Real cost of a cruise?

[brett]

We have only booked direct on 2 out of 20 plus cruises.

One was a last minute cruise in Australia where we paid 30 percent less by booking direct with RCI in Sydney vs booking with our usual on line Florida based TA. The second was a Princess South America cruise when Princess had a one day sale with CAD at par with USD. 28 percent savings.

We had a great TA (now retired). On several occasions when booking last minute she told us to wait a few days because prices were going down. One cruise we booked prior to final payment. TA told us bookings were light so we cancelled and rebooked inside the final payment window when prices had dropped considerably.

More than once she gave us a heads up about last minute offers that we not yet advertised. Once, when we were about to book she told us that recent clients on the ship reported that it was a dog. Cabin flooding, toilets not working, A/C not functioned. We read subsequently read some reviews that confirmed these comments. A cruise line CSR would never, ever give us this information.

The trick is to get a good cruise TA. Hard to do since many, like ours, retired during covid.

Besides all that, we typically had fare reductions in the form of on board credits in the range of 8-12 percent. Once in a while we were tagged on to a group in order to obtain a larger discount.

 

[athena53]

We had an experience similar to Deserat when we docked in Le Havre. The ship offered a bus to Paris which was a 10 hour trip.

Ick! I had a couple of enjoyable days wandering around Paris 4 years ago (traveling independently, skipped the "must-sees" because I'd BTDT on previous trips) but what would you be able to do on that excursion- photo opps in front of a few major buildings?

And yet- people must want it or they wouldn't offer it.

 

[gayl]

..... private taxi to take us to Giverney to Monet's home and gardens. We had a nice lunch at a local hotel, then stopped at Rouen to visit the cathedral that Monet painted many times..

I just booked a driver in the Azores with 6 others. Cost €30 and she managed to get us everywhere before those big buses. Less expensive, no waiting, saw most of island, and love pineapple liquor. I don't do ship excursions unless they limit participants to 6-9. Don't like 9 but HATE more than that

 

[Chuckanut]

A friend of mine is planning to see Spain, France and Italy via a cruise in the western part of the Mediterranean. I am not sure how much he can see of these countries with only stops in port cities, but he has done two cruises and he and his wife like them. I like to spend at least a few days in any city I visit and wander around. In Paris I would take the subway to one station, then wander about to another station miles away. How I got there was undefined at the start. Thanks to the great subway system, I could always get back to my hotel. For him, it's see the world using a cruise ship or stay home. I'm glad he's using the ship. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[sengsational]

Year|Line|Cabin|Per person, double occ Brochure$+tax+tips|Nights
2006|Costa|Outside|$82|7
2010|Carnival|Outside|$142|10
2011|Princess|Inside|$108|7
2014|Princess|Balcony|$169|11
2015|Viking|Outside|$283|7
2016|CDF|Inside|$39|12
2016|RCL|Inside|$62|14
2017|Princess|Balcony|$134|14
2018|Carnival|Inside|$152|5 (single)
2019|Pulmantur|Balcony|$136|7
2019|RCL|Inside|$163|14 (single)

 

[FIREarly]

The longer ones were trans-Atlantic, so fewer ports.

Year|Line|Cabin|Per person, double occ Brochure$+tax+tips|Nights
2006|Costa|Outside|$82|7
2010|Carnival|Outside|$142|10
2011|Princess|Inside|$108|7
2014|Princess|Balcony|$169|11
2015|Viking|Outside|$283|7
2016|CDF|Inside|$39|12
2016|RCL|Inside|$62|14
2017|Princess|Balcony|$134|14
2018|Carnival|Inside|$152|5
2019|Pulmantur|Balcony|$136|7
2019|RCL|Inside|$163|14

How did you find such cheap prices? Transatlantic mean 1-way cruise?Am I missing something?

 

[brett]

Appreciate the thought and that is why we used the ship excursion. Mitigate the major risk of missing the ship might not be worth the few extra $$ saved.

Anyone used Celebrity cruises? They've received highly regarded rewards and wonder if the ship experience matches the hype.

We have done numerous Celebrity cruises. DW's favorite. Med, Caribbean, and one TA. Six, perhaps seven. Do not know about the hype but all things being equal we will always select Celebrity. Beautiful ships, excellent service, good food.

We have done three RCI trips. As well as Carnival, NCL, Princess ,HAL, Crystal.

We place as much or more importance on the ship as we do on the cruise line when short listing ships.

Never had a bad cruise. Each cruise line has it's own strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Sunset]

The longer ones were trans-Atlantic, so fewer ports.

Year|Line|Cabin|Per person, double occ Brochure$+tax+tips|Nights
2006|Costa|Outside|$82|7
2010|Carnival|Outside|$142|10
2011|Princess|Inside|$108|7
2014|Princess|Balcony|$169|11
2015|Viking|Outside|$283|7
2016|CDF|Inside|$39|12
2016|RCL|Inside|$62|14
2017|Princess|Balcony|$134|14
2018|Carnival|Inside|$152|5
2019|Pulmantur|Balcony|$136|7
2019|RCL|Inside|$163|14

Are these prices per night or for the entire trip ?

 

[rodi]

Are these prices per night or for the entire trip ?

The table says price per person/per night... so multiply by 2, and multiply by the number of days.

 

[rodi]

We're doing a non-traditional 'cruise' in late october... Galapagos islands on a 16 passenger ship. Part of an Overseas Adventure Travel tour of Machu Picchu and Galapagos.

The two larger cruises I've done before were fun - but not necessarily my cup of tea. I'm an introvert so the whole party/crowd/whooohooo scene is not my thing. I don't need broadway shows or cruise directors leading quiz games and I don't gamble. That's fine if you enjoy those things... it's just not what I enjoy.

We are looking at some smaller ship trips through Viking and OAT. Athena's description of Uncruise ships sounds like that company should be in the mix as well.

 

[braumeister]

We're doing a non-traditional 'cruise' in late october... Galapagos islands on a 16 passenger ship. Part of an Overseas Adventure Travel tour of Machu Picchu and Galapagos.

Different company, but our Galapagos trip was one of the two best we have ever done in our lives.

Ecuador mandates no more than 16 people per naturalist on the islands, and they tell each ship where and when they may make landings, so crowding is never an issue. You will have the time of your lives.

 

[athena53]

We're doing a non-traditional 'cruise' in late october... Galapagos islands on a 16 passenger ship. Part of an Overseas Adventure Travel tour of Machu Picchu and Galapagos.

I'm going that tour in May of next year!

 

[Sunset]

The table says price per person/per night... so multiply by 2, and multiply by the number of days.

Thanks,
I only saw: Per person, double occ Brochure$+tax+tips
and then a separate column with the number of nights.

So I had to check if someone was getting phenomenal deals

 

[sengsational]

The table says price per person/per night... so multiply by 2, and multiply by the number of days.

That's correct. Except I messed up a little bit. The Carnival and the last RCL were single, so no multiply by 2 on those. I made note of those:

Year|Line|Cabin|Per person, double occ Brochure$+tax+tips|Nights
2006|Costa|Outside|$82|7
2010|Carnival|Outside|$142|10
2011|Princess|Inside|$108|7
2014|Princess|Balcony|$169|11
2015|Viking|Outside|$283|7
2016|CDF|Inside|$39|12
2016|RCL|Inside|$62|14
2017|Princess|Balcony|$134|14
2018|Carnival|Inside|$152|5 (single)
2019|Pulmantur|Balcony|$136|7
2019|RCL|Inside|$163|14 (single)

As I mentioned before, the departure port and the ports visited have a lot to do with the pricing, along with the season. But I just threw the data out there to answer the "real cost of a cruise" question, realizing there's a lot more to it, but at least it's real experience, albeit some of it quite old.

I think the more interesting number is the per person-day number than the multiplied-out number. If you multiply by two (in most cases), you can compare that with the cost of a night in a hotel plus feeding two people for a day with restaurant meals.

 

[Koolau]

As the last passenger was running across the gangplank, I looked back and saw saw the gangplank withdrawing only seconds later.

Only one cruise, but a very memorable moment was returning to the ship from an excursion, it began raining hard. Everyone made a run for the ship. The gang plank to the ship's entrance was quite long and relatively steep. There was a much lower opening with a shorter/less steep gangway. The ship's personnel motioned us to come the short way. It turned out to be the receiving/garbage area. Quite interesting - not the usual ship's tour!

 

[Toast]

Don't be put off by rumors you hear of the food.

I've found the food in all cruise lines we've been on to be acceptable at the buffet and pretty darn good at the suppertime restaurant meal. This is included in the cost.



There are differences between cruise lines and we have found Celebrity food to be a notch above the others, including the buffet.

In fact it was so good, we at supper at the restaurant, and then went to the buffet to have a second supper [emoji23]

Agree! We took a Celebrity cruise and had the Aqua Class package. We ate all meals in the Blu Restaurant which is exclusively for Aqua Class passengers. Blu had wonderful food, ambiance, and service. We only went to the ship's buffet once for an afternoon ice cream.

 

[braumeister]

Alas, some of us have to pay through the nose. Our first cruise was on a big ship and we hated it. The ship only accommodated 1,400 passengers, which is considered small these days, but it was about ten times too many for us, so we said never again.

Subsequent cruises have been on actually small ships, and we've thoroughly enjoyed them, despite the cost.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

We just booked a 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise on Celebrity Solstice. We paid for an inside guarantee at around $85USD pp/night (including gratuities which we prepaid) and are going to try to buy a discounted upgraded cabin while onboard.

I mention this is because cruise lines are still adjusting to evolving situations that are messing up their itineraries. Solstice was slated to go to Asia this fall/winter starting in September but becuase of the uncertainty of the restarts in Asia (eg. Japan only recently announcing independent travel was going to be allowed but no info on cruises) was rescheduled to go to the Mexican Riviera instead. Celebrity is likely having a hard time booking pax for these itineraries given the somewhat late itinerary change (announced in April).
Cruise deals are out there to be found still!

 

[athena53]

Alas, some of us have to pay through the nose.

<snip>
Subsequent cruises have been on actually small ships, and we've thoroughly enjoyed them, despite the cost.

Try booking one with a Single Supplement! Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who shares my extravagant travel budget with whom I'd want to share a stateroom.

 

[brett]

We just booked a 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise on Celebrity Solstice. We paid for an inside guarantee at around $85USD pp/night (including gratuities which we prepaid) and are going to try to buy a discounted upgraded cabin while onboard.

I mention this is because cruise lines are still adjusting to evolving situations that are messing up their itineraries. Solstice was slated to go to Asia this fall/winter starting in September but becuase of the uncertainty of the restarts in Asia (eg. Japan only recently announcing independent travel was going to be allowed but no info on cruises) was rescheduled to go to the Mexican Riviera instead. Celebrity is likely having a hard time booking pax for these itineraries given the somewhat late itinerary change (announced in April).
Cruise deals are out there to be found still!

We have cruised on numerous lines, numerous ships.

More Celebrity that anything else. Solstice is one of our favorite ships, Celebrity our favorite cruise line.

Our experience is that in the past Celebrity and RCI often offered the most competitive late booking offers based upon our perception of value. We picked up a number of their 'Tuesday Specials' over the years.

No idea what the post covid fares look like since we have not been shopping.

 

[Sunset]

We just booked a 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise on Celebrity Solstice. We paid for an inside guarantee at around $85USD pp/night (including gratuities which we prepaid) and are going to try to buy a discounted upgraded cabin while onboard.

.......

I've never heard of this before, have you previously done it Do you do it on boarding day once on board ?

 

[SJ1_]

Talking with a friend about an upcoming 6 day cruise to Bermuda. The list price was $798. There were some taxes added. He and his wife are going. He said he ended up paying between 3-4k. He hasn’t even gone yet! How is this possible
If anything, I thought that list price would go down with senior discounts and for being a resident from where the ship departs. So are the list prices just come-ons? I have never taken a cruise, so I am doing my homework.

We went on a 13 day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Quebec City ca

We paid $4400 for a balcony and the extra on the final bill was $573
this was tips, specialty coffee, casino, drinks, and shore excursions

we usually book excursions on board.

spending 3 to 4 k before a cruise seems really high to me

 

[OldConch]

We're doing a non-traditional 'cruise' in late october... Galapagos islands on a 16 passenger ship. Part of an Overseas Adventure Travel tour of Machu Picchu and Galapagos.

The two larger cruises I've done before were fun - but not necessarily my cup of tea. I'm an introvert so the whole party/crowd/whooohooo scene is not my thing. I don't need broadway shows or cruise directors leading quiz games and I don't gamble. That's fine if you enjoy those things... it's just not what I enjoy.

We are looking at some smaller ship trips through Viking and OAT. Athena's description of Uncruise ships sounds like that company should be in the mix as well.

We took some too-good-to-pass-up deals on cruises and had a good time on both Celebrity and HAL. Except for the snorkeling in Roatan and being introduced to Puerto Vallarta for the first time however, neither cruise was particularly memorable.

Our UnCruise out of Juneau in June 2020 and Galapagos small ship cruise booked through Intrepid Travel this April were two of our best trips ever. The UnCruise Wilderness Discoverer had 2 zodiacs and a kayak dock on the back of the boat that were available for morning and afternoon activities and we usually overnighted in some gorgeous inlet or protected bay. The Galapagos ship towed a couple of zodiacs that took us to the islands or snorkeling each morning or afternoon. Snorkeling at the Devil's Crown the zodiacs dropped us off in about 75 feet of water and the first thing I saw was a big hammerhead. As the current swept us around the island we saw turtles, reef sharks, sea birds diving into the water and a myriad of fish and sea life. Absolutely amazing but I think best suited to those looking for more active experiences rather than excursions and ports of call.

We also enjoyed cruising through the Andaman Sea on an 80ft G Adventure's catamaran in early 2020 that had lots of great snorkeling and visits to popular beaches and islands at times that most day trippers weren't there.

Finally, we just got back from a trip to Croatia that included 7 days on a 49.5m ship with 38 passengers from Dubrovnik to Split. The ship was gorgeous and we stopped for a swim each day and took day trips on each of the different islands. A bit chilly for us but the Aussies, Brits, and Canadians loved it.

Looking forward to Sea of Cortez with UnCruise in March.

 

[Chuckanut]

Try booking one with a Single Supplement! Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who shares my extravagant travel budget with whom I'd want to share a stateroom.

I've done a few tours with Rick Steves over the years and getting a buddy to come along and share the experience as well as a room has never worked. The closest I came was years ago when a friend's son moved to Ireland for a job. We were close to signing up when his son and wife returned to the USA early with his daughter-in-law famously telling everybody how 'primitive' Ireland was in comparison to the USA. That was it. No go for my buddy. I guess he expected us to be roomed in rustic shacks where we would have to burn peat to keep warm each night, use an outhouse, and heat water on an old stove to wash in the morning.

FWIW, I had a great time in Ireland. And I never did live among the primitives.

Back on topic, I have heard that the cruise lines have pretty much exhausted the pent-up post Covid demand for cruise customers and are how having issues filling the ships. Has anybody found this to be true?

 

[Sunset]

I did see one time, a person having an unexpectedly large bill at the end of a cruise. His bill was 4-5 pages long!
Turned out his wife was a drinker, and so they bought the drink package, but she liked drinks that were higher in price than the package price. The package covered drinks up to X dollars, but she ordered a lot of XX drinks and ran up many $100's of dollars in the bill.