Pricing for March 2015…What the???

[WillyBear]

We just got off the Royal a few weeks ago. DW said today she'd like to cruise again next March (she's a teacher here in Ontario, Canada so we vacation on March Break). Looked at a balcony, mid-aft on Baha deck on the Regal and it came in at $3265 Canadian including taxes/port charges. That's about 10% higher than we paid this past year, some of which can be accounted for by the increase in the exchange rate. BUT…I compared it to 4 other cruises (balconies in similar locations on each ship, all out of Ft. Lauderdale except one out of Port Canaveral) on RCL, NCL and Celebrity and Princess is $500 - $650 dollars more. And to top it off all of the balcony staterooms on the other lines have a couch/love seat in them. I'd have to move up to a deluxe balcony on Princess to get that. Why is Princess 20% - 25% higher in price than those other lines right now (and none of them had sales on)? Even Caribbean Princess was only $200 less than the new Regal.

Edited April 10, 2014 by WillyBear

[Skai]

Princess usually prices their sailings (compared to other similar lines) a bit higher further out from the sailing date. It's just the way that they've decided to employ their pricing structure.

 

With the exception of popular itineraries that either sell out early/or fast enough to not warrant significant price reductions, one can usually count on a lot of various Princess sailings to be nearer to 2/3rds or even around half of the launch price by the final payment date.

 

Of course many may suggest that the best/most desirable cabin choices are often snatched up in the early going, and that one can always check for price reductions and potential compensation prior to final payment date......The best deals can be had by those that are able to sail at shorter notice and take advantage of heavily discounted fares closer to sailing dates.

 

Other comparable cruise lines may incorporate a different style of pricing that may start out lower than Princess at/or near launch time, but may not have as sharp of discounts later on.

 

Each cruise line surely establishes their pricing structure philosophies on what has worked best for them. However, one would think that first-time cruisers or cruisers with interest in similar itineraries further out in advance (comparatively looking at price points) may choose to skip Princess in favor of a competitor.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Skai

[Colo Cruiser]

I see they are priced higher this far out too.

Just keep watching the fares.

[-Lew-]

Book now to get the cabin you want and keep an eye on pricing. If pricing decreases for your cabin category, you know what to do. If pricing increases, you're locked in.

 

Lew

[SeagoingMom]

Why is Princess 20% - 25% higher in price than those other lines right now (and none of them had sales on)? Even Caribbean Princess was only $200 less than the new Regal.

Yes, this is a question I had been asking myself for some time: why do people pay more to sail with Princess? It was the question I hoped to get answered when we took our first Princess cruise in March of this year, on Caribbean Princess. We had to book a mini-suite just to get the sofa, and on every other cruise line we had been on (Celebrity, Carnival, Holland America), the sofa was included in a regular balcony cabin, and at much more appealing prices. I figured there had to be something about Princess that made people keep coming back in spite of the tiny cabins and miniscule (and in our case, uncovered!) balconies, so I booked a Princess cruise to find out what that "special something" was.

 

Well, whatever it is that makes people come back to Princess escapes me -- our cruise confirmed to me that there is nothing I value enough on Princess to cruise with them again. For me, the 7-night Western Caribbean cruise was enough like our experience on Carnival that it definitely wasn't worth the extra cost, nor did it compare at all to Celebrity, which, as you point out, is also cheaper! And Caribbean Princess, at least, did not hold a candle to HAL in terms of atmosphere, food, service, cleanliness, and value. We won't be back on Princess.

 

I guess I, like you, will have to ask loyal Princess cruisers what it is about the line they love so much -- maybe they've never tried other lines and so have no comparison? Or maybe they have already achieved a certain status on Princess, starting in the "olden days" (in which, I have been told by loyals, Princess was better) and simply don't want to lose their loyalty perks (whatever those are) and start again at the "bottom" with another line? I have read many complaints on these boards from loyal Princess pax who feel they are getting a lot less from the line than they used to, and are not "feeling the love" from Princess. In their posts, many of these Princess loyals express a sense of having been betrayed, or at least underappreciated by the cruise line. In any case, I won't be among them, as I am the one who "underappreciates" Princess, not the reverse!

[Pam in CA]

First, whenever a new ship is launched, no matter what cruise line, fare prices are higher. So comparing the Regal's prices to other and much older ships is apples and oranges.

 

Second, you're comparing Princess fares at the equivalent to MSRP. Princess allows TAs to discount fares so with some high volume TAs, you can save 10-20% and get OBC and other perks.

 

Third, unlike some cruise lines, Princess allows you to combine OBC from any source. My next cruise, I'll have well over $500 in OBC.

 

Fourth, Princess has one of the best loyalty programs. That's a matter of opinion I know but for many, getting a big Internet package for free after only five cruises is a nice bonus. As Elite, you get unlimited (not limited to one bag) laundry, the Internet, priority tender disembarkation, and other perks. If you tend to sail longer cruises, these savings can be significant.

 

Fifth, while other lines have a sofa in most cabins, some Princess ships do so it can't be said that Princess doesn't have sofas in balcony or even oceanview cabins. Most Princess ships have an open large closet/dressing area which gives you far more storage, privacy, and noise/light reduction if the other person in the cabin gets up earlier or comes in later.

 

In my experience on four different lines, Princess has far more storage than any cabin I've had on RCCL, Celebrity or HAL. I get frustrated by the lack of storage at the desk... either no storage or very limited. That's a personal preference.

 

Also in my experience, Princess cabin stewards and waitstaff have been much, much better, in general than RCCL or HAL. Our waitstaff on Celebrity was excellent, cabin steward among the poorest. I've also found that Princess is far more flexible when it comes to ordering off-menu in the evening. Waitstaff on other lines look at me as though I had two heads if I want anything modified or perhaps just a big salad as my entree.

 

Each line is slightly different and no one line is perfect for everyone. If I were taking a family cruise with kids, I'd certainly look at an RCCL cruise. And yes, I've taken four RCCL cruises. I'm a 3-star Mariner on HAL and love their itineraries which are often unusual or better than Princess. Doubtful I'd cruise Celebrity again after extremely poor customer service when I had serious toilet issues (not caused by me) for half the cruise. The food was barely edible at times but food is subjective.

 

I cruise Princess because I can often get a much better price for a similar itinerary on another line due to discounted fares, I get a very nice OBC to cover either all or most of my onboard expenses, and I love the unlimited laundry perk.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Pam in CA

[WillyBear]

Thanks for the answers everyone. We've only done two cruises, both on Princess (Ruby and Royal). We loved both of them. Princess really is our style and there are certain things they would provide that we wouldn't get elsewhere. To be clear, I wasn't complaining. We're still novices so still trying to learn. I certainly do appreciate your thoughts and advice. Lew…I think you are right. Book now and watch the fares. Pam…You should be a sales rep. I think you just separated me from my money on behalf of Princess ;)

[Loonbeam]

Yeah,the largest factor there is probably still being in year one for the Regal. Royal prices were similar. I know our October trip is still featuring a 'Royal Premium" but price drops have brought it closer in line.

[canadarocks]

Book now to get the cabin you want and keep an eye on pricing. If pricing decreases for your cabin category, you know what to do. If pricing increases, you're locked in.

 

Lew

 

That's exactly what I figured when I booked the Royal for next year. It was quite a bit more than what I paid for the exact same timing & itinerary as the Emerald this year. It actually went UP in price a week after I locked it in, but I'm hoping for a decrease later this year.

Edited April 11, 2014 by canadarocks

[lovevacadays]

Yes, this is a question I had been asking myself for some time: why do people pay more to sail with Princess? It was the question I hoped to get answered when we took our first Princess cruise in March of this year, on Caribbean Princess. We had to book a mini-suite just to get the sofa, and on every other cruise line we had been on (Celebrity, Carnival, Holland America), the sofa was included in a regular balcony cabin, and at much more appealing prices. I figured there had to be something about Princess that made people keep coming back in spite of the tiny cabins and miniscule (and in our case, uncovered!) balconies, so I booked a Princess cruise to find out what that "special something" was.

 

Well, whatever it is that makes people come back to Princess escapes me -- our cruise confirmed to me that there is nothing I value enough on Princess to cruise with them again. For me, the 7-night Western Caribbean cruise was enough like our experience on Carnival that it definitely wasn't worth the extra cost, nor did it compare at all to Celebrity, which, as you point out, is also cheaper! And Caribbean Princess, at least, did not hold a candle to HAL in terms of atmosphere, food, service, cleanliness, and value. We won't be back on Princess.

 

I guess I, like you, will have to ask loyal Princess cruisers what it is about the line they love so much -- maybe they've never tried other lines and so have no comparison? Or maybe they have already achieved a certain status on Princess, starting in the "olden days" (in which, I have been told by loyals, Princess was better) and simply don't want to lose their loyalty perks (whatever those are) and start again at the "bottom" with another line? I have read many complaints on these boards from loyal Princess pax who feel they are getting a lot less from the line than they used to, and are not "feeling the love" from Princess. In their posts, many of these Princess loyals express a sense of having been betrayed, or at least underappreciated by the cruise line. In any case, I won't be among them, as I am the one who "underappreciates" Princess, not the reverse!

 

I'm sorry to hear you don't appreciate Princess. Everyone has their individual likes and dislikes. It is always good to find what yours is.

 

I really like Princess and I have sailed Royal Caribbean and Carnival a few times and HAL once. I always enjoy my cruises but Princess is the best fit for me and Royal second. I have not felt like I was paying a lot more than I would for other cruise lines except, perhaps Carnival (which I won't sail again). But then, I tend to book the cabin I want and then wait for the price to drop which it always has for me. Or I wait to see a great price on a cruise and then book. And, as Pam indicated Princess allows travel agents to discount their cruises. I've done some recent checks on a few cruises and the two travel agents I checked with were as Pam said 10-20% lower than the Princess listed price.

 

It's good for cruise lines that we all are so different! That way they all stay in business.:):)

[gr82cu2]

Willybear you just have to continuously monitor for price drops. We booked the Emerald 10 night eastern in 2010 for 2011 sailing. We like the minisuites and at the time the price for both of us was at about $4,000. I knew that was high and I also knew it would come down which it did. I booked to get the cabin we wanted then transferred the booking later to a TA to get additional discounts and OBC. Eventually we ended up paying around $2,700 if I remember right. The first price drop was $1,000 and then a couple more smaller ones later on. I would have never parted with 4k so if the drops hadn't happened we would have canceled before final payment date. So far that's never happened.

[SeagoingMom]

Princess really is our style and there are certain things they would provide that we wouldn't get elsewhere. ;)

Care to elaborate on your "style" and what the things you "wouldn't get elsewhere" are? I'm all ears. :)

[BRANDEE]

That's exactly what I figured when I booked the Royal for next year. It was quite a bit more than what I paid for the exact same timing & itinerary as the Emerald this year. It actually went UP in price a week after I locked it in, but I'm hoping for a decrease later this year.

 

Hi,

 

I sailed the Emerald this March and also decided to do a repeat next year. The Emerald is not available out of FLL next March, so it is either the Royal or the Caribbean. I was quite surprised how much the same time, same room was for the Caribbean Princess. About 11% increase. I also checked the Royal and her prices are even higher, she is still the newbie.

 

I sail almost every March, except for the Royal last July in the Mediterranean. It was very expensive. I had room R444, standard balcony and with tax and port charges it cost $508 per day. It was her second full sail and we paid a premium.

 

Usually the increase year to year is 5 % in the Caribbean itinerary.. I booked and also hope the price drops.

Edited April 11, 2014 by BRANDEE