Increased demand...will that mean prices are going up?

[ober134]

According to financial news outlet, booking numbers are twice that of same date 2 years ago. Not sure if that's a good metric, but Economics 101 is supply and demand.

[mz-s]

I'd say you should have had your fall cruises booked before all this yes. But I think looking out past Christmas for the most part the relaxed protocols are already priced in.

[lazydayz]

6 minutes ago, ober134 said:

According to financial news outlet, booking numbers are twice that of same date 2 years ago. Not sure if that's a good metric, but Economics 101 is supply and demand.

 

Two years ago there were no cruises going out, so of course the number of cruised being booked would be way down.  A better comparison would be same date 3 years ago (before the pandemic).  From that we could tell how close the cruise lines are to recapturing their passengers.  

[BlerkOne]

Prices were already going up. So was demand.

[vwrestler171]

The data was for 2019, not 2 years ago. So CCL is booking at 2x the same date in 2019.

[vwrestler171]

However for the 2nd part of your question, YES.  Increased demand always leads to an increase in prices.  

[firefly333]

People on rcl were mentioned they saw this somewhere. And hopefully it forces rcl to remove pre testing. I'd book carnival over rcl to avoid it. Others will too. .. or rcl will change. Win for carnival. 

[Doctorsbaby]

I booked a NYE cruise back in June, hoping the protocols would be reduced and expecting prices to go up once they were. 

[RD64]

Economics 101 says yes - Law of Supply and Demand.

[Lee Cruiser]

Yes, it certainly seems reasonable that they will be going up.  It really is not just a supply / demand issue, but it is likely also an inflation cost issue.  It will likely be a combination of both.

 

It won't affect us much next year except for extras.  All three of our cruises for next year were booked with the special 50% off offering earlier this spring.  We will be paying a whole lot less than we did for two of our cruises this year.

Edited August 17, 2022 by Lee Cruiser

[ober134]

1 hour ago, vwrestler171 said:

The data was for 2019, not 2 years ago. So CCL is booking at 2x the same date in 2019.

My bad. You are correct, the article referenced pre pandemic... 2019 not 2020. No more $30 offers in the foreseeable future

[Enryon]

Like any business with a limited inventory, I’m sure carnival will charge as much as they can. I expect prices to go up and some people priced out of cabin categories they prefer. 

[seekatz]

Think the idea of kids cruising free  more limited , especially at peak times as why put non revenue people on a ship when you can fill the cabins without these practices. Many times it use to be $ 199 for 3 and 4th in the same cabin. I think casino offers will also be cut back, except for the active casino players.

[DallasGuy75219]

3 hours ago, Enryon said:

Like any business with a limited inventory, I’m sure carnival will charge as much as they can. I expect prices to go up and some people priced out of cabin categories they prefer. 

Supply and demand is a much stronger driver of pricing vs. inflation for a business with perishable inventory and high fixed costs (i.e., a cruise line).

[BoozinCroozin]

Prices are not going to increase much. We are not going to see some of the deals we have seen in the past, but they are not going to skyrocket either. All of the cutbacks and price increases will impact overall numbers as well. People are finding it hard to pay $4,000 for what was $2,800. They are looking for better value for their money instead of less value for more money. There is a tight balancing act here and there are plenty of options to choose. 

[Joebucks]

6 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

Prices are not going to increase much. We are not going to see some of the deals we have seen in the past, but they are not going to skyrocket either. All of the cutbacks and price increases will impact overall numbers as well. People are finding it hard to pay $4,000 for what was $2,800. They are looking for better value for their money instead of less value for more money. There is a tight balancing act here and there are plenty of options to choose. 

 

Do you have any proof to back this up? Some hotels are charging 2-3x pre-pandemic, while executive lounges and in some cases, breakfast are gone. Yet they are selling out. Meanwhile, cruising has stayed exempt from these changes. The usual fomo of cutbacks isn't as powerful as this forum thinks it is.

 

More people want to cruise without testing, vaccination, masks, etc than they want to pizza at 4 am or tablecloths.

[DallasGuy75219]

16 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

Do you have any proof to back this up? Some hotels are charging 2-3x pre-pandemic, while executive lounges and in some cases, breakfast are gone. Yet they are selling out. Meanwhile, cruising has stayed exempt from these changes. The usual fomo of cutbacks isn't as powerful as this forum thinks it is.

 

More people want to cruise without testing, vaccination, masks, etc than they want to pizza at 4 am or tablecloths.

If ships are full now, some of those cabins were booked at deeply discounted prices or free casino offers when cruises were still paused or after they restarted.

 

I'm not a casino whale but all 8 of my post-restart cruises so far have been free from the casino. I have 3 more free cruises booked through January and within the last week booked 3 more free Carnival cruises for September-December 2023.  Not just 3-5 day sailings on Fantasy class. I had my pick of 6-8 day sailings on Mardi Gras, Celebration, and Jubilee, including some holiday weeks.  And I'm still getting massively more free cruise offers than I could ever take.

 

My point?  As long as the cruise lines are throwing free cruise offers left and right at little fish like me, that's a sign demand isn't there to start jacking up cruise prices significantly, with the exception of high-demand sailings like holiday weeks when they can fill the ship without giving away free casino rooms.

[Lee Cruiser]

8 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Supply and demand is a much stronger driver of pricing vs. inflation for a business with perishable inventory and high fixed costs (i.e., a cruise line).

I agree that supply and demand play a large role.  However, you cannot tell me that Carnival can continue to charge the same price for a cruise when their food prices are increasing just like those of everyone else (some stats show 10+% on food).  This when Carnival is still losing money.  Yes, they are making adjustments in offerings, which will help cut costs some,  However, you can only make so many cuts.  The increased capacity will also help some, but sooner or later you have to figure in the cost of your product.

[Guest BasicSailor]

Prices going up and amenities will go down, keep an eye open 😉

[Joebucks]

4 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

My point?  As long as the cruise lines are throwing free cruise offers left and right at little fish like me, that's a sign demand isn't there to start jacking up cruise prices significantly, with the exception of high-demand sailings like holiday weeks when they can fill the ship without giving away free casino rooms.

 

The original post stated bookings are double at what they were. The economy judges the prices more than anecdotal observations.

[DallasGuy75219]

5 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

The original post stated bookings are double at what they were. The economy judges the prices more than anecdotal observations.

On one single day, right after the protocols were changed. Not indefinitely.  But how long will that pent up demand last, especially when the unvaccinated get on their first post-restart cruise and see what crap Carnival's product has become?

[Lee Cruiser]

5 hours ago, BasicSailor said:

Prices going up and amenities will go down, keep an eye open 😉

Part of that has already happened and I'm guessing the rising price will follow sooner or later.

[icft]

Yes, increased demand will result in increased prices. Some of that is already happening. We only cruise on casino deals (though we are definitely not big league gamblers) so I don't know about "regular" rates. Pre-covid we never got an Elite offer, just Ultra and Premier and usually not a free room. Just after covid we were getting Elite offers with free balcony and $300 - $500 casino cash. Lately we have been getting Elite with free balcony but no casino cash. The premier and Ultra offers have been similarly less attractive recently with smaller casino cash amounts than before.

 

The one we have used most is a "plan now, pay later" offer that we consider better than any of the others (free balcony, free drinks everywhere for one, and $1,000 casino cash). The last offer we have for that is "book before August 31" and I expect if we get that offer again it will also be downsized. We have six cruises booked on that deal for September 2022 through March 2023 (getting while the getting is good).

 

As others have noted, Carnival has already downsized amenities which is another way of raising prices, AKA shrinkflation. We would prefer to pay more and have the old amenities, but when they are paying you to cruise it makes sense to take the deal. But when we start having to pay (no more free balcony) we will move on to another line for the amenities we used to get on Carnival.

[BlerkOne]

People who want to spend more, can easily switch to a different cruise line. Think the Carnival product is crap? Ditto.

 

Are some gamblers getting deals? Sure. But that isn't most of the ship. Unbelievable how some are looking a gift horse in the mouth and whinnying.

[rrraydon]

On 8/16/2022 at 7:15 PM, firefly333 said:

People on rcl were mentioned they saw this somewhere. And hopefully it forces rcl to remove pre testing. I'd book carnival over rcl to avoid it. Others will too. .. or rcl will change. Win for carnival. 

Agree.

RCI cruiser here. I just booked a cruise  a few days ago on Carnival to avoid testing and to bring my unvaccinated granddaughter along.