Take Your Price Drops Now While You Can

[SATXLady]

Saw this today which basically says cruise prices have bottomed and we should expect them to start rising.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=68494216.blog&csp=Travel

[yogimax]

It's still a matter of supply and demand and will vary with each sailing

[Traveler353]

Sounds like marketing hype to me. Anything can happen I suppose.

[BlueJacketsFan1]

We have always booked our cruise during sales with free upgrades. Then, if we see a price drop. We simply call our TA and 99% of the time she will get us a better deal.

[firefly333]

Did you read this on the RCL threads?? For some reason someone posted this quote from the NCL ceo there too, seems to be making the rounds, that NCL (which has had cruises down to $99 they cant unload) saying prices might be bottomed. NCL sky they cant seem to give away that ship, too many complaints. Hope NCL improves, but Im not booking them, so dont care I guess, what NCL prices are.

 

Here is the quote by the way .... that the subject line is extrapolating to Carnival...

 

SAINT NAZAIRE, France --

 

"The pricing has started to show limited signs of moving in the right direction," says Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan. "We think we've seen the market bottom."

[flounder315]

sent in the form this mornig, boy isn't that good timing.;)

[SATXLady]

Did you read this on the RCL threads?? For some reason someone posted this quote from the NCL ceo there too, seems to be making the rounds, that NCL (which has had cruises down to $99 they cant unload) saying prices might be bottomed. NCL sky they cant seem to give away that ship, too many complaints. Hope NCL improves, but Im not booking them, so dont care I guess, what NCL prices are.

 

Here is the quote by the way .... that the subject line is extrapolating to Carnival...

 

No, I don't check any other forums except Carnival.

 

If you had checked the link I posted, you would also have read the following:

 

Just last month, executives at industry giant Carnival also noted prices may finally have bottomed.

"We have started tweaking pricing on a variety of brands," Carnival Corp. CEO Micky Arison told Wall Street analysts during a conference call to discuss second quarter earnings. "Pricing is being taken up."

[zqvol]

Saw this today which basically says cruise prices have bottomed and we should expect them to start rising.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=68494216.blog&csp=Travel

 

 

They can think that they have seen the bottom all they want but until people start spending money prices are going to keep going down.

[firefly333]

No, I don't check any other forums except Carnival.

 

If you had checked the link I posted, you would also have read the following:

 

.... as you noted in your quote ... different Carnival brands, i.e. other cruiselines owned by Carnival. So, it still doesnt necessarily mean that Carnival prices have hit bottom, who the heck knows ...

 

kinda like predicting stocks ... or oil ....cruisefares will still be a product of supply and demand and it doesnt say Carnival prices have hit bottom to me. ... maybe ... unless there is a bad hurricane in the near future, opps.

 

Last qtr prices hit bottom because of the flu. ... but that mainly affected close in dates. I know I got a deal and a half.

[Nunu]

That CEO's definition of prices moving in the "right direction" are polar opposite of mine.

[firefly333]

That CEO's definition of prices moving in the "right direction" are polar opposite of mine.

 

remember this was announced during dissapointing earnings because of the flu and not being able to go to Mexico and what that cost them. I got a fare of $289 plus taxes for 7 days, never going to see that again I bet.

 

bottoming out during the flu disaster according to Carnival's ceo is probably not what everyone else thinks is bottoming out and prices going up. He was trying to explain the earnings hit. Rerouting all those ships cost carnival a lot of $$.

[Nunu]

remember this was announced during dissapointing earnings because of the flu and not being able to go to Mexico and what that cost them. I got a fare of $289 plus taxes for 7 days, never going to see that again I bet.

 

bottoming out during the flu disaster according to Carnival's ceo is probably not what everyone else thinks is bottoming out and prices going up. He was trying to explain the earnings hit. Rerouting all those ships cost carnival a lot of $$.

 

I know, I still don't like the guy though. ;)

[G'ma]

Saw this today which basically says cruise prices have bottomed and we should expect them to start rising.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=68494216.blog&csp=Travel

 

Here's the deal.

 

Carnival will charge whatever is necessary to fill their ships. I rarely book more than 2/3 months in advance and have been known to book within 30 days.. I find that on many sailings, they lower prices if the sales aren't up to what they want. Carnival's new policy about price reductions after final payment on their regular rates have changed things and have caused prices to drop a little later than usual.....well inside that "final payment" date where no more OBC or reductions are offered.

 

I'd rather depend upon my own experiences than a news article. And, if anyone thinks prices have "bottomed out", they aren't paying attention. Prices are higher today than this same time period last year and the other cruise lines prices have been substantially higher and continue to climb.