Why Are Royals Fares Higher Than The Competition?

[JKrise]

I have been comparing cruise prices..doing an apples-to-apples comparison, inside / outside cabins across various lines, Carnival, NCL, MSC and Royal for more or less the same 7 day routes and month.

 

Anyways, it appears that Royal Carib's fares are significantly higher than the competition. Just wondering, does anyone have an idea why this is?

[bubbadog]

They need to pay for the new Oasis of the seas:p

[Cruising89143]

Supply and demand. If they can fill their ships at a premium then they will do it.

[Sue L]

why is one brand of car higher then another, or a pair of jeans for that matter, if people are willing to pay it then they will continue charging. Frankly I have been on many of the other lines and I willingly pay the rates of RCCL to get the product that fits us best.

[Langley Cruisers]

^ Completely agreed, Sue. We'll pay more for RCI because we feel they offer a better product (mainly, the ship itself). We have been impressed with every single RCI ship we've been on - they all had that "Wow!" factor. Plus, we personally found that Royal offers more to do on their ships, what with rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, Royal Promenade, etc. (on Voyager-class and larger). We also love the layout of their ships. It's what we're looking for.

 

Honestly, I don't think you can compare Royal with other lines and call it apples-to-apples. It's simply not.

[Paul_76]

I can't speak to Royal vs. all of the lines mentioned. But, I have some insight in terms of Royal vs. NCL: I think that NCL makes more money per passenger aboard their ships (due to the wide availability and frequent use of specialty, surcharge dining venues). I've also noticed that excursions seem to be a little more expensive on NCL (this is anecdotal... and may not be generally accurate). Once this is factored in, I found our "total package" (cruise fare + ship account) to work out pretty closely on an average per day basis.

 

I would also argue that Royal charges more for certain cruises because the ships (relative to NCL) are a bit nicer. By "nicer" I mean bigger ships (with more family centric activities) and larger cabins (especially on the inside and oceanviews). Royal especially seems to charge a premium for its newest and largest ships (Freedom-class, and now Oasis-class).

 

We're neither loyal to Royal nor NCL. We've enjoyed our experiences more-or-less equally on both lines (each as pros and cons). We mostly select cruises for 3-5 day short breaks away from our home in Florida (more price sensitive) and others for "real" vacations (where itinerary/schedule is more important than price).

[cb at sea]

Bubbadog has it right!

[aurelius180]

Because of their awesomeness.

[Rancher Dave]

Very few ships on the other lines work for true apple to apple comparison. Nobody really has a Voyager, Freedom, or Oasis class so those ships will continue to command a premium fare because of the extra activities available on the ship.

 

I will pay more for RCCL because I really like the product.

[NHRAgroup]

It comes down to You Get What You Pay For.

[Trainman-2]

I will pay more for RCCL because I really like the product.

 

 

[ByeBye1]

It comes down to You Get What You Pay For.

Only if you have kids. Flow riders and ice rinks and boxing and rock climbing are for folks younger then myself. Without kids Princess is a better value but with kids RCL is.

[cruiserbryce]

Supply and demand. If they can fill their ships at a premium then they will do it.

 

pretty much sums it up right there. If demand drops b/c prices are too high or for some other reason they arent filling the ships at the current rates they will re-evaluate

[Kellie Poodle]

Only if you have kids. Flow riders and ice rinks and boxing and rock climbing are for folks younger then myself. Without kids Princess is a better value but with kids RCL is.

 

I don't have kids. I still find that Royal Caribbean has more activities to entertain me than any other line in the same price range.

[SamFritz]

In your "apples to apples" comparison, how much more expensive is Royal? For example I paid $1600 for my wife and I to stay in an Oceanview Room for a seven night Western Caribbean Cruise on the Voyager. Now that price did increase as the sail date aproached; it went up to about $2100. What would that go for on Carnival, or NCL?

[JKrise]

Paul-76

 

Great analysis. I agree with all your points.

[wraithe]

Because they're beter 'n everyone else. Geez, it ain't rocket science.

[temple1]

I feel comfortable with the product Royal has and see no reason to change. Right now I'm not taking long cruises so the price difference is not enough to make me change. On the one comparison I did with Carnival and Royal the difference was $50 per person on a 4 nighter. But for that rate Carnival wanted a $300 NON refundable deposit. :eek:

 

Oh, and now I see that in order to post something positive on the Royal Caribbean board we must all submit our disclaimers - No I am not a Diamond, Diamond+, RC or even a travel agent. :cool:

[CruisesOnMyMind]

I can honestly say, when I do a search for new cruises RCCL comes out as one of the lowest in cruise prices. I am doing my searches bases on seniors, residence, and military discounts so that might be the difference. They are not always the lowest, however usually in the lower price ends.

Since I will be retired in 2 years, I need to watch which cruise line is the best bang for the lowest buck, diamond/ plus benefits included in the equation.

[amybeth4]

Only if you have kids. Flow riders and ice rinks and boxing and rock climbing are for folks younger then myself. Without kids Princess is a better value but with kids RCL is.

 

This soon-to-be-43-year-old loved the rock wall on the Majesty and would love to check out the flow rider and maybe try a little boxing. :)

 

(Also a fan of Princess though!)

[IMCRABBY]

I have been comparing cruise prices..doing an apples-to-apples comparison, inside / outside cabins across various lines, Carnival, NCL, MSC and Royal for more or less the same 7 day routes and month.

 

Anyways, it appears that Royal Carib's fares are significantly higher than the competition. Just wondering, does anyone have an idea why this is?

 

 

Like Cadillac cars, they used to be better than the rest. Some folks rely on brand names. I see Royal Caribbean as a company that had its best days go by. Now it's smoke and mirrors ( the big ships) to cover up for quality and service.

They ain't bad, but they ain't great no more. My opinion .