Braggin or complaining?

[sailawayjack]

:cool:I don't know whether to brag or complain about the prices for my upcoming Bermuda cruise on Enchantment. RCCL has been keeping prices low for years now, but a new trend (?) may be coming. I booked a 5 day cruise to Bermuda for next May. Made two reservations. Two people in a D1. Made this reservation mid-July this year. Since then, the price has risen $532.26. Went to $2772.62 from $2240.36. Big jump in less than three months. Other reservation was GS for three passengers. Can't check on current price since category may be sold out and is not listed on line. I'm glad that I booked early, and feel sorry for others. At least there is no reason to check for price drops LOL. Is it just for this type cruise, or is RCCL going to continue this on a permanent basis? :cool:JACK IS SAILING AGAIN

[Sue L]

Supply and demand, the cruises to Bermuda from Baltimore and Bayonne are huge draws. I would keep checking for drops since you never know.

[sailawayjack]

Supply and demand, the cruises to Bermuda from Baltimore and Bayonne are huge draws. I would keep checking for drops since you never know.

 

:cool:I'll keep checking. This is a good reason to book early. SUE - Thanks for including you pictures of Bermuda - Jack

[Tony O]

I booked the Enchantment for next July for the 9 day cruise out of Baltimore. The JS price has risen $400 so far. Glad I already paid for the cruise.

[lady_cruiser]

We always book early - the earlier the better. By booking our 2012 cruise several months ago, we were able to grab a Grand Suite for a tab bit more over the cost of a Jr. Suite on the same sailing. I want to say I "think" it was only $120.00 more per person, give or take a few dollars. Now this is what I call a great deal.

[Bound4Bermuda]

I'm taking the Explorer 5-day from Bayonne to Bermuda. For five of us for two connecting inside cabins is $3,000. We're going in 3 weeks and I booked in August, so 2 months out probably counts as last minute. There was a price drop on the inside cabins when I booked it. However, I had to take a higher category to get the connecting rooms, so I had to pay a bit more than the lowest price (only about $30 or so/pp), so I'm not sure if that was "regular" price or still somewhat discounted. Regardless, I think I got a very good deal (as compared to land-based vacations; I really have no clue about cruise price comparisons). It seems like there's a lot of fluctuation based on supply and demand. So perhaps since you booked it, they've made most of the rest of the bookings they need so that they can raise the price now--then lower it again as they get closer to sailing to ensure they sell out all the rooms. From what I've been reading on this board, you either want to book really early or really late; book somewhere in the middle and you might get screwed on the price. Curious to keep reading this thread and see what the feedback is on the best/worst times to book. :confused:

[Walt fan]

Booked the Enchantment for June 2011 while on our Oasis cruise last June; Inside cabin for our 1st and 2nd people is $749 pp; it is now $999; balcony we booked is $1389 pp; it is now $1689; I try to book as early as possible, and keep an eye out from time to time; all I see is prices rising

[MrPete]

:cool:I don't know whether to brag or complain about the prices for my upcoming Bermuda cruise on Enchantment. RCCL has been keeping prices low for years now, but a new trend (?) may be coming. I booked a 5 day cruise to Bermuda for next May. Made two reservations. Two people in a D1. Made this reservation mid-July this year. Since then, the price has risen $532.26. Went to $2772.62 from $2240.36.

 

For 5 days???!!!!

 

WOW!!!!

[mrbbb]

Thats what I thought//. For me a good deal is 100.00 per day for a balcony. And I want some OBC.:D:D:D

[THEWIFE]

I'm with you, MRBBB. I use $100. pp per day, balcony stateroom as my guideline. I've never had trouble finding these prices. We've even been to Europe.:D

[Sugar*Magnolia]

I'm with you, MRBBB. I use $100. pp per day, balcony stateroom as my guideline. I've never had trouble finding these prices. We've even been to Europe.:D

 

What time of year and what kind of cruise in Europe for $100 per day for a balcony? Was that including airfare? We have never cruised from anywhere other then NY/NJ and FL, I always think cruising from anywhere else is very costly.

[marci22]

Cheap Bermuda prices, out of Bayonne, do not apply June through August unless you catch a sales event or after-final fire sale. They start out high and booking early does you no good; they only go down!

[marci22]

What time of year and what kind of cruise in Europe for $100 per day for a balcony? Was that including airfare? We have never cruised from anywhere other then NY/NJ and FL, I always think cruising from anywhere else is very costly.

 

That is a November price guide. Try finding it in the summer. (unless you are booking after final)

[Sugar*Magnolia]

That is a November price guide. Try finding it in the summer. (unless you are booking after final)

 

We cant cruise in the fall. We cruise with our kids. Thats why we could never cruise for such cheap prices. I knew there had to be a catch! lol The folks that are able to cruise cheaply are lucky!

[Bound4Bermuda]

I'm with you, MRBBB. I use $100. pp per day, balcony stateroom as my guideline. I've never had trouble finding these prices. We've even been to Europe.:D

 

That's what I was thinking. I'm paying $120/pp/pd, so I thought that's a fantastic deal! But now that you put it in the perspective of a balcony and I'm paying that for interior--AND you've been to Europe at that rate, too--maybe I am getting ripped off! :D

[THEWIFE]

No, I don't think anyone is being "ripped off". You can take a fairly inexpensive cruise in the spring/summer with the kids, but it is cheaper during the "shoulder season". October and November are the best rates. What we do is check the internet under "transatlantic" cruises or "repositioning" cruises. No, airfare is additional. However, some cruiselines are now offering airfare to (for example) Barcelona, two nights in a hotel and a cruise for a flat fee. The deals I've seen seem great to me, and I have a feeling that this type of deal will become more popular as it catches on.

 

Also, I admit that I do not have small kids in school, so my vacations are pretty much when we want to go.

 

I find, personally, that the best deals are on Celebrity and Royal. NCL also offers some good rates, but I have never cruised with NCL. If you can book only a couple of months out, the deals are CRAZY CHEAP! I've seen 14 day cruises offered by Royal for something like $849. pp for a balcony stateroom. Of course, there's the airfare to consider, too. It's still a bargain, in my opinion. ;)

[THEWIFE]

Forgot to say . . . we did the Med last April into May. Prices for a balcony stateroom on Celebrity started at $1138 pp. That was for a 14-day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Rome.

[stargate fan]

We cant cruise in the fall. We cruise with our kids. Thats why we could never cruise for such cheap prices. I knew there had to be a catch! lol The folks that are able to cruise cheaply are lucky!

 

We are finally the lucky ones. :D

 

We also cruised with our kids, so we always paid more since we cruised during school vacations. One son recently graduated college and the other is in his third year, so we now cruise by ourselves during off-seasons, when the prices are lower.

 

Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones too someday.

[Morecruisesplz]

I'm with you, MRBBB. I use $100. pp per day, balcony stateroom as my guideline. I've never had trouble finding these prices. We've even been to Europe.:D

 

Or less! $50 is better! We've done that Baltimore to Berumuda 5 day cruise for $249 + received OBC from the TA. I think we also booked it once for $189 direct with RCL. It makes no sense that adding so many cruise lines to Baltimore has driven prices up so high. It's now cheaper for us to fly just about anywhere and cruise rather than drive to the port here. I wonder where the people fly in from who are willing to pay $2,500 for 5 days in a D1 on the Enchantment?

[THEWIFE]

That's even better!!! The thing is, we only take cruises that are nine days or longer. We figure it's not worth the packing and unpacking and making arrangements for the dogs, etc. I'll say this, though: when we first began cruising about ten years ago, the prices were a lot higher than they have become. I recall one of our earlier cruises, one week in the caribbean in a JS cost us almost $7,000, and to make matters worse, for that money we couldn't find a place to sit on the pool deck for the first three days! Now the prices (and the quality) have come down, the quantity is greater and you still can't get a lounge by the pool! lol :D

[Merion_Mom]

Or less! $50 is better! We've done that Baltimore to Berumuda 5 day cruise for $249 + received OBC from the TA. I think we also booked it once for $189 direct with RCL. It makes no sense that adding so many cruise lines to Baltimore has driven prices up so high. It's now cheaper for us to fly just about anywhere and cruise rather than drive to the port here. I wonder where the people fly in from who are willing to pay $2,500 for 5 days in a D1 on the Enchantment?

 

I would love to know when you took that $249 balcony cabin Baltimore to Bermuda cruise.

 

By the way, you have a Majesty cruise in your signature that says "Bermuda".

 

I don't think so. :)

[Morecruisesplz]

I would love to know when you took that $249 balcony cabin Baltimore to Bermuda cruise.

 

By the way, you have a Majesty cruise in your signature that says "Bermuda".

 

I don't think so. :)

 

This was the $249 Bermuda cruise. 8-Aug-2009 Grandeur Of The Seas 5 Night Bermuda Cruise 5 Inside cabins -- not a balcony. That was someone else who mentioned booking a D1 and you are confusing the conversations. (The person who is shopping $100 pppd probably is not concerned about finding a specific cabin either. Can't be too picky if are shopping for best price.)

 

Thanks for the tip on the typo on the cruise listing.

 

That 11 night repo in my list was my best bargain so far: $349 and booked with a next cruise certificate for the OBC. The next day the price went to $299 and they put the difference back on my credit card.

 

You cruise a lot -- I'm sure you get your share of deals!

[Morecruisesplz]

That's even better!!! The thing is, we only take cruises that are nine days or longer. Now the prices (and the quality) have come down, the quantity is greater and you still can't get a lounge by the pool! lol :D

 

I like that idea - the longer the better! Do you ever do B2B's to extend the cruise?

 

We must have started cruising about the same time. We began by always booking a balcony or a JS on the back of the ship, etc. We quickly realized we could cruise many more times per year if we booked insides. It also forces us to get out and up on deck.

 

We just picked up that repo of the 6 night Grandeur from Ft. Lauderdale to Colon for $199. (It's down to $189 now.) And we used a $50 coupon sent to us after the Majesty cruise. Add a night in Ft Lauderdale and a couple night in Panama City with tours there and we're at your 9 night minimum!