Why are Summer 2015 cruises so expensive?

[HectorAchilleus]

I just do not understand why cruises for next summer are so high - most over $700.00 pp. Last year at this time, I wanted to book a cruise for this summer but they were way too high. If I could have found one for $500.00 - $550.00 a person, I would have booked. Since there was nothing even close, we chose an beach house. Now those same cruises are between $250.00 and $400.00 for a seven-day cruise. The same thing is happening this year. I can't wait until the last minute because we are planning with others. Instead of carnival selling three to four cabins at a reasonable rate, and making a sale now, they will probably end up selling them next year at half what we are willing to pay. I just don't get it.:confused:

Edited August 6, 2014 by HectorAchilleus

[CoconutJD]

You can always anticipate the price drops and book ES.

[Miller_KC]

I've usually had the prices drop $100-$200 per person between the time I bought ES and the time the final payment was due. Then still got up to $100 in OBC after the final payment. Still it's hard to lay down good money and hope someone will give you some of it back.

[Bases5]

Family Vacation More of a captive group sailing while the kiddy's are out of school. check anytime the kiddy's are out the prices are higher.

[Lovefuninthesun]

Book now with Early Saver. Then carefully watch the rates and take advantage of price drops. That is what we always do -- so far for our October cruise we are $300 ahead between the two of us.

[watermelonqueen99]

Every kind of vacation imaginable is higher in the summer, unfortunately. Which is why we haven't been to Disney World yet. I can't justify those prices! :eek:

[hunter14]

Thanks for the tips! I was feeling the same way!

[Gon2hwe]

Don't expect prices to go down for next year. They have to make up for all the smokers they are throwing overboard. Get used to it, they will only get higher.

[HectorAchilleus]

That does not seem logical. If they lose customers because of the smoking ban, they will have even more cabins to try to sell, and , therefore, be even more likely to cut prices in order to sell them.

[Ontario_Cruiser]

That does not seem logical. If they lose customers because of the smoking ban, they will have even more cabins to try to sell, and , therefore, be even more likely to cut prices in order to sell them.

 

It is simple - they anticipate having MORE customers because of the smoking ban. Otherwise they would not have done it. I beleive that they watched the results of other lines that implemented the ban some time ago, and saw that this created more demand for the other lines from non-smokers that could now enjoy the balconies.

 

For every smoker that calls to cancel, there are non-smokers to take their place.

 

Whenever there is a thread about why something is so expensive, the answer virtually always is supply and demand. Carnival will charge what the market will bear. So if the cabins are at this price, it likely means that people are buying them.

[luvtheships]

Every kind of vacation imaginable is higher in the summer, unfortunately. Which is why we haven't been to Disney World yet. I can't justify those prices! :eek:

 

End of August to early September. Great prices.

 

 

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[NavyCruiser]

Prices always peaks the first few weeks of the summer, when millions of school age kids are out & lots of educators are free to spend time with their families. So demand is high, travel industry knows this & charges high prices accordingly. Later on in the summer, closer to back to school & when school starts again, when closer to peak hurricane season, demand wanes, prices drop. So best prices are in Sept & Oct, when you can cruise without your/all the kids....

[Sparky2]

I've usually had the prices drop $100-$200 per person between the time I bought ES and the time the final payment was due. Then still got up to $100 in OBC after the final payment. Still it's hard to lay down good money and hope someone will give you some of it back.

 

The deposit would be the same even if the price is lower. As long as price drops come in before final payment is due, it wouldn't matter. Of course, if no price drops occur you'd be paying the high amount.

[NCTribeFan]

Early saver isn't always the best option. It depends on YOUR situation.

 

And remember that you can get price drops under any fare code up until final payment. ES is not the only way to get price drops.

 

But, yes, it's simply supply and demand. Kids out of school so summer is the only time many families can take their vacations.

 

Carnival isn't going to price their summer cruises at rock-bottom a year in advance. If people are willing to pay the current fare, why should they undercut themselves? If it turns out people aren't booking, THEN they may drop the price. And there are many, many people out there who aren't even aware that they can request a price drop (under any fare code; I never knew until I found CC).

 

But not every sailing on every ship ends up with price drops. I personally don't book a cruise unless I'm willing to pay whatever the fare is at that time. If it drops, great. If not, I'm still within my budget. Seems like many people book and then are distressed because the price doesn't drop.

 

And if it doesn't drop, if you book non-ES, you can cancel without penalty up until final payment is due and get 100% of your deposit back. That isn't the case with ES.

 

I hate restricted fares and rarely book ES. The couple of times I have have been on 1-time sailings and the prices have just increased, so it was of absolutely no benefit.

[Shipbound]

End of August to early September. Great prices.

 

 

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That is the height of Hurricane season. I will be going on the Conquest Oct. 26, got a pretty good cruise rate for the upper deck.

 

Gar

Edited August 7, 2014 by Shipbound

[EZ4]

It is simple - they anticipate having MORE customers because of the smoking ban. Otherwise they would not have done it. I beleive that they watched the results of other lines that implemented the ban some time ago, and saw that this created more demand for the other lines from non-smokers that could now enjoy the balconies.

 

For every smoker that calls to cancel, there are non-smokers to take their place.

 

Whenever there is a thread about why something is so expensive, the answer virtually always is supply and demand. Carnival will charge what the market will bear. So if the cabins are at this price, it likely means that people are buying them.

 

They start high. What they hope they can get. As the cruise date gets closer and they realize they haven't sold out the ship, they have a fire sale. It pays to wait. Basically, it's an auction.

[Roz]

Lots of cruise lines, including HAL and Princess, don't offer summer cruises in the Caribbean, therefore there are fewer ships/cabins available to choose from. Scarcity results in higher fares.

 

Roz

[luvtheships]

That is the height of Hurricane season. I will be going on the Conquest Oct. 26, got a pretty good cruise rate for the upper deck.

 

Gar

 

I was responding to the poster commenting about how expensive disneyworld is

 

Been to Disney several times during late August early sept

 

Low crowds. Free food plan

 

Yes some rain and storms mid day but then sun again and for my money worth it for the vast savings

 

Yes hurricaine season but statistically Orlando is rarely hit

 

And yes I do know it is possible but really not all that probable

 

 

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Edited August 7, 2014 by luvtheships

[Havingfun2010]

I just do not understand why cruises for next summer are so high - most over $700.00 pp. Last year at this time, I wanted to book a cruise for this summer but they were way too high. If I could have found one for $500.00 - $550.00 a person, I would have booked. Since there was nothing even close, we chose an beach house. Now those same cruises are between $250.00 and $400.00 for a seven-day cruise. The same thing is happening this year. I can't wait until the last minute because we are planning with others. Instead of carnival selling three to four cabins at a reasonable rate, and making a sale now, they will probably end up selling them next year at half what we are willing to pay. I just don't get it.:confused:

 

Carnival cruise prices have been extremely low because they depend on filling cabins at any price due to poor publicity, and the image that they are a K-Mart ship. They can only sustain giving out cruises for $100.00 per 2 people a night for so long. What hotel, gives you transportation, room, and food for $50.00 a day? At what point do you think it will break? It's like getting a super 8 hotel. Lower prices also produce a poor image. Low price = poor service. Go to Super 8 hotel. Poor service, right? Go to Hilton. Better service. So whenever a company cheapens their image, like Carnival has done, it lowers bookings. At some point in time, Carnival will decide to compete once again on the image front, sell off some ships, and upgrade their services to get out of their rut, and image issue.

 

Everyone can flame as much as they want, but the facts remain, Carnival has an image problem, and giving out rooms for next to nothing only makes it worse.

[Tapi]

Which is why we haven't been to Disney World yet. I can't justify those prices! :eek:

 

 

Yup, when we started planing this year's vacation (a cruise + Orlando Parks), my wife told me that the only week that she could take off was the week of the 4th of July. I knew that it would be expensive. By the time I priced it all out (hotel, tickets, meals, parking, cruise, etc) this vacation would cost MORE than our Holland America cruise to Alaska the previous year! :eek: It made me sick to my stomach.

 

BUT, frugal me wasn't going to give up and let them win, so for an entire year, I went on overdrive, looking for every discount I could find. By the time I applied online coupons, savings certificates, credit card points and requested price drops, We pulled the whole thing off for around $300pp! (yes, that's for 7 nights, cruise, all taxes, meals, tickets, hotels, etc! EVERYTHING! :D) And we didn't cheapen out to make it happen. We actually stayed at a wonderful resort in Orlando and even got two staterooms instead of our usual quad cabin with bunk beds.

 

So don't give up! If the only time you can take this kind of vacation is during the summer, look for discounts. They are out there!

 

 

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Edited August 7, 2014 by Tapi

[EZ4]

Carnival cruise prices have been extremely low because they depend on filling cabins at any price due to poor publicity, and the image that they are a K-Mart ship. They can only sustain giving out cruises for $100.00 per 2 people a night for so long. What hotel, gives you transportation, room, and food for $50.00 a day? At what point do you think it will break? It's like getting a super 8 hotel. Lower prices also produce a poor image. Low price = poor service. Go to Super 8 hotel. Poor service, right? Go to Hilton. Better service. So whenever a company cheapens their image, like Carnival has done, it lowers bookings. At some point in time, Carnival will decide to compete once again on the image front, sell off some ships, and upgrade their services to get out of their rut, and image issue.

 

Everyone can flame as much as they want, but the facts remain, Carnival has an image problem, and giving out rooms for next to nothing only makes it worse.

 

Bravo!!! <standing ovation>

[bubblysexycool]

Early saver isn't always the best option. It depends on YOUR situation.

 

And remember that you can get price drops under any fare code up until final payment. ES is not the only way to get price drops.

 

But, yes, it's simply supply and demand. Kids out of school so summer is the only time many families can take their vacations.

 

Carnival isn't going to price their summer cruises at rock-bottom a year in advance. If people are willing to pay the current fare, why should they undercut themselves? If it turns out people aren't booking, THEN they may drop the price. And there are many, many people out there who aren't even aware that they can request a price drop (under any fare code; I never knew until I found CC).

 

But not every sailing on every ship ends up with price drops. I personally don't book a cruise unless I'm willing to pay whatever the fare is at that time. If it drops, great. If not, I'm still within my budget. Seems like many people book and then are distressed because the price doesn't drop.

 

And if it doesn't drop, if you book non-ES, you can cancel without penalty up until final payment is due and get 100% of your deposit back. That isn't the case with ES.

 

I hate restricted fares and rarely book ES. The couple of times I have have been on 1-time sailings and the prices have just increased, so it was of absolutely no benefit.

 

What are the other rates that allow for price drop protection? I assumed it was only ES and was hesitant to book ES because the cancellation policy is so restrictive. Thanks!

 

And yes I agree the prices are a lil up there. But certainly much lower than the Disney 3 day cruise I priced out in June for 3 people at $3500 and RCCL Freedom of the Seas at almost the same as the Disney cruise-but at least that's for 7 days! C'mon Disney I luv ya but those prices:mad: