Where Have All The Cruisers Gone?

[hgatsawgrs]

We have been on over 30 cruises in the past 6 years and gravitated to be "Oceania suite only" cruisers for all the standard reasons(no smoking,informal,quality,value,etc.). With the intro of Azamara and the positive info on this site we decided to try one this Oct, if one was available. It was a pleasant surprise as to how easy it is to find a suite for this fall this late. The prices for small suites( sky on A -like the Ph on O) are 40% cheaper than O. I do not believe they have come down, but this was the 2008 intro of A that made it a good deal to get O people. Next year the pricing differential is still quite a motivator at the suite level.

We were able also to get reasonable business fares from Delta even at this late date also.

In looking at the rooms available on A and O for this fall in the Medit it looks like the cruise industry is in a downer period. I was shocked to see Oceania OS and PS suites available on many 2008 fall cruises. I am used to needing to get them the day they become available on the computer. Some change in the market, huh.

I wonder if current summer cruisers are noticing the load levels on O and A are lower than the past. Are the ships cruising with many open rooms? Is it noticable in the dining rooms? other places? Do you see the "upgrades available" signs at the front desk on checkin yet? We never saw them on O but it must be happening by now.

Obviously , the economy,oil, stock market, etc are the reasons for this , I am wondering if it is being "seen" by passengers.

[fPetrarca]

Until Azamara arrived, Oceania had its particular cruising niche all to itself. I know quite a few passengers on my recent Italy cruise were former O passengers so clearly Azamara is drawing away some of O's base. The question is whether, in the current economic environment, there are enough passengers to fill two virtually identical lines. If Azamara continues to improve (and I felt my cruise was of very high quality) and keeps their prices significantly lower than O, then the passenger balance will shift to Azamara, which is underwritten by very deep pocketed RCL. Oceania will then be forced to respond by lowering its own prices, something it has adamantly refused to do until now. An additional factor is the huge number of new builds, both mainstream and luxury, coming onto the market late this year and over the next few years. Very bad timing for the cruise lines but likely to be very good for passengers looking for significant bargains.

[Ask4Jay]

While the booking status may be a bit weak at this time, I think it may be a bit too early to actually see a noticeable decrease in head count - on either line. Current cruises have been paid for and committed for a while, and I doubt that many people have actually canceled their cruises. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see fewer passengers in 09 and beyond. We'll see.

[cruisePRN]

I think the cruise industry has drastically overbuilt itself. With so many ships they have saturated the market and they are chasing the same passengers for business. I found Azamara a bargain, and I'm in a plain old standard ocean view cabin. I haven't cruised yet but I'm looking forward to my cruise on Azamara in 6 months.

[rubinstein2r]

Having just returned from the Eastern Med on Azamara, I can tell you that cruising is THE way if Americans want to do Europe in these days of the weak US Dollar. We spent two weeks in Europe in hotels and two weeks on the ship. The cost of everything from coffee, to cokes to taxis to hotels in Europe is so high and paying US prices for a cabin and eating most meals onboard is a great savings over what you'll pay in hotels and restaurants. The cabins will fill as the customers discover this, I'm sure.

 

--My_AZ

[critterchick]

The lines will discount cabins, if they need to, in order to fill the ships. So, although I do not think that we will see less-full ships, I think we should all keep our eyes peeled for price drops.

[francophile2]

I think the cruise industry has drastically overbuilt itself. With so many ships they have saturated the market and they are chasing the same passengers for business. I found Azamara a bargain, and I'm in a plain old standard ocean view cabin. I haven't cruised yet but I'm looking forward to my cruise on Azamara in 6 months.

Agree that the Azamara pricing for Europe is quite favorable. We got prepaid gratuities and $750 onboard credit for a Nov 8, 2008 sailing on the Quest in an OV cabin. However, their Asia cruises are apparently selling like hotcakes because I cannot get the amidships OV cabin that I prefer.

 

francophile2