What’s With RCCL Rates?

[dwjoe]

Maybe so.

 

In my infinite range of totally USELESS knowledge and wide range of CRAP opinion I 'predicted' this policy back in October and outlined my 'fantasies' (which are bordering a mental illness) based on absolute no facts whatsoever.

 

Rightfully I got the crap from everybody.

 

This 'prediction' - which was born in an emotional state of confusion - was further solidified by an 'unevent' in December which I probably dreamed about and try to sell as reality trying to underline my earlier statements which had no basis and/or foundation when this policy actually became reality in January and the discussion was on amongst all those with deep, deep knowledge.

Unfortunately I am not affiliated with certain groups, a resident lawyer 'jack of all trades' or claim to phone headquarter 24/7 so I had no way of instant validation and I was exposed to what I am: a fraud.

 

In other words: I kindly disagree with your statement. :D:p;)

FL_Cruiser, we're all a bit nuts. Only some of us realize it though. :)

 

My statement is just a hunch. It might be right, wrong, or just confused. :) Heck, even RCCL might not know exactly where they'll end up on pricing policy.

[dwjoe]

For the price I paid for my courtyard villa, I would get a balcony and inside on the Oasis for the same week. I know it's about the ship sometimes, but I would give up a great ship to stay in the NCL Courtyard Villas for 7 days anytime! It really left an impression on us.

Speaking of fantasies, the NCL Courtyard Villa is one of mine! :)

 

It's like your own private deck!

[dfishner]

I am finding the same thing, I wanted to take my family 5 of us on either the Majesty or enchantment. NCL sky is $650 less then Majesty with the same kind of itinerary same cabin class. I like Royal quite a bit but the price difference is staggering. I would not mind if RCL was a little bit more but $650 is just to much of a difference. I can also go to the Western Caribbean on Carnival destiny which is a 4 day cruise and it will cost less then the three day cruise on the Majesty. I understand that RCL does not want to deep discount and would rather sail with empty cabins just how many empty cabins are they willing to risk to keep their price structure? I never thought I would look at NCL or Carnival the times they are a changing.

[Wilda]

Me too! I sailed a 7-night on Liberty in December and the price for an 8-night on Indy this coming December is $900 more....for 1 more night:eek::eek::eek:

 

Much as I love, love, love RCI when sailing with my 9-year old grandson, Princess (with it's full deck of mini-suites, self-serve laundromats, and MUTS) might just get my business this year!

[scg1a0]

We have Diamond status on RCCL and have never cruised on any other line- until this Saturday! I also found the the pricing for 2 adults, and a 2 year old much better on NCL, so we are trying them out! An added bonus is that they have a 2 year old kids program which RCCL currently does not offer (although the plans for Oasis appear to have a nursery).

 

We have cruised on RCCL 2 times with our son, once at 6 months and another at 1 1/2. I cannot believe that they charged the same amount for him as they do another adult yet they had no services for him! Apparently, NCL only charges port fees for kids under 2! That would have been a savings!

 

I believe that RCCL is going to have to rethink the pricing policy to get new cruisers and, apparently per the posts here, to keep their exsisting ones!

[KCcruisin07]

I am really amazed that there is so much agreement on this. Hmm... I wonder if anyone is listening.

[grand isle joe]

We cruised once on NCL and that was enough for us. The family suite was OK but the substandard food and freestyle dining turned us off. Entertainment could not compare. All those specialty resturaunts really nickeled and dimed us to death. In our view we would rather pay a little more and know what we can expect than pay less and Hope everything goes OK.

[aqhacruiser]

The reason the prices are so high is explained in this article from USA Today. CEO Richard Fain explained it all to Wall Street......no more deep discounting...

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=62104126.blog

 

They apparently prefer to sail with empty cabins than continue discounting.......

 

Good move?

 

Who knows. They have bigger problems than that' date=' for sure. Yesterday, they announced they may not be able to find funding for their 2 monstrosities, the Oasis and the Allure.........1.2 BILLION $$$ and counting.....EACH.[/quote']

 

I was aware of this article as well as the earnings announcement a few weeks ago where this was stated also and NO I do NOT think its a good move. I took it as arrogance that RCCL cannot afford in this economy. The goal is to fill any cruiseship and the bulk of profit comes from onboard spending. When Carnie and NCL are sending me emails at least once a week with great deals its hard to believe RCCL is raising prices and there are plenty of cabins available still on those cruises. I book my cruises when dates are released as they are usually the best prices for suites at that time but I'm beginning to get nervous about having so much deposit money thru 2010 with RCCL at this time when articles like that are appearing and I have to hear how they'd rather sail at less then full capacity then drop rates and the stock is floundering. In the cruise industry that is not smart business to run a company like that and I really do not understand what they are doing!

[bob278]

Their policy to keep prices up and accept empty cabins is evidently not across the board. We are leaving in 12 days for the Radiance of the Seas 16-night South America cruise. Our current price for a D1 cabin is $1,284 p/p. It's gone down over $1,700 p/p since we booked it 14 months ago and $500 just since November. I'd call that a deep discount. :rolleyes:

[lovelights]

The reason the prices are so high is explained in this article from USA Today. CEO Richard Fain explained it all to Wall Street......no more deep discounting...

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=62104126.blog

 

They apparently prefer to sail with empty cabins than continue discounting.......

 

Good move?

 

Who knows. They have bigger problems than that' date=' for sure. Yesterday, they announced they may not be able to find funding for their 2 monstrosities, the Oasis and the Allure.........1.2 BILLION $$$ and counting.....EACH.[/quote']

 

 

I am so glad that you posted this link. I saved it to show my family members, because I seen it last week some time, but couldn't find where I seen it at. When I told my family that RCCL would rather send out an empty ship than to reduce prices, they were stunned. I've cruised on 3 Royal Caribbean, 3 Norwegian, and 2 Princess cruises. I cannot and won't state that Royal Caribbean is better, because I've been on better cruises with both Norwegian, and definately by far with Princess. RCCL can keep raising the rates.... they can also send their ships out partially full. It doesn't matter to me, because I'll be on a ship with another cruise line and waving bye as we past by them in port.

[lovelights]

We cruised once on NCL and that was enough for us. The family suite was OK but the substandard food and freestyle dining turned us off. Entertainment could not compare. All those specialty resturaunts really nickeled and dimed us to death. In our view we would rather pay a little more and know what we can expect than pay less and Hope everything goes OK.

 

What NCL ship did you go on? We went on Norwegian Dawn out of Miami last year, and they had the best shows onboard than any RCCL cruise we've ever taken. Not only that, but NCL's food was much much better, and their rooms are much much larger. We have had a blast on both NCL Dawn, and NCL Sky. I've been on RCCL's Majesty of the Seas, and Navigator of the Seas, and neither compared up to NCL. I've also been on Princess, and I won't even put Princess in the same boat as NCL or RCCL because Princess really blows both of them out of the water.

[Pattakins]

I agree...RCCL is not taking a good stand in this economy. I love sailing with them, but looked into another line this time. Unfortunately, everyone else must have also, because there were no rooms available in the catagory I wanted on the other ship. So we ended up booking with RCCL. We paid $1500.00 more for our family of 4 than we would have on the other line. Ouch. But here's the rub.... 8 others would have booked the cruise along with us but felt they couldn't because of the cost. I think RCCL is in for a rude awakening if they keep this policy up. I know I will look elsewhere for better pricing in the future.

[Cindy]

Part of the reason I am so affected by RCCL pricing policies is I have to travel at peak times because I'm in education. My DH & I like to cruise out of Galveston at Spring Break. In looking at next year, I'm having a hard time justifying the $1,500 extra it would cost the 2 of us to be in a JS on the Voyager over a Cat. 11 on the Conquest. Same dates, same itinerary, outrageous cost difference. We could actually get a Cat. 12 on the Conquest for about $600 less than a JS on the Voyager. For that kind of $$$ for a JS, I might as well fly to Florida and go someplace new! I love Princess and they have some appealing itineraries and fares for next March.:)

We actually did just "jump ship" this summer because of cost. My very generous mom is paying for 11 of us to go on our third family cruise. When we were able to get comparable cabins on the Splendor for the same dates and itinerary we had on the Mariner and save several thousand $$$ we were all happy to make the switch. I suspect there will be things I like better about Carnival compared to RCCL or Princess and things I don't care for at all...but it's still a cruise and I will still be on vacation with my family and I'm sure I'll have a great time.

[negc]

I agree...RCCL is not taking a good stand in this economy. I love sailing with them, but looked into another line this time. Unfortunately, everyone else must have also, because there were no rooms available in the catagory I wanted on the other ship. So we ended up booking with RCCL. We paid $1500.00 more for our family of 4 than we would have on the other line. Ouch. But here's the rub.... 8 others would have booked the cruise along with us but felt they couldn't because of the cost. I think RCCL is in for a rude awakening if they keep this policy up. I know I will look elsewhere for better pricing in the future.

 

That's the whole idea of supply and demand. RCI charged a higher price because that was the price that the market would bear. As you noted, you had to book with RCI because the other lines which were selling cabins for much less, didn't have rooms available. Those eight others who didn't come with you because of the cost, didn't book other lines either, so the industry as a whole may have lost their business. It didn't transfer to another line. You fail to mention whether or not your RCI cruise sailed full or almost at capacity. If it did, then the pricing formula used by the line worked. They are, after all, in business to make a profit and the law of supply and demand dictates their prices. If they lose your and others business because of their pricing policies and don't replace that business with passengers willing to pay their prices, the prices will drop. If not you will have to decide which is more important to you: a low price, or a cruise on a line that you enjoy. :)

 

I'm reminded of a story about a woman going into the local butcher shop and asking the price for a pound of pork chops. When the butcher told her the price was $2.00 a pound she indignantly responded that pork chops at the butcher shop down the street were only $1.50 a pound. The butcher then told her she should go to the shop down the street and purchase the chops. "I can't" she replied. "they are all out of pork chops." to which the butcher replied: "Lady, if I was all out of pork chops, I'd onlyh be charging $1.00 a pound".;)

[dwjoe]

I think RCCL's pricing strategy is a calculated risk. Even they may not be totally sure it's the right move, and I suspect they're closely monitoring market demand. As a cruiser, it's a good time to shop around though. :)

[tally10]

About 3 weeks ago, we got a great price on the Emerald Princess in the Baltic: $1200 for a balcony (and not a guarantee). The problem was the airfare, even through a consolidator. Just way too much. The Baltic is our favorite itinerary. Then DH got an email about the Independence April transatlantic. $399 for an inside and $699 for a balcony guarantee. Then apply the $50 senior citizen discount and the $150 C&A discount-unreal for 13 days!! Even though we have been to all but one of the ports, we jumped on this and cancelled Princess. Even got good airfare for this one. We noticed that Princess' prices are back up and so are the Independence's prices. The special pricing, I'm sure, helped to fill the ships. You just have to keep watching and waiting. We went on the Carnival Freedom in the Mediterranean last Oct. and the pricing was very good. It kept dropping, though, and we ended up with a $600 OBC and a wonderful cruise. Although dismayed what we see on the internet, ocassionally these specials do turn up. The cruiselines can't keep operating with less than full ships.

[negc]

[quote name='lovelights']I am so glad that you posted this link. I saved it to show my family members, because I seen it last week some time, but couldn't find where I seen it at. When I told my family that RCCL would rather send out an empty ship than to reduce prices, they were stunned. I've cruised on 3 Royal Caribbean, 3 Norwegian, and 2 Princess cruises. I cannot and won't state that Royal Caribbean is better, because I've been on better cruises with both Norwegian, and definately by far with Princess. RCCL can keep raising the rates.... they can also send their ships out partially full. It doesn't matter to me, because I'll be on a ship with another cruise line and waving bye as we past by them in port.[/quote]

Why would you conclude that "RCCL would rather send out an empty ship than to reduce prices"? That is not their policy. What Richard Fain did say was that they would not discount their prices solely to maintain their customary 105% capacity. They would be willing to sail at a level [B]slightly below[/B] 105% (say 102%) since they could do so and still be profitable. If you prefer other cruiselines you should seriously consider sailing with them. Criticizing a line for their "high" prices when you actually prefer the cruising experience of another line seems a bit gratuitous. If you don't care that much for the RCI experience why should you be bothered by the prices they are charging? :confused:
Incidentally, do a search on the Princess and NCL boards and I can almost guarantee that you will find someone questioning the "high prices" on those lines.:rolleyes:

[steviek49]

[quote name='GoofingOff'][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]RCCL’s 7/28/09 12-night Baltics out of England is $3,049 for balcony. 3rd or 4th person rate is $1,299.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]NCL’s 8/2/09 12-night Baltics out of England is $2,099 for balcony. 3rd or 4th person is $199. NCL also gives $175 OBC per room.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The diff. amounts to $4,275 for a family of 4. The difference between the two lines’ oceanview and inside are similarly large.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Itinerary are very similar. Only difference being RCCL does Oslo in lieu of Berlin. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Can anyone make sense of this? Is this normal? [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman]I'd prefer to go w/ Jewel of the Seas but not at twice the cost![/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Celebrity and Princess are more in line with NCL although not quite as affordable.[/FONT][/QUOTE]

I am currently booked on the NCL Gem in Aug, 2009.
The Gem and Voyager are parked side by side each Sunday this summer in Barcelona making 7 night Western Med. cruises. The itineraies are (not exact but) pretty similar.
My family of 4 wanted to try RCI Voyager but the difference for a Mini-Suite for 4 on Gem and Jr. Suite for 4 on Voyager is over $2000. Actually, after a few NCL sales recently my price is now $2700 less than Voyager. Since the cruise is still about 6 months away, I'm still monitoring RCI prices in case it comes in alittle closer.
BUT $2700 is ALOT of money anytime, but especially now in this economy.

[dfitz]

I'm booked on RCL Serenade, Alaska, 9/9/09, but keep watching prices on all lines ... no one can beat the price yet that I have for a D1 balcony on RCL Serenade.