Caribbean cruise prices from UK

[holidaylover10]

Hi everyone,

I think i posted this question on the wrong forum previously, so will try this forum.

 

I am new to this site and have yet to go on a cruise. Its my 50th birthday in 2012 and i have decided i would like to go on a caribbean cruise for two weeks, My husband has never been that keen to cruise but he says its my birthday my choice.

 

I have been looking at prices online with different companies and my minds in a whirl, I have been quoted prices of roughly £1700( with flights and $300 on board credit, and inside cabin) a person for april 2012 with Princess and would like to know if this seems like a good price. Should i hold on, are the prices likely to drop and if so when are the prices likely to decrease. I don't want to lock myself into a deal only to find they usually come down by a few hundred pounds after Christmas.

 

Could anyone recommend another cruise liner of similar standard to princess that may be cheaper and have flights included from the UK

 

Many thanks

[John Bull]

Hi everyone,

I think i posted this question on the wrong forum previously, so will try this forum.

 

I am new to this site and have yet to go on a cruise. Its my 50th birthday in 2012 and i have decided i would like to go on a caribbean cruise for two weeks, My husband has never been that keen to cruise but he says its my birthday my choice.

 

I have been looking at prices online with different companies and my minds in a whirl, I have been quoted prices of roughly £1700( with flights and $300 on board credit, and inside cabin) a person for april 2012 with Princess and would like to know if this seems like a good price. Should i hold on, are the prices likely to drop and if so when are the prices likely to decrease. I don't want to lock myself into a deal only to find they usually come down by a few hundred pounds after Christmas.

 

Could anyone recommend another cruise liner of similar standard to princess that may be cheaper and have flights included from the UK

 

Many thanks

 

Sounds a little bit pricey.

Guessing it's Sea Princess, which operates charter flights UK/Barbados, with slick and very cusomer-friendly transfers to the ship.

You should be able to shave a couple of hundred pounds off the price and/or get an upgrade to an outside cabin. But it will take a few phone calls, playing one cruise agent against another. Keep going backwards & forwards to get the best price, then see if you can barter for a better cabin for the same money, then having gauged which agent is most knowledgeable/most helpful go back to that agent & tell them you'll book if they can match that deal.

 

P&O and Thomson offer similar charter fly-cruises, similar easy tansfers.

I rate P&O broadly on a par with Princess, and although Sea Princess is by all accounts very acceptable, she's certainly not the best or youngest in the fleet.

Thomson have older & smaller ships, more frayed round the edges and lacking the glitz & facilities, but like all smaller ships they tend to be more friendly, kinda like a village rather than a city. Thomson are very acceptable 3-star, better than other lines in some ways, but generally should be cheaper than the others.

Both P&O & Thomson have the advantages of a British feel, cater for British tastes, sterling as on-board currency (no currency conversion grief or expenses), much cheaper on-board prices esp drinks - which are about the same as pub prices, no service charges on drinks etc, and Thomson prices are also inclusive of tips.

Thomson excursion prices tend to be a little cheaper than all other cruiselines, for exactly the same excursions operated by exactly the same people ashore. Except that for the Caribbean you have no need to waste money on any ship's road tours - so much cheaper & better sharing taxis & minibuses at the quayside.

 

Whichever you choose - and don't let a small overall cost difference deter you from your preferences - I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time on any cruiseship, first cruises are always great, and the Caribbean is so easy, so port-intensive, ideal for a first cruise.

 

Unfortunately, none of these three cruiselines offer a "price promise" if prices fall. So the only way to take advantage of a big price drop would be to cancel (losing your deposit & prob your obc) and re-booking at the lower price. In the circumstances $300 obc sounds a bit mean as an early-booking incentive, and if you can't do better you should consider hanging back.

 

Have to admit, I shunned cruising for years & probably for the same reasons as your other half. But I got hooked & he probably will too.

 

Have a good one

John Bull

[moniquet]

Thomson are downmarket, wouldn't even consider them. Their prices aren't even cheaper than some of the quality cruiselines. They are just aimed at the package market attracting the ex Benidorm masses.!

[jocap]

Wow, moniquet, it sounds as though you had a rough experience! We tried Thomson's for our 5th line, and had a remakably good experience- but as JB says, it's only 3 stars.

Holidaylover....our 1st ever cruise was on Sea Princess to the Caribbean, and it changed our holidays for ever! Princess and P&O were the same company until Carnival bought them up, and they still interchange crew, and have the same design of ships.

One thing I want to add to JB is that where you fly from may be a factor....both Princess and P&O sometimes offer cruises from the smaller airports- my relatives flew from Doncaster to Sea P this Feb, and it was seamless, including most of the last day on board until the plane arrived from the UK. I noticed that P&O is also doing Doncaster this winter....might that be another reason to shop around?

Jo.

[John Bull]

Thomson are downmarket, wouldn't even consider them. Their prices aren't even cheaper than some of the quality cruiselines. They are just aimed at the package market attracting the ex Benidorm masses.!

 

We've cruised most major and some minor cruiselines, including Princess, P&O and Thomson.

 

I rated Thomson as 3-star.

 

You rated them "down-market" for the "ex-Benidorm package masses."

 

Sorry, Moniquet, but to me that says more about yourself than it does about Thomson.

Especially as you are in no position to voice an opinion, since you've not cruised Thomson.

 

Which is a shame, because you would be surprised by some aspects that are way better than more expensive (sorry, more up-market) lines, and you could not cruise with a more friendly, unaffected & affable crowd - captain, senior officers, deck & hotel crew and passengers.

 

Their prices aren't any cheaper than quality lines?

The OP is being quoted nett about £1500 for 14 days Caribbean with Princess, Thomson are offering a more interesting Caribbean itinerary for around £1300. Add the on-board differences (tips, service charges, bar prices etc) and we're looking at a differential of mebbe £350, or 20+%.

 

But then it would be cheaper, wouldn't it.

Because it's "down-market"

 

JB

[holidaylover10]

Hi all,

 

Thank you very much for your replies, I did think £1700 per person sounded a little steep but having not booked a cruise before had nothing to compare it too.

The two cruises i have looked at with princess were on the grand princess out of Fort Lauderdale and the caribbean princess out of San Juan, The Caribbean Princess was dearer at £1800.

 

I have thought of Thomsons but they have not got 2012 and on sale yet.

Has anyone been with Celebrity X, they have prices online for April 2012 but you have to phone for the price with airfare.

 

Do you just phone all the agents that are online and tell them what you want and they phone you back with quotes?

[kitty9]

Before you book a cruise that includes airfare, see what you could do with booking your airfare separately and then booking just the cruise. I will admit that I have no idea how booking that way works for those in the UK, but I know that in the US, booking airfare separate usually saves us a lot of money. Also, here, the cruise lines generally book unattractive flight itineraries and make the entire process not pleasant. For instance, when I booked my cruise and airfare in one package, the cruise line had me flying from my home town of Milwaukee, to St Louis, to Birmingham Alabama, to Tampa and finally to Ft Lauderdale. They were awful flights that took me way longer than just booking a direct to Ft Lauderdale, but it was cheaper for the cruise line, and after that I never let the cruise line book my flights again.

 

I love Celebrity and their ships are beautiful. I've been on Princess a few times, along with just about every line out there today, and I would always book Celebrity over others. You can book Celebrity direct or you can go via a travel agent, which for a first time cruiser, I would highly recommend.

[fairground11]

Thomson are downmarket, wouldn't even consider them. Their prices aren't even cheaper than some of the quality cruiselines. They are just aimed at the package market attracting the ex Benidorm masses.!

 

 

Benidorm might be more down market than Marbella but at least its not full of crooks on the run from the police back in the uk

[John Bull]

Before you book a cruise that includes airfare, see what you could do with booking your airfare separately and then booking just the cruise. I will admit that I have no idea how booking that way works for those in the UK, but I know that in the US, booking airfare separate usually saves us a lot of money. Also, here, the cruise lines generally book unattractive flight itineraries and make the entire process not pleasant. For instance, when I booked my cruise and airfare in one package, the cruise line had me flying from my home town of Milwaukee, to St Louis, to Birmingham Alabama, to Tampa and finally to Ft Lauderdale. They were awful flights that took me way longer than just booking a direct to Ft Lauderdale, but it was cheaper for the cruise line, and after that I never let the cruise line book my flights again.

 

I love Celebrity and their ships are beautiful. I've been on Princess a few times, along with just about every line out there today, and I would always book Celebrity over others. You can book Celebrity direct or you can go via a travel agent, which for a first time cruiser, I would highly recommend.

 

Heed Kitty's words re flights.

When a cruiseline charters an aircraft, such as Princess/P&0 direct to Barbados, the flights & transfers are very convenient and you probably wouldn't get anywhere near the same value by arranging your own flights.

But when a cruiseline books you seats on a scheduled flight, which is almost certainly the case with Princess cruises out of Ft L or San Juan, it is often more expensive than booking your own flights, esp the low prices you can get by booking so far ahead.

And Kitty's experience of convoluted cruiseline-arranged flights is not a one-off, they book what's cheapest for them using their preferred carrier, regardless of the availability of direct flights with a different airline. RCI is probably the worst culprit.

 

Like Kitty, I rate Celebrity over Princess, just a personal opinion.

But for simplicity, a P&0 or Princess out of Barbados, or a Thomson (usually out of Jamaica?) would make a great deal of sense for a first cruise, cuts out US immigration queues, no need for an ESTA (US visa), more islands/fewer sea days than from Ft L., and with P&O or Thomson no expensive surprises.

 

Complicated, innit :D

 

But if you put all the Caribbean cruises in a hat & drew one out at random, you'd still have a great time. :)

 

Have fun choosin', have fun cruisin'

JB

[Lol 1944]

Hi, Had very similar problem last year, particularly as had always organised all hols online for years.

Probably unable to make recommendations to you on this site but certainly feel free to email jeanandlawrence@hotmail.com