Higher then Normal Prices?

[Salem615]

Hello

 

My parents want to take a cruise in September and want some family to join them. I looked up the cruise and for 7 nights in a balcony it was over 2 grand!

I never have spent that much on a cruise. This is a simple cruise out of Baltimore going to the Bahamas, something we have done before. 

 

I never get any real good offers so unless this changes and the price goes down it looks like we are out of luck.

 

My parents get great Casino rates as does several of my family members.

 

Has this been the norm lately regarding cruise fares?

[mz-s]

Nothing is normal anymore after 2020.

 

This is the "new normal"

 

Enjoy?

 

You need to book much further out than 3 months if you want good deals.

[tidecat]

6 minutes ago, Salem615 said:

Hello

 

My parents want to take a cruise in September and want some family to join them. I looked up the cruise and for 7 nights in a balcony it was over 2 grand!

I never have spent that much on a cruise. This is a simple cruise out of Baltimore going to the Bahamas, something we have done before. 

 

I never get any real good offers so unless this changes and the price goes down it looks like we are out of luck.

 

My parents get great Casino rates as does several of my family members.

 

Has this been the norm lately regarding cruise fares?

Industry wide, demand for cruises is higher than it has ever been, even in spite of all of the new capacity that has been added since cruises resumed.

 

You might be able to get some last minute deals out of Florida, as ports in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic historically have tended to command higher prices. People are willing to pay more for the convenience of not flying.

[Saint Greg]

You may want to check other lines. You may find better prices with them. This time last year I was looking for a fall cruise and ended up finding a princess 7 day that was cheaper than the 5 day carnival cruises.

[VentureMan_2000]

$300 a day for a balcony stateroom is pretty much normal.  This is before any On-Board-Credit incentives.  The cheapest I've booked in years 2023, 2024, and 2025 is $263 a day before OBC incentives... about $1,840 for Balcony room on a 7-day cruise.

You can save a lot by booking an inside cabin.

You also need to consider the additional costs such as $32/day gratuities -- another $224 for a 7-day cruise.  And then there is drinking... ah yes, drinking.  Drinks are $12 each plus 18% Tip, so $14.16 each.  The Cheers can be used as a sort of insurance to ensures you do not overspend on drinks.

Expect to pay between $460 and $560 a day for a Balcony room, before incentives, for the room, gratuities, and Cheers package.  Transportation to and from the port is additional.    

[pcvtmom]

Prices from Baltimore and Norfolk also tend to trend higher.  I guess it's for the "convenience" of those of us who live on the east coast and don't wish to fly or drive to Florida every cruise.

[shof515]

Prices from New York also trend higher. it seems like every year the same exact cruise i do yearly always increases by a few hundred dollars 

[dolphinsfan246]

Hasn’t everything in our lives gone up in price? Why are cruises expected to be immune to this? 

[bg2310]

Sounds about right to me for today's market and prices. If that's a lot for you, there's always Ocean View or Interiror rooms!

[VentureMan_2000]

Florida is not any less expensive than all the other ports.  I have 11 cruises booked around the country... San Francisco, Galveston, Miami, Port Canaveral, New Orleans.  They all average $500 +/- $25 per day for a Balcony.

 

[aborgman]

Cruise prices are starting to significantly outpace land vacations in Carribean.

 

My last cruise including alcohol ran over $400 per day for 2 people.

 

I could have gotten a room at the all-inclusive where I honeymooned in Cozumel on the same dates for about $200 per night.

[mz-s]

4 minutes ago, aborgman said:

Cruise prices are starting to significantly outpace land vacations in Carribean.

 

My last cruise including alcohol ran over $400 per day for 2 people.

 

I could have gotten a room at the all-inclusive where I honeymooned in Cozumel on the same dates for about $200 per night.

 

Careful, I said that on here a few months ago and some people acted like I kicked their dog. Which I'm used to that on the Carnival board but still.

Edited June 5 by mz-s

[aborgman]

13 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Careful, I said that on here a few months ago and some people acted like I kicked their dog. Which I'm used to that on the Carnival board but still.

 

Cruise was still cheaper than my Belize all-inclusive last month... that ran $560/day for 2 people.

 

Of course it was also actual gourmet food prepared to order, with about a 1500 square foot ocean front room, with a private pool for the 6 room villa.

[dolphinsfan246]

19 minutes ago, aborgman said:

 

Cruise was still cheaper than my Belize all-inclusive last month... that ran $560/day for 2 people.

 

Of course it was also actual gourmet food prepared to order, with about a 1500 square foot ocean front room, with a private pool for the 6 room villa.

But did they have trivia every half hour ? 😁😁

[jimbo5544]

44 minutes ago, aborgman said:

Cruise prices are starting to significantly outpace land vacations in Carribean.

 

My last cruise including alcohol ran over $400 per day for 2 people.

 

I could have gotten a room at the all-inclusive where I honeymooned in Cozumel on the same dates for about $200 per night.

Land resorts in the Caribbean were not 30 billion in the hole either.

[Salem615]

I certainly expected it to run a bit higher but that price was a bit crazy, especially for an older ship and no real perks. The price for ocean view was not much cheaper. 

 

My parents only do Carnival and my mom will not fly anymore so we are pretty limited. They do this cruise quite a bit and are creatures of habit!

 

HAs anyone had any luck booking through outside sources?

[mz-s]

1 minute ago, Salem615 said:

I certainly expected it to run a bit higher but that price was a bit crazy, especially for an older ship and no real perks. The price for ocean view was not much cheaper. 

 

My parents only do Carnival and my mom will not fly anymore so we are pretty limited. They do this cruise quite a bit and are creatures of habit!

 

HAs anyone had any luck booking through outside sources?

 

If you mean booking with a TA - you won't get a cheaper rate by doing that, but you can get some extras like the TA will pay your tips or give you a small onboard credit or something. Better than nothing.

[aborgman]

16 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Land resorts in the Caribbean were not 30 billion in the hole either.

 

1) Not my problem. I don't care why someone is more expensive - I care about my bottom line.

 

2) I wouldn't bet that Carribean resorts as a whole weren't down that much. Just the Barcelo Group lost $6 billion Euros in revenue 2020 vs. 2019.

[firefly333]

2 minutes ago, Salem615 said:

I certainly expected it to run a bit higher but that price was a bit crazy, especially for an older ship and no real perks. The price for ocean view was not much cheaper. 

 

My parents only do Carnival and my mom will not fly anymore so we are pretty limited. They do this cruise quite a bit and are creatures of habit!

 

HAs anyone had any luck booking through outside sources?

For reasons idk I too have seen some better princess prices for solo ot of Galveston. Also MSC currently seems to have the cheapest prices. . Though as you said it may not be going out of your port ... yet but they seem to be expanding. First I heard they are building a 4th ter final in Galveston and now I'm reading they will be building a new terminal in port Canaveral so they are for sure expanding. Royal has more new ships coming which expands their capacity. Icon just barely started and utopia will be new and coming to do short cruises out of PC.

 

With so much more capacity coming online eventually how can prices not eventually start to come down. 

 

Also you need to look at how each line prices what you want to book. For me carnival is often more expensive than royal. For a while royal was always cheaper than carnival because unlike csrnivalmtheir loyalty rewards make a huge difference. Group rates on carnival are nothing special but on royal I have gotten some totally awesome deals for group rates. You cant see royals group rates but even a solo cabin I can get group rates thru my TA. So between group rates, then I get $250 off as a diamond +, then as a solo I get 25% off the total cruisefare. At 340 pts it says 50% off the 2nd pax, but it's the same as 25% off the total cruise fare. 

 

I love carnival and their journey cruises are awesome, just same as you unless you gamble carnival is often higher priced than other lines. That's my issue. Only royal gives me as a solo a discount and 2 loyalty pts per  night so it's faster to get higher in their tier. Blerk always says carnival doesnt have to buy peoples loyalty, some people dont care about peice and will book the same line. I look at price. I'd rather do more cruises on the same $$$ amount.

 

I'm with you carnival lately has cost  more than some like msc or princess. I'd like to try HAL but dont want to drive. My friends say HAL has really good food. I'm more into food than trivia.

 

Each line is playing different pricing games since covid imo. People are saying they can book celebrity for less than royal, group rates, for 2 pax, not as a solo.

[cxr133]

3 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Careful, I said that on here a few months ago and some people acted like I kicked their dog. Which I'm used to that on the Carnival board but still.

our daughter she came to my house today  and.......  😆

[jlawrence01]

Life is a series of choices.  You can pay the amount quoted for the suite.  Or you can take an inside cabin and pay half as much or you can stay home.

 

We have had no problems finding great rates on the five cruises that we have booked for the next 12 months but it has taken the ability to cruise in shoulder season and our willingness to accept an inside guaranteed cabin.  That is fine with us as we only sleep and shower in the cabin.

[vswan]

If any of your family members have cruise casino offers for both members, you could have them book individual cabins and add you and your SO as  the second guest in each cabin and then switch out keys.

[Illbcruzn4life]

9 hours ago, shof515 said:

Prices from New York also trend higher. it seems like every year the same exact cruise i do yearly always increases by a few hundred dollars 

That's why I have been booking MSC. Just booked a 7 night from Brooklyn for this weekend for about $1400 for 2 with the drink package and wifi. Booked an OV gty and got a balcony.

[johnboy036]

1. Prices are definitely higher than the past few years but I have not paid close to $500 + a night for a balcony for any of my upcoming cruises. This summer in Europe I paid $336 a night for a balcony with $500 on board credit. This October is  $267 a night and October 2025 $255 a night both with $500 on board credit. I am booking earlier than in the past to get better pricing, as all my cruises booked 12-15 months before sailing.  I'm flexible on where sailing from and best pricing right now appears to be from New Orleans or Long Beach. 

[jimbo5544]

15 hours ago, aborgman said:

 

1) Not my problem. I don't care why someone is more expensive - I care about my bottom line.

 

2) I wouldn't bet that Carribean resorts as a whole weren't down that much. Just the Barcelo Group lost $6 billion Euros in revenue 2020 vs. 2019.

Did I suggest you were the problem?  Facts are facts regardless of whom is to blame.  If you think that the exposure (financially speaking) was the same as the cruise industry, the conversation should go no further. We could do the math, but we know the cruise industry was multi fold worse  and that the start up dramatically harder, but as you said, it is not your problem.  If you think you get a better deal (and that is the important arbiter for you) then go land, easy peasey.