1800 plus £900 = £2700. so that leaves £300 for a night in a hotel plus a taxi/bus. That last part may cost £500 so £200 over budget...

However, there are perks to be had such as 5 free drinks a day which would have cost £££s more if not Diamond or above.

So basically whilst the cruise line offers perks, then a good bargain is achievable.

There are shorter cruises that cost less, but then the additional flights and hotels come into play making having 2 smaller cruises cost much much more.

 

Sometimes there are some really good cruise deals but unless you live within a certain distance of the port, then travelling expenses come into play. 

Fantastic news if you live near Miami or Barcelona as you get mainly good weather plus nice places to visit.

If like me though from the UK,  then not so good. Not only is the weather hit and miss, but the sea can be rough and the prices are high.

 

It also looks like the cheapest cabins are GTY but that's OK if you are not bothered about where you are going to be put. But if you need to be in a certain area on the ship, then the price can be a big jump up.

 

It is best to book early as the prices just go up and up, but occasionally there may be a price drop. Sometimes you may get a refund of the difference, but other times you may get OBC. If you get OBC then you now have some money to spend onboard for things like dinning, drinks and even tours.

Its always worth checking the website for your booked cruise and getting your TA to sort any refund or OBC if its worth it.

 

Mick.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2023 by Mick B

[9tee2Sea]

If I think the price is with in my budget, I do it.  Sometimes I will factor in airfare and lodging to see if I want to do the cruise.  Many, air/lodging is just as much as the cruise price.  But hey, it's a vacation, and vacations are not cheap.  If I want a cheap getaway, i can stay home, disconnect from phone/computer, and have my own drink package.  

[Mary229]

Just as @9tee2Sea remarked we price it all out to determine what is our best option.  We are equally at home with fly and drive travel but have found cruising to be an exceptional value regardless of what level of luxury a traveler seeks 

[Joebucks]

I compare the way most people do. I consider 2-3 trivial things that I get for "free" and therefore conclude that this is cheapest overall option because I hate nickel and dimes. Give me a $1000 higher fare than having to pay $500 out of pocket any day!

 

Honestly, I don't know why this topic gets so over-complicated. We are so controlled by marketing that we can't simply add a cruise (and perhaps some extra costs) to cart and figure out which one costs more. I'm not quite sure I understand the significance of calculating cost per cruiser, per day, unless you're trying to compare cruises with different numbers of days or passengers. Why can't you just compare the final cost of two cruises you are looking at?

 

I get it if you've never cruised before, and don't know what to expect. However, most will never learn. Living life off of headlines and perceptions.

[57redbird]

On 10/29/2023 at 1:53 PM, 9tee2Sea said:

If I think the price is with in my budget, I do it.  Sometimes I will factor in airfare and lodging to see if I want to do the cruise.  Many, air/lodging is just as much as the cruise price.  But hey, it's a vacation, and vacations are not cheap.  If I want a cheap getaway, i can stay home, disconnect from phone/computer, and have my own drink package.  

I'd love to do the Fjords cruise but from Washington State to the departure ports in Europe the flights are more expensive that the cruise & then figure in hotels, etc....I don't think I'll ever get there.

[9tee2Sea]

2 hours ago, 57redbird said:

I'd love to do the Fjords cruise but from Washington State to the departure ports in Europe the flights are more expensive that the cruise & then figure in hotels, etc....I don't think I'll ever get there.

i once had a trans atlantic booked from NY-Barcelona.  The cruise was really cheap, but the  1 way airfare back to LA was almost twice as much as the cruise.  I then found another trans atlantic cruise from Barcelona  to Fl ( on another cruise line)  that was cheaper than the 1 way air.  Then Covid struck, so everything got cancelled. 

[cruisemom42]

9 hours ago, Joebucks said:

Why can't you just compare the final cost of two cruises you are looking at?

 

Because the two cruises may have a different number of days, so for some (me at least) it gives me a better idea of "affordability" to see how much I am paying per day.

 

Under most circumstances, a 28-day cruise is going to cost more than an 18-day cruise, but it may also be a much better bargain if it is $300 per day vs. $425 per day on the shorter cruise, other things being more or less equal.

[Joebucks]

18 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Because the two cruises may have a different number of days, so for some (me at least) it gives me a better idea of "affordability" to see how much I am paying per day.

 

Under most circumstances, a 28-day cruise is going to cost more than an 18-day cruise, but it may also be a much better bargain if it is $300 per day vs. $425 per day on the shorter cruise, other things being more or less equal.

 

When you start comparing such vastly different things, there are more variables as you hinted at. For example, if one route has more ports, and/or ports with more expensive port fees you could see a different cost structure than one with more sea days and no port fees. Or if I wanted to visit either the Panama Canal or Cozumel, one has a vastly different cost structure than the other. Obviously, the financials matter to a lot of people. However, I wouldn't confuse the different price points of different products with "getting a deal." 

[simplelife]

On 11/1/2023 at 12:42 PM, Joebucks said:

 

When you start comparing such vastly different things, there are more variables as you hinted at. For example, if one route has more ports, and/or ports with more expensive port fees you could see a different cost structure than one with more sea days and no port fees. Or if I wanted to visit either the Panama Canal or Cozumel, one has a vastly different cost structure than the other. Obviously, the financials matter to a lot of people. However, I wouldn't confuse the different price points of different products with "getting a deal." 

Agreed, there's more to value than just the bottom line. One cruise may have better ports of call, or a homeport that offers more things you want to do. Another may have ship features you really enjoy. 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, simplelife said:

Agreed, there's more to value than just the bottom line. One cruise may have better ports of call, or a homeport that offers more things you want to do. Another may have ship features you really enjoy. 

And even with the same ports, the times in the port may vary.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

And even with the same ports, the times in the port may vary.

 

And docking locations. Some ships might dock right IN the area or city you want to see, versus being as much as an hour or two away, effectively limiting your time to actually sightsee.

 

[sparks1093]

On 10/31/2023 at 8:13 AM, Joebucks said:

I compare the way most people do. I consider 2-3 trivial things that I get for "free" and therefore conclude that this is cheapest overall option because I hate nickel and dimes. Give me a $1000 higher fare than having to pay $500 out of pocket any day!

 

Honestly, I don't know why this topic gets so over-complicated. We are so controlled by marketing that we can't simply add a cruise (and perhaps some extra costs) to cart and figure out which one costs more. I'm not quite sure I understand the significance of calculating cost per cruiser, per day, unless you're trying to compare cruises with different numbers of days or passengers. Why can't you just compare the final cost of two cruises you are looking at?

 

I get it if you've never cruised before, and don't know what to expect. However, most will never learn. Living life off of headlines and perceptions.

That's what we do- look at the total, with the understanding that one has to look at what is included with one line that one has to pay for on another. To make a fair assessment in that situation one needs to add those things that one needs to pay for with the one line that the other line includes. (Case in point- we were looking at a southern Caribbean itinerary and were comparing Celebrity and Carnival. Going just by the overall price, Carnival was less. But Celebrity included drink package, wifi and gratuities in their fare and when we added those items into Carnival's fare, Celebrity came out less.)

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

And docking locations. Some ships might dock right IN the area or city you want to see, versus being as much as an hour or two away, effectively limiting your time to actually sightsee.

 

And it is also possible that while one cruise docks, another may have to tender. I know when we had an overnight in Reykjavik on our cruise this summer, there was a ship that was out at sea and the passengers would have had to tender. I'm not sure, but I think I remember it being a Holland America ship. 

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

And it is also possible that while one cruise docks, another may have to tender. I know when we had an overnight in Reykjavik on our cruise this summer, there was a ship that was out at sea and the passengers would have had to tender. I'm not sure, but I think I remember it being a Holland America ship. 

Sometimes that is just when you arrived.  I have been there with HAL and we docked but that day we were the only ship in port. 

[ldubs]

On 10/31/2023 at 5:13 AM, Joebucks said:

I compare the way most people do. I consider 2-3 trivial things that I get for "free" and therefore conclude that this is cheapest overall option because I hate nickel and dimes. Give me a $1000 higher fare than having to pay $500 out of pocket any day!

 

 

OK, I don't get this perspective.  Showing my cruise card for that drink or extra charge restaurant that I might want isn't really a burden.  Certainly not an inconvenience worth $500 to avoid.  

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

OK, I don't get this perspective.  Showing my cruise card for that drink or extra charge restaurant that I might want isn't really a burden.  Certainly not an inconvenience worth $500 to avoid.  

It might be that Joebucks' tongue was firmly in "his" cheek. Or they may have been making a little fun of people like me and my husband, as follows: After having HAL's Beverage Package on a Promo (in 2016), my husband REALLY REALLY liked not having to mentally tally every latte or glass of wine. Did we or have we ever actually tallied the cost vs the value? No, but we have always gotten a drink package ever since. It is part of what we want out of a cruise.

 

Currently the cost of HAL's Have-It-All program is $50pppd, while the Signature Beverage Package is $55pppd. HIA includes specialty dinners, shore excursions, wifi subscriptions for guests 1&2, in addition to Beverage Package. So yes we count all of those perks as FREE. 

 

Edited November 16, 2023 by crystalspin

[Joebucks]

9 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

OK, I don't get this perspective.  Showing my cruise card for that drink or extra charge restaurant that I might want isn't really a burden.  Certainly not an inconvenience worth $500 to avoid.  

 

I was poking fun at the obsession with "getting everything for free" while having a ticket price double or even triple of "non-free" options.

[ldubs]

6 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

I was poking fun at the obsession with "getting everything for free" while having a ticket price double or even triple of "non-free" options.

 

Now it seems obvious, but when I first read it, ZOOM right over my head!  haha.