Prices for 7 day Mediterranean cruises

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Austria? Celebrity? Azamara? What do these have to do with a luxury cruise experience as delivered by Seabourn?

 

On a per diem basis, and with all that Seabourn delivers service-wise, I personally believe Seabourn represents great value. Not to say one doesn't get value elsewhere but the Seabourn total experience for me is well worth the expense. Maybe there are better or worse times for booking a cruise based on the offers a specialist TA would offer- and there are always discounts available- and so at this point you might wait until closer to the sail date in anticipation of unsold suites at a lower price.

 

I tend to book very early and watch if prices drop a lot. My TA has helped me get more value with my booking and Seabourn typically complies.

 

In any case, if you don't find a Seabourn cruise this summer there's always Austria or even Celebrity and Azamara.

 

Happy saling!

 

Markham,

My sentiments exactly, Seabourn has few competitors that offer comparible quality and service, and offer such good value.

I hope that Seabourn will also continue to attract the right kind of passengers, and not the ones who want something for nothing, as i feel this would put alot of the original passengers off going, which would be a shame.

[Mr Luxury]

Last year we enjoyed two week-long breaks in luxurious Austrian hotels for fraction of the cost of even a Celebrity cruise. There is no justification for price hikes as on Azamara and I am convinced that these prices are unsustainable.

 

 

 

Of course there will be a few like Mr Luxury for whom cost seems irrelevant.

 

 

Tim,I think that you are way behind in the game.

 

Luxury cruising has been priced at a lower per diem rate than it should have been for the past five years.

 

The one positive point about low prices is that those that were not able to sail on the luxury lines have had an opportunity to try them because of the low prices.Now that prices will rise it might mean that a return to the lesser priced lines will be the thing,who knows?

 

If the cruise lines want to keep the standards high and attract the type of guest that can afford luxury cruising then cutting costs and running at no profit is not the way.

 

You mentioned that prices are unsustainable but perhaps you are just seeing it from your side and not most guests that are happy to pay to sail in the luxury sector.

 

Luckily there are many types of cruise line and price points to suit every budget.

 

Of course nobody wants to be ripped off and I know not one guest that I sail with that would not think that they have had wonderful value sailing with Seabourn.

[Ravenscroft]

Tim,I think that you are way behind in the game.

 

Luxury cruising has been priced at a lower per diem rate than it should have been for the past five years.

 

The one positive point about low prices is that those that were not able to sail on the luxury lines have had an opportunity to try them because of the low prices.Now that prices will rise it might mean that a return to the lesser priced lines will be the thing,who knows?

 

If the cruise lines want to keep the standards high and attract the type of guest that can afford luxury cruising then cutting costs and running at no profit is not the way.

 

You mentioned that prices are unsustainable but perhaps you are just seeing it from your side and not most guests that are happy to pay to sail in the luxury sector.

 

Luckily there are many types of cruise line and price points to suit every budget.

 

Of course nobody wants to be ripped off and I know not one guest that I sail with that would not think that they have had wonderful value sailing with Seabourn.

 

I completely agree.

[English Tim]

Rather than quote lots of replies, I will just add a general comment or two.

 

Stays in luxury hotels, even though they are a different type of vacation experience, can also offer top service levels, albeit that there are many extras.

 

I am not all surprised by the replies, in general, because of course most contributors on this forum are long-term Seabourn clients and are possibly in the "I'll pay whatever it costs, as long as it's top quality' category.

 

I believe that, with the popularity of online deals, more people are wanting to experience 6* cruising, but at a price they deem reasonable.

 

I guess as we do our food shopping in Tesco and compare prices, look for bargains, maybe we'll not be typical Seabourn clients.

[Scott1sh]

My med cruise (Odyssey - 7 nights) decreased in price by $500pp over the weekend according to Seabourn's website. I contacted my (UK based) TA who got in touch with Seabourn. They were happy to give me the new price and retain all existing benefits including OBC.

 

In terms of the competition this brings the price way lower than a similar cruise on Silversea.

 

This will be my first trip on Seabourn but, needless to say, so far I'm impressed.

[Mr Luxury]

My med cruise (Odyssey - 7 nights) decreased in price by $500pp over the weekend according to Seabourn's website. I contacted my (UK based) TA who got in touch with Seabourn. They were happy to give me the new price and retain all existing benefits including OBC.

 

In terms of the competition this brings the price way lower than a similar cruise on Silversea.

 

This will be my first trip on Seabourn but, needless to say, so far I'm impressed.

 

 

Well done and I'm sure that your first sailing with Seabourn will be a great one.

 

You mention the value against a Silversea trip but don't forget that you will be having better value against a lesser line that charges for drinks and other such extras that Seabourn sailors take for granted.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Mr Luxury

[Scott1sh]

Thanks Mr Luxury. I think SS has a great product but it's in the wrong hands. To give context we tried Crystal last year and felt that it surpassed SS in almost every aspect, so we are excited to be trying Seabourn.

[wripro]

No matter what you pay per night for a luxury hotel room once you see that you are spending 25 euros for a martini in the bar, 150 euros or more for dinner and 50 euros for breakfast you see what a value Seabourn is.

[English Tim]

No matter what you pay per night for a luxury hotel room once you see that you are spending 25 euros for a martini in the bar, 150 euros or more for dinner and 50 euros for breakfast you see what a value Seabourn is.

 

Austrian hotels seem to have a fairly rigid pricing structure for drinks and in both cases all meals were included for about 100 Euros pppn.

 

Please don't think I am knocking Seabourn. Our first experience was very special, from the moment we received our personalised luggage tags and we have been searching for a suitable return, ever since, not least that we have a $500 spa credit and referral / shareholder OBC's!

 

I just feel that prices are rising too steeply and out of many people's reach.

[hardlife]

At the risk of repeating others' comments, we find that when comparing the cost of a night on a Seabourn cruise with the land hotels the value cannot be beaten. Often we will pay $400-$500 per night for a hotel room which might include breakfast and precious little else. Meals of a similar quality to Seabourn can add up to hundreds of dollars a day. Then you also have the ability to get your morning coffee/pastries and afternoon tea and unlimited room service, let alone the drinks inclusions and entertainment (others seem to like it but I find it all a bit camp and hi-de-hi). In general we seem to pay around the same cost per night as the hotels (for a couple), on a Seabourn cruise and to top it all off get transported to amazing places without moving the suitcases one inch or paying taxis, airlines etc. The VFM is outstanding and often when I try to work out the revenue earned for a sailing I just can't see how Seabourn does it at a profit. Prices SHOULD be going up but competitive forces are holding them down. We intend to enjoy them while we can.

[scamper]

 

I just feel that prices are rising too steeply and out of many people's reach.

 

I think you'll find that a very large segment of Seabourn's customers won't have a hard time paying if the prices go up--even 20%. There may be people that are on the cusp with respect to what they are willing to pay for a Seabourn cruise, but I don't think it's a significant number.

[ab21au]

IMO to stay in hotels and see the spectacular and varied sites and get the service we had on the Odyssey would cost me a lot more than I paid for my cruise. Our only problem is getting to board the cruise costs a bucket load from Australia. A 2 or 3 hr flight for USA AND Europeans is easy by comparison.

[English Tim]

With respect my comments about hotels are only really relevant to European residents, as these hotels are in the Austrian mountains and are a world away from USA type hotels where Room Only is the norm.

[apuleius]

Totally agree with 'hard life'. SB is a great company - we love their product - and they have also honoured and matched price drops as they occurred for our booked cruise later this year. we tried SS once and IMHO there is just no comparison.

 

 

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[Tillylovesseabourn]

With respect to you Tim, being a Uk resident myself, I dont know how you can compare a 100 euros pppn hotel including drinks and a meal to the quality you are getting on SB. Most hotels i wish to stay at in europe are coming in at around the 350-400 euros a night, and that is without food or drinks. And i would say it is only top quality five star hotels that you can compare SB with for service, food etc.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Tillylovesseabourn

[markham]

What's the name of this hotel in Austria so I can establish how it compares, however it compares, to Seabourn Cruise Lines?

 

I promise to be fair.

 

Happy sailing!

[Mr Luxury]

What's the name of this hotel in Austria so I can establish how it compares, however it compares, to Seabourn Cruise Lines?

 

 

 

I promise to be fair.

 

 

 

Happy sailing!

 

 

It's the Yodel Inn owned by the Von Trapp family and I hope that you are going to wear your lederhosen when you go to review it.

 

So long,farewell Auf Wiedersehen goodbye !

Edited January 21, 2015 by Mr Luxury

[jenidallas]

You mentioned that prices are unsustainable but perhaps you are just seeing it from your side and not most guests that are happy to pay to sail in the luxury sector.

 

Luckily there are many types of cruise line and price points to suit every budget.

 

Of course nobody wants to be ripped off and I know not one guest that I sail with that would not think that they have had wonderful value sailing with Seabourn.

 

Sometimes it's not just about budget but about personal preference for a cruise.

 

I've done four Seabourn cruises in the past two years (plus three on other lines).

 

What I've realized is that on certain itineraries, I want the luxury experience and I'm willing to pay for it. For me, that includes any itinerary that is more "ship intensive" (lots of sea days and/or smaller ports) or exotic.

 

For other more basic itineraries, particularly those with long port days where I'm primarily eating breakfast/dinner on the ship and retiring early, I don't mind a more mass market line as long as it meets my needs.

 

I'm doing my first Med cruise later this year and surprised myself by picking a mass market 12 nighter that hits all the major ports (after trying the line, I know I can be pleased with the food and services). But when I do the Med again, I'll go back to a smaller luxury ship where I can spend more time in smaller ports and enjoy the onboard time as well.

[English Tim]

With respect to you Tim, being a Uk resident myself, I dont know how you can compare a 100 euros pppn hotel including drinks and a meal to the quality you are getting on SB. Most hotels i wish to stay at in europe are coming in at around the 350-400 euros a night, and that is without food or drinks. And i would say it is only top quality five star hotels that you can compare SB with for service, food etc.

 

http://www.alpenhof.at/en and http://www.diepost.com are the two to which I refer and clearly they do not offer the same holiday as a Seabourn cruise, but the cost is substantially lower.

 

I love Seabourn, so there's no conflict here, just trying to offer a comparison.

[Mr Luxury]

http://www.alpenhof.at/en and http://www.diepost.com are the two to which I refer and clearly they do not offer the same holiday as a Seabourn cruise, but the cost is substantially lower.

 

 

 

I love Seabourn, so there's no conflict here, just trying to offer a comparison.

 

 

Clearly different and nothing to compare either Seabourn or this four star hotel in Austria.

 

The other hotel site is still under construction so I won't comment.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Mr Luxury

[Tillylovesseabourn]

I just dont see why oranges are being compared to apples! Yes, of course the austrian hotel is cheaper, but the product is lesser.

 

The general demograph that SB was originally set up to attract, many years ago, like myself, find the current pricing to offer excellent value for money. In fact, I dont know how they can offer what they do at times, for the money they charge. If the product went up 20% or so, i dont think it would put off the demograph SB is aimed at. Adversly, this sometimes attracts, as people deem the product to be more exclusively available.

[English Tim]

I just dont see why oranges are being compared to apples! Yes, of course the austrian hotel is cheaper, but the product is lesser.

 

The general demograph that SB was originally set up to attract, many years ago, like myself, find the current pricing to offer excellent value for money. In fact, I dont know how they can offer what they do at times, for the money they charge. If the product went up 20% or so, i dont think it would put off the demograph SB is aimed at. Adversly, this sometimes attracts, as people deem the product to be more exclusively available.

 

Of course there are only half a dozen posters on this thread, so hardly fair to say it represents a demographic.

[Sunprince]

Should I be worried?? My deposit is due on Monday for our 10 day Med cruise. When I called my TA today he told me there has been another price reduction (the third one in the the last month). It's our first time on Seabourn and although we appreciate the value being offered, I am a bit concerned (as others have expressed) where the lower prices may attract a different clientele? We do not want the "sit in the hot tub, be loud, drink beer and socialize" type of crowd. I would appreciate thoughts on this.

 

Re the Austria debate, there is no comparison between a land vacation and a luxury cruise. The land vacation will be less expensive the majority of the time. It is simply a totally different type of holiday (each with its pluses and minuses) which you cannot compare to a cruise, unless your focus is solely on the amount of money spent.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Sunprince

[Emperor Norton]

I was on a Caribbean cruise last year which I think may have had some of their most non-sterotypical passenger mixes. The worst behavior I saw was some underage gambling and an under 21 walk up to Nelson at a packed Sky bar say "I'm 18, can I have a beer?" On the TA portion there was a single person who exhibited bad behavior and that was only after getting her nicotine fix with a bit too much liquid fun (and that cruise was IMO a steal price wise).

 

 

So no, I wouldn't worry. If you start reading trip reports about hairy chest contests with oooncha-ooooncha being blared across the deck then maybe then would be the time to follow Brave Sir Robin and run away.;)

Edited January 22, 2015 by Emperor Norton

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Of course there are only half a dozen posters on this thread, so hardly fair to say it represents a demographic.

 

Yes, but the so called half a dozen members of the thread are extremely well travelled and have been travelling on SB for many, many years. Armed with such information, should and would be well versed in the demographic SB are aimed at, and aiming for.