A Suggestion to Princess Concerning Cruise Itineraries

[spongerob]

The better half and I have been discussing possible vacation plans for the February-April time frame. One thing I noticed is that Princess has a very poor inventory of 10-12 day cruises departing from the US. The only choices available are partial Panama Canal cruises and Eastern/Southern Caribbean cruises, both of which depart from FLL. The only other choices are exotics. The same situation exists in the summer, for Alaskan cruises.

 

Why so many 7-day cruises? How about mixing it up a little, and throwing a few 10 and 11 day cruises during the times when it's less likely that families will be traveling. The cost of air travel makes 7-day cruises less attractive for those of us who have to fly.

 

And what happened to the 10-day Mexican Riviera cruises? I'm feeling a bit stuck in the middle - the 7 day cruises aren't attractive, and the longer cruises all require air travel to exotic destinations that require extra vacation days. B2B's that follow the same 7-day itinerary aren't that attractive, either.

 

Am I alone feeling this way? There is a lack of choices for those those of us who want mid-length cruises from the US. I'm feeling a bit under-served as someone who is not interested in 7-day cruises and doesn't have the time to look into cruises in far-flung locales.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Why so many 7-day cruises? How about mixing it up a little, and throwing a few 10 and 11 day cruises during the times when it's less likely that families will be traveling. The cost of air travel makes 7-day cruises less attractive for those of us who have to fly.

I'm in total agreement. We won't fly to FL for less than 14 days, and, although we'll fly to LA or SFO (2 hour flights) for 7 days, it's not our preference. Longer cruises provide the same appeal to people in the middle of the country as more homeporting does to those on the coasts.

[cherylandtk]

For the next 4 years we are pretty much stuck with only being able to take the 7 day vacations during most of the year. As soon as that day arrives, we will also be looking at maximizing our flight dollars and taking 10-14 day trips....but until then we don't have that option.

 

I suspect Princess is trying to be all things to all people. Just as they tried (are trying?) with the PC Dining to provide all types of dining choices--and perhaps not doing any of them really well, they are also trying to provide all lengths cruises to fit all schedules, and perhaps that is skewed towards the overall demand.

[Ephraim]

My guess is that simply the 10 day cruises don't sell as well and are therefore not as profitable. The Europeans (and many Canadians as well) want two week vacations, which is why they alternate itineraries in the Caribbean, so people can do back to back cruises.

 

If the 10 day itineraries were booking well and were profitable, they would be plenty of them.

[DanJ]

Yes, one of the downsides to the larger ships. I think they would do more of these type of cruises if they had more Island/Coral sized ships that they could fill at profitable fares. I doubt they could fill a Grand or Caribbean sized ship on enough of these cruises to make it worth their while. And they would have to do enough of them to get the schedule back around to Saturday or Sunday departures for the 7 day routes again.

 

It would be interesting if they looked at, say, the first Saturday after New Years some year, doing 2 12 days and one 4 day itineraries, which would bring it back around to Saturday 4 weeks later. Then they can resume 7 day itineraries as the various school breaks start in February.

 

I also think they should look into the port logistics of going back to the alternating east/west itineraries they used to do. This might encourage more people to do back to backs if they get to do both itineraries without having to switch ships and spend a night in FLL. But the higher number of ships in port now probably make it too difficult to go to a port on Wednesday this week, and Thursday next week. Of course, they could work with their sister brands and see if they can share port space with Carnival on a rotating basis.

[chrysalis]

My guess is that simply the 10 day cruises don't sell as well and are therefore not as profitable. The Europeans (and many Canadians as well) want two week vacations, which is why they alternate itineraries in the Caribbean, so people can do back to back cruises.

 

If the 10 day itineraries were booking well and were profitable, they would be plenty of them.

 

For us, flying from Canada and having to fly first to Toronto and then transfer to get to FLL, 10 days just does not do it for us.....we used to do the 14 dayers, but now do B2B 10 day cruises.......it makes the flight hassles in mid-winter more bearable

[hubofhockey]

This thread presupposes that OP knows more about marketing and demand than Princess does. I would bet that Princess understands exactly what length of cruise will net them the most passengers at the prices they are looking to charge.

 

I am more interested in the opposite. The minimum Princess Med cruise is 12 days. That would mean I would have to take more than two weeks of vacation at one time. That's hard to do. But RCI has the 7 day cruises that I am looking for and Celebrity has 10 day cruises. So, that's my choice for the Med and I'm not complaining. However, again I would bet that Princess knows what they are doing in the Med and that, for Med cruises, they can fill up their ships with the 12-day cruises. I'm just glad that there are alternatives out there.

[mii]

Sponge I totally agree with you. Now as for the 10 day Mex. rivera cruises out of S.F. the Star did those from Sept. 2008 after drydock until Nov. and now she is doing the S.A. route until this coming March and april and doing 10 day cruises again to Mex. Rivera before she set sail up to alaska.

 

I would also like to see more 10 day or 14 day out of Vancouver rather than having 4 ships doing one-way from Vancouver to Whittier and visa versa. I very rarely do 7 day anymore so I end up doing B2B.

 

As for the Caribbean, I am not about to fly back to FLL for a 7 day. Now they do have a 10 day but after a while there are just too darn many ships there and competing for space on these islands.

 

Marilyn

[DougH]

I totaly agree, would love to see more 10 days. My guess is like evreything it comes down to money and Priincess can make more selling 4 7 day routes than 3 10-11 day ones.

 

I've done the SF-Mexico cruise a couple of times along with SF-Alaska ,the extra days are nice. I've been asking for a 10 day Alaska route for years from Vancouver. Like Marilyn I tend to then do a B2B if the 10 days aren't available (which I'm sure Princess loves )

[islandchick25]

If cruise critic represents 1% of the public and you get 30 people to agree with you that they need longer than 7 day cruises you will have enough people to fill 1 ship. Do you still really think Princess does not have enough 10 day offerings.

 

You are one of the lucky ones who has more vacation time and can afford longer vacations. I do not think there are as many boatloads of people who can afford to do that above what is already offered.

[LARGIN]

I agree.. Lets get more 10 - 14 day cruises especially from the left coast..

[BigTimeCruiser]

Agree Totally....More 10-day and 14-day cruises out of LA or SF would be ideal.:)

[Philip217]

My guess is that simply the 10 day cruises don't sell as well and are therefore not as profitable. The Europeans (and many Canadians as well) want two week vacations, which is why they alternate itineraries in the Caribbean, so people can do back to back cruises.

 

If the 10 day itineraries were booking well and were profitable, they would be plenty of them.

 

Ephraim,

Your guess is right. The mass market cruise lines learned long ago that the vast majority of Middle America - their target market - cannot afford a cruise longer than 7 days. When you have to fill very large ships with paying customers EVERY cruise in order to remain profitable, you cannot afford to gamble with offering cruises we would LIKE to have. You only offer the cruises that the general public is willing to BUY.

 

For people like me who think that 10 and 12 day cruises are far more interesting, there are options:

1. Book an upscale cruise where people are willing and able to pay for more interesting and longer cruises and itineraries.

2. Find 3,000 more Cruisecritics who agree on the date of the cruise, the length of the cruise, the turnaround port, and the itinerary. Then book the mass market ship you want - as a Charter.

[spongerob]

This thread presupposes that OP knows more about marketing and demand than Princess does. I would bet that Princess understands exactly what length of cruise will net them the most passengers at the prices they are looking to charge.

Ouch! It's called feedback, not presupposition - and if my opinion is a minority one, so be it. If we don't provide commentary to the people who set the schedules, we'll be stuck with the guesstimations as to what will and won't sell that come from the marketing department.

[spongerob]

Ephraim,

Your guess is right. The mass market cruise lines learned long ago that the vast majority of Middle America - their target market - cannot afford a cruise longer than 7 days. When you have to fill very large ships with paying customers EVERY cruise in order to remain profitable, you cannot afford to gamble with offering cruises we would LIKE to have. You only offer the cruises that the general public is willing to BUY.

I don't know if it's a case of what people can afford, versus the generally low levels of vacation time people in the US have available to them when compared to people in other parts of the world.

 

I think the dynamic has changed, with regards to the cost of airfare, dealing with security regulations when flying, and so on. When you live here in flyover country, the logistics of getting to a cruise port are different, and many don't want to deal with the hassles. If cruise lines aren't responsive to changing paradigms, they will suffer.

[spingal]

Here is another vote for longer cruises from the left coast! :D

[hubofhockey]

Ouch! It's called feedback, not presupposition - and if my opinion is a minority one, so be it. If we don't provide commentary to the people who set the schedules, we'll be stuck with the guesstimations as to what will and won't sell that come from the marketing department.

 

How do you know the itineraries are based on "guestimates" and not estimates from market data and surveys?

[spongerob]

How do you know the itineraries are based on "guestimates" and not estimates from market data and surveys?

I think many years working in positions with a high component of marketing input, including my current position, have taught me that forecasts always contain a large element of the unknown. It's SWAG. Kind of like GM focusing on SUV's when the market is shifting towards fuel-efficient vehicles. Mistakes result in fire sales - like lots of cheap cabins on short cruises. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the forecast was wrong.

[Bucky3]

Would love to see longer cruises from the West Coast. Love sailing from San Diego. They could add Huatulco maybe?! Carnival has obviously had success with their 8-day going as far south as Acapulco for a number of years now. We've done the 10-day from SF and enjoyed it, but dates are limited. We're VERY EXCITED about our B/B cruises to Sydney from SF in September and returning Sydney to LA - 60 days on Star!! Yippeeee!

[flamomo]

You West Coasters must think you are the only ones who like 10-14 day cruises. LOL!

I'm sorry Princess saw fit to change the 14 day Southern Caribbean cruises to only embarking from Barbados and Jamaica. When they started one leg in FLL and the second on Barbados, it was a wonderful cruise. And it seemed to fit the needs of both US and British pax. But that didn't last, and I am sad.

The Southern Caribbean is a much nicer part of the Caribbean than the overcrowded Western, and a bit nicer than the Eastern, which seems to be getting more crowded.

Besides, I dislike having to fly to the west coast for the best cruises. Let's split it up so both sides of the country get some benefits. ;>)

[DougH]

Agree Totally....More 10-day and 14-day cruises out of LA or SF would be ideal.:)

 

Why do you need longer crusies, don't you two just string a bunch of them together anyway? :) (hope that doesn't sound like I'm too jealous!)

 

Hope you're both doing well, it would be great to run into one another again. I sail on the Star on 1/17 but don't have any other Princess booked his year. Where are you headed next?

 

Doug

[Philip217]

Cruise Line Sales & Marketing and Yield departments are incredibly conservative - and very precise in their planning.

 

If you give them your postal code, cabin category, embarcation port, and cruise length, they can tell me how many dollars and cents you will spend onboard every day of your cruise.

 

It is not so much that they are so smart, but they pay millions to consultants and polling companies to give them incredibly reliable information for their inventory planning. Their success rate in planning financially successful itineraries is quite remarkable.

 

If a major cruise line is not already offering a particular itinerary, there are 2 possibilities:

1. They just don't have enough ships to do it yet.

2. They already know it won't work.

 

FYI - Just about every passenger on a 7 day cruise spends as much or more than a passenger on a 10 day cruise. As a result, most mass market ships are designed, manned, and programmed for 7-day cruises. The 10 day cruise is far more costly to produce, but the revenues usually do not justify offering it.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I'd like to see a 10 night out of San Diego to Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, P.V., Cabo and Manzanillo. Princess does need more 10 night cruises out of US ports.

[macusr]

I agree that more 10 day offerings would be great. We have really enjoyed the two 10 days cruises we were on - it's so wonderful to get to day 7 and go "I still have three more days!"

[Times Prince]

It would be interesting if they looked at, say, the first Saturday after New Years some year, doing 2 12 days and one 4 day itineraries, which would bring it back around to Saturday 4 weeks later. Then they can resume 7 day itineraries as the various school breaks start in February.

 

One of the nicest cruises we had was an 11, yes that's "eleven" day New Year's cruise out of Galveston which included a visit to the Panama Canal. They took what was normally a 7 day western Caribbean cruise and added extra days to/from Panama and Costa Rica to convert from longer holiday sailings back to a Saturday-Saturday 7 day cycle.

 

This was a very inventive way of adding value and everyone on that cruise really enjoyed it. Perhaps that could be done at other times of the year as well.

 

Our recent 10 day (Dec 10-20) Eastern Caribbean was really nice as the Emerald Princess was typically the only ship in port, and there were never more than 3 ships, even at St. Thomas. The lack of crowds was great, and the Wednesday sailing allowed us to travel to FLL a day early without weekend travel stress.

 

We've found we really like the 10-12 day cruise length, especially when this can be accomodated within a two calendar week period, enabling good use of our limited vacation time.