Cost difference - help please!

[CruiseMob]

I'm comparing 2 Alaska 2018 cruises out of Seattle for the first part of June for 3 people. A Neptune suite on the Amsterdam is considerably more money than the Eurodam. Why would that be? They are both 7 day cruises. Isn't the Eurodam newer, larger, with more amenities? So why would it be so much cheaper?

 

Any clarity provided is greatly appreciated!

[OlsSalt]

The size of the ship and number or fare paying passengers each can carry is why smaller ships like the Amsterdam cost more than the larger ones like the Eurodam. There is a formula where getting larger brings down overall costs.... to a certain point . Then it reverses since getting larger also starts adding additional costs. HAL must have worked this out.

 

But in general, the larger the operation the lower the overall overhead, hence the lower costs. Plus location, location, location - some will pay premium to be on the smaller ships. Enjoy which ever one you finally choose - but each will be a different experience - because of their relative overall sizes. And you are right, the Eurodam is newer, has more features and offers a very good cruise value for the price ,with the one drawback (or benefit) of being a larger ship.

[Hlitner]

OlsSalt is talking about "economies of scale" and this is very applicable to cruise ships. We do not think they have yet to find a ship too large (from economy of scale perspective) as the Oasis Class of RCI still generates a very healthy profit per passenger day. In fact, the monster ships have another benefit which is a size that permits the cruise line to maximize onboard activities and facilities that generate more "on board revenue" which is where much of the profits are derived. Consider that a 240,000 ton ship has one Captain, one Staff Captain and one Chief Engineer (the highest paid staff in the Marine Dept). The smallest ships also have one Captain, one Staff Captain and one Chief Engineer. Monster ships are also more fuel efficient in terms of fuel used per passenger mile. And crew ratios improve on the largest ships. For example, the least efficient ship (in terms of fuel and staff ratio) of HAL is the Prinsendam. The Eurodam is certainly more efficient (in terms of crew, fuel, and overall cost per passenger day) then the older and smaller Amsterdam. And we suspect that the Koningsdam is likely now the most efficient (in terms of cost per passenger day) ship of the fleet.

 

Hank

[CruiseMob]

Thanks! Over $1100 more for almost the exact same itinerary, only difference being Glacier Bay vs Hubbard Glacier, seems excessive. Which is a shame, but I don't think I can justify that big a difference.

 

Thanks again!

[c-cruise]

Would be an easy choice for me. I would go with the Eurodam, much newer nicer ship, and a better itinerary with GB (although Hubbard is spectacular as well).

 

Also, check and see where the price difference is occurring. Sometimes one sailing will have a much better 3rd/4th person rate than another. Wouldn't surprise me at all if your 3rd person was less expensive on the Eurodam.

[jmps]

I, too, recommend the Eurodam choice. We did a Alaska round trip from Vancouver on the Zuiderdam (same class) and loved it. We had three in a Neptune and it is very comfortable. The HAL larger ships are a good value since they have a lot of balconies and suites thus they are often at lower prices. Glacier Bay was very nice.

[DaveOKC]

The smaller HAL ships have fewer Neptunes AND do not have Signature suites (which I liken to mini-suites), thus the demand for them is greater and thus the price is higher.

 

Case in point - when we are on one of the smaller HAL ships, it is rare to get an upsell to a Neptune. However, when on one of the larger ships, we almost always get one.

[CruiseMob]

Thanks everyone. You've hit the dilemma squarely. We'd choose Eurodam for the ship, but we've been to GB a couple of times and were fogged out the one time we tried Hubbard. So would like to try that again, but not for over $1100 more. Thanks again!

[Sequim88]

We originally booked Amsterdam for this summer from Seattle but then they switched ships and we got rebooked on Oosterdam with Amsterdam switching to 14 nt. Originally we booked an inside because balcony would have been $1,000/pp more. After the switch we checked and balcony was $500/pp more and due to some unexpected extra income we changed to balcony. Then I looked at the pictures of the two ships and understood why - Amsterdam has very few balconies compare to Oosterdam. Supply & Demand.