WOW @ this price increase!

[Cruiser1547228475]

Agreed , But I still have to ask the question.

Is Carnival sailing full ?

I think over all no ,their not.

 

Carnival Dream along with several other in the fleet are not.

Oasis and Epic are and will have more of a chance of sailing not full ,

than full.

Sure summers coming and the price will increase .

I think the economy is not back up to par by a long shot.

As a matter of fact I feel the economy will worsen in the following year.

 

Actually it's a bad call for cruise lines to increase rates.

I think it will hurt their business in the long run .

[Trplnckl]

I have to say that what is bothering me a hell of a lot more than a cruise rate increase, is the cost of flying lately!!!! :eek:

HOLY CRAP!

 

Flights that used to be reasonable for us have been totally outrageous.

 

I don't mind paying what is fair for a cruise...and a rate increase to me would be pretty fair. But there is nothing fair about what I pay to fly...and on top of an outrageous fare, they get me for luggage.

 

I HATE FLYING.

That's why any cruising after the one I now have booked, will either be out of Galveston or New Orleans, so I can drive to the port.

The flights for the upcoming trip are on SWA rapid rewards or it wouldn't be happening.

[lindasuej]

Ok, I know that normally prices go up as we get closer to sailing, and that the rates we saw in 2009 are becoming a distant memory, but I was surprised at how much they're going up!

 

I booked a 7 night cruise for October 2010 a few months ago. Out of curiosity, I checked prices again today. They have gone up by more than 60% and the cruise is still more than 7 months away.

 

My reason for posting is to alert those "holding off" for a lower price before they book their cruise.

 

If I had held off to book my cruise, I would be paying more than $1,000 extra today! :eek:

 

I was on NCL's web site and they also stated that prices would go up in April. Carnivals web site states 3/22/10

 

Linda

[CJinFLA00]

Booked ES in January for July cruise. Paid $959 pp for cat 8D. Saw the price increase after removal of ES to $1059 pp. Now they have past guest rate offer to buy 8B at 1009 and get free upgrade to 8D. Still more than I paid on ES. There are still tons of cabins open for this sailing. Hope the price drops more so I can get the OBC.

[hvyhttr21]

Agreed , But I still have to ask the question.

Is Carnival sailing full ?

I think over all no ,their not.

 

Carnival Dream along with several other in the fleet are not.

Oasis and Epic are and will have more of a chance of sailing not full ,

than full.

Sure summers coming and the price will increase .

I think the economy is not back up to par by a long shot.

As a matter of fact I feel the economy will worsen in the following year.

 

Actually it's a bad call for cruise lines to increase rates.

I think it will hurt their business in the long run .

 

 

Cruise line definition of full may not be the same as our definition of full. To me, full means there are NO cabins left. To them, it might mean 85% of cabins are full...giving it a full status...

 

But who knows?

[Cruiser1547228475]

Cruise line definition of full may not be the same as our definition of full. To me, full means there are NO cabins left. To them, it might mean 85% of cabins are full...giving it a full status...

 

But who knows?

 

I read that somewhere as well :)

[Vanessa L]

Agreed , But I still have to ask the question.

Is Carnival sailing full ?

I think over all no ,their not.

 

Carnival Dream along with several other in the fleet are not.

Oasis and Epic are and will have more of a chance of sailing not full ,

than full.

Sure summers coming and the price will increase .

I think the economy is not back up to par by a long shot.

As a matter of fact I feel the economy will worsen in the following year.

 

Actually it's a bad call for cruise lines to increase rates.

I think it will hurt their business in the long run .

 

As a side note, am I the only one that thinks the Epic is hideous??? What is up with that big square "box" thing on top??? I used to think that the "second thought" balconies on the Carnival ships were bad (and they are!!). But the top of the Epic makes what could have been a really pretty ship just AWFUL!!!!!

[firefly333]

Cruise line definition of full may not be the same as our definition of full. To me, full means there are NO cabins left. To them, it might mean 85% of cabins are full...giving it a full status...

 

But who knows?

 

Yes, cruise lines base full on how many pax at double occupancy the cabins hold, so with the 3/4 pax in some cabins, Carnival says they sail at typically 104% (which doesnt mean every cabin is full)

[Bert64]

I booked a cruise for August a couple weeks ago. The next day, the rate went up $20pp. Now it's up $70pp for 1st and 2nd and $40 for 3rd in just a matter of weeks. I too thought it was BS when they sent out that email about the rates going up, but maybe they weren't joking...

[Litewait]

I've seen 2 posts, mine now 3 where rates have continued to raise in August already. I booked the Liberty for Aug. 21st in Oct. My rate has gone up $400 so far!:eek: Booked early because a wanted a specific cabin. Glad I did!

 

Now if I canget some decent airfare....:rolleyes:

[happydayz]

I've seen 2 posts, mine now 3 where rates have continued to raise in August already. I booked the Liberty for Aug. 21st in Oct. My rate has gone up $400 so far!:eek: Booked early because a wanted a specific cabin. Glad I did!

 

Now if I canget some decent airfare....:rolleyes:

 

 

My August cruise on the Legend has gone down twice over the last two weeks. It's still $40 higher than I book at in November, but some of our group that didn't book until January have received both drops.

 

Airfare...another story :o

[halos]

As a side note, am I the only one that thinks the Epic is hideous??? What is up with that big square "box" thing on top??? I used to think that the "second thought" balconies on the Carnival ships were bad (and they are!!). But the top of the Epic makes what could have been a really pretty ship just AWFUL!!!!!

 

I totally agree, but it wouldn't stop me from booking it. When I am on a ship, I'm not looking at the exterior, I'm looking at what's inside...and what's inside of that ship looks pretty damned cool.

[Nunu]

I totally agree, but it wouldn't stop me from booking it. When I am on a ship, I'm not looking at the exterior, I'm looking at what's inside...and what's inside of that ship looks pretty damned cool.

 

+1. Blue Man Group, ice bar, beach club...

[halos]

+1. Blue Man Group, ice bar, beach club...

 

The cabins look awesome as well...not to mention the special cabins they have for solo travelers...nice touch imo.

[Nunu]

The cabins look awesome as well...not to mention the special cabins they have for solo travelers...nice touch imo.

 

Even those tiny studio rooms with the lounge for those pax is cool.

[dan40]

I do not deal with cruiselines, I only use TA's. I get 6 to 10 emails DAILY with prices for all lines. Prices as low as $369. For a balcony cabin for a 7 day cruise. Sailings from next week to next year. As long as the economy is in the dumper, cruise prices will be low! Even Economists can figure that out,,,,,,,,,,,,,,well some of them should be able to.

[wasiii]

.....a couple of days after they made the announcement of prices going up across the board. Two days later, they raised the price of my cruise between $50 - $60 per person. This represented about a 9% increase, way more than their 5% increase. I can't wait to see what it will be come March 22.

 

:eek:

 

wasiii

[MrOCT31]

Exactly, spring cruises have been indicative of summer cruise business and this years spring break cruises have never been so cheap.

 

Yep, I've been watching spring cruise prices for the last 2 years for 2010, 2011 since that's the only time we can go with the kids and for this year the price for the cruise I'm looking at has gone down from what it was a few months ago and I see for next year it's also gone down about $20 per although no cheaper than they had been in the beginning.

[bobbyleduck]

Yea :rolleyes:, people do this and you will fall right into Carnivals hands .

 

Either book ES and watch like a hawk for price drops , or wait till the last week of the cruise .

 

Sure you may never get the price your looking for but there are plenty of other cruises to be found.

 

Great advice!

 

Here is how you get the best deals. Don't be tied to one cruiseline, one itinerary, or one time. Be flexible, and pay attention. Don't be afraid to have your TA work for you, and it doesn't matter whether they are a local TA, or a TA associated with a big Online company.

 

Next, there are a number of huge ships being built and added to the fleets around the world, and the cruiselines are going to have to fill them. They will fill them, because so many people want to be on the newest ships with all of the newest bells and whistles, but that means that some of the older ships will have trouble filling.

 

Never get caught up in the hype, or the need to jump because all of the good deals are going. I've always told my wife that if we miss this deal, another will come along, and so far, in my 55+ years, I've always found that to be true.

 

For instance, I was looking at flying to Europe a couple of years ago, but the prices were horrible, so we didn't go. Saved the money, and for what it would have cost to fly to Europe two years ago, we'll get a 24-day, B2B cruise this fall. And, to top it off, if we were still interested, we could now fly from Portland, OR to Dublin for just $700. There is a sale going on right now for summer travel.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[bobbyleduck]

I do not deal with cruiselines, I only use TA's. I get 6 to 10 emails DAILY with prices for all lines. Prices as low as $369. For a balcony cabin for a 7 day cruise. Sailings from next week to next year. As long as the economy is in the dumper, cruise prices will be low!

 

Dan knows what he's talking about, so pay attention.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[PhxRain]

So if I were to book my 5/1/11 Mediteranian cruise on the Magic on the 15th of March at the FunSaver rate in order to get a balcony spa room I want on the side of the ship I want, and then the price goes down, I could not call Carnival for a rate reduction or an OBC? I am not a "wait and see" type when it comes to a major vacation in Europe like this so if this is a ploy to get me to book before a rate increase, I'm just gonna have to live with it. On the other side of the coin, I'll have the confidence in knowing that come cruise time, I will have the cabin I want, on the deck I want in the area I want and not "I hope I get the cabin I want & I hope it's in a good spot on the ship".

[firefly333]

Great advice!

 

Never get caught up in the hype, or the need to jump because all of the good deals are going. I've always told my wife that if we miss this deal, another will come along, and so far, in my 55+ years, I've always found that to be true.Bob

 

I think you seem to generalize. Im betting a LOT of us on CC get daily emails with so called deals, that arent special deals, just whatever the cruiselines are offering.

 

Only RCL and Carnival go out of Galveston, so if I consider going out of Florida or San Juan to get a "deal" I have to factor in say $700 more for flying in the night before and hotel and maybe shuttles. Parking is only $50 in Galveston for a 7 day and hotels are cheaper.

 

Im not even seeing the same great deals any more out of New Orleans I was seeing even last December. Im hearing from my booking agent that people are more willing to drive to get that deal from Texas to New Orleans pushing those prices higher.

 

Maybe if we get Magic that will help some with supply and demand, but the rumor is Conquest will go to New Orleans so it wouldnt help that much. Im personally seeing higher prices, even if you say you always got the deal in the past (so did I) but so far not happening this spring.

 

For instance I could go out of San Juan for $329 ... but airfare was $350 pp plus a expensive hotel ...so its hard to justify the overall higher price and its a lot more worry to me to have to fly to a port.

[firefly333]

So if I were to book my 5/1/11 Mediteranian cruise on the Magic on the 15th of March at the FunSaver rate in order to get a balcony spa room I want on the side of the ship I want, and then the price goes down, I could not call Carnival for a rate reduction or an OBC? I am not a "wait and see" type when it comes to a major vacation in Europe like this so if this is a ploy to get me to book before a rate increase, I'm just gonna have to live with it. On the other side of the coin, I'll have the confidence in knowing that come cruise time, I will have the cabin I want, on the deck I want in the area I want and not "I hope I get the cabin I want & I hope it's in a good spot on the ship".

 

You can get any price drops up until Carnial's final payment date, but not after that. Maybe between now and then a ES rate would come out and you could switch to that if you wanted price protection... switch rates closer in.

 

Booking now would hold the cabin you wanted ...and then you can always switch rates on down the line.

[Cruzman]

For this particular cruise, we needed a specific departure port, itinerary, and sailing date. That's why we booked almost a year in advance to ensure that we would get what we wanted.

 

I do agree that the "price increase announcement" is probably a marketing tactic (which from what I read, seems to be working), but the price increase that Carnival is planning is around 5%, not the 60% that I've seen on my particular cruise.

 

I also agree with what someone else wrote (that these prices will probably come back down again), but in my specific cruise, I doubt that they will come down $1120 which is how much more I'd be paying for our reservation if I'd booked today.

 

Tapi, looks like we will be cruising together in October. Check out our roll call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1082151

[dan40]

Dan knows what he's talking about, so pay attention.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

 

Except when he doesn't!:rolleyes: