What the...What's going on here?

Just curious, but has anyone else noticed when checking prices, that the Star Princess has four category BE cabins in Emerald deck priced at over 2600 dollars pp!! Checked on several different sites. Geez that's pretty steep for a regular balcony cabin isn't it? Anyone know what's up with that? [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif[/img]

Yep!! when a catagory is almost sold out the price goes way high!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

But Sue, why not just book a mini suite or a better situated balcony cabin? I looked at the deck plans and those cabins aren't exactly in a great location. Besides, there are other cabins on that deck available, including next door for $799. These same four cabins are priced exactly the same for another sailing. Hmmm, still a mystery to me. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif[/img]

I know. Not this year, but in the past, I have checked prices and almost fell out of my chair!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img] But that is the point, I believe, to get people to book higher catagories to fill up the ship. And if someone really wants one of those cabins, they get premium price for it.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

OK, heh heh, just making sure they weren't hiding something in those cabins that I didn't know about [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif[/img]

Chris and Steve!! Thats why they are so expensive!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img] They walk on water. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

This is mostly speculation, combined and extrapolated from personal experience:

If you look at the brochure prices (ha ha ha) you'll notice that the lowest category of mini-suites, balcony cabins, ocean-views, and insides are very high-priced and are listed as ineligible for Love Boat Savers (snort) fares. I think they hold these comparatively few cabins as the "guarantee" categories, to which those who book guarantees are assigned and later "upgraded" as others book guarantees and bump those already holding those cabins out.

The cabin assignment in the guarantee category might not even show up on the cruise personalizer, but in my case it did. A couple weeks later, we were upgraded from AE to AC. Woo-hoo, right? I think we were just pushed out into the lowest category mini-suite available in a phantom upgrade. The real "woo-hoo" came when the Upgrade Fairy contacted us to let us know we had been moved to a Vista Suite.

I also noticed that the equivalent cabins on the Diamond and Sapphire to the much coveted E728/E729 have been designated within the high-priced guarantee category when I received the brochure.

Completed:
Sea Princess, Royal Princess, Grand Princess (3X), Caribbean Princess, Golden Princess
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04
Caribbean Princess redux 6/25/05

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Star Princess has four category BE cabins in Emerald deck priced at over 2600 dollars pp!! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>For the Sept 1. 12 day Med. cruise on the Star the balcony cabins have all sold out EXCEPT for a BF (1 cabin plus Guarantees) at $4,370pp BUT..... you can get a AA Mini Suite for $3,415 pp!!!
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>But that is the point, I believe, to get people to book higher catagories to fill up the ship. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>ALSO felt the same about these especially with lots of upper category rooms still available.

Future cruises:
5/04 HAL-Amsterdam-Alaska
9/04 Star Princess-Med.x2 Venice to Barcelona/ Barcelona to Rome
11/04 Dawn Princess-Southern Caribbean
Jan. 05 Diamond Princess-Mexican Riviera
July 05 Star Princess-Baltics
Aug. 05 Star Princess-Baltics
Past cruises:
04 Dawn Princess- Southern Caribbean x2
03 Grand Princess-W.Caribbean
03 Sun Princess -Mexico
03-Tahitian Princess-Tahiti/ Cook Islands
03 Royal Princess-x2 British Isles & Norwegian Fjords/ Iceland
03 Island Princess-Panama Canal
01 HAL Ryndam x 2-S. America San Diego to Valpariso/ & around Cape Horn to Rio
00 Sky Princess-China/Orient
79 Sitmar's Fairwind- Caribbean/Panama Canal