Cruising in a (maybe) recession

[OuiOnboard]

We have a Princess and an NCL cruise booked and paid for coming up really soon:) , but in light of the slowdown in the global economy, we will approach our cruise booking strategy somewhat differently in the foreseeable future.

We intend to make final decisions on our tentatively booked future cruises in 2009 at the time of final payment. Beyond that, we will not book as far into the future as we have in the past, but will scrutinize the offerings for great deals after the final payment date (which we anticipate will become available).

Will you adjust your booking strategy for future cruises? Why or why not?

[Pia1913]

We have a Princess and an NCL cruise booked and paid for coming up really soon:) , but in light of the slowdown in the global economy, we will approach our cruise booking strategy somewhat differently in the foreseeable future.

We intend to make final decisions on our tentatively booked future cruises in 2009 at the time of final payment. Beyond that, we will not book as far into the future as we have in the past, but will scrutinize the offerings for great deals after the final payment date which we anticipate will become available.

Will you adjust your booking strategy for future cruises? Why or why not?

 

As of now things are status quo. We have multiple cruises scheduled and I don't see us cancelling any of them. Inasmuch as we're all booked up for '09 and even have one booked for '10, I'm still going to keep my FCC's on hand for any last minute bargains.

[BalconyBumz]

I'm not booking anything ahead of time anymore and watching for the prices after the 90 day out after people have made their final payments. There are some real steals out there right now. Unbelievable.

[LENORA516]

We have a Princess and an NCL cruise booked and paid for coming up really soon:) , but in light of the slowdown in the global economy, we will approach our cruise booking strategy somewhat differently in the foreseeable future.

We intend to make final decisions on our tentatively booked future cruises in 2009 at the time of final payment. Beyond that, we will not book as far into the future as we have in the past, but will scrutinize the offerings for great deals after the final payment date (which we anticipate will become available).

quote]

 

 

We will be following your strategy exactly !

[paul929207]

We have not changed our plans. Most of the cruises we take not not offered more than once or twice per year.

[chrysalis]

We have a 32 day cruise booked on the Tahitian for the fall of 09.....we will be watching what the Canadian Dollar does before final payment. Based on exchange rates only, the cruise is now 25% more expensive than when we booked it in July.

[davidnsteph]

We don't know how long this downturn will last. But we still plan on "escaping completely" on a cruise now and then. We're not extravagant in our cabin choices or on-board spending, though. And in the future, we will still keep a realistic eye on the overall expense.

 

DavidnSteph

[Go-Bucks!]

I'm not planning to change anything. I have the money for vacations saved up well in advance of payment - I don't put them on credit. If I can't afford to pay up front for a vacation, then I just don't go. I've had many, many years when I couldn't afford a vacation. During those times I just take time off work and spend it relaxing at home. I live quite frugally so I can save as much money as possible, which definitely helps give me peace of mind in a bad economy.

[Pam in CA]

We have not changed our plans. Most of the cruises we take not not offered more than once or twice per year.

Exactly. I'm not changing my cruising strategy nor am I cancelling anything. However, I just booked a short cruise in April because the pricing was so good. I may change to a different cruise (a segment of the world cruise) instead of my Diamond cruise in April 2010 but that would be due to the itinerary.

[Coral]

I will most likely be cruising less. I will book things last minute to maximize the cost. There have been some great last minute pricing lately.

 

With people losing their houses, I consider myself lucky to still be able to vacation.

[PescadoAmarillo]

IWith people losing their houses, I consider myself lucky to still be able to vacation.

I agree. I think that same thing every day. But I have cautious hope for the future.

[rednancy1]

We are both retired and have both a "fixed" and investment income. So far we have 7 cruises booked between now and March 2010. I do watch for bargains in a suite or balcony but will probably not change our cruising plans too much. :)

 

Yes, I do consider us very fortunate.:o

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Did you pay for your cruise in Cdn or US $'s ? If you have already paid your downpayment in Cdn $'s you should be ok unless Princess adjusts the non US currencies. I know for our cruise in Feb 2009 we paid in Cdn $'s and Princess used a 1:1 dollar for the currency conversion when they issued the brochures. I just paid the balance of our cruise now just in case they decided to increase the cost for those who haven't made their final payment. Our TA told us technically they could increase the price but she has never seen it done before.

 

 

We have a 32 day cruise booked on the Tahitian for the fall of 09.....we will be watching what the Canadian Dollar does before final payment. Based on exchange rates only, the cruise is now 25% more expensive than when we booked it in July.

[Marque]

My wife and I are booking inside cabins now. We had one cruise for April 2009 canceled by Carnival. Other than that, things are about the same.

[dot73]

I booked my cruise in CDN dollars and the final payment is due in two weeks. I had no idea that Princess could raise the price once it was agreed on and you had a receipt. Isn't that a contract? If they do raise the price, I guess I will just have to cancel the cruise as an extra 20% would be too much for this cruise as I cruise solo and have to pay a hefty single supplement. It will be interesting to see if the price of the cruise goes down after final payment is made.

[Irishjayne]

I'm not planning to change anything. I have the money for vacations saved up well in advance of payment - I don't put them on credit. If I can't afford to pay up front for a vacation, then I just don't go. I've had many, many years when I couldn't afford a vacation. During those times I just take time off work and spend it relaxing at home. I live quite frugally so I can save as much money as possible, which definitely helps give me peace of mind in a bad economy.

 

I agree with you totally. I was raised that way. We have never over extended ourselves. Mortgage is the only thing we pay over time. We pay the credit card off every month. No change in our cruising plans.

Irish

[DanJ]

Did you pay for your cruise in Cdn or US $'s ? If you have already paid your downpayment in Cdn $'s you should be ok unless Princess adjusts the non US currencies. I know for our cruise in Feb 2009 we paid in Cdn $'s and Princess used a 1:1 dollar for the currency conversion when they issued the brochures. I just paid the balance of our cruise now just in case they decided to increase the cost for those who haven't made their final payment. Our TA told us technically they could increase the price but she has never seen it done before.

 

If the cruise is booked in CDN at a certain cost, it's not going up. If Princess tries to tell you that it has gone up, tell them to pound sand. You contracted at a certain price and that's it. As they learned with the fuel surcharge with Canadian bookings, they can't raise the price later.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

I'm new to this too, but when I heard from another CC'r that Princess was thinking of raising its prices Nov 1st because of the US $, they didn't know if it would be for new bookings or if final payments would be affected. Since we were only 2 weeks away from our final payment our TA suggested we pay in full just to be safe. She said once you pay in full they can not increase your room rate and you can not get any discount if they offer it. Since we paid in Cdn $'s and with the state of the Cdn $ I can't see a discount coming so that's why I paid mine now just for peace of mind.

 

 

I booked my cruise in CDN dollars and the final payment is due in two weeks. I had no idea that Princess could raise the price once it was agreed on and you had a receipt. Isn't that a contract? If they do raise the price, I guess I will just have to cancel the cruise as an extra 20% would be too much for this cruise as I cruise solo and have to pay a hefty single supplement. It will be interesting to see if the price of the cruise goes down after final payment is made.

[cruisinQ]

I have 2 cruises booked for next year. I find it ironic that the $2000 that I have put down on these trips is the only money we have invested that hasn't been cut by 30%! :D

[chrysalis]

Did you pay for your cruise in Cdn or US $'s ? If you have already paid your downpayment in Cdn $'s you should be ok unless Princess adjusts the non US currencies. I know for our cruise in Feb 2009 we paid in Cdn $'s and Princess used a 1:1 dollar for the currency conversion when they issued the brochures. I just paid the balance of our cruise now just in case they decided to increase the cost for those who haven't made their final payment. Our TA told us technically they could increase the price but she has never seen it done before.

 

We booked in US$ and used a US$FCC for it. We will watch the exchange rate and have 10 months before final payment. As we know, a lot can happen between now and then.

 

Between now and then, we still have 20 days booked on the Emerald, and will keep that booking, for sure.

[robgvic]

We booked in US$ and used a US$FCC for it. We will watch the exchange rate and have 10 months before final payment. As we know, a lot can happen between now and then.

 

Between now and then, we still have 20 days booked on the Emerald, and will keep that booking, for sure.

 

I ORIGINALLY BOOKED IN US DOLLARS BUT CHANGED TO CANADIAN WHEN TEH DOLLAR STARTED DROPPING. WHY NOT TRY TO CHANGE YOURS TO CANADIAN DOLLARS UNLESS THEY ARE NO LONGER AT PAR. WORTH TRYING

[chasetf]

......Will you adjust your booking strategy for future cruises? Why or why not?

No.... We tend to book 6-8 months out and never during peak season. I do not want to wait 18 mos anticipating a particular trip. I also do not want to wait and bet we can get on a particular itinerary we are interested in.

 

Sometimes we will jump on a special last minute deal, but those are usually just to set sail and not for a specific itinerary.

[yorky]

We are not booking our next cruise until the last minute. The recession in Britain is just starting to hit and cruise prices have dropped through the floor on certain sailings. The news stated yesterday that cruise prices were now at one sixth the brochure price for certain cruises.

 

With so many mega liners to come on stream they are going to struggle big time next year to fill them.

[fairstars]

Hi Everyone,

Just think of us poor Australians, our dollar has gone down by 30+% against the US dollar. :( Luckily we had paid for our November cruise before it crashed but still have all the other costs to pay!

Just hope our dollar goes up before final payment on our Alaskan cruise but the bottom line is we will not change our plans as we think cruising is still the best holiday anyone can have.

 

Take care

Chris

[vickie_bernie]

I don't think our cruising plans have changed... we budget for travel and never go into debt to take a trip. But that being said, we do have two cruises planned for 2010 one with Princess and one with NCL.

 

I am rather disappointed that they will not waive the fuel surcharge for these dates. They will if you have a new booking for 2010 sailings. We are now thinking of cancelling them both, it would mean a $500 savings on both trips. It is too bad they are penalizing the people who are committed to their cruiselines and booking far ahead.

 

So far Princess has not raised the price on the cruise as they said they would... but the way things are going with the economy maybe we are better off waiting to rebook the trip in case the prices come down.

 

And for NCL they have actually lowered the price of the cruise in 2010 - but their fuel surcharge policy comes off Nov 10, so will have to check after that.

 

Now with regards to the Canadian Dollar, we book in the US and pay in US so it does affect us, currently we are looking at 20% more for our future trips. We have discussed this and have agreed that we will spend a lot less in the departure US ports, buy less on board, and maybe cut down on last minute cruises.