These last minute cruise prices are insane!

[memoak]

14 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I'm missing some obvious thing here.  How would having 100 or more additional customers not be of any value?

In any retail business no one says we only have 5 items left so we are giving them away more likely they will double the price. It is all about supply and demand. Most Alaskan sailings this year are selling out a month or more before sailing. We are booking 1-2 years out on all cruises out of the US especially Alaska, Hawaii and Panama. We are done with coastal and Caribbean cruises

[paddingtonbear]

10 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I'm missing some obvious thing here.  How would having 100 or more additional customers not be of any value?

Because if the cruise lines constantly offer cheap last minute offers people will wait for those. The pay early and get a great rate model means Princess has the ship full and passengers happy with what they paid.
The last minute cruise sites aren’t known by everyone (so more discreet for Princess) and those deals aren’t as good as they used to be and inventory is down. 
 

this might just be a post covid thing where everyone is desperate to travel, who knows? 

[ldubs]

Just now, memoak said:

In any retail business no one says we only have 5 items left so we are giving them away more likely they will double the price. It is all about supply and demand. Most Alaskan sailings this year are selling out a month or more before sailing. We are booking 1-2 years out on all cruises out of the US especially Alaska, Hawaii and Panama. We are done with coastal and Caribbean cruises

 

OK, this makes no sense.  Discounting is not the same as giving away.  Additionally, those 5 items in your retail example are not going to have zero value in 5 days.  And of course, retailers do discount items subject to expiration dates if they can.  That some cruises are at 100% is not the same as saying there is no incentive to fill a cruise.    

[ldubs]

9 minutes ago, paddingtonbear said:

Because if the cruise lines constantly offer cheap last minute offers people will wait for those. The pay early and get a great rate model means Princess has the ship full and passengers happy with what they paid.
The last minute cruise sites aren’t known by everyone (so more discreet for Princess) and those deals aren’t as good as they used to be and inventory is down. 
 

this might just be a post covid thing where everyone is desperate to travel, who knows? 

 

Aw, thanks.  That makes some sense to me.  

[Boku]

On 8/13/2024 at 4:26 PM, geoherb said:

 

The best price guarantee doesn't apply to any sale prices after the final payment date. For instance, you can sail on a 16-day cruise for $849, which includes taxes and port fees.

Really! Thats not a guarantee then if you can get a better price.

[gottagocit]

3 hours ago, Globaler said:

If you gamble at all - save it for your cruise. Get great discounts going forward!

I guess I’ve ‘missed the boat’ over the years. I’ve spent a good deal of time in the casinos on some voyages with table games and even tournaments (not so much in some voyages) and not once have I gotten a gaming related discount offer. Either I’m not losing enough (lol) or just not been playing enough. Not going to throw money away just to get offered mind you but do enjoy playing at times. 

[Luckybee]

I mentioned this in another post that partially explains why so many ships are full.

I have never sailed Princess before. I am a prolific slot player at Fallsview casino in Niagara Falls. They have recently done a promotion with Princess where a ton of free cruises have been given away. The promo has been done there at least twice. I was offered a suite which Ive booked in a Penthouse. My secretary who plays just a little was given a free balcony( and she had no interest in taking it lol). Many others who I know were given  a range of cabin options. 100's if not 1000's of free cruises were handed out to be used by March of 2025 with few restrictions(had to book by a certain date and was good for Caribbean, Alaska, Coastal and a few other locations). Although I dont know for certain it is my understanding that this promo was done with other casinos as well. That is alot of booked cabins/suites with only port fees and taxes to be paid.

We all know why  Princess is making the offer....and it would explain why the ships might have less unsold cabins.

[memoak]

4 hours ago, gottagocit said:

I guess I’ve ‘missed the boat’ over the years. I’ve spent a good deal of time in the casinos on some voyages with table games and even tournaments (not so much in some voyages) and not once have I gotten a gaming related discount offer. Either I’m not losing enough (lol) or just not been playing enough. Not going to throw money away just to get offered mind you but do enjoy playing at times. 

You need to gamble on a regular basis to get casino status. Tournaments and once or twice a cruise will not get it. We gamble around 2 hours minimum each day in cruises and get offers for free staterooms and free play on every cruise we take. Usually a free inside or balcony for 14 days and $250- $500 slot play or chips per person per cruise   We can then pay the difference to sail in a full suite. We have 6 of these booked over the next year

Edited August 15 by memoak

[Luckybee]

4 minutes ago, memoak said:

You need to gamble on a regular basis to get casino status. Tournaments and once or twice a cruise will not get it. We gamble around 2 hours minimum each day in cruises and get offers for free staterooms and free play on every cruise we take. Usually a free inside or balcony for 14 days and $250- $500 slot play or chips per person per cruise   We can then pay the difference to sail in a full suite. We have 6 of these booked over the next year

This is what surprised me so much as it relates to the promos for the land based casino. Quite frankly I get why they've made the offer to the elite(higher level) card holders but many who may go to the casino once every few weeks with a couple of $100 were also given free balcony cabins. I cant imagine what the expectations for gambling are in those cases and for that matter Im not sure I will be gambling much based on what I've seen on youtube for machine selection on Princess ships ( I play 3 reel high limit slots almost exclusively). Dont misunderstand, Im not complaining, Im happy ! 

[memoak]

12 minutes ago, Luckybee said:

This is what surprised me so much as it relates to the promos for the land based casino. Quite frankly I get why they've made the offer to the elite(higher level) card holders but many who may go to the casino once every few weeks with a couple of $100 were also given free balcony cabins. I cant imagine what the expectations for gambling are in those cases and for that matter Im not sure I will be gambling much based on what I've seen on youtube for machine selection on Princess ships ( I play 3 reel high limit slots almost exclusively). Dont misunderstand, Im not complaining, Im happy ! 

My friends who gamble just a few times a cruise get maybe a 15% discount but not free cabins or free play

[geoherb]

7 hours ago, Boku said:

Really! Thats not a guarantee then if you can get a better price.

 

Right, for those of us who usually wait until after the final payment date to book cruises, it's nonexistent.

[Luckybee]

10 minutes ago, memoak said:

My friends who gamble just a few times a cruise get maybe a 15% discount but not free cabins or free play

Obviously then the invites for the land based casinos are much better than those given once you've already sailed with them. 

[MacMadame]

1 hour ago, Luckybee said:

many who may go to the casino once every few weeks with a couple of $100 were also given free balcony cabins.

I would say, compared to the general population, that is a lot of gambling. Most people I know go to the casinos (a) never, (b) only if visiting a casino place like Vegas, (c) at most once or twice a year. Oh, and they only play the slot machines.

[Coral]

On 8/13/2024 at 6:59 AM, P.A. said:

I thought there was last minute deals but I guess not these days. $4000 for inside passage to Alaska. Wow!! 😝

I always find May last minute deals better than September.

[555]

7 hours ago, Coral said:

I always find May last minute deals better than September.

You've got that right. Always cruise when kids are in school and stay away from all major holidays, especially Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and valentines day and theme cruises.

[Luckybee]

9 hours ago, MacMadame said:

I would say, compared to the general population, that is a lot of gambling. Most people I know go to the casinos (a) never, (b) only if visiting a casino place like Vegas, (c) at most once or twice a year. Oh, and they only play the slot machines.

I dont disagree. But the general population who dont go to  casinos dont qualify for freebies either.

What makes the qualification unique in this instance is that she and others who qualify for little at the land based casino were offered free cruises on princess.

[Cruisemeister2002]

2 hours ago, Luckybee said:

I dont disagree. But the general population who dont go to  casinos dont qualify for freebies either.

What makes the qualification unique in this instance is that she and others who qualify for little at the land based casino were offered free cruises on princess.

I have a couple of online accounts in the UK with bookmakers. Years ago if I went into a pub, club or whatever and there was a gaming machine I couldn't resist. Today I bet less than I did 30 odd years ago. More a hobby now than any expectation of winning. I don't do lotteries, scratch cards, bingo. The only betting I do is horse racing. Roulette and Black Jack don't have the foggiest idea of and frankly no interest in. If the States is the same as the UK then the more you bet the more offers you get. Hence I don't get any. Not that I am bothered. We love cruising and seeing as I have never been wealthy I think I have done pretty well. I have an aversion to other people getting hold of my money. So unless I am tempted to put a couple of dollars in a slot machine I doubt I will be heading for the casino anytime soon. But good luck to you if that's your port of call so to speak.

[Globaler]

12 minutes ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

I have a couple of online accounts in the UK with bookmakers. Years ago if I went into a pub, club or whatever and there was a gaming machine I couldn't resist. Today I bet less than I did 30 odd years ago. More a hobby now than any expectation of winning. I don't do lotteries, scratch cards, bingo. The only betting I do is horse racing. Roulette and Black Jack don't have the foggiest idea of and frankly no interest in. If the States is the same as the UK then the more you bet the more offers you get. Hence I don't get any. Not that I am bothered. We love cruising and seeing as I have never been wealthy I think I have done pretty well. I have an aversion to other people getting hold of my money. So unless I am tempted to put a couple of dollars in a slot machine I doubt I will be heading for the casino anytime soon. But good luck to you if that's your port of call so to speak.

So the casino is fun for me. I love to play craps and look at it as entertainment. People spend money on many things and fail to see the similarity. You say you have an aversion to other people getting your money but I’ll bet there are many things you spend a lot of money on - maybe concerts, sporting events, movies shows etc!  Again, for me it’s entertainment!

[LACruiser88]

FWIW, our Oct 17th, 32-day Coral Princess cruise, Singapore to LA, is showing completely sold out as of this week.

[jlawrence01]

On 8/14/2024 at 9:56 AM, ldubs said:

 

I'm missing some obvious thing here.  How would having 100 or more additional customers not be of any value?

They can fill up those cabins with gamblers who will spend more money on the ship than most last minute budget travellers.

[Hlitner]

On 8/13/2024 at 8:51 AM, Boku said:

Now that Princess guarantee early booking prices be the cheapest there isn’t a lot they can do on the actual fare.

That is a bit of a con!  One should always read the fine print.  The "guarantee" is only good until final payment (after which the last minute bargains, if any, do appear).  Also keep in mind that the guarantee is only for identical fares including the same "cruise fare type."  This means that various promotions, which are special fares/deals, are not part of the guarantee.  

 

I will also add that this guarantee is nothing new.  Princess and most other cruise lines allow folks to refare/reprice their bookings up until final payment.  This has always been true for those with refundable deposits since those folks can simply cancel, get back their deposit, and rebook.  We have been on far more then 100 cruises, and I would guess we have refared about 75% over the last 50 years.   

 

By the way, this brings up an interesting issue.  Beware of non-refundable deposits.  Once you book with that kind of fare, you might find it very difficult to take advantage of a future price drop or promotion without first, losing your original deposit.

 

Hank

[Cruise Junky]

We paid about $1,000 Cdn pp for an inside on Koningsdam including taxes. It wasn’t last minute but was after final payment. Got an upgrade to a balcony for $300 Cdn pp. took it so for less than $1,000 US pp we’re doing Alaska.  
 

it’s a bit late in the season now for great deals. People jumped on them after final payment.  

[Cruisemeister2002]

18 hours ago, Globaler said:

So the casino is fun for me. I love to play craps and look at it as entertainment. People spend money on many things and fail to see the similarity. You say you have an aversion to other people getting your money but I’ll bet there are many things you spend a lot of money on - maybe concerts, sporting events, movies shows etc!  Again, for me it’s entertainment!

Have no problem with yourself spending on what you deem entertainment. I used to bet much more thirty years or more ago. Mind you I was working, so now as a pensioner on limited income sometimes I don't bet at all. I do find if I haven't got a bet on at the weekend I do miss it and am not sure if I could totally give up backing the horses. We have some great racing in the UK, but I think the standard and quality over the years has gone down. Also many handicap races now pay 1//5th the odds 5 or 6 places whereas back in the 1970's you got 1//4 odds first 4 as long as there were 16 runners or more and to be honest although you didn't get the number of places or as I believe in the states you say "To show" I did find I was more successful than I am now.

[jlawrence01]

On 8/15/2024 at 3:32 PM, Hlitner said:

That is a bit of a con!  One should always read the fine print.  The "guarantee" is only good until final payment (after which the last minute bargains, if any, do appear).  Also keep in mind that the guarantee is only for identical fares including the same "cruise fare type."  This means that various promotions, which are special fares/deals, are not part of the guarantee.  

 

I will also add that this guarantee is nothing new.  Princess and most other cruise lines allow folks to refare/reprice their bookings up until final payment.  This has always been true for those with refundable deposits since those folks can simply cancel, get back their deposit, and rebook.  We have been on far more then 100 cruises, and I would guess we have refared about 75% over the last 50 years.   

 

By the way, this brings up an interesting issue.  Beware of non-refundable deposits.  Once you book with that kind of fare, you might find it very difficult to take advantage of a future price drop or promotion without first, losing your original deposit.

 

Hank

 

The non-refundable and guaranteed cabins do present some risk.  However, they also can represent a 25% savings over the refundable rates on the last few cruises I have booked.

[donaldsc]

Alaska ships are all sailing at greater than 100% of capacity. There are no last minute deals.

 

DON