Do you think prices will go up soon

[elou]

I know it is only a guess, but if Carnival (going up 3/23) and NCL 4/2) are going up in price, do you think Princess will soon. I know that Princess is owned by Carnival. Looking end of August, if I book can only hope for a drop in future. What do you think?

[FLACRUISER99]

I know it is only a guess, but if Carnival (going up 3/23) and NCL 4/2) are going up in price, do you think Princess will soon. I know that Princess is owned by Carnival. Looking end of August, if I book can only hope for a drop in future. What do you think?

Yes especially if fuel hits triple digits.

[whatcruiseisnext]

On our recent cruise on the Ruby (Feb 2010) we were told by the captain that prices ARE going up in the near future.

[lovevacadays]

My cruise in December has already gone up $50 per person for new bookings in the mini-suite category I booked in. I keep looking for it to go down but who knows if it will.

[Pam in CA]

I know it is only a guess, but if Carnival (going up 3/23) and NCL 4/2) are going up in price, do you think Princess will soon. I know that Princess is owned by Carnival. Looking end of August, if I book can only hope for a drop in future. What do you think?

Even though Princess is owned by Carnival Corporation LLC (which also owns Carnival Cruise Lines), there's really no relationship between Carnival Cruises and Princess. Both cruiselines are owned by the same holding company but are managed separately. Many people confuse this, thinking Princess is owned by Carnival Cruise Lines, which isn't the case. That said, I often see prices go up on a cruise as it gets closer to the sail date so it would be hard to separate what is pretty much a normal practice from a general increase in pricing. For example, I recently asked for a quote from my TA for an obstructed oceanview cabin Category GG on my September cruise; it came back as only $300 less than the balcony already booked. Obviously, prices for this cruise have gone up substantially since we booked since there should be a $1,500 or more difference between a GG and a BD. I bet they go up even more as we get closer to sailing.

[paul929207]

Carnival raised rates because they are seeing strong demand for their cruises. It is likely Princess is also seeing strong demand and will also probably raise rates.

[Toto2Kansas]

With all of the oversold cruises last year, which means demand is very high, I would guess there will be an increase, and SOON!

[Labmom3]

We booked our July cruise in February and it went down this month since we had paid only deposit and not a final payment our travel agent called princess and got us the lower prices. It was almost a $200 per person savings which when multiplied by 4 is quite a bit. I think from my experience I would book early with a deposit and that way if the price goes down you can still get the better fare but if it goes up you are safe at your contracted price.

[oldmama]

I booked our May Alaska cruise in November & since then the price has gone up $600. Glad I booked early.

[MCC retired]

If you look at current Flash Rates on close in Princess cruises , it certainly doesn't look like bookings are up at all .Example 4/10/10 Star Princess 7 night E.Caribbean Inside from $399 , Balcony from $649 + gov't tax.

;)

[chubbypiggy]

If you look at current Flash Rates on close in Princess cruises , it certainly doesn't look like bookings are up at all .Example 4/10/10 Star Princess 7 night E.Caribbean Inside from $399 , Balcony from $649 + gov't tax.

;)

 

 

Which website will I be able to find "current flash rates on close in Princess cruises"?

 

Thank you.

[MCC retired]

To my knowledge there is no one web site where all Flash Rates are listed.

All TA's will have access to see and book Flash Rates for you (if there are any) , on any particular cruise.

Reminder that Flash Rates occur after Final Payment date , for new bookings only , and capacity controlled.

They can dissappear as fast as they occur.;)

[Maraprince]

Cruise lines are HOPING the higher prices will still sell out their sailings.

 

Time will tell if this is true. In the US the economy is still pretty bad. How much more people are willing to pay remains to be seen. As more and larger ships enter the market, that means more beds that have to be filled every week.

 

MARAPRINCE

[Pam in CA]

Cruise lines are HOPING the higher prices will still sell out their sailings.

 

Time will tell if this is true. In the US the economy is still pretty bad. How much more people are willing to pay remains to be seen. As more and larger ships enter the market, that means more beds that have to be filled every week.

Carnival Corporation & LLC had their best year ever in 2009; they've been pretty recession-proof. MOST Princess cruises sell out; heck, there are even some that are oversold. There are periods of low demand and some itineraries aren't doing as well as others. In cases like that, Princess moves a ship to a part of the world where they can sell out the ship at better prices. Look what just happened with the Star Princess for 2011. There may be some cruiselines hurting and not selling but that's not true with Princess.

[mercede70]

Yes especially if fuel hits triple digits.

 

The price of fuel shouldn't increase cruise prices, it would only be if oil went up and right now the price of fuel to the price of oil are not reflective of one another, fuel prices are higher than they should be.

[Shoalwater]

Have been checking the Princess site to see if there would be a fare drop as we got closer to our April 2010 TA sailing. :eek: OUCH! I'll stop wasting my time. Our Plaza Deck EE cabin has increased by 1.76X over what we paid for it in January! I suspect we may have seen the last of bargains for awhile. I don't begrudge Princess the chance to recoup earnings, after all I am a stockholder. I suppose it means you will have to start booking early rather than late to get the bargains.

 

Oil is settling in at around $80/barrel. Any speculation on the surcharge being implemented? It looks as if the cruise lines are getting control over pricing. A harbinger for the end of the recession?

[AFT_LOVER]

from my TA with Flash Promos for us to take before summer sets in or Sept-Dec. Summer we have Lake Erie & Presque Isle race track & slot house to play at with a friend that owns Comfort Suites & we love the rooms & his dinners for free on the BBQ. Plus too many kids in the summer on a cruise unless it is 2 weeks. Or we will look at 1 or 2 nights close to CLE.

 

 

To my knowledge there is no one web site where all Flash Rates are listed.

All TA's will have access to see and book Flash Rates for you (if there are any) , on any particular cruise.

Reminder that Flash Rates occur after Final Payment date , for new bookings only , and capacity controlled.

They can dissappear as fast as they occur.;)

[Colo Cruiser]

I have never seen a flash promo by logging onto the Princess website, I have to call the TA to find out if there is one. :(

[mek]

IMO, there will always be bargains. Now if you have to sail on a particular ship/itinerary, during peak time frames, and insist on a specific cabin/location then as always, you will have to pay a premium. Fares always go up in the summer and come back down in the fall - nothing new.

[davaller]

It has already happened here in Australia the prices for the new Sun princess sailings 2011 are up 10 to 15 % depending on the intinerary

 

David

[Maraprince]

Again, pricing may initially go up. But if the sailing isn't selling out, prices will drop.

 

This has happened twice to me this year -- once on a May/June Princess sailing and once on a RCL sailing in October. While the initial rates were higher than in 2009 when we made the bookings, the rates on both of these sailings on 2 different cruise lines have dropped to the point that the balcony cabins are less than an outside and the JS are less than the balcony rates were. Neither of these are last minute rates. Cabin availablity keeps changing so that one minute an entire category is waitlisted and then later in the week it has availability again. This has enabled several on my sailing to either upgrade to a higher category, or keep the same cabin and get a reduction in price.

 

MARAPRINCE