Pricing differential

[Silver Spectre]

When I booked the Cloud voyage 1212, Ft Lauderdale to Monte Carlo last year the brochure prices for a Vista Suite were as follows:

 

UK Brochure Fare £3,988

US Brochure Fare $6,398

 

which uses an exchange rate of $1.60 to the £1

 

current online prices are:

 

UK £3,599

US $4,699

 

allowing for today's exchange rate of £1 = $1.58, the UK price should be £2,975.

 

Interesting that the UK market is deemed as not being particularly price sensitive, especially given our current economic climate, or is there a more sinister reason for treating the UK so badly.

[eliana]

When a similar situation occurrd a few years ago for a cruise on the Shadow, I complained very strongly and my agent was able to obtain for me an onboard credit.

[badgerdee]

I would never book through an Australian agent because the mark-up on the fares are quite extraordinary. This is why we always book through a US travel agent.

 

For example, the Singapore to Sydney cruise we did this past December would have cost AUD4,000 more if we'd booked here in Australia. So we saved a heap of money and also received a rebate (which we took as an OBC) of US1000. It is unheard of for Australian agents to offer rebates.

 

At least Silversea doesn't place any restrictions on trade. We startied off cruising with Princess, until we learned that US agents were forbidden to sell cruises to Australians, thereby resulting in us having to book far more expensive fares (for the same cruise) through Australian agents. It's one of the reasons we switched to Silversea (plus Silversea is a step-up in terms of the cruising experience).

[eliana]

Good on you, but some US agents say they are forbidden to book cruises on most lines for Brits

[Ravenscroft]

Good on you, but some US agents say they are forbidden to book cruises on most lines for Brits

 

I think that's pretty much what badgerdee was saying in the final paragraph, just exchange 'Australian' for British. It is indeed the case that many cruise lines will not allow agents to do so. Thankfully Silversea still does allow it.

[Ravenscroft]

Silver Spectre, I'll be interested to hear the outcome of this, if you wouldn't mind updating.

I'm trying to persuade my husband to book something now for the end of the year and he's using the argument that the fares may come down. I see his logic but I want it booked now!

I've seen others post about this and their TA has always managed to negotiate the new, lower fare, but I'm not sure if this if possible for British agents to do.

If I can tell my husband with confidence that if he books now and the cruise cost goes down he'll get the new fare honoured, he will be happy to make a reservation now. Otherwise he will not budge and it will be a last-minute rush when he does get around to booking. Plus flights will be more expensive....

[SusanNJ]

Prices on cruises have been reduced. Silverseas honored the reduction and reduced the price of my cruise fare by several thousand dollars. Pays to have a good agent.

[Emtbsam]

If you are booking a cruise that has "free business class" airfare and on board discounts, you might not be as well off if you wait. We had booked three B2B2B cruises in the Med in April. They lowered the fares by $1,000 for each cruise, but removed the free airfare and on board discounts. We were better off with the original booking. Besides, SS would not allow us to cancel and rebook. They felt that we should be "appeased" by this! Frankly, I am not.

 

While this is disappointing, it also makes me ponder the efficacy of waiting to book until much closer to departure date if airfare is not an issue and cabin selection is not important. Time will tell.

[ging466]

I would never book through an Australian agent because the mark-up on the fares are quite extraordinary. This is why we always book through a US travel agent.

 

For example, the Singapore to Sydney cruise we did this past December would have cost AUD4,000 more if we'd booked here in Australia. So we saved a heap of money and also received a rebate (which we took as an OBC) of US1000. It is unheard of for Australian agents to offer rebates.

 

At least Silversea doesn't place any restrictions on trade. We startied off cruising with Princess, until we learned that US agents were forbidden to sell cruises to Australians, thereby resulting in us having to book far more expensive fares (for the same cruise) through Australian agents. It's one of the reasons we switched to Silversea (plus Silversea is a step-up in terms of the cruising experience).

 

Agree wholeheartedly badgerdee. I won't book my cruises with an Aussie agent, they are way too expensive. I didn't even know about rebates until I used a US agent.

 

And in Oz, a lower price is NEVER honoured. U are stuck paying the original fare.

 

If only we could get the free air, I'd be over the moon.:)

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[badgerdee]

Crazy, isn't it Ging? Makes my blood boil because many fellow Aussies (and Brits) just pay the local agent and won't "risk" booking through a US agent where they could easily save enough to pay the deposit on their next cruise!

 

In my experience researching/booking cruises, prices don't seem to come down much at all for Silversea cruises. Silversea seems to offer the best prices if you book a year or more in advance.

 

That said, the exceptions to that rule seem to be expedition cruises (eg: Arctic or Antarctic) or repositioning cruises.

[badgerdee]

I think that's pretty much what badgerdee was saying in the final paragraph, just exchange 'Australian' for British. It is indeed the case that many cruise lines will not allow agents to do so. Thankfully Silversea still does allow it.

 

Thanks Ravenscroft.

 

That's precisely what i mean, but didn't say it as clearly as i should have!

[eliana]

What confuses the issue regarding price differentials between countries is the so-called 'free' add-ons, such as flights and on board credits. In making price comparisons between agents in the UK and the USA we ask for cruise only prices without flights, and check any differential between on-board credits.

Remember though the exchange risk between the date of booking and the date of payment. Can get quite complex

[farbster]

Our fare went down $1630 total and my travel agent noticed it and got us the reduced fare. That's a lot of cheddar.

[Silver Spectre]

Silver Spectre, I'll be interested to hear the outcome of this, if you wouldn't mind updating.

I'm trying to persuade my husband to book something now for the end of the year and he's using the argument that the fares may come down. I see his logic but I want it booked now!

I've seen others post about this and their TA has always managed to negotiate the new, lower fare, but I'm not sure if this if possible for British agents to do.

If I can tell my husband with confidence that if he books now and the cruise cost goes down he'll get the new fare honoured, he will be happy to make a reservation now. Otherwise he will not budge and it will be a last-minute rush when he does get around to booking. Plus flights will be more expensive....

 

Ravenscroft, when this has happened in the past, either with a fare reduction or the addition of onboard credit, my TA has managed to get SS to honour the new fare. In the current case I have been informed that the London office will not make a retrospective adjustment. This may be because it so close to sailing date.

 

I will be taking it further and will you know what the final outcome is.

 

My only comment on waiting for fare reductions is that its ok if the market is soft, but when things pick up these sort of reductions are likely to be far fewer. I need to plan, sometimes up to a year in advance, so cannot afford to wait until the last minute.

 

The point about the £/$ differential is only made about the last minute pricing, in the main SS have been pretty good about keeping UK fares in line with the US ones at brochure level and where the exchange rate has moved in favour of the £ allowing a currency adjustment against the UK fare.

[Silver Spectre]

If you are booking a cruise that has "free business class" airfare and on board discounts, you might not be as well off if you wait. We had booked three B2B2B cruises in the Med in April. They lowered the fares by $1,000 for each cruise, but removed the free airfare and on board discounts. We were better off with the original booking. Besides, SS would not allow us to cancel and rebook. They felt that we should be "appeased" by this! Frankly, I am not.

 

While this is disappointing, it also makes me ponder the efficacy of waiting to book until much closer to departure date if airfare is not an issue and cabin selection is not important. Time will tell.

 

The cruise I was using as an example also had a 'special offer' price earlier this year that was well below the standard fare, and yes it came without OBC or discounts. Like you it made more sense to keep the discounted fare. However, the example fares quoted are the standard fares that should attract OBC and discounts. In this case they should honour the new fare.

[MJN1]

Silver Spectre,

I am not going to rant about "rip-off Britain" (SS cruises are not the only thing you pay far above market prices....), and living in the UK I have never met my USA agent in person.

However, we had no problems booking cruises with her and like mentioned in other posts she always succeeded in getting retroactive pricing adjustments. The only "problem" is that "free air" (it is not free, its included in the price....) or any SS air packages have to be from and to a USA gateway, i.e. not from/to the UK. So we always forgo the "free air" and take the discount instead.

If you want an introduction pls give me yr email address as posting travel agent details is not allowed.

[Ravenscroft]

Silver Spectre, thanks for your reply. I'll await news of the final outcome.

 

On the subject of TA's for booking cruises, we've used two, one was Amex Plat and we were decidedly unimpressed with the service we go from them, and then we tried another UK based agent. Good service from them, a small discount, but basically I'm not feeling like I have any loyalty to any TA so I may try to find a US agent.