Prices range so much- How much do you pay for your cruise?

[tcdtcd]

We're paying $7000 for our family of 4 (me, DW, sons 9 and 12) for a 10-day S Carib on the Star Dec 18-28 in an AE mini. Looking forward to our first cruise on Princess, and first with the kids, but hoping I won't feel ripped off by the 'holiday premium ' we're paying. Anyone think we're crazy, or will we come home happy?!!

[fuzzywuzzy]

Somehow I think we Canadians are losing out here. For a cat BD balcony on the Dawn earlier this month, we paid $2000 CDN pp and paid even more last year for a mini-suite on the Grand Princess. While I appreciate the difference in currency, I still haven't figured out why it costs so much for us VS those booking through US travel agents.:confused:

 

Kerry

 

I disagree entirely. We are Canadian and have always found excellent deals on the cruises we have taken so far. We search the newspaper travel sections and our T.A. keeps an eye out for sell-offs. We have obtained excellent deals as opposed to what others have paid. We usually book a package where the airfare and port taxes are included. Also we are always able to fly direct from Toronto which is in itself a major plus.

[rambill]

I paid $2,465.00 pp for the OS class suite aboard the Caribbean Princess for a Sept. '06 Labor Day week cruise.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

We just booked a 15 night Hawaii cruise on the Island Princess for the 3 of us in a "AC" mini suite for March 2006 and paid $6221.00.:D

We're paying $7000 for our family of 4 (me, DW, sons 9 and 12) for a 10-day S Carib on the Star Dec 18-28 in an AE mini. Looking forward to our first cruise on Princess, and first with the kids, but hoping I won't feel ripped off by the 'holiday premium ' we're paying. Anyone think we're crazy, or will we come home happy?!!

[zachnlucy]

We got our junior suite on the RCI Grandeur last month for $1008/pp including ports & taxes. Our BB balcony on the Sun Princess NB Alaska this coming August is $1106/pp including ports & taxes.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

I was just looking at a cruise site and the prices for Celebrity are crazy! The same cruise I booked on Princess for Hawaii (15 days) is priced at $3,000.00 more total cost than the one I booked...........and it's the same time and itinerary!:eek:

[bushwhacker]

You are in a handicapped room which is all right if you are handicapped. If you are not, and if they need the room for a handicapped person, you will be relocated to another Cat BC room..

 

Correction:

Once the cabin is sold, it is sold. If a handicapped person needs the facility and there are none available, they are out of luck. I have seen it.

The travel agent is at fault.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

When I have tried (and yet to succeed:( ) to get us a HC cabin on any vessel I have been told that we need to present a certificate from DH's Doctor regarding the nature of disability in order to obtain this type of cabin, so how in the world do non HC cruisers even end up in one of these?:confused: My DH IS HC and we really need the amenities but never find them available even booking a year out from sailing!

Correction:

Once the cabin is sold, it is sold. If a handicapped person needs the facility and there are none available, they are out of luck. I have seen it.

The travel agent is at fault.

[ShipsAhoy]

Just booked the Dawn 10 night Mexican Riviera cat. BD $1116.05 total per person. Thats not a great price, but I am happy with it.

The best deal on a balcony we have got is on the Infinity 15 night Hawaii cat. 2A $1510.75 per person. I thougth that was really good, and it was round trip San Diego so you didn't need air fare to Hawaii.

[funny1]

I think that's a very good price, ShipsAhoy. I thought we did okay with a minisuite cat AF on the Norwegian Star at $1100 each. Still think it was a good value.

[MGilly]

Interesting story: I stopped in yesterday afternoon at a travel agency to see if I could pick up some information about Costa Rica (my DD is traveling there for two weeks with a friend at the end of the month) and to get some information on the ports of call for our cruise in December. When I requested the information, the gentleman who met me at the entrance asked if I had booked either trip with their agency. When I told him that the girls had booked their trip themselves, he said, "Well, that was dumb!" And when I said that I'd booked our cruise directly through Princess, he again said, "That was a dumb thing to do!" By now, I was fuming! I asked him if it was common practice to tell clients (or prospective clients) that they were dumb. He proceeded to tell me that he was sure his agency could have gotten me better rates. So, I told him to go ahead and see what rates he'd be able to get me. When he did, we discovered that I'd SAVED $250 per person by booking it myself! HAH, you nasty travel agent!

 

(Of course, I DO know that GENERALLY TA's get much better rates. I think I was just lucky or hit an unbelievable deal at a very opportune time! But I DO know that I'll never use his agency! Customer service and common courtesy DO count!)

[cruise fairy]

Geeze Louis!,:eek: The poll is fine.....really stirred up some emotion it seems.:cool: My thought is vote on the poll then give your details in a reply. This way everyone gets new pieces of information.

We pay b/w 1,000 and 1,200 pp for 7 days to the Carribean during the months between January and March.

[madelinerose]

Crown Princess, 9-3-06, 9 nt. Eastern w/Bermuda, Cat AD mini E730 @ 1590.16 pp, total for DH and me.

[atlcple2]

My husband and I will be on the Carribean Princess 9/3 and it will be our 4th balcony room (Our last 2 cruises wer on Carnival). We were on the highest deck on previous cruises with an extended balcony and it was $850 total per person (including taxes and port charges). We never take the insurance. The balcony rooms we had I purchased directly through Carnival. As a previous guest, we received upgrades to the highest decks and the pricing was less than what we had expected. Our CP trip was $1850 total for 2 of us without insurance and I booked it directly through Princess. Since Carnival owns Princess (and a few other cruise lines), we received the previous guest discount that we would have received on Carnival. Will be on the Baha Deck, which is a higher up deck. Also, note that when booking rooms, we found that being on the deck under Lido isn't great...it is higher up, but at night, people drag their chairs across the deck and it is pretty loud. We don't usually go to bed before midnight or so...just thought I would pass that information on. Good luck!

[coiran]

Star - Oct 30 - 7 day - AE Mini - $970pp inclusive + cabin credit $250

 

Sun - Oct 19 - 10 day - II inside - $914 pp inclusive + cabin credit $200

 

 

Ron

[spongerob]

Geeze Louis!,:eek: The poll is fine.....really stirred up some emotion it seems.:cool:

 

Another good lesson in why discussions of pricing are ill-advised.

[madelinerose]

oops

Another good lesson in why discussions of pricing are ill-advised.

[sue d. miller]

Star, October 23rd, 05, Cat. I inside quad, aft, Aloha deck, 4 cabins in from aft pool!! $579pp $100 cabin credit!!

[Princess Chatterer]

Crown Princess, 9-3-06, 9 nt. Eastern w/Bermuda, Cat AD mini E730 @ 1590.16 pp, total for DH and me.

 

Isn't that right in the middle of hurricane season?

[madelinerose]

Yes.

 

Isn't that right in the middle of hurricane season?

[Princess Chatterer]

Star - Oct 30 - 7 day - AE Mini - $970pp inclusive + cabin credit $250

Sun - Oct 19 - 10 day - II inside - $914 pp inclusive + cabin credit $200

Ron

 

How did you come up with a $250 cabin credit?

[juliethecruiser]

I've been on 2 Princess cruises, 1 Carnival cruise and have 1 more Princess cruise booked for September. Here's the prices I've paid on each:

 

5/03 Western Caribbean - $749 pp including port & taxes for a BB cabin on Caribe deck of the Grand

 

12/03 Eastern Caribbean - $509 pp including port & taxes for a GG cabin on the Golden

 

11/04 Western Caribbean - $249 pp including port & taxes for an inside cabin for 4 nights on the Inspiration out of Tampa.

 

9/05 Eastern Caribbean - $789 pp including port & taxes + $100 shipboard credit for a BB cabin on the Caribe deck of the Caribbean Princess

 

The way I pay for my cruise vacations is to spread them out over time. I would like to go every 2 years and take land vacations in between. Also, I go skiing a couple times a year and live in Florida, so I'm limited on the money for any other trip, but I consider cruising realitively cheap compared to some of the bucks I've dropped on my Vail/Whislter/Squaw Valley and Deer Valley ski vacations.

 

I can't wait to hit the open seas in September. Hopefully, last year's hurricane season won't repeat itself and rain on my parade. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Happy cruising everyone.

[Wes in TX]

Booked the 8/15/05 Dawn (seven night Alaska). Used one of the big travel sites.

 

Had the choice of the following:

Insides $599pp

Ocean View (obstructed) $999pp

Ocean view $1800pp

Balcony $2000pp

 

I immediately ruled out the ocean view and balcony due to the price, and then decided it wasn't worth $400pp to get a window that we might not even be able to see out of.

 

In the end, I booked a J GUAR - hoping for an upgrade but am planning on having a great time no matter what!

[coiran]

How did you come up with a $250 cabin credit?

 

We had $100 from out TA and another $75 each for booking on board.

 

Ron

[LARGIN]

10 day 12/10/05 SF/Mexico/SF on Dawn Princess..

Cat BA balcony.. $1224 pp plus $300 onboard credit.