Wow !! Have the Prices Ever Changed

[sowhat]

Looking to book Symphony  of the seas for 30 April  and 7 May. Last year we were on Wonder of the seas , same time of year for $4750 including  flights, hotel and tips in gty ocean view cabins. Booked 6 weeks before sail date.
The Symphony  price is $7000  for two weeks in a neighbourhood gty cabin with fight and tips but no hotel this year booking  at the same time before sail  date

[bigque]

On 3/11/2023 at 11:26 PM, Smooth_J said:

Never mind the cruise prices, I was looking at the cruise planner for a cruise in July 2024, and I was blown away at the price increases.

Same here. I have a cruise booked for October this year on Harmony and one booked on Allure in July 24 and the price increase jumped up big time in the cruise planner and especially the Coco Cay prices. 

[dunrobbin]

23 hours ago, chfenton said:

There is so much data now  available to the cruise lines pricing analysts.  Unless demand subsides, i.e. ships sail with empty cabins, I expect this recent  pricing to be the new norm. 

 

Same with airfare, they know what they can charge and planes are still full even though fares have gone up significantly.  

Yes!!!  I fly home from Toronto Canada to Sydney Australia once a year (except during Covid).  Flights are usually $1600 return before Covid, and now the cheapest is $2700 return. Just awful! Cruising seems to be going the same way.

[Engineroom Snipe]

7 hours ago, sowhat said:

Looking to book Symphony  of the seas for 30 April  and 7 May. Last year we were on Wonder of the seas , same time of year for $4750 including  flights, hotel and tips in gty ocean view cabins. Booked 6 weeks before sail date.
The Symphony  price is $7000  for two weeks in a neighbourhood gty cabin with fight and tips but no hotel this year booking  at the same time before sail  date

 

This is about what I have found too.

 

I booked three cruises, a seven, eight, and nine night before December of last year for this year.

 

Same prices for 2024 is about 75% more and my current 2023 cruises are almost sold-out months ahead of time with the final cabins going for about twice what I paid.

 

High demand and people are buying at the higher prices. Nothing we can do about it but space out the cruises looking for an opportunity to find lower prices on occasion.

[sowhat]

The dynamic  pricing  model  all so stops  us booking. If we see a price that is high, we  just  wait for the next so call fantastic sale.
If the price increases because  of the new sale , we just book an other vacation, if it's a lower price , we have saved. We always  book after final payment date and pay in full,  around 5 to 6 weeks before  sail date
When the web site states the sale ends in  X amount  of days and hours, we just wait and let other people panic  buy  and wait for the next unforgettable sale !

[islandchicklet]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:50 AM, BobNoxious said:

Correct, but he is also saying that NOW $3800 gets you one cruise, and my post shows that one cruise is not that high for 8-night southern carib balcony.

Well I booked a 7 night on Wonder with a virtual balcony (so interior) for April (off season) and it was 3500.00 with grats & taxes. Another almost 2000.00 for UPD, DDP and internet!  And I had  the same itinerary last September on Harmony and paid 1650.00 so I definitely see what the OP is saying.

[slyster]

I was seeing $411 for inside cabins on Allure on Aug. 27....it fluctuated between $411 and $450 for a few months.  It's now $803 a person.

 

I got a junior suite for $2900 for two people.  Yesterday, it was $2655 a person.  I don't see junior suites anymore and THEY pick your suite for $2281 a person.

 

I almost got a grand suite for $3995 for two people and thought, no it's too much.  It's now $3769 a person!  That was pretty much the cost for 2 people November - January.  Man the prices have gone up.

 

By the way, the last week of August is a lot cheaper than the rest of the month too.

[gmerick]

Time to check prices again -- My balcony cabin just dropped almost 40% in price.  Sailing 18 Jan 2024, Anthem of the Seas, Category 2F.

[HaveWeMetYet]

Prices are going to come down. You just have to wait it out. The surge in travel bookings after the mask mandate and other covid restrictions were removed has skewed the revenue management programs these companies use to forecast future demand.

I have already rebooked an Alaska cruise this August twice when I saw price reductions. Inside cabins are now going for less than 300 for May sailings on some dates..

I rebooked a Vegas trip twice when hotel price dropped.

I rebooked airfare to Orlando 3 times for an April cruise to catch price drops.

Rental car prices are also falling.

I suspect air and cruise travel credits that need to be used up played a role also.

[baldilocks]

As I originally started this topic, I have been checking prices on our October and December cruises No luck so far in any price reductions. The December cruise has gone way up since I booked it over a year ago. I think that these cruises will be our last as I am having health issues with old ticker. My wife does not want me stranded in a hospital in Belize, Jamaica, etc.

[RC Dancers]

And what happened to the Crown and Anchor discount? I checked on a December 2024 Oasis cruise this morning and there was no difference whether I was logged in or not.

[RC Dancers]

35 minutes ago, RC Dancers said:

And what happened to the Crown and Anchor discount? I checked on a December 2024 Oasis cruise this morning and there was no difference whether I was logged in or not.

My mistake, the C&A discount is for Balconys and up. I was looking at a Central Park view cabin.

 

[mcatmcat]

On 3/16/2023 at 9:29 AM, ChC said:

The higher price is not necessarily due to natural demand. But the strategy of sales.

 

First is that we now have a very unpredictable period in sales. If you look at the United Airlines conference call in JP Morgan, what they are saying is that the traditional predictable method to forecast sales was not the case of past quarter, and the future booking trends are not necessarily following past years before pandemic.

 

Cruise industry is the same, I think after the prolonged revenge travel last year, it is indeed difficult to really predict what is the right price for higher yield. 

 

Not only that, the petrol price, gas price and foreign exchange rate is going to be difficult to predict too.

 

All that makes cruise lines to think really seriously about future pricing strategy. First you can't price the cruise too low. If you do, you are risking loosing money should there is unfavourable condition in energy price or foreign exchange market. Second, you need the cash flow, so you can not price it too high to discourage booking. Yet, last year it is proven if an item get priced really high than usual, people actually do a lot of panic buying. For example, when a holiday cruise itinerary went from $1500 to $3000, those who did not book suddenly went into panic mode and did not care how much the cruise is compared to normal. Because, to normal consumers, a higher price automatically equal to popularity. That itself causes panic purchasing.

 

Now, the second thing is RCL (seems to be at least) is encouraging travel agent to block group rooms and in some cases without deposit paid upfront. And different travel agents can also work together to form a group to take advantage of group bookings. That fuels further speculation and block FIT from cheaper pricing. 

 

The third thing about past year is there are a lot of incentive cruising activities. For example, a small company takes all employees on a weekend trip to award loyalty etc. This trend is accelerated last year due to the pandemic. Hence the more 3/4 nighters cruise on RCL out of Florida last year. This also coupled with family reunions and weddings etc. 

 

The fourth point is that with interests rate higher, the traditional middle class are also get more in savings. Which means more money to spend on cruise. If you had $250K in savings, that is extra $10k income in a fixed term deposit. Ok I am not talking about people living on pay cheque day by day, I know there are cruisers from this group. But on average, where cruise company are targeting, the 40-55 years old professional middle class, have $150-250k invested or saved is not uncommon.  

 

All above factors have a huge impact on cruise line's pricing strategy. Instead of selling future cruise cheaply, RCL is now firm on higher price point, it will continue offer discount or rebate on group bookings and bulk bookings, while reduce discount offered to FIT and direct market. It works for them now on majority itineraries (especially shorter ones). Yet it had trouble with longer itineraries, like they have to sell the Symphony TA at $300 or the upcoming Anthem TA at $500 last minute after final payment. 

 

If you would like cheaper cruises, I highly suggest look for last minute bargains. Until the world go back to what it was before 2020, cruise lines or airlines will adapt higher future price point strategy to protect revenue in order to survive. Cruise lines obviously would like to train customer to be used to higher prices so that they can make sure customers to believe the new price is going to stay. In the mean time they are also give away free cabins to gamblers and media/influencers/travel agents to further strength their image being full at capacity. 

 

So it is complicated. There is no one answer to the problem mentioned in this thread. But as someone in this thread did say, that bargains are still around. You need to be flexible and prepare to travel last minute, on older ships and longer itineraries. 

 

wow , you are my new hero. Wow

[Cayman1]

On 3/16/2023 at 2:30 AM, mcatmcat said:

Due to prices I went to celebrity’s for the first time in Feb because Royal was super expensive. Oh wow, thanks royal now I have 2 more reservation with celebrity. 

As Celebrity and Royal are the same company, they are still getting your money either way. 🙂

 

[mcatmcat]

1 minute ago, Cayman1 said:

As Celebrity and Royal are the same company, they are still getting your money either way. 🙂

 

But I feel I'm giving away less money while receiving better service and value for it.

[Cayman1]

2 minutes ago, mcatmcat said:

But I feel I'm giving away less money while receiving better service and value for it.

Of course. I would totally agree with that theory. Plus, probably less of these unruly teenagers that don't know how to act properly. 🙂 

[ptf2009]

On 3/14/2023 at 1:26 PM, kruzerci said:

Royal Caribbean is absolutely not worth the money whatsoever at this point for us.

 

Unless you sail on a new ship, the cabins are often worn out and have an ick factor from the old carpet and bedding, the food quality has fallen below anything I would eat at home, massive lines for MDR, and the prices are skyrocketing. 
 

It’s definitely across all mainstream lines, but genuinely sad to see how Royal has fallen since it was our primary vacation company for many many years. 

 

We have more land trips and Celebrity cruises booked. Celebrity has also dropped in quality, but still is a more enjoyable experience. 

 

I totally agree with you...the food and the entertainment have really gone downhill. Until recently we had never walked out during a show. We weren't alone as people were streaming out of two comedians on Voyager and the singers only knew how to scream! We are also Diamond plus. We have a BTB planned for September and then we are going to go to two booked cruises on Celebrity.

 

Also with the increase in prices, many people will remove the gratuities and just give them to those they encounter. Doesn't seem fair?...but these are the consequences.

[keishashadow]

I have a nine, three & four night insides booked on RCCL for this year.  Had thot to upgrade to balcony (as was always our usual pre pandemic) after final payment when prices dropped…silly me.

 

Appears there is still a lot of pent up demand, especially for the shorter cruises when the kiddos are out of school.

 

The pp rate for us & 12 yo GD on the three night in July on IOS is now approx $2,200 for an inside.  I booked it for $1,800 a few months ago, had thot it would surely drop in price.🤯   The surrounding weeks options are just as pricey.  

 

For just the mr & me:

 

I’m paying the same amount of money on a 9 night for early May as the July short cruise.  Note, I’ve booked that same time frame in the past, nowhere near that astronomical pricing.  Could be the coco cay waterpark that is also driving up the cost.

 

Caught a great rate for a four night on the allure in November around $900 🙂

[actuarian]

Cruise prices are just following the same path that long haul air travel is following.  I traveled to Italy last October in business class. My next trip this May to Spain will be in premium economy and I am paying almost as much as last time; business class prices have increased to the point that I can no longer afford to fly that way. I usually purchase my airline tickets about 4 months before flying. The business class non-stop round trip that cost around $3,000 in June of 2022 cost around $11,000 last January. Today, it costs $12,194.28 in business, $2,671.28 in premium economy and $1,911.28 in economy. Of course, there are much better fares that require a change of planes but the minimum fare for business class (with changes) is still much higher than it was a year ago.

[deliver42]

We're booked on the Harmony in May for the itinery thanks to a cancellation on another line. A regular balcony with no perks is $3200.00. We have a 10 day on the Celebrity Equinox next December with the All IN plus the Premium drinks for a total of $3600.00 There's something rotten in Denmark.

[ARandomTraveler]

1 hour ago, actuarian said:

Cruise prices are just following the same path that long haul air travel is following.  I traveled to Italy last October in business class. My next trip this May to Spain will be in premium economy and I am paying almost as much as last time; business class prices have increased to the point that I can no longer afford to fly that way. I usually purchase my airline tickets about 4 months before flying. The business class non-stop round trip that cost around $3,000 in June of 2022 cost around $11,000 last January. Today, it costs $12,194.28 in business, $2,671.28 in premium economy and $1,911.28 in economy. Of course, there are much better fares that require a change of planes but the minimum fare for business class (with changes) is still much higher than it was a year ago.

Same. I traveled to Europe last fall and a round trip ticket was just under $2,000. This summer my round trip ticket (premium economy) is just under $5,000. Crazy. 

[deliver42]

A lot of companies increased prices for various reasons, mostly salary related for what they now have to pay. We all know cruise lines pay zilch, so that leaves payroll out of the equation. In fact, their payroll may have actually shrunk due to the cutbacks.