Questions about pricing on RCCL

[AbsolutRunner]

Hi!

 

I was on the March 5-12 sailing of the Anthem of the Seas from NJ to the Bahamas and had a great time! I love cruising so much that I started looking to book the same week in 2018. However, the price difference is huge!!

 

So this year we booked back in September 2016 when there was some kind of kids sail free promo I believe. I don't remember the exact details and pricing breakdown, but the total cost of the cruise including taxes was 3300$ CAD, so about 2150$ US. This included a superior balcony stateroom, and my wife and I had our 2 and four year olds in tow.

 

Looking at a similar cruise in March of 2018 and my total comes to 5100$ CAD!! ( 3315$ US ). Thats a 35 percent difference!

 

For those of you with experience, do deals regularly come along every now and then that will drop the price down to more or less what we paid for on our last cruise?? Or did we just get a great deal?

 

Should we just book the cruise we want way in advance and just keep watching for price drops?

 

Thanks for any insight!

[Merion_Mom]

Hi!

 

I was on the March 5-12 sailing of the Anthem of the Seas from NJ to the Bahamas and had a great time! I love cruising so much that I started looking to book the same week in 2018. However, the price difference is huge!!

 

So this year we booked back in September 2016 when there was some kind of kids sail free promo I believe. I don't remember the exact details and pricing breakdown, but the total cost of the cruise including taxes was 3300$ CAD, so about 2150$ US. This included a superior balcony stateroom, and my wife and I had our 2 and four year olds in tow.

 

Looking at a similar cruise in March of 2018 and my total comes to 5100$ CAD!! ( 3315$ US ). Thats a 35 percent difference!

 

For those of you with experience, do deals regularly come along every now and then that will drop the price down to more or less what we paid for on our last cruise?? Or did we just get a great deal?

 

Should we just book the cruise we want way in advance and just keep watching for price drops?

 

Thanks for any insight!

 

One difference can be the timing of spring break. Easter is two weeks earlier next year, so the week you are looking at in 2018 may be smack in the middle of prime school vacation. That's one possible explanation.

[Biker19]

Combination of a good deal on your past cruise and waiting for a better deal on the next one.

[Merion_Mom]

On the March 9, 2018 sailing, I get a price of $3226 for four in a DO cabin. Sounds like a decent price to me. (I can't speak to the Canadian conversion)

[Merion_Mom]

Combination of a good deal on your past cruise and waiting for a better deal on the next one.

 

Yes, I just took another look at the OP's details. He got a REAL bargain this year. Sometimes you just can't duplicate that. ;)

[AbsolutRunner]

On the March 9, 2018 sailing, I get a price of $3226 for four in a DO cabin. Sounds like a decent price to me. (I can't speak to the Canadian conversion)

 

This is exactly the one that I priced out for my next cruise that came to about 3300 USD. Although those dates aren't ideal ( leaving on a Friday isn't ideal; I'd prefer a Sunday to Sunday ), I'm hoping to find something a little cheaper. Thanks for the reply!

[Rogueperson]

The thing with pricing is if kids are out of school, then the price will go up. If the kids are in school, prices are generally lower. IF you find something where your kids are out of school and the price is good, you need to jump on it quickly.

 

We found a 10 night cruise on the Grandeur for 850/person for an interior one year over NYE with 150 OBC per room (2014 NYE). We jumped on it immediately. The price rose to about 1600/person about a month before sailing. The price never came back down anywhere close to where we paid.

[Disney Sheep]

Follow on question: We are looking at an August 2017 Med cruise on the Brilliance out of Barcelona and right now it is 'on sale', but the cost is still significant since our kids are 18 and 20 and we feel the need for 2 interior cabins. Since we are fairly close to the PIF date, is it better to jump on the sale price now or to wait until the PIF date and hope for a better price?

[Clarea]

Follow on question: We are looking at an August 2017 Med cruise on the Brilliance out of Barcelona and right now it is 'on sale', but the cost is still significant since our kids are 18 and 20 and we feel the need for 2 interior cabins. Since we are fairly close to the PIF date, is it better to jump on the sale price now or to wait until the PIF date and hope for a better price?

Unfortunately, unpredictable.

[Rogueperson]

Follow on question: We are looking at an August 2017 Med cruise on the Brilliance out of Barcelona and right now it is 'on sale', but the cost is still significant since our kids are 18 and 20 and we feel the need for 2 interior cabins. Since we are fairly close to the PIF date, is it better to jump on the sale price now or to wait until the PIF date and hope for a better price?

 

You need to ask yourself "how badly do you want to be on this specific cruise?" If the answer is "I need to be on this particular ship at this particular time", than book. Otherwise, wait until PIF and see what the prices will be. If by final payment date, they are selling at or above expectation, the prices won't vary, but if they are not, then expect to see the prices drop.

 

We were on an Anthem cruise last October. When we booked, it was a 9 night cruise for about 825/person for virtual interior. We thought it was a great price so we booked. This was 18 months in advanced. The price dropped a little where we got a price reduction (which was a shocker) and then afterwards, it started to jump, to almost 1500/person. After final payment, the price dropped again, but not to the level that we paid (but the guarantees did). They dropped so much, that we gave up our interior for a balcony guarantee for $46.00 total.

 

So yes, it is unpredictable, so you should decide how important this booking is to you. If its just something you're interested in, but could do something else, leave it and see. If you really want to cruise on that particular itinerary and date, then book.

[Disney Sheep]

Thanks for your responses. To be honest we had booked a Disney Med cruise on opening day, but the price, especially with the exchange rate (US to Cdn) made us re-think. We would still like to sail the Med this summer, and the itinerary with Venice, Pompeii and Kotor as well as the other ports is really intriguing, so I will have to think this one out carefully!

[Biker19]

We would still like to sail the Med this summer, and the itinerary with Venice, Pompeii and Kotor as well as the other ports is really intriguing, so I will have to think this one out carefully!

Very unlikely the 8/5 sailing will have much lower prices - at this point it is virtually sold out. Flights around that time will also likely to be expensive. The 8/29 sailing might have a price reduction and if it does, it is likely to be after final, but flights might be high by then. Much harder to play the wait game on a far away cruise like that.

[Jerseygirl1416]

Is it just the cruises I price out or are there never really great deals on balcony cabins on 7/8 night cruises? I seem to always get about the same pricing across 3 cruise lines from year to year. Every now and then during a real sale I'll get something a couple of hundred cheaper but nothing like the prices of inside cabins.

[Rogueperson]

Is it just the cruises I price out or are there never really great deals on balcony cabins on 7/8 night cruises? I seem to always get about the same pricing across 3 cruise lines from year to year. Every now and then during a real sale I'll get something a couple of hundred cheaper but nothing like the prices of inside cabins.

 

Are they within the same time frame? Like i said, I was very surprised at how low a balcony went for on the Anthem when we went. This was off peak in October. During peak season, you're not likely to see a low price unless you get lucky.

[nelblu]

Follow on question: We are looking at an August 2017 Med cruise on the Brilliance out of Barcelona and right now it is 'on sale', but the cost is still significant since our kids are 18 and 20 and we feel the need for 2 interior cabins. Since we are fairly close to the PIF date, is it better to jump on the sale price now or to wait until the PIF date and hope for a better price?

 

I'm not sure if it's the Aug. 29th 12 nite cruise, but the present price for a D2 cabin is some $1,100 more than when I booked it back in March 2016.

 

Ps. The present sale is one of the many similar sales run by RCL. lol

[Jerseygirl1416]

Are they within the same time frame? Like i said, I was very surprised at how low a balcony went for on the Anthem when we went. This was off peak in October. During peak season, you're not likely to see a low price unless you get lucky.

 

Now that our kids don't come with us anymore I usually look at May beginning of June or end of September/October. I've never gotten a price drop either and I always check.

[LuCruise]

If you're looking at March 9th cruise, I believe that is Canadian march break. From your dates this year, that is the week before march break (i.e. it is march break now). I would guess that is the different in pricing.

[Rogueperson]

Now that our kids don't come with us anymore I usually look at May beginning of June or end of September/October. I've never gotten a price drop either and I always check.

 

I have found May and June to be a little higher because college lets out in May in many places. I think that's considered a shoulder period. September can be iffy but October is generally lower as well as the first 2 weeks of November. The times I"ve gotten amazing deals. First 2 weeks of December after Thanksgiving is great. January and February (though not valentines day) tends to be low. March starts creeping up because of spring break, but it is possible to find deals then too.