Celebrity Price Increases?

[cruzmaven]

So the economy is falling apart, it seems like new massive layoffs are announced every week, foreclosures and bankruptcy filings are setting records every month and Celebrity is RAISING prices?

 

Just checked on a cruise I have booked on Equinox over the Christmas and New Years holiday this December, expecting prices maybe to have gone down in light of the economy. Prices for my category cabin have increased $900pp.

 

Not complaining, just think its interesting that X is going against the tide on this. I'll assume they know something I don't. What's the latest stock price, $9.00 a share?

[Gonzo70]

The holidays are a popular week for cruising since so many people are on vacation so they do not need to take days off from work to cruise. Since there is so much demand for cruises at that time of year, it is normal and common for them to sell well and therefore rarely experience price drops. There are plenty of bargains on cruise fares to be found if your travel dates are flexible. I think the stock price would be a lot lower if they began dropping prices on the few times of year that are actually still selling well at higher prices.

[hylasgirl]

Yep, never seen a Christmas cruise on sale. Sorry... We would ONLY cruise over Christmas, but the rates on all cruiselines stink.

 

Good luck:)

[cruzmaven]

Again, not complaining. I booked this cruise several months ago so I'm not affected by the increase.

 

This was a holiday cruise when I booked it - fares were almost double that of the prior and following weeks, so I understand about holiday fares.

 

Just think its strange that while everyone is talking about deceased demand due to problems with the economy, X seems to be anticipating increased demand with substantial price increases.

[ISABELLA]

Just wait till final payment - you will see some price drop in some categories. Ours did on last year Xmas and NY cruise on Connie. We met some people who booked 3 weeks before the cruise and paid almost half of it was 3 months before the sailing.............

[rolfecms]

It's a long time between now and Christmas. Plenty of time to reduce rates if needed so it would be silly of =X= to give the cabins away now at reduced prices now when they can attempt to sell them at higher prices until then. Yield management at work. :rolleyes:

[ECCruise]

Yes, 2008 holiday season saw some huge decreases in prices after last payment. One cruise we were considering fell almost 70% six weeks before sailing. Wouldn't think this year would be any better.

[niborHS]

I just took a look at that sailing, and can see why. It is a great itinerary, spans the whole vacation week plus 1 day, and sails out of Ft Lauderdale. You could probably fill that ship with families from the north shore of Long Island alone, and most of them are suffering more from what they lost to Bernie Madoff than they are from the job losses. People certainly don't have quite as much money to spend, but when you look at 10 days on a cruise ship vs. 10 days in Aruba, you can see why it is still a great deal. I see that the suites are already sold out.

[biker1972]

RCCL has been doing this for years. Good economy, post 9/11, bad economy. Call it what you will, they fill their ships and maximize their profit.

[EssexGary]

Yes, 2008 holiday season saw some huge decreases in prices after last payment. One cruise we were considering fell almost 70% six weeks before sailing. Wouldn't think this year would be any better.

 

 

So what happens if you pay the full amount for your cruise and then they drop the price? do you still benefit from the lower price? I know that they will honour price decreases before final payment - not sure what happens after. We are booked on the 4 May Solstice in the Med - the prices are high still - but there is loads of availability.... final payment is 9th Feb!!

 

Gary

[CathyCruises]

Yes, they will honor price decreases after final payment as long as it is not a sale "for new bookings only". (If there is lots of availability, don't be surprised if those are DEEP discounts to fill the ship. For example, on a 14 day Med cruise in November, about 3-4 weeks out they offered a CC cabin for $1249 first pax, $649 for the second! What a deal!!) But you have to monitor the on line pricing and ask for the reduction--they won't do it automatically!

 

Cathy

[Imagineer]

...excluding the Christmas season situation being discussed, I'd like to point out that the prices I've been seeing are certainly not higher, other than specific dates and sailings, most prices look pretty good in comparison. Yesterday we finalized the bookings for our Alaska family cruise and our TA said prices for cruising have never been a better deal, we're in ocean view cabins for a little over 500 bucks apiece with some of the kids only costing 300 more, that's a pretty affordable week long cruise. Our last cruise cost considerably much more than that...

 

cheers,

 

the Imagineer

[ritraveler]

I'm sure holiday weeks are higher for everything..airfare, hotels etc...but we have found prices have come down alot for our cruise..we booked as soon as we could for our May 22 2009 Summit med cruise and it has actually come down almost $2000 for the 2 of us since we booked...yes we were able to re-book twice at the reduced price...thanks to browsing this website ..we were alerted to price reductions and took advantage of them!

[dutchess43]

Keep checking as often as you can, you may catch a price decrease.

[geoherb]

I watched the prices of several Christmas cruise last summer and fall. Of all the ones I watched, only one went up in price after the final payment date. That was a Princess ship. Most of them came down $200-$400 per person. All of these cruises were 10 or 11 days long, so perhaps there was less demand for them.

 

We could not work out taking a Christmas cruise, but we ended up on Century for a short cruise right before Christmas. I did not look at prices for this cruise beforehand, so I'm not sure what they were before the final payment date. Our price was around $140 less per person than the comparable cruise for December 2009 is right now.

[SunFunCruiser]

Not Christmas, but my July Med cruise has gone down quite a bit since first booking it.

[Mysticks1]

My Sept. Med cruise on Solstice has increased a total of approx. $1000 for the two of us since I booked. That is about $130 higher per person on the cruise rate and the remainder has been an increase in the airfare. It has increased about $400 per ticket. I check every couple of days but the only decrease I have seen was when the fuel surcharge was removed. I am continuing to check though as final payment is not until July.

[rocknrobin]

Our Feb 2010 Mercury cruise has gone up $200 pp since we booked in December. I keep looking for Tues/Wed price reductions and I'm shocked that the price is rising. I'll continue to keep my eye out for a bargain - just hope it doesn't come after our final payment. We booked through Celebrity directly and I asked about price decreases. I was told that they would adjust prices as long as it was prior to final payment. BTW...I've checked prices with on-line travel agencies to see how they compare - none cheaper than through Celebrity.

[SunFunCruiser]

Our Feb 2010 Mercury cruise has gone up $200 pp since we booked in December. I keep looking for Tues/Wed price reductions and I'm shocked that the price is rising. I'll continue to keep my eye out for a bargain - just hope it doesn't come after our final payment. We booked through Celebrity directly and I asked about price decreases. I was told that they would adjust prices as long as it was prior to final payment. BTW...I've checked prices with on-line travel agencies to see how they compare - none cheaper than through Celebrity.

 

They should be the same as Celebrity does not discount. If a TA has a group hold and the price has increased, that is a way to get it less expensive. That is how mine is less expensive then the going rate now.

[GORDONCHICK]

I didn't do really well in econ classes, but I've always understood supply/demand pricing. Usually, if you book more than a year out, you can get a pretty decent price, but once you pass the one year mark and we're talking about holidays, that's when people start planning for next year's. If the economy stays the same or worsens, prices will drop after final payment because of people canceling. The problem with waiting is that the most desireable cabins will usually be gone. Also, if you need a cabin for more than two people, there is a small supply of those to begin with.......

[New Hampshire]

Our final payment for our March 29, 2009 cruise on the Solstice was due on Jan 18. A few days before the patment was due, the price on our CC1 cabin dropped $370. That amount was taken off the amount due for fianl payment. Since last week there have been teo more price drops on our cabin for a total of another $600 reduction!! Our TA contacted Celebrity and the $600 will be credited to our credit card.

 

It's all about supply and demand. Price reductions occur when there is excess inventory to be sold.