Carnival raised rates and single supplements!

[CaliforniaDreamer]

did you all see this thread on the Carnival board? i am devastated. i had 2 cruises in mind and sorry i didnt book. i wish there had been some way that we would have been forewarned.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=636327

 

it is really sad to hear. i checked prices before i read this thread and couldnt believe how much the price went up for the Mexican Riviera cruise i was looking at.

 

now i will have to go back to looking for super specials that when doubled, will be afforable for a solo. i can actually sail cheaper on NCL now BUT the dreaded freestyle! lol.

 

my first cruise was on NCL because i wanted freestyle and i wanted to dine alone, but after trying Carnival, it was much more comfortable eating with other tablemates. plus, there are a few more singles on Carnival than NCL.

 

 

 

i really liked Carnival too.

[anaslile]

I just checked on the cruise I just booked a few days ago and the price went up around $100 at the very least. I am so glad I booked when I did. What a disappointment Carnival, way to encourage the single minded among us.

[Darlipoo]

Ca. Dreamer - You might want to check with your PVP. Apparently the solo pricing has gone up a little, but not as badly as posted. There was a computer glitch I think.

[CaliforniaDreamer]

i don't have a PVP. or i do, but i was checking prices online and this seems to be the case. let's wait and see what happens. i pray it is a mistake.

 

i'm not crazy about my PVP so i dont use him. i use the website that agencies compete with each other and various others.

[Roz]

Hope this isn't true, but I have to admit that I wondered how Carnival was surviving on the low fares they offered on my Hawaiian cruise in April. Let's take a wait and see attitude, but thanks to California Dreamer to alerting us to a potential "situation".

 

Roz

[Thamsey]

Yes the prices have gone up, no more single supplement. I am heart broken that I cancelled my mediterrian cruise I had a 1A with the 2 windows. I still have my TA but now know I will never get a deal like I had, TA and med with 1A with windows 26 days for 2500.

Roz,

Hawaii was my first solo and I can not believe I just started doing solos and now this :mad: I got my Hawaiian trip solo for about $780. That was a deal of a lifetime.So will just keep an eye on deals but given the fact that Canadian dollar is above par with the Americian dollar I think you will see more Canadian cruisingso maybe fewer deals.:(

I do have my TA 2008 and a Eastern 2009 booked.

[boatboat]

It just takes searching and flexibility, and a lot of it.

 

Last week I had a solo balcony, midship, for one thousand. I booked it two weeks before the cruise, and it was a beautiful new ship.

[Roz]

Ellie,

 

Sorry to hear about you having to cancel your Mediterranean cruise. That stinks.

 

Boatboat,

 

That's great that you can travel on such short notice. Work keeps me from doing that, plus the cost of last minute airfare can be thru the roof.

 

Roz

[Brneyznfl]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but what I think has also happened is Carnival is now doing what Princess does on single occupancy cabins and that is to charge for two people for port charges. :confused:

[Roz]

I know NCL does this, but wasn't aware that Carnival is doing it. If so, it stinks royally. My understanding is that the port fees and other government fees are based at least in part on the number of passengers.

 

Maybe someone else can shed some more light on this.

 

Roz

[Thamsey]

I booked an Eastern Carribbean awhile back rate 489 pp I paid 654 solo it is now 813 these rates of course are without port charges etc. Now for m Canadians it pretty well works out the same since our Dollar is doing great. I

[boatboat]

It is really hit and miss .... I got lucky today and booked the Carnival Freedom two week transatlantic from Rome to Miami .... eleven hundred dollars .... cabin TBD ..... can't wait to see all that water :)

[Brneyznfl]

I know NCL does this, but wasn't aware that Carnival is doing it. If so, it stinks royally. My understanding is that the port fees and other government fees are based at least in part on the number of passengers.

 

Maybe someone else can shed some more light on this.

 

Roz

 

I agree, it stinks. My TA grilled Carnival about this and the answer was that the port charges accessed to Carnival are based on per cabin. When she questioned them further...asking then what about in the case when you have more than 2 people in the cabin and the 3rd and 4th person are also charged port charges, Carnival didn't have an answer for her. :rolleyes: They're either, at least in part, based on per cabin or per person, the right answer can't be both ways but we know how the cruiselines are, we'll will never get a straight answer on this issue. Carnival raising the prices and also now charging 2 port charges for one person in the cabin just makes it easier for me because it won't be about which cruiseline I want to be loyal with just because of price. I now have more choices..it's now going to be about which cruiseline offers the best value for the itinerary I want to cruise on. It appears that the playing field is now more inline with RCL, well I happen to like RCL better and I've always wanted to try HAL and Celebrity. So the bottom line is if I'm going to have to spend more money to cruise solo and Carnival isn't going to be competative, then I'm also going to be more particular about which cruiseline I sail with.

[boatboat]

The ship is not assessed port charges per cabin ... this is a smoke screen ... even the double assessment is less the per person port charge.

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

It's their loss! I was considering 2 cruises on Carnival next year. However, I've noticed even paying double occupancy its still cheaper than the premium lines. But I won't! I refuse to travel with a line that doesn't have a single supp available on all their non suite staterooms. It is why I have yet to try RCCL, NCL or X. I've always sailed HAL and I'm sticking with them; HAL has a 150% supp on nonsuites and 190% on suites. VERY reasonable IMO.

[drpepr]

any word if this is really true about 1A on carnival or just a temporary computer rate messup

[FlorenceItaly]

I booked a 1A this weekend and it was the same exact price as I paid in September...same ship, same cruise. My September cruise fell in price about $40 so I ended up getting OBC, but the price started out the same. The September cruise was booked in August. The cruise booked this weekend is for a sailing in January on the Elation. I am not 100% sure I am going to take it but have until Nov. 22 to decide.

 

 

Marie

[CaliforniaDreamer]

they appear to have gone up from my experience.

 

my 11/25 pride cruise was about a 33% supplement, but for 1/27/2008 i checked rates and instead of the 499 pp 1a being 669 for a single it went from 449 pp to 753 for a single...

 

i think i did okay...with a cruise broker...i got the 1a for 11/25 at $657 incl tax......above prices do no include tax....

 

other prices i checked...show the 1a going for higher supplement...bummer...right?

[drpepr]

definately a bummer...ive been looking for deals in january and where you could usually get a 7 night for 650-700 in a cat 1A its now in the 850+ range

[FlorenceItaly]

The 850plus range for 7 days is comparable to HAL, Princess. I haven't checked RCI. That is a bummer. My five day on the Elation worked out to $465 in a 1A. I know 5 days is not 7, but it's something :). This is 1/21, and reportedly a Jazz Group is on board, so it has the potential for alot of Jaz performers in the venues.

 

 

 

 

Marie

[Darlipoo]

Marie - I booked a 1a for Jan., too and it is only a few dollars less than your price. When you sailed in Sept., did you book a 1a and if so, what type of cabin did you actually get?

Darlene

[FlorenceItaly]

Darlene,

 

I have been on the Carnival Spirit so am just now seeing this. Btw, I cancelled my January Elation cruise and am booked on the HAL Oosterdam for Feb. I've been on this ship before and love it...got a great rate! In Sept. I booked a 1A and ended up with a 4B, I believe. Have a great cruise.

 

 

Marie

[CaledonHockley]

HAL's website now states "fares are based on best fare with single occupancy". It used to always state that they were based on 150% of double occupancy. I've noticed similar statements with Princess and Carnival. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to room categories or sailings, except the lower rates are usually in the lower cabin categories or strictly insides.

 

I'm wondering if this change is not only with Carnival but all their subsidiaries as well. Perhaps the cruise lines are becoming more and more like the airlines and will probaby reach the point where nobody ever pays the same price for a cruise.

 

In the end though, Carnival still has the best deals. Based on my research, a double charge in a higher category on Carnival (even the suites) are still cheaper than some of the lower categories on HAL or Princess that offer a 150% supp. Although granted you get more amenities on those lines.

 

I keep hoping the worsening economy in the U.S. will scare the cruiselines enough to lower pricing, but strangely the opposite is happening. Bookings must still be high. I have to admit though that I'm looking at land based vacations more and more. Cancun in particular is attractive because of the good exchange rate.