10/18/23: Princess Makes Dramatic Pricing Change, Now Focused on Unprecedented Savings for Early Bookers

[voljeep]

4 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

Time will prove one of us right. 

is that when that 'logistical nightmare' will manifest?

[mtnesterz]

Our cruise booked last week is listed among the offerings. It went up $110 ($55 ea.) And no OBC offered now, unless I missed that.

@c-boy. Enjoy your posts, but don't understand sozo in this context. Curious.

 

 

 

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

Well bang goes my late booking options then. We sometimes at a week or two of notice have a window for a break and our first call is to look for a late booking cruise. Not any more then it seems. Looks like we will be with another line or on a land-based holiday instead when that happens 😞 

[LACruiser88]

3 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

Well bang goes my late booking options then. We sometimes at a week or two of notice have a window for a break and our first call is to look for a late booking cruise. Not any more then it seems. Looks like we will be with another line or on a land-based holiday instead when that happens 😞 

There has to be some late discounts when a ship has empty cabins after final payment deadline?  Time will tell...

[DaisyRose]

This does not take into account people with health issues who can not book far in advance because they don't know what the status of their treatments and illness will be in a year or two.  

[RD64]

2 hours ago, voljeep said:

who will blink first? - and if Princess doesn't reduce to drop and go - will those cruisers just not go - but remember for their next cruise no longer drop and go pricing, so they book earlier.

 

And as others, we book when the cruises open up - so no change for us.

 

When does "STAR Princess" sail in the caribbean - we will book it, depending on the price and how our cruise on the SUN P goes in fall 2024 we will decide if the refundable deposit - nevermind

True - who will blink first? Perhaps Princess wants to maintain some pricing integrity - but if it works for Princess, others will be sure to follow.

 

As long as deposits are refundable, this could be a win / win for those who are able to plan accordingly.

Edited October 18, 2023 by RD64
Additional

[hobo1937]

After I read this post I decided to check our Hawaii cruise on the Grand next year. There was a good price drop so I called our TA and they refared the cruise at an even slightly better price. Thanks!

[LACruiser88]

1 minute ago, hobo1937 said:

After I read this post I decided to check our Hawaii cruise on the Grand next year. There was a good price drop so I called our TA and they refared the cruise at an even slightly better price. Thanks!

Last week, we were able to refare two of our cruises, one in '24 and one in '25, for a substantial savings.  Checking our 8 booked cruises today, all had the same pricing from last week. 

[rj59]

Completely short-sighted approach, believing they can maintain high prices since they believe ships will be full forever and price-conscious consumers will pay higher than other lines who offer discounts. It also cuts out solo passengers like me who depend on last-minute fares with waived single supplement in order to afford cruises. There are some cruises that simply have low demand, like off-season Europe or one-way to Hawaii or Pacific Coastal cruises when they relocate their entire Alaska fleet. There are also the many N-S Alaska cruises that simply don't have enough demand to fill ships without last-minute discounts. Then it looks like the Best Price Guarantee is a complete lie, because it only lasts for 72 hours after booking. But of course they'll never lower fares, according to the new policy, no matter how many unsold cabins there are on a cruise, so they evidently think they're Tesla, so popular and so superior to the competition that they never need to deal or lower prices since there will always be enough demand to fill every cruise ship around the world. Meanwhile, all their competition will drop prices in order to fill ships--NCL is the master of this, but I've also chosen last-minute discounts on HAL and Celebrity, their direct competitors. Granted, I'd prefer a low upfront price for a cruise, where I wouldn't have to play the game of fare adjustments or the pain of seeing a last-minute drop on a cruise I paid much more for, but if all your competitors play the usual way, then you'll lose out, as Saturn did when they tried to maintain one-price car sales. I look at future Europe cruises, and none are affordable for me as a solo cruiser, whereas I was able to find Azamara in Spain for $100/day and Virgin for $100/day also. Princess has several for under $100/day for a solo this fall, but that's only because of last-minute discounts, and even those aren't filling ships--I went on Royal in May, after it had arrived from Australia only 40% full, even after last-minute discounts, so I don't think they really understand the laws of supply and demand, or think ahead to what will happen if inflation, a recession, generational changes, or even a significant military conflict would have on their expectations of high demand for their brand going forward. Personally, I'm kind of bored of their ships and find them too cramped and stressful at full capacity, the ships stink of casino smoke now, and I'm sick of their menus and buffets and shows and activities, and I have zero interest in even bigger new ships with family gimmicks and exclusive areas. My favorite YouTube cruise blogger, Gary B. on TipsforTravelers, also feels the same way about Princess now, and finds the newer Celebrity ships (with non-smoking casinos, ahem) and other brands much more interesting. 

 

I really wanted to make Princess my only cruise line, especially after I reached Elite, but all the punches in the face recently have really damaged my loyalty: no combining military and shareholder OBC, no home delivery of medallion or free Alfredo's without Plus, and no more last-minute discounts. 

[SCX22]

Not following supply and demand will only come to hurt Princess.  We hear about the full sailings on this board because of move over offers but many of Princess’ ships are only going almost full, not fully booked.  Because of Princess’ new pricing strategy of having non refundable deposits and guarantee cabins on the lowest category, they are getting more and more guarantee bookings.  It’s not unusual for to see a sailing sold out 2 months prior to sailing only to see cabins become available a month before sailing after guarantees have been assigned.

[Ombud]

No price reduction on my 11/24 or 10/25 cruise. 11/24 is appropriately priced IMHO 10/25 cruise is almost 2× what I paid for it 7/19. Oh well .... predicting a future price drop no matter what Jan says

[WisCruiser2]

I'm wondering how you could "lock in" a fare without having a specific itinerary or dates -- will it be for "a balcony room on a 7-day on _____Princess"? 

[that]

7 minutes ago, WisCruiser2 said:

I'm wondering how you could "lock in" a fare without having a specific itinerary or dates -- will it be for "a balcony room on a 7-day on _____Princess"? 

It is all thru the Princess Promotions department 😑

[bubbaed]

While travel-related costs are skyrocketing across the board (booked flights or hotels recently?!?) I agree that this seems short-sighted and a blow to those who usually cannot plan vacations far in advance. One of the great things about Princess had been the excellent choice in available itineraries from various ports of departure allowing me to book in conjunction with a work trip or a last-minute gap in my calendar - particularly from home ports in California where I live.

 

However, when I am able to plan a cruise vacation far in advance, I'm now unlikely to choose Princess - mostly due to changes in the service levels and quality of the on-board product - not to mention the recent price increases that don't seem to be in line with what's actually being offered. Princess was always my go-to for a wonderful vacation on short notice, and they usually met my expectations. But when I have time to plan and do the research, I'm far more likely to book on lines like Oceania and Viking, which arguably offer a product that is more in-line with the prices they charge, or book a land-based vacation. Maybe someday Princess quality will be (again?) to the point where it's worth booking 18 months in advance.

 

Bottom line: Princess prices are up, quality of product is down, and last minute-deals are (apparently) no longer an available remedy to this conundrum.

 

Bummer.

 

 

[jjack413]

Humm. Not sure how I feel about all of this Princess. Almost like a subtle intimidation tactic. Book now or else. Oh well, I’m booked Oct 2025 because I wanted on the new ship. I will still price check and report back if my cruise price drops. I wonder if this price match is for big box stores. 2025 prices are on the high end. I have 2 years of price checking ahead of me. 

[PacnGoNow]

24 minutes ago, jjack413 said:

I have 2 years of price checking ahead of me

Unless, as they state…no price reductions…only prices will go up.

 

Who knows?

[luv2kroooz]

They'll be sailing to Alaska with lots of vacancy if they don't drop their prices. The Alaska market has so much capacity among all lines in the industry it is amazing. Might be the softest market out there, actually. There will always be last minute capacity somewhere, resulting in deep last minute discounts in an attempt to fill ships.

 

[lovevacadays]

6 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Sounds like there will not be any price reductions moving forward prior to final payment deadline.  Only up and up!  Glad we are booked thru the end of 2025.

 

 

 

Me too. I have a 2024 and 2025 booked. I think Princess’ primary demographic may lean towards those that can book earlier. Not sure, just surmising. 

[J13C85]

10 hours ago, voljeep said:

Just checked my existing Fall 2024 cruise - same pricing I'm booked under ... so far

I just did the same thing and my existing Nov 2024 cruise is now appx $700 more than when I booked it 2 months ago. It's been hanging in this price range for over a month.

[SargassoPirate]

It's another game of Three Card Monte, enhanced with smoke and mirrors.

 

I  just checked a 2025 cruise that I booked when it was first released.

It's gone up since I booked. 

 

 

[cheezenip]

10 hours ago, bubbaed said:

While travel-related costs are skyrocketing across the board (booked flights or hotels recently?!?) I agree that this seems short-sighted and a blow to those who usually cannot plan vacations far in advance. One of the great things about Princess had been the excellent choice in available itineraries from various ports of departure allowing me to book in conjunction with a work trip or a last-minute gap in my calendar - particularly from home ports in California where I live.

 

However, when I am able to plan a cruise vacation far in advance, I'm now unlikely to choose Princess - mostly due to changes in the service levels and quality of the on-board product - not to mention the recent price increases that don't seem to be in line with what's actually being offered. Princess was always my go-to for a wonderful vacation on short notice, and they usually met my expectations. But when I have time to plan and do the research, I'm far more likely to book on lines like Oceania and Viking, which arguably offer a product that is more in-line with the prices they charge, or book a land-based vacation. Maybe someday Princess quality will be (again?) to the point where it's worth booking 18 months in advance.

 

Bottom line: Princess prices are up, quality of product is down, and last minute-deals are (apparently) no longer an available remedy to this conundrum.

 

Bummer.

 

 

Agree with this sentiment. All these changes by current CEO John Padgett continues to accelerate the decline of a once proud cruise line.

[Ken the cruiser]

15 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Totally agree.  But as @PacnGoNow stated, they are probably trying to avoid all of the refaring prior to final payment.  Then there "could" be some discounted fares after the final payment deadline.  🤷‍♂️

We’re booked through the summer of 2025, but I will still be checking every day (because I’m a cruiseaholic) just to make sure our category fare doesn’t “accidentally” drop before final payment. 😂

[Cruise Raider]

I just checked a couple of cruises that I have booked for 2025.  Both are quite pricey and was really hoping for a price drop.  One has gone up a lot!  The other one is just the same as when I booked it.  One may have to be returned to their inventory??? 
I am not sure how this will work out for Princess in the long run.  I’m all for a for profit company trying a tactic for better revenue for their stockholders.  However, I only book cruises I can afford and many times, that involves last minute pricing.  Time will tell how this all pans out.  
 

[Steelers36]

14 hours ago, DaisyRose said:

This does not take into account people with health issues who can not book far in advance because they don't know what the status of their treatments and illness will be in a year or two.  

What's wrong with a refundable deposit?

[Steelers36]

I see this simply as a sales tactic to accelerate future bookings.  Sure, if the ships get fuller, they will raise prices.  But if there are cabins to fill later on, prices are going to drop.  Same old, same old IMO.