Cruising in tough economic times

[paradise08]

It looks like their are plenty of cabins still available for many of the Solstice sailings in Nov/Dec. 2008. So it appears in these tough economic times these ships will cruise without being sold out. That must be a huge concern for Celebrity. Just curious what others think?

 

Thanks,

Donna

[chessbriar]

Actually, part of the problem was the late addtion of 3 cruises due to the ship being done early. It's tough to fill a ship in just a few months. Many cruisers these days make their reservations months in advance. Due to that the prices once release were much cheaper than other sailings after the original inaugural date.

 

Then the slowing economy and rising prices for plane tickets makes a difference.

[excitedofharpenden]

It looks like their are plenty of cabins still available for many of the Solstice sailings in Nov/Dec. 2008. So it appears in these tough economic times these ships will cruise without being sold out. That must be a huge concern for Celebrity. Just curious what others think?

 

Thanks,

Donna

It's hard to tell where things are going at the moment. It changes from hour to hour, but the huge Worldwide crisis of confidence is a real worry for every retailer including the cruiselines. Personally I feel that it's the tip of the iceberg right now.

 

I really hope that the latest government interventions help get the banking system un-bunged, but that's just the start before we even talk about the the general economic downturn. People have already seen a large fall in their wealth as savings, investments and pensions are hit.

 

It will be good news for some with the deals to be had as the cruiselines attempt to fill their ships, but it's going to be hard for a lot of people as they reign in their spending and luxury items like cruises will be badly hit in my view. Personal circumstance is a huge part of it of course, but cruising has become a much more widespread choice and with that comes a greater customer demographic.

 

I hate being a doom merchant on such an enjoyable cruise board as this, but yep, I think it's going to be very tough.

 

Phil

[FinelyCruising]

It looks like their are plenty of cabins still available for many of the Solstice sailings in Nov/Dec. 2008. So it appears in these tough economic times these ships will cruise without being sold out. That must be a huge concern for Celebrity. Just curious what others think?

 

Thanks,

Donna

 

I think there are big problems. I have gone as far as to say some cruises and ships will be sidelined rather than sail below certain percentages full.

 

I can take the heat from others on that idea. :D

[kitty9]

I totally agree with you. When people learn that they could very well be paying upwards of $500 for fuel surcharge for their flight, and that's per way, people might start re-thinking their cruises in Europe. And now that many lines are leaving their ships in Europe longer than ever before, I agree that a lot of lines may be forced to either bring the ships back closer to the US earlier, or dock the ships until the economy improves.

[Verity]

Sadly, we canceled our planned cruise to Italy in May. It's the first time that we have ever canceled a cruise. Everything in Europe is so expensive and we don't want to go overseas and not see something because of the cost. My TA assured me that I was not the only one to do so-they are getting lots of cancelations.:(

[FinelyCruising]

That might have been the cruise to keep a little longer since that market is going to be much more favorable as a result of the global meltdown.

[wegoldb]

I am happy that I planned this cruise and paid for the airline tickets. It gives me something to look forward to in these depressed times. The cruise is not paid in full but I will be d if they can take that away from me too !!

[Andy]

I totally agree with you. When people learn that they could very well be paying upwards of $500 for fuel surcharge for their flight, and that's per way, people might start re-thinking their cruises in Europe. And now that many lines are leaving their ships in Europe longer than ever before, I agree that a lot of lines may be forced to either bring the ships back closer to the US earlier, or dock the ships until the economy improves.

 

Hi Kitty !

 

I totally agree, and I have been suggesting this for a long time. Quite some time ago, I wrote about the potential for The Perfect Storm for the Cruise lines. Sadly, it's not about the Cruise lines any longer. It's about everything. The only thing that's different now, is things have gotten far worse than even my gloomy estimates, and the problems are worldwide.

 

I feel this economic mess will force many vacationers to cut back, and others will cancel. For those that are able to take a vacation, they will likely choose to do it much closer to home, and spend less money. I believe that most Cruise lines will be looking into more redeployments such as what we recently saw with Mercury.

 

I truly hope that our economic leaders will be able to get us through this mess. A recovery will take some time. About the only positive, is that there will be vacation bargains everywhere in 2009.

[kelmac]

I wonder if RCI(Celebrity) will be able to float these large bonds in order to complete these new ships? Royal Caribbean's debt is larger than CCL and the stock price seems to indicate this. RCI's stock is down 50% in just a couple of months!:eek:

We might see Cruise prices similar to post 9/11??

 

Greed always seems to kill unregulated free markets.

 

Kel

[CINDYSUE]

We have had a Soltice cruise booked for nearly a year. I am sad to say, we cancelled last week. I have the money saved, but since I work in the banking industry and my husband is an engineer, we decided to wait and see what happens with the bailout. As it turns out, right after we called, TA got quite a few cancellations from the group that was going from here.

 

We did book another cruise for later next year, hoping that things are better. It is really scary right now.

[dkbustr]

I would agree that the doom and gloom will only get worse from here it seems until it turns itself around. I am holding a reservation for a late March cruise, that I am seriously considering cancelling before final payment, but holding on to the air with a wait and see attitude. My thoughts are that for most upcoming cruises, you will be able to cancel before final payment, and may be able to get back in a month before the cruise at a substantial savings in the same or upgraded cabin. If this scenario doesn't play out, it is not an issue as I will not have lost anything.

 

If you are cruising in the shoulder seasons, I think you may be able to save 25-40% using that strategy.

 

Mike

[Verity]

Yesterday, when I spoke to our TA, she said there is going to be a huge cruise sale the day after Thanksgiving. My husband and I are hoping to book something reasonable closer to home. He still has the vacation time blocked out that we were going to use for the Azamara cruise that we canceled. At this time in our lives, we are not even that fussy about where we go. My husband needs to take a vacation twice a year just to unwind. We are still going to Australia in December so I have no complaints about anything.:)