Anythoughts if/when Carnival rates (as a whole) may drop?

[MamaParrotHead]

I've been watching my cruise rate daily and wondering why it hasn't dropped. I can't imagine Carnival is being flooded with calls for bookings. It'd seem to me they'd be as effected by anyone with the economy the way it is and they'd have to, at some point, do something to make cruising more attractive to those having to make some hard decisions about how to spend their dwindling amount of travel funds.

 

Anyone have any thoughts? Is it actually possible that they're the only industry/ones not effected by all of this?

[Catrin]

I am sure they are having some challenging times.... but they have developed some other marketing strategies such as upsells, etc.

 

I think if anything, the inside cabins and ocean view cabins will be the ones in demand now. I would rather sail on an inside cabin, or ocean view cabin... thank not sail at all./ I bet many people will downgrade thier cabin choice rather than skip a cruise.

 

Also.. when is your cruise booked? Mine is for school vacation week.. so forget any chance of mine...

 

Good Luck!

Catrin

[MamaParrotHead]

Mine is the week after Thanksgiving...not "peak" times from what I have heard/read/can tell.

[XRAYDAVE]

I suspect most of the sailings schedule in the next 3 months have limited space still available, especially if you are in the time frame that would penalize you for canceling.

 

I expect any price drops to show up for the cruises that are scheduled later if the cruise lines have trouble filling them up.

 

David

[firefly333]

Maybe for cruises further out that havent hit final payment, folks havent decided to cancel or go yet, so they havent seen many cancellations. Some of the closer in cruises, prices have dropped a LOT.

[13point1]

I've been watching my cruise rate daily and wondering why it hasn't dropped. I can't imagine Carnival is being flooded with calls for bookings. It'd seem to me they'd be as effected by anyone with the economy the way it is and they'd have to, at some point, do something to make cruising more attractive to those having to make some hard decisions about how to spend their dwindling amount of travel funds.

 

Anyone have any thoughts? Is it actually possible that they're the only industry/ones not effected by all of this?

 

Your cruise isnt for over 400 days, they rarely offer deep rate drops that far into the future. Its just not smart business, the focus is on cruises in the near future. Especially those in penalty phase.

 

Look for rate drop around Sept of 09.

[Nunu]

Your cruise isnt for over 400 days, they rarely offer deep rate drops that far into the future. Its just not smart business, the focus is on cruises in the near future. Especially those in penalty phase.

 

Look for rate drop around Sept of 09.

I agree that's a long way out. I've booked for the last week of August (great rate) and can't imagine it dropping yet.

[arom729]

The 3/2/09 sailing on the Fantasy out of NOLA just dropped today about $20 per cabin :) just FYI

[mariemorgan]

I just got $100 off my Fantasy cruise yesterday!! Make sure you keep checking your rates!

[jojocruisin]

We've already had one price drop of 100 pp since we booked in August. Now it looks like the price went down another 20 pp. We are going to ring in the 2009 new year. Very peak time.

[Indiansbaseball]

On the advice of many of you here.... I have been checking military rates online daily... and I saved almost $200 on our cruise last week. We are not sailing until late March 09. I checked again today and the rates are still low.

 

Thank so much to all of you for suggesting that we keep checking our rates !!! You guys are awesome !

 

Jen

[jayscore]

Our rates just went down $70 per for our 8G on the Valor for next April. Mind you, that's because the Past Guest rates just kicked in.

[UsernameNotTaken]

Our western Caribbean cruise on Triumph in February 2009 keeps going up. We booked at $779 and it's now $829.

 

That said, the airline tickets I've been watching just went DOWN $60 per person today!

[Kurbanfan]

I've been watching my cruise rate daily and wondering why it hasn't dropped. I can't imagine Carnival is being flooded with calls for bookings. It'd seem to me they'd be as effected by anyone with the economy the way it is and they'd have to, at some point, do something to make cruising more attractive to those having to make some hard decisions about how to spend their dwindling amount of travel funds.

 

Anyone have any thoughts? Is it actually possible that they're the only industry/ones not effected by all of this?

 

You are too far out. Be patient. Yes the cruise industry is being effected too. Just spoke to my TA last Wed. and she said by no means is anyone beating on her door to book a cruise........really slow...I cheered her up and booked one lol!

[DqALEX]

Carnival has stopped free upgrades. They now upsell. I still feel the best prices are 600 days out when they are first posted.

[molme]

We booked our Jan 31st cruise on the Glory in Mar at the military rate and it hadn't moved from what we paid until about 3 weeks ago, when it went up$21. We probably won't get anything back even if our cruise does go down. We booked an 8A aft balcony that has since been changed to an 8G. So I don't see a price drop or OBC in our future.

[Ken076]

Just my opinion, but I suspect Carnival (and others) will have problems booking during next year's hurricane season and will have to offer some good deals to entice cruisers. ken

[happy cruzin]

Your cruise isnt for over 400 days, they rarely offer deep rate drops that far into the future. Its just not smart business, the focus is on cruises in the near future. Especially those in penalty phase.

 

Look for rate drop around Sept of 09.

 

That is exactly what happened for our Thanksgiving 08 Splendor cruise. We are coming down to the wire and I just got a call from my CVS with price drop information and OBC's for our balcony and inside cabins.

They had to include in higher port taxes and fuel supplement - but even with that figured in we got nice OBC's.

OP...keep an eye on it. Ours had gone up several times since we booked but today....a drop!!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I've been watching my cruise rate daily and wondering why it hasn't dropped. I can't imagine Carnival is being flooded with calls for bookings. It'd seem to me they'd be as effected by anyone with the economy the way it is and they'd have to, at some point, do something to make cruising more attractive to those having to make some hard decisions about how to spend their dwindling amount of travel funds.

 

Anyone have any thoughts? Is it actually possible that they're the only industry/ones not effected by all of this?

 

I am sure they are affected just like everybody else is but have no idea how they figure when to cut prices or raise them.

 

You would think that all cruises would be getting discounted more now but my cruise in January just went up $30pp.

 

Go figure.

 

Bill

[tammyrs]

How do you check Military rates?

 

I do the cruise check almost daily, but I dont have a military code.

Any help?

 

TIA!

[REAGS]

That is exactly what happened for our Thanksgiving 08 Splendor cruise. We are coming down to the wire and I just got a call from my CVS with price drop information and OBC's for our balcony and inside cabins.

 

They had to include in higher port taxes and fuel supplement - but even with that figured in we got nice OBC's.

 

OP...keep an eye on it. Ours had gone up several times since we booked but today....a drop!!

 

 

I sure wish ours would drop! I am only 40 days out from my cruise on Glory. I check twice a day and we are down to the price at which I booked but it just won't seem to go any lower! Do the prices tend to drop the closer to the date of the cruise and is there any way to know how many cabins are left at this point?

[CRUZNTXN]

How do you check Military rates?

 

I do the cruise check almost daily, but I dont have a military code.

Any help?

 

TIA!

 

 

Call a Carnival PVP and ask then it really varies when they have the Military rates Im Milittary retired and usuall book around JAN, fEB. OR March, you just have to check around the forst part of the year or they may have them later on too! I have A Carnival PVP and I touch base with her off and on when Im ready to book to see if theres a Military Discount!!;)

[garrett619]

I am sure they are having some challenging times.... but they have developed some other marketing strategies such as upsells, etc.

 

I think if anything, the inside cabins and ocean view cabins will be the ones in demand now. I would rather sail on an inside cabin, or ocean view cabin... thank not sail at all./ I bet many people will downgrade thier cabin choice rather than skip a cruise.

 

Also.. when is your cruise booked? Mine is for school vacation week.. so forget any chance of mine...

 

Good Luck!

Catrin

 

 

Ironically I just checked today (booked a 9F on the 5/03/09 Valor Western) and all the suites are gone on my future sailing. The valor 5/10/09 only has one suite left. Either I missed out on a crazy deal on the suites that sold them all out or people are just buying them up normal. I was supposed to do this trip last year and balconies and suites were still available up until a few days before the cruise. I just find it odd that over six months out there would only be one suite left on two western cruises. Maybe carnival isn't doing so bad. As you guys know cruising is probably the best bang for the buck so maybe theirs actually increased demand as people shift away from traditional vacations to cruises. One good thing about our economy getting blasted is so are the European economies. I'm headed to the UK in a few weeks and the pound and euro have been clobbered. Maybe it's time for a last minute European cruise for everyone

[dan40]

The only "As a whole" rates are the brochure rates and nobody pays those rates. Otherwise all rates are increased or decreased according to how each individual sailing is selling. That has been true in good times and bad.

 

Dan

[sallyb]

After seeing this thread, I looked on Carnival's web site and got my second price drop, this one was for $180 per cabin, plus my PVP offered us adjoining cabins on Verandah! We had adjoining on Empress, so we would have kept them until he said we could go up to my favorite deck, port side, and still have the adjoining cabins! I am a very happy cruiser right now! Just waiting for my airfare to drop, then I will be ready to go!:cool:

SallyB