Ridiculous Cunard pricings

[bazzaw]

Just got a glossy brochure from Cunard which has the pricings for the Circumnavigation of Australia in 2014 in it.

 

As most major cities in Australia are included in the itinerary, you can do the circumnavigation Brisbane-Brisbane or Sydney-Sydney or Melbourne-Melbourne, etc.

 

BUT - there are CONSIDERABLE price differences between the different city departure points. For example, for a modest inside cabin , the Brisbane-Brisbane itinerary is $1100 per person more expensive than the comparable Sydney-Sydney cruise and for a Princess Grill cabin , it is $2500 per person more expensive to sail Brisbane to Brisbane than Sydney to Sydney.

 

Now I know that many people from Brisbane prefer to sail from Brisbane when they can -- avoiding the need to fly to/from Sydney -- and possibly supply/demand comes into the equation here somewhere , BUT I am certain that a couple in an inside cabin or a Grills cabin could get much more bang for their buck from departing from Sydney. $5000 would get a couple nicely to and from Brisbane and a rather entertaining weekend in Sydney with the balance. :D

 

Any thoughts re this -- or am I missing something.

 

Oh -- and I do know that it is not compulsory to cruise with Cunard. :rolleyes:

 

Barry

[3rdGenCunarder]

That makes no sense at all.

 

I tried the US website to see if there was a discrepancy like that in US pricing, but all we're offered is the Sydney-to-Sydney option. It was like that last year, too. We could only book the full circumnavigation, not the various segments that could be booked in Australia.

[bazzaw]

That makes no sense at all.

 

I tried the US website to see if there was a discrepancy like that in US pricing, but all we're offered is the Sydney-to-Sydney option. It was like that last year, too. We could only book the full circumnavigation, not the various segments that could be booked in Australia.

 

Kathy

 

These prices (including the price differences between the various departure points) are all for a full Circumnavigation. Same distance, same number of days onboard -- just different cities where you get on and get off. :confused:

 

Barry

[Dcoy]

The US brochure for that cruise only shows the Sydney to Sydney as a segment option. No other segments start or end in any other Australian cities.

 

Don

[3rdGenCunarder]

Kathy

 

 

 

These prices (including the price differences between the various departure points) are all for a full Circumnavigation. Same distance, same number of days onboard -- just different cities where you get on and get off.

 

 

 

Barry

 

 

When I said it made no sense, I didn't mean you, I meant Cunard. My first thought was that they had something added in for one of the itineraries, but then I realized how unlikely that would be, given that Sydney and Brisbane are consecutive port stops. I was hoping to find both options on the US site to see if we had a similar discrepancy. Have you called Cunard to ask why the two cruises are priced differently?

 

The US brochure for that cruise only shows the Sydney to Sydney as a segment option. No other segments start or end in any other Australian cities.

 

Don

 

It was like that for the 2012 circumnavigation, too. When I joined the roll call, I was amazed at all the different segments people were booking. Lots of options were offered on the .au site but not on the .com site. It makes sense to offer Australians varied segments. It gave lots of people who couldn't travel for 3 weeks a chance to experience QM2. Someone flying from the US would be more likely to fly into Sydney and take the full circle.

 

Has anyone looked at the .co.uk site to see if there are varied options for Australia there?

[glojo]

Just got a glossy brochure from Cunard which has the pricings for the Circumnavigation of Australia in 2014 in it.

 

As most major cities in Australia are included in the itinerary, you can do the circumnavigation Brisbane-Brisbane or Sydney-Sydney or Melbourne-Melbourne, etc.

 

BUT - there are CONSIDERABLE price differences between the different city departure points. For example, for a modest inside cabin , the Brisbane-Brisbane itinerary is $1100 per person more expensive than the comparable Sydney-Sydney cruise and for a Princess Grill cabin , it is $2500 per person more expensive to sail Brisbane to Brisbane than Sydney to Sydney.

 

Now I know that many people from Brisbane prefer to sail from Brisbane when they can -- avoiding the need to fly to/from Sydney -- and possibly supply/demand comes into the equation here somewhere , BUT I am certain that a couple in an inside cabin or a Grills cabin could get much more bang for their buck from departing from Sydney. $5000 would get a couple nicely to and from Brisbane and a rather entertaining weekend in Sydney with the balance. :D

 

Any thoughts re this -- or am I missing something.

 

Oh -- and I do know that it is not compulsory to cruise with Cunard. :rolleyes:

 

Barry

Just had a quick peep at the prices in the UK.

 

Freemantle return 22 days

Melbourne return 23 days

Sydney return 23 days

 

Are all the same price

 

Brisbane return 23 days is £200 more expensive.

 

I am assuming they would be for the same type cabin as I got the prices from the same site but who knows?

 

I hope this is of some help?

 

I could not find any other return trips and do not know if these are the only ports it goes to twice!

[Pushka]

I think the difference is the port fees charged for embark/disembark. Some of the US travel sites are offering much better prices ($2700 cheaper!) than what we are charged on the Aus site.

[BlueRiband]

There's a thread in the "Ask a Cruise Question" section regarding itineries and pricing. It seems to answer why Cunard likes to do the "float around Australia":

 

...Please remember this: It is ALWAYS about the money....

 

We can put a ship in New York, sailing to the Caribbean. The fuel costs will nearly double, port costs are very high, and onboard spending will drop nearly 50%. Or we can leave it in Australia, with lower fuel costs, lower port costs, no CBP, and double the onboard spending.

 

Assuming that YOU owned a cruise line - and were not planning to have it listed as a charity organization - where would YOU put your ships?

 

(Here at post #16.)

[glojo]

I think the difference is the port fees charged for embark/disembark. Some of the US travel sites are offering much better prices ($2700 cheaper!) than what we are charged on the Aus site.

 

I think the actual charges will vary country to country but to me, I thought the query was why was there a huge variation for sailing in a circle with the same diameter? There is certainly NO significant price differential on UK charges and i am NOT comparing UK price to Australian prices. That to me was no the question?? (query)

[3rdGenCunarder]

I think the actual charges will vary country to country but to me, I thought the query was why was there a huge variation for sailing in a circle with the same diameter? There is certainly NO significant price differential on UK charges and i am NOT comparing UK price to Australian prices. That to me was no the question?? (query)

 

That was Barry's initial question, too. The 200 pound difference on the UK site could be due to different fees for embarking/disembarking passengers. although that seems a bit high for port fees. But the difference on the Australian site that starts at $1000 (AU) per person, and goes up from there to over $2000 can't be written off as port fees.

 

Too bad Mr. Shanks isn't coming back for another round of questions. I'd like to see the justification for this.

[glojo]

That was Barry's initial question, too. The 200 pound difference on the UK site could be due to different fees for embarking/disembarking passengers. although that seems a bit high for port fees. But the difference on the Australian site that starts at $1000 (AU) per person, and goes up from there to over $2000 can't be written off as port fees.

 

Too bad Mr. Shanks isn't coming back for another round of questions. I'd like to see the justification for this.

I totally agree with both you and Barry.. To me it is going way off topic to start discussing what country charges what price for a specific cruise (apart from that small price differential on one cruise)

 

If I travel around the UK then I will travel the same distance no matter where I start from providing I start and end at the same point of embarkation. Same amount of fuel and hopefully the same amount of time although the Australian cruise shows a day's difference on at least one of those circum navigations.

 

Barry Has noticed something that to me makes no sense and desrves an answer.

[Pushka]

Perhaps supply and demand then. Limited spaces for the more expensive ports and relatively more demand for those places may push up prices. Which, if you factor in having to travel to Sydney if based in Perth, plus accommodation, may actually level out the cost. Not that Cunard should benefit from that. Perth is a really popular exit point for world travellers but also very popular entry point for Aussie travellers and lets face it, there is a lot of wealth in Perth these days.

 

I just think their pricing models for these sectors have taken supply and demand into account for those ports, plus possibly port fees and those are the prices that result.

(Seriously glojo I did respond to the original question and then went on to discuss other pricing quirks. )

[bazzaw]

I think the difference is the port fees charged for embark/disembark. Some of the US travel sites are offering much better prices ($2700 cheaper!) than what we are charged on the Aus site.

 

There may indeed be some extra charges at different ports -- but for this to be the case here , it would mean that Sydney has the cheapest Port charges and taxes of all major ports in Australia?? Also -- if it is just because of additional port charges, why would the differences them selves be different between inside cabins and Grills cabins?. The port charges are for people onboard -- not the standard of their accommodation.

 

Barry

[bazzaw]

Personally, I think that it is probably a combination of factors - different port charges, supply and demand factors - and of course, businesses will get away with whatever they can!! :D

 

However - if any couple here from Brisbane would like to do this circumnavigation in (say) a Princess Grill cabin - then they can put aside the $5000 differential that Cunard wants to charge them, fly down to Sydney and return (around $250 return each) and spend the remaining $4500 during a VERY nice few days before they sail. . :D

 

Barry

[Pushka]

They are all over the place. Melbourne seems to be the worst price. $21k for Queens pp versus Sydney at $17.5k pp.

 

Maybe Queens subsides the Port charges for us 'insiders'. :)

[Whitemarsh]

I don't understand why this circumnavigation is more expensive than the one in 2012. Sydney to Sydney in Princess Grill was around $22k for two people back in 2012, I do not see that there is any plausible reason why it would be so much more expensive in 2014.

 

Something else they didn't do in 2012 was charge a premium for various ports. The price was based on the number of nights.

[Pushka]

Maybe that was stateroom price? But I don't think so. They may well have over estimated the market and not the same pent up demand nor interest. Could be some better prices around August methinks. Only in the Aus market. (At risk of being called for being off topic, the prices in the USA are much cheaper. Which means that many spaces may be filled from there and not Australia, especially with this port differentiation )

[Whitemarsh]

Maybe that was stateroom price? But I don't think so. They may well have over estimated the market and not the same pent up demand nor interest. Could be some better prices around August methinks. Only in the Aus market. (At risk of being called for being off topic, the prices in the USA are much cheaper. Which means that many spaces may be filled from there and not Australia, especially with this port differentiation )

 

Stateroom price ?

[Pushka]

Stateroom price ?

 

In my comment, as opposed to pp price.

[glojo]

What the market will bear is an interesting comment and would this need a degree of research to figure out what the market actually is and would the demographics be the same for different cruise lines, and maybe even different ships? I have NO idea and am asking questions as my first thoughts were it could be 'what the market would bear' but when I started thinking about this, it just seemed a daft suggestion.

 

Bazzaw

Where are you getting your figures from?

 

I have just had a look at Australian prices which I feel are relevant to your post and here we go

 

All are circumnavigations

 

Freemantle 22 day Balcony $8249 Queens Grill $18659

 

Melbourne 23 days Balcony $8599 Queens Grill $19499

 

Sydney 23 days Balcony $8599 Queens Grill $19499

 

Brisbane 23 days Balcony $8599 Queens Grill $19499

 

I can't see anything untoward with those prices and I am NOT comparing them with those from any other country.

 

If the length of the cruise differ from the others I posted then i would be inclined to believe these as opposed to those other dates as they are from a Travel Agent's site

 

 

 

In the last five years how many times has this ship run around your very nice country?

 

In your experience is this a schedule mainly for Australians? When I looked at a World Cruise, I dismissed this itinerary because of this schedule. Devoting 23 days to one continent might be acceptable to some but not for me service

[Pushka]

Queens Melbourne is A$21,024

Queens Sydney is A$17,534

 

Balcony Melbourne is A$8,784

Balcony Sydney is A$7,324

 

These were this morning's prices at cunardline.com.au

[glojo]

Queens Melbourne is A$21,024

Queens Sydney is A$17,534

 

Balcony Melbourne is A$8,784

Balcony Sydney is A$7,324

 

These were this morning's prices at cunardline.com.au

 

I am not Australian and my links might be throwing up a different currency but it is DEFINITELY an Au page and hopefully this is not deemed advertising?

 

I am not disagreeing with anyone, I am merely curious and asking questions just like everyone else:

 

[Louise D]

I am not Australian and my links might be throwing up a different currency but it is DEFINITELY an Au page and hopefully this is not deemed advertising?

 

I am not disagreeing with anyone, I am merely curious and asking questions just like everyone else:

 

 

That looks a lot like the original pricing when the sectors were released in Australia.

 

What would be happening with the pricing now is that Melb-Melb and Bris-Bris are more popular than the Syd-Syd and Fre-Fre, so the pricing is reflecting demand. You must remember that Melb-Melb and Bris-Bris were not available on the first circumnavigation in 2012.

 

Louise

[glojo]

That looks a lot like the original pricing when the sectors were released in Australia.

 

What would be happening with the pricing now is that Melb-Melb and Bris-Bris are more popular than the Syd-Syd and Fre-Fre, so the pricing is reflecting demand. You must remember that Melb-Melb and Bris-Bris were not available on the first circumnavigation in 2012.

 

Louise

Wise words as usual which is perhaps helping to highlight how this might indeed be 'supply and demand'

[Pushka]

Bazzaw and I discussed price and demand a few posts up. :confused:

 

Its weird. All but the Sydney sector is now being shown as sold out. The Sydney sector is showing as $5610 for an inside. Makes no sense. This is the official Australian Cunard site. Shame we can't post URLs as that would help us sort it out.