Princess pricing/marketing strategy

Last year princess round Britain were £399 with $50pp obc.

[quote name='Pam in CA']You can watch pricing all you want but if you request a quote from a TA who books a high volume of Princess cruises, you can save 10-20% plus OBC and perks. TAs are not allowed to advertise or promote discounted fares so if you're looking at just the Princess website, you're comparing apples to oranges.[/quote]

I totally agree, always get a better rate with my TA.

[quote name='caribill']We live near the ports of Houston and Galveston. Most seven day cruises from both ports have basically the same itinerary, if not the same, then the same number of ports.

Every time I have checked pricing on Princess, NCL, RCI and Carnival I find that Princess has the lowest pricing. Following is without any past passenger pricing or TA discount pricing for a 7-day cruise in November, 2015 over Thanksgiving.

Princess balcony $799
NCL balcony $1099
RCI balcony $1235
CCL balcony $979

Of course, of these four cruise lines, only Princess allows TAs to give a discount.[/QUOTE]

Think this is so timing dependent. We are also loyal Princess fans, but NCL has gotten our business this winter. We did NCL out of Houston in February and then again early April. $500+ for an outside in February and $700+ for a balcony in April. Both included the beverage package, which I agree is not what everyone wants, but the most recent NCL promotion provides gratuities as an bonus option. We've also booked NCL in the Med for next March.

We'll continue to cruise Princess and I've got Princess Rewards points to use when the time is right, but right now I'm looking at Celebrity for December 2016 and seeing pretty good pricing plus perks.

[quote name='Pam in CA']You can watch pricing all you want but if you request a quote from a TA who books a high volume of Princess cruises, you can save 10-20% plus OBC and perks. TAs are not allowed to advertise or promote discounted fares so if you're looking at just the Princess website, you're comparing apples to oranges.[/QUOTE]

I do not believe we had gotten any discount from our TA . We are doing an on your own tour first. The TA feels these do not usually change prices. No OBC either.

[quote name='Ms. Martini']I do not believe we had gotten any discount from our TA . We are doing an on your own tour first. The TA feels these do not usually change prices. No OBC either.[/QUOTE]

Maybe you need to change TA's. We always get a discount on every cruise. ;)

Please realize that the "discount" you are getting from the TA is often a part of their commission, although the TA's Agency might get a hidden discount from a specific cruise line (less likely on CCL brands). Giving you a high discount means the TA makes virtually ZERO for your booking. Try doing this same thing next time you go to your doctor or dentist.

Discounting..... not exactly a great way for a TA to make a living.

[quote name='Sonoran_cruiser']Please realize that the "discount" you are getting from the TA is often a part of their commission, although the TA's Agency might get a hidden discount from a specific cruise line (less likely on CCL brands). Giving you a high discount means the TA makes virtually ZERO for your booking. Try doing this same thing next time you go to your doctor or dentist.

Discounting..... not exactly a great way for a TA to make a living.[/QUOTE]

Well you keep booking direct and I will keep booking through my TA who is a top 10 Princess seller in the US. ;)

[quote name='Sonoran_cruiser']Please realize that the "discount" you are getting from the TA is often a part of their commission, although the TA's Agency might get a hidden discount from a specific cruise line (less likely on CCL brands). Giving you a high discount means the TA makes virtually ZERO for your booking. Try doing this same thing next time you go to your doctor or dentist.

Discounting..... not exactly a great way for a TA to make a living.[/quote]

Discount can come from:

o Commission as you indicate
o Reduced pricing to TA due to having a "group" booking
o Amenities the TA can choose from. For example, one amenity is a $25 OBC per passenger or an increased commission to the TA of $25 per passenger. Some TAs keep that amenity, some pass it on to the passengers.

Do not feel sorry for the TA who is giving up part of the commission. If the work was not profitable, the TA would not give the discount. Edited July 16, 2015 by caribill

In the end, each TA prices the product and perks as they see fit. Each agency, local or online should have a profitable business plan. Many advertise "guarantee best pricing." Up to the consumer to do their due diligence, as you would with buying any product.
Very little service goes into my purchase. I decide the ship, itinerary, date, category...heck, I now print my own boarding pass and luggage tags. Most an agent is doing is processing a payment, shooting an electronic confirmation and collecting a comission.
As always, your circumstance may vary and you may be willing to pay something more for hand-holding.

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[quote name='jimmieg']...As always, your circumstance may vary and you may be willing to pay something more for hand-holding...[/QUOTE]

I agree. My former TA no longer discounts or gives OBC, and now charges to process any changes, such as refaring. I was booking either onboard or directly online, and simply handing her the sale, so I stopped using her.

For those newbies who still need hand-holding, a TA is the way to go, IMO, at least until they gather more experience. Edited July 16, 2015 by SoCal Cruiser78

[quote name='Poulsbo Cruisers']As another posted stated, I have never found these TA deals. I've researched, what I believe, are all the major online agencies. I've found savings of maybe $50 per person. However, they do offer OBCs that may make it worth using them.[/QUOTE]

If by "researched" you're saying you've checked their websites for prices, then I'm not surprised that you've not found any great reductions. Princess allows TA to discount their fares but they cannot advertise, ie, list the reduced fares on their website. You have to call or email and ask for a 'quote'. Typically, I can find a minimum of a 10% discount and maybe some OBC from the right TA. If a TA refuses to discount, thank them for their time and check with another TA. Just keep checking till you find a TA who does discount. Also depends upon the room you're booking. $50 isn't too bad a discount for an interior room as that could be a pretty good percentage of the total fare. Several hundred dollar discounts only come with suites.

[quote name='jimmieg']We are loyal Princess elite passengers (29 cruises). We've also cruised with RC, HAL, Norwegian, Celebrity, but not in the last decade. That said, I always keep my eye on pricing. Especially in light of the slow turnover of production shows, predictable menus and even guest performers we've seen many times . It seems Princess starts pricing lower and discounts less. However, the competition has been more generous with OBC, gratuities included, drink packages, etc. I see a comparable cruise with a ton of incentives, then see "my line" is offering a fairly meaningless $0-$85 for a 14 day cruise.
Maybe it's all hype and marketing. I still run a spreadsheet for my cruising and try to look at bottom line. Maybe I'm wondering if the grass is greener. On the other hand, returning to Princess 2-3 times a year is like returning to my cabin by the sea. Not blowing me away, but as comfortable as an old pair of jeans. Thoughts? Anybody been where I am?[/quote]

We just booked South America for 2016, and it included the all inclusive frink package and some other stuff.....now I am sure that the price of the cruise was raised prior to this sailing for the promotion....but all cruise lines factor the included perks (i.e. OBC, gratuities, etc) into the price of the cruise.

[quote name='RocketMan275']If by "researched" you're saying you've checked their websites for prices, then I'm not surprised that you've not found any great reductions. Princess allows TA to discount their fares but they cannot advertise, ie, list the reduced fares on their website. You have to call or email and ask for a 'quote'. Typically, I can find a minimum of a 10% discount and maybe some OBC from the right TA. If a TA refuses to discount, thank them for their time and check with another TA. Just keep checking till you find a TA who does discount. A[B]lso depends upon the room you're booking. $50 isn't too bad a discount for an interior room as that could be a pretty good percentage of the total fare. Several hundred dollar discounts only come with suites.[[/B]/QUOTE]

Thank you for pointing that out. So many times someone will post how they saved $2000 by booking with a TA. They always fail to mention the length of the cruise or the room category. I'm sure there are large saving to be had if you are booking a 30day itinerary in a suite.

[quote name='bassmaster150']We just booked South America for 2016, and it included the all inclusive frink package and some other stuff.....now [COLOR=Red]I am sure that the price of the cruise was raised [/COLOR]prior to this sailing for the promotion....but all cruise lines factor the included perks (i.e. OBC, gratuities, etc) into the price of the cruise.[/quote]

Some people have found with this promotion that the price came down, some have found that the price went up, and some have found that the price stayed the same.

In other words, prices for different cruises fluctuate according to mysterious formulas in the Princess computers based in part on supply and demand. This is normal.

[quote name='caribill']
"prices for different cruises fluctuate according to mysterious formulas in the Princess computers."

That is funny, Caribill. Apparently the algorithm works. Ships leave full. Pricing, outside of "list price" (ie Launch Fare) is unpredictable.


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The Sip and Save special was announced all the cabin fares increased on the same day on my cruise.

[quote name='kruisey']The Sip and Save special was announced all the cabin fares increased on the same day on my cruise.[/QUOTE]


Of course.

[quote name='Colo Cruiser']Of course.[/QUOTE]

So the poor newbies who thought they were going to get a bargain.......:eek:

[quote name='caribill']Some people have found with this promotion that the price came down, some have found that the price went up, and some have found that the price stayed the same.

In other words, prices for different cruises fluctuate according to mysterious formulas in the Princess computers based in part on supply and demand. This is normal.[/QUOTE]

I suspect that what people are seeing is the normal pricing changes that would have applied based upon Princess's pricing model, even if the sale had not started.

The sale was strictly the drink packages or OBC applied to whatever the pricing model indicated that the pricing should be based upon sales. The numbers were too inconsistent for it to be a change applied just because of the cost of the sale.

On Princess I have had very good luck booking early and then watching for reductions.

Depending on the area you get some pretty good discounts.

Cruises out of the US tend to adjust price down before final payment date.

Cruises around South America tend to start out with good prices and then do not change much.

Cruises around the UK tend to be high and price drops tend to be late if they occur.

I have found that the rates that I end up paying tend to be good compared to other lines, and extremely good once you add in the share holder OBC, veteran OBC, futre cruise credit OBC, etc.

I also tend to like Princesses business practices better then their competition (web site, customer service response, deposits, etc).

I am quite happy that Princess has stayed more traditional in their approach then the NCL and Celebrity. I started out with Celebrity, but the more they have moved to tiers with additional benefits the more I have moved away. The difficulty in getting traditional dining on Celebrity has resulted in my replacing 2 potential Celebrity cruises (one this year and one next) with Princess Cruises. Edited July 16, 2015 by RDC1

I usually get price reductions or offers for well-priced upgrades whether I use a TA or book myself. I also have always booked a cabin category where there is an abundance of same-type cabins.

This November I have a cruise booked in a cabin category where there are only 6 on the entire ship. All of these cabins are booked. What are the chances of a ship-wide price drop and me getting one? There are no other cabins available in that category and I am unwilling to cancel and rebook just to get a standard balcony. So my question is, if your cabin category is fully booked, are there price drops for them anyway or only for the cabin category that remains with unbooked cabins?

[quote name='iceleven']I usually get price reductions or offers for well-priced upgrades whether I use a TA or book myself. I also have always booked a cabin category where there is an abundance of same-type cabins.

This November I have a cruise booked in a cabin category where there are only 6 on the entire ship. All of these cabins are booked. What are the chances of a ship-wide price drop and me getting one? There are no other cabins available in that category and I am unwilling to cancel and rebook just to get a standard balcony. So my question is, [COLOR=Red]if your cabin category is fully booked, are there price drops for them anyway [/COLOR]or only for the cabin category that remains with unbooked cabins?[/quote]

Nope. In fact, if fully booked no price is displayed at all. I guess you could call it priceless.

Thanks to all for the great analysis.

In reviewing observations across multiple cruise line boards; there seems to be a minimum of 2 basic groupings of cruise consumers:

1) Basic cruisers looking for cruise only rate - minimal requirements
2) Larger group who enjoy the more "inclusive" pricing including "free" drinks, OBC etc

We are in group 1) above. We do not drink nor do we purchase anything on the ship nor use the internet nor book additional charge restaurants - so the typical "free" items are of limited to no value to us.

Celebrity has lost our future business as they insist that we pay for items we have no desire to use.

I see significant price increases across the board (NCL being very obvious about it) combined with significant cost cutting (very obvious on our last Celebrity cruise in January).

Our household has been cruising since 1989. The price increases combined with the pricing model in cruising has resulted in us no longer planning cruises. We will monitor these boards to see if any changes occur in the future which might attract us again to cruising.

Hoping everyone can find a cruise at a price that is workable for them.

Happy and safe sailing to all

ABoatNerd

[quote name='iceleven']I usually get price reductions or offers for well-priced upgrades whether I use a TA or book myself. I also have always booked a cabin category where there is an abundance of same-type cabins.

This November I have a cruise booked in a cabin category where there are only 6 on the entire ship. All of these cabins are booked. What are the chances of a ship-wide price drop and me getting one? There are no other cabins available in that category and I am unwilling to cancel and rebook just to get a standard balcony. So my question is, if your cabin category is fully booked, are there price drops for them anyway or only for the cabin category that remains with unbooked cabins?[/QUOTE]

There is no reason to discount something that's not available for sale. What they have done in the past to fill categories is to raise the price of the lower category to a price higher than the category they want to fill. For example, book an ocean view for the price of a balcony. The price for the ocean view is so inflated that that no one in their right mind would book that category over a balcony, which more times than none are the same price that they have been all along.

There will always be a bargain somewhere. Of course, all cruise lines would love to raise rates. But, competition, new ships to fill and the economy have kept rates down. Companies, after one brief attempt, have not even used the "oil price surcharge" they could have even when oil was over $100.
Too soon to tell if inclusive pricing will work for those using them.
I look for bottom line pricing for cruise I want, but realize there are a few ways to get there. Cheapest sale fare, higher fare with agency rebate, or somewhere in between with OBC can all work out the same for me. Of course, FCC, shareholder, loyalty credit apply to all.
Still think cruising is often a bargain compared to land-based vacationing.

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