milepig Posted October 24, 2019 #1 Share Posted October 24, 2019 The first few itins for 2021 are starting to post and all I can say is they’ve lost their mind. A 10 day Athens to Athens Holy Lands and Egypt wants $7,999pp for the least expensive balcony suite!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strenz Posted October 24, 2019 #2 Share Posted October 24, 2019 I saw the prices as well and they are steep to say the least. They are pricing me out. I hope reality sets in and they have to reduce the rates or wait and go last minute. Happy Sailing maybe! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chipshot from Michigan Posted October 24, 2019 #3 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Maybe the new strategy is to set high base rates with room to provide cabin-moving/cruiser satisfying discounts. Gotta pay for that $250 Million Star Plus Initiative somehow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milepig Posted October 24, 2019 Author #4 Share Posted October 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, Strenz said: I saw the prices as well and they are steep to say the least. They are pricing me out. I hope reality sets in and they have to reduce the rates or wait and go last minute. Happy Sailing maybe! I’m also priced out. I was considering a B2B for a significant life event and the total just made me laugh. No way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milepig Posted October 24, 2019 Author #5 Share Posted October 24, 2019 6 minutes ago, Chipshot from Michigan said: Maybe the new strategy is to set high base rates with room to provide cabin-moving/cruiser satisfying discounts. Gotta pay for that $250 Million Star Plus Initiative somehow. I’m laughing as these are the reduced prices not base which are like twice as much. What are they smoking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chipshot from Michigan Posted October 24, 2019 #6 Share Posted October 24, 2019 I dunno. Is recreational marijuana legal in Seattle? I already have another cruise booked in 2021, so I'm spoken for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milepig Posted October 24, 2019 Author #7 Share Posted October 24, 2019 8 hours ago, Chipshot from Michigan said: I dunno. Is recreational marijuana legal in Seattle? I already have another cruise booked in 2021, so I'm spoken for. Yes. It is. Not that I’m suggesting they imbibe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseOrLand Posted October 24, 2019 #8 Share Posted October 24, 2019 It's already the case that (to judge from this newsboard alone, but I mean from the mailings and emails that I get) that a huge number of cabins go for 1/2 or less of the original retail price. We have to see how discounting shakes out. I don't see 7,999 LIST price for 10 days and multiple Asian and African countries to be vastly out of line with past list prices a year out. To paraphrase a no-longer respected film director and comedian, "Why did God create [old-line Protestant ethnic slur]?". Answer:"Somebody has to pay retail!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minidonuts85 Posted October 24, 2019 #9 Share Posted October 24, 2019 2 hours ago, milepig said: Yes. It is. Not that I’m suggesting they imbibe. It seems they already have... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milepig Posted October 24, 2019 Author #10 Share Posted October 24, 2019 2 hours ago, CruiseOrLand said: It's already the case that (to judge from this newsboard alone, but I mean from the mailings and emails that I get) that a huge number of cabins go for 1/2 or less of the original retail price. We have to see how discounting shakes out. I don't see 7,999 LIST price for 10 days and multiple Asian and African countries to be vastly out of line with past list prices a year out. To paraphrase a no-longer respected film director and comedian, "Why did God create [old-line Protestant ethnic slur]?". Answer:"Somebody has to pay retail!" $7,999 IS the sale price!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigdogwon Posted October 24, 2019 #11 Share Posted October 24, 2019 (edited) We have been looking into an Australia/New Zealand cruise and their prices are outrageous! $ 11,099 plus $845 port charges pp for a Star Balcony, it is very port intensive but really? We are booked on Regent Explorer for 14 days at $20,000 total and that gives us, drinks, shore excursions, port charges etc. on a very nice ship. Edited October 24, 2019 by Bigdogwon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNgardens Posted October 25, 2019 #12 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Tauck Tours uses the Windstar vessels for several of their trips. Do you think this reduces capacity for the rest of us? Are prices high through a deal with Tauck in order for Tauck people to not jump over to booking cruise only? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted October 25, 2019 #13 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Windstar's port charges seem extraordinarily high in many cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridethetide Posted October 25, 2019 #14 Share Posted October 25, 2019 55 minutes ago, wripro said: Windstar's port charges seem extraordinarily high in many cases. Whenever a cruise ship docks at a port of call, the local authorities require a fee. Before a cruise starts, the cruise line will add up the port charges from the different ports of call on the cruise itinerary and will pass the cost of these port charges on to the passengers. Different places charge cruise lines different amounts and the total of your port charges will depend on what ports of call the cruise is visiting and how many stops are included in the itinerary. The more places you’re visiting, the higher the port charges should be. Windstar is not making money off the port charges. They are simply passing on the cost to their passengers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted October 25, 2019 #15 Share Posted October 25, 2019 I also suspect that port charges for cruise ships have a minimum threshold – so a small ship may have to pay more per passenger than a megaship. [Maybe ports should rethink this and start charging the megaships a premium for ruining tourism through overcrowding!] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milepig Posted October 25, 2019 Author #16 Share Posted October 25, 2019 48 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said: I also suspect that port charges for cruise ships have a minimum threshold – so a small ship may have to pay more per passenger than a megaship. [Maybe ports should rethink this and start charging the megaships a premium for ruining tourism through overcrowding!] I think this is likely part of the issue. I can't find it back but in the process of looking for something else I stumbled across one port's published list of charges, and it wasn't proportional to size with the small ships winding up paying more per passenger than the behemoths. And, yes WS is one of the cruise lines Tauck uses. I was on one item with a big group of them and let's just say there were a pain in the be-hind. They sort of destroyed the WS attitude of just do your own thing. They had their own agent on board, and the Tauck passengers tended to move around in a flock, completely consuming certain spaces as they went. Just changed the atmosphere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridethetide Posted October 25, 2019 #17 Share Posted October 25, 2019 20 minutes ago, milepig said: I think this is likely part of the issue. I can't find it back but in the process of looking for something else I stumbled across one port's published list of charges, and it wasn't proportional to size with the small ships winding up paying more per passenger than the behemoths. And, yes WS is one of the cruise lines Tauck uses. I was on one item with a big group of them and let's just say there were a pain in the be-hind. They sort of destroyed the WS attitude of just do your own thing. They had their own agent on board, and the Tauck passengers tended to move around in a flock, completely consuming certain spaces as they went. Just changed the atmosphere. Any large group on a Windstar cruise can be disruptive to the normal atmosphere we have come to love and expect. Don't get me started on the 100 Parrot Heads that were on one of my Star Legend cruises out of San Juan!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milepig Posted October 25, 2019 Author #18 Share Posted October 25, 2019 14 minutes ago, ridethetide said: Any large group on a Windstar cruise can be disruptive to the normal atmosphere we have come to love and expect. Don't get me started on the 100 Parrot Heads that were on one of my Star Legend cruises out of San Juan!!!! I think we've all had them. We endured dozens of people from the Houston Yacht Club. They traveled in a pack and mostly started drinking at breakfast and got louder and twangier (apologies to an Texans on this board) as the day went on. The completely took over the Yacht Club to the point that no one else could use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chipshot from Michigan Posted October 25, 2019 #19 Share Posted October 25, 2019 (edited) I wish cruise lines would alert passengers that there will be a group on their sailing and offer them the option to change plans (or at least be mentally prepared). Even large families can be disruptive on a small ship. Edited October 25, 2019 by Chipshot from Michigan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strenz Posted October 25, 2019 #20 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Seriously how could that be done? We have traveled on the same ship with Tauck and did not even know that they were different than another other passengers. Again big families: my feeling how lovely they can all get together, this is coming from a person with very little family. Small ships are lovely we have only cruised with WS, the exception being two supply ships up the St. Lawrence and up to the Arctic Circle, which we loved. Our preference is WS but I would never see groups of families and other groups ruin it for people. I will return to this about not so friendly attitudes about large ships. I have a concert to catch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redtravel Posted December 16, 2019 #21 Share Posted December 16, 2019 On 10/25/2019 at 4:22 PM, Chipshot from Michigan said: I wish cruise lines would alert passengers that there will be a group on their sailing and offer them the option to change plans (or at least be mentally prepared). Even large families can be disruptive on a small ship. Agree with you. I was on Star Legend when they had a big group from Tauck. There were pros and cons. Had I known, I would have booked a different cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandee2 Posted December 16, 2019 #22 Share Posted December 16, 2019 On 10/23/2019 at 10:29 PM, milepig said: The first few itins for 2021 are starting to post and all I can say is they’ve lost their mind. A 10 day Athens to Athens Holy Lands and Egypt wants $7,999pp for the least expensive balcony suite!!!! 11,500$ canadian. !!!!! for 10 days. Paid 1899$CA pp for 12 days/Med cruise on Celebrity back in 2017 with 600$US OBC, free drink, prepaid tips. Of course I love Windstar but I got other priorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chipshot from Michigan Posted December 16, 2019 #23 Share Posted December 16, 2019 45 minutes ago, dandee2 said: 11,500$ Canadian. !!!!! for 10 days. That's a lotta Loonies, getting up into fares for going to Antarctica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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