Price comparisons between a few cruiselines

Several threads have included arguments about which cruise line is cheapest whether the perks like free booze are making X more expensive than other lines. So just got fun, I did a QUICK Overview comparison on a cruise we actually have booked on X.

I am NOT saying the experience on each of these lines is comparable. And I recognize that my numbers and conclusions may not be accurate for those who book suites and high level cabins.

Norwegian fjord cruise. All balcony guarantee except Viking which is the cheapest cabin on the ship and includes a balcony. All 8 day cruises except NCL which is nine days. All 2018 departures except Viking which is 2019. All UK departures. I did NOT consider cost of internet or loyalty credits. No TA OBC was considered. All priced online today except our booked X cruise.

NCL: $4659 including tax and port fees, premium alcohol package, $50 credit towards ship excursions, and a 3 night dining package. Some credit for airfare and hotel.

RCCL: $5233 including tax and port fees. I can't find any perks.

Viking: $6998 plus tax and port fees. Includes half day excursions, GOOD wine or beer with meals (extra charge for other times and mixed drinks, but at very reasonable prices), free speciality dining. Has credits for airfare. Full payment required upfront.

Celebrity: $3687 including tax and port fees, classic alcohol package, all gratuities prepaid and $300 OBC. This is an obstructed balcony (but assignment turned out to be great.)

Certainly, a lot of this is dependent on when you book and what TA you use.

If anybody doesn't believe the cost of our may 2018 cruise, I'll be happy to email you the confirmation.

As you mentioned, though, when you book makes a difference. Had you looked at those other 2018 cruises last year the prices may have been drastically different (meaning much less).

Is this current pricing or when the itineraries were released? It makes a difference as a cruise next month may be highly discounted compared to when all cruise itineraries were available to book. Have you compared the same itinerary for those lines for 2019?

We were obviously thinking the same thing at the same time, Phoenix :cool:.

As you mentioned, though, when you book makes a difference. Had you looked at those other 2018 cruises last year the prices may have been drastically different (meaning much less).

You know what - that's a very valid point and I apologize for not considering it.

Book the X cruise today $4598 (assigned balcony cabin.) Other perks included except the $300 OBC.

VERY close pricing to NCL, and they have a superior alcohol list as standard.

But I'll add that when we booked this in February 2018, the NCL price was a bit higher than it is now.

Guys - as I said upfront, it's a quick and rough comparison. My PRIMARY reason for doing it was the folks who keep insisting that Viking Ocean is the same cost as Celebrity.

I know it can be a huge difference the time of the year and also the ship involved, I have paid 1500 for a grand suite on a ship and others ship were twice the price this is rccl

I know it can be a huge difference the time of the year and also the ship involved, I have paid 1500 for a grand suite on a ship and others ship were twice the price this is rccl

Quite right. None of the cruises I used were off season dates.

Celebrity: $3687 including tax and port fees, classic alcohol package, all gratuities prepaid and $300 OBC. This is an obstructed balcony (but assignment turned out to be great.).

We had a similar experience when booking a spring break cruise for next year.

First, we looked into the new, super-large Royal Caribbean ships. Even interior staterooms were over $4000 for us. That is out of our range.

Then we tried Norwegian, Carnival, and the older Royal Caribbean ships. We could get it down to about $3200 for a balcony room from them.

We tried Celebrity on a whim. It ended up being just over $2500 for a large balcony room--including the classic drink package and $400 OBC, so we took it.

As everyone correctly states, "your mileage my vary." I think two factors might have brought Celebrity's price down for our specific circumstance:

1. The Celebrity cruise is out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I suspect the hurricane might be scaring some people away from that embarkation port, resulting in a discount.
   
2. The other lines seem to have more of a focus on kids. They were probably filling up much faster with spring break families than Celebrity.
   

Guys - as I said upfront, it's a quick and rough comparison. My PRIMARY reason for doing it was the folks who keep insisting that Viking Ocean is the same cost as Celebrity.

Thanks for the comparison. I’ve made similar comparisons between Celebrity and the three lines mentioned on these boards as superior, and only a little more expensive . Those other lines are Viking, Azamara and Oceania. For similar itineraries, at similar times, I’ve found the other three cost at least $3,000 more. I’ve performed these comparisons on European itineraries (including the Norwegian Fjords) at various times since 2013.

Several threads have included arguments about which cruise line is cheapest whether the perks like free booze are making X more expensive than other lines. So just got fun, I did a QUICK Overview comparison on a cruise we actually have booked on X.

Thanks for going to the time and trouble to put all of this into a post. There are so many variables that I find it impossible to compare apples to apples when considering cruises. Anymore, we just stick to Celebrity and Princess because of our loyalty status with both of them. It just makes the decision process easier.

Thanks for going to the time and trouble to put all of this into a post. There are so many variables that I find it impossible to compare apples to apples when considering cruises. Anymore, we just stick to Celebrity and Princess because of our loyalty status with both of them. It just makes the decision process easier.

I was elite on Celebrity on my first cruise, since I was diamond on RCCL, also MSC will match your level for perks and dicounts

Thanks for the comparison. I’ve made similar comparisons between Celebrity and the three lines mentioned on these boards as superior, and only a little more expensive . Those other lines are Viking, Azamara and Oceania. For similar itineraries, at similar times, I’ve found the other three cost at least $3,000 more. I’ve performed these comparisons on European itineraries (including the Norwegian Fjords) at various times since 2013.

Is this a straight difference in prices or after you have taken into account any excursions/drinks etc?

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Price ($) is one only of many variables in decision making on cruises and all other purchases.

Value for money is the most comprehensive of analysis. It includes financial and non-financial criteria.

Many cruisers like us do not fixate exclusively on price.

Outcomes are likely to differ.

Price ($) is one only of many variables in decision making on cruises and all other purchases.

 

Value for money is the most comprehensive of analysis. It includes financial and non-financial criteria.

 

Many cruisers like us do not fixate exclusively on price.

 

Outcomes are likely to differ.

This is true, however non-financial criteria is very subjective. Hence working the cost of “bare” cruise (perk less) is the best starting point. With all or partly inclusive cruise lines it becomes harder to back out extras

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Several threads have included arguments about which cruise line is cheapest whether the perks like free booze are making X more expensive than other lines. So just got fun, I did a QUICK Overview comparison on a cruise we actually have booked on X.

 

I am NOT saying the experience on each of these lines is comparable. And I recognize that my numbers and conclusions may not be accurate for those who book suites and high level cabins.

 

Norwegian fjord cruise. All balcony guarantee except Viking which is the cheapest cabin on the ship and includes a balcony. All 8 day cruises except NCL which is nine days. All 2018 departures except Viking which is 2019. All UK departures. I did NOT consider cost of internet or loyalty credits. No TA OBC was considered. All priced online today except our booked X cruise.

 

NCL: $4659 including tax and port fees, premium alcohol package, $50 credit towards ship excursions, and a 3 night dining package. Some credit for airfare and hotel.

 

RCCL: $5233 including tax and port fees. I can't find any perks.

 

Viking: $6998 plus tax and port fees. Includes half day excursions, GOOD wine or beer with meals (extra charge for other times and mixed drinks, but at very reasonable prices), free speciality dining. Has credits for airfare. Full payment required upfront.

 

Celebrity: $3687 including tax and port fees, classic alcohol package, all gratuities prepaid and $300 OBC. This is an obstructed balcony (but assignment turned out to be great.)

 

Certainly, a lot of this is dependent on when you book and what TA you use.

 

If anybody doesn't believe the cost of our may 2018 cruise, I'll be happy to email you the confirmation.

For the bottom line cost of that Viking cruise, you could easily do Oceania with better food and service and come home with change in your pocket.

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Price ($) is one only of many variables in decision making on cruises and all other purchases.

 

Value for money is the most comprehensive of analysis. It includes financial and non-financial criteria.

 

Many cruisers like us do not fixate exclusively on price.

 

Outcomes are likely to differ.

If you read my initial post, you would know that I acknowledge and agree with that. (Insert banging my head against a wall emoticon here.)

If you read my initial post, you would know that I acknowledge and agree with that. (Insert banging my head against a wall emoticon here.)

[emoji856] [emoji23]

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Is this a straight difference in prices or after you have taken into account any excursions/drinks etc?

 

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I don’t factor in excursions because we prefer to explore on our own when possible, or form small group excursions with fellow CC members. Viking’s included excursions get such mixed reviews that I’m not certain we’d find them valuable.

I do try to estimate the cost of matching Celebrity’s Classic Beverage package (which is an included perk in my Celebrity itineraries). It’s very difficult to assess the quality of the included wine & beer on Viking or Azamara, so I add the cost equivalent of the Celebrity Classic Beverage package to my cost estimates for all of the other three lines.

There are many other potential benefits to consider, such as quality of music, included specialty restaurants, food quality, passenger/space ratio, passenger/crew ratio, and beauty & tranquility of public spaces, but these are both highly subjective and impossible to quantify (especially when we haven’t experienced them ourselves).

We’ve only cruised on Celebrity, so for the other three lines, we must rely on the opinions of friends and reviews posted by fellow CC members. My comparisons meet my requirements for deciding whether to book Celebrity or one of the others. So far, I haven’t been moved to take the plunge, and my DH is even less inclined to do so. Everyone’s requirements and tastes are different, so YMMV. BTW, I used midship Veranda cabins for my comparisons.

I agree with the OP. Obviously every cruise is different and the prices can vary drastically. However, when I booked our new cruise; Hawaii April 2018, in sept of 2016 celebrity’s price was very competitive. 2 other lines offered comparable itineraries; royal and carnival. Royal was more expensive and included no perks. Carnival was cheaper, of course, but, was also shorter. If you looked at a price per day (which is how I prefer to compare things) carnivals price plus buying the beverage package was the same as celebrity’s price with the beverage package included. Obviously the choice at that point was easy.

Now, this cruise sold out really early due to the unique itinerary, then must have had a lot of cancellations prior to final payment because it went into a fire sale after final payment. So could have gotten the carnival price with 2 perks if we had waited, but there’s no way to anticipate that

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I priced out a Russia and Scandinavia cruise on AZ and X for June 2019. X in an Aqua (A2) and Az in a balcony. Az was $14,440 and X was $14,890 and that was only one perk.

I could not believe the price of X. AZ includes drinks, grats, specialty dining.

We are now looking at a suite on Princess for $9,980

No idea why X is so expensive!

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I priced out a Russia and Scandinavia cruise on AZ and X for June 2019. X in an Aqua (A2) and Az in a balcony. Az was $14,440 and X was $14,890 and that was only one perk.

 

I could not believe the price of X. AZ includes drinks, grats, specialty dining.

 

We are now looking at a suite on Princess for $9,980

 

No idea why X is so expensive!

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If you booked an Aqua cabin, you’d have paid a premium for Blu, so perhaps you’d not feel the need to dine in specialty restaurants. The complimentary wine and beer selection on Azamara appears quite limited compared to Celebrity’s Classic beverage package perk.

If you booked an Aqua cabin, you’d have paid a premium for Blu, so perhaps you’d not feel the need to dine in specialty restaurants. The complimentary wine and beer selection on Azamara appears quite limited compared to Celebrity’s Classic beverage package perk.

But then the question is why Princess suite is only 2/3 of X? [emoji50]

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But then the question is why Princess suite is only 2/3 of X? [emoji50]

Because you dine on regular MDR food (except for one special menu item each day). Celebrity AQ and suites, and Azamara all have much better food than Princess suites.

Because you dine on regular MDR food (except for one special menu item each day). Celebrity AQ and suites, and Azamara all have much better food than Princess suites.

Understand (have never been on Princess). Then a question arises - if you get a suite on Princess and pay for specialty dining you probably still better off? (Not sure if Princess offers free (perk) drinks package)?

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Understand (have never been on Princess). Then a question arises - if you get a suite on Princess and pay for specialty dining you probably still better off? (Not sure if Princess offers free (perk) drinks package)?

 

 

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As you say, I’m sure that specialty dining wouldn’t cost an extra $5000 (approx). Princess do offer a Sip’n Sail promotion that includes a beverage package (unsure if it’s included in the above example). Even if it wasn’t included, the cost would still be less than the $5000 extra for the X cabin (remember all the cabins are the same size on S class ships, so Aqua is the same as a regular balcony).

I have mentioned on other threads about the cost of Europe next year on X. Edge was running at a higher rate in the summer for 7 nights than going on her over the Christmas holiday period :o. Prices will have to start dropping if they want those ships to be full - may be worth sitting and waiting for 2019 to see how far they fall, especially if the Russian issues continue and you are considering a Baltics cruise.