"Survey": Has the recession caused you to cancel?

[Fighting34th]

The cruise industry is doing its best to get people to book early vs. waiting for "last minute specials." But it seems to me that the severity of the recession has only recently started to sink in.

 

Today I got an Email from my cousin telling me that she just cancelled her summer cruise because it was just going to be too much for now. That got me to wondering: "How many people are booked but are now canceling in time to get their refunds before the final payment is due?

 

So, please post here regarding whether, STARTING MARCH 1:

- You or someone you know has cancelled (or plans to) before the final payment is due, OR

- You or someone you know has made their final payment.

 

The results should give us an idea whether or not the "last minute specials" will or will not increase in the coming months.

[Momof2angels]

I have made final payment (after March 1st).

Due to the need to book airfare, I can't see myself taking advantage of "last minute" deals even if they were to come up.

[rubytue]

You should have used the poll feature, then people could check the boxes and it would automagically tabulate the data. :)

 

But to answer the question, my self, my parents, nad my in-laws made final payment after March 1.

 

My hypothesis was that a bunch of cabins would open up after final payment when people canceled due to the economy. We are a week past final payment, and I have not noticed a change in cabin availability. I check daily because I want to move one of our group's cabins. Nothing (besides GTY) in that category has been available for over a month.

[ohcsim123]

It might happen with us (I hope not).

 

We booked onto the NCL Magesty to Bermuda for August 9th because we love Bermuda and the price was extremely good when we booked.

 

Final payment is due the end of May and I have it noted in red on my calendar so as not to forget.

 

If my business continues to be slow through April/May, we'll cancel before that day for a deposit refund and a big disappointment.

 

John

[Bamagal in FL]

We don't have plans to cancel our booked cruise for next March. I won the cruise coming in May so very little cost and port is in driving distance of our home. We decided to cut costs elsewhere (dinner out, movies, ect) because with times being tough, a trip away to FORGET it all, is really important because chances are they'll still be there when we return. We will just be more refreshed and able to handle them better. Time together to reconnect and revamp make dealing with life's stress a little easier.

[Roz]

He** no! :D Unless I get laid off, I'm a goin'. I'll make my contribution to the economy - airfare, hotel, taxis, meals, tips to porters, maids, and waiters...and that's before I get on the ship.

 

Roz

[tiyana4]

With most of the cruise lines offering phenomenal "Wave Season" specials (RCL being the exception), I am finding that many cruise cabins are selling fast or waitlisted which means the marketing strategies are paying off. Princess' 2 for 1 Alaska special has us cruising in August and we hadn't planned on a cruise longer than 4 or 5 days from a local port.

[krninco]

I canceled the big Disneyworld vacation we had planned before the final payment was due because of the economy. But then I booked my cruise because it's going to be considerably less than going to Disney...

[Sea Hag]

As things are now, I don't plan to cancel the only upcoming one that we have. If things get worse ... well. Who can say?

[RaleighNC]

I'm the opposite. The lower rates are the reason I'm going on my first cruise. I've always been a $$$ saver, so I was rewarded for my efforts! :D

[Rick-cruiser]

As you can see, most people are not canceling at all. In fact, they are booking more than ever because the prices are so low.

 

Where we are, restaurants are jam-packed every night, and the malls/shopping centers are so full you can't even find a parking space. I find myself constantly saying... "Recession?? What recession??"

 

Maybe in certain parts of the country.... But everyone we know just wonders about what they're hearing about vs what they're seeing... as they make their dinner plans and book their vacations...

[cruiserbryce]

since March 1st we have actually booked 2 cruises for next month. The recession has made a number of incredible deals available...and if you can swing it now is one of the best times to cruise as far as value goes

[WEELYNCRUZER]

My wife is booking 3 times the amount she did last year. We have booked 3 cruises for us over the next 10 months 2 are in her groups of 20 or more. It's still the biggest bang for the buck. We are diamond members so we can get free drinks in the the diamond lounge. No big deal because she doesn't drink and I will have one drink or one glass of wine. No bar bill is a huge savings. Almost every room is sold canceled and resold 3 times. Vacation time is so limited in the U.S. many people will cut back on something else so they can go on their vacation. It will be interesting to see what happens if more jobs are lost. Most of her clients are retired so that won't affecft them. The stock market is another story. If your retired your investments should have already moved to safer grounds like cd's. The ships always sail full so there w ill be some last minjute dea out there.I hope everybody can ride out this storm and have a great life.

[palmtre2]

So true about Americans having very little vacation time - I have a cruise booked for next year because my vacation time for this year is already spoken for. I am hoping both DH and I remain employed until then, if not we are still kind of locked in with the super saver rates (we would lose our deposit - not insignificant). It would be a very hard decision to cancel even then.

[azrayne]

I'm booked for August 30th, final payment has not been made. My work is announcing lay-offs this week and next. I hope I survive.

 

I will still travel.....hotels are paid, flights are paid and I owe only $308 for a 7 day cruise. The price I got with taxes and tips included was only $610. Regardless of this weeks outcome, this is my AIG bonus and I am not giving it up!! :p

[Mrs.C05]

Our cruise will be paid for by extras my husband does for work for Feb. '10, so we won't be losing any money from paychecks. Unless we get laid off, we won't be canceling. We are actually looking at a short one before next Feb. We'll see though.

[BroncosFan2010]

We have not booked our 2010 cruise... yet... but we are planning on it as long as finances stay the same over the next year. There is a good possibility that we will cancel as my husband's job is a little shaky right now because of the global economy. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will not have to cancel!

[suezyq50]

Our plans are made and we don't plan on changing.

[mikaula]

We will make our final payment in April. And yes, we will be going. I figure it might help get the economy going again...so hey everybody....book a cruise it's good for you!!

[Fighting34th]

Thanks to all those that answered!

 

Someone said I should have used the poll? How do I do that?

 

Thanks again.

 

PS: I just booked an 11 day on a HAL last night :)

[hazeleyez3]

We had no plans of cancelling our cruise in 2 weeks, and we are starting to talk about another European one next year. There has also been some discussion on a Western Caribbean in January with another couple.

 

We have been putting extra money here and there into a cruise fund jar my "mother-in-law" bought us for Xmas. $20 here and there (especially when you have 2 people doing it) adds up rather quickly, and with the deals we have been getting...it can be cheaper on the cruise for 7 days than it would be at home.

[VonChap]

We are still cruising this year and just got a good deal on June sailing to Bermuda. Still looking at options for December.

 

We are making a few changes though. We are driving to the port and staying in a "regular" hotel the night before instead of a fancy hotel that we have stayed in past years. I found a hotel where we can stay one night, park our car for 7 days and take a shuttle to/from port for $149. We are not extending the cruise with add on hotel days afterwards.

 

I am not buying a bunch of new "cruise clothes" this year.

 

I am staying away from the spa services. I looked over our on-board accounts from two cruises last year and decided that cutting out the spa would save a lot of money.

 

Just doing those few cut-backs will allow us to cruise again this year. I was actually shocked when I really looked at our bills from the 2008 cruises. Most of our vacation expense was before and after the cruise.

[rian90]

We had to cancel a cruise with Carnival because hubby was laid off from his job. We were able to rebook later after he found a new job. We did rebook with a different cruise line since we found a good residency deal with RCI. Price was definitely a factor due to the economy.

[Fighting34th]

Interesting post!

 

We are booked for a HAL cruise in December. Will be watching for the prices to drop even more than they supposedly have.

 

Like you, we'll be taking few new clothes. Like your planning, we've rarely used the spa services, and are careful about onboard purchases. We have friends who cruise who spend more on their bar bill than their veranda cabin! We've tried the "specialty" (extra-charge) restaurants, and found that they're really not good value. We're flying SW and will be staying in a nearby h/motel with a shuttle to the port.

 

Something my wife discovered after our last cruise and her multiple jewelry and other purchases: About 3 weeks after returning home, she said, "I could have done MUCH better shopping the local stores. Their regular prices would have been competitive and their sale prices cheaper than I paid on the cruise. And we could have spent all that time in the shade on a beach instead of inside of shops."

 

Thank you Lord :)

 

We are still cruising this year and just got a good deal on June sailing to Bermuda. Still looking at options for December.

 

We are making a few changes though. We are driving to the port and staying in a "regular" hotel the night before instead of a fancy hotel that we have stayed in past years. I found a hotel where we can stay one night, park our car for 7 days and take a shuttle to/from port for $149. We are not extending the cruise with add on hotel days afterwards.

 

I am not buying a bunch of new "cruise clothes" this year.

 

I am staying away from the spa services. I looked over our on-board accounts from two cruises last year and decided that cutting out the spa would save a lot of money.

 

Just doing those few cut-backs will allow us to cruise again this year. I was actually shocked when I really looked at our bills from the 2008 cruises. Most of our vacation expense was before and after the cruise.

[Hi_Cees]

We took our first Hogs on the High Seas cruise last year in November. We booked and paid for November '09 before we got off the ship. Within 3 mos of coming home we both lost our jobs. His place made severe cutbacks and mine closed for good. :(

 

I have found a new job. Less money but I am working. He is collecting unemployment and looking for a new job daily.

 

We discussed several times of canceling the trip. We decided several nights ago to give it until the end of June before doing anything drastic. It will buy us another 3 mos to see if anything turns around financially. I already have enough squirreled away that if we were leaving today we could squeak by.

 

At the moment we are talking of traveling more economically and trying to look forward to a trip to escape reality...lol. We have to fly but I am waiting to purchase tickets until we KNOW we will not back out. At this point I see airfare for about $200 less than we spent last year.

 

We are already looking at booking a less expensive hotel the night before the cruise. Plan to fly home the day we come back into port and not stay another day. We will use the same shuttle service as last year since they gave a group discount to the HOHS rally members. We plan to cut back or simply avoid excursions at ports. We plan to pack a less and avoid paying for extra luggage. We agreed we spent way too much last year shopping before the trip... pirate gear, underwater camera etc...

 

I will admit if the decision were solely up to me we would have canceled the trip when the first job fell to the wayside. But he is more optimistic than I... lol.