Cruise Pricing
So, you've decided to go on a cruise. A friend
mentioned that
you could take a seven night Caribbean cruise for about $200 so you go
online to find that price. After looking at a dozen different
sites the best you have seen is $650. You shake your head and
wonder at the luck of your friend that found something for much
less. You have also noticed while looking that some sites
have
the same cruise for quite a bit more. If you followed through
with the best price site and actually bought the cruise, you may have
finally learned that the cabin you actually wanted turned out to be
$846 per person. How the heck did you go from $200
to $846?!
What makes up a cruise price?
There are a number of different elements plus several twists
and
turns that determine the final price for a cruise. A list of
them
would include:
Base price
- this is the standard price for a cabin. The ship's cabins
are
divided into categories and each category has an assigned
price.
Basic categories are inside cabins, oceanview (as opposed to outside)
staterooms (as opposed to cabins), suites, and balcony
suites.
Cabins go up in price when they are located on a higher deck - this is
true for all categories. Cabins located on a given deck have
higher prices if they are "midships".
Port charges
- are
essentially taxes that the ports charge the ships to tie up to their
pier. Port charges increase if a ship stays more than one day
-
the reason you will never see a ship depart after midnight.
Generally port charges will range from $60 to $80 for a short cruise
and $120 to $300 for a longer cruise. They also vary
according to
the ports included on the itinerary. These numbers are added
to
the base fare per person.
Government fees
- an extra tax that governments assess. They will also
vary
according to the itinerary but are generally $30 to $200.
They
are also per person and added to the base fare.
Other fees
- from time to time other charges are levied. The most
common,
especially recently, are fuel surcharges. They have been
about $9
or $10 per person per day.
Why the variation from place to place?
So, how can the
prices be different from site to site? Are cruises like a TV
where the same model is priced differently at Best Buy, Walmart, and
Sears? How can we understand the differences?
What's included in the quoted price - it is very common that a website will show what is known as a "from" price. Generally "from" means the lowest price in each category. Many sites also take some liberty as to what they include in the price they quote. Occasionally they will leave out port charges and often they will leave out government fees. They are supposed to mention what's in and what's not, but it's not always done or included very clearly (look for some really small print).
Another
common routine is to talk about an Eastern Caribbean cruise from $xxx.
You are thinking to go in June and are hopeful that you can get that
price. When you really get into the details, that price is only
available in April. The June price is 50% more than April.
Timing
- when a cruise is first made available for sale, there is usually some
sort of early booking discount that is taken directly off the base
price (port charges and government fees generally don't
change).
When the early booking promo expires, the prices go up. If
the
cruise is selling well (headed for a sellout), the price will stay the
same right through sailing. But, if bookings slow down, there
might be a discount offered later in an attempt to fill up the ship.
Organization selling the
cruise
- there is a perception that certain groups get better prices than
others. Over the years, most cruise lines have discouraged
the
distribution channel from changing prices in the single cabin sales
world. What is common for large organizations is for them to
set
up a group. If an organization commits to a number of cabins,
they can often negotiate a lower price. While most of us
might
think of a group being made up of members of a club or church, there is
no requirement that it must be that way. You may see a lower
price because a large organization negotiated a group price and is now
letting anyone buy into that group.
Cabin location on the ship
- can affect the price. We know the price goes up for midship
cabins and higher decks. There are other issues that you
won't be
aware of unless you look closely at a deck plan. There are
some
oceanview staterooms that carry a lower price because their view is
obstructed. That might be because there is a lifeboat hanging
right outside your window or maybe that the cabin window looks out on
the Promenade deck - which means that you could have people walking
just outside your window.
Other promotions -
can affect the price. Sometimes there are senior citizen
fares or
Florida resident fares available. Specials are occasionally
made
available to past passengers. Other promotions include a
discount, cabin upgrade, or shipboard credit if you are a past
passenger or use a specific credit card.
How do you decipher all this?.
First
you have to find out what's included in the "from" price.
Usually, on a website, that means going through almost to the end of
the buying process. You may need to register or otherwise
enter
your information details. Occasionally you will have to enter
a
credit card number. The theory is that you will go far enough
that you won't want to take the time to back out when you find that the
price is more than you thought. "It's probably the same on
all
those other sites anyway."
Then you need to be sure that you are comfortable with the actual cabin that goes with that price. For years it was very common that the lowest price on Carnival was actually a few cabins that were smaller than the rest, usually with an upper and lower bunk only, and located on the very bottom deck with the infirmary and crew cabins.
There are people who have very specific ideas about where their cabin should be located. In all our years of cruising we have not found that location made much difference, but here are a few things that are commonly brought up about where you should be on the ship:
Ship motion
- if you are concerned about motion and the possibility of seasickness,
then you should choose a cabin on a lower deck in the middle of the
ship. That is the spot that will feel the motion the least.
Engine noise
- locating aft on a lower deck could result in engine noise or
vibration in your cabin. This problem has been much reduced
as
ships got larger and more modern. They have learned to
insulate
the engine room and many of the new ships are powered by turbine
engines which reduce noise and vibrations.
Ocean noise
- locating in the bow is supposed to increase the chance of noise from
the water. Actually I find ocean noise soothing but once
again,
the larger ships have all but eliminated the problem.
Final Analysis
Finally,
after all of the above, just to be sure you are getting the best price,
you have to go back to the other 11 sites and go through the above with
each of them. OR, you could just call your trusted travel
agent. The operative word there is "trusted". There
are
agents who can be just as misleading as a website.
We have
heard people say that they are going to buy on the internet because
they won't have to pay a commission to an agent that way.
There
is no cruise line operating today that will sell to you at a price that
is less because they have saved the agent commission.
Websites
are also run by agents who make their money on commission from the
cruises they sell. Every once in a while some group or other
will
come up with a scheme that essentially says that if you buy from them,
they will split their commission with you. I can tell you
that
the cruise lines frown on such a practice and usually stop selling
through that agent when they are caught. From the cruise
line's
point of view, that sort of thing undermines the whole sale process.
In
the end, your best bet is to find a professional agent that you feel
comfortable with and ask them to do the shopping for you.
There
is another giant benefit that comes from using an agent and that is
service. That website you went to just doesn't care about you
as
a person and there isn't always someone there with the knowledge or
inclination to help when something goes wrong.
We hope this
exercise has been helpful and that you will better understand what
kinds of things we review on your behalf in order to get you that best
price.
