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What is your outlook on future prices?

gritsnc

By gritsnc,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted
The prices on our November cruise have dropped over $500pp for a balcony. Not sure if that's normal for the week after Thanksgiving. If so I would wait to book until closer to the cruise date.

That's usually a slow week, but still a huge price drop.

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MikeBTN

MikeBTN

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Posted
The prices on our November cruise have dropped over $500pp for a balcony. Not sure if that's normal for the week after Thanksgiving. If so I would wait to book until closer to the cruise date.

 

I prefer to sail October, November, mid-January, etc because prices are pretty attractive. I've generally found it in my best interest to book 45-60 days out to get the best deals.

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iahawkfan21

iahawkfan21

Posted
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We managed a balcony guarantee that ended up being a D2 on 9 night Navigator after Thanksgiving for just under $1700 for 2 which was fantastic, still a lot of rooms left. Also considering the 5 night sailing prior as an inside guarantee is less than $900 for two. For Thanksgiving week sailing, I'm shocked it's that low.

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mbjboyle

mbjboyle

Posted
Posted

No need to panic, the recent weather events in the Atlantic/Caribbean are merely a temporary profit correction for individual cruise lines. Cruise corporations (RCI, CCL, NCL, etc.) service the global market. Travel destinations in geographic area(s) are periodically impacted due to a variety of events or factors. Like any corporation, internal adjustments such as reallocation of resources, lean processes, cost saving, etc. drive the cruise industry to maintain a degree of price stability for its customers. Albeit the fluctuation of oil prices is not a parallel example, yet demonstrates how cruise lines may supplement increased operating cost by passing it along to the customer via higher ticket price. While some ports may increase port taxes to offset the cost of repair from the storm(s), this may/may not trickle down to the customer as cruise lines divert to other locations. Within the macro prospective, short-term profits will be impacted for the coming weeks, however the future looks smooth and steady!

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Beachdude

Beachdude

Posted
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Your not looking at this correctly. Prices won't be your concern, its the changes to hold the prices down that will change how you shop for cruises.

 

The cruise lines have been cutting in the crew and food services since 9/11. They have made a conscious change to move away from elegant high end cruises to more family style vacation cruises with less high end amenities.

 

I believe we will see the MDR style meal services change to a more buffet style. Buffets require less crew for servicing tables and a less regimented seating schedule. Passengers can come and go at their leisure and dress however they want. It will start with a salad bar, then a dessert bar and eventually a drink bar. Cruise lines are already doing this in the MDR for breakfast and lunch.

 

For the passengers who desire a more personal elegant meal with personal services will have the choice of paying extra at specialty restaurants. Between the added charges of specially restaurants and the lower cost of a servicing buffet MDRs, the cruise lines will bring in more profit.

 

We will also see a decline of cabin services. Most of us remember the little extras like soaps, shampoos, slippers and robes that are disappearing from the rooms. But also evening visits from the room stewards will also decline. Some ships will even offer a room cleaning service every 3 days.

 

Not the kind of cruising we are used to, is it. But then the cruising we experience now isn't the kind of cruising we experienced 20 years ago.

 

The challenge won't be which cruise cost less, it will be which cruise line provides the most for meeting your personal desires.

 

Burt

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printingchick Great Review Rare

printingchick

Posted
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I'm not an accountant and don't even play one on TV. However, I have recently planned two weddings and found buffets to be MORE costly than plated service. Seems counter-intuitive, but people take more food from a buffet. And it's difficult to plan how much of each item might be needed. There is more food waste. That said, I have no idea what to expect in terms of costs. Certainly the cruise lines will/have suffered losses resulting from two major hurricanes hitting their most popular ports. Demand may decline temporarily. Then again, die-hard cruisers may be MORE apt to book cruises to affected islands as soon as possible, as a means of doing their part for the recovery. Someone smarter than I am will certainly provide a more insightful response!

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mbjboyle

mbjboyle

Posted
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They have made a conscious change to move away from elegant high end cruises to more family style vacation cruises with less high end amenities.

For the passengers who desire a more personal elegant meal with personal services will have the choice of paying extra at specialty restaurants.

We will also see a decline of cabin services.

 

Excellent points, Burt. You've observed the move towards marketing Royal Caribbean as the family-friendly, mass-market line offering a wide-variety of services and amenities. Within the package of offerings there are tiers of services and luxury (suite tiers, reward programs, package programs - drinks, food, etc.) Celebrity, has become the luxury line marketed to adults, while maintaining family offerings, and Azamara is the high-end luxury option. Additionally Pullmantur caters to the Spanish-speaking market and TUI to German cruisers. Additionally, the expansion of the brand to the Asian and southern Pacific regions is forecast to maintain increased profit through 2030 coupled with the deployment of ships designed specifically for the demands of regional customers.

As you point out, cruising is different than it was 20 years ago. While the days of turn down service and mints on the pillowcase are dwindling, ships offer a greater variety of overall options but at the sacrifice of personal attention.

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MikeBTN

MikeBTN

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Posted
Excellent points, Burt. You've observed the move towards marketing Royal Caribbean as the family-friendly, mass-market line offering a wide-variety of services and amenities. Within the package of offerings there are tiers of services and luxury (suite tiers, reward programs, package programs - drinks, food, etc.) Celebrity, has become the luxury line marketed to adults, while maintaining family offerings, and Azamara is the high-end luxury option. Additionally Pullmantur caters to the Spanish-speaking market and TUI to German cruisers. Additionally, the expansion of the brand to the Asian and southern Pacific regions is forecast to maintain increased profit through 2030 coupled with the deployment of ships designed specifically for the demands of regional customers.

As you point out, cruising is different than it was 20 years ago. While the days of turn down service and mints on the pillowcase are dwindling, ships offer a greater variety of overall options but at the sacrifice of personal attention.

 

Strangely, though, prices for Celebrity aren't all that different from Royal Caribbean. It appears to a better value when you factor in included beverage packages they've been offering lately.

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ABoatNerd

ABoatNerd

Posted
Posted

There is significant growth in the premium lines like Oceania, Viking. They are gaining many new customers from the mass cruise lines. Just off my first Oceania and was totally blown away with the product. Yes, it is more expensive. Oceania is what Celebrity used to be and then well above that again. So many guests I met were on their first Oceania and they were all fornerly Celebrity (myself included) - message there.

 

Having sailed Celebrity since 1992, Celebrity is not a luxury line, it is the highest level in the pack of mass cruise lines - but a mass cruise line none the less - a cruise line increasingly focused on gimmicks like magic carpets and garden of eden's to attract a specific demographic.

 

Oceania customers are not looking for a "deal" or the "lowest price" but value for money for a consistently delivered and very specific product which is quite different than provided by the mass lines. I certainly got that.

 

Moving away from being "loyal" to a single cruise lines provides considerable perspective and sure does keep the pressure on a cruise line when they know they can not "rely" on loyal customers.

 

Fortunately, there is considerable choice of suppliers - so I say yeh to that.

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Beachdude

Beachdude

Posted
Posted
Excellent points, Burt. You've observed the move towards marketing Royal Caribbean as the family-friendly, mass-market line offering a wide-variety of services and amenities. Within the package of offerings there are tiers of services and luxury (suite tiers, reward programs, package programs - drinks, food, etc.) Celebrity, has become the luxury line marketed to adults, while maintaining family offerings, and Azamara is the high-end luxury option. Additionally Pullmantur caters to the Spanish-speaking market and TUI to German cruisers. Additionally, the expansion of the brand to the Asian and southern Pacific regions is forecast to maintain increased profit through 2030 coupled with the deployment of ships designed specifically for the demands of regional customers.

As you point out, cruising is different than it was 20 years ago. While the days of turn down service and mints on the pillowcase are dwindling, ships offer a greater variety of overall options but at the sacrifice of personal attention.

Of course they are excellent points, I said them.:cool:

 

I wouldn't say they are offering a greater variety of overall options, but instead the available amenities are intended more toward the target customer.

 

Burt

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fred30

fred30

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Prices will probably stay a little lower for a weeks or months until more and more people start forgetting about the Hurricanes and pick up the pace of booking cruises. It doesn't take long for people to forget about disasters. Right after the Concordia disaster everyone one was saying that it will be the end of the cruise industry.

 

By the middle to end of winter prices for summer cruises will be right back up to the high levels again.

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mek

mek

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Posted
Excellent points, Burt. You've observed the move towards marketing Royal Caribbean as the family-friendly, mass-market line offering a wide-variety of services and amenities. Within the package of offerings there are tiers of services and luxury (suite tiers, reward programs, package programs - drinks, food, etc.) Celebrity, has become the luxury line marketed to adults, while maintaining family offerings, and Azamara is the high-end luxury option. Additionally Pullmantur caters to the Spanish-speaking market and TUI to German cruisers. Additionally, the expansion of the brand to the Asian and southern Pacific regions is forecast to maintain increased profit through 2030 coupled with the deployment of ships designed specifically for the demands of regional customers.

As you point out, cruising is different than it was 20 years ago. While the days of turn down service and mints on the pillowcase are dwindling, ships offer a greater variety of overall options but at the sacrifice of personal attention.

 

X is not a luxury line - just a different style of mass cruising and Azamara is premium, not premium luxury.

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Formula280SS

Formula280SS

Posted
Posted
The cruise industry has lost so much money that I'm wondering if there will be fewer good deals like I've gotten in the future. What do you think? They've got to make up for all of the money they've lost somehow.

 

They have built so many new ships over the past 3-5 years......

 

They are building so many new ships over the next 3-5 years......

 

SUPPLY DEMAND

 

LOVE IT. GREAT PRICING.

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