RCCL doubling fares for 2017! Too rich for us

[troykahack]

If true, RCCL is gonna have a lovely time trying to fill those bazillion-dollar ships they're building. Good luck, fellas. And count me out -I am not going to pay for your dumb business decisions.

 

Many think this but RCCL seems to be doing well considering. We enjoy RCCL. Most all out cruises were full regardless of the price. Someone will take your spot.

[LMaxwell]

Many think this but RCCL seems to be doing well considering. We enjoy RCCL. Most all out cruises were full regardless of the price. Someone will take your spot.

 

Maybe, maybe not. Two different "full". There is full double occupancy at 100%. then there is capacity that is closer to 115% number including 3rd/4th berths being used. Can make a HUGE difference. Like I said, not complaining about it. They are filling the ships. But if customers see value elsewhere and demand drops, so will prices. Big ships, limited itinerary, high prices; the cycle always swings the other way eventually.

 

Please consider that those of us paying for a family and not booking suites may be a bit more price sensitive than a couple used to paying for suites. You can afford to cruise frequently in suites. that's fantastic. But many can not. I wouldn't pay $2500 to go on Allure in the scenarios listed above when NCL balcony/drink package is $300 less, and MSC interior is almost half. As much as I like RCI it's not 90% better or more valuable than MSC for the same week and cabin type...

[troykahack]

We usually book a year or 2 in advance. The new Harmony is also way higher than the cruise we did on Allure, but that was couple years ago. I'm just saying the pricing is much higher compared from year to year.

 

Did not mean to cause a fire storm....but that's how I see it.

 

We aren't "giving up" RCCL , never said that, but it may affect our cruising frequency.

 

This makes more sense than your original post. Glad you cleared it up. I agree prices seem to be going up, especially on the newer ships.

[nbsjcruiser]

We became Diamond last year and the only RCI cruise that fits in our budget is a 4 day on the Enchantment. We booked 2 Princess cruises at a much lower fare than anything RCI could compete with and when you can get a Princess cruise cheaper than an RCI cruise, that should tell you something.

Edited July 17, 2016 by nbsjcruiser

[Baron Barracuda]

The way prices swing throughout the year makes it difficult to calculate price inflation.

 

For instance op was in and E1 this May. Using the 5/1 sailing as an example the base pp price for that category swung from $1034 on 7/1/15 up to $1399 two months later, down to $979 on 10/12, up to $1025 after fp this march and then down to $849 this April.

 

For the 4/30/17 sailing I don't have price data on an e1, but e2 has ranged from $840 to $940 over the past couple of months.

 

Because of these wide price movements "inflation" calculations will vary widely depending on when you book.

 

Don't think I can name my source here, just google cruise price trends and look for the web site of the little thing that swims in the ocean. Have found this info to be fairly accurate.

[aubreyc1988]

The way prices swing throughout the year makes it difficult to calculate price inflation.

 

For instance op was in and E1 this May. Using the 5/1 sailing as an example the base pp price for that category swung from $1034 on 7/1/15 up to $1399 two months later, down to $979 on 10/12, up to $1025 after fp this march and then down to $849 this April.

 

For the 4/30/17 sailing I don't have price data on an e1, but e2 has ranged from $840 to $940 over the past couple of months.

 

Because of these wide price movements "inflation" calculations will vary widely depending on when you book.

 

Don't think I can name my source here, just google cruise price trends and look for the web site of the little thing that swims in the ocean. Have found this info to be fairly accurate.

 

I love that website, I too find it pretty accurate.

[orville99]

Bad day?

 

 

Not at all :)

[cruisinfanatic]

Not at all :)

then why snotty to last couple posters?

[aubreyc1988]

sailings after the "No refund except for taxes & fees" period, do the prices go down even more, typically? I want to possibly do Oasis in Sept, but in a month, the sailing I am looking at goes past the "No refund except for taxes & fees" and just curious if its typically better to wait until after this point to book for the lowest prices

[nealstuber]

Depends how full the ship is. If they're only a few cabins left now, I would not bank on them going down. If there's more than a few, I would check back at least once a day, if not more.

[molly361]

sailings after the "No refund except for taxes & fees" period, do the prices go down even more, typically? I want to possibly do Oasis in Sept, but in a month, the sailing I am looking at goes past the "No refund except for taxes & fees" and just curious if its typically better to wait until after this point to book for the lowest prices

 

Hard to tell. I have noticed some good balcony prices for the Oasis/Allure for September. They have been in the $700 range. I don't know if they go lower than that.

 

Not sure about OV's or insides. I don't know how low they have gone. I don't remember even seeing them below $600 pp

[aubreyc1988]

Depends how full the ship is. If they're only a few cabins left now, I would not bank on them going down. If there's more than a few, I would check back at least once a day, if not more.

 

the site where the fish swims says this

 

2016-09-03 31 %

 

2016-09-04 38 %

[Daghis]

the site where the fish swims says this

 

2016-09-03 31 %

 

2016-09-04 38 %

 

I'm not positive, but I think that percentage doesn't reflect how full the ship is, but instead the percentage of categories that have any availability in them, without regard to how much availability there may be in each category.

[aubreyc1988]

I'm not positive, but I think that percentage doesn't reflect how full the ship is, but instead the percentage of categories that have any availability in them, without regard to how much availability there may be in each category.

 

ahh i see

 

btw, I see you are going on the escape - I went in Jan so if you have any questions "feel free" to ask :D

[molly361]

I'm not positive, but I think that percentage doesn't reflect how full the ship is, but instead the percentage of categories that have any availability in them, without regard to how much availability there may be in each category.

 

That's correct- and I don't know about the accuracy of those numbers either. I looked at it when the new sailings got released and at that time the site was showing not much in each % available and it was like the first or second day so the numbers should have at least shown 80% or more.

[orville99]

then why snotty to last couple posters?

 

Not at all. Just pointing out to someone who actively avoids reality because it interferes with his agenda, that his rants don't alter reality.

 

More curious is why you feel the need to defend him.

[trogmd]

I too find that prices have gone way out of my league. I wanted to do the Independence of the seas next year Transatlantic.

RCI price for a balcony jumped from £1500 to £2100 in a single day. Price is per person.

 

I am now booked with P&O Britannia for a much more reasonable price of £1467pp for a 15 night Transatlantic crossing with 2 more ports than the RCI cruise. :)

[cruisinfanatic]

Not at all. Just pointing out to someone who actively avoids reality because it interferes with his agenda, that his rants don't alter reality.

 

More curious is why you feel the need to defend him.

neither do yours

[Chrisconn]

just hopped back on CC after sticker shock pricing our first cruise in a while. the new class of ships is out of our price range for sure. i guess it isn't just me!

[kleo30]

My experience is that the price decreased.

 

JS aft on Grandeur for 10/2016 we paid $5363 total.

JS aft (exact same room) on Grandeur for 10/2017 we paid $4306 total.

[BillOh]

That's not double...

 

That's your contribution to the thread?

[mattg43]

I didn't read all the responses, but you are comparing May to the middle of the summer (Aka peak vacation season) and are shocked that there is a price difference?

 

Wow. Stop the presses.

Edited July 19, 2016 by mattg43

[reedl]

- Royal can charge whatever it wants.

- You can decide to pay the amount that Royal is asking or not pay it.

 

Look, Royal is a company, attempting to make as much money as possible. If they can charge more for their product and people will pay it, then they should charge more. They are not a charity, or a non-profit.

 

If they charge too much, they sail with empty cabins and lose money on the cruise. They most certainly do not want that, but if they can charge more, they will.

[seaofwonder]

We think the prices have climbed too. We stopped cruising for almost two years (we're close to D+) and more than that since Royal. Just booked a cruise for next summer and ended up with Royal because of the itinerary....otherwise, we found NCL to be a great experience and can be considerably cheaper.

[teecee60]

 

- Royal can charge whatever it wants.

- You can decide to pay the amount that Royal is asking or not pay it.

 

Royal is a company, attempting to make as much money as possible. If they can charge more for their product and people will pay it, then they should charge more. They are not a charity, or a non-profit.

 

If they charge too much, they sail with empty cabins and lose money on the cruise. They most certainly do not want that, but if they can charge more, they will.

 

Exceptionally well stated.

 

There is another thread on this board about a $4,000 "military discount" on a 7 night Radiance cruise. :eek:

 

Is that REALLY a discount? I don't believe so. :confused:

 

It is simply RCCL admitting that it can't find enough people to pay more than $6,000 for a 7 night cruise. ;)

 

That same ship/date/itinerary has a "military rate" on ocean view cabins of $540pp, from a "brochure" rate of $2,644pp.

 

Just list the "brochure" rate at 2.6 BILLION dollars... so everyone can feel GREAT about getting a 2.59999999 billion dollar discount.

Edited July 19, 2016 by teecee60