mattymay Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 But come on RCI... you can't be serious??? *disclaimer this is AUD.. but still 4K+ for an interior? this is getting beyond a joke WAAAYTOOO, PPPJJ-GCVAB, sammy79 and 7 others 1 1 1 1 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug_Texas Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 That’s insane! I know the exchange rate and gratuities make a difference but the U.S. site has around $1,800 on those sailings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 To be expected... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Yeah, I got a few dates and options priced out for me last night, and that’s what I said, “I’m out!” It’s truly gone insane. Even if it was within my budget, I cannot justify that pricing. Jjohnb, OCSC Mike, Jamesszy94 and 10 others 12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 More power to those who book cruises on Icon. I have no issues with people spending their money as they see fit. I never want to be told how I can spend my money. However, at $4000 (US) for two in a GTY Inside and up to $87k+ for a high end suite (7-night in January’26), we’re going to pass. Our wants as an empty nest, early to mid-50s couple are different. sammy79, WAAAYTOOO, Jjohnb and 5 others 6 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy79 Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Seriously. Can they really expect people to pay these fares going forward? It would be interesting to see how fast the new sailings get booked Jjohnb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy79 Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Yeah, I got a few dates and options priced out for me last night, and that’s what I said, “I’m out!” It’s truly gone insane. Even if it was within my budget, I cannot justify that pricing. So no live blog from Icon 2025? Lovetocruise2002, tingtang, CruzOnBye and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottD Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Yeah..I peeked WAYYYY out thinking MAYBE it'd be a little better- nope. I'll do two on Oasis or a Freedom class for that money. I'm not mad at them, people are paying it, so they're going to keep it for a while. Even Wonder is still way more expensive than I expected it to be next year, but I keep thinking of that like it's a few years old when it's still brand new! JasonOasis and OCSC Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 1 minute ago, ScottD said: Even Wonder is still way more expensive than I expected it to be It's a bargain compared to Icon! Joking aside, there were at least fairly reasonable rates to be found as recently as a few months ago going through a TA (still could be for all I know). All that said, if I wasn't so tied to PC and already booked, I'd be doing exactly what you said about Oasis. On the plus side, I did love Wonder, so there's that. ScottD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonOasis Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 These prices are to be expected. Demand for Icon is still off the charts, it is obvious people are paying these sky high prices to sail on Icon. Just for comparison for an October 2024 cruise if anyone were to choose Wonder those prices start at $1,090 per person and Symphony when I checked was down to $979 per person for inside cabin. Harmony which sails out of Texas has a starting price of just $579 dollars for a 7 night cruise. When I looked at Icon I saw a starting price of $2,288 dollars for an October 2024 cruise. Clearly that outrageous price is being driven by demand and until demand drops back down to normal levels prices for Icon cruises will remain incredibly high. Here is just another comparison I already have a 14 night transatlantic cruise booked on Royal on Odyssey of the Seas it sets sail in November 2024 in a suite. Our 2 week transatlantic cruise in a suite cost less (and I'm talking a lot less because we booked early) than a similar size suite cost on Icon for a 1 week cruise. At the prices they are charging for Grand suite let alone an owners suite or higher on Icon we could not only take our 14 night transatlantic cruise On Odyssey but then turn around and do a 7 night Bahamas cruise out of New York on in a balcony and still not pay as much money as people are paying for a 7 night cruise on Icon in Grand suite or Owners suite. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 And you still need a 2nd mortgage to book Cactus527 and JustMeJoe 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VoidoftheSeas Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 I'll wait for the second Icon class ship, I guess. I'm sure it's a wonderful ship, but I can pay for two vacations at that price point. michaelp1446 and Al Miller 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 That new ship smell is getting extremely pricey. Our April trip on the 'lightly used' Wonder was just under 7K for a JS, but that was still less than the NCL booking it replaced, though the 2 bookings can't be a straight up comparison. That said, of our 3 cruises with Royal, I kept my composure with the onboard stuff and came away with the lowest onboard folio of the 3 trips. Give and take, and I suspect other cruisers will think along the same lines for Icon and Utopia when they launch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelp1446 Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 I always thought the lowest pricing occurred at initial deployment release. The earlier you book the better... I can not imagine what those 2025-2026 prices will look like in 6-12 months. The less expensive alternatives are also being lifted by the rising Icon/Utopia pricing tide. eg: Adventure OTS 1 Br GS 4/08/25 booked at $3250 is now over $10,000 for same stateroom.(several were still available last time I checked). Is the new marketing strategy: "Lets make these new ships ridiculously expensive so that the excessively inflated alternatives look like a good deal"? There are some deals to be had for sure but not like it used to be Lovetocruise2002 and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaxRebo Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Well, to make me feel better about the Icon pricing I took a look at the Disney Treasure .... yowsas michaelp1446, tingtang and ScottD 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 19 minutes ago, michaelp1446 said: Is the new marketing strategy: "Lets make these new ships ridiculously expensive so that the excessively inflated alternatives look like a good deal"? ^This^ Ryan79 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin and Boozin Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 The pricing WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 3 hours ago, sammy79 said: So no live blog from Icon 2025? Not likely. You want to know the sad thing? When I had some dates priced out last night, that was before I could access the prices myself. Anyway, this morning, I checked prices for Icon from May 2025-April 2026 and sorted them by lowest price. Even the lowest price sail date (September 2025) is priced much higher than what we booked the inaugural for when it was released. I am really praying that I don't have to cancel this Icon inaugural sailing because if I do, it will be a long time before I can justify sailing Icon. 1 hour ago, michaelp1446 said: I always thought the lowest pricing occurred at initial deployment release. The earlier you book the better... I can not imagine what those 2025-2026 prices will look like in 6-12 months. ^^^This^^^ sammy79 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalGreg Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 1 hour ago, TheMaxRebo said: Well, to make me feel better about the Icon pricing I took a look at the Disney Treasure .... yowsas Actually...... Icon appears to be worse: Disney pricing is for 2 guests including taxes and fees: Royal pricing is based on double occupancy, and then you have to add taxes and fees. That interior becomes $4,782.30 for 2 adults: Going out to 2026 (Disney hasn't scheduled that far) the same Icon sailing (leaving Jan 31) is $4,471.60 for 2 in the basic inside. The inaugural Treasure sailing is exorbitantly priced. I figured comparing non-holiday sail dates would be the most fair method. Carlos A. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg R Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Its all about supply and demand. People want to sail on Icon because it is the newest shiniest thing out and are willing to pay the price, so Royal is going to charge accordingly. When demand goes down like you see on the older ships then the price goes down. I love the Oasis class ships, and I would like to go on Wonder as it is only 40 minutes away so I am just waiting for the prices to drop a little, or at least I am hoping they do. I'm on Allure in November and I think the price is reasonable for that ship. I like Independence too, and would go on it multiple times for weekends but they are moving her for Allure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaxRebo Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 31 minutes ago, RoyalGreg said: Actually...... Icon appears to be worse: Disney pricing is for 2 guests including taxes and fees: Royal pricing is based on double occupancy, and then you have to add taxes and fees. That interior becomes $4,782.30 for 2 adults: Going out to 2026 (Disney hasn't scheduled that far) the same Icon sailing (leaving Jan 31) is $4,471.60 for 2 in the basic inside. The inaugural Treasure sailing is exorbitantly priced. I figured comparing non-holiday sail dates would be the most fair method. Maybe just as we are family of 5 and the week we normally go but I checked Treasure for same week we are going on Icon, just a year out (so 2024 for Icon vs 2025 for Treasure) and my all in for a family infinite balcony on Icon was under $8k. For the Treasure the starting point indicates was $11,093 (and that is before on sale) Edit: ok, I just priced out the ICON for that same week in 2025 and prices really seem to have gone up over 2024 - I can't price out 5 people online but for the same room category I have in 2024, that room with 4 people (so one less person) is just under $11k, so same or maybe even more than Treasure I stand corrected - oh well. Guess glad I booked when I did for 2024 on Icon RoyalGreg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cakemeister Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 By then, Icon 2 will likely be ready to go. If a regular cruise ship makes $300 per passenger per sailing, Icon will likely be more, say $500. Matt's calculation was here: Here's how much Royal Caribbean makes on each passenger | Royal Caribbean Blog $500 times 6K passengers (5600 at double occupancy + a few extra) times 50 sailings in a year = $150 million per year profit from just Icon. The ship will be paid off in only 13 years at that rate. And people wonder why the trend is to bigger and bigger ships, and why Royal is blowing Carnival and NCL out of the water. PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalGreg Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 22 minutes ago, TheMaxRebo said: Maybe just as we are family of 5 but I checked Treasure for same week we are going on Icon, just a year out (so 2024 for Icon vs 2025 for Treasure) and my all in for a family infinite balcony on Icon was under $8k. For the Treasure the starting point indicates was $11,154 (and that is before on sale) Maybe Disney discounts kids/passengers 3-5 less than other lines? You certainly don't have to do the work, but I'm curious to know the pricing of your (similar) Icon sailing in 2025 for 5 in an infinite balcony. I'll bet your sailing in 2024 is nearing a sell out, so the current pricing of your cruise is probably crazy. @TheMaxRebo Seeing your new edits now. Thanks for the info. The conclusion is that current pricing is CRAAAAAAZY! Enjoy your sailing on the Icon in 2024, looks like you got a steal! Just for fun, I took the same Feb 1, 2026 date that I captured earlier. Here's the pricing for 4 in an infinite balcony (I was unable to choose 5 pax): TheMaxRebo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atricks Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Part of me is wondering if this is a trial balloon to see how much they can book up at the higher prices, especially releasing icon alone out this far. I think Icon will be the opposite of the typical rule of thumb for other ships about booking early. I know I'm going to wait it out, because if this approach falls flat, it'll probably drop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John-NC Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Ouch. I really wanted to see this ship, but I can't stomach these prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmondFarmer Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 25 minutes ago, JohnRobertsNC said: Ouch. I really wanted to see this ship, but I can't stomach these prices. Royal is running a sale this week to see Icon for free starting in January 2024. Viewing location is South Pointe park Saturday late afternoon. Lovetocruise2002, John-NC and sammy79 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlantix2000 Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 I think at this point Royal's only motivation is getting deposits in the door to pay down the debt they took on during the pandemic. The deposit for non-suites is a fixed amount, but for suites is 10% of the trip. So if they jack up the prices now, they can get extra money now. They don't have to care (yet) whether anyone actually intends to sail because they get an interest free loan of your money even if you end up canceling 2 years from now. A year or more from now, they can drop the prices to what they actually intend to charge. Some people won't notice (so they score extra $ on those sailings). Some will reprice at the lower rate which just means their deposit pre-paid a higher percentage of the trip. And some will end up canceling which is always true. But once they've got your deposit, there's a better chance you ultimately sail with Royal. (Remember, more than half the ship is first time cruisers so this is important.) USFFrank and Rackham 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobroo Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 <cringe> Obviously they do not want me on this boat. USFFrank and PPPJJ-GCVAB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilley Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Glad I booked when it first came out. Ocean view balcony for 2. We paid $3100 total and got onboard credit. Had booked Utopia but canceled couldn’t really justify paying the same price for a weekend that I’m paying for 7 days. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo2slick Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 I looked at Feb 2026 and was curious about suite prices. COME ON NOW!!! barbeyg, PPPJJ-GCVAB, fireclan and 2 others 1 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApexoftheSeas Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Why still 7 nights in Miami for 2+ whole years?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 I checked out the Utlimate Family Townhouse for just me in January 2026. $96K. I kid you not. I laughed and laughed, and then said "we're just going to do a Voyager class ship instead!" WAAAYTOOO and sammy79 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 39 minutes ago, ApexoftheSeas said: Why still 7 nights in Miami for 2+ whole years?! What would you propose they do with Icon to maximize profit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilley Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Maybe those prices will drop after they see the decline in bookings…….I hope. sammy79 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted September 13, 2023 Report Share Posted September 13, 2023 I’ve got a balcony on deck 12 for April 2024 for $3200 Today, out of curiosity, I looked at the same date April 2026, balcony deck 12. $6400 After Icon we have Utopia in October 2024. After that, we’re going smaller ships to new ports. Honestly I’m soooo tired of the same eastern Caribbean ports. It’ll be interesting to see how final payment dates shake out. I think this first year of Icon most reservations will stay intact but if the economy doesn’t turn around, I see a lot of final payments not being made. We’ve already said Icon is likely a one and done for us. Too many kids lol JohnK6404 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted September 13, 2023 Report Share Posted September 13, 2023 I am so glad that they dropped the rates on the "old" Oasis class with Icon now out. Oh, wait.... they didn't. Doh! Ugh. Do I really need to take back all that stuff I said about MSC? mscblog.com? Hmmmm. teddy, Lovetocruise2002, Al Miller and 3 others 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK6404 Posted September 13, 2023 Report Share Posted September 13, 2023 2 hours ago, Jill said: I’ve got a balcony on deck 12 for April 2024 for $3200 Us too! We got the same cabin type (OV balcony/midship/deck 12) and exact price for our 5/11/24 sailing back in OCT... If these prices hold, I guess it will be one and done with Icon for a bit! We still have many, many other ships we have not sailed on including Harmony and Symphony! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilley Posted September 13, 2023 Report Share Posted September 13, 2023 Do you think Harmony, wonder and symphony will make there way to New Jersey or back there if I missed them. I. Thinking to save money I will just do cruises leaving from New Jersey, New York and Baltimore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaa Posted September 13, 2023 Report Share Posted September 13, 2023 Symphony will be there beginning May 2024 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilley Posted September 13, 2023 Report Share Posted September 13, 2023 Thanks. Hopefully I can get a decent rate as I may be going solo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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