Price keeps going up

We wanted to book the Baltic cruise for next summer. It started at $779 in April, but then went up to $1100. I was waiting to see if the price would go down again, but not it is up to over $1400. Any advice? I don't know if it will be going down again or only going up.

Thank you.

I think this may have to do with the promotion that RCI is now offering if you book a Europe cruise and use Choice Air, you will receive $1,000 off of your cruise booking a balcony or higher. Not sure, just a guess.

Dolfans from Miami

We booked our Baltic cruise with RCI in June and the price went up by 15% before our category of cabin sold out at the beginning of August.

It doesn't make sense this far out, very strange?

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Our Baltics cruise with Celebrity next May has gone down since we booked it, and I was happy to be able to take advantage of the price drop! :)

Assuming this is a 10 day cruise, $779 is a very cheap price. The cost of doing business in Europe, particularly Northern Europe, is very high. Fuel is going up, and the Euro is strengthening.

You are illustrating the value of booking early, and capturing price drops when and if they occur, as opposed to waiting and hoping for price drops.

Agree - $799 is a great price for an early Baltic booking. Was this a 7 day or 9+?

Been tracking Baltic prices and I don't think I saw even NCL's 9 day for 2014 drop much below $1K to start if at all.

Tracked this past season's (2013) cruises after final drops - I did see some pretty stunning price drops after final payment. But, you would have to be flexible - there was not much choice in cabins as you got close to sail date (I tested many of these great rates to see what was available). And, it might not happen, so you would have to have a plan B vacation. If you plan to go mid-summer it would also be difficult to get a decent airfare on short notice.

That said, being a cheap, flexible person - we're going to wait to see what happens for a May cruise after final payments. Have had good luck for airfares in May into Europe with February flight bookings.

We were very fortunate to catch an interior on Vision OTS last year for $550/pp on a Fjords cruise. Ours was the last round-trip of the season in September before they started to reposition. Baltics and Northern Europe generally seem to be more expensive. You can always book then cash in on a price drop if one happens. If the price hasn't dropped sufficiently as you approach the balance-due date, you can always cancel (as long as you haven't purchased airfare).

This is the NCL cruise. I have one of their agents who keeps telling me that it will definitely go down while I keep seeing it go up. It is for July of 2014

Are you sure you weren't looking at 2013 prices? I've been tracking May 2014 prices since June and saved a couple screen shots for 2013 and 2014 The July 2013 were definitely under $1000.

It all comes down to demand.

I hope that you are able to book th cruise.

Keith

Our price for our July 2014 Baltic cruise on the Royal Princess just dropped 10% and I believe our net price after the OBC Princess is giving out under its promotion is around $5,600 for 11 nights for a deluxe balcony cabin. I am expecting more price drops as time goes on. Demand for all cruises in Europe is down due to spikes in airfare. I am assuming that Royal Princess prices will further decrease because of the recent problems the ship is going through and because of the increased capacity (with less demand) on that ship. I think the Royal Princess will yield bargain prices for those doing Europe itineraries and possibly Caribbean itineraries as well.

buggins, I am waiting with you for the same. after seeing 2013 prices for may I am spoiled I want the same prices.

buggins, I am waiting with you for the same. after seeing 2013 prices for may I am spoiled I want the same prices.

I know - same here. Know we can't be fussy and we'll need the stars and moon to align. I have three ships I'm going to watch for May sailings. One thing that has me worried is that the ships seem to be starting a bit later next year because of the late Easter - don't know if the reduced supply will lead to higher pricing.

So for now, I'll sit and wait until February. Also hoping there is also an airfare sale so we can use our flexperks air miles for one ticket. If stars and moon don't align, will sit and wait another year and do a land trip somewhere.

That said, the NCL sailing almost works price-wise now, but I saw how low it could go. Princess is throwing a big ship on the itinerary out of Copenhagen so will be watching them closely to see if they can sell it out. The HAL itinerary is the one I want, saw some great pricing from them in 2013 if one wasn't fussy about a guaranty cabin, but realistically, it might never get to what I want to pay. But, one can dream........

I booked it, but they have a price guarantee. I am sure the $799 was for 2014. For our cruise for 2015, we are only going to book when the fare is low. This is the most I have ever paid for a cruise. We always get the inside cabin and we like the inside cabins. I can't see paying money for a porthole.

My August 2013 cruise I booked in March 2012 when the booking opened. The price never went down, only up.

I booked an aft AQ on the Constellation for May 21, 2014 right after the price dropped a couple months ago. My category has stayed the same since I booked, but the other AQ category has gone up $100.

This is the NCL cruise. I have one of their agents who keeps telling me that it will definitely go down while I keep seeing it go up. It is for July of 2014

We are booked on the NCL Star in July of 2014 and the prices only have gone up since we booked. There may or may not be a price reduction before final payment. As others have said, it's based on supply and demand. Also, if you want a specific cabin type, such as a two bedroom suite, it may very well be sold out prior to final payment. (I kept hoping for a reduction on our cabin last summer and it didn't happen, so reductions are not guaranteed. )

If you feel comfortable with the current price, my advice would be to book it with NCL or an agent who does not charge change fees as soon as possible, that is before it increases, and then be very diligent about watching for price drops. If a better deal occurs, you can request it and often receive it, but if a better price doesn't occur, you will have a cabin on your preferred sailing. Good luck!

We are booked on the NCL Star in July of 2014 and the prices only have gone up since we booked. There may or may not be a price reduction before final payment. As others have said, it's based on supply and demand. Also, if you want a specific cabin type, such as a two bedroom suite, it may very well be sold out prior to final payment. (I kept hoping for a reduction on our cabin last summer and it didn't happen, so reductions are not guaranteed. )

 

If you feel comfortable with the current price, my advice would be to book it with NCL or an agent who does not charge change fees as soon as possible, that is before it increases, and then be very diligent about watching for price drops. If a better deal occurs, you can request it and often receive it, but if a better price doesn't occur, you will have a cabin on your preferred sailing. Good luck!

Hi, which cruise did not drop in price this summer? Was that also the NCL Star Baltic?

What type of cabin did you book for 2014?

I am curious as we are looking at the NCL Star 2 bedroom for 2015. 2015 dates are not out yet. So still just researching.

Peggy

For bargains look out for cruises departing May and early June. Also late August and September can be good.

If you can leave on short notice the last minute deals can be a real bargain. Thought flights are most likely not to be.

I doubt the prices in 2014 will be as low as 2013 as the large cruise lines have less ships in the area, but fingers crossed.

I booked onboard Celebrity Silhouette for the June sailing on the Baltic. Our price for a IA was the same for the lowest priced inside cabin less $50 and $300 OBC. Then, after transferring to our TA, we received another $400. This is the cheapest price so far, as the price has climbed over $1,000 X's 2. We are very please to say the least. We paid way under $6,000 for the two of us with gratuities.:):) This gives us money for a totally private 2-day tour of Russia!

I booked onboard Celebrity Silhouette for the June sailing on the Baltic. Our price for a IA was the same for the lowest priced inside cabin less $50 and $300 OBC. Then, after transferring to our TA, we received another $400. This is the cheapest price so far, as the price has climbed over $1,000 X's 2. We are very please to say the least. We paid way under $6,000 for the two of us with gratuities.:):) This gives us money for a totally private 2-day tour of Russia!

I hope you meant Eclipse...Silhouette is in the Med in June!:eek:

We went last May on NCL. We booked in late December. Needless to say paid higher than what they were when we first started thinking about it. I think people who booked a lot earlier paid a lot less. The prices did go WAY down a couple weeks before sailing. No refunds (after final payment due) but a chance to upgrade. We started out with an oceanview and later paid an extra $200 for a balcony. Then prices kept going down so my husband called and talked them into giving us a mini-suite.

We are doing a Transatlantic to Copenhagen in May and I am pretty surprised that the only cabins left are the very expensive ones. I'm sure that some people will cancel when final payment is due but the prices just kept going steadily up since they were first posted. The price of airfare will also increase. We just purchased a one way flight from Krakow back to Ohio for $800 and it was about $500 back in the springtime.