If this question has already been asked, I apologize in advance. I have now been on 3 cruises. All with Carnival. I would like to try another cruiseline just to compare. However, there is such a big price differntial for basically the same itinerary that I always pick Carnival. Does anyone know why the other lines are not as competative? Thanks for the time.
PaPa55
Does anyone know why the other lines are not as competative?
Simple. Carnival has more ships and resources so they can derive profit while still offering lower prices. It is a sales volume thing. You might have read someplace that Walmart can get lower wholesale pricing because of who they are, or the threat of who they are. Same goes for Carnival. I have no doubt they get better prices on their food stocks, liquor, and other consumables. And this doesn't bother me in the least. I like the Carnival product and have always felt I got my money's worth or more when cruising with Carnival.
Thanks Dave, That makes sense. So, living on a school teacher's salary, I guess I"ll continue with Carnival. I have received a lot of great information at this venue. Keep up the good work!
PaPa55
I agree with Dave about the sales volume and cost of consumables. There are some other factors involved as well. Carnival goes all out to fill their ships, and will cut prices to do so. Some other cruise lines will sail at less capacity to maintain a certain level cruise fare. Carnival also has cabin spoilage down to a science. Some of it may also be attributed to required profit margins to service debt.
That's just my take on it. Whatever the reason, I am glad they keep prices more affordable. I wouldn't mind taking a Royal Caribbean cruise sometime. In these times though, I have to stick with what I can barely afford. I also love the product and loyalty perks.
* I am not in any cruise line program that rewards cruise forum posters.
Costa would come close to Carnival as far as pricing, so would NCL. They're just different experiences than Carnival. Costa is very Italian and a fun cruise line. NCL is a little more of a relaxed atmosphere. Princess is pretty competitively priced, too. Royal and Celebrity seem to be higher priced, to me, for comparable cruises. Royal does have more "gimmicks", ie. rock wall, ice skating, and on some ships-the florider. Each cruise line has it's own ambience and character. I want to try them all, but I'm with you. Working for the school system, you're always poor, unless you're a tenured professor. (I'm not, just keep their computers working). Keep checking the specials, you might just find some really good sales out there
It has been my experience that cruise values exist on all lines. It depends on the amount of pampering and perks that you are looking for. RCCL, NCL, Carnival, Costa, Holland, and Celebrity often advertise incredible deals. In order to take advantage of these specials, it helps if you are able to take an impromptu vacation. Last minute specials can be very rewarding. If you do enough research, you can usually find a good deal on any of the major lines.
My past cruises are all based on price to. we just returned from a 7 day cruise on NCL,we paid $299.00ppr.Though we didnt like the cruise we got a grear deal less than 90 days out.Carnival is the best both on price and quality.Now if you want to go to the Bahamas Royal Carribran is your best bet for a good price,but the rooms are much smaller..I have been on 10 carnival and 2 RCCL and 1 NCL.. Carnival does price to sell.there drinks are cheaper too. We are booked on the Valor for oct and its already 83% full.. i paid $429.00 plus tax for oceanview.. Thats priced to sell
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