Deployment 2020-21 booking season begins

[Clarea]

22 minutes ago, detroitavant said:

Haven't ever really been looking when fares are first released, is this typically as good as they get?  Tempted to get a refundable fare just because it's so far out.

 

Unfortunately, price trends are unpredictable.  However, as far as JS categories go, I rarely see a price go below what they were when the itinerary was first released.

[Ourusualbeach]

3 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Agree, same type release and higher prices like past years. Some have better prices just have to look for them...

 

My Christmas cruise on the Allure in 2020 is the cheapest I’ve been able to sail on an Oasis class ship for that week.  

[ONECRUISER]

39 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

My Christmas cruise on the Allure in 2020 is the cheapest I’ve been able to sail on an Oasis class ship for that week.  

Kool, great find! Cost some sailings up this yr but seen many not. Allure is my Daughters and Grand Daughters Favorite ship, In years past even a non-Oasis class could be double on a Xmas cruise. I have sailed 6 times week before Xmas but never week of, someday...

[Ashland]

5 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Pt Canaveral is very family oriented. 😉

Yes..it's looking like this will be our option. I just always thought Pt Canaveral was difficult to get to (have never cruised out of this particular port. But we (just DH & myself) will be day porting there in October on our Snowbird cruise...so I'll check it out then. Thanks.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

7 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Agree, same type release and higher prices like past years. Some have better prices just have to look for them...

All TA and repo cruises are priced 30-50% higher!😱 👎

[ONECRUISER]

5 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

All TA and repo cruises are priced 30-50% higher!😱 👎

Nope, not the Repo I take almost every yr since 2012. Was listed lot higher previous multiple yrs on day was released then it is listed day was released this week. As I said, "Some have better prices just have to look for them"

Edited December 14, 2018 by ONECRUISER

[dswallow]

17 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

Nope, not the Repo I take almost every yr since 2012. Was listed lot higher previous multiple yrs on day was released then it is listed day was released this week. As I said, "Some have better prices just have to look for them"

 

I wish folks could manage to actually provide a data point or two in price discussions.

 

I've not been on a reposition/transatlantic/transpacific cruise yet, but I've looked a lot. This years itineraries are much higher out the gate than I've previously seen, and also seem to be fewer ports on many of them than I've seen before, though I haven't tried to go look for specific details yet. I know we need to expect some price movement as we're looking out 2-3 years in the future but some of it seems beyond just that sort of price adjustment. Certainly some "let's see what the market will bear" going on too.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

49 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

Nope, not the Repo I take almost every yr since 2012. Was listed lot higher previous multiple yrs on day was released then it is listed day was released this week. As I said, "Some have better prices just have to look for them"

I have 2 examples

Indy spring TA 2019 $840 in 2020 $1380

Adventure repo in 2019 $840 in 2020 $1050

[rr-eloy07]

Does anyone know which ship is replacing the Serenade in Port Everglades doing the 10 and 11 night Caribbean itineraries?

[ONECRUISER]

2 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

I have 2 examples

Indy spring TA 2019 $840 in 2020 $1380

Adventure repo in 2019 $840 in 2020 $1050

And the Repo I book every yr the 2017 the day it was released price was $4178 total for me. This week day of release it is $3436 in same cabin. As I repeat, some cruises are higher, some lower, never the same price. At least we are aware what is a good price or not. 

Edited December 14, 2018 by ONECRUISER

[Thorben-Hendrik]

I do not agree!

I have been doing theses cruises for about 10 years they have NEVER been above $1000 when released!👎😱

They have always been between $699 -$850 never more  - for many years around the same price -

I just gave you 2 very valid examples - fall 2019 also has prices way bexond $1200 on Explorer and Indy....Even the Harmony TA and the Symphony TA were about $900 when relased on these brandnew ships!

So you are having the big exeption ....all other repos are 30-50% up!

BTW what is the cheap cruise - you claim  has such a good price?🤔

Edited December 14, 2018 by Thorben-Hendrik

[Thorben-Hendrik]

27 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

And the Repo I book every yr the 2017 the day it was released price was $4178 total for me. This week day of release it is $3436 in same cabin. As I repeat, some cruises are higher, some lower, never the same price. At least we are aware what is a good price or not. 

Please name the ones that are lower - I just gave 6 exapmles of general entry level pricing for 2 pax!

I have a feeling you are contradicting this with an unknown  unicorn cruise where you have to allign 5 stars in a certain way for a certain cabin category...

[Guest BigRoger]

Folks reality is we are going round a bit in circles with the challenges here.

 

I think it depends on which site you look at (US vs UK for example) not just the odd cruise and even the type of cabin..... to answer the (slightly direct or maybe hostile) challenge from one delightful poster to mine saying it was a new policy.... the new policy is that looking at the uk site the costs of less impressive ships/ cruises are roughly about 50 per cent higher than this years and 2019 and I did give a few touch points: but to repeat for the hard of noting.... uk site

 

- Symphony 2c balcony transatlantic to Miami - equivalent of $1500 per person

- Independence 2020 (yes it’s a couple of nights more... before I’m lashed on that) - bottom level balcony....$2,400 per person.....

 

- Oasis 2019 TA to Barca 2C balcony $1,350 per person

- Independence 2020 to Southampton bottom end balcony $2,250 per person.....

 

and i I could go on as infinitem re the Europe sailings of indi and Anthem with many many more examples....

 

All thats not inconsistency - that’s called a new pricing policy.... probably due to exchange rate assumptions.... be interesting to know if people are booking and if/ when things go down... 

 

got it to say my own experiences in 10 years with RCL has to date been that the opening price is always the very best straight cruise only no frills you’ll get - but that’s just my experience.

 

ps don’t get me started re the differences between uk and us sites as well.... all I can say is.... you are lucky guys in the US..... and interstingly we have now found a US TA to help us today and the quotes for several of the ones we asked for are frankly flippin excellent!!!! Including OBC that’s not even listed with RCL...

 

if if I come across as a bit peeved it’s because I am... with RCL..... and frankly at times a bit disappointed by the tone of notes on here... it’s the weakness of anonymity and people typing briefly and quickly.... we are all on the same side on here!

 

 

 

 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

The pricing on the US site is just as bad.....when you look at the % - just the UK site is even worse.....👎

So far only one person claims they got a better deal - than the last years

[NancyIL]

12 hours ago, Ashland said:

Yes..it's looking like this will be our option. I just always thought Pt Canaveral was difficult to get to (have never cruised out of this particular port. But we (just DH & myself) will be day porting there in October on our Snowbird cruise...so I'll check it out then. Thanks.

I think Port Canaveral is quite easy to get to. It's about an hour's drive east (on 528 East - the Beachline) from the Orlando Airport.

[Teeara]

13 hours ago, Ashland said:

Yes..it's looking like this will be our option. I just always thought Pt Canaveral was difficult to get to (have never cruised out of this particular port. But we (just DH & myself) will be day porting there in October on our Snowbird cruise...so I'll check it out then. Thanks.

I love Port Canaveral.  Yes, it is an hour's drive east of Orlando, but it is easy to get to with plenty of hotels nearby as well as rental car drop-offs with shuttles to the port.  I know you will be day porting there, so you might consider a ship sponsored tour to Kennedy Space Center.  Fantastic place with tons to do.  You WON'T be able to do everything in one day (much less the two full days I spent there last year), but it is close to the port.  So don't hesitate to sail out of PC sometime in the future.  

[Blue Eyed Belfast Belle]

2 hours ago, BigRoger said:

 

 

ps don’t get me started re the differences between uk and us sites as well.... all I can say is.... you are lucky guys in the US..... and interstingly we have now found a US TA to help us today and the quotes for several of the ones we asked for are frankly flippin excellent!!!! Including OBC that’s not even listed with RCL...

 

I agree about the US vs UK price differences but unfortunately my travel insurance insists on ABTA and ABTOL protection so I can book with a US agent.

 

The prices are out for my reach as a solo so I am just going to have to wait to see if a 'sale' might help.

[Allaboutsailingrc]

19 hours ago, ajp_99 said:

The past few years in Sept-October there have been 4-5 Boston to Bermuda sailings on Serenade of the Seas. I was looking at 2020 sailings and its looking like there are no Boston to Bermuda sailings listed so far on Brilliance which is replacing Serenade. Will any more sailings be released for 2020 or should they all be up now anyone know?  I went on the Serenade Boston to Bermuda in October and it was great! Would stink if they wont be doing this route anymore. 

Sadly it doesn't look like Boston to Bermuda will be available in 2020. They do have sailings on Serenade for 2019. 

[ssb]

New details have emerged about the new Royal Caribbean Terminal 3 coming to Galveston, TX in 2021.  Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley confirmed interest in relocating not only an Oasis-class ship to Galveston, but also a new Icon-class ship.

This is huge news for the Texas cruise market.  Most new ships sail from the East Coast, so for Royal Caribbean to be planning a new terminal with an Oasis-class ship and a new Icon-class ship represents a major investment in the Gulf Coast cruise market, which is currently dominated by Carnival Cruise Line.

Icon-class ships are expected to launch in 2022, the year after the new Galveston Royal Caribbean Terminal 3 opens.   At 200,000 gross tons, the new ships will be smaller than the Oasis-class, but larger than the Quantum-class.  Icon-class ships will be powered by LNG, a clean-burning fuel that can help Royal Caribbean meet emissions reduction targets.  Texas is a major producer of LNG, so availability of the fuel is plentiful.  Keel laying for the first Icon-class ship is set for October 2019.

The Port of Galveston is a popular embarkation port for people throughout the South, Southwest and Midwest.  Most cruisers drive to Galveston for their trip, which keeps vacation costs down.  More than 20 million people live within a few hours drive from the port.  Royal Caribbean’s $100 million investment in Galveston represents a major commitment to the Texas cruise market.

Additionally, new details also emerged about Royal Caribbean’s current Galveston terminal, which is currently shared by Disney Cruise Line and Carnival.  Royal Caribbean will continue to have the option for shared access to Terminal 2, plus exclusive use of Terminal 3.  Carnival has exclusive use rights to Terminal 1 and shared access to Terminal 2.  This implies the overall number of Royal Caribbean ships home-porting in Galveston is expected to increase and Royal Caribbean won’t simply swap out their current Galveston ships for larger ones.

Port of Galveston officials are also floating the idea of a Terminal 4 and Terminal 5.  They hope to grow the Galveston cruise market, which is currently number 4 in the nation.

Will Royal Caribbean add its Celebrity cruise brand to the Galveston market?  Right now it’s only speculation.

[39august]

After much speculation floating about in Texas and on the boards, I see that Liberty is still in Galveston at least thru' May 2020. Glad to see that. I understand the new, larger terminal is to be finished in 2023. Hope Liberty stays put until that new terminal is done. 

[Ourusualbeach]

14 minutes ago, 39august said:

After much speculation floating about in Texas and on the boards, I see that Liberty is still in Galveston at least thru' May 2020. Glad to see that. I understand the new, larger terminal is to be finished in 2023. Hope Liberty stays put until that new terminal is done. 

I thought the terminal was going to be finished for the fall of 2021

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/20025-galveston-to-announce-terminal-3.html

Edited December 14, 2018 by Ourusualbeach

[39august]

I spoke too soon. I see Liberty is in Galveston thru' April 2021.  No matter when the larger terminal is finished, I am happy to see LB still there.

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, Teeara said:

I love Port Canaveral.  Yes, it is an hour's drive east of Orlando, but it is easy to get to with plenty of hotels nearby as well as rental car drop-offs with shuttles to the port.  I know you will be day porting there, so you might consider a ship sponsored tour to Kennedy Space Center.  Fantastic place with tons to do.  You WON'T be able to do everything in one day (much less the two full days I spent there last year), but it is close to the port.  So don't hesitate to sail out of PC sometime in the future.  

Thanks for your info. I've already booked the KSC through my day planner a couple of months ago..looked like the best option rather than trying to DIY or a private group with my roll call members.

[Saab4444]

Does anyone have any indication what Radiance is doing after August 2020? West Coast US? South America? Panama Canal and then to Caribbean for Serenades 10/11 night cruises?

[geoff2802]

49 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

Does anyone have any indication what Radiance is doing after August 2020? West Coast US? South America? Panama Canal and then to Caribbean for Serenades 10/11 night cruises?

 

A port entry for Nov 9, 2020 in the name of Radiance recently appeared in the Darwin port calendar (hat tip to springaussie).  https://portinfo.darwinport.com.au/webx/#

This entry, and the entry in the name of Vision in the Brisbane port calendar the correct number of sailing days later, led to speculation that Radiance will be home ported in Brisbane at the new terminal.  This theory is further supported by subsequent deployment announcements that prevent Vision sailing from Brisbane.