whats going on with these skyrocketing prices

[wrk2cruise]

Silhouette is scheduled to come out of drydock for the 1/31/2020 cruise.

[Shadow9612]

On 3/10/2019 at 7:29 PM, villauk said:

We are sailing Princess again this year for our main summer holiday.

@villaukwhere to?which ship? 😁

[villauk]

3 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

@villaukwhere to?which ship? 😁

 

 

Caribbean Princess from FL to Quebec - 13 nights to include Charleston, NY, Boston, RI, Bar Harbour, Nova Scotia (2 Ports) and Quebec overnight. The itinerary attracted us and obviously the price as we got virtually two weeks for less than 7 nights on X. Booked under the Sip ‘n Sail promotion, but then changed to 3 For Free. It’s a port intensive cruise, so we’ll be spending most of our time sightseeing. 

 

We decided to branch out and consider other lines. I have found it interesting reading many of the comparisons posted on the main X board (and there have been many recently from long-time X cruisers). Still have a couple of placeholders and we’re sailing on Silhouette in May (short cruise). Would only consider Edge if it was in a SV as we prefer a proper balcony cabin, and with the current pricing, it’s way at the bottom of the list - we don’t need to say we’ve been  on a new ship just for the sake of it, especially with the ‘smell issue’ in certain areas that doesn’t appear to be disappearing.

 

Would definitely like to see the upgrades on the M class as we do like their layout. It will be interesting to see how crowded the S class ships feel after their ‘Revolution’ 🤷‍♀️? Hopefully, they will be just as good.

 

How about you?

[Stateroom_Sailor]

33 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

 

Caribbean Princess from FL to Quebec - 13 nights to include Charleston, NY, Boston, RI, Bar Harbour, Nova Scotia (2 Ports) and Quebec overnight. The itinerary attracted us and obviously the price as we got virtually two weeks for less than 7 nights on X. Booked under the Sip ‘n Sail promotion, but then changed to 3 For Free. It’s a port intensive cruise, so we’ll be spending most of our time sightseeing. 

 

 

We're planning to do a similar cruise in 2021, Quebec to or from FL.  I'll have to eyeball Princess too for ports and pricing.  Variety is the spice of life.

[villauk]

4 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

We're planning to do a similar cruise in 2021, Quebec to or from FL.  I'll have to eyeball Princess too for ports and pricing.  Variety is the spice of life.

 

 

Missed St. John, New Brunswick off that list too 🤭. Lots to see and do over the two weeks 👍.

[mrsgoggins]

2 hours ago, villauk said:

 

 

Caribbean Princess from FL to Quebec - 13 nights to include Charleston, NY, Boston, RI, Bar Harbour, Nova Scotia (2 Ports) and Quebec overnight. The itinerary attracted us and obviously the price as we got virtually two weeks for less than 7 nights on X. Booked under the Sip ‘n Sail promotion, but then changed to 3 For Free. It’s a port intensive cruise, so we’ll be spending most of our time sightseeing. 

 

 

Would you mind sharing if this was a booking made with a US TA?  If so, I was under the impression that the Carnival group of companies did everything in their power to prevent that happening, unlike RCL.

 

We have done four Princess cruises and largely enjoyed them.  Our least favourite was last year's on Sapphire Princess out of Southampton, but it was okay; nothing dreadful about it - just did not care for the ship itself.  For us, there is nothing to choose between Princess and Celebrity for food, and although we love Cafe al Bacio, the International Cafe on Princess has much to recommend it, especially if, like me, you are almost a non-drinker of alcohol and are perfectly happy with their coffee card.

 

It is an attractive itinerary you have booked.  We've been to all of the places on land-based holidays (with the exception of Nova Scotia, where we visited Sydney and Halifax on a TA) and Charleston more than once.  Sounds like a good buy! 

 

 

[hvbaskey]

Definitely price differences for practically the same itinerary ... IF I were to choose a ship, I know which one it would be!

Although not everyone has the flexibility to sail after final payment, there are still some deals out there.  Not many, but some!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

2 minutes ago, hvbaskey said:

Definitely price differences for practically the same itinerary ... IF I were to choose a ship, I know which one it would be!

Although not everyone has the flexibility to sail after final payment, there are still some deals out there.  Not many, but some!

 

Aqua for $1,244 CAD, or Inside for $2,114 CAD, tough choice...

 

I'm actually very curious to hear the reviews of the Edge Transatlantic.  Given the existing cuts in entertainment in favor of sales pitch events, 3 shows being spread out amongst 15 nights, and Eden on repeat, I wonder if this is the best choice.  IV, sewage smell, and lack of bar access could build irritation. 

 

[downsmead]

4 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

We have done four Princess cruises and largely enjoyed them.  Our least favourite was last year's on Sapphire Princess out of Southampton, but it was okay; nothing dreadful about it - just did not care for the ship itself.  

 

 

 We have done a similar number of princess and celebrity cruises and thought they were more similar than different. Must agree that our last cruise on the Sapphire made us wonder if we would do any more Princess cruises! Hopefully it is more a reflection of the ship 🤞

[Bo1953]

3 hours ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

Aqua for $1,244 CAD, or Inside for $2,114 CAD, tough choice...

 

I'm actually very curious to hear the reviews of the Edge Transatlantic.  Given the existing cuts in entertainment in favor of sales pitch events, 3 shows being spread out amongst 15 nights, and Eden on repeat, I wonder if this is the best choice.  IV, sewage smell, and lack of bar access could build irritation. 

 

With those concerns, it sounds like a sailing on The Edge TA is may not be for you, based on what you write/cite.

 

bon voyage

[Stateroom_Sailor]

3 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

With those concerns, it sounds like a sailing on The Edge TA is may not be for you, based on what you write/cite.

 

bon voyage

 

We'll see, unless I start to see reviews like this:

 

"No way did the majority of us get it after 7 days.  By day 15, wearing our homemade Edenist outfits, port authorities had to drag us off the ship kicking."

[yorky]

6 hours ago, hvbaskey said:

Definitely price differences for practically the same itinerary ... IF I were to choose a ship, I know which one it would be!

Although not everyone has the flexibility to sail after final payment, there are still some deals out there.  Not many, but some!

Crazy difference in prices.

[Shadow9612]

19 hours ago, villauk said:

Would definitely like to see the upgrades on the M class as we do like their layout. It will be interesting to see how crowded the S class ships feel after their ‘Revolution’ 🤷‍♀️? Hopefully, they will be just as good.

 

How about you?

Your Caribbean Princess itinerary sounds really nice.  Canada is a beautiful country to visit... although, we are getting quite the winter this year!

 

I am still trying to decide whether to try the Edge or not. I'm quite shocked at the prices. As you know I was on the Regal Princess last year, and very much enjoyed the experience, so I'm also keeping my eye on princess sailings.  I'm torn, however, because I always have that "I'm home"  feeling when I board a Celebrity ship, that i didn't feel on Princess.

 

[villauk]

4 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

Your Caribbean Princess itinerary sounds really nice.  Canada is a beautiful country to visit... although, we are getting quite the winter this year!

 

I am still trying to decide whether to try the Edge or not. I'm quite shocked at the prices. As you know I was on the Regal Princess last year, and very much enjoyed the experience, so I'm also keeping my eye on princess sailings.  I'm torn, however, because I always have that "I'm home"  feeling when I board a Celebrity ship, that i didn't feel on Princess.

 

 

 

We do love Canada and are looking forward to returning. Tbf, we are quite enjoying mixing it up at the moment.

 

21 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

Would you mind sharing if this was a booking made with a US TA?  If so, I was under the impression that the Carnival group of companies did everything in their power to prevent that happening, unlike RCL.

 

We have done four Princess cruises and largely enjoyed them.  Our least favourite was last year's on Sapphire Princess out of Southampton, but it was okay; nothing dreadful about it - just did not care for the ship itself.  For us, there is nothing to choose between Princess and Celebrity for food, and although we love Cafe al Bacio, the International Cafe on Princess has much to recommend it, especially if, like me, you are almost a non-drinker of alcohol and are perfectly happy with their coffee card.

 

It is an attractive itinerary you have booked.  We've been to all of the places on land-based holidays (with the exception of Nova Scotia, where we visited Sydney and Halifax on a TA) and Charleston more than once.  Sounds like a good buy! 

 

 

 

 

I think you needed to book in the US before 2012 for it to be possible to continue. We book on itinerary for our main cruise holiday each year, so we are enjoying the choice far more on other lines during our summer months (which we are restricted to). We thought Princess and X were very similar, the edge to X on food but better entertainment on Princess - more similarities than differences, apart from the price!

[mrsgoggins]

46 minutes ago, villauk said:

I think you needed to book in the US before 2012 for it to be possible to continue. 

 

Thank you for the clarification.

[Captain-John]

On 3/10/2019 at 9:08 PM, Flafun888 said:

I'm on the disney boards and hear the exact same thing - people disgusted at WDW's soaring beyond reason prices and nickel/diming.

 

Patience. No one "needs" a cruise. Save those dollars, do a cheaper land trip and I guarantee when that next recession hits - and it always does - your dollar will go much further.

 

There will be a lot of empty cabins to fill. Watch them come back with those old deals everyone misses.

 

It'll be 10x worse for the cruiselines during the next crash vs back in '09, as there are far more ships now, including mega ships - so much capacity to fill.

 

Absolutely this. I've been saying for this for a while both on and off these boards. The sheer capacity cruise lines have now will mean they are more vulnerable in the event the consumer has less to spend. I appreciate the markets have also expanded, but not enough, I don't think, if there is an economic shock.

On 3/12/2019 at 9:05 AM, mrsgoggins said:

 

Seeing this post made me check my own booking (10 night Reflection January 2020) and it is £1790 more expensive - or $2323 at today's exchange rate.  That's for 2 of us ....... gasp!!  I am yet one more who has absolutely NO interest in the Edge or Apex.

 

I keep a spreadsheet of my cruise costs and consequently have just booked a 14-night Canaries cruise with P&O) out of Southampton for next year.  Much better value, and despite X being my preferred cruise line, we did a P&O last year and were very pleasantly surprised.

 

I've booked a (non-refundable deposit) 11 nt Southern Caribbean cruise for £2640 total inc. drinks package (1C category). Since then, it's hiked £400. I'm hoping the price after final payment doesn't go much below £1K p.p or I'll be pretty devastated.

[Fogfog]

Prices are very high. 

I checked the cruises we have reserved and all are MUCH higher than what we booked... and some not only higher and also without perks

 

AND we paid more than others on a sailing by close to $800  --

Had compared rates with others on the roll call. Others had gotten substantially better fares than us with ALL perks. 

We had paid more with only 2....

 

OTOH there are cabins on an upcoming TA that are super super cheap... like $50 a day pp. CRAZY. Thats a super cheap vacation!!!  14 TA with "hotel/transp and food"  at $50 a day! 

 

[hubofhockey]

We've done more Princess than Celebrity.  Biggest pluses for Celebrity are sofas in rooms and perks packages. Also, we're not fans of the very tiny balconies on the Royal Class.  We like the old Grand Class, especially Ruby Princess.   Princess has nothing like Aqua Class either.  That being said, we'd book Princess for the right itinerary at the right price.  

[crusinthrough]

Personally, I find the prices to be reasonable if you book early. I usually sail in a suite on RC but have found even booking early that their prices have increased so that the value is diminished. Fortunately, I like Celebrity S class ships and the switch is easy. I’ve tried other cruise lines and was not as happy. Although other cruise lines may cost less, it’s not a guarantee that you will like the ship or experience. I cruise more for the ship than itinerary so the ship is as important as the overall cost.

There is nothing worst to me than a 7 day all inclusive resort trip. The lack of various entertainment is painful. By day 3 I’m bored and ready to leave.

[tallnthensome]

I find that Royal's pricing is one of the highest. Being the Parent company, I would expect Royal's prices to be lower on identical cruises that Celebrity has. I just priced the cruise I have booked on Celebrity versus Royal. I have a 12 night southern booked for the first week of April 2020 on the Silhouette for 4. Huge family veranda, drink packages, and grats perk. So Royal, 12 day southern same weekend on the old Grandeur of the Seas, purchase drink packages, grats ........ $16 less. I'm getting a huge 3 room balcony on X with better food, service and more. The Silly will be revolutionized and it's out of Miami  versus a Royal clunker out of Baltimore. The Celebrity is the better value. I agree prices are high but Royal is well ...... becoming a royal ripoff. 

[Reel Love]

1 hour ago, hubofhockey said:

We've done more Princess than Celebrity.  Biggest pluses for Celebrity are sofas in rooms and perks packages.  

Not sure that the sofa in the room will remain :(    On the Millenium Revolution thread there are pics of both Oceanview and Verandah staterooms and does not appear to be a sofa in the cabin anymore.  Seems to be more of an "extra wide" chair.  May be just the angle of the photo???  And if it is actually a chair vs. sofa, wonder if this furniture will also be duplicated on the S-class revolution?   

For what it's worth, I also can't help but wonder who in corporate is approving the choices by the designers for some of the furniture and decorative 'knick knacks' that are not always practical for a cruise ship cabin (at least that was my experience on the Edge).  Paying high prices for some furniture and decorations that are less than useful!!!

[Fogfog]

@hubofhockey

 

We too liked the sofas--however they are being removed for a chair... just 1 freaking upholstered chair.

 

DH was like--"where are we two going to sit"? One in the desk chair and one on the nicer chair... not comfy for lounging at all.

 

 

 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

2 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

I find that Royal's pricing is one of the highest. Being the Parent company, I would expect Royal's prices to be lower on identical cruises that Celebrity has. I just priced the cruise I have booked on Celebrity versus Royal. I have a 12 night southern booked for the first week of April 2020 on the Silhouette for 4. Huge family veranda, drink packages, and grats perk. So Royal, 12 day southern same weekend on the old Grandeur of the Seas, purchase drink packages, grats ........ $16 less. I'm getting a huge 3 room balcony on X with better food, service and more. The Silly will be revolutionized and it's out of Miami  versus a Royal clunker out of Baltimore. The Celebrity is the better value. I agree prices are high but Royal is well ...... becoming a royal ripoff. 

 

I wouldn't pay the same price for Royal.  In fact, I will only sail on them again with a dining package.  I'm still tired of RCCL's repetitive MDR food, and I've only sailed them once, 5 years go.

[Redtravel]

i like Celebrity. I only book when the itinerary and fares are ok for me. There are limits to what I will pay for a Cruise.  By raising the fares by big amounts turns potential guests to seek other options. They may book on another cruise line. Some may just wait it out to see if prices drop. There are many cruise lines that compete. Once a person books on another line, it may be the end of them coming back to Celebrity.  They may find that another line is better than Celebrity.   

[OBX-Cruisers]

On 3/10/2019 at 10:02 AM, MizDemeanor said:

 

It still remains a fantastic value for what is included even with the nickel and diming. The sticker shock though does give pause. 

"Fantastic value"............instead of a cruise this December we did a land trip.  We rented a 3 BR, 1800 sq. ft. house on the West coast of FL within 5 min. drive to a great beach.  The house had a pond, a private heated pool and all conceivable kitchen amenities to prepare meals inside and outside the house.  We dined out often at the best restaurants in the area and visited local museums and art stores instead of listening to ear splitting "entertainment" in a crowded theater.  Unlimited internet use was included along with over 150 Comcast TV channels and movies.

The cost was about 40% of what we would have paid on a 7 day Celebrity cruise to live in a 200 sq. foot " verandah cabin"  with the privilege to pay extra for drinks, restaurant meals and daily cabin service.

Celebrity is off our list

Edited December 27, 2019 by OBX-Cruisers
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