Cruise booking

[Birdieman1]

What are your thoughts on this one, I was looking at a 20 day cruise on the Royal for Feb 8-2017, the total cost for a balcony was $7809 when I looked on Aug. 17, and now the same room and cabin number for the same cruise is $10,215, kind of a huge difference, when I first started looking for this cruise it was $7209 just before Aug. 17, that is an increase of over $3000 when I first started looking, the 3 for free that Princess is offering is a laugh with this $3000 increase in fares

[cr8tiv1]

Yes, time can be your worst best enemy. Lately, I've only seen increases in fares. Very rarely do fares drop significantly.

 

I've also noticed that the fares for "promotional sales" have sometimes been more expensive.

 

If you want something, put a hold on it and then watch it. The best way to do this is with Future Cruise Credits that can only be purchased while on a cruise or during a BVE (Bon Voyage Experience).

 

Cruising seems to have caught on BIG. Ships are sailing full.

[yoyosma]

What are your thoughts on this one, I was looking at a 20 day cruise on the Royal for Feb 8-2017, the total cost for a balcony was $7809 when I looked on Aug. 17, and now the same room and cabin number for the same cruise is $10,215, kind of a huge difference, when I first started looking for this cruise it was $7209 just before Aug. 17, that is an increase of over $3000 when I first started looking, the 3 for free that Princess is offering is a laugh with this $3000 increase in fares

For what it's worth, the premium mini suite I booked months ago for the Feb 18th 2017 20 day cruise is about $500pp more than when we booked way back when. We got the Casino rate and a ton of OBC from the travel agent. We are well under $10000 for the premium mini suite. Hard to believe a balcony would be over $10k but I didn't check balcony prices. Maybe try changing to the Feb 18 cruise if you can and if it is cheaper.

[Birdieman1]

The Feb 18 2017 cruise is also $10217, we are elite cruisers but these prices sure are steep, keeping in mind also our Canadian dollar is taking a pounding

[riclop]

What are your thoughts on this one, I was looking at a 20 day cruise on the Royal for Feb 8-2017, the total cost for a balcony was $7809 when I looked on Aug. 17, and now the same room and cabin number for the same cruise is $10,215, kind of a huge difference, when I first started looking for this cruise it was $7209 just before Aug. 17, that is an increase of over $3000 when I first started looking, the 3 for free that Princess is offering is a laugh with this $3000 increase in fares

 

You are booking way ahead of time just wait and the price will go down.

[Working 2 Cruise]

You are booking way ahead of time just wait and the price will go down.

 

Maybe, maybe not...

[caribill]

double post

Edited October 4, 2015 by caribill

[caribill]

What are your thoughts on this one, I was looking at a 20 day cruise on the Royal for Feb 8-2017, the total cost for a balcony was $7809 when I looked on Aug. 17, and now the same room and cabin number for the same cruise is $10,215, kind of a huge difference, when I first started looking for this cruise it was $7209 just before Aug. 17, that is an increase of over $3000 when I first started looking, the 3 for free that Princess is offering is a laugh with this $3000 increase in fares

 

Part of that Caribbean cruise (in the middle of winter) is over a USA holiday period (Presidents' Day) so anticipated demand could be high causing price increases.

 

Looking at pricing (not signing in with Captain's Circle number), I see a balcony for two people for the 20 days including fees/taxes is US $7858. which, using $1.30 Canadian for the exchange rate would be Canadian $10215.40.

 

Sometime over the summer Princess changed the exchange rate from $1.20 to $1.30 for 2016 bookings of voyages in Canada. Using $1.20 Canadian for the exchange rate would be Canadian $9429.60. So a good part of the price increase you have seen may be due to the currency valuation change.

 

The 20 day cruise is a B2B which can also be booked separately.

Balcony on the first segment is currently US $4058. For the second segment it is US $4068, a total of US $8126, $268 more than booking it as a single voyage.

 

Checking the availability of balcony cabins in one section of the ship on two decks I see many unsold ones, so I doubt the price increase is due to current (not anticipated) supply and demand.

 

When you looked at pricing during the summer, was the free AIBP part of the offer instead of the current 2 for Free? If so, I doubt prices increased just because the included amenities were changed.

 

Although you have seen a price increase on this voyage when looking with the now included 3 for Free, others have reported price decreases or no pricing change at all on their voyages with the 3 for Free promotion. So I doubt Princess raised prices to offset the cost of this promotion.

[mmckm]

We have 3 cruises booked. They were all booked when they first opened up. Everyone has gone up in price. Will they go down, I don't think so. Some people say they can get a deal on the 3 for free. Every time I look its not a deal if you booked early. We always book when the cruise we want opens up and have found this to be the best deal. As the cruise sells out, the prices go up. Also the sales are based on the prices that have gone up since the original prices when it first became available. Comparing the sale price may seem like a deal but not compared to what I paid. Many times I have called to see if the new deal was better then what I had paid. We have never been able to do better. So are you getting a deal, at the time it seems so. But Princess has changed the prices to make it seem so. I'm not saying there are no deals, I'm sure there are on some cruises. But usually they have made it look like a great deal by manipulation of their pricing. They raise prices and shortly after they are giving something away 3 for free or adding on board credit. When you check prices it looks great and it is at the time. The cruise lines are never giving anything away they have it all covered in there pricing.

[pcur]

I book cruises at the going rate when I decide. I know that my price is protected, and if there is a price drop I can also get that.

 

Example: we have a Princess cruise booked for 2016 at a price that was acceptable to us. About 2 weeks ago while doing my daily price checking, I found it was eligible for the 3 For Free promo. We lost our $200 previous cruisers discount, but got a better cabin, the free gratuities, the free specialty dinner, and our obc from the travel agency increased also.

 

Just book the cruise if you are happy with the itinerary and price. You can always cancel before final payment.