How times have changed

[WeBeCruisin']

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.

 

And the cruise ship drink prices are still often less than what you'd pay in a reputable bar or restaurant at home.

[kroozers]

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

 

I work in the beverage industry - 5% is standard.

[soccersharon]

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.

 

 

I actually think the price of drinks is reasonable :) I think it all depends what one is used to. A beer at the Molson Centre watching a Habs game will cost you about $10.00 bucks!

 

Perception is reality.

[halos]

That's probably true and you can't fault a company for trying to earn a profit. !

 

Absolutely not!! :)

 

And the cruise ship drink prices are still often less than what you'd pay in a reputable bar or restaurant at home.

I actually think the price of drinks is reasonable :) I think it all depends what one is used to.

 

Totally agree with all of you. :)

[richstan]

I always remember "call drinks" (gin and tonic, vodka and OJ) on my first cruise back in 1993 were $2.12 with tip---coming fom NYC the price was the same as my area code.

[blondietink]

Have to agree with the airfare ... for our family of 4 to fly anywhere is prohibitive, which is why we drive to our destinations. I hesitate to think of what the airfare would be for us to cruise out of Europe, Puerto Rico or Barbados.

 

In fact, for our February vacation, we were going to go to Las Vegas. Airfare was over $1600.00, plus the cost of hotel, car rental, gas, food. We decided to try cruising and drove to New Orleans, took a 5 day on Triumph and drove home all for the same as it would have cost us for airfare alone to Las Vegas.

[DocF]

A much more realistic way to determine if drink prices are out of line is to look at local restaurant prices. Carnival is very much in the range of drinks in our lovely state (confusion, err, North Carolina). Actually, the well drinks (house brands) are often less expensive on the cruise ships and are using a better grade of booze.

 

Doc

[crzycick]

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.

 

 

Totally fine with me, we aren't too big on drinking. I'm happy that others can keep my price down :D

[crzycick]

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%.

 

 

Yikes!! We can't afford that, we cruise super cheap. Even when we got a balcony for his "welcome back from Iraq/honeymoon we never had" trip I think our max budget including gas for the 14 hour drive, hotel, excursions, tips, etc was under $3000. I think our next one which we splurged on for an 8 day in an inside on deck 11 with everything included was around $2000--and that included doing some awesome and more expensive excursions than the first trip. We're hoping to book one in the winter for our 5 year anniversary, the inside room for 7 nights with taxes and fees is under $900. That's even out of Baltimore which is more expensive than from Miami (we've moved so driving to Miami isn't as easy). We're hoping to keep everything under $1400ish. Haven't budgeted it out but that's our goal. Plus we are cashing in our bank rewards which would make it $1100 out of our pocket.

[spcopps]

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

 

I wish I had kept something with the price because we are actually staying in the Grand Suite again (but with 3 little ones this time) but I didn't...it was our honeymoon cruise and my MIL paid for the entire trip. My brother gave us buddy passes to fly on delta so airline wasn't that expensive either. I do remember soda's were included and we ordered a bottle of wine at dinner each night but other than that didn't order any other drinks and I can't remember the wine prices either. I'm not sure if you were allowed to bring on wine/champagne then because MIL had a bottle waiting on us in our cabin so we didn't pay for Bon Voyage either, and she also paid for DHs tux rentals...gotta love great MILs. The only reason I even looked at the caper was because we are again sailing on the Imagination (same as honeymoon) but this Oct cruise will be our 11th anniversary (actually debark on our anniversary:() and just wanted to see how things have changed. I have to do something to pass the time since there isn't a Tour Guide Mike for cruising..

[balcony bound]

I actually think the price of drinks is reasonable :) I think it all depends what one is used to. A beer at the Molson Centre watching a Habs game will cost you about $10.00 bucks!

 

Perception is reality.

 

We spent last weekend at one of our favorite resort hotels, something I resist because a for a couple of nights there I could book a 4-5 day cruise easily... but anyway, our first drink order was $25 for two drinks (tip was included, similar to cruise as it is a "cashless" hotel), small ones in plastic cups! Good thing they don't have a smuggling problem, I headed out to the liquor store.

[H82seaUgo]

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.

 

what's sad to me when i look at an old brochure is the "what's included" page. it is an extremely long list. many things would have to be removed if there were brochures today. yes, even those are gone.

 

and the higher fares that had you walking serenely around many parts of the ship have been reduced for the chaotic cramming of as many people, except musicians, carnival can fit onto a ship.

 

sure you can put twice as many people on a ship, cut everyones fare in half, take in the same room and board, yet increase revenues 100% in onboad charges, especially if you clamp down on brought on alcohol while increasing drink prices by 350%.

[jakesnana]

Remembering when:

 

1989 - 5 nt. NCL Southward out of LA going to Ensendada, Catalina and San Diego, with airfare from Boston, for a singe shared guarantee room (they don't even offer this anymore) was a total of $500.00 (I ended up in a port hole oceanview by myself, no roommate). This was in February

 

1998 - 7 nights on the Sea Princess in an inside cabin was $700.00 total, per person. This was in February.

 

2010 - 7 nts on the NCL Peal in a balcony cabin was $700.00 per person. This was in November.

 

Granted, cruising isn't what it used to be and the prices for drinks and activities (bingo) have gone up, but that's O.K. I can still take a vacation now for less than I did 20 years ago, and decide if I want to spend the extra money on drinks, bingo, excursions, etc.

 

At this point in our cruising life (35 cruises sailed), we have seen most everything and just like to be on the ship. Hubby can't drink because of a medical condition, therefore I drink very little. We like the MDR, so no need for a specialty restaurant. I play bingo at home, where it is reasonably priced. Our only vice is that we like the casino, but we budget for it. We are the cruise lines worst customer :)

[halos]

Totally fine with me, we aren't too big on drinking. I'm happy that others can keep my price down :D

 

That's exactly why CCL does what they do. They strive to make cruises affordable.

 

All us folks running up their S&S keep your costs down...those thrifty folk that have zero balance on their statements at the end of their cruise may be a problem however

LOL :D

[Socref124]

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

 

 

 

 

We've only flown twice. On our first cruise to Hawaii and our last cruise we flew to San Juan. The flight to Hawaii was $700 a piece and to San Juan it was $400 a piece. The two cruises made it worth the money I must admit.:D

[GoofyDog]

The reason for taking our next cruise? PRICE, PRICE, PRICE!

 

With our FCC the total amount we are paying for our 16 day TA cruise is $1329 for 2!!! Seriously???

 

We spend about 3 1/2 days in Chicago this weekend and I would venture to say that with all the sightseeing we did and hotel, food, drinks, etc.... we spent around $800, minimum.

 

Now, for our TA cruise we are getting free airfare, but still, just for the essentials we spent more than half what the cruise is costing us for 16 days!

 

Cruising is definitely the most ECONOMICAL way to spend a vacation!

[slotguy777]

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

Hi all I have a few prices from when I worked on cruise ships in the early 80"s:rolleyes: My parents came on a cruise w/me on the Old Statendam HAL, they paid $1,100.0/person for a 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise in '81. The Beer price at that time was $1.00 per bottle of Heinekin. The saying was it was $125/day on the cruises. Carnival had only 2 reburb ships at that time, and if memory serves the prices were $199.00/p on 3 day and $299.00/p on 4 day. As their founder told me, I used to help Carnival with parts and slot machine installations and repair, he aimed for the young party crowd with cruise prices, and made up for it by charging $2.50 for a beer.

Hope that was interesting. y the way I worked for a company called Atlantic Maritime. They leased the space for casinos and split the profits with the cruise lines. I sailed on HAL, Costa, Chandris, Home Lines, and NCL. I did repairs on games fot RCCL.

 

Fair Seas and Following Winds:D

[T. Advisor King]

Yikes!! We can't afford that, we cruise super cheap. Even when we got a balcony for his "welcome back from Iraq/honeymoon we never had" trip I think our max budget including gas for the 14 hour drive, hotel, excursions, tips, etc was under $3000. I think our next one which we splurged on for an 8 day in an inside on deck 11 with everything included was around $2000--and that included doing some awesome and more expensive excursions than the first trip. We're hoping to book one in the winter for our 5 year anniversary, the inside room for 7 nights with taxes and fees is under $900. That's even out of Baltimore which is more expensive than from Miami (we've moved so driving to Miami isn't as easy). We're hoping to keep everything under $1400ish. Haven't budgeted it out but that's our goal. Plus we are cashing in our bank rewards which would make it $1100 out of our pocket.

 

Bear in mind that the price I quoted was for our family of four. But, as you point out, it is very expensive. That's why any time someone comments on how cheap it is to take a cruise, I offer the other side of the coin. If you're flying half a continent to get there and probably staying a couple extra nights as a cushion against travel delays (and because if you're going to spend that much to travel that far, you might as well see some of the area), then it is going to run $1,500 per person easily.

[elcuchio24]

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...

 

:)

 

We have a 4 night booked this fall for $179pp....

[crzycick]

That's exactly why CCL does what they do. They strive to make cruises affordable.

 

All us folks running up their S&S keep your costs down...those thrifty folk that have zero balance on their statements at the end of their cruise may be a problem however

LOL :D

 

Not zero, we pay the tips ;)

 

 

I think we each buy 2-3 drinks the entire cruise. Private excursions. Aside from tips our bill is less than $50, usually much less

[H82seaUgo]

Not zero, we pay the tips ;)

 

 

I think we each buy 2-3 drinks the entire cruise. Private excursions. Aside from tips our bill is less than $50, usually much less

 

if memory serves, the recommended tip amount has not changed in at least 25 years. the only thing new is that floating dollar for the lido workers.

[crusinpsychRN]

Some of the trips I take now cost the same as in the '80's!

[golfadj]

Carnival and the other cruise lines have done an amazing job at controlling costs.

 

Lucky for the cruise lines people watch costs of cruises but do not worry about cost of drinking.

[westview1]

We've only flown twice. On our first cruise to Hawaii and our last cruise we flew to San Juan. The flight to Hawaii was $700 a piece and to San Juan it was $400 a piece. The two cruises made it worth the money I must admit.:D

 

We use the points from the credit card for the airfare. Otherwise the airfare for the Hawaii and trans-Pacific cruises would be scary.

[usafchick1980]

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

 

 

 

 

I agree..we are cruising out of Miami this time because we wanted something new for our honeymoon. But we live about 3 hours from NYC and 1.5 - 2 hours from Baltimore. So I love that we don't always have to fly to cruise.