Rates increase!!!

[RumpunchGirl]

I was checking on my cruise price this week and found that it jumped up $500pp so that's $1000 more for 2! I was really surprised. I booked my Queensland cruise for 2014 as soon as it was available this past May. I've been checking the price almost everyday in case there was a drop. I'm in as JS on ROS and now, even the cheaper balconies cost more than what I paid!:eek: I don't think I have to worry about the price dropping below what I paid anymore.:(

[MS52]

Keep checking. You never know. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason (other than supply and demand :rolleyes:)

 

We're in the same boat (no pun intended) for our January cruise. We're in a JS and it's just gone up, up and up some more. My DD is in an OV and has had some significant price decreases that she was able to take advantage of.

[PCWalton1]

Definitely keep checking. For our September 2012 Radiance cruise to Hawaii we initially booked an inside cabin and for a while watched prices go up on balconies and above. As we got closer to final payment date first balcony cabins than JS cabins came down in price to where we moved from an inside to a D1 to a JS for about $350 each.

Not saying that will happen all the time, but certainly keeps me looking. :D

 

Bill

[tserface]

This is one illustration for all of those who complain when the price goes down after final payment. In this case they are not asking you to fork over the difference so you got a better deal than a lot of people will get. Frankly, I like that we don't have to pay more when the price goes up (which it often does).

 

Tom

 

I was checking on my cruise price this week and found that it jumped up $500pp so that's $1000 more for 2! I was really surprised. I booked my Queensland cruise for 2014 as soon as it was available this past May. I've been checking the price almost everyday in case there was a drop. I'm in as JS on ROS and now, even the cheaper balconies cost more than what I paid!:eek: I don't think I have to worry about the price dropping below what I paid anymore.:(

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Booking early has been my best chance of getting the best price. In only a couple of times has my cruise price actually dropped and I was able to get compensated. Most of the time it has gone up.

[SPacificbound]

I book early so I can have lots to choose from.

 

On our 4/14 Panama cruise all remaining balcony cabins are now more then our corner aft Jr Suite. :eek:

[orville99]

I think the days of last minute price drops are numbered. RCL seems to be getting a much better handle on their pick up rate. Maybe it will change once the new ships start sailing, but with stable capacity and increasing demand, they are gaining pricing power for the moment.

[Ourusualbeach]

I think the days of last minute price drops are numbered. RCL seems to be getting a much better handle on their pick up rate. Maybe it will change once the new ships start sailing, but with stable capacity and increasing demand, they are gaining pricing power for the moment.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. Have you seen the drops in prices this summer and carrying through this fall. Prices for the larger ships have never been this low and all at the last minute. Even this week they dropped the price of a New Years cruise on the Majesty down to $200pp and that was just before final payment.

[Snowy69]

Great advice....where do you go to check prices?

[Ourusualbeach]

Great advice....where do you go to check prices?

 

You can do mock bookings on RCIs website or you can use google to find sites that list cruise price cuts. Sorry not allowed to mention sites by name but google can be your friend.

[PCWalton1]

I think the days of last minute price drops are numbered. RCL seems to be getting a much better handle on their pick up rate. Maybe it will change once the new ships start sailing, but with stable capacity and increasing demand, they are gaining pricing power for the moment.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. Have you seen the drops in prices this summer and carrying through this fall. Prices for the larger ships have never been this low and all at the last minute. Even this week they dropped the price of a New Years cruise on the Majesty down to $200pp and that was just before final payment.

 

I would tend to disagree as well. Just before final payment date our upcoming Legend cruise dropped significantly. We went from a L cabin to a K cabin (I know not a big difference :o) but dropped in price from $3470 for the two of us to $2353. And that is for a 15 day cruise. And darn near half the cost is the taxes for going through the Panama Canal.

 

Bill

[orville99]

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. Have you seen the drops in prices this summer and carrying through this fall. Prices for the larger ships have never been this low and all at the last minute. Even this week they dropped the price of a New Years cruise on the Majesty down to $200pp and that was just before final payment.

 

 

While you may see what you perceive as a price drop on a specific cruise and for a specific category of cabin, as an overall direction, the frequency and scope of true price drops across the fleet has been significantly curtailed. I don't see this trend reversing anytime soon. IMO, what you're really seeing is a slight reduction in a price that has been systematically raised since the cruise was first released.

 

As an example, we're in a JS on EN in 3 weeks. When we booked, the price was $589/pp. It stabilized at $609 (for almost a year) until about 3 weeks before final payment, when it jumped to $749/pp. If you look at it today, it's back at $609. If you were looking at a JS on that cruise three weeks ago and saw the $749 price, and then looked again today and saw the $609 price, you'd probably perceive that price drop as evidence of the "last minute" good deal strategy. The truth is that it is $20/pp more than we paid when we booked last year.

[Ourusualbeach]

While you may see what you perceive as a price drop on a specific cruise and for a specific category of cabin, as an overall direction, the frequency and scope of true price drops across the fleet has been significantly curtailed. I don't see this trend reversing anytime soon. IMO, what you're really seeing is a slight reduction in a price that has been systematically raised since the cruise was first released.

 

As an example, we're in a JS on EN in 3 weeks. When we booked, the price was $589/pp. It stabilized at $609 (for almost a year) until about 3 weeks before final payment, when it jumped to $749/pp. If you look at it today, it's back at $609. If you were looking at a JS on that cruise three weeks ago and saw the $749 price, and then looked again today and saw the $609 price, you'd probably perceive that price drop as evidence of the "last minute" good deal strategy. The truth is that it is $20/pp more than we paid when we booked last year.

 

I was referring to price drops that are well below what the initial price of the cruise was. When you see Oasis and Allure selling for under $800 last minute on a consistent basis and Freedom under $500 again on a regular basis these are price drops well below the initial price of e cruise. This has been typical for ships sailing the Caribbean and There was also some pretty deep discounting of Alaska cruises. Can't speak to Europe or others as I wasn't watching those.

[orville99]

I was referring to price drops that are well below what the initial price of the cruise was. When you see Oasis and Allure selling for under $800 last minute on a consistent basis and Freedom under $500 again on a regular basis these are price drops well below the initial price of e cruise. This has been typical for ships sailing the Caribbean and There was also some pretty deep discounting of Alaska cruises. Can't speak to Europe or others as I wasn't watching those.

 

Not arguing that you won't see price drops on specific categories on specific cruises, just that the trend is away from that as an overall pricing model. On that same cruise where you see an interior cabin for a reduced price compared to opening day, you'll almost always also see the prices on balcony and suite cabins priced significantly higher than opening day. On our EN cruise, there was actually a two week period where OV cabins were priced higher than what we paid for our JS:eek:

 

In short, waiting until the last minute may get you a cheap price, as long as you don't mind an inside cabin on deck two right next to the chain locker, but if you're hoping to snag a cheap OV or above you're more than likely to find yourself twisting in the wind

[Trekker954]

I was checking on my cruise price this week and found that it jumped up $500pp so that's $1000 more for 2! I was really surprised. I booked my Queensland cruise for 2014 as soon as it was available this past May. I've been checking the price almost everyday in case there was a drop. I'm in as JS on ROS and now, even the cheaper balconies cost more than what I paid!:eek: I don't think I have to worry about the price dropping below what I paid anymore.:(

 

 

Are you on the Radiance or Rhapsody? Don't be so sure. Although with a JS, you probably got a very good price. You cruise is pretty far off. We are planning on doing Rhapsody South Pacific, but hadn't booked yet. I had quite the surprise when I saw across the board the price went up $500 for every cabin class (I guess similar to yours). That is the first price change I've seen on the sailing. So now, chances are I will wait and wait, and pounce right after final payment when I surely expect prices to drop.

 

This happened on my upcoming Med cruise also. Prices were a little high, so I booked an inside when that dropped (typically first to drop), then waited until the balcony dropped lower than most who had booked when the ship first opened its prices. Unfortunately you have to play the game sometimes. I was hoping for a JS price drop but those prices are still going up and the cruise is only about 10 days away.

[marielco]

This has been typical for ships sailing the Caribbean and There was also some pretty deep discounting of Alaska cruises. Can't speak to Europe or others as I wasn't watching those.

 

I have always booked a balcony early on for all the cruises I have taken in Europe. Checked for price drops all along but always rises rather than drops. Don't think price drops are as common for Europe as the Carribean.

[Ashland]

Booking early has been my best chance of getting the best price. In only a couple of times has my cruise price actually dropped and I was able to get compensated. Most of the time it has gone up.

Agree...15 cruises with RCI and the only time any of them have gone down is when a senior or resident rate was offered.

[mpoole3]

I think the days of last minute price drops are numbered. RCL seems to be getting a much better handle on their pick up rate. Maybe it will change once the new ships start sailing, but with stable capacity and increasing demand, they are gaining pricing power for the moment.

 

I also have to disagree with you...

 

Some Oasis/Allure sailings are going on sale next week for $349 PP.

[ohiogymrat]

 

Some Oasis/Allure sailings are going on sale next week for $349 PP.

 

That price was an error. It was for 3rd and 4th passengers

[griffy116]

We booked a few months ago for Europe on Liberty from Civitavecchia (Rome) at $1662 pp for balcony. The price now is $2174 pp. While I'll continue to watch the price, I don't anticipate any price drop that would be advantageous for us.

[orville99]

I also have to disagree with you...

 

Some Oasis/Allure sailings are going on sale next week for $349 PP.

 

 

You've completely missed the point. I never said you wouldn't be able to find a reduction on a specific cruise on a specific category, what I said was that the long-term trend has been moving away from price reductions as a business model, and towards a more overall accurate pricing model. As I stated before, I expect this trend to continue at least until new inventory comes online, or the economy reverses course.

[pcur]

For those of you that are waiting to book after final payment, especially on the Hawaii or Australia\New Zealand cruises, be sure to keep an eye on occupancy levels. The ships sailing to these locations have a tendency to be fully booked.

[Ourusualbeach]

You've completely missed the point. I never said you wouldn't be able to find a reduction on a specific cruise on a specific category, what I said was that the long-term trend has been moving away from price reductions as a business model, and towards a more overall accurate pricing model. As I stated before, I expect this trend to continue at least until new inventory comes online, or the economy reverses course.

 

Can you share how you know this information.

[pcur]

Can you share how you know this information.

 

It's a fairly common theory (opinion). A lot of posts lately have been mentioning prices not budging. In the last few weeks I have seen price drops on 4 out of 7 cabins I'm watching, and I was very surprised to see them.

[orville99]

Can you share how you know this information.

 

 

Analyzing market trends is what I do for a living:)