Per person per night price

[clueless2]

Do you have a per person per night price that you try to not go over for a particular category?

Theoretical example: $135 for a balcony?

[katisdale]

No, I don't figure it that way. I look at the whole cost of the vacation. I know where I want to go and what I have to spend. If I have enough frequent flyer miles to get where I want to go then I can purchase a more expensive cabin etc. I might get a balcony on one cruise or an inside on another depending on the other costs - airfare, tours, pre or post cruise stays etc.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Yes, for us it is $100 pp for a balcony cabin. We generally pay more in the $70-$80 dollar range. This is before taxes and fees, the price shown on most websites. We almost always have a couple of hundred in OBC as well.

We are fine with guarantee cabins and usually cruise during cheaper periods, like December (before Christmas) or Transatlantics.

We would pay more only for really special destinations, such as Tahiti.

[cruiserdru]

Well, you made me look. I have kept records since we sailed in our first minisuite in 2004 of what each of our cruises have cost (cruise fare only, no insurance, no excursions, etc).

We have paid as little as $140/person/night for an AB mini (Alaska 2009, transatlantic 2011). Things like Hawaii (2004) and New England (2008) have ranged around $180 to $190. (Incidentally, I have sailed on the QM2 in a sheltered balcony - 2005, 2007, 2011 - for that kind of money, also).

More recent trips have been more expensive but to pricier locales , with the Eastern Med closer to $250 and the Baltic over $300. Interestingly, I have an S4 (PH Suite) booked to Hawaii in 2013 for less per night than it cost to do the Baltic trip.

On the Princess trips, I have generally caught some price drops but the Baltics never went down. It was a trip that we really wanted to take.

So, I guess that I don't set a number but go with what is comfortable at the time while hoping for price breaks and accepting that some areas are just going to cost more. And, in the case of the S4, it is a very special occasion and I am going wild.

But, I still do insist on a mini-suite because most of our cruises are 12-15 days and we spend time in our cabin and coexist better with more space.

[Jasperdo]

When I first started cruising, the cruise had to be less that $100pp per night (for an inside). Now that I'm retired I can pick up on last minute cruise sales. My last 5 cruises have all been between $50 and $60pp per night, all inside cabins, except for a balcony on the Mariner of the Seas. (They were selling Mexican Riviera cruise for a very cheap price.)

[danuty]

We're retired, frequent, cruisers who do 4 to 5 cruises a year and look for bargains by booking inside cabins only. Our range is between $75 - $100 a day. We have booked a 14 day Hawaii for $71 a day and and a 28 day South Pacific for $97 a day. The prices include taxes and port charges. We love TA's and their pricing structure, but have splurged once in awhile (maiden Royal TA balcony). Thanks to CC posters for all the invaluable information that has helped us enjoy our retirement.

Diane

[OhioDogLover]

We pick the cruise based on itinerary and our schedule and then go as cheap as we can without going inside. Sometimes, if we're lucky, we have a couple of cruises that fit the criteria and we look at both of them. Unless, of course, it is DH's turn to pick the cabin, then we go balcony!!
Some day, we will retire and will be able to look at last minute cruises, but for now, we save what we can.
Ohiodoglover

[geoherb]

My price point is usually under a $1,000 per person (including all taxes and fees) for a week-long cruise, but we did have to pay more for our first cruises to Alaska and our cruise to New England and Canada. On some cruises this price point has gotten us a balcony cabin. On others, it's been an inside or an obstructed view.

The downside for our planning is that DH teaches at a community college and our cruises are always during his breaks--Christmas, spring break, and summer break--which are not the cheapest times to cruise. Occasionally we've been able to work in a pre-Christmas cruise (Dec. 17-24, for instance).

[KevintheIrishDJ]

We just got a 10 day repo cruise in October for $100 for a balcony.

Pax et bonum,
kevin

[nukesubsailor]

Cruise fare only for a 28 day cruise to Hawaii, Samoa, and Tahiti round trip from L.A. in a penthouse suite cost $325 pp/day.

[calliopecruiser]

I don't breakdown costs that way - I look at the total cost of the cruise (and the fact that I won't pay a 100% supplement to travel alone) and decide if it's worth that much to me.

[cruising cockroach]

$40 for Princess (inside GTY got obstructed view) this past May and <$80 for a HAL verandah GTY in 2 months. Both repos. I usually add in taxes/fees & mandated gratuities so the Princess sailing was ~$62 and the HAL net of OBCs closer to $86.

[Keith1010]

No we look at and factor in the entire cost of the cruise including airfare to make our decision.

Keith

[dorisis]

If. like us, you have a cruise budget.it will depend on how many cruises we want to take per year.We can do 1 very expensive or fewer less expensive.Generally we choose to go balcony or OV depending on the itinerary and some of the off season Caribbean cruises are downright cheap.

~Doris~