Wow! Does Princess want to lose us?

[janacin]

I can't believe the price difference in between Ocober of 2011 and October 2012 on the 14 day RT Hawaii on the Golden. The prices are 30% to 40% higher in comparable categories. We've taken this cruise often but perhaps not next year.

[Pam in CA]

I can't believe the price difference in between Ocober of 2011 and October 2012 on the 14 day RT Hawaii on the Golden. The prices are 30% to 40% higher in comparable categories. We've taken this cruise often but perhaps not next year.

Supply and demand. They can ask, and usually get, the pricing. You have the option to book or not. If you don't, someone else will. Cruiselines are a "for profit" business.

[Luxurious]

I can't believe the price difference in between Ocober of 2011 and October 2012 on the 14 day RT Hawaii on the Golden. The prices are 30% to 40% higher in comparable categories. We've taken this cruise often but perhaps not next year.

 

You'll see the price will drop...the Haiwaii cruises ALWAYS get deep discounts closer to sailing because most people do not want to be at sea for 10 days!!!!

[rdsqrl]

It seems like people post a similar complaint about every itinerary, every year. And every year, the prices generally fall from that first asking price.

[srpilo]

It seems like people post a similar complaint about every itinerary, every year. And every year, the prices generally fall from that first asking price.

 

That's my take also..

 

 

It's seems to be a Princess pricing strategy, to start out high and see what sticks and then discount later

Srpilo

[Toto2Kansas]

And the 28 day RT sailing out of LA for Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa is much cheaper for 2012 then it was for this fall. No way to figure out these price increases/decreases I don't think.

[kywildcatfanone]

I can't believe the price difference in between Ocober of 2011 and October 2012 on the 14 day RT Hawaii on the Golden. The prices are 30% to 40% higher in comparable categories. We've taken this cruise often but perhaps not next year.

 

I find this to be pretty typical. Prices start out high, and then moderate downward till they reach some predefined demand, then starts back up. I'm guessing the price for October 2012 will drop sometime this fall. You just have to be patient....

 

Mike

[westcoaster]

And the 28 day RT sailing out of LA for Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa is much cheaper for 2012 then it was for this fall. No way to figure out these price increases/decreases I don't think.

 

I think it depends on the category. For inside cabins, princess.com is currently showing higher prices in 2012 than 2011, by about $400.

[pris993]

Given the poor US economy I would guess there will be price drops.

[Toto2Kansas]

I think it depends on the category. For inside cabins, princess.com is currently showing higher prices in 2012 than 2011, by about $400.

And full suites for two passengers are a couple of THOUSAND dollars less next year. :eek: There must be a higher demand for those inside cabins then there is for the full suites?

[I_heart_vaca]

Anytime you look at pricing more than a year out the price is going to be high. They start high so that they have room to come down and market 'deals'. Flights are the same way. I guess if you are booking this far in advance they know you don't have leeway with time or need to get confirmed early - so they can get the higher rates. I am sure it will come down.

[Working 2 Cruise]

On our two cruises we have had price drops. 2010 And 2011... Just book and wait.

[Cruisin' Chick]

You'll see the price will drop...the Haiwaii cruises ALWAYS get deep discounts closer to sailing because most people do not want to be at sea for 10 days!!!!

 

Actually the Hawaiian cruises for Princess actually do very well. Else, they wouldn't be adding sailings with the Sapphire Princess. We absolutely love the sea days as they are filled with great activities.

[Luxurious]

Actually the Hawaiian cruises for Princess actually do very well. Else' date=' they wouldn't be adding sailings with the Sapphire Princess. We absolutely love the sea days as they are filled with great activities.[/quote']

 

Actually they have over capacity because of pulling out of Mexico and hence adding the Sapphire to Haiwaii as there is NOWHERE else to put it. Furthermore with the US Economy being in the "toilet" so to speak, people are not as apt to fly and instead take homeport cruises. The Hawaii cruises for years on the Golden were so hard to fill unless they sold them at $55.00 to $60.00 per person per day.:rolleyes:

[DeepWaterMariner]

My feeling, based on no real information, is those high prices for cruises long in the future snag a certain percentage of bookings from people who want a specific cabin or cabin category. We rarely if ever book much more than 6 months in advance and we are generally inundated with promotions from Princess or other cruise lines as the dates draw nearer. There are exceptions for rare itineraries, but for routine itineraries we don't feel the need to book a year or more in the future.

[TracieABD]

Just wait and see. I have noticed lots of fluxuation in cruise pricing.

(Of course, once I have a cruise booked, I am guilty of obsessively checking...):rolleyes:

[GlendaleCruiser]

Given the poor US economy I would guess there will be price drops.

 

 

I hope so! Price for my cruise starts at $1695 for interior and two other cruise dates are posted at $999. If I don't get some money back or a lower final payment I hope that I get some OBC for it. Going with a group at work. Otherwise, I might just pass.

[GlendaleCruiser]

Actually the Hawaiian cruises for Princess actually do very well. Else' date=' they wouldn't be adding sailings with the Sapphire Princess. We absolutely love the sea days as they are filled with great activities.[/quote']

 

 

What activities do they normally do at sea? I've only done Princess on Alaska and was busy looking at glaciers.

[ONT-CA]

Given the poor US economy I would guess there will be price drops.

 

Guess? I am so looking forward to final payment dates...

[Pam in CA]

I hope so! Price for my cruise starts at $1695 for interior and two other cruise dates are posted at $999. If I don't get some money back or a lower final payment I hope that I get some OBC for it. Going with a group at work. Otherwise, I might just pass.

Have you booked directly or through a TA? A good TA will not only get you a lower price but also give you a "perk" such as an OBC, dinner in a specialty restaurant, bottle of wine, etc. Princess doesn't usually drop rates after final payment for passengers already booked so an OBC instead of a fare drop is unusual. More likely, if they still had a number of cabins left in inventory, they will have a "flash" sale for new bookings only. You would have to cancel your booking, take the penalty, and re-book; most likely losing your cabin and dining preference.

[TM]

I, for one am really looking forward to my sea days next spring as we sail out of San Francisco to Hawaii. We booked because it is sailing round trip out of SF, and because we LOVE sea days!! We did this cruise a few years ago round trip out of LA and had a wonderful time. Can't wait. :):):)

[oskidunker]

We are booked on the 4/13 Hawaii cruise out of San francisco and the price is now about $200.00 per person MORE than we paid. The 4/28 Cruise has gone up about $400.00 per person. It appears Mini Suites and Balconies were the only category to go up. We booked a minimum guarantee Mini suite, not a specific room.There is high demand out of San fran. usually when prices go up this early, they never come down. I would expect these two cruises will sell out in Balcony and Mini Suite categories , due to the number of Sea days.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if there might be reductions on inside rooms via flash promotions after the final payment.

[BruceMuzz]

Princess does not want to LOSE you.

 

They want to REPLACE you - with someone who has more money.

[Cruisin' Chick]

What activities do they normally do at sea? I've only done Princess on Alaska and was busy looking at glaciers.

 

There's a husband and wife musical duo called Elua that have helped the Golden Princess develop a great set of onboard activities: lei-making, hula lessons, uke lessons, talks, music, etc. On our first Hawaiian cruise five years ago (before Elua came to Princess), there were some of these activities run by the cruise director's staff, but since then, you can't be onboard the Hawaiian cruise and not know you're going to Hawaii. Very much alike many other cruises where the activities (other than port talks) are generic.

[rja4969]

Sometimes it works in reverse. We booked the Oct 2011 TA on the Ruby over a yeaar ago. The prices for similar cabins are now double our fee.