What would you give up for a 5% to 10% fare reduction?

[LMaxwell]

Why not flip the script and ask what one would be willing to bring back for a 5-10% increase in one's cruise fare?

 

I am personally not willing to pay $150-$300 more for pillow chocolates, a midnight buffet, lobster in the MDR, a past-guest party or any of the other trivialities over which others seem so bent out of shape.

 

That is of course a personal opinion; if others want them, that's just fine and dandy. They can pay for it. I don't want to.

 

I'd pay 5% to 10% in cruise fare for all of those things. But I don't think it would amount to $150-$300. The fare is just the advertised per person price.

[James in SA]

Pardon me, but I haven't seen any connection between cost savings due to cutbacks and cruise fares. Aside from cutbacks in entertainment, food quality, etc... Fuel, by far the biggest expense is way down. Yet Carnival's fares are noticeably higher this year.

 

Don't imagine for a minute that by letting them take things away from you that you are going to enjoy lower fares. The savings will go to corporate profits, and cruise fares on Carnival are trending higher than we have been accustomed to. We really need to be demanding more from them to win our vacation dollars.

Edited May 10, 2016 by James in SA

[Steve Dore]

This thread made me LOL.

[mapsmith]

I would give up smoking in the Casino.

[Jdfireman]

Internet internet internet internet

[MCFTJCH2V]

Many people here claim that they are okay with cost cutting because they want the lowest possible cruise fare.

 

What services or amenities would you be alright with being removed in order to reduce the cruise fare portion by 5% to 10%? This assumes you stay in the same category of room you selected and not "trade down" like from a balcony to an interior.

 

So all things being equal, what would you be alright with Carnival removing or rounding the edges off of in order to reduce your fare price?

 

I'd be OK with less TV channels and reducing the pizza place from 24 hours to 16 hours. Not sure that would get a 5% reduction in fare, but those are areas I'd be okay with some minor cutbacks if I could save some money.

 

Your thinking is backward. It should be what 5 or 10% increase would you be willing to pay to get back which was cutback.

 

I almost passed out yesterday when I read in Facebook something like, would you be willing to pay for a meal program. Huh? It's like they won't still till they serve rice at meal time, but you can buy up to this.

[Tapi]

For those willing to pay extra to get some items back, have you considered sailing on another cruise line that still offers some of these things that are now a "cutback" on Carnival, and pay the price difference accordingly?

 

I do agree that some of the little details can make a huge difference (at least for those who care about them). One of the things that made our Princess cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary so memorable was arriving in our stateroom and finding balloons and cabin decoration, an invitation to a special event, and being presented with an anniversary cake on our last evening onboard, all complimentarily! We felt more special as first timers on Princess than as Platinum on Carnival.

 

It was a small token of their appreciation, but one which had a big, positive impact on our experience and one which will make us want to sail on them again. And the most interesting thing about all of this was that we paid LESS than a similar cruise on Carnival!

Edited May 10, 2016 by Tapi

[MCFTJCH2V]

For those willing to pay extra to get some items back, have you considered sailing on another cruise line that still offers some of these things that are now a "cutback" on Carnival, and pay the price difference accordingly?

 

I do agree that some of the little details can make a huge difference (at least for those who care about them). One of the things that made our Princess cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary so memorable was arriving in our stateroom and finding balloons and cabin decoration, an invitation to a special event, and being presented with an anniversary cake on our last evening onboard, all complimentarily! We felt more special as first timers on Princess than as Platinum on Carnival.

 

It was a small token of their appreciation, but one which had a big, positive impact on our experience and one which will make us want to sail on them again. And the most interesting thing about all of this was that we paid LESS than a similar cruise on Carnival!

 

Yes. I find myself cruising on other lines more and more.

 

I may pay a bit more. But I get a LOT more. And sometime not even pay paying more at all.

[First and Ten]

Exactly and since everyone dresses like they are at Big Bob's buffet why have a nice dining room. Could save the line major money for the stockholders. Customers who are willing to give up the entire farm will never see the milk.

 

I don't agree with "Everyone"....there are a good portion of cruisers that like to get dressed up and be served in a formal setting (I personally am not one of them, I like the buffet). I really believe that if they did away with the MDR, you would lose a good portion of cruisers. One of the reason many people take a cruise is for the dining experiences. while it would be a major cost saving to do away with the MDR and the servers, I think they would also lose many of their consumer base

Edited May 10, 2016 by First and Ten

[KatieCharlotte]

Most things that I could happily give up are money makers for Carnival or very important to other cruisers and indirectly make my cruise better by reducing crowds. The two things that I would never give up are service, including stewards and wait staff, and all-you-can-eat food options.

 

Regardless, cruise prices are based on supply and demand, not how much it costs to keep the cruise running. It obviously doesn't cost them any more during peak periods when prices are doubled. Offering things that appeal to customers raises demand, so they can charge more and still fill the ships to profit from onboard spending. If they can make cuts that don't affect demand, they don't have to charge less and can simply pocket the savings.

[poobears]

I'm sure if they went to a pay for your food/drink choice I would come out far cheaper since I don't go on a cruise to eat/drink my fare. I eat normal meals at meal time with an occasional snack just like I would at home and that's it. Making myself miserable by stuffing my face all day just doesn't seem like fun to me. But the nice part about a cruise is knowing when I set foot on ship I don't have to worry about paying for anything unless I want to gamble or play bingo etc. If I want to grab a bite to eat I can without thinking about a bill later so even though I'd save a ton of money in the long run I'd rather pay more up front and keep the unlimited food option.

 

Although if it ever came up where there was an option to sail and pay for food or pay a much higher price and go unlimited yeah I'd probably take the a la carte option because it makes sense for me personally. Or if there was a MDR vs buffet option sign me up for the buffet option. Though I do want fresh towels daily just like at home and no I'm not brining my own :)

 

Why anyone would want to chill on deck and watch a movie is the same reason people love to kick back in a lounge chair on deck and read a book. Yes you can do that at home but how many people are surrounded by the ocean at home and have the ocean breeze blowing in their faces while they are doing chilling. If you have to ask why they enjoy doing it on a cruise vs doing it at home. Why are you even going on a cruise?

[KatieCharlotte]

I'm sure if they went to a pay for your food/drink choice I would come out far cheaper since I don't go on a cruise to eat/drink my fare. I eat normal meals at meal time with an occasional snack just like I would at home and that's it. Making myself miserable by stuffing my face all day just doesn't seem like fun to me. But the nice part about a cruise is knowing when I set foot on ship I don't have to worry about paying for anything unless I want to gamble or play bingo etc. If I want to grab a bite to eat I can without thinking about a bill later so even though I'd save a ton of money in the long run I'd rather pay more up front and keep the unlimited food option.

 

Although if it ever came up where there was an option to sail and pay for food or pay a much higher price and go unlimited yeah I'd probably take the a la carte option because it makes sense for me personally. Or if there was a MDR vs buffet option sign me up for the buffet option. Though I do want fresh towels daily just like at home and no I'm not brining my own :)

 

 

As a smaller woman, I might also come out ahead paying a la carte, even though I don't eat like I do at home. :D My daughter certainly would come out ahead. But then we would miss out on one of the joys of cruising, especially for people who are budget conscious. It's the vacation of yes -- choosing the steak instead of the burger, two entrees, appetizers, desserts, endless ice cream, and most importantly, trying new things without feeling like you are wasting money if you hate it and decide to order a pizza instead.

[maldenmusic]

I don't think the cruise directors add to my cruises in the least. Be gone with the CDs!

[loveJake]

I really don't want anything else gone, but maybe people could be educated on all the food that is wasted, take as much as you want, eat 2 bites and throw away. After all the food is free, right!

Edited May 10, 2016 by loveJake

[Cushing985]

For those willing to pay extra to get some items back, have you considered sailing on another cruise line that still offers some of these things that are now a "cutback" on Carnival, and pay the price difference accordingly?

 

I do agree that some of the little details can make a huge difference (at least for those who care about them). One of the things that made our Princess cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary so memorable was arriving in our stateroom and finding balloons and cabin decoration, an invitation to a special event, and being presented with an anniversary cake on our last evening onboard, all complimentarily! We felt more special as first timers on Princess than as Platinum on Carnival.

 

It was a small token of their appreciation, but one which had a big, positive impact on our experience and one which will make us want to sail on them again. And the most interesting thing about all of this was that we paid LESS than a similar cruise on Carnival!

 

I agree with this statement. Sometimes the best solution is the most obvious one. So far I haven't been affected by "cut-backs." I couldn't care less about the chocolates on the pillows, mid-night buffets, live music, etc but if they cut back on the daily servicings in the cabin I would move on without any hesitation. Right now, Carnival has me for a customer but if they take away things I consider important for a cruise then they will have lost me. Will they suffer? Doubtful. I'll be replaced by a new cruiser who isn't aware of what they're missing out on.

[Computer Nerd]

Your thinking is backward. It should be what 5 or 10% increase would you be willing to pay to get back which was cutback.

 

I almost passed out yesterday when I read in Facebook something like, would you be willing to pay for a meal program. Huh? It's like they won't still till they serve rice at meal time, but you can buy up to this.

 

what jh was referring to was a meal plan like ncl has to the specialty restaurants which are quite numerous on the vista.

[Computer Nerd]

For those willing to pay extra to get some items back, have you considered sailing on another cruise line that still offers some of these things that are now a "cutback" on Carnival, and pay the price difference accordingly?

 

I do agree that some of the little details can make a huge difference (at least for those who care about them). One of the things that made our Princess cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary so memorable was arriving in our stateroom and finding balloons and cabin decoration, an invitation to a special event, and being presented with an anniversary cake on our last evening onboard, all complimentarily! We felt more special as first timers on Princess than as Platinum on Carnival.

 

It was a small token of their appreciation, but one which had a big, positive impact on our experience and one which will make us want to sail on them again. And the most interesting thing about all of this was that we paid LESS than a similar cruise on Carnival!

 

glad they made your anniversary so special. :) little tokens like that do go a long way.

[Warm Breezes]

Probably not. The taxes are the taxes. Port fees are port fees. Gratuities are gratuities. parking is parking. the fare is really the only variable in cruise pricing we ever see change.

 

A price driven consumer is not necessarily the same as a value driven consumer. I am value driven. Whenever a cut back happens that I don't like people tell me they don't care, they are just price driven and want a lower price. I want a valuable experience and that may be worth a few dollars more to me. So I am curious what price driven people would get rid of.

 

I am not under the impression that you are price driven at all. I have always been under the impression you are value driven. So you may not identify anything that you'd cut, or may even identify things you would add for nominal increases in overall fare.

 

I think all Price driven people are value driven. Value is subjective. Just because you value something and are willing to pay more for and consider that a value doesn't mean someone else is price driven because they don't value it and are not willing to pay more for it. They are no less value driven than you are. They just value different things.

[Warm Breezes]

Pardon me, but I haven't seen any connection between cost savings due to cutbacks and cruise fares. Aside from cutbacks in entertainment, food quality, etc... Fuel, by far the biggest expense is way down. Yet Carnival's fares are noticeably higher this year.

 

Don't imagine for a minute that by letting them take things away from you that you are going to enjoy lower fares. The savings will go to corporate profits, and cruise fares on Carnival are trending higher than we have been accustomed to. We really need to be demanding more from them to win our vacation dollars.

 

That is because the cruise fare is set up supply/demand and not cost. Carnival has to manage its operating expenses based on what the market will bear to pay, not set it's fare based on what the expenses are....this whole thread is meaningless. If the cruises are selling out than passengers must be willing to take what is being offered by Carnival now at the price Carnival is currently selling it for.

[soccersharon]

For those willing to pay extra to get some items back, have you considered sailing on another cruise line that still offers some of these things that are now a "cutback" on Carnival, and pay the price difference accordingly?

 

 

 

I agree. I get tired of people complaining about the cutbacks, yet still sail with Carnival, and continue to complain.

 

 

 

 

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[Ready 2 Go]

Do away with the 3 day cruises ...

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[Cr2zCr8zy]

Life boats. What are the chances of needing them? I bet they're really, really expensive to have and maintain too. ;)

 

LOL! :eek: Lost my water on that one...

[BallFour4]

For those willing to pay extra to get some items back, have you considered sailing on another cruise line that still offers some of these things that are now a "cutback" on Carnival, and pay the price difference accordingly?

 

We listened to you, and did. It was an entirely different experience!

 

.

Edited May 10, 2016 by BallFour4

[fireofficer5]

For !0%, get rid of the water slides, the out door TV screen and the buffet (pizza).

[TheTravelista]

For those willing to pay extra to get some items back, have you considered sailing on another cruise line that still offers some of these things that are now a "cutback" on Carnival, and pay the price difference accordingly?

 

I do agree that some of the little details can make a huge difference (at least for those who care about them). One of the things that made our Princess cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary so memorable was arriving in our stateroom and finding balloons and cabin decoration, an invitation to a special event, and being presented with an anniversary cake on our last evening onboard, all complimentarily! We felt more special as first timers on Princess than as Platinum on Carnival.

 

It was a small token of their appreciation, but one which had a big, positive impact on our experience and one which will make us want to sail on them again. And the most interesting thing about all of this was that we paid LESS than a similar cruise on Carnival!

 

It gets difficult because Princess and Celebrity are just not the cruise lines for me just yet.

 

I recently went over to the Princess boards to try to find reviews (that was a chore in itself) and the one I did see was well written, with great pics and info. It also confirmed everything I expected. Same experience with Celebrity reviews. I'm still young and love the fun and excitement cruise lines like Carnival, NCL and RCI provide. Those 3 are all pretty much the same as far as cutbacks go. So when it comes to cruising, I deal with the cutbacks and do what I can to upgrade my experience as much as possible, everywhere possible. Been doing way more land trips as well.