When did Princess become so expensive?

[RRFan]

I Googled the benefits and they aren't bad at all!

 

 

 

I did too and you're right, they aren't bad but Princess Elite, in addition to what MSC Black has, gives us a free mini bar set up per cruise, free 250 min of wifi per person, and free unlimited laundry/dry cleaning service. Plus additional OBC per 10 cruise level ($25 @ 21+, $50 @ 31+ etc). PCL has a far better loyalty program than any I've looked at. IMHO.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[mellon1]

Yep. I had a friend who, when he and his wife were young, didn't want to cruise because "we can do that later when we're older and richer". His wife's parents kept after them to cruise with them so they gave in and did "one" cruise. They were hooked. They proceeded to cruise many times after that. One day about two weeks before a Hawaiian cruise he said he didn't feel good and two weeks later he was dead. He was in his very early 60's. If he and his wife had waited "until later" they never would have done any of the wonderful cruises they had together and his wife wouldn't have any of those memories. They weren't wealthy by any means. He had a good job and made good money but I don't believe they had any massive investments that would allow them to travel just using the "dividend" income or anything of that sort. They paid for their cruises and didn't carry debt from them but they did "use their hard earned money" to cruise.

 

Arrogant people who feel superior because they are more financially secure than others are annoying at best and disgusting at worst. I knew some other people who just kept inheriting money right and left. The wife felt vastly superior to people with lesser means even though the money she gloated about was money that other people had made. She was just the only heir for multiple people. I heard comments about waiters and waitress on the lines of, "If they could do anything else they would be doing it instead of just being a waiter/waitress". Wow. These comments were about young people who were working while gong to university. I guess if they were "smart" they would have just inherited money. (Her husband was a great guy liked by just about everybody. She, on the other hand...)

 

I agree with you. We save all we can and don't do other things so we can cruise. We don't even want to go about accounting for $ we spent on cruises....but others spend it routinely throughout the year. We are not rich. We feel we need to enjoy things while we can walk and get around. Glad we did all the tours while we were young! Now, we can just enjoy the ship when everyone gets off. As my hubby always says...there are no guarantees in life.

[windsor26]

I know I am speaking from down under and SOME things are different but are we comparing applies with bananas?

 

You pay for a Princess cruise and unless you need to drink a huge amount or eat in the speciality restaurants every night that is really all you need to pay even hot chocolate and popcorn if free

(In Oz there is no 15% added to drinks etc nor do we have tips automatically) but I did not take this into account

 

On RCCI you add 18% to all drinks and their prices per bottle of win is higher. Apart from breakfast room service costs.

Carnival apart from all day pizza other items after the set meal times have to be paid for extra and you cannot take your own wine on board and pay corkage

I do not know if you have P&O in USA area but here there are 3 meal times for 2.5 hours after which everything will cost you If you want a cup of tea in bed delivered it is $3 per item Pop corn at night for the show/film costs

 

Cannot speak with any knowledge on other cruise l;ines as we have not used them recently but really it is not apples versos apples

[geoherb]

If you can't afford a balcony, take an inside cabin. We just got back from 12 nights on the Caribbean Princess in an inside cabin and had a great time. While I'm sure we would have enjoyed having a balcony some of the time on this cruise, it's better to be on the ship than not.

 

I'm currently tracking prices for December cruises. Of the 12 I'm following, only the Regal has balcony cabins available for under $1,000 per person for a 7-day cruise. But the Grand Princess and Royal Princess have a comparable price for a balcony cabin per day, coming in at just over $1,000 for 10-day cruises.

[fastsneakers]

Expensive and not worth it in our opinion. Spend your hard earned money with a Cruise Line that actually values their guests, not rips them off! Don't waste your time with Princess, they aren't the same company they once were.

[Kingofcool1947]

I realize that the prices for all things go up, but it seems that Princess cruises have really skyrocketed in the last few years. I really like Princess and have been on 4 of its ships and Id like to go back...but its become very pricey. I used to be able to get balcony rooms for around or even under $1000 pp for 7 days, now they seem to start at $1500. What's changed I wonder? Its a shame.

 

I paid $600 for a 7 day cruise in a balcony cabin. For me, it was not too expensive. :)

You could always find cheaper by booking an inside cabin.

Or look into cruise fares offered on Carinaval or Costa.

Look for promotional sales.

Good hunting, and enjoy your next cruise.

[Woobstr112G]

I Googled the benefits and they aren't bad at all!

 

Not bad at all. Now if they would include the internet minutes and mini bar set up.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

[reney313]

Personally, I have sailed Princess much more in the past few years because I found better deals than on RCI who I primarily sailed prior.

 

That said, I can still find good deals as we are flexible in our dates (no kids and jobs allow the freedom for vacation when it works best for us). I feel for those that can only sail on school breaks!

 

And yes, I have booked a few cruises on my credit card and even carried a balance once to do so. (seriously, only once! But it was well worth it). Stupid, maybe financially. My late husband and I enjoyed cruising. A day before his 51st birthday in 2008, he passed away. We always wanted to cruise to Alaska to which he would say "we can do that when we get old and retire". He never got to go. Nothing is a guarantee. I put away a large chunk of my paycheck for retirement, which I won't touch until then, but I'm not afraid to spend the rest of it for experiences that I may never get if I "wait" until I'm more financially sound to do so. To each there own.

 

If I am fortunate enough in health to make it to retirement--which is still 20-22 years away, I'll be able to start sailing in full suites with no interest :) I guess I could save the $ I spend on vacations/experiences now to retire earlier, but I'd rather experience it now.

[geoherb]

Expensive and not worth it in our opinion. Spend your hard earned money with a Cruise Line that actually values their guests, not rips them off! Don't waste your time with Princess, they aren't the same company they once were.

None of the major cruise lines are the same as they were years ago. Some things have improved. Many things have gone down hill. Overall, we still find value for our money on Princess. We had excellent service from our wait team and cabin steward on our cruise earlier this month on the Caribbean Princess. The food was mostly very good. I had a couple of dishes that weren't as good as I had hoped they'd be.

[Roz]

Personally, I have sailed Princess much more in the past few years because I found better deals than on RCI who I primarily sailed prior.

 

That said, I can still find good deals as we are flexible in our dates (no kids and jobs allow the freedom for vacation when it works best for us). I feel for those that can only sail on school breaks!

 

And yes, I have booked a few cruises on my credit card and even carried a balance once to do so. (seriously, only once! But it was well worth it). Stupid, maybe financially. My late husband and I enjoyed cruising. A day before his 51st birthday in 2008, he passed away. We always wanted to cruise to Alaska to which he would say "we can do that when we get old and retire". He never got to go. Nothing is a guarantee. I put away a large chunk of my paycheck for retirement, which I won't touch until then, but I'm not afraid to spend the rest of it for experiences that I may never get if I "wait" until I'm more financially sound to do so. To each there own.

 

If I am fortunate enough in health to make it to retirement--which is still 20-22 years away, I'll be able to start sailing in full suites with no interest :) I guess I could save the $ I spend on vacations/experiences now to retire earlier, but I'd rather experience it now.

 

My philosophy exactly. Deferring all extra enjoyable activities until one is financially independent or retired is foolish.

 

Roz

[Kingofcool1947]

My philosophy exactly. Deferring all extra enjoyable activities until one is financially independent or retired is foolish.

 

Roz

 

My philosophy is to live your life fully each day, because you never know what will happen tomorrow. You or a family member may die or have a catastrophic illness the very next day, or before your next cruise. :)

It is in God's hand whether you live or die.

Enloy your next cruise.

Edited August 31, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[YellowDog]

Not bad at all. Now if they would include the internet minutes and mini bar set up.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

 

One thing to consider with MSC that is different is that they have different level experiences too. Without going into details, I have "Fantastica" on our upcoming Seaside cruise and we get internet minutes b/c of a promo they are running at that level. So in addition to your loyalty level there are experience levels to choose from too. (hope I didn't make that sound too complicated)

[Tatka]

We haven't noticed that Princess become expensive. Our cruises in 2006 when we just started with this line were more expensive.

We do miss seafood buffets, but seafood selections on Princess ships still top all other massmarket.

[deliver42]

I almost died last December. My whole outlook on life has changed. I used to cruise every 2 years, and paid cash. Now I have 4 cruises booked starting in December, 2017, and ending 03/2019. I am using credit cards for the cruises when necessary, and I don't really care.I can afford the payments with no problem. I'm now living for the now.

[drsel]

I almost died last December. My whole outlook on life has changed. I used to cruise every 2 years, and paid cash. Now I have 4 cruises booked starting in December, 2017, and ending 03/2019. I am using credit cards for the cruises when necessary, and I don't really care.I can afford the payments with no problem. I'm now living for the now.

Always live rich and die poor!

Don't leave your hard earned money for others to enjoy!

Btw, is credit card debt also inherited?

I mean are the spouse and children liable to pay credit card dues of a dearly departed person who lived his life on credit and never repaid it?

[deliver42]

The answer is no,unless they are on the card. There is no spouse. She dies in 2007.

[Tatka]

Casket doesn't have pockets....

 

However nobody knows exactly when he/she will die, so it is nice to know that savings and investments will help even a bit to make last days or months or years more pleasurable.

[hm9912]

I realize that the prices for all things go up, but it seems that Princess cruises have really skyrocketed in the last few years. I really like Princess and have been on 4 of its ships and Id like to go back...but its become very pricey. I used to be able to get balcony rooms for around or even under $1000 pp for 7 days, now they seem to start at $1500. What's changed I wonder? Its a shame.

 

Think of it this way. Perhaps it keeps the riff raff away?

College students looking for a cheap cruise are going to go elsewhere to drink excessively, throw up and become loud and obnoxious.

 

 

When traveling on the road staying in the cheapest motels that allows pets and smoking usually makes for a less than pleasant experience. Fleas from animals, perhaps bed bugs, and a smelly room gets you a cheap price.

 

Howard

[Iamcruzin]

Think of it this way. Perhaps it keeps the riff raff away?

College students looking for a cheap cruise are going to go elsewhere to drink excessively, throw up and become loud and obnoxious.

Drinking age on the ship is 21. Most spring break students won't turn 21 until their senior year so that limits the population. They tend to go to places like Cancun and Puerto Rico where the drinking age is 18 and rent and food and alcohol are cheap.

When traveling on the road staying in the cheapest motels that allows pets and smoking usually makes for a less than pleasant experience. Fleas from animals, perhaps bed bugs, and a smelly room gets you a cheap price.

 

Howard

The type of spring break passenger that you are speaking of won't even give Princess or Celebrity a thought. Trivia, musicals, and 2 hour main dining room meals do not interest them. There is nothing on these cruise lines to attract them. Anyone who is of that age were brought on the cruise by their parents. My kids included.

[creel5857]

we have always preferred princess but the last 3 trips on the same size ship and same route and same details we could not come to a close price match with princess.......and most of the time I can get a larger room on Holland for the same price of smaller cabins on princess........really love princess but cant afford her on most of our trips

[Sea Hag]

I agree with everyone so far but I believe another reason is the quantity of baby boomers who have or are about to retire and he saved for retirement. That said, supposedly less than 40 percent have saved for retirement so the future boomers won't he monies for cruising. This could lower the costs.

:)

 

As a retired baby boomer, I'm sure you meant "they saved for retirement," not "he saved for retirement. I assure you that in our case it was definitely "they" not just "he." :)

[Sea Hag]

I almost died last December. My whole outlook on life has changed. I used to cruise every 2 years, and paid cash. Now I have 4 cruises booked starting in December, 2017, and ending 03/2019. I am using credit cards for the cruises when necessary, and I don't really care.I can afford the payments with no problem. I'm now living for the now.

 

I have no quarrel with this and I'm dissing you, but be careful. I know some people - and I'm not making this up - who actually finished a cruise with maxed out credit cards, no cash, and no idea how they were going to travel the several hundred miles home.

[RocketMan275]

I agree with everyone so far but I believe another reason is the quantity of baby boomers who have or are about to retire and he saved for retirement. That said, supposedly less than 40 percent have saved for retirement so the future boomers won't he monies for cruising. This could lower the costs.:)

 

Or, maybe not. By your statistics, then 60% have saved for retirement. Some are financially sound. Some have saved and have sufficient income to allow them to travel in the very finest style.

[drsel]

I have no quarrel with this and I'm dissing you, but be careful. I know some people - and I'm not making this up - who actually finished a cruise with maxed out credit cards, no cash, and no idea how they were going to travel the several hundred miles home.

Kindly enlighten us more on this

[deliver42]

I don't max out my cards, and have cash to drive home. If you're not dissing me, what do you call it?