2012 Cruises - where have the incentives gone?

[julieh]

Having just returned from a 12 day cruise on the Grand I was looking for another one for 2012.

 

Found an 18 day cruise we liked and called TA to be told that after having $200 each obc and free car parking plus a 10% fare discount on our last cruise now there is no free car parking no 10% discount and only $150 OBC plus prices have significantly increased with a BC cabin coming in at £2293.50 per person. As one of my USA friends had told me they were paying $1934.00 (£1208.75) each for a 19 day cruise the pricing does seem to be very high.

 

Hence Princess we shall not be booking till either the price or the incentives improve considerably.

 

Julie

[boomerone]

Julie---Be patient and don't forget the laws of supply and demand. Birddog your desired sailing daily and see what happens. Good Luck!

[Loonbeam]

Pricing is pricing. With fuel costs and relatively high demand, higher prices are to be expected, they have said so repeatedly in shareholder calls. Discounts will be more likely to be found on less popular routes or longer itineraries.

 

Discounts on the other hand are for the most part totally independent of Princess, except in the rare special promotion. Those are controlled by the TA who usually rebates them out of their commission. They do get incentives to sell certain routes, which may be passed on to the customer, but see above as which routes may get them.

 

Also, an agency's relationship with Princess can change, which can affect what they can afford to offer. Other TAs with a better link may be able to do more..

 

Having just returned from a 12 day cruise on the Grand I was looking for another one for 2012.

 

Found an 18 day cruise we liked and called TA to be told that after having $200 each obc and free car parking plus a 10% fare discount on our last cruise now there is no free car parking no 10% discount and only $150 OBC plus prices have significantly increased with a BC cabin coming in at £2293.50 per person. As one of my USA friends had told me they were paying $1934.00 (£1208.75) each for a 19 day cruise the pricing does seem to be very high.

 

Hence Princess we shall not be booking till either the price or the incentives improve considerably.

 

Julie

[DrivesLikeMario]

I understand your frustration. I've noticed that prices are significantly higher for next year on some itineraries. Only thing I can suggest is to wait until closer to sailing, like after final payment time, for the cruise you want and then book it. Good luck. I know it's hard for those of us that like to plan ahead to wait until the last few months.

[robanddiane]

Definately no incentives to book early with either Princess or P&O which is why we are leaving it until next year. We are not bothered about cabin location etc so will look at taking up a last minute deal at the vastly reduced prices. Loads of ships from Southampton next year and convinced we will get a good deal if not with our preferred cruiseline then either Royal Caribbean or Celebrity.

[Pam in CA]

As said, supply and demand governs pricing and incentives. To me, the incentive is to be on the ship and be able to see, do and experience new places and meet new friends.

[Immebsmom]

I have to agree with the other posters. We are going on the 2011 Christmas/New Years cruise from Los Angeles to Hawaii RT. I checked and compared the prices between 2011 & 2012 and was really surprised that 2012 was more money and the days were actually less desirable. In 2011 Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve & New Years Day are all sea days, so no issues with ports/excursions being closed early or closed all together during the holiday. Not the case with the 2012 cruise where Christmas Eve & Christmas Day are your first two stops (Hilo & Honolulu). I was really surprised that it was more money, for what will more than likely be less than desirable ports due to holiday closures.

[paul929207]

I booked three cruise for 2012 about a month ago and got about 20% off the listed Princess price

[Pam in CA]

I booked three cruise for 2012 about a month ago and got about 20% off the listed Princess price

We're fortunate in the US in that we have a different pricing structure. The OP is in the UK where things are different. They can't look for or expect the discounts we can. :(

[antsp]

What ship and sailing are you looking at

[julieh]

Thanks for the replies guys we are going to sit it out and wait.If not might look at another line like P & O but would prefer Princess, We are looking at the Grand 18 days from Southampton 05th October 2012

 

Julie

[Astro Flyer]

I've been looking at fall cruises around the Med & back to the US for about the last year. This fall's early October cruise for a balcony shows a price of $6,480 for the least expensive balcony category. In 2012, the least expensive balcony is only $4,430 with better ports of call (no repeated ports) for the 32 day cruise. Part of the reduction is probably because it sails 6 weeks later but that's a big difference. I've tracked the pricing since last year for this fall's cruise & it hasn't reduced any so in March I booked the 2012 version.

 

I realize that prices could be less through a TA but just showing how the Princess pricing in some cases is considerably less in 2012 like for us booking 21 months in advance. It's now 16 months before sailing & as availability of the most desireable cabins continues to drop, I'm certain that supply & demand will cause the prices to increase before sailing.

 

This may not be the norm but there are some great deals available for 2012 but maybe not always for the cruises someone may prefer.