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Cruise prices are out of control!

djjoe

By djjoe,
in Royal Caribbean International

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akcruz

akcruz

Posted
Posted

I think that people have been spoiled over the past 5 years or so with relatively low cruise pricing. I remember looking at balcony cabins on Freedom about 10 years ago that were going for over $1600 per person. A few years later that dropped substantially and we took advantage of those great prices. Yes, the prices have risen but when you look at what they were 10 years ago they are fairly close.

 

On the other hand, look at what was included 10 years ago and how much onboard items cost (e.g. drink prices) Nothing like what it is now, this is where they are really getting you!

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nbsjcruiser Great Review Rare

nbsjcruiser

Posted
Posted
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.

 

My advice - check other lines. While we will probably always be partial to RCI, there's a limit to what we'll digest. For example, we stumbled on to a special Princess has on. We booked a 7 day Eastern with 3 great stops for next Nov for $1100 USD total for two of us, taxes, tips and a free specialty dinner thrown in. It got us to thinking so we looked at February 2017. We originally had a 9 day on the NOS that did the southern ABC islands. Checking Princess we were able to get a 10 day that did those islands plus St Thomas and Princess Cay for the same price + a specialty restaurant as the 9 day on the NOS. For the extra day, extra stops and free dinner - no brainer. We found the same thing with the Getaway February 2016. Cheaper price than what RCI offered for a comparable ship.

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jakesnana

jakesnana

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I see that prices have risen some, but not what I would consider "out of control". You just need to watch the sales. I booked a spring break cruise on the Navigator (OV for 4 people) back in February and paid just over $2600. for the cabin. In my mind, $654.00 per person for a spring break vacation is a killer price. I DID book when RCCL was running their "Tax Free" sale, which saved me almost $450.00.

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alwaysflyin

alwaysflyin

Posted
Posted

7 day southbound Alaska for $360/pp (without taxes and port charges)

 

12 day TA on Allure for $400/pp

 

5 day Caribbean on Vision for $159/pp

 

13 day TA on Liberty for $360/pp

 

These are all in the last 15 months. The deals are there; I just look at prices daily and when I see something I like, I pounce. I tend to book about 4-8 weeks out which is often the sweet spot for prices, and I always book an inside cabin. It can still be done!

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BLAMBKY

BLAMBKY

Posted
Posted

I felt the same way (summer only cruising) but I found a deal through a TA, that was much lower pp than Royal's a year in advance. I am not sure if this will be a consistent thing (getting better prices in advance from TA) or if I just happened to luck out this time.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

Posted
Posted
Prices seem to be all over the place. I was looking at Majesty out of PC after drydock next year. A B2B in a deck 9 SOV is MORE than my Allure cruise next April in a CP balcony :rolleyes:

 

Ill pass

 

We have a JS in January right at $1000. Seemed fine to me for the weekend. It is Friday the 13th though

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nelblu

nelblu

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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.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Just got an e-mail from one of the large on-line TA and the Harmony pricing for early '16 for the East/West itinerary look very reasonable. Would take advantage of these pricing, especially for a new ship, but I've got a full cruise plate.

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tiggeril

tiggeril

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Posted

I don't understand why, in every fare thread, there's people stomping their feet about RCI's profits and stock price.

 

Folks, what's good for them is good for us as customers in the long run. When profits and stock prices start dropping, that's when we start seeing fewer staff, slashed amenities, dirtier ships, and fewer itineraries.

 

I'd rather sail with a company that's having good business than one that's down in the dumps! :eek:

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Fortypluscruiser

Fortypluscruiser

Posted
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I don't understand why, in every fare thread, there's people stomping their feet about RCI's profits and stock price.

 

Folks, what's good for them is good for us as customers in the long run. When profits and stock prices start dropping, that's when we start seeing fewer staff, slashed amenities, dirtier ships, and fewer itineraries.

 

I'd rather sail with a company that's having good business than one that's down in the dumps! :eek:

 

Or you can buy the stock to mitigate the effects of paying more for the cruise.

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grandgeezer

grandgeezer

Posted
Posted
I don't understand why, in every fare thread, there's people stomping their feet about RCI's profits and stock price.

 

Folks, what's good for them is good for us as customers in the long run. When profits and stock prices start dropping, that's when we start seeing fewer staff, slashed amenities, dirtier ships, and fewer itineraries.

 

I'd rather sail with a company that's having good business than one that's down in the dumps! :eek:

 

You see fewer staff and amenities now, that's part of the reason profits are up.

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Sitzmark

Sitzmark

Posted
Posted
I am more concerned about the cost of air fare. Our first class, five hour trip from the midwest United States to San Juan for a cruise on Adventure is $3,400.00 USD. That is more than our week long cruise in a GS.

 

price the economy tickets, and look for the rates when you are 2 months to 6 weeks out from your travel window.

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Arzeena

Arzeena

Posted
Posted
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.

 

You are right about the prices. What I am surprised about its that the price on the Grandeur is sometimes higher than the Anthem! Really! What were they thinking!

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