How times have changed

[spcopps]

Just looking over some of my old carnival capers and wow how things have changed. I am not complaining just think it is funny to be able to say "back when"...

 

so here goes 2 from a 2000 caper on the Imagination

 

DOD $2.95 OR $5.75 in souvenir glass.

 

Stingray City Tour: then: 34.00/person...today:47.95/person

 

I have to say for 11 years it's not a bad increase in prices..way to go Carnival for keeping cost down.

[T. Advisor King]

I'm by no means a Carnival cheerleader (this is, after all, Cruise "Critic"), but I should point out that the increase in the Stingray tour is at an average annual compound rate of merely 3.2%. That's certainly a little higher than the annual change in the cost of living, but not by a lot.

 

Is the tour description exactly the same, or is it possible passengers are getting more than in 2000? Also bear in mind that Carnival can control what they charge, but can only control a portion of the costs they incur. If they are paying an operator to do the tour, then they'll have to pay what the operator is charging. I appreciate that Carnival is large and will have some negotiating leverage, so they're not merely a "price taker".

 

The drink price, on the other hand, seems to have gone up an indefensible amount, although someone would have to confirm the current price for me to do the calculation.

[spcopps]

This is the difference between the 2 stingray city tours...the new one includes fruit punch, lemonade and water. The one 10 years ago didn't offer drinks. They are both 2.5 hours long also..

 

Their price increase compared to price of living increase may not be great but they are great compared to other vacation destinations. I'm not a chearleader either and will cruise different lines depending on availability and destination when I need to cruise, but just finding these old "capers" made me laugh.

[LBumb]

nice facts

[Cruise, J.D.]

The drink price, on the other hand, seems to have gone up an indefensible amount, although someone would have to confirm the current price for me to do the calculation.

 

$4.95 in the non-souvenir glass, so a $2 increase. That is around 4.8% per year, a little high.

[bonniemari]

Thanks for sharing those tidbits of info spcopps. Very interesting. Makes me wish I had kept some of my Capers and Excursions List from when we took our first cruise in 1997.

 

Despite the price increases, IMO, cruising is still one of the best vacations for the money.

[Shipbound]

When I first started cruising you bought a bucket of 4 beers and got the 5 free. I think a bucket of bud light was 16.00 dollars back then.

 

gary

[tracyanns]

$4.95 in the non-souvenir glass, so a $2 increase. That is around 4.8% per year, a little high.

 

A little high for a drink increase but still less than my medical benefits seem to rise each year!:mad: I would rather be spending that on drinks on my cruises!

[elcuchio24]

Just looking over some of my old carnival capers and wow how things have changed. I am not complaining just think it is funny to be able to say "back when"...

 

so here goes 2 from a 2000 caper on the Imagination

 

DOD $2.95 OR $5.75 in souvenir glass.

 

Stingray City Tour: then: 34.00/person...today:47.95/person

 

I have to say for 11 years it's not a bad increase in prices..way to go Carnival for keeping cost down.

 

Do you remember what the actual cruise fare was, and what a smilar sail would cost now? That would be interesting as well.....

[*Mach*]

I recently saw a Carnival commercial from 1997... it closed with '4 Day Cruises from $395!!!'

I've seen 4 days advertised recently for much less than that. It's amazing how affordable a cruise vacation is. For many folks a week on the ship is less than the airfare there and back...

Way to go Carnival, ineed...

:)

[Socref124]

I recently saw a Carnival commercial from 1997... it closed with '4 Day Cruises from $395!!!'

 

I've seen 4 days advertised recently for much less than that. It's amazing how affordable a cruise vacation is. For many folks a week on the ship is less than the airfare there and back...

 

Way to go Carnival, ineed...

 

:)

 

Airfare, what's that?;):rolleyes::p Gee it's nice to live in Florida.:D

[woodey]

Just looking over some of my old carnival capers and wow how things have changed. I am not complaining just think it is funny to be able to say "back when"...

 

so here goes 2 from a 2000 caper on the Imagination

 

DOD $2.95 OR $5.75 in souvenir glass.

 

Stingray City Tour: then: 34.00/person...today:47.95/person

 

I have to say for 11 years it's not a bad increase in prices..way to go Carnival for keeping cost down.

Wouldnt it be funny if it was more expensive to smuggle booze on then buy it on the ship...rofl just a thought:D at those prices i dont think i would ever be sober while on a cruise ship :eek:

[*Mach*]

Airfare, what's that?;):rolleyes::p Gee it's nice to live in Florida.:D

 

 

I hear ya', Mikey... gotta love living near ports...

Last week someone posted that they were paying more for their airfare than the entire cruise... amazing. Six hours, three hours each way, is the cost of a seven day cruise. On the airliner you get poor treatment, a sack of peanuts and you have to pay to check your luggage which they'll likely lose. On a cruise ship, for less money, you get your own cabin and bed for seven days, someone to clean up after you, an amazing assortment of food and entertainment, staff who smile at you and say hello.

To heck with flyin'!! Put me on a ship!!!

:D

[repo-cruiser]

Just looking over some of my old carnival capers and wow how things have changed. I am not complaining just think it is funny to be able to say "back when"...

 

so here goes 2 from a 2000 caper on the Imagination

 

DOD $2.95 OR $5.75 in souvenir glass.

 

Stingray City Tour: then: 34.00/person...today:47.95/person

 

I have to say for 11 years it's not a bad increase in prices..way to go Carnival for keeping cost down.

Right no need to raise prices to much , just cut a bunch of stuff out.:D

[gusandgidgetsmom]

started cruising in the 80's and prices for cruises included airfare. The prices are really not much different today which would make them much cheaper if you factor in the current cost of living.

[jdcml]

As a comparison. A one day ticket to the Magic Kingdom was $46 in 2000, today that same ticket cost you $82 per adult! Sure you can bundle multiple days and parks for an overall lower daily price, but that is a LOT more than a 5% bump!

[1midsun]

For many folks a week on the ship is less than the airfare there and back...

 

Way to go Carnival, ineed...

 

:)

 

yes, To fly from Calgary to Miami, for two of us is around $1800.

An inside cabin for 7 days is around $1000 a balcony is around $1600.

 

We will probably always book a balcony, I can't justify spending twice as much for an 8 HOUR flight as for a 7 DAY cruise!!!

 

Happy Cruising!!!

[GuitarCruiser]

yes, To fly from Calgary to Miami, for two of us is around $1800.

An inside cabin for 7 days is around $1000 a balcony is around $1600.

 

We will probably always book a balcony, I can't justify spending twice as much for an 8 HOUR flight as for a 7 DAY cruise!!!

 

Happy Cruising!!!

 

 

It's completely nuts!...and when was the last time anyone was on a flight and was able to relax?! :eek:

[drenee73]

For many folks a week on the ship is less than the airfare there and back...

 

I have to agree. We just flew out to the mid-west to visit the kids and his family for a week. We had to do airfare, hotel, rental cars, food, and pay for misc stuff with the kids.

 

We spent a LOT more than our upcoming Pride trip in October. Almost DOUBLE. And for that I got to hunker down in the A/C with no sun and fun b/c it was 100+ in the shade the whole week. Even the kids groaned and said "It's too hot to go to the water park!"

 

If I had it my way, every trip would be on the water... or at least at the beach....

[T. Advisor King]

As a comparison. A one day ticket to the Magic Kingdom was $46 in 2000, today that same ticket cost you $82 per adult! Sure you can bundle multiple days and parks for an overall lower daily price, but that is a LOT more than a 5% bump!

 

Ummm. That's a total increase (over 11 years) of 78%. The compound rate of increase is 5.4% per year. That's also a lot. But not "a LOT more than ... 5%"

[halos]

The drink price, on the other hand, seems to have gone up an indefensible amount, .

Can I attempt to defend it? :)

I think the base prices of cruises has remained so low that the cruise lines are only able to make up revenue in other areas...such as the bar.

[T. Advisor King]

yes, To fly from Calgary to Miami, for two of us is around $1800.

An inside cabin for 7 days is around $1000 a balcony is around $1600.

 

We will probably always book a balcony, I can't justify spending twice as much for an 8 HOUR flight as for a 7 DAY cruise!!!

 

Happy Cruising!!!

 

Same here. An average cruise week trip (including a couple days on each side) comes in around $6-7,000. Why would I book an inside cabin just to save maybe 10%.

[T. Advisor King]

Can I attempt to defend it? :)

I think the base prices of cruises has remained so low that the cruise lines are only able to make up revenue in other areas...such as the bar.

That's probably true and you can't fault a company for trying to earn a profit. And since I rarely buy drinks on board, that model works heavily in my favor!

[cawagner]

I recently saw a Carnival commercial from 1997... it closed with '4 Day Cruises from $395!!!'

 

I've seen 4 days advertised recently for much less than that. It's amazing how affordable a cruise vacation is. For many folks a week on the ship is less than the airfare there and back...

 

Way to go Carnival, ineed...

 

:)

 

I just had to look for that commercial but came by one from 1985 http://youtu.be/BECwNurBbEQ :cool: Wow this one from 1995 is cheaper priced http://youtu.be/6B0xjNTHKZU

[WeBeCruisin']

I recently booked an NCL 7-day Western Caribbean cruise on the Dawn for $395 ($520 less $125 OBC). I haven't sailed with NCL since my honeymoon in 1986 on the NCL Southward (7-days, Eastern Caribbean). Even though their Latitudes (past passenger) program didn't start until 1995, I asked if they could honor my 1986 cruise.

 

They said they could, if I could provide some kind of documentation. Fortunately, I had a folder which included my original receipt for the 1986 cruise. We paid $995 each and that was 25 years ago.

 

In both cases, the booking was for an inside cabin.