Help with pricing! - UK sailing with 1 child

[UKexplorer]

I could use some advice on the pricing. The last cruise we went on was before we had a baby. Now we have a 4 year old and want to try again next summer but the pricing when adding a child is baffling.

 

I priced up a sailing in a balcony cabin from Southampton in Aug 2024. It was coming out as £4k per adult rather than the £2.5k showing on the search page. We have Emerald level C&AS and the discount wasn’t showing either. 
 

I called RCI and was quoted £4338 per adult and £285 for the child which totalled £8961 with our C&AS discount. However, when I price checked just 2 adults, the same cabin was £2884 pp (total £5592). So it seems we’re essentially being charged £3k extra for the child place?!

 

Does anyone have any advice on getting a reasonable quote that includes a child? Or are we destined to be cruise-less until our son is too cool to holiday with us? TIA.

 

 

[firefly333]

Sounds like it would be cheaper to do 2 connecting cabins. A adult in each. I sail solo. The 2 pts are nice. There arent many 3 and 4 pax cabins and they are a different category if you look at your mock booking. And summer rates have lots of kids booking. 

[UKexplorer]

Thanks @firefly333 I gave it a try and it charged the child a near adult price (£5k) and the total came out as just over £11k. 
 

I’m finding their pricing structure very frustrating!

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Sorry to say but royals pricing is a con. Their advertising price is total rubbish as you have found out when you add a third "supposedly cheaper" fare. Whenever we have booked or priced up a royal cruise with the "deals" as soon as we add our third passenger (daughter) the base price for the two adults sky rockets. So in essance the thrid price discount seems to have been added to the first two passengers base prices. 

We have dound with royal best time to book is when they get released. As we in UK are not entitled to price match. Also dont forget the possibility of graturites on top. 

Dont get me wrong i do enjoy royals ships but after spending a long time looking at cruises for 2024 we ended up going with P&O. So much better value for money. 

Also i would say MSC are good as well. 👍

Edited May 30, 2023 by FamilyCruiserUK

[FionaMG]

Hi @UKexplorer,

 

The problem is that, unlike what usually happens at hotels and resorts on land, your child counts towards the occupancy of the room and so you must book a 3-berth cabin. Although these are, to all intents and purposes, identical to the 2-berth cabin you would have booked in the past, they are classed as a different category and are usually priced higher.

 

One question that comes to mind is how flexible are you on dates? Does it have to be August? With that being school holidays, the prices are always going to be sky high.

 

Alternatively, would you consider sailing with MSC? They also sail out of Southampton and are generally cheaper than Royal, plus their child prices are almost invariably better. I have cruised twice with MSC and I wouldn't hesitate to sail with them again.

 

Another option might be P&O. I think they do better child prices than Royal too although I'm treading on rather thin ice here as I don't have any personal experience of them.

 

I hope you manage to sort something out. 🤞

[UKexplorer]

Thanks both.

 

Yes @FamilyCruiserUK we seem to be hitting a wall with the “cheaper fare!

 

@FionaMG it’s my 40th in August and I wanted to do something special, also we’re tied to the school holidays now unfortunately.

 

We’ve only sailed with RCI but I think I’ll take a look at some other cruise lines to compare.
 

 

[FionaMG]

47 minutes ago, UKexplorer said:

Thanks both.

 

Yes @FamilyCruiserUK we seem to be hitting a wall with the “cheaper fare!

 

@FionaMG it’s my 40th in August and I wanted to do something special, also we’re tied to the school holidays now unfortunately.

 

We’ve only sailed with RCI but I think I’ll take a look at some other cruise lines to compare.
 

 

 

Fair enough. 😕 Definitely worth your while exploring other cruise lines then. If you have a reliable travel agent you could enlist their help in the hunt.

[Ourusualbeach]

3 hours ago, UKexplorer said:

I could use some advice on the pricing. The last cruise we went on was before we had a baby. Now we have a 4 year old and want to try again next summer but the pricing when adding a child is baffling.

 

I priced up a sailing in a balcony cabin from Southampton in Aug 2024. It was coming out as £4k per adult rather than the £2.5k showing on the search page. We have Emerald level C&AS and the discount wasn’t showing either. 
 

I called RCI and was quoted £4338 per adult and £285 for the child which totalled £8961 with our C&AS discount. However, when I price checked just 2 adults, the same cabin was £2884 pp (total £5592). So it seems we’re essentially being charged £3k extra for the child place?!

 

Does anyone have any advice on getting a reasonable quote that includes a child? Or are we destined to be cruise-less until our son is too cool to holiday with us? TIA.

 

 

You cannot compare a room with 2 adults in it to a room with 2 adults and a child.  They are completely different categories even though they are the same basic room.

 

yes the rooms for 3 or more guests usually have a higher price for the first 2 guests as there are a lot less rooms that hold 3 on most ships (Icon is the exception) and therefore they are more in demand and command a higher price.

 

Take a look at booking one adult in the balcony and the other adult solo in the cheapest inside that there is and then all sleep in the balcony room.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

1 hour ago, UKexplorer said:

Thanks both.

 

Yes @FamilyCruiserUK we seem to be hitting a wall with the “cheaper fare!

 

@FionaMG it’s my 40th in August and I wanted to do something special, also we’re tied to the school holidays now unfortunately.

 

We’ve only sailed with RCI but I think I’ll take a look at some other cruise lines to compare.
 

 

Plenty of cruise lines out there. Just keep in mind they are all different and do things differently. But enjoy what ever you choose.

[firefly333]

10 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

You cannot compare a room with 2 adults in it to a room with 2 adults and a child.  They are completely different categories even though they are the same basic room.

 

yes the rooms for 3 or more guests usually have a higher price for the first 2 guests as there are a lot less rooms that hold 3 on most ships (Icon is the exception) and therefore they are more in demand and command a higher price.

 

Take a look at booking one adult in the balcony and the other adult solo in the cheapest inside that there is and then all sleep in the balcony room.

Lol that's what I was suggesting though I think you said it better, but same thing. 

[Billy Baltic]

I’d looking at options out of Barcelona or Rome. It’s a short flight and IMO better itineraries. Pricing out of the UK is crazy. 

[UKexplorer]

33 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

You cannot compare a room with 2 adults in it to a room with 2 adults and a child.  They are completely different categories even though they are the same basic room.

 

yes the rooms for 3 or more guests usually have a higher price for the first 2 guests as there are a lot less rooms that hold 3 on most ships (Icon is the exception) and therefore they are more in demand and command a higher price.

 

Take a look at booking one adult in the balcony and the other adult solo in the cheapest inside that there is and then all sleep in the balcony room.

Every cabin we were in on RCI cruises as 2 people had a pull out bed in the sofa which we definitely didn’t pay extra for. So not sure why the price needs to double for each adult to add a child to the booking 🤷🏻‍♀️.

 

I checked the price for a balcony cabin for 1 adult and a child with an additional interior cabin for the other adult and it is £10k. 
 

The telephone RCI quote for 1 balcony cabin was £8961, the online RCI quote was £8537 and a third party site quoted £8007. 
 

P&O has a sailing on their new ship (Arvia?) for just under £5k for the 3 of us in a balcony but the reviews are a bit hit and miss. I’m not sure I can nudge the Mr away from RCI either!
 

Thanks for the advice.
 

 

 

 

[FionaMG]

14 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

I’d looking at options out of Barcelona or Rome. It’s a short flight and IMO better itineraries. Pricing out of the UK is crazy. 

 

I agree with you 100% regarding the prices and itineraries but by the time you add on round-trip high-season flights for 3 people, any savings on the cruise fare are going to be swallowed up by the airline.

Plus, from a practical viewpoint, it's got to be easier for the OP, travelling with a little one, to just drive down to Southampton. 

It's a bum deal for sure. 😕

[mjkacmom]

One regret I have as a parent of 5 was not taking them out of school for yearly vacations before the oldest got to HS. We did it a handful of times, always backing up to a holiday weekend. 

[UKexplorer]

16 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

One regret I have as a parent of 5 was not taking them out of school for yearly vacations before the oldest got to HS. We did it a handful of times, always backing up to a holiday weekend. 

We did it this year as our son is still 4, but from next year we can get a fine if we take him out of school. Not sure how much it is in our area but we’d have to take it into consideration. AlsoI want to go in August to be away for my 40th birthday.

[Billy Baltic]

39 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

 

I agree with you 100% regarding the prices and itineraries but by the time you add on round-trip high-season flights for 3 people, any savings on the cruise fare are going to be swallowed up by the airline.

Plus, from a practical viewpoint, it's got to be easier for the OP, travelling with a little one, to just drive down to Southampton. 

It's a bum deal for sure. 😕

The op is talking about over £8k STG. They might be able to fly to the US and cruise for less 😂

[FionaMG]

10 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

The op is talking about over £8k STG. They might be able to fly to the US and cruise for less 😂

 

Yes, you're probably right. 😂

[little britain]

@UKexplorer
 

18/9/24 

Oasis from Barcelona 

7n ocean view balcony for 3

£4601 total via RCI Uk.

 

You can get EJ flights when they go on sale for around £200pp return incl luggage. 
 

Tons cheaper! 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by little britain

[Biker19]

11 hours ago, UKexplorer said:

So not sure why the price needs to double for each adult to add a child to the booking.

Because RCI thinks folks will pay it.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

3 hours ago, little britain said:

@UKexplorer
 

18/9/24 

Oasis from Barcelona 

7n ocean view balcony for 3

£4601 total via RCI Uk.

 

You can get EJ flights when they go on sale for around £200pp return incl luggage. 
 

Tons cheaper! 

 

+£5k for a week!!!!! Not including transfers, hotels before flights, food and graturites!!!!!!!

 

P&O two weeks on Arvia aug 2024 depending on room and select or saver price

Inside between £3200-3900

Balcony between £4200-£4800

Graturities included. 

 

Also we take our dau out of school over here in lincolnshire. Esp in her early years age 5-8. We got fined £120 total so £60 per adult for our one child. 

 

Have you though about doing a last miniute deal this year on P&O arvia around the fjords in term time just to see if you like the company? Can get some cheap deals at the mo. 

 

I think the big question is what you want from your cruise what do you specifically enjoy with royal.

Dont forget with your little one only being 4/5 there will be a lot on board an rcl oasis class ship that she cant do. Water slides, for example.

 

Also dont forget 6000+ people on cruises each week yet only the negative people post reviews. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by FamilyCruiserUK

[Pandamonia]

16 hours ago, UKexplorer said:

Thanks both.

 

Yes @FamilyCruiserUK we seem to be hitting a wall with the “cheaper fare!

 

@FionaMG it’s my 40th in August and I wanted to do something special, also we’re tied to the school holidays now unfortunately.

 

We’ve only sailed with RCI but I think I’ll take a look at some other cruise lines to compare.
 

 

 

Your first problem is August.

 

Your second problem is if you are thinking 2023 then you are too late.

 

Third problem is you need to wait for promotion where 3rd guest sails for 100-200pp. 

 

My brother got 9 nights on Anthem for 3200 for 2 adults and 2 kids in a balcony with one over 12 so adult prices. Booked 9 months out. 

 

Your ideal situation is getting the 3/4th guest cheap and booking a guarantee cabin either large inside or balcony. Stick the kid in the sofa bed and you should be fine with one cabin. two cabins does not fix your problem as you will then have 4 full price fares to pay. 

 

use both a TA and Royal direct to advise on prices as they can be different sometimes. 

 

If this fails then just book P&O big ships as you will likely save a fortune versus royal but there is less for the kids on those ships but at 4yo would they even notice or care?  

[ellsbells3032]

we found this when adding our 18 month old on. It said "kids sail free" and charged her either 0 or like 99 but increased the adult's fares by over 50-75% so not even charging the same for an 18 month old as an adult but MORE than adult. it was redic. I rung up RCCL and they just shrugged. i looked at other cruises and the next one along was genuinely £99 for my daughter so went with that one

[Pandamonia]

2 minutes ago, ellsbells3032 said:

we found this when adding our 18 month old on. It said "kids sail free" and charged her either 0 or like 99 but increased the adult's fares by over 50-75% so not even charging the same for an 18 month old as an adult but MORE than adult. it was redic. I rung up RCCL and they just shrugged. i looked at other cruises and the next one along was genuinely £99 for my daughter so went with that one

 

This is because they are not allowing booking of the GTE cabins and when you add the child it forces you in to a cabin grade with the sofa bed so you lose the GTE price.

 

What i found was that if you keep an eye on it and the promotion isnt working they then sneak the GTE cabins in to the deal which means you get the cheapest fare plus the 99 for kids and they just make sure you get a sofa bed. 

 

Royals promotions are highly illegal in the UK as they are just outright misleading and scammy but nobody has taken action against them as of yet. 

 

If i had kids i highly doubt Royal would be on my top 3 cruise lines to deal with and if i did then id book via a US TA on credit card on day of release during UK school holidays as far out as possible. 

 

Ive seen some of the crazy prices parents have paid Royal for holidays even outside of school holidays. You just need to learn to play the game with these people and if that fails then book P&O or MSC. 

[ellsbells3032]

In both cases it was still a guaranteed cabin and i ended up booking a guarantee so clearly not an issue. but the same thing happened when i booked a specific cabin. if I clicked a cabin no with 2 adults and 1 child it would be 3.5k, if i clicked the same cabin no with 2 adults it would be 2k (not exact prices but just easy to see numbers)

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Pandamonia said:

Third problem is you need to wait for promotion where 3rd guest sails for 100-200pp. 

You'll be waiting forever for that one for an August sailing.