3rd and 4th Passenger Rates?

[Kailyn]

Does Princess not offer 3rd and 4th passenger rates? Or are they only on certain cruises?

This weekend I priced out a LOT of European cruises on Princess. Eastern Med, Western Med/British Isles, and Baltic. I priced them for 2-4 people in each cabin, every cabin type. The per person cost when I added the 3rd/4th actually went UP! What is going on?

We had been planning to take Princess again for our next European cruise, as the itineraries are, as always, better than RCI and Celebrity. However with no 3rd/4th rates, RCI becomes cheaper and then our Platinum discount on top of that.

Any experiences? Comments? Is this really what's going on?

[Colo Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Kailyn

Does Princess not offer 3rd and 4th passenger rates? Or are they only on certain cruises?

This weekend I priced out a LOT of European cruises on Princess. Eastern Med, Western Med/British Isles, and Baltic. I priced them for 2-4 people in each cabin, every cabin type. The per person cost when I added the 3rd/4th actually went UP! What is going on?

We had been planning to take Princess again for our next European cruise, as the itineraries are, as always, better than RCI and Celebrity. However with no 3rd/4th rates, RCI becomes cheaper and then our Platinum discount on top of that.

Any experiences? Comments? Is this really what's going on?

Those days of cheap cheap 3rd and 4th fares are history. Now its luck of the draw.

[karatemom2]

Which Princess ships were you pricing? I know some of the ships have fewer cabins to accomodate 4 people so perhaps it's a case of supply and demand. Maybe if you are pricing ships that have limited quad availability, Princess has rated them higher. I don't know if that's the case, it's just a guess on my part. Perhaps it would be better from a pricing standpoint in this case to quote two double cabins.

[Kailyn]

Maybe not "cheap" fares - but certainly reduced ones are on nearly every other major cruise line. Example: a May Baltics cruise on RCI, nearly identical to one on Princess - 3rd/4th in suites are 1/4 the price, in balconies they are about 1/2 the price. The fares are still $1300+ per person, but it's better than the normal rate! Even Cunard offers this.

[Kailyn]

Pricing mainly the Star, Crown, and Pacific - cruises between April 2010 and September 2010.

[DrivesLikeMario]

The Pacific has very limited quads - you have to book a mini-suite, suite or a inside and there is a limited number of those. (Supply & demand drives these prices up.) The Star and Crown have many more quads.

The July 11, 2010 inside quads are on the Star are pricing out around $450 less than the first and second passengers. Cruising during the summer always means higher third and fourth rates. Welcome to the world of cruising as a family. I feel your pain. We've had to pay those premium prices for years when we've cruised during the summer. Often times, it's been cheaper, or equivalent, for us to get 2 cabins vs. a quad cabin.

[Kailyn]

I did know that the Pacific is a lot smaller, and a LOT more expensive. I was expecting the Star and Crown to be better, though.

So I guess it is just Princess who does this? We sail in summer 90% of the time. We have 3-4 in a cabin 90% of the time. We have never paid a premium for that. We have been crusing as a family for many years. While we are all adults (and 1 teenager), crusing with 3-4 in a cabin makes it possible for us to take them more often and to take better ones. As much as I hate to look at RCI for a Med or Baltics cruise, I may have to bite the bullet.

Maybe this is why we had 2 balconies on Star a few years ago instead of one for four people? Shame, though, I'd much rather been in a suite for the same price.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I do understand your frustration. The only thing you can hope for with Princess is that the prices will drop. I'm also booked on a late summer/early fall booking and the prices ARE high right now. I was told by my contact at Princess that they have not even begun to really target the summer cruises. They've had the Balcony Sale for next summer, but on the majority of the cruises, the prices will be better in future sales than what was offered in that sale. I was told to really monitor the prices for Europe around February & March. So, if you can hold out, do! The majority of the Baltic cruises with Princess last summer did not sell out and the prices did drop.

I'd rather stay away from the other cruise lines you mentioned too.

[kooljamming]

Sometimes the quads are located on a different deck and therefore a higher category. Not your definition of an upgrade to pay more for but theirs. For our sailing, every room category we looked at priced out cheaper for 2 cabins than having the family in one We have done RCCL (6x) and Carnival (2x) without running into this problem of paying more for less space.

[Colo Cruiser]

Europe cruises on Princess are very popular and sell out fast, thats why you don't see cheaper 3rd/4th fares. They don't need to discount them.

[Pam in CA]

Originally Posted by Colo Cruiser

Europe cruises on Princess are very popular and sell out fast, thats why you don't see cheaper 3rd/4th fares. They don't need to discount them.

Exactly. It's a matter of supply and demand: if your ship is sold out months in advance, you don't need to discount to fill every berth.

Instead of booking four in a cabin, many Princess passengers opt to book an outside or balcony cabin for the parents, an inside cabin across the hall for the kids. That winds up being cheaper in the long run and you have two bathrooms and storage.

[Kailyn]

Originally Posted by Pam in CA

Exactly. It's a matter of supply and demand: if your ship is sold out months in advance, you don't need to discount to fill every berth.

Instead of booking four in a cabin, many Princess passengers opt to book an outside or balcony cabin for the parents, an inside cabin across the hall for the kids. That winds up being cheaper in the long run and you have two bathrooms and storage.

Our problem with this is that us "kids" are all 21-25...with possibly the 17 year old tagging along. Our favorite configurations have been getting a larger suite that can easily fit 3 or 4 of us, adding on a balcony room when needed. Having an extra bathroom is nice, but having a room twice as big, a balcony and suite perks are better!

I'm sad to see that this is the case with Princess. I'd really love to try them out again and their iteneraries in Europe are simply unmatched! Guess it will come down to a serious consideration of 2x the price vs. a better itenerary. We have already been to the most popular/common ports in the Med and done extended land trips to Russia, Finland, Sweeden, England, western Europe, etc.

kooljamming, thanks for your account. At least I know that a) I'm not going crazy, and b) it's always like this!

[CruisinEars]

3/4th rates are generally less but not always as the others have said about supply and demand. They should never be more though. If this is the case, the res agents can typically make adjustments.

FYI~ the most popular destination for next year is the Med and it is selling fast. So, as others have pointed out, no reason to do major discounts. All of the cruise lines are experiencing this. My mom and dad just booked Oceania for the med next year and she had a heck of a time finding availability. They finally booked for early September.

As for this just being a trend with Princess, that is not true. When we booked our RCI cruise for last April, it was actually cheaper to put 2 in a Promenade cabin and book 2 connecting cabins than it was for us to put all 4 in an inside quad. Triples and quads on most ships have a much lower amount available so they price them higher.

Good luck with your quest for the best Med cruise and have fun.

[Toto2Kansas]

Just another thought on this one. If the first and second passenger rates are deeply discounted, it would also explain why the 3rd and 4th passenger rates can often times be much higher.

[tennisobo]

We are real Princess fans. However, this summer we jumped over to HAL for our Eastern Mediterranian cruise. We had friends who traveled with their older teens in their cabin. They saved a bundle by being willing to book 4 in the cabin. They spent 20 days that way. I have noticed that Princess 3rd/4th rates are higher than other lines. Try a similar line that has a similar itinerary. In Europe it's all about the ports, so don't get too hung up on the cruiseline. Have a wonderful time!

[DrivesLikeMario]

HAL also has $99 and $199 third and fourth rates from time to time.

[Kailyn]

Originally Posted by CruisinEars

FYI~ the most popular destination for next year is the Med and it is selling fast. So, as others have pointed out, no reason to do major discounts. All of the cruise lines are experiencing this. My mom and dad just booked Oceania for the med next year and she had a heck of a time finding availability. They finally booked for early September.

As for this just being a trend with Princess, that is not true. When we booked our RCI cruise for last April, it was actually cheaper to put 2 in a Promenade cabin and book 2 connecting cabins than it was for us to put all 4 in an inside quad. Triples and quads on most ships have a much lower amount available so they price them higher.

I am actually looking mainly at Baltics cruises, as well as the wonderful 15 day European Explorer one. The only way I want to go back to the Med right now is if it includes some very "out there" ports. I have a HUGE love affair with Russia and we have a lot of extended family in Finland. It's been 4 years since we were last in Finland/Sweden and we'd like to go back. And I have done many cruises now, booked most of them myself, and I must have priced 500+ cruises over the years...this 3rd/4th person thing is not something I have ever seen on RCI, Celebrity, or NCL and have rarely seen it on Cunard.

Originally Posted by tennisobo

We are real Princess fans. However, this summer we jumped over to HAL for our Eastern Mediterranian cruise. We had friends who traveled with their older teens in their cabin. They saved a bundle by being willing to book 4 in the cabin. They spent 20 days that way. I have noticed that Princess 3rd/4th rates are higher than other lines. Try a similar line that has a similar itinerary. In Europe it's all about the ports, so don't get too hung up on the cruiseline. Have a wonderful time!

Thank you for the suggestion. I have looked at HAL before and will have to do so again. The main thing that holds me back is the older crowd - my parents are barely 50 and my brothers and I are early 20s. It IS all about the ports, but I do want some sort of life after 9 pm