Bad news, cruisers: Fares are hitting new records — and the trend is likely to continue

[TravelTime]

I’ll start a discussion since I asked to start this forum. This is a topic that many Facebook group members have been complaining about: sky high cruise prices on the new ships. I booked two upcoming cruises on Royal Caribbean’s brand new ships that are launching in 2024: Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas. I have not been on a large cruise ship in over 20 years. They are family friendly so decided to take my kids. IMO, The Points Guy has some of the best cruise line reviews.

Cruise fares are hitting new records — and the trend is likely to continue - The Points Guy

Cruise fares are on the rise as demand for voyages soars faster than supply.

thepointsguy.com

 

[dougp26364]

With the inflation, this doesn’t surprise me. However, so long as people are booking cruises, the prices will hold.

Royal Caribbean recently backed WAY off the idea of charging for Sorrento’s, their onboard free pizza option, after very strong backlash from cruisers.

Business’s have to figure out how to keep their stock prices high in the face of increasing costs. Just making a profit is t enough anymore. It appears that a business has to continue to grow in order to have value. If the market is saturated, they’ll look for other revenue streams, including cutting benefits or increasing prices. If Royal can’t charge for pizza I look for their loyalty program to take the hit.

 

[Passepartout]

The cruise lines took a HUGE hit in 2020-2022 due to COVID. They took the time to build new- and larger ships to take advantage of a resurgence in travel they anticipated when the public started traveling again. They are now at full occupancy, and have shiny, new ships to fill.

Will the higher prices and full ships continue to be the rule? It depends on if a new generation of cruisers get 'addicted' to cruise vacations. There is plenty of competition for those vacation dollars. Look at the gigantic lots full of RVs, and airplanes full of vacationers, not the 'road warriors' and businesspersons that kept planes full pre-COVID.

Jim

 

[Talent312]

Perhaps Princess hasn't read the memo, yet.
I just booked a 10N cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale.
Inside cabins started at LT $1000.
I booked a mini-suite on Deck 9 for ~$4000.
Reasonable, compared to other cruise lines.

 

[jorcus]

I have seen some softening in pricing for All Inclusive vacations for booking in the 4th quarter of this year. I don't know if there will be carry over to the 1st quarter but I think things are leveling off. In the article it states that the cruise lines are a better value than land based alternatives. I think that all depends on how much it cost to get too and from the port you are sailing from.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I've been seeing some ridiculously great pricing on one cruise line for Australia in December/early 2024 . However the airfare is expensive to get there so negates the great price.

 

[TravelTime]

Perhaps Princess hasn't read the memo, yet.
I just booked a 10N cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale.
Inside cabins started at LT $1000.
I booked a mini-suite on Deck 9 for ~$4000.
Reasonable, compared to other cruise lines.

Is it an older ship like pre-2012/13? The older ships are still affordable. It is the newest ships that are expensive.

 

[TravelTime]

I've been seeing some ridiculously great pricing on one cruise line for Australia in December/early 2024 . However the airfare is expensive to get there so negates the great price.

I noticed that the same exact cabin can be 3 to 4 times less depending on the ship’s age and departure port as well as how early you book. Sometimes even in the same ship class, the cruise can be X times cheaper if it leaves out of a less popular port. For example, with Royal Caribbean, I could have booked the same exact cabin in the same ship class on the Wonder leaving out of Orlando but on Symphony leaving out of Galveston. The price difference for the same suite was like 3-4 times different. On Symphony out of Galveston, I could have booked their 2 story loft for less than I am paying for a small suite on the new ship Icon* leaving out of Miami. My kids really want to go on Icon so I gave into their demands. ‍‍‍

Also, another money saving tip is to book right when a new ship is released. I did that with Utopia and I am paying 3 times less per night for the same exact suite as similar but slightly older ship. It was released in July. Within weeks, that same suite on the same ship and the same sailing dates I booked increased by 20%. Plus my suite category is already sold out. For Icon sailings, people who booked as soon as it was released are reporting they paid 2-3 times less than current prices.

* Note: Just to clarify, I am not paying 3-4 times more for the Icon/Miami cruise over the Symphony/Galveston cruise. I chose a lessor but still nice suite on Icon so the price difference was not significantly more. I am still a value shopper - not looking for the cheapest but for the best value for what I get.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I noticed this last summer. The Holland America out of Amsterdam was $1000/pp more expensive than the same itinerary leaving out of Copenhagen. Both newer ships.

 

[Talent312]

Is it an older ship like pre-2012/13? The older ships are still affordable. It is the newest ships that are expensive.

Yeah... Emerald Princess. Built - 2007. Refurbished - 2019.
I chose it in part becuz it is smaller than the newer ships.

 

[Ken555]

Royal Caribbean recently backed WAY off the idea of charging for Sorrento’s, their onboard free pizza option, after very strong backlash from cruisers.

This happened directly after Princess announced they were going to charge ($15, I believe) for a three course meal at Alfredo’s, which is their sit down table service pizza restaurant, and similar venues. It was entirely predictable that the Royal management would equate Alfredo’s, which has a nice atmosphere and good food, with Sorrento’s, which is anything but.

Business’s have to figure out how to keep their stock prices high in the face of increasing costs. Just making a profit is t enough anymore. It appears that a business has to continue to grow in order to have value. If the market is saturated, they’ll look for other revenue streams, including cutting benefits or increasing prices. If Royal can’t charge for pizza I look for their loyalty program to take the hit.

Royal has so many elite members now after offering double points for bookings after restarting after Covid that they are suffering in being unable to service them. The latest service reduction is a name of of the Diamond Lounge to Crown Lounge, which is widely thought will inevitably lead to a change of access eligibility similar to what they did with the Concierge Lounge. Something has to give since they created so many new Diamond members - on my recent cruise the lounge was so packed I didn’t even bother going back.

They’ve also, along with other lines, cut back on service in the form of one daily cabin cleaning rather than two. Personally, I’m more than fine with one but I know others who believe this changes the entire cruise experience since they like having a clean cabin during the day and after dinner.


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[dougp26364]

@Ken555 The Diamond Lounge issue sounds a lot like the problems airlines are having with their airport lounges. They create a lot of excitement over loyalty…….but they don’t want that much loyalty used by customers.

 

[Ken555]

@Ken555 The Diamond Lounge issue sounds a lot like the problems airlines are having with their airport lounges. They create a lot of excitement over loyalty…….but they don’t want that much loyalty used by customers.

Yes. Loyalty goes only one way for travel companies. We see that with the timeshares, hotels, airlines, cruises, etc. That’s why I don’t bother focusing flying on just one airline… I have status with two currently and it’s benefited me by simply increasing my expectation of an upgrade only to be told nope, not going to happen.

IMO, cruisers are even more fanatical about their loyalty than air travelers. The entitlement is rampant amongst them, and it’s a problem created by the cruise line and their marketing dept. Status benefit devaluation is an inevitable outcome, regardless how they try to spin the message.


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[jorcus]

Well the cruise lines say they can raise prices according to this article that just posted on CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/09/cruise-prices-rise-as-operators-meet-surging-travel-demand.html