Prices are going up - without perks?

[LT Hambone]

So -

 

 

Three months ago when my wife and I booked a 12-Day British Isles with Orkney Islands cruise for next August, we paid $3,349 per person for a Cat BD balcony cabin. Price included the standard Princes Plus perks - drink package, WiFi, gratuities, specialty dining. Not a bad price!

 

Today, the price is now $3,723 per person WITHOUT the standard Princes Plus perks! I noticed that prices seem to have gone up everywhere, and the Princess Plus package is now limited to a handful of cruises.

 

Questions - why would Princess raise prices and restrict package offerings when they haven't restarted cruising yet? Will there be another, better sale once cruising resumes?

 

What about those folks out there who had a summer 2021 cruise cancel with no 2022 replacement? Does this mean they now have to pay more?

 

Waiting to see how high fares will go - thoughts?

 

 

 

[skynight]

A new promo will appear, probably sooner than later. Any cruises already booked will retain their pricing. Prices in general will probably be higher. 

[Lady Arwen]

Just checked our May 2022 Baltics on Enchanted Princess in an MB mini suite and the price went up $1000.00 and no OBC or complimentary dining in a specialty restaurant or location upgrade.  We booked this in January and we actually thought the price would come down....nope.  Not a problem, we’re happy with what we booked and so anxious to get back to cruising.

[AF-1]

I too noticed the price spikes.  LT Hambone;  we looked at the 12 night cruise with Liverpool;  but chose to do same cruise with Royal Caribbean for $1890 less than Princess.  Go figure.  

[phabric]

I checked my 3 cruises for 2022 with no perks.  They show Princess Plus Sale that include beverage, tips, WIFI is included in the price with no choice of no perks or perks.  All 3 cruises for 2022 with no perks increased $500-600 which would have been the Price if I had taken Best Ever Sale.

[Tak8]

With all the FCC money out there, I'm not surprised to see an increase in pricing.  That combined with the surveys showing people are anxious to travel again works in the cruise line favor, not passengers. 

[boone2]

We booked a 28day Vancouver to Auckland cruise for 2022 at the beginning of last month. The price has fallen 800pp since so I guess it’s swings and roundabouts.  And I check every day😜

Terry

[oskidunker]

They need the money.

[thinfool]

Reports are that demand for cruises is huge at the moment.  Supply and demand rule.

If news reports prove to be accurate, the vaccines are doing their job and people will be free to travel again.  

While we are all hoping for improved conditions and a return to traveling, it will clearly result in higher prices.

[ojaidenny]

I read on these boards Princess was planning on cancelling those sales April 1.

I noticed my cruise to Alaska in Sept. 22 went up $400 but Princess Plus Sale still there. 

I am sure other sales will be on the horizon. 

Edited April 1, 2021 by ojaidenny

[phabric]

2 hours ago, ojaidenny said:

I read on these boards Princess was planning on cancelling those sales April 1.

I noticed my cruise to Alaska in Sept. 22 went up $400 but Princess Plus Sale still there. 

I am sure other sales will be on the horizon. 

Before you had a choice of No Perks price or Perks price.  With Princess Plus the perks are added to the cruise, there is No Perk price.

[ojaidenny]

3 hours ago, ojaidenny said:

I read on these boards Princess was planning on cancelling those sales April 1.

I noticed my cruise to Alaska in Sept. 22 went up $400 but Princess Plus Sale still there. 

I am sure other sales will be on the horizon. 

I now noticed Plus Sale is also gone. 

[voljeep]

24 minutes ago, ojaidenny said:

I now noticed Plus Sale is also gone. 

I went to Plan a Cruise - no pricing available - definitely either an April Fools' joke or an update

 

oh, wait ...

[TNTLAMB]

Its not a matter that they need the money. Its an FTC issue.  

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the primary federal agency responsible for regulating sales promotions. It does so by prescribing rules under the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. § 41) (FTC Act), investigating suspected violations of the Act, and bringing lawsuits against those companies conducting illegal activity. 

The FTC's Guides Against Deceptive Pricing generally require that a seller offer an item at a price for a reasonable, substantial period of time in good faith, and in the regular course of business, before advertising that price as the former or regular price (16 C.F.R. § 233.1). The FTC considers it deceptive to offer an item for sale at a higher price for a short period of time in order to support a claim that an item is discounted when the price is then lowered. This practice is prohibited.

Additionally, most states have consumer protection statutes that prohibit sellers from making false or misleading statements of fact concerning the reasons for, existence of, or amount of a price reduction (for example, Cal. Civ. Code § 1770(a)(13)). Several states also expressly regulate the length of time an item must be offered at a regular price and amount of time it is on sale 

 

It gets worse. 

The number of lawsuits challenging promotional pricing practices as deceptive has increased in recent years. The lawsuits, mostly consumer class actions, generally allege that a seller's price comparisons violate state law because merchandise was either:

• Not offered for a substantial period of time or the required, specified period of time at the higher reference price.
• Never offered for sale at the higher reference price.

These cases are fact-specific, and the outcome can vary by jurisdiction. The outcome often depends on the state statute at issue and the applicable pleading requirements.

Once a company has been sued for alleged deceptive pricing practices, the case often ends in a costly settlement. Recent examples include:

• A $50 million settlement for a suit filed against JC Penney in the Central District of California, for allegedly advertising a sale on blouses referencing original prices that were higher than had been used in the past three months.
• Two settlements made by Ascena Retail Group, Inc., owner of Justice brand and Ann Taylor, which include:

  • A $50.8 million settlement of a lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleging that items at Justice stores marked on sale were instead using the regular retail price; and
  • A $6.1 million settlement of a lawsuit filed that alleged Ascena used deceptive discount claims at Ann Taylor and LOFT factory Outlet stores.
• A $4.9 million settlement of a lawsuit alleging that Michael Kors marketed its goods using supposed substantial discounts of fake Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) for products exclusively sold in its stores.

   

  How long Princess or any Cruise line will maintain "regular Pricing" before a "new" sale is anyone's guess. But a "perpetual sale just isn't going to happen.

   

Edited April 1, 2021 by TNTLAMB

[Earthworm Jim]

1 hour ago, TNTLAMB said:

Its not a matter that they need the money. Its an FTC issue.

 

 

FTC issues on a British cruise?

[PurpleHays]

I just checked my Oct 2022 cruise and the price hasn't changed.

[John99]

I just check on 2 cruises we have booked.  The prices have really gone up plus no promo, no specialty dinning, no OBC’s, etc.

 

Alaskan Cruise Tour for July 19, 2022 - 11 Day Denali Explorer Cruise/Tour EB4 with deluxe balcony.  

Prior sail fare: $3254pp

2 specialty dinning for 2

$300 OBC per cabin

Current sail fare:  $4281pp

No specialty dinning

No OBC’s

 

10-Day Classic Canada & New England Sept. 30^th   with balcony

Prior sail fare: $2109pp

2 specialty dinning for 2

$200 OBC per cabin

Current sail fare:  $2626pp

No specialty dinning

No OBC’s

[franktown]

Just checks the 3 cruises I have booked and the saver fares and the plus fares have returned in the last hour.  Prices on all 3 cruises have gone up but the perks are back along with the no perk fare.

[AF-1]

12 hours ago, John99 said:

I just check on 2 cruises we have booked.  The prices have really gone up plus no promo, no specialty dinning, no OBC’s, etc.

 

Alaskan Cruise Tour for July 19, 2022 - 11 Day Denali Explorer Cruise/Tour EB4 with deluxe balcony.  

Prior sail fare: $3254pp

2 specialty dinning for 2

$300 OBC per cabin

Current sail fare:  $4281pp

No specialty dinning

No OBC’s

 

10-Day Classic Canada & New England Sept. 30^th   with balcony

Prior sail fare: $2109pp

2 specialty dinning for 2

$200 OBC per cabin

Current sail fare:  $2626pp

No specialty dinning

No OBC’s

wow that has spiked up.  I too have seen my cruise price go up from when I booked

[ChangeOrder]

I checked my bookings too. Up around $900 each!

 

I'm worried that if my cruise this year is cancelled, I'm going to have a really bad time trying to rebook for next year. May have to let that FCC sit for a while until prices come down.

[Tedferg]

Is it that the Sale that included Specialty Dining and Cabin Location ended yesterday ?

[LT Hambone]

53 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Is it that the Sale that included Specialty Dining and Cabin Location ended yesterday ?

 

Appears that way - plus a price spike.

 

Our cruise next August is now $3,723 with Princess Plus (minus the cabin location and specialty dining).

 

 

 

[deliver42]

I'm glad I didn't wait, and have an Alaska cruise booked for Sept 2022, and feel pretty confident it will go. We  have all the perks. It's also refundable. We are even checked in.

[sfaaa]

On 4/1/2021 at 7:26 AM, oskidunker said:

They need the money.

And we need to cruise.

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, deliver42 said:

We are even checked in.

Perhaps you meant that you have completed your Cruise Personalizer form information or have registered in OCEAN.  But you cannot be checked in until 75 days prior to departure date.