Cruise Cost (Carnival)

[QTPieTrader]

I am booked on a Carnival ship (Ecstasy) which sails December 10 out of Galveston. It is for 5 nights. The same ship also does 4 night cruises from the same port.

On every site which sells these cruises the 4 nighter is more expensive than the 5 nighter. Same itinerary (except one less port of call on the 4 nighter).

I have been asking as to why the 4 nighter is more expensive than the 5 nighter but no one ventures a guess, much less knowing the real answer.

Just wondering...

QTPie :cool:

[mariemorgan]

I am booked on a Carnival ship (Ecstasy) which sails December 10 out of Galveston. It is for 5 nights. The same ship also does 4 night cruises from the same port.

 

On every site which sells these cruises the 4 nighter is more expensive than the 5 nighter. Same itinerary (except one less port of call on the 4 nighter).

 

I have been asking as to why the 4 nighter is more expensive than the 5 nighter but no one ventures a guess, much less knowing the real answer.

 

Just wondering...

 

QTPie :cool:

 

Same thing w/ the cruise i'm on.. My best guess is the days it sails.

 

4 night is thurs - mon and the 5 is mon - sat (so more work days need to be taken off making the 4 night more popular????)

[OhioJeff]

I am booked on a Carnival ship (Ecstasy) which sails December 10 out of Galveston. It is for 5 nights. The same ship also does 4 night cruises from the same port.

 

On every site which sells these cruises the 4 nighter is more expensive than the 5 nighter. Same itinerary (except one less port of call on the 4 nighter).

 

I have been asking as to why the 4 nighter is more expensive than the 5 nighter but no one ventures a guess, much less knowing the real answer.

 

Just wondering...

 

QTPie :cool:

 

Its all supply and demand. I would guess the 4 day cruise is over a weekend and the 5 day is during the week. Weekend cruises are more attractive to many people with limited vacation time. Its hard for some to take off during the week..thus driving up the demand for the weekend trips.

JMHO

[tbjl24]

This is just my theory......

 

The 4 night cruise leaves Thursday and comes back Monday. Only have to take 3 or 4 days off from work, maybe even less if you live close to the port.

 

The 5 night cruises leave either Saturday or Monday. Both of these would most likely require you take an entire week of work off and may be less desirable, given the part of year we are at(holidays).

 

The other variable you have to add in is that if a particular sailing is selling very well, Carnival will up the cost. If it is not selling well, Carnival may entice sales with onboard credits and lower pricing.

 

Maybe everyone is looking for a quick 4 day, long weekend cruise versus a week long cruise.

 

Thats my reasoning. :D

[JenSDCA]

Plus December 10th, most schools are still in session, so weekday cruises will have less demand. Compare that to the prices later in December!

[cruiseco]

The same thing happems with the three and four night sailings out of LA. The less-than seven night sailings draw a higher percentage of non-retirees. They have more work committments and don't have unlimited vacation days like the retirees do.

 

So, for a three-nighter you can work a half day on Friday and be at work again by noon on Monday so it's a good quick getaway and you only have to use up one day of vacation time.

 

But for the four-nighter, even if you can work a half day on Monday and on Friday you still will eat up a total of four days vacation time (three full days plus two half days). For many people it's tough to sacrifice the additional three days of vacation time to get one additional day on the ship.

 

So the demand is much greater for the three-nighters on average and this can keep the prices as high pr higher than the four-night mid-week sailings.

 

Update: I see ohiojeff and tbjl24 beat me to it :)

[matj2000]

I did not look at the schedule, but one reason might be if the 4 day cruise sails over the weekend, and the 5 day sails during the week. Ex: Mon-Fri, & Fri-Mon. Thats my guess.

Also December is kind of a different month as far a schedules go. They change things around to make sure that Christmas and New Years don't fall on a 1st or last day of a Cruise.

[firefly333]

lol, let me guess....ahhhhh, the shorter cruise is over the weekend??

 

sorry, just being a smart aleck. Everyone beat me to the answer.

 

Iv booked the 5 day for the very same reason on Ecstasy. Better deal.

[AdrenalineRush]

 

I have been asking as to why the 4 nighter is more expensive than the 5 nighter but no one ventures a guess, much less knowing the real answer.

 

Just wondering...

 

QTPie :cool:

Hopefully you didnt get that response from a TA, I would run away from any agent, that didnt know the answer to your question. That would be a good indication that they arent very knowledgeable with cruise bookings.

[crusinmama06]

Everyone else is right and it's a pretty easy answer, supply/demand. If the time the ship sails is in higher demand, less cabins to sell, the prices go up. If they have lots of inventory on the ship, many cabins to get rid of, the prices go down.

 

Weekend verses Weekday, just like on land hotel rooms. You pay more for a Saturday night in a hotel, than for a Tuesday night. ;)

[LHP]

I am still amazed how Galveston is consistantly higher than other Southern ports like New Orleans. Suppy and demand....

[crusinmama06]

I am still amazed how Galveston is consistantly higher than other Southern ports like New Orleans. Suppy and demand....

 

Exactly. It's the reason that it's cheaper for me to hop on a plane with my fam of 4 to Florida, pay for airline tickets, a night in a hotel AND transportation and STILL be cheaper than leaving from a North East Port and driving. :)

 

Supply/Demand

[PINEVIEW01]

Hopefully you didnt get that response from a TA, I would run away from any agent, that didnt know the answer to your question. That would be a good indication that they arent very knowledgeable with cruise bookings.

Where did this come from:cool:

 

As stated above, long weekends are more popular. Thus, in more demand and cost more.

 

It is the same with the RCCL cruises I'm taking. The three day weekend cruise cost more that the two four day weekday cruises on either side.

[AdrenalineRush]

Where did this come from:cool:

 

As stated above, long weekends are more popular. Thus, in more demand and cost more.

 

It is the same with the RCCL cruises I'm taking. The three day weekend cruise cost more that the two four day weekday cruises on either side.

 

She said she had been asking and no one knew the answer. If the person(s) she was asking are TA's they arent very knowledgeable about the cruise product.