Why are Alaska Cruises More Expensive?

[loisagogo]

Last May 2004 we cruised on the Celebrity Summit, Concierge balcony cabin for $900 a person for 7 day cruise(got a great price by booking about 10 months ahead).Looking at Alaska and price for balcony cabins are double of what we paid for the Caribbean. Curious to know why.

[ahracer]

Supply and demand.

 

Scott

[Budget Queen]

More people are sailing Alaska. :) As above - SUPPLY AND DEMAND!

[Coral]

Wait until you see the prices for excursions in Alaska.....

 

There are fewer ships in Alaska compared to the Caribbean and the Alaskan cruising season is less than 5 months verses you can cruise the Caribbean 12 months out of the year.

 

Alaska is very popular and it often attracts a different type of cruiser.

[mii]

Got to agree with rest. Supply and Demand. We are sailing May28th out of S.F. on the Celebrity Infinity and the prices are surely up. This will be our 3rd trip as we don't have to fly. But it sure is worth it. Love Alaska.

 

marilyn

[tomcarson]

IMO Alaska offers a better cruise experience then the Caribbean.

 

If you look, Tahiti and Europe are more expensive then the Caribbean also.

[loisagogo]

I've already seen the tour prices and gotten over the shell shock. What you're saying makes sense, much shorter season so less cruise ships and dates. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet. My husband wants to cruise to Alaska for our 25th next year iN August. i wanted to go to Maui but he's been going everywhere I want for the past 24 years so I trying to be enthusiatic and do this for him. Actually I love the outdoors and great scenery so it won't be too difficult. Just hard to imagine cruising and having to be bundled up. As soon as the 2006 prices are out I'm looking to book. It seems the farther ahead you book the better price you get.

[Deb in Cali]

Another point is that items purchased in Alaska are more expensive. The ship has to replentish its supply of goods while in port otherwise it would run out. It couldn't possible food and provide supplies for the whole ship for the total cruise for several thousand people for 7 to 11 days.

[Onessa]

All good points, also, the lines generally have to do some major repositioning to get the ships that they need for the relatively short cruise season in AK. The repo cruises are not the most profitable, so they need to recoup some of $$ across all the AK cruises.

 

Since the AK cruise season is so short, many of the port fees are higher. Many of the ports are also relatively new (when we did our first AK cruise 15 years ago, the route was pretty avante garde (sorry I KNOW I spelled THAT wrong!) and the facilities were pretty basic at the ports). The communities have had to put big bucks into them and charge accordingly!

[Singinman]

My wife and I took our first cruise last year (to Alaska). People had told us, "you really need to take a cruise". Both of us are extremely sensitive to bright sun. I get sun poison, she gets skin cancer. But when Judy said, "I really want to go to Alaska and the only way to do it is cruise," I turned the car around and went straight to the TA. We booked our cruise that day.

 

Now that we have one cruise under our belt, we are going again to Alaska. We have Burmuda and NE/Canada on our wish list, but will probably never do the Caribbean because of the sun.

[ahracer]

Another point is that items purchased in Alaska are more expensive. The ship has to replentish its supply of goods while in port otherwise it would run out. It couldn't possible food and provide supplies for the whole ship for the total cruise for several thousand people for 7 to 11 days.

 

 

They usually only supply the ship once on a 7-10 day cruise.

 

Scott

[Deb in Cali]

Scott,

 

I'm not talking about everything but perishables that don't have a long shelf life like strawberries, lettuce, chocolates (just kidding).

 

Deb

[ahracer]

Scott,

 

I'm not talking about everything but perishables that don't have a long shelf life like strawberries, lettuce, chocolates (just kidding).

 

Deb

 

They load those up once per cruise.

 

The Travel Channel had a show on one of the RCCL ships and they did a part on the provisioning and showed all of the different storage areas.

 

I noticed on my last cruise that as the week went on the fruit got better as it ripened.

 

Scott

[Starbuck1]

Our CDN vs US$ is at a big time high. This has to have influenced pricing in a big way. It means lines are paying way more than last year to stock ships in Vancouver, gas prices, port & national park taxes!

 

Franci

[Deb in Cali]

Scott,

 

Sorry Charlie, but I am not buying it. I hope that I am not eating 11 day old strawberries on the last day of my cruise. When I purchase strawberries from the local growers that were picked only an hour before, only last for a few days in my frdige before they start deterating. After another day or so mold can happen. The same with lettice, it only last so long. I'm sure that there are other items that they purchase fresh that aren't able to last longer than a few days. I'm sure they have their system all set up of what to buy and where. For example the fish in Alaska has to be cheaper than buying it in San Francisco.

[ahracer]

Scott,

 

Sorry Charlie, but I am not buying it. I hope that I am not eating 11 day old strawberries on the last day of my cruise. When I purchase strawberries from the local growers that were picked only an hour before, only last for a few days in my frdige before they start deterating. After another day or so mold can happen. The same with lettice, it only last so long. I'm sure that there are other items that they purchase fresh that aren't able to last longer than a few days. I'm sure they have their system all set up of what to buy and where. For example the fish in Alaska has to be cheaper than buying it in San Francisco.

 

Ok, if you say so.

 

Oh by the way, if you buy strawberries from the supermarket they are alot older than 11 days by the time you eat them ;)

 

Scott

[myangel]

Scott is absolutely right, As someone had asked the cruise director at one of those Q&A's the very same thing. He said EVERYTHING is loaded on before sailing, because EVERYTHING goes through a thorough inspection before sailing.

[Giantfan13]

"Why are this years cruise so much more than last years"

 

People are reading this BB, and noe EVERYONE wants to go to Alaska. You want to lower the price, everyone say lousy things about Alaska instead of gushing over our trip(s). (LOL)