USA, UK and AUS Prices

[Pam in CA]

It's apples and oranges. Sometimes, Princess has market-based promotional pricing. In other words, there are times when if you living within driving distance to the port, there's promotional pricing.

 

Comparing pricing between markets is a slippery slope as there are variables.

[iancal]

Comparing prices between booking centers may be a slippery slope however there are benefits to be had.

 

Most particularly if one is booking inside the final payment window when many of the inconsistencies between country of booking disappear since it is the point of no return as it were.

 

We have a land trip scheduled in SE Asia this winter and may try for a late booking cruise.

 

We will be checking the cruise prices-both in local prices, Australian prices, and North American prices. Only takes a minute to do the checking. There is certainly no downside for us. Not certain what the OZ T's and C's are with regard to re-pricing or cancellations prior to the final payment date though. Keep in mind that prices and offers can change daily and hourly. We would have no issue using our long distance calling card to call an OZ site or any other number to book if there was a significant saving to be enjoyed.

 

Why pay more when you do not have to???

Edited December 28, 2015 by iancal

[windsor26]

Unfortunately GUT you cannot compare apples with apples in this situation

 

You have the prices but apart from the anomolies of gratuities

you must take into account:

 

No credit card charges in US as is the case in NZ UK and Oz about 2.5%

In US deposits are refunded up to final payment

In US reductions in price are given up to final payment (and sometimes afterwards)

US TA's give good incentives like more obc and speciality meals and wine

 

I agree at present due to the exchange rate there is not a lot in it but the other factors should be taken into account

[Aus Traveller]

Unfortunately GUT you cannot compare apples with apples in this situation

 

You have the prices but apart from the anomolies of gratuities

you must take into account:

 

No credit card charges in US as is the case in NZ UK and Oz about 2.5%

In US deposits are refunded up to final payment

In US reductions in price are given up to final payment (and sometimes afterwards)

US TA's give good incentives like more obc and speciality meals and wine

 

I agree at present due to the exchange rate there is not a lot in it but the other factors should be taken into account

We have been charged 1.5% as a credit card fee, not 2.5%. If you book with Princess using a Future Cruise Deposit you can cancel a cruise without penalty and I believe from a couple of years ago, Princess now give Aussies a price reduction, provided they ask for it. I think the same applies in USA. As for TA's incentives, these can vary, but Princess is now giving a speciality meal for two.:)

[GUT2407]

Many seem to have missed the point. Not could you get extras booking elsewhere or even was Australia less expensive, but was there any truth in the claims that cruises are more expensive for Aussies than others, similar questions elsewhere seem to show similar results.

 

Australians certainly don't appear to be paying LOTS more than those from the UK or America.

 

It also in my opinion disproves the repeated claim that if Gratuities are bundled into the fare then fares will go through the roof.

 

I've invited others to suggest other cruises to do the same comparison no seems interested fair enough, but every time I've tried a comparison Aussies are paying pretty much the same (maybe less) than other parts of the World for the same cruise.

[iancal]

We price travel products in various countries.

 

Once you get your head around the T's and C's of cruise bookings options the rest is simple. One can quickly discern and adjust for gratuities, included or not, cc fees-charged or not, TA or cruise line OBC's yea or nae.

 

The only bottom line issues that we have are T's and C's arethings like a bottle of wine that we have decided to value at half of what we would pay on the cruise. We quickly come down to a price comparison that stands up to scrutiny. Agreed that it is much easier in the final payment window but it can be done with a certain degree of accuracy at any given point in time. Accessing country pricing is fairly straightforward. We get regular offer emails from Australian, UK, and US based on line TA's. Great for searching last minute deals.

 

Our impression...from a very small amount of price comparison is that OZ and US pricing is usually fairly close.

 

UK is different. We follow that. UK pricing is not only usually higher, sometimes substantially so, but their terms and conditions would be unacceptable to most of us in North America.

Edited December 29, 2015 by iancal

[windsor26]

We have been charged 1.5% as a credit card fee, not 2.5%. If you book with Princess using a Future Cruise Deposit you can cancel a cruise without penalty and I believe from a couple of years ago, Princess now give Aussies a price reduction, provided they ask for it. I think the same applies in USA. As for TA's incentives, these can vary, but Princess is now giving a speciality meal for two.:)

 

Yes Evon by checking around we can all get different things I pa .75% with my TA and I have got reductions in the past but I was pointing out the normal differences to be found between the five countries

[babygoo]

So it looks like UK passengers are paying more, is it possible for me to book through a US travel agent?

[crochetcruise]

Just curious.

 

I can't see prices on Princess for prices from the US or UK.

 

But keep hearing how we in Australia and maybe the UK get hit extra because we are such notoriously bad tippers.

 

Just wondering f someone from each country can price (from Princess not a TA) a mid ship balcony on say the Emerald Princess out of Sydney to Tasmania, 12 Dec 2016

 

Let's say a mid ship balcony on deck 10 (I think that's an A1, in yellow)

 

I'll then apply the current exchange rate and see how much difference there is.

 

Deck 10 is showing sold out! December 12, 2016, I had to pick on Aloha Deck-A434 or A502-both mid-ship balcony staterooms.

 

I presumed 2 people sharing the stateroom.

 

Price for both A434 and A502 was $1,899 per person in AUD.

 

HTH.

[RocketMan275]

Many seem to have missed the point. Not could you get extras booking elsewhere or even was Australia less expensive, but was there any truth in the claims that cruises are more expensive for Aussies than others, similar questions elsewhere seem to show similar results.

 

Australians certainly don't appear to be paying LOTS more than those from the UK or America.

 

It also in my opinion disproves the repeated claim that if Gratuities are bundled into the fare then fares will go through the roof.

 

I've invited others to suggest other cruises to do the same comparison no seems interested fair enough, but every time I've tried a comparison Aussies are paying pretty much the same (maybe less) than other parts of the World for the same cruise.

 

Perhaps some have claimed that fares would go through the roof but that would be typical hyperbolic argument. I would expect the fares to go up by the amount of the prepaid gratuities plus an amount to account for taxes, overheads, etc. So, approximately $20-$25-USD PPPD.

 

If you're trying to prove that cruise lines could factor the gratuities into the fare, no one is disputing that. What many have disputed is whether the cruise lines should change their fare structure simply because some don't like to tip. Well, far more probably that some do like to tip so where does that leave you?

 

A second point. If one is trying to make a compelling case involving price comparisons, one has to ensure that comparable things are being compared. That would take dozens of comparisons. BTW, the biggest pitfall in all forms of analysis is the statement "all other things being the same". Only rarely are they.

[GUT2407]

Perhaps some have claimed that fares would go through the roof but that would be typical hyperbolic argument. I would expect the fares to go up by the amount of the prepaid gratuities plus an amount to account for taxes, overheads, etc. So, approximately $20-$25-USD PPPD.

 

If you're trying to prove that cruise lines could factor the gratuities into the fare, no one is disputing that. What many have disputed is whether the cruise lines should change their fare structure simply because some don't like to tip. Well, far more probably that some do like to tip so where does that leave you?

 

A second point. If one is trying to make a compelling case involving price comparisons, one has to ensure that comparable things are being compared. That would take dozens of comparisons. BTW, the biggest pitfall in all forms of analysis is the statement "all other things being the same". Only rarely are they.

 

Well dozens of comparisons have to start with one. And yes Apples to Apples that was why I even asked for a specific category of cabin.

 

And what I am trying to find out is pretty simple, is one country paying consistently more than another as is frequently claimed.

 

As for 20-25US$ pp/pd that's nearly double the standard auto grats most lines a charge for a balcony.

[GUT2407]

Deck 10 is showing sold out! December 12, 2016, I had to pick on Aloha Deck-A434 or A502-both mid-ship balcony staterooms.

 

I presumed 2 people sharing the stateroom.

 

Price for both A434 and A502 was $1,899 per person in AUD.

 

HTH.

 

Thank you.

[RocketMan275]

Well dozens of comparisons have to start with one. And yes Apples to Apples that was why I even asked for a specific category of cabin.

 

And what I am trying to find out is pretty simple, is one country paying consistently more than another as is frequently claimed.

 

As for 20-25US$ pp/pd that's nearly double the standard auto grats most lines a charge for a balcony.

 

A specific category of cabin is not sufficient. There are many factors that go into the current pricing of a cruise. Even if a line were to be offering the same cruise to different areas at different prices, that may only reflect marketing. Would Princess sell a cruise out of Australia at different rates to a person in Australia or one in the UK? They might. (The cruise lines always want to know your state of residency when you book in the US since they sometimes offer different rates.) How would the fact that when it is summer in Australia, it is winter in the UK affect rates? The only way you can eliminate such factors is to examine a very large number of cruises, at different times, different cabin classes, etc. You would also have to incorporate various promotions, etc. Anything less is really only speculation.

 

Prior to my retirement, I was heavily involved in contract negotiations. Labor rate markups of 100 to 250% were not uncommon. Reliance upon direct tipping pretty much eliminates those kinds of markups.

[GUT2407]

A specific category of cabin is not sufficient. There are many factors that go into the current pricing of a cruise. Even if a line were to be offering the same cruise to different areas at different prices, that may only reflect marketing. Would Princess sell a cruise out of Australia at different rates to a person in Australia or one in the UK? They might. (The cruise lines always want to know your state of residency when you book in the US since they sometimes offer different rates.) How would the fact that when it is summer in Australia, it is winter in the UK affect rates? The only way you can eliminate such factors is to examine a very large number of cruises, at different times, different cabin classes, etc. You would also have to incorporate various promotions, etc. Anything less is really only speculation.

 

Prior to my retirement, I was heavily involved in contract negotiations. Labor rate markups of 100 to 250% were not uncommon. Reliance upon direct tipping pretty much eliminates those kinds of markups.

 

A few points, but they may be hard for you to grasp.

 

1. I have acknowledged over and again that one sample isn't enough, not sure why you don't get that. But you have to start somewhere in relation to such comparisons.

 

Please if you think there is a better way to compare, trot off and do so.

 

2. What direct tipping, we are talking about auto tipping, no one has even mentioned removing auto grats being removed and tipping in cash, please don't try and hijack a thread that us aimed at comparing prices around the world and turn it into another tipping thread. rather go and start one yourself.

 

The only relevance if tipping to this thread is that it is often quoted as a reason for "outrageous" price differences.

 

What I am trying to ascertain is if those "outrageous" price discrepancies even exist.

[RocketMan275]

A few points, but they may be hard for you to grasp.

 

1. I have acknowledged over and again that one sample isn't enough, not sure why you don't get that. But you have to start somewhere in relation to such comparisons.

 

Please if you think there is a better way to compare, trot off and do so.

 

2. What direct tipping, we are talking about auto tipping, no one has even mentioned removing auto grats being removed and tipping in cash, please don't try and hijack a thread that us aimed at comparing prices around the world and turn it into another tipping thread. rather go and start one yourself.

 

The only relevance if tipping to this thread is that it is often quoted as a reason for "outrageous" price differences.

 

What I am trying to ascertain is if those "outrageous" price discrepancies even exist.

 

I've done cost analysis/comparisons for many years. My comments were directed at the magnitude of the task you've set out for yourself. In order to get meaningful results, you will have to do the things I pointed out. Anything else is pure speculation. You would probably need to consider something on the order of at least a hundred price points, ie, specific dates, cabins, itineraries, cruise lines, etc.

 

Second. You're the one who brought gratuities into this discussion. Direct tipping or auto-gratuities, same difference the money goes to the crew in a more or less direct manner.