mcrcruiser Posted August 18, 2021 #1 Share Posted August 18, 2021 In checking ,we booked a 7 night HAL Nov 12 ,2022 cruise in a VH balcony handicap state room for the 7night Mexican riviera cruise . We also booked B2B Dec3 & Dec 10 ,2022 both in a high deck handicap state room Mexican Riviera cruises on Princess new Discovery (entering service in 2021) .The HAL stateroom is the lowest semi blocked by the small life boats ,where the Princess Discovery handicap state room has unblocked views because the state room is on higher decks We could only compare the Dec 10 ,2022 Princess pricing to the HAL Nov pricing because the Dec 3rd Princess prices had future cruise credits applied . What we found is that HAL's cruise price was $213 higher on Koningsdam (2016 built ) to the Princess discovery (built in 2021) ,Additionally , we have been able to do 7 night Mexican Riviera cruises pre pandemic for in most cases $300 to $400 less than current price points in a balcony cabin on HAL We no longer fly & if we can't drive to our home port of San Diego or to San Pedro Calif we won't cruise . Having done close to 90 cruises we have been to most of the world ,so we are not missing any thing .We now cruise not for the ports but for the ambiances ,service & food that the ships offer .We rarely get off the ship except maybe Mazatlan where I buy iron wood carved animals & sea creatures from with in the port area ,to add to my extensive collection . They are pieces of art & display nicely in our home here in North Coastal San Diego county ( best weather any where ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchip Posted August 18, 2021 #2 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Not quite apples to apples. The Koningsdam sails with 2,650 passengers. Princess Discovery has 3,660 passengers. This makes a difference the pricing. Cheers, Denise 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvertoGold Posted August 18, 2021 #3 Share Posted August 18, 2021 See this in my research all the time. I have noted that the Zuiderdam is sometimes lower that the Koningsdam for Mexico. Also see RCL and sometimes NCL is pricing lower, especially far out. There are some very good deals on those lines. Different approaches in marketing being used by the cruise lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyCruiser Posted August 18, 2021 #4 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Cruises pricing can never be apples to apples, since there's many many diff factors that goes into pricing. There's marked diff prices in just different ships, age, size, dates, cabin category & location, etc... & even your status level on each line. So there's millions of different combinations that'll affect pricing.... 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted August 18, 2021 Author #5 Share Posted August 18, 2021 9 minutes ago, dchip said: Not quite apples to apples. The Koningsdam sails with 2,650 passengers. Princess Discovery has 3,660 passengers. This makes a difference the pricing. Cheers, Denise The price point has nothing to d with the pax load especially in a pan demic when it is highly unlikely they sail full . We have done this itinerary more than any other itinerary & the pre pandemic prices were several hundreds lower . Also the cabin location on the Discovery Princess was a higher location with out life boats for the HAL location .That too makes a difference in pricing alone .Thus ,If we were to go to a higher deck on HaL for a handicap cabin the price differences would have been even greater than the $213 Check out what I saying 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caviargal Posted August 18, 2021 #6 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Princess is far more generous to their elite level passengers than HAL. I wish I liked their product, but I do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted August 18, 2021 Author #7 Share Posted August 18, 2021 2 minutes ago, NavyCruiser said: Cruises pricing can never be apples to apples, since there's many many diff factors that goes into pricing. There's marked diff prices in just different ships, age, size, dates, cabin category & location, etc... & even your status level on each line. So there's millions of different combinations that'll affect pricing.... If you were to look at a handicap cabin in upper decks the price difference between HAL & Princess would have been even much larger . Thus ,we are finding HAL more pricier in comparable sailings & their tip structure is also higher than either Princess or Carnival sailing s from the West coat ports .I once said that perhaps we should check into the all inclusive luxury ships & may get a better deal when all differences are calculated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted August 18, 2021 Author #8 Share Posted August 18, 2021 2 minutes ago, caviargal said: Princess is far more generous to their elite level passengers than HAL. I wish I liked their product, but I do not. We are only Ruby level with Princess & a higher level of 3 star Mariner with HAL . where we do excel is Celebrity at Elite + & Royal Diamond . Since we no longer fly ,Celebrity rarely sales from the west coast ports & Royal Caribbean recently placed Navigator of the Seas out of San Pedro port to service the Mexican Riviera 7 night cruise & 4 night Catalina / Ensenada cruise .Years back RCCL had the Mariner of the Seas in that port but pulled her pot because pricing got too low to fill the ship .RCCL sent her to the Europe market back then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted August 18, 2021 Author #9 Share Posted August 18, 2021 We think that HAL with 11 ships in their fleet is more like Celebrity & Princess in more like Royal Caribbean due to the number of ships 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted August 18, 2021 #10 Share Posted August 18, 2021 (edited) We have learned over many years of cruising that cruise prices are only relevant to a specific point in time. They change-sometimes over a week, over a day, and once in a while in the middle of a day. Not to mention cabin category pricing differences. An ocean view may be the least expensive on one line but their verandah cabin offering may be the most expensive of three similar cruise lines. Supply, demand, and the revenue maximizing algorithm that each cruise line uses for each cabin category play a part in the pricing decision. So price comparisons can be very difficult, even without subjective comparisons between cruise lines. When we started looking at Med pricing a few years ago the balcony prices when we booked two of them were Celebrity, then Princess at plus 20 percent highter, then HAL at 30 percent highter. Two weeks later all three were in the same ball park. Same for our SA cruise. When we booked Princess was the best offer, Celebrity the most expensive of the three. Edited August 18, 2021 by iancal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted August 18, 2021 Author #11 Share Posted August 18, 2021 13 minutes ago, iancal said: We have learned over many years of cruising that cruise prices are only relevant to a specific point in time. They change-sometimes over a week, over a day, and once in a while in the middle of a day. Not to mention cabin category pricing differences. An ocean view may be the least expensive on one line but their verandah cabin offering may be the most expensive of three similar cruise lines. Supply, demand, and the revenue maximizing algorithm that each cruise line uses for each cabin category play a part in the pricing decision. So price comparisons can be very difficult, even without subjective comparisons between cruise lines. When we started looking at Med pricing a few years ago the balcony prices when we booked two of them were Celebrity, then Princess at plus 20 percent highter, then HAL at 30 percent highter. Two weeks later all three were in the same ball park. Same for our SA cruise. When we booked Princess was the best offer, Celebrity the most expensive of the three. The real factors for the increases in prices so dramatically has to do with the huge debt load that CCL ,RCL & NCLH Corporations are trying to lower . not only that but Carnival corp floated more shares & diluted what was already in the market place .Reason is that ore pandemic the Mexican Riviera prices for a balcony unobstructed ranged in price from lows of $1400 to as much as $1700 bow they range $1900 to the $2100 price point ,A substantial price difference .Just hope that there were no cut backs along the way ;because ,if the cruise lines cut back as well as these price increases we will stop cruising all together & use our monies for USA /Canada land trips using our own car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted August 18, 2021 #12 Share Posted August 18, 2021 (edited) We believe one of the current factors is the FCC's and discounted gift cards that need to be absorbed. I have little doubt that restrictive FCC's were offered by some cruise lines on the basis of a 'you can pay me now or you can pay me later' pricing strategy. Once the FCC's have been used or expired, demand and pricing may revert to more traditional levels. The challenge that some debt laden cruise lines will have is that there are some smaller startups, luxury and otherwise, who have purchased fire sale assets, updated them to standard, and as a result are no saddled with unusually high debt ratios. The firms may impact pricing in certain markets like the Med. Edited August 18, 2021 by iancal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveOKC Posted August 18, 2021 #13 Share Posted August 18, 2021 You missed the fact that the weeks are not comparable. I checked the HAL fare for a verandah on the Nov 12 versus the Dec 3 and 10th sailings and $100 pp higher on Nov 12. Early Dec sailings are normally among the least expensive of the year. Compare Apples to Apples please. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trixiee Posted August 18, 2021 #14 Share Posted August 18, 2021 I'm glad you are happy with the other cruiseline. We tried Princess, and were not satisfied with the dining room food quality and service. Adding the Sterling Steakhouse cost to the weekly tab would just about make it equal in cost. (And this is what I need to factor in) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted August 18, 2021 #15 Share Posted August 18, 2021 (edited) It all comes down to the market and to choice. There is no rule that say HAL has to be the least expensive, the same, or more expensive. Same with any other cruise line notwithstanding one's opinion of the merits of competing cruise options. We are routinely willing to pay a premium for certain hotels, cruise lines, and even airlines depending on the routing. The price lists are there. Weigh up your preferences with those prices. Then make a buy. It is really that straightforward. Why the fuss??? Edited August 18, 2021 by iancal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted August 18, 2021 #16 Share Posted August 18, 2021 I have always found the difference in same tier cruise lines is dollars per square feet. It is not gauged by an individual room to individual room but the average size stateroom square feet per passenger. That information is available, I think the Wiki carries that information. HAL's staterooms tend to be slightly larger than Princess staterooms overall. The other significant cost is crew per passenger. I don't recall those numbers but I think HAL edges out Princess, just slightly, in that metric also. Personally I don't care that much about much of that. For me it is itinerary, itinerary, itinerary followed distantly by ship size and date. Once I have the runner ups price is looked at. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabcruiser Posted August 18, 2021 #17 Share Posted August 18, 2021 I have tried pricing out Princess vs HAL several times and Princess always significantly higher. We do unobstructed veranda on HAL. However, no sofa in Princess veranda(at least that is my understanding from my research) so must upgrade to mini-suite which always comes at much higher price. Yes, sofa for comfort is a necessity for us. Finally tried Celebrity in Nov. 19 just before the dreaded COVID put a halt to our cruising. Great price with drinks included so decided to go for it. Unimpressed by service and lido food. Main DR food was good, but we usually eat buffet lunch and few dinners. Food just not good and the desserts huge disappointment. They looked beautiful but tried several and no taste at all except plain sugar. Yuck. So funny their "taco" bar never, ever had a bit of salsa, jalapenos, or anything at all for some spice. Yuck. Everyone touching all of serving utensils always has grossed me out, even pre covid. Trying to get a drink involved waiting in line, generally in full sun for at least 10-15 minutes. Definitely not up to HAL standards. Post covid we do want to sail on some other lines so may get to do Princess at some point. We have friends who only sail them. Jane 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida_gal_50 Posted August 18, 2021 #18 Share Posted August 18, 2021 2 hours ago, caviargal said: Princess is far more generous to their elite level passengers than HAL. I wish I liked their product, but I do not. Is that still true? I don't think it ever was personally and yes I'm elite on princess and 5 star on Hal. Princess has recently pared down the perks on elite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evilmuffin Posted August 18, 2021 #19 Share Posted August 18, 2021 My biggest draw to HAL is that average age of the cruiser is significantly higher than other cruiselines. I have only sailed on MSC and HAL. I prefer the smaller ships, and if it has a waterslide or anything similar, I avoid it. Watersides = children. I find less children sail on HAL. Not sure about the newer ships with HAL. MSC was great if you were in the Yacht Club suites at first, but now with their kids sail free, more and more kids are in the Yacht Club area. I also don’t want to be on a party boat. Too old for that kinda thing. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted August 18, 2021 #20 Share Posted August 18, 2021 (edited) But there is one big difference the CREW.... We have don 19 Princess cruises before moving to Holland America .. Edited August 18, 2021 by Gail & Marty sailing away 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Chris Posted August 18, 2021 #21 Share Posted August 18, 2021 3 hours ago, DaveOKC said: You missed the fact that the weeks are not comparable. I checked the HAL fare for a verandah on the Nov 12 versus the Dec 3 and 10th sailings and $100 pp higher on Nov 12. Early Dec sailings are normally among the least expensive of the year. Compare Apples to Apples please. I worked in cruise line sales and agree. The toughest weeks of the year to sell in the seven-day market were always just before Christmas/New Years. Many potential travelers prefer to stay home preparing for family holidays, attending parties, wrapping up year-end work, etc. and fewer groups are traveling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartgrove Posted August 18, 2021 #22 Share Posted August 18, 2021 4 hours ago, mcrcruiser said: I once said that perhaps we should check into the all inclusive luxury ships & may get a better deal when all differences are calculated I probably will upset some but we tried Viking on an Iceland cruise. The fare was discounted below what I have seen them charge for comparable cruises so why not give it a try. The ship and crew was excellent although we found less activities onboard available to pass the time. Food, etc. was very nice but not without fault. The Italian "Manfredi's" no-extra-charge restaurant served an over-seasoned Rib Eye steak. The availability of choice in their World Cafe ( their Ledo Buffet) is small due to less passengers being onboard. No stress from "sales" selling art, jewelry, or photos. Included excursions are a mostly walking tours for 1-1/2 hours. Overall it did not impress for a second cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocl Posted August 18, 2021 #23 Share Posted August 18, 2021 4 hours ago, jabcruiser said: I have tried pricing out Princess vs HAL several times and Princess always significantly higher. We do unobstructed veranda on HAL. However, no sofa in Princess veranda(at least that is my understanding from my research) so must upgrade to mini-suite which always comes at much higher price. Yes, sofa for comfort is a necessity for us. Finally tried Celebrity in Nov. 19 just before the dreaded COVID put a halt to our cruising. Great price with drinks included so decided to go for it. Unimpressed by service and lido food. Main DR food was good, but we usually eat buffet lunch and few dinners. Food just not good and the desserts huge disappointment. They looked beautiful but tried several and no taste at all except plain sugar. Yuck. So funny their "taco" bar never, ever had a bit of salsa, jalapenos, or anything at all for some spice. Yuck. Everyone touching all of serving utensils always has grossed me out, even pre covid. Trying to get a drink involved waiting in line, generally in full sun for at least 10-15 minutes. Definitely not up to HAL standards. Post covid we do want to sail on some other lines so may get to do Princess at some point. We have friends who only sail them. Jane Thats interesting, pre-covid Princess was usually less expensive than HAL on a person per cruise day basis. I have over 40 cruises on Princess and around 10 on HAL and have compared both frequently in the past. Usually went with Princess due to price advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted August 19, 2021 Author #24 Share Posted August 19, 2021 7 hours ago, iancal said: We believe one of the current factors is the FCC's and discounted gift cards that need to be absorbed. I have little doubt that restrictive FCC's were offered by some cruise lines on the basis of a 'you can pay me now or you can pay me later' pricing strategy. Once the FCC's have been used or expired, demand and pricing may revert to more traditional levels. The challenge that some debt laden cruise lines will have is that there are some smaller startups, luxury and otherwise, who have purchased fire sale assets, updated them to standard, and as a result are no saddled with unusually high debt ratios. The firms may impact pricing in certain markets like the Med. When prices rise like a raise in salaries ,they don't come down . We can see price increases of 5 to 6% based on current inflation but certainly not to their extent that HAL raised their prices on the nov 12 ,3022 Mexican Riviera cruise . November is a better month than December ;however pre pandemic this cruise would be $1700 vs the S2100 now & in the past when we did not need a handicap for mu scooter ,we did a VF or VE balcony cat not a VH ;which is at lower cost that the VF or VE balcony .so in effect we are getting less & paying more We are going to try this cruise nov 12 ,2022 & may be we will be happily surprised .We have previously sailed Koningsdam twice .she is a lovely ship . On the other hand we will be able to compare service ,food quality ,ambiance ,shows , ie against the new Princess Discovery less than one month apart as we are doing B2B Dec 3 & 10 ,2022 ,same 3 port itinerary .That will be illuminating to us . We also have a higher up the ship unobstructed handicap balcony at lower cost each cruse price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted August 19, 2021 #25 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Comparing HAL to Princess is difficult because each line (and even ships within the line's) have their pros and cons. Personally we are very happy to cruise on either line (Elite with Princess and 5* Mariners with HAL). I would not get too hung up on price differences since we think it is more about value. When we are trying to decide between HAL and Princess (we also cruise many other lines) it will usually come down to the itinerary. Hank 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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