Cruise prices are out of control!

[djjoe]

Cruising since 2004, living in NJ, most of our cruises were out of Bayonne or Baltimore. It seems the days of reasonable price cruises are gone. The Liberty has crazy prices, the Anthem is worse. The Grandeur in Baltimore is not that much better for an old small ship without a lot to offer. RCI stock is pushing $100 and everyone at corporate is very happy. As senior citizen cruisers we are not. Am I the only one that feels this way? Just thought I would throw it out there. I will probably get flamed for my opinion.

[Colorado Babe]

I agree. WE usually book GS or above and now booking JS's. As more and more people book cruises and ships are full the prices will just keep going higher.

[conandrob240]

We just got a great rate for Anthem for Thanksgiving. $3000 balcony cabin for 3 people. There are deals out there!

[9876]

I agree. It seems to take a lot of work to find a deal. I expected more this fall but there really are not a lot. Check out the Liberty Repo cruise departing on November 1st. Flying back from Houston is not too bad; don't forget to check Southwest. Also, NCL has some good prices out of New York. Good luck!

[maryjaden]

My first cruise in 1999 was on Carnival. $3600/7 days/3 ppl in an interior stateroom. My last cruise on Oasis during Easter - 15 years later. $4000/7days/4 ppl in a Grand Suite. I think there are still good deals, you may just have to research a little more.

[squadron]

Cruising since 2004, living in NJ, most of our cruises were out of Bayonne or Baltimore. It seems the days of reasonable price cruises are gone. The Liberty has crazy prices, the Anthem is worse. The Grandeur in Baltimore is not that much better for an old small ship without a lot to offer. RCI stock is pushing $100 and everyone at corporate is very happy. As senior citizen cruisers we are not. Am I the only one that feels this way? Just thought I would throw it out there. I will probably get flamed for my opinion.

 

Prices are up but you have the advantage of no air fare which I feel has risen more.

[John&LaLa]

I think we need to define reasonable. Are you referring to the pricing more than a year out or the lack of last minute deals. Decent cabins bought in advance are reasonable in my book. As a senior you should be able to book cabins in advance. Pay for insurance to cover unknown health issues

[BND]

Prices are up but you have the advantage of no air fare which I feel has risen more.

 

One has nothing to do with the other. Cruise fares have gone up quite a bit since we started cruising in 2005. Now, I understand costs go up, but there has been a jump in the last couple of years. While the prices are artificially higher to offset the "sales", they have jumped. We used to stay in a GS as often as possible, but no more with the huge jump we've seen. We now try to book JS. Of course, newer ships always cost more and on Anthem we're in a balcony cabin for what we could get a JS for on an older/smaller ship.

[daninwi]

I don't agree that cruise prices are out of control. A relative newbie to cruising with only 3 under our belts, with our fourth coming up in few weeks, I see the math working out in favor of cruising. The only exception would be a 'staycation'. I've put together a few budgets around this and when you add in transportation, lodging, activities, food, and beverages the price per pound quickly tips towards a cruise. The next thing to consider is whether or not you find value in what is provided. For us, we work hard, so having time to unwind, relax, and refresh is out we seek out of vacation.

Edited September 17, 2015 by daninwi

[John&LaLa]

Based on this thread, it seems mainly suites have gone up

[thegima]

I've paid nearly the same (within $50) for the last 4 cruises we've been on. It took waiting, mock bookings, and calling this year to apply OBC offer but if you're willing to keep checking/work a little for it you'll get a decent price.

[setsail]

Cruising since 2004, living in NJ, most of our cruises were out of Bayonne or Baltimore. It seems the days of reasonable price cruises are gone. The Liberty has crazy prices, the Anthem is worse. The Grandeur in Baltimore is not that much better for an old small ship without a lot to offer. RCI stock is pushing $100 and everyone at corporate is very happy. As senior citizen cruisers we are not. Am I the only one that feels this way? Just thought I would throw it out there. I will probably get flamed for my opinion.

 

Did a quick look, there is a 7 day southern out of PR dec.16 for 540pp, the js is 1200pp

 

And yes, there are many higher priced cruises

Edited September 17, 2015 by setsail

[anjomojo]

Cruise prices are not out of control. Going on my 14th cruise in less than about 10 years. If you so your homework you can find a deal.

[Doug S]

Prices may be higher under some circumstances (and lower in others), but are not what I would call out of control. Supply and demand 'controls' pricing. To my knowledge the ships I have sailed on all sailed full, or nearly full without any last minute deal offerings. If a cruise is sold out months in advance you could argue that the cruise line could have asked a bit more and increased their up-front revenue. Prices will go down when the cruise companies have to cut pricing or have better sales to fill ships. The lines have no motivation to make cruises cheaper just because we wish it were so. It will only happen if it has a positive impact on their bottom line.

 

May be more accurate to say some individuals may be priced out of the market at times.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Doug S

[rockdoctor]

Cruise prices, considering promotions, are about where they were in 2007. The AK and some European markets have recovered. We gave up midnight buffets and suchi buffets for free booze and gratuities. I would say that's a good trade. Other markets still have a way to go. The Fed is going to raise rates. Contrary to the Bad News Bears, the country doing nicely thank you.

[conandrob240]

Airr prices are way down- the lowest they've been in years. Directly related to lower fuel prices

[grandgeezer]

Cruise prices, considering promotions, are about where they were in 2007. The AK and some European markets have recovered. We gave up midnight buffets and suchi buffets for free booze and gratuities. I would say that's a good trade. Other markets still have a way to go. The Fed is going to raise rates. Contrary to the Bad News Bears, the country doing nicely thank you.

 

Cruise prices are the same and they're giving you "free" drinks and grats, yet RCL recorded record profits and increased their dividend 25%, where's the money coming from?? I don't think cutting the midnight and sushi buffet is the answer.

[dylandog25]

Cruising since 2004, living in NJ, most of our cruises were out of Bayonne or Baltimore. It seems the days of reasonable price cruises are gone. The Liberty has crazy prices, the Anthem is worse. The Grandeur in Baltimore is not that much better for an old small ship without a lot to offer. RCI stock is pushing $100 and everyone at corporate is very happy. As senior citizen cruisers we are not. Am I the only one that feels this way? Just thought I would throw it out there. I will probably get flamed for my opinion.

 

100% agree with you

[specsnomin]

It seems to take a lot of work to find a deal.

[nelblu]

You've got to plan ahead to get the best prices and cabin selection. ITook advantage of the most recent 30/30 sale that finally applied to the Anthem. Got a 9 nites Aug. '16 NE/Canada cruise for $1,400 per for a d7 balcony cabin, inclusive of $250 D+ discount. Also, got $150 obc and specialty dinner for 2 bonus from our TA. One of the most striking things was the high taxes & port fees which totaled $387.

 

At the same time, I also booked a 9 nite Navigator cruise for Feb. '17 cruising to Aruba, Curacao & Bonaire. This is our favorite islands, and it will be the first time to Bonaire. D2 balcony cabin for $1,200 per, plus the same percs from our TA. Taxes & fees for this itinerary was a total of $190.

 

Ps. As a reference, taking a family vacation for Easter '16 on Oasis. One of the booking is for 4 Pax in a C1 cabin--the current price is some $2,500 higher. At that time RCL was running a state residency special which was much better than the boho specials.

[Big_G]

Just read the same complaints over on the Carnival board. Hmmm...

[ABoatNerd]

Excellent topic.

 

The cost of travel, and the cost of living, is rising quickly everywhere.

 

Since salaries and retiree income is not generally keeping pace, it makes the decision to spend $ on vacation travel subject to more scrutiny.

 

Our household has cancelled most travel for the foreseeable future because of the cost vs benefit. This is compounded by the decline of the Canadian $. We have the money, but we choose not to spend it on travel going forward.

 

I do feel that cruise prices have risen dramatically concurrent with a significant decline in product offering; particularly decline in service and food quality and quantity.

 

Secondly, my particular ire is focused on Celebrity, with their new pricing structure. The trend towards more inclusive pricing is not working for our household as we do not use booze and we will not pay for it in our cruise fare period.

 

All companies rely on "obedient consumers" - consumers that will continue to pay as the corporations increase prices and reduce offerings. This is the model that the cruise lines are using. Nothing is free.

 

A previous poster noted the supply/demand principle, spot on. There seems to be many consumers willing to cruise so more power to the cruise lines. Cruise lines have lost a long time customer in my household.

 

Best wishes for a happy and safe cruise vacation.

 

ABoatNerd

[rusty nut]

I'm not finding this to be the case at all. Been sailing on Royal for 25 years and we are currently booked on the least expensive 7 day cruise that we've ever been on. Sure, there are cruises, ships and itineraries that are big bucks but those aren't the cruises we book so it means nothing to us. The deals are out there.

Edited September 17, 2015 by rusty nut

[ulcards99]

Yep I agree you have to plan in advance if you want a great deal. I booked Harmony during the 30/30 deal and got a D8 cabin for $1667 total for two people.

 

 

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[LuCruise]

I've noticed a huge jump over the past few months.

We booked our cruise in Dec 2014 for April 2016...this is 16 months in advance and we were happy with what we paid (if it was free, we would have been happier...lol).

 

Just for the fun of it, I keep track of the prices for each cabin and they are now $1100 to $1400 more than they were when we purchased.

 

Having said that, if I also compare what we paid back in Dec for our April 2016 cruise to the same cruise in April 2017, the price increase is also $1100 to $1400. And that is booking 19 months in advance...so same increase (i.e. prices have gone up overall). Wonder what April 2017 cruise will cost as the time gets closer!

 

What's completely insane is a Junior Suite (which many seem to book) costs $11,000 CAD for a family of 4 on a 7 day Caribbean cruise. Really?

 

We selected RCL to take our kids on since it looks fantastic and it's still much cheaper than Disney. It's still cheaper, but the price difference isn't quite as much (although I like the fact that we can book in CAD).

Edited September 17, 2015 by LuCruise