Anyone else getting annoyed with the family pricing game?

Anyone else notice that cruise lines seem to charging more per passenger for families crammed in one room than for only two in the same type of room? Lately it has been much cheaper to book two per room than everyone in the same room. It seems when they advertise third and forth free or other gimmicks the pricing is actually worse per person when you break it down. I love holland but am moving on to greener pastures because of it. So the old argument of you pay less for a child is actually no longer valid... You pay more!

Kids generally do not gamble or drink alcohol or buy expensive art or jewelry, etc. The cruise line is not making big money on the kids, so they charge more to bring them on IMO.

We always sailed with HAL, always with the 3rd and 4th passenger free. This year, Celebrity had the same offer - plus free drinks/gratuities/flight promo - so we jumped ship. We booked in July - price has never gone any lower than what we paid. We are sailing at the end of January.

The age of the passenger has no bearing on the price. You are paying the 3/4 passenger price no matter what the age. Only when it is 'kids sail free', or specifically priced by age does it refer to children. EM

Normally, cabins that hold 3 or 4 are a different category than cabins that hold only 2, thus commanding a higher per person rate.

Yes! I was tracking Royal prices for the better part of this year for our family of 4. The "kids sail free" promo resulted in sky high first and second passenger rates (which we had booked until airfare convinced us to change plans...). Frequently booking one room was similar in price to just getting two rooms (usually off by a couple hundred dollars total).

We found a thanksgiving cruise after final payment and wound up with connecting rooms - for I think about $600 less than cramming all of us into one room... Works for me, but slightly ridiculous. You would think the cruise lines would rather have kiddos with their parents instead of taking up a whole room that adults could be using...I guarantee my toddlers' seapass accounts will be pretty small at the end of the week, but hey I'll take the extra space.

It just makes it really hard to shop around for a good "deal" for a family, which is likely their intent. New cruisers may be impressed that the kids are "free" and not realize that they are paying higher 1st/2nd prices. Regardless, I know about what I'm willing to pay for a cruise per person, so I just make sure I keep that in mind when evaluating the "deals".

Also, I don't like having to "find" the available connecting rooms and figure out which categories have them, etc. more family-friendly booking systems would be awesome

I've definitely seen this effect with Carnival. MSC seems to have legitimate 'kids sail free' offers, and we're booked on our 3rd cruise with them in April. Under $2k for the 4 of us in a B2 'superior balcony'.

It is a game, but it's always a game these days. 3 day sales, early saver, 'free' upgrades, etc. If the KSF price isn't less than the regular pricing I would go with the regular pricing. If the cost for 2 cabins is within a few hundred bucks of the cost of a single cabin, we'll definitely consider taking 2 cabins.

I would think that would be the real danger for the cruise line since taking the second cabin will definitely prohibit someone else from booking. Having the 3rd and 4th in the same cabin only costs them food and some amount of service dollars... relatively cheap, and quite possibly offset by the sale of soda, video games, souvenirs, photos, etc.

Help! We're grandparents who offered to take our kids and grandkids on a cruise during summer vacation thinking it would be the best/easiest/least expensive mode of travel for all parties. My DH and I are experienced cruisers but we frequent lines that are traditionally less family-friendly.

The grandkids have cruised several times on Disney. And they are looking for the water park, zipline, mini-golf, etc. onboard features. But...when I price those ships (RCCL Oasis or NCL Breakaway) for 5 adults and 2 kids, I go into shock.

My DH refuses to cruise on Carnival because he's heard so many horror stories. So that option is off the table.

I'm thinking perhaps connecting cabins, if they are truly connecting, for the grandkids and their parents, and then a regular cabin for DH and myself. Do you think that will made the overall cost more reasonable?

Lastly, I'm looking at warm weather ports so the kids can use all those ship board facilities.

Thanks for your help.

For us, the kid sails free option either wasn't practical (not during school breaks) or was on cruise lines we won't go on (NCL, Costa). What I've done is to check a cabin's price for two people, and then price out for the same category for three, and actually found we were getting a price break. It's not based on age, so I don't believe there's any dinging for families. But maybe it depends on the cruise line or else how someone is figuring out the costs.

My DH refuses to cruise on Carnival because he's heard so many horror stories.

Any summer cruise is going to be packed with kids and possibly be a zoo. I've been on RCCL, CCL, Princess and MSC, and my worst cruise for people being arses was not on Carnival. It totally depends on the specific cruise, but 'horror stories' aren't really a good reason to spend a ton more money.

Not that there aren't bad cruises, but most of those people have never been on a cruise and/or are talking about the Carnival from 10-15 years ago.

That said, Carnival will be cheaper than Disney but probably much closer to NCL. NCL has larger family cabins on some ships, which might work for the kids+grandkids.

I'm thinking perhaps connecting cabins, if they are truly connecting, for the grandkids and their parents, and then a regular cabin for DH and myself. Do you think that will made the overall cost more reasonable?

It totally depends on the cruise, but generally you'll be better off with 2 cabins if that is doable. I'm a little confused on the arrangements though. With 5 adults, that would be you+DH, another set of parents, and then another adult child? I would not think you'd put the other 3 adults in one cabin in any typical scenario, so you're stuck with 3 cabins regardless.

I would suggest that you narrow down your cruise options and then so some pricing. For instance, look at cruises out of Miami in a 2 or 3 week period. That should give you plenty of options of itineraries and lines. Narrow it down to a few options and price them out to see where you stand.

Alternately, use a travel agent. Most of us who book on our own know exactly what we want. Given that you have several uncertainties, you might benefit from having someone to advise you.

If you don't want to deal with a TA, call a few cruise lines and let them each work up their best option for you.

Don't forget to consider airfare as well. If you're flying 7 people, that could make a big difference in total cost.

Help! We're grandparents who offered to take our kids and grandkids on a cruise during summer vacation thinking it would be the best/easiest/least expensive mode of travel for all parties. My DH and I are experienced cruisers but we frequent lines that are traditionally less family-friendly.

 

The grandkids have cruised several times on Disney. And they are looking for the water park, zipline, mini-golf, etc. onboard features. But...when I price those ships (RCCL Oasis or NCL Breakaway) for 5 adults and 2 kids, I go into shock.

 

My DH refuses to cruise on Carnival because he's heard so many horror stories. So that option is off the table.

 

 

 

I'm thinking perhaps connecting cabins, if they are truly connecting, for the grandkids and their parents, and then a regular cabin for DH and myself. Do you think that will made the overall cost more reasonable?

 

Lastly, I'm looking at warm weather ports so the kids can use all those ship board facilities.

 

Thanks for your help.

We have booked a B2B 5/4 night on the Celebrity Constellation at end of January/First part of Feb. We booked it in the summer, but paid under $700 per person (each leg of the cruise) for first two and 3/4/5th passenger sails free. We are in a family verandah (which holds 5 or 6), which gives extra space. We thought this was an excellent value. All we pay for the kids are taxes and gratuities.

Any summer cruise is going to be packed with kids and possibly be a zoo. I've been on RCCL, CCL, Princess and MSC, and my worst cruise for people being arses was not on Carnival. It totally depends on the specific cruise, but 'horror stories' aren't really a good reason to spend a ton more money.

 

Not that there aren't bad cruises, but most of those people have never been on a cruise and/or are talking about the Carnival from 10-15 years ago.

 

That said, Carnival will be cheaper than Disney but probably much closer to NCL. NCL has larger family cabins on some ships, which might work for the kids+grandkids.

 

 

 

 

It totally depends on the cruise, but generally you'll be better off with 2 cabins if that is doable. I'm a little confused on the arrangements though. With 5 adults, that would be you+DH, another set of parents, and then another adult child? I would not think you'd put the other 3 adults in one cabin in any typical scenario, so you're stuck with 3 cabins regardless.

 

I would suggest that you narrow down your cruise options and then so some pricing. For instance, look at cruises out of Miami in a 2 or 3 week period. That should give you plenty of options of itineraries and lines. Narrow it down to a few options and price them out to see where you stand.

 

Alternately, use a travel agent. Most of us who book on our own know exactly what we want. Given that you have several uncertainties, you might benefit from having someone to advise you.

 

If you don't want to deal with a TA, call a few cruise lines and let them each work up their best option for you.

 

Don't forget to consider airfare as well. If you're flying 7 people, that could make a big difference in total cost.

I just received an email from Celebrity with an offer for Alaska during our time period. Yes, we have 5 adults because one of our grandsons is 15. Much to his chagrin, we may have to take him in our cabin.

I did a lot of online research using our dates and trying all different cabin allocations, none of the really "new, neat ships" were affordable for us. Yes, I have to factor in airfare because we live in Chicago.

I have contacted a travel agent because finding family sized cabins are not within my area of expertise.

Thanks for your help.

Yes, in the end it was only $160 more to book connecting cabins on the Oasis than to cram the four of us into one cabin. I'm not complaining because it made it easy to justify the luxury but it seems like an odd strategy for the cruise line. And now we get to bring four bottles of wine on board. :D

I just received an email from Celebrity with an offer for Alaska during our time period. Yes, we have 5 adults because one of our grandsons is 15. Much to his chagrin, we may have to take him in our cabin.

 

I did a lot of online research using our dates and trying all different cabin allocations, none of the really "new, neat ships" were affordable for us. Yes, I have to factor in airfare because we live in Chicago.

 

I have contacted a travel agent because finding family sized cabins are not within my area of expertise.

 

Thanks for your help.

Now I'm confused. Are you counting your 15-year-old as an adult?

Yes, in the end it was only $160 more to book connecting cabins on the Oasis than to cram the four of us into one cabin. I'm not complaining because it made it easy to justify the luxury but it seems like an odd strategy for the cruise line. And now we get to bring four bottles of wine on board. :D

I think calling it a strategy is being exceptionally optimistic. :D

Though it probably is a strategy, just a badly driven one: somebody is probably getting bonuses based on the average price per person. The idea of 'losing' a second cabin is not part of the metric and therefore is not relevant to the decision making process. The wonders of corporate America. :(

For those trying the two cabin strategy, you simply book an adult in each room and then rearrange onboard. With connecting rooms I have no issues putting the kids in a different cabin and just leaving the interior door open.

As for the argument that they do not spend as much onboard and should be charged higher prices, it is a bit illogical as I would think they should price to keep kids with parents, leaving more room for another booking. Honestly at younger ages where kids can not go in pools or use the kids club, they do not get as much bang per buck. An attentive waiter who makes paper animals will only go so far. There is a point where the added cost will keep some families from cruising with certain lines.

As a child will most likely be a third or fourth passenger and must be with an adult, where a second adult couple or family member can easily book a second room, this pricing strategy will hurt families with younger children the most. It is a great strategy if you want to raise the average age of your cruiser, whether that is good or bad depends on if you want to keep a cruiser throughout his or lifespan or want to target only during a set range. However, once you lose them they may or may not return. While price is a big factor, we do tend to like to stick with one line, and we have bypassed a slightly lower fare in favor of our favorite. Unfortunately the price difference is not what I would consider insignificant.

I am not personally comfortable leaving the kids at home, so for us gimmick prices will likely be a turn off. We will simply jump ship to another cruise line if adjoining rooms are not an option or gravitate towards land vacations.

Try calling the cruise line direct, some rooms are not released to the general public until later, but if you call with a large family they will sell them to you before they show up on generic websites. RCI for example has family rooms that actually have a separate bunk room for the kids... In some cases they are significantly larger than rooms in the same general category. RCI family ocean views are one example. Also do not give up on NCL if you are willing to book a suite. The suite experience on that line offers a lot of perks that make it seem like you are on a different boat.

For RCI check their ships that are slightly older than oasis, they still have a lot of amenities. The Liberty of the Seas or Explorer of the seas still blow the older DCL ships out of the water. However the pricing is more reasonable than the Oasis or Quantum.

Always try pricing using different combinations. Their family all in one room versus connecting. Typically you can find rooms that hold 3 easier than four. If you want to be close, but not connecting in the interior, some ships have balconies with dividers that can be unlocked between adjoining rooms. I found it was cheaper to book two connecting balcony rooms than one regular ocean view with pull down bunks, by a lot more than just a few hundred dollars. With a family, I have found it is more important to study deck plans... Some ships have ocean views than connect to balconies or suites. You will never find them if you do a stock category booking.

Help! We're grandparents who offered to take our kids and grandkids on a cruise during summer vacation thinking it would be the best/easiest/least expensive mode of travel for all parties. My DH and I are experienced cruisers but we frequent lines that are traditionally less family-friendly.

 

The grandkids have cruised several times on Disney. And they are looking for the water park, zipline, mini-golf, etc. onboard features. But...when I price those ships (RCCL Oasis or NCL Breakaway) for 5 adults and 2 kids, I go into shock.

 

My DH refuses to cruise on Carnival because he's heard so many horror stories. So that option is off the table.

 

I'm thinking perhaps connecting cabins, if they are truly connecting, for the grandkids and their parents, and then a regular cabin for DH and myself. Do you think that will made the overall cost more reasonable?

 

Lastly, I'm looking at warm weather ports so the kids can use all those ship board facilities.

 

Thanks for your help.

Anyone else notice that cruise lines seem to charging more per passenger for families crammed in one room than for only two in the same type of room? Lately it has been much cheaper to book two per room than everyone in the same room. It seems when they advertise third and forth free or other gimmicks the pricing is actually worse per person when you break it down. I love holland but am moving on to greener pastures because of it. So the old argument of you pay less for a child is actually no longer valid... You pay more!

I agree. Too many gimmicks out there right now. If you know what you are doing, you can often find a deal that is pretty good, but if you are not following closely, the "deals" are often worse than regular pricing.

When we first did family cruises about 6 years ago, the kids sailed on NCL for $99 each. Times have changed now. I often see the 3rd and 4th passengers cost MORE than the first 2 passengers. That said, if the cruise lines are going to play these games with families and you are flexible, there are ways to come out ahead....read on...

We booked a family oceanview to hold our 6 family members in one cabin with RCCL 3 years ago. We loved it. However, I did not realize that they jack the rates so high on the first two passengers to compensate for the lower price on the other passengers in the cabin.

Two years ago we had the two adults in one cabin, and the 4 daughters crammed next door in another cabin with RCCL. After booking, I checked the price for only 2 in each room and taking 3 rooms (an extra washroom and more space as well). It was $300 LESS than cramming into only 2 cabins and we also received an extra $100 OBC for booking the 3rd room.

My advice, look into all options that you think of.

Try calling the cruise line direct, some rooms are not released to the general public until later, but if you call with a large family they will sell them to you before they show up on generic websites. RCI for example has family rooms that actually have a separate bunk room for the kids... In some cases they are significantly larger than rooms in the same general category. RCI family ocean views are one example.

This is not entirely true. These rooms are available to the general public the minute the cruise is available to book. A better way to say this is "You MUST call the cruise line to inquire about these rooms directly because if you look into pricing on them online, it tells you to call the cruise line directly." By the way, these rooms are amazing, but pricing can be deceiving (see my previous post).

Always try pricing using different combinations. Their family all in one room versus connecting. Typically you can find rooms that hold 3 easier than four. If you want to be close, but not connecting in the interior, some ships have balconies with dividers that can be unlocked between adjoining rooms. I found it was cheaper to book two connecting balcony rooms than one regular ocean view with pull down bunks, by a lot more than just a few hundred dollars. With a family, I have found it is more important to study deck plans... Some ships have ocean views than connect to balconies or suites. You will never find them if you do a stock category booking.

I agree with this 100%. Connecting rooms can often be CHEAPER than squeezing 4 into one cabin.

Also, I don't like having to "find" the available connecting rooms and figure out which categories have them, etc. more family-friendly booking systems would be awesome

I can tell you of a cruise seller operating out of the UK that makes it MUCH EASIER to see which cabins are available than the cruise line websites do. I use it all the time to research, although I do not book with them.

! am not permitted to mention their site here, but would be happy to e-mail you their web address if you e-mail me. It really is a great and useful site. You can contact me via

russlomas@ca.inter.net

Yes, in the end it was only $160 more to book connecting cabins on the Oasis than to cram the four of us into one cabin. I'm not complaining because it made it easy to justify the luxury but it seems like an odd strategy for the cruise line. And now we get to bring four bottles of wine on board. :D

We do the exact same thing. In a previous post I actually shared that it was actually $300 CHEAPER to book an extra cabin (insane). We to list one adult in each cabin and that way can bring two "extra" bottles of wine aboard (2 bottles per cabin permitted under the rules if there is an adult staying in the cabin). Families seem to get screwed in many ways in pricing so this is one very small perk for being a family and booking an extra cabin.

I can tell you of a cruise seller operating out of the UK that makes it MUCH EASIER to see which cabins are available than the cruise line websites do. I use it all the time to research, although I do not book with them.

 

! am not permitted to mention their site here, but would be happy to e-mail you their web address if you e-mail me. It really is a great and useful site. You can contact me via

russlomas@ca.inter.net

Thank you. I just sent you an email.