Carnival vs Royal Caribbean

[BNBR]

20 minutes ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said:

lol Carnival always fills their ships? Royal isn’t always higher either. When you just speak out of thin air it is easy to refute 

 

Lol, you aren't even close to making the point that you think you are.

[BNBR]

13 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

When we booked our cruise on Anthem it came in at $1880 and Carnival was $2200 for Pride out of Baltimore, so no, Royal isn't always higher (nor is Carnival always less). 

 

Carnival is generally cheaper and that is not remotely a controversial thing to say.  Everyone knows that.  But like anything with dynamic pricing, there is no hard and fast rules.

[sparks1093]

21 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

 there is no hard and fast rules.

Exactly. I was surprised to see such a difference that far from the cruise, but I wasn't going (and am not) complaining.

[BNBR]

8 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Exactly. I was surprised to see such a difference that far from the cruise, but I wasn't going (and am not) complaining.

 

I grabbed Allure cheaper than Glory in October a couple years ago.  But for the most part, Carnival is substantially cheaper than Royal and nobody in their right mind would pay the same or more for anything Carnival has over an Oasis class or Quantum class ship.

[sparks1093]

11 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

I grabbed Allure cheaper than Glory in October a couple years ago.  But for the most part, Carnival is substantially cheaper than Royal and nobody in their right mind would pay the same or more for anything Carnival has over an Oasis class or Quantum class ship.

Maybe so, but it does make one wonder- if Royal is really that much better why do they have to use dynamic pricing? I mean, it's not like I was booking that cruise within final payment date, we were about 15 months or so from the sailing date. 

[jimbo5544]

4 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

I haven't asked you to agree.  I'm just participating in a discussion about it and sharing my views, on a discussion forum.

Bingo, if they really are so good why discount the pricing?

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Bingo, if they really are so good why discount the pricing?

From what I've read Royal is making changes, just like the other cruise lines, and some of the changes aren't sitting too well with the loyal customers. This may be part of the reason why they need to resort to dynamic pricing. When we priced our upcoming Bermuda cruise Royal and Carnival were virtually neck and neck for the fare, but Royal lost out because they offered one day less. I haven't sailed any of Carnival's newer, bigger ships so am reserving judgment but Anthem was a very good looking ship with great entertainment (that is unique to her, as I understand it) and Anthem is easily our favorite ship. But in those areas where one would expect other ships in the fleet to be comparable, for example food and service, we found Royal to much more like Carnival than different (and since I've not sailed in any of Royal's older ships I am reserving judgment in that regard also). Yes, Royal has much more specialty dining available, but that isn't a distinguishing selling point for us since we don't partake in specialty dining. I think someone mentioned breakfast being better on Royal, I don't know, we almost always grab something from the buffet (I will typically grab something for DW so she can enjoy breakfast in bed). So for us, and I realize that this is only for us, either line is interchangeable right now and price will decide who we sail with.

[BNBR]

10 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Bingo, if they really are so good why discount the pricing?

 

Every hotel, airline, cruise line, etc.  has pricing that shifts with demand.  From the cheapest budget options to the finest properties.  This doesn't prove anything in relation to this discussion.  

 

Everyone here knows Carnival is generally a less expensive option and offers a lot in terms of value.  They are arguably the best value.  But not the best product.  This shouldn't be a controversial thing to say.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, BNBR said:

 

Every hotel, airline, cruise line, etc.  has pricing that shifts with demand.  From the cheapest budget options to the finest properties.  This doesn't prove anything in relation to this discussion.  

 

Everyone here knows Carnival is generally a less expensive option and offers a lot in terms of value.  They are arguably the best value.  But not the best product.  This shouldn't be a controversial thing to say.

I can certainly agree with most of that.  I am not so sure on the product part.  If we were just talking ships is one thing, the entire product is another story.  

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, BNBR said:

 

Every hotel, airline, cruise line, etc.  has pricing that shifts with demand.  From the cheapest budget options to the finest properties.  This doesn't prove anything in relation to this discussion.  

 

Everyone here knows Carnival is generally a less expensive option and offers a lot in terms of value.  They are arguably the best value.  But not the best product.  This shouldn't be a controversial thing to say.

To me the best product is what gives me the best value. A Ferrari is arguably a better product than my Chevy, but my Chevy is a better value to me and hence the better product for me. As for pricing, dynamic pricing certainly wasn't invented by Royal but if they price the Anthem at $1880 15 months prior to sailing for a week in a balcony cabin they are telling me what they think their product is worth.