RCL to end last minute discounting ??

Can't get the link to open, but I remember Fain saying they were doing away with last minute discounting at an industry conference several months ago.

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/royal-caribbeans-fain-pledges-end-to-last-minute-discounting.html

I can't get the article to download but I believe RCCL has been doing this for at least 6 months. Even free upgrades for C&A are now being offered as upgrades for a fee.

Orville99, great minds .......... LOL!

Can't get the link to open, but I remember Fain saying they were doing away with last minute discounting at an industry conference several months ago.

I can't open the link either but I also remember Fain announcing that several months ago.

I opened the link fine and am using my ipad

I opened the link fine and am using my ipad

Just opened. Mr. Fain says that they just started this in March. It was discussed here on CC before that but maybe not implemented until March.

It finally opened.

Funny, but used car salesman mentality is the way I would describe RCL's never-ending BOGOHO "sales" strategy:rolleyes:

I like this. You won't feel like an idiot for paying much more for a similar cabin that gets discounted after final, and the ship won't be as crowded.

But what I think happened is that people got tired of the games and decided to start booking after final. He's trying to close off every loophole there is to get a cheaper price. Not sure if it will work as people will just stop booking or go somewhere else.

I wonder if this ends the ggg sale for other than 3-4 night cruises.

Been looking for a decent price for a last minute cruise out of Galveston and haven't found anything for quite a while. We could have sailed Princess or NCL for a decent price, but opted instead for a drive trip to Colorado. Either way...we're happy.

It finally opened.

 

Funny, but used car salesman mentality is the way I would describe RCL's never-ending BOGOHO "sales" strategy:rolleyes:

I had the same thought when I read that comment of his in the article. :rolleyes:

I like this. You won't feel like an idiot for paying much more for a similar cabin that gets discounted after final, and the ship won't be as crowded.

 

But what I think happened is that people got tired of the games and decided to start booking after final. He's trying to close off every loophole there is to get a cheaper price. Not sure if it will work as people will just stop booking or go somewhere else.

 

I wonder if this ends the ggg sale for other than 3-4 night cruises.

We've already stopped booking. Once we finish the cruises in the pipeline, we're done until RCL stops playing games.

I like this. You won't feel like an idiot for paying much more for a similar cabin that gets discounted after final, and the ship won't be as crowded.

 

But what I think happened is that people got tired of the games and decided to start booking after final. He's trying to close off every loophole there is to get a cheaper price. Not sure if it will work as people will just stop booking or go somewhere else.

 

I wonder if this ends the ggg sale for other than 3-4 night cruises.

He did say the only place where it may not change is the shorter cruises. 2-4 nights . His reason being many people choose the shorter trips last minute and it may work to Royals advantage.

We've already stopped booking. Once we finish the cruises in the pipeline, we're done until RCL stops playing games.

Same here.

I like this too. I don't believe it will hold, but, I like it.

I like this. You won't feel like an idiot for paying much more for a similar cabin that gets discounted after final, and the ship won't be as crowded.

 

But what I think happened is that people got tired of the games and decided to start booking after final. He's trying to close off every loophole there is to get a cheaper price. Not sure if it will work as people will just stop booking or go somewhere else.

 

I wonder if this ends the ggg sale for other than 3-4 night cruises.

This past weekend I watched a show on CNBC called Titans at the Tables. It looks like the episode I watched can be seen online here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-03-27/titans-at-the-table-cruising-the-high-seas-03-26-

(not sure how long this link will work)

In any event, they talked to the CEOs of Carnival and Royal and both talked about pricing over the last few years. Apparently, both have been heavily discounting because of "negative incidents" affecting cruise sales. (Costa sinking, Poop Cruise, Noro stories, etc.) However, both feel that they the industry has rebounded enough that the heavy discounting is going to be going away. This was especially true with Royal. Fain commented that they were willing to sail with some empty cabins to hold desired pricing.

Bottom line: Prices are going up in the future.

Watch the show for yourselves. :)

...and if one cruiseline does this successfully, others will follow. NCL is already starting.

I'm not one to ever book short term so I may be happy with this decision. I won't mind a bit if our cruise is not sailing at maximum capacity :D More food and drinks for me ;)

Well . . . What is "said" and what is done are sometimes 2 different things. Supply and demand will always rule. And what will be too many empty cabins? What per cent?

I always heard that the ship costs remain the same regardless of how many folks are onboard -- food orders don't change from week to week and the crew costs remain the same. With people spending at least some money onboard it just doesn't make business sense to let cabins remain empty.

FYI -- just got one of the best rates I have ever had for a solo for 2 cruises in May. So much for no discounts after March.

Just my 2 cents:) Katherine

Strange then that they have just apparently slashed a load of prices on cruises on the Anthem of the Seas, I suspect that they didn't sell as many as they needed to.

We are not able to book and cruise last minute so this news will not impact us. Our bookings are done well in advance and always based upon finding a price we can afford and hopefully come with a perk or two.

It will be interesting to see if this new strategy by RCCL works as they hope it will. If those who tend to book late to get a better price stay away I am not sure how sailing with a bunch of empty cabins is going to benefit the brand. Hotels don't shy away from cutting rates to fill empty rooms. Profit is profit regardless of the percentage. Empty rooms on a cruise ship is even a greater loss of revenue. Nobody to visit the spa, specialty restaurants, bars, buy photos, take shore excursions, etc.

Just opened. Mr. Fain says that they just started this in March. It was discussed here on CC before that but maybe not implemented until March.

Fain told analysts on the company's first quarter earnings call that the policy had just started in March and the aim is to 'get our customers out of this used-car salesman mentality.'

Gee whiz, thanks a lot Mr Fain. I'm all choked up by your concern for me like that. I mean, after all, who wants to save money on a trip. Its so much better to pay full price.

Hey, here's a thought. If you want to get out of the used car mindset, why not stop with the BS sales? You know, the ones where you say 2nd passenger free after doubling the price?

Good God, these CEOs never cease to amaze me with their complete lack of connection to reality.

Fain commented that they were willing to sail with some empty cabins to hold desired pricing.

That's a rough game to play. Even from the comments on here it seems like it'll come down to who blinks first.

...and if one cruiseline does this successfully, others will follow. NCL is already starting.

Truthfully, it'll need to happen all at once, although it'd be interesting to compare earnings between lines that chose to axe the last-minute fire sales and those that didn't.

Fact is, even though an empty cabin makes NO money, there's obviously some point where the line could lose money putting someone in that cabin at a sweetheart price.

I wonder if this means that they won't be raising prices after they publish the prices for the cruises. YEA you bet.