DunkelBierJay

During some idle time this morning, I was thinking about how pricing is through the roof, and wondered if a correction may be coming. I have no idea, because Royal Caribbean's marketing seems superior to the other cruise lines and demand seems disproportionate to Royal vs other lines. I looked for late May sailings from Miami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral and Tampa. I compared the May 25 sailing on Icon, Symphony, Wonder and Enchantment for similar category cabins to compare with Carnival Celebration. I realize it's not completely apples to apples, but this was eye opening.
Results (guarantees when the option was available):
Carnival Celebration -- 7 night sailing on May 26 from Miami -- total cost for two is $2,543.30 -- cost per night $363.32 Icon -- 7 night sailing on May 25 from Miami -- total cost for two is $9,767.38 -- cost per night $1,395.34 Symphony -- 6 night sailing on May 4 from Port Everglades -- total cost for two is $2,994.48 (the sailings from PE were limited to Symphony 6 night and 3 night -- not a good comparison) -- cost per night $499 Wonder -- 7 night sailing on May 26 from Port Canaveral -- total cost for two is $4,707.94 -- cost per night $672.56 Enchantment -- 7 night sailing on May 11 from Tampa -- total cost for two is $3,798.76 -- cost per night $542.68 per night I have to conclude that unless there is a correction soon, I may be trying other lines. I just don't see that the value that Royal has been known for exists right now considering a ship like Enchantment gets more for 7 nights than Carnival's second newest ship that has been getting good reviews. I am loyal to Royal, but there is a limit, and sadly, I am close to it. I'm curious to know what others are thinking.

During some idle time this morning, I was thinking about how pricing is through the roof, and wondered if a correction may be coming. I have no idea, because Royal Caribbean's marketing seems superior to the other cruise lines and demand seems disproportionate to Royal vs other lines. I looked for late May sailings from Miami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral and Tampa. I compared the May 25 sailing on Icon, Symphony, Wonder and Enchantment for similar category cabins to compare with Carnival Celebration. I realize it's not completely apples to apples, but this was eye opening.
Results (guarantees when the option was available):
Carnival Celebration -- 7 night sailing on May 26 from Miami -- total cost for two is $2,543.30 -- cost per night $363.32 Icon -- 7 night sailing on May 25 from Miami -- total cost for two is $9,767.38 -- cost per night $1,395.34 Symphony -- 6 night sailing on May 4 from Port Everglades -- total cost for two is $2,994.48 (the sailings from PE were limited to Symphony 6 night and 3 night -- not a good comparison) -- cost per night $499 Wonder -- 7 night sailing on May 26 from Port Canaveral -- total cost for two is $4,707.94 -- cost per night $672.56 Enchantment -- 7 night sailing on May 11 from Tampa -- total cost for two is $3,798.76 -- cost per night $542.68 per night I have to conclude that unless there is a correction soon, I may be trying other lines. I just don't see that the value that Royal has been known for exists right now considering a ship like Enchantment gets more for 7 nights than Carnival's second newest ship that has been getting good reviews. I am loyal to Royal, but there is a limit, and sadly, I am close to it. I'm curious to know what others are thinking.

I was shocked at the cost for sailing on Enchantment.  I have friends who are sailing on her 6-22-24 and I thought about going along but 7 nights on that crap ship was over $5K (JS) !  ...even more once you added in grats.  No f'ing way !  

During some idle time this morning, I was thinking about how pricing is through the roof, and wondered if a correction may be coming. I have no idea, because Royal Caribbean's marketing seems superior to the other cruise lines and demand seems disproportionate to Royal vs other lines. I looked for late May sailings from Miami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral and Tampa. I compared the May 25 sailing on Icon, Symphony, Wonder and Enchantment for similar category cabins to compare with Carnival Celebration. I realize it's not completely apples to apples, but this was eye opening.
Results (guarantees when the option was available):
Carnival Celebration -- 7 night sailing on May 26 from Miami -- total cost for two is $2,543.30 -- cost per night $363.32 Icon -- 7 night sailing on May 25 from Miami -- total cost for two is $9,767.38 -- cost per night $1,395.34 Symphony -- 6 night sailing on May 4 from Port Everglades -- total cost for two is $2,994.48 (the sailings from PE were limited to Symphony 6 night and 3 night -- not a good comparison) -- cost per night $499 Wonder -- 7 night sailing on May 26 from Port Canaveral -- total cost for two is $4,707.94 -- cost per night $672.56 Enchantment -- 7 night sailing on May 11 from Tampa -- total cost for two is $3,798.76 -- cost per night $542.68 per night I have to conclude that unless there is a correction soon, I may be trying other lines. I just don't see that the value that Royal has been known for exists right now considering a ship like Enchantment gets more for 7 nights than Carnival's second newest ship that has been getting good reviews. I am loyal to Royal, but there is a limit, and sadly, I am close to it. I'm curious to know what others are thinking.

I take this as don't go east of the hospital, south of Ft Fincastle or west of Junkanoo Beach and keep your head on a swivel and valuables on the ship if on foot. Otherwise, it's a taxi or bus to Bar Mar, Atlantis or similar.

I'm actually taking a bit of a new stance on tipping and people can think what they want. 
Royal Caribbean asks for an overall tip for the cruise. We pay a gratuity on the 3night dining package. That is what is asked of us and that is all we are doing going forward. We tip porter at the cruise terminal also. At some point it's enough. 
We tipped our cabin attendant extra, we tipped the head waiter extra, specialty dining extra. Each drink extra. What is asked or is mandatory is what we are doing going forward. 
I hope that doesn't sound bad. 

Hey gatorcruiser, I'm a 73yo solo old man cruiser who sails at least twice a year, maybe 3 this year. I get the same exact feeling as you stepping on the ship. My next cruise is Feb. 25 out of NJ and will be my first diamond cruise so even more excited. Only 37 days to go.🙂
 

People are either cruisers or they ain’t. There’s no convincing some people how cool cruising is when they have their minds made up before ever stepping foot on a ship. The excitement I feel when just stepping over the threshold on embarkation day could be bottled and sold. Man what a rush! 
Agreed about keeping the secret though , we can’t have too many people taking up cruising.  

It’s hard to articulate how much I love cruising. I take it personal when people who don’t know diss it. 

I understand and agree. 
But look at it this way. If everyone that disses cruising suddenly liked it, there wouldn't be enough ships to handle the demand and prices would skyrocket 

I'm on the Serenade Facebook group and I see nothing but positive on it. The influencers seem to influence people who wouldn't buy a cruise anyway. The drama is just engagement and monetization for them.

I'm on the Serenade Facebook group and I see nothing but positive on it. The influencers seem to influence people who wouldn't buy a cruise anyway. The drama is just engagement and monetization for them.

I was curious about this, so I did a dummy booking for 2 travelers and for 1 traveler on Mariner on a 4 night sailing from Port Canaveral on April 4, 2024. Given the reports that Celebrity is charging extra for single travelers, I wondered if Royal may be starting to do the same. I share the observation that a single traveler does not consume as much complimentary food, and that is a cost savings for the company. If the food cost is $30 per person per day for the company, then they would theoretically save $120 on that sailing for one fewer guest. I don't really know how to apply a value on things like fewer people to take care of in a stateroom, less use of pool towels, etc.
I did a 2 passenger booking in Microsoft Edge and a 1 passenger booking in Firefox in private (incognito) mode. This was necessary because if you allow for cookies, one of the bookings will bump the other. I made the booking of a spacious ocean view balcony on deck 6. The same cabin was available on the port side (cabin 6604) and starboard side (cabin 6304) directly opposite the other on the deck, so I am certain this is apples to apples. I didn't try to book the same exact cabin because I got kicked out when I used different tabs in the same browser. The two person booking was $2,919.16 and the one person booking was $2,816.08. The difference was in Taxes & Fees. Taxes on the two person booking was $206.16 and the one person was $103.08.
I was not able to duplicate your results with my dummy bookings. I don't have a definitive reason for why my results were different than yours other than they are different sailings with different sets of conditions.
 

Agreed..I only sail solo when I find super deals. Less than $100/day is my target. Those are nearly impossible to find now, but when I see them I will pounce.
The pricing for that example sailing is ridiculous, though. 

A deposit doesn't add to the cost of the cruise though. It's just how much you pay up front.

I was curious about this, so I did a dummy booking for 2 travelers and for 1 traveler on Mariner on a 4 night sailing from Port Canaveral on April 4, 2024. Given the reports that Celebrity is charging extra for single travelers, I wondered if Royal may be starting to do the same. I share the observation that a single traveler does not consume as much complimentary food, and that is a cost savings for the company. If the food cost is $30 per person per day for the company, then they would theoretically save $120 on that sailing for one fewer guest. I don't really know how to apply a value on things like fewer people to take care of in a stateroom, less use of pool towels, etc.
I did a 2 passenger booking in Microsoft Edge and a 1 passenger booking in Firefox in private (incognito) mode. This was necessary because if you allow for cookies, one of the bookings will bump the other. I made the booking of a spacious ocean view balcony on deck 6. The same cabin was available on the port side (cabin 6604) and starboard side (cabin 6304) directly opposite the other on the deck, so I am certain this is apples to apples. I didn't try to book the same exact cabin because I got kicked out when I used different tabs in the same browser. The two person booking was $2,919.16 and the one person booking was $2,816.08. The difference was in Taxes & Fees. Taxes on the two person booking was $206.16 and the one person was $103.08.
I was not able to duplicate your results with my dummy bookings. I don't have a definitive reason for why my results were different than yours other than they are different sailings with different sets of conditions.
 

I was curious about this, so I did a dummy booking for 2 travelers and for 1 traveler on Mariner on a 4 night sailing from Port Canaveral on April 4, 2024. Given the reports that Celebrity is charging extra for single travelers, I wondered if Royal may be starting to do the same. I share the observation that a single traveler does not consume as much complimentary food, and that is a cost savings for the company. If the food cost is $30 per person per day for the company, then they would theoretically save $120 on that sailing for one fewer guest. I don't really know how to apply a value on things like fewer people to take care of in a stateroom, less use of pool towels, etc.
I did a 2 passenger booking in Microsoft Edge and a 1 passenger booking in Firefox in private (incognito) mode. This was necessary because if you allow for cookies, one of the bookings will bump the other. I made the booking of a spacious ocean view balcony on deck 6. The same cabin was available on the port side (cabin 6604) and starboard side (cabin 6304) directly opposite the other on the deck, so I am certain this is apples to apples. I didn't try to book the same exact cabin because I got kicked out when I used different tabs in the same browser. The two person booking was $2,919.16 and the one person booking was $2,816.08. The difference was in Taxes & Fees. Taxes on the two person booking was $206.16 and the one person was $103.08.
I was not able to duplicate your results with my dummy bookings. I don't have a definitive reason for why my results were different than yours other than they are different sailings with different sets of conditions.
 

I was curious about this, so I did a dummy booking for 2 travelers and for 1 traveler on Mariner on a 4 night sailing from Port Canaveral on April 4, 2024. Given the reports that Celebrity is charging extra for single travelers, I wondered if Royal may be starting to do the same. I share the observation that a single traveler does not consume as much complimentary food, and that is a cost savings for the company. If the food cost is $30 per person per day for the company, then they would theoretically save $120 on that sailing for one fewer guest. I don't really know how to apply a value on things like fewer people to take care of in a stateroom, less use of pool towels, etc.
I did a 2 passenger booking in Microsoft Edge and a 1 passenger booking in Firefox in private (incognito) mode. This was necessary because if you allow for cookies, one of the bookings will bump the other. I made the booking of a spacious ocean view balcony on deck 6. The same cabin was available on the port side (cabin 6604) and starboard side (cabin 6304) directly opposite the other on the deck, so I am certain this is apples to apples. I didn't try to book the same exact cabin because I got kicked out when I used different tabs in the same browser. The two person booking was $2,919.16 and the one person booking was $2,816.08. The difference was in Taxes & Fees. Taxes on the two person booking was $206.16 and the one person was $103.08.
I was not able to duplicate your results with my dummy bookings. I don't have a definitive reason for why my results were different than yours other than they are different sailings with different sets of conditions.
 

I was curious about this, so I did a dummy booking for 2 travelers and for 1 traveler on Mariner on a 4 night sailing from Port Canaveral on April 4, 2024. Given the reports that Celebrity is charging extra for single travelers, I wondered if Royal may be starting to do the same. I share the observation that a single traveler does not consume as much complimentary food, and that is a cost savings for the company. If the food cost is $30 per person per day for the company, then they would theoretically save $120 on that sailing for one fewer guest. I don't really know how to apply a value on things like fewer people to take care of in a stateroom, less use of pool towels, etc.
I did a 2 passenger booking in Microsoft Edge and a 1 passenger booking in Firefox in private (incognito) mode. This was necessary because if you allow for cookies, one of the bookings will bump the other. I made the booking of a spacious ocean view balcony on deck 6. The same cabin was available on the port side (cabin 6604) and starboard side (cabin 6304) directly opposite the other on the deck, so I am certain this is apples to apples. I didn't try to book the same exact cabin because I got kicked out when I used different tabs in the same browser. The two person booking was $2,919.16 and the one person booking was $2,816.08. The difference was in Taxes & Fees. Taxes on the two person booking was $206.16 and the one person was $103.08.
I was not able to duplicate your results with my dummy bookings. I don't have a definitive reason for why my results were different than yours other than they are different sailings with different sets of conditions.
 

I was curious about this, so I did a dummy booking for 2 travelers and for 1 traveler on Mariner on a 4 night sailing from Port Canaveral on April 4, 2024. Given the reports that Celebrity is charging extra for single travelers, I wondered if Royal may be starting to do the same. I share the observation that a single traveler does not consume as much complimentary food, and that is a cost savings for the company. If the food cost is $30 per person per day for the company, then they would theoretically save $120 on that sailing for one fewer guest. I don't really know how to apply a value on things like fewer people to take care of in a stateroom, less use of pool towels, etc.
I did a 2 passenger booking in Microsoft Edge and a 1 passenger booking in Firefox in private (incognito) mode. This was necessary because if you allow for cookies, one of the bookings will bump the other. I made the booking of a spacious ocean view balcony on deck 6. The same cabin was available on the port side (cabin 6604) and starboard side (cabin 6304) directly opposite the other on the deck, so I am certain this is apples to apples. I didn't try to book the same exact cabin because I got kicked out when I used different tabs in the same browser. The two person booking was $2,919.16 and the one person booking was $2,816.08. The difference was in Taxes & Fees. Taxes on the two person booking was $206.16 and the one person was $103.08.
I was not able to duplicate your results with my dummy bookings. I don't have a definitive reason for why my results were different than yours other than they are different sailings with different sets of conditions.
 

Please consider that when people do this...nice things get taken away from those who follow the rules when this kind of thing increases...you said it yourself....
 

No Exceptions???  That's absurd!  Tell that to the pregnant woman who would have to have the DBP package, because her non pregnant partner gets the DBP.
I agree the picture should match to be able to get a drink,  and that you shouldn't even try to use someone else's DBP.

I'm genuinely not sure what's worse.
Someone asking this question or everyone giving an honest response that will encourage it. 
Think about it guys. Does this warrant helpful honesty and feedback from us all. 
I would have stuck with "No you will 100% be caught out and told off at the very least, if not removed at the next port". And it still is a possibility.
 

If both are in the same cabin then both have to purchase the DP, so, why would you need to use his card to order something?
You could go to the bar with both cards and ask for two drinks, that would be Ok...

Of course. If it wasn't clear, I was pointing out that it's literally stealing, not endorsing or recommending it.