Carnival's "Rising Rates" - I booked the Solstice!!

[cruisinmeme]

I have been saying the same thing, that its becoming just as cheap to fly to florida and pay airfare and do another cruiseline as to do Carnival out of Galveston. Im also protesting the increases, and not doing any more booking. I paid a record last time for Ecstasy and next January is even higher ... Im not biting either at these rates. They are getting ridiculous.

 

Im betting more decide Carnival isnt so cheap if they look around.

 

we would drive to galveston for years to cruise (live 1 hr. from new orleans) but then one day i was shocked at how much more the same cruise was for out of galveston compared to new orleans. real shocked!

we are leaving out of mobile in one month. it is barely 3 hrs from us. then had a carnival cruise booked for feb. 2011 and when i saw norweign was doing year round out of new orleans i checked out the prices and cancelled carnival right away. after our experience of prices not going down and the fact they will go up it was a no brainer. besides saving 140.00 per person with norweign we will get 4 ports rather than 3 with carnival.

[mferris77]

Jumping in on the Epic questions. Rates are a tad high when we looked. Innovative rooms and on some concepts.....butt ugly ship (looks top heavy). Will spend a season in Europe before coming over.... at least that is what I recall.

 

It sure is.. it reminds me of an enormous school bus for some reason.

 

[jimbo5544]

I actually laughed out loud this morning when I checked Carnival's website. I can't believe that putting a countdown clock, drawing attention to a price increase, is considered a winning business practice.

 

I understand creating a sense of urgency, retail businesses do it all the time. I get the concept of "You have 24 hours and this offer will be gone". I think it's really weird to keep announcing an impending price increase as if they're somehow doing you a favor.

I guess it's only weird if it does not work....;) (at least from their perspective...)

[firefly333]

we would drive to galveston for years to cruise (live 1 hr. from new orleans) but then one day i was shocked at how much more the same cruise was for out of galveston compared to new orleans. real shocked!

we are leaving out of mobile in one month. it is barely 3 hrs from us. then had a carnival cruise booked for feb. 2011 and when i saw norweign was doing year round out of new orleans i checked out the prices and cancelled carnival right away. after our experience of prices not going down and the fact they will go up it was a no brainer. besides saving 140.00 per person with norweign we will get 4 ports rather than 3 with carnival.

 

Iv always been shocked how much cheaper New Orleans is than Galveston... but I figure it would need to be $100 pp cheaper to change.. because of having to get a hotel and parking is more expensive and its further to drive. I did try out Triumph B2B in Dec though and it was way cheap.

 

I do have 2 Carnival cruises booked, but going to book some others if Carnival keeps going up. I like to vary them up and not just do the same cruises, sick of conquests shows already, but do have it booked for Crazies Too.

 

I hope others will start to look around too at other lines, only way to get Carnival to come back down is to vote with our $$$

[DarthGrady]

Carnival better be careful, being a good value has always been their bread and butter, getting greedy isnt a wise move IMHO. Especially when higher end lines are offering comparable prices.

 

Good deal Tom, be sure to let us know how you like the cruise.

[TortieGal]

I've kind of set the goal of hitting Platinum on CCL but after that, I will definitely start trying other lines.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I've kind of set the goal of hitting Platinum on CCL but after that, I will definitely start trying other lines.

 

Platinum is a nice enough carrot -- though for us, after 45 sailings with them, other things on their stick are in order!! ;)

 

Tom

[sailorwife]

Tom & Cheryl, I sailed once on Celebrity to Hawaii which was a 15 day cruise in concierge class so I would have 3 points correct,

Thanks

sailorwife

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Tom & Cheryl, I sailed once on Celebrity to Hawaii which was a 15 day cruise in concierge class so I would have 3 points correct,

Thanks

sailorwife

 

Sounds right to me - that is the max you can earn per sailing. Give the Captain's Club a call to verify your standing:

 

U.S. & Canada: 1-800-760-0654

 

 

Tom

[dznymom]

Carnival's "Rising Rates" - I booked NCL EPIC!! :)

 

I did the same, although I must confess that NCL is my other favorite anyway. To those that say that the EPIC is Butt Ugly, that is an understatement! DH keeps giving me all kinds of crap about it, but I figure if that hideous monstrosity makes it across the Atlantic, I want to see it for myself! Although I generally prefer smaller ships, there are so many cool things being offered, I am really looking forward to it.

 

I didn't price compare, but being a brand new ship I expect she is a bit more than Carnival. We got AFT balconies for $896 pp, and I haven't deducted my CAS discount (which Carnival doesn't offer) yet.

 

Update: I just checked the Dream for the same date & it is $929 for an AFT. So, I am even more pleased with my choice!

[Chat Noir]

As the 'cruiser' of the class, I've been pricing cruises for a group of nursing school classmates/friends. Quite surprised at the prices Carnival is posting for the time period we're considering. I prefer Princess and Celebrity, but Carnival's pricing always kept them in the running, too. A good cruise at a good price. Not so much anymore... I'm no snob, but neither will I pay Celebrity pricing for a Carnival cruise. Celebrity wins in that case. :)

[KruznKel]

Very nice.. I am sure you will enjoy the ship.. my mother sailed her when she 1st came out and absolutely loved her...;)

 

I personally would never sail Celebrity due to their smoking policy.. but hey maybe all the non smokers will jump ship and then Carnival will start dropping their rates again LOL.. wishful thinking I know:D:p

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Very nice.. I am sure you will enjoy the ship.. my mother sailed her when she 1st came out and absolutely loved her...;)

 

I personally would never sail Celebrity due to their smoking policy.. but hey maybe all the non smokers will jump ship and then Carnival will start dropping their rates again LOL.. wishful thinking I know:D:p

 

LOL - no doubt ! ;)

 

:D

 

Tom

[KruznKel]

LOL - no doubt ! ;)

 

:D

 

Tom

 

Hey atleast I am honest:p:p I would have until they took away smoking on balconies.. ;)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Hey atleast I am honest:p:p I would have until they took away smoking on balconies.. ;)

 

I wouldn't argue with ANYONE named "Capt. Leadblade" ! :eek:

 

Tom

[sailorwife]

Sounds right to me - that is the max you can earn per sailing. Give the Captain's Club a call to verify your standing:

 

U.S. & Canada: 1-800-760-0654

 

 

Tom

Thank You

Joan

[janetz]

I am not going to BITE on their marketing practices ("warnings" of upcoming rate increases for summer)!!

 

... interestingly enough, I just booked the Solstice YESTERDAY - I looked briefly at the Dream and it was $600 MORE for a balcony for my 18yo son and 3 of his friends! I would have booked them in an interior, but there are not many of them on the Solstice, and they were long gone. Also, the 3rd and 4th person rate for the Dream that week shows as $559. On the Solstice 3rd and 4th are $399... thus, they could sail the Solstice in a BALCONY for about the same as an INTERIOR on the Dream. Has the world gone topsy turvy?! :eek:

 

5/29/10 Carnival Dream:

Interior (4 People): $3095 (185 sq. ft.)

8A Balcony (4) ... : $3685 (185 sq. ft. + 35 sq. ft. balcony) ..... $3545 for a Cove

 

5/30/10 Celebrity Solstice:

Interior --- N/A -- Sold Out

Balcony (4 people): $3072 (194 sq. ft. + 54 sq. ft. balcony)

 

Some part of the Carnival "VALUE" concept is missing to me here! I will admit, having sailed both lines a few times - I prefer the food on Carnival, and their entertainment (shows/music/comedians) are usually good.

 

On our two previous Dream sailings, there were definitely times where the ship felt quite crowded. I sense that this will not be the case on the Solstice:

Dream = 128,000 tons, 3464 (double occupancy guests) - MAX of 4,631!

Solstice= 122,00 tons, 2850 (double occupancy guests) - MAX of ? (I can tell you it is less than 4,600 !!) ;)

 

BTW - Celebrity got my business because they were SMART enough to send me a list of a dozen sailings which I could choose from for 2010 and only pay fees/taxes in a Concierge Class balcony cabin thanks to their Blue Chip Club (Casino) -- as a result they get my business for the additional cabin as well. ;) As nice as the Casino Marketing people are at Carnival, they are hamstrung due to current corporate policies -- severely limiting what they can offer "players".

 

It was difficult picking from this (below) list, but I already had the week of Memorial day off... so.. !

------------------

5/3/10- Celebrity Eclipse (new ship)- 4 night U.K.cruise- port- South Hampton, England

 

-5/30/10- Celebrity Solstice (new ship)- 7 night Caribbean cruise- port- Ft. Lauderdale

 

-6/6/10- Celebrity Solstice (new ship)- 7 night Caribbean cruise- port- Ft. Lauderdale

 

-6/6/10- Celebrity Summit- 7 night Bermuda cruise- port- Bayonne, N.J.

 

-7/18/10- Celebrity Solstice (new ship)- 7 night Caribbean cruise- port- Ft. Lauderdale

 

-8/8/10- Celebrity Solstice (new ship)- 7 night Caribbean cruise- port- Ft. Lauderdale

 

-8/15/10- Celebrity Summit- 7 night New England and Canada cruise- port- Bayonne, N.J.

 

-9/18/10- Celebrity Constellation- 7 night Western European cruise- port- Barcelona

 

-10/18/10- Celebrity Equinox (new ship)- 13 night Holy Land cruise- port- Rome

 

-10/24/10- Celebrity Solstice (new ship)- 7 night Caribbean cruise- port- Ft. Lauderdale

 

-11/17/10- Celebrity Eclipse (new ship)- 3 night Bahamas cruise - port- Miami, FL

 

-12/26/10- Celebrity Solstice (new ship)- 7 night

“New Year” Caribbean cruise- port- Ft. Lauderdale

-------------------

 

In all fairness, I see that the 5/29/10 Dream sailing is offering a new fare: "Pack & Go - Last Minute Specials" where you can book guarantees for Interiors ($2705), and balcony ($3072) cabins. The drawback there is you must "risk" being assigned to a less than desirable cabin location. That is an entirely different topic - which I won't go into!

 

Tom

 

 

Celebrity has some great deals going on. :D

[Duncarob]

I have been saying the same thing, that its becoming just as cheap to fly to florida and pay airfare and do another cruiseline as to do Carnival out of Galveston. Im also protesting the increases, and not doing any more booking. I paid a record last time for Ecstasy and next January is even higher ... Im not biting either at these rates. They are getting ridiculous.

 

Im betting more decide Carnival isnt so cheap if they look around.

 

I just booked 5-night Ecstasy porthole cabin for $359.00. Seems pretty cheap to me.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

You'll never come bac to Carnival now! :D

 

I am still a big Carnival fan (I just don't carry the banner as high)! ;)

 

Tom

[onejeepster]

I certainly hope that Carnival doesnt overprice itself and lose a lot of business. I always selected Carnival based on cost but if they are in line with the rest I will be trying other brands.

 

PS> I was just on NCL website and they have a posting in the top right of an alert that fares are increasing April 2nd. Book now.

 

It looks like the others are jumping on the price increase game.

[KruznKel]

I wouldn't argue with ANYONE named "Capt. Leadblade" ! :eek:

 

Tom

 

LMAO!!! it's the inner Pirate I tell ya:D:p

[Phxbyny]

CCL became number 1 because of customer loyalty. The gave us the most bang for the buck and made it great AFFORDABLE vacation. Now they break their corporate piggy bank by building a competitive ship like the Dream and attempt to put the screws back on its loyal clients. Carnival has taken my last dollar. I Look foward comparing the competition out there.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

PS> I was just on NCL website and they have a posting in the top right of an alert that fares are increasing April 2nd. Book now.

 

It looks like the others are jumping on the price increase game.

 

At least NCL was "original" enough to pick a different date! :rolleyes:

 

Tom

[Yurita]

I just booked my mother (A Carnival lover) on the RCCL Freedom of the seas. Price difference????

 

 

Ship Name: Freedom Of The Seas

Departure Port: Port Canaveral, Florida

Ports of Call: Port Canaveral, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Port Canaveral, Florida

April 18, 2010

Interior $499

Oceanview $699

Balcony $999

 

 

 

 

Ship name: Carnival Dream

Departure port: Port Canaveral

Ports of Call: Port Canaveral, Florida; Fun at the sea; Cozumel; Roatan island; Belize, Costa Maya; Port Canaveral, Florida

April 17, 2010

Interior: $569

Oceanview: $739

Balcony: 899

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We just booked on the Dream last week for September. I didn't even look at other cruise lines because in the past Carnival always seemed to have the best deals, and we also wanted to check out the Dream.

 

Yesterday I looked at Celebrity bookings and was surprised to see that the balcony rooms on the Solstice were the same as Dream interiors.. I would have seriously considered them had I looked at them last week. If they keep prices like this I will seriously consider them on my next cruise.. looking for a good southern itinerary.

 

I was seriously thinking of jumping ship to the Solstice do but after I read the dress codes they lost me. Sports coats every night except for formal nights.

 

That swayed me, otherwise I was giving it serious consideration.

 

Bill