2008 Europe Itineraries Open Today - Jouney included!

[greeneg]

Did anyone look at prices? Personally, I think that they are outrageous ( yes I understand that the Dollar isn't what it used to be) but we were looking for a particular itinerary and, it is simply more money than I would consider spending.

 

So much for that......

 

I do hope, however, that that means that the stock will continue to do well.

[EGG]

I've been waiting for the new cruises to open because people said they got such great bargains the first weeks. Since we did the Med in 2005 and the Baltic in 2004 (both on Celebrity) I can only compare to those prices and these seem rather high.

 

Any comments?

[mahdnc]

EGG,

 

We booked our 2007 Millennium Med cruise the minute it was available for booking last year--to make sure that we got the exact FV cabin we wanted for that exact sailing that we desired.

 

I remember not being impressed with the price at the time we put our deposit down--it certainly was not a bargain or deal in my book. However in retrospect they were as cheap as they were ever going to be as cabin prices constantly climbed as the ship began to fill.

 

For instance the cheapest balcony cabin (Cat 2C) on our 12 night sailing went for $2799 per person on Celebrity's website (excl govt taxes and fees) when first open for booking in Apr 2006. The first of many price increases occurred in July. A look at Celebrity's website now--11 months later--shows these cabins priced at $4399 pp which is a whopping 60% increase!

[Sky Sweet]

I've been waiting for the new cruises to open because people said they got such great bargains the first weeks. Since we did the Med in 2005 and the Baltic in 2004 (both on Celebrity) I can only compare to those prices and these seem rather high.

 

Any comments?

 

We booked the Baltic Cruise on Constellation that we took during the summer of 2006 within a month after it was available for booking. The pricing that just came out for 2008 is very similar to what paid for that cruise. If we had booked our Baltic cruise a few months later, we would have paid substantially more for it. However, I did notice that the prices for inside cabins did not change much.

 

One of the problems with Galaxy is that it does not have cabins that are similar in size to the concierge class cabins on M class ships, so there are no options between their standard sized cabins and sky suites. Consequently, we always book sky suites on C class ships but feel that concierge class cabins on M class are more than adequate for two people. That is one of the reasons why we booked our Mediterranean Cruise for next summer on "Brilliance of the Seas" instead of Galaxy. While doing so I noticed that the price we just paid for a Mediterranean cruise in June 2008 is substantially less than the price for that same cruise in June 2007.

 

With this in mind, I think it is best to book as soon as the schedules come out. That way you have the best choice of cabins while maximizing your chances for the best price. Then if the price subsequently goes down, you just have to notify the cruise line and you will get it.

[Susan-M]

Since we did the Med in 2005 and the Baltic in 2004 (both on Celebrity) I can only compare to those prices and these seem rather high.

 

Any comments?

 

Yes - they've gone up quite a a bit.

 

Compared to our Sept. 2005 Med cruise on Millennium, prices for '08 are up by 23%, based on a CC cabin, same 12 day cruise, same month, but on Summit instead of Millennium in '08. (One difference ... they dropped Mykonos from the itinerary and added a sea day starting in '06).

 

We booked our 2005 cruise 8 months out, so maybe prices had gone down by then?

[dkjretired]

I was away for a couple of days so please excuse if these were posted but here are the two most recent press releases on the ships in Europe...

 

http://www.rclinvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=974580&highlight=

 

http://www.rclinvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=974574&highlight=

[SheilaNC]

The Quest/Journey itineraries sound wonderful. Looking forward to trying out Journey to Bermuda in May and will decide then if we can do one of the new ones in the Med....so nice to be able to choose from new locations. I'm also eager to see where Solstice is going to be placed.

[mahdnc]

Yes - they've gone up quite a a bit.

 

Compared to our Sept. 2005 Med cruise on Millennium, prices for '08 are up by 23%, based on a CC cabin, same 12 day cruise, same month, but on Summit instead of Millennium in '08. (One difference ... they dropped Mykonos from the itinerary and added a sea day starting in '06).

 

We booked our 2005 cruise 8 months out, so maybe prices had gone down by then?

 

The Jun 16 2008 Summit 12 nt sailing from Venice to Barcelona has the same cabin prices that our Jun 18 2007 Millennium sailing (exact same itinerary) started with.....

[Susan-M]

The Jun 16 2008 Summit 12 nt sailing from Venice to Barcelona has the same cabin prices that our Jun 18 2007 Millennium sailing (exact same itinerary) started with.....

 

Sept. '05 must have been in the era of discount pricing.

[SheilaNC]

You're right, Susan...2005 was a good year and prices have gone up steadily since them (except for the last minute sales). We paid quite a bit more for the down under cruises coming up next year, but those prices seem to have stabilized since the opening round and, perhaps, that will happen with the 2008 prices once the initial run on cabins has run its course.

[Susan-M]

We paid quite a bit more for the down under cruises coming up next year, but those prices seem to have stabilized since the opening round and, perhaps, that will happen with the 2008 prices once the initial run on cabins has run its course.

 

Hi Sheila, When you mention that prices have stabilized, do you mean that they've come down since you booked? I've booked Quest for 2008 and am hoping that those prices will come down a bit.

[SheilaNC]

Susan,

Some have come down a bit and TA credits have increased - some include air. It takes constant monitoring and jumping on deals to get decreased prices. As some have said - depends on how important a particular cabin type is. We chose to go with balcony cabins for our B2B down under cruises and booked early this time to get what we wanted. Usually we go just with price that we're willing to pay - sometimes inside, sometimes oceanview and, rarely, balcony. With cruise ship capacity going up due to the many new ships coming on market in the next few years, it will be interesting to see how the prices fluctuate. Truthfully, since we do land vacations as well - cruise prices seem to do what hotel prices and airfares do - up and down as the market will bear but usually UP. I do well as a budget traveler watching for 'deals' but it gets harder and harder no matter the type of trip. Somewhat the difference between booking a car with a budget company and booking with one of the 2 top companies. Individual choice rules....