For budget cruisers I recommend cruising from Galveston. They have the biggest ships (allure/harmony) sailing from there and others. The fare from there are some of the lowest. Flights to Houston are also dirt cheap and it could be a great alternative to Miami or other ports. 2 people for a week on Christmas was $1500 on harmony 2023 (balcony room). Way cheaper than other ports. I highly recommend that port.
They really got me on my last cruise in January on Symphony. This was my second cruise and I'm a solo cruiser. I had an inside room for about $1k. I was moved to an ocean balcony for free. I was like crap, now I need to get an ocean balcony from now on because I liked it so much. I booked one for Jan 23 on Harmony for about $2k, and Navigator 24 for about $2,500. It's still a better value than a resort or staying home during the cold winter months.
Took the words out of my mouth. I live in Jacksonville Florida so I get to choose whatever port I want to go to. The no flying aspect is basically 90% of the reason why I like to cruise. Now if I lived in the Midwest or some thing then I probably would not do any cruising lolol.
@@itr0863 I'm currently in New York (moving to Maryland next summer) so I'm at the mercy of what is offered at Cape Liberty. You're lucky to have so many options within reasonable driving distance!
I’m flying to my cruise this year - I live in Southern California and I’ve sailed to Catalina & Mexico enough times to be bored of them by now 😂 waiting for good deals for flights
@@gmkarliah6528 I know. I always think about people that live more north that want to go on cruises and I totally understand and sympathize when you guys come down. It’s just a lot of money to fly! What ports are available along the East Coast besides Florida? I assume New York and Baltimore how are those ports compared to you guys coming down to Florida! I understand gas is expensive and I really don’t like driving long distances but the price of flights it’s almost like you’re better off just driving down with your family!
We just cruised on Wonder of the Seas. Myself, husband and one child. Price was about $2500 for 7 days with a balcony room. We booked about a month before sailing. This was our first cruise and we thought it was well worth the price. We did excursions through Viator in St. Maarten, a restaurant in St. Thomas, and no additional expense at Perfect Day at CocoCay. We also don’t drink alcohol so no drink package and chose not to do specialty dining because our son has several food allergies and we are usually limited in what we eat anyway. Overall the value of the vacation with the activities for him on the ship was amazing.
Spot on analysis of the gap between sea & land prices. I’ve booked 5 cruises since the end of the lockdown. My upcoming Liberty OTS January cruise is absurdly cheap. Note: Many people r still refusing to ever go back on a cruise. A stigma has developed in many circles
Just did the Ensenada 3 night cruise out of San Pedro. Total cost for two was $606. So cheap when you consider the quality of the food. I brought my own soda and did not drink alcohol.
Currently on an 8 nighter on explorer of the seas to the ABC islands and my family of 4 booked a balcony for less than $1,700!! Cruising is definitely a better deal than a land vacay 🙌🏻
My tip is to book early! We're doing the Western Med on Symphony next summer and booked when the schedule first came out. If we booked the same rooms today, we'd be paying double what we paid!
Just got back from a 6 night Carribean cruise on Explorer of the seas. Total vacation expense including,cruise, airfare, 2 excursions, hotel room (night before), inside room, my time dinning, and soda package, and a couple adult beverages day was $1800 per person.
I leave on Explorer January 2nd. It will be just my gf and I. Any adult recommendations or things that would be fun for a young couple? I want us to be comfortable on the ship we sail on.
Cruises are worth every penny for our family of four, especially with two young kids. The ease of travel, the entertainment, and the families memories we make are priceless. With the food included on the cruise, we actually spend about the same if we were to rent a beach house in Florida. So again, cruising is worth every penny. Plus beach homes don’t have kids clubs,……as parents we love having some time to ourselves on vacation ❤️
Nobody's mind is in the gutter here, so.....yeah, I guess you shouldn't assume and perhaps check your own mindset for clarity? I'm allowed to have my opinion on the comment, thank you for commenting as well.
Doing my first cruise in a couple of months and so far, I am still finding all inclusive resorts to be a better deal. Far less nickel and diming with things like internet, alcohol and virtually all restaurants included in your price, which is less overall than our base cruise fare. I still think we're going to have a great time though.
While I agree that cruises do provide good value, unfortunately that is changing fast. I am going on a B2B on the Wonder of the Seas for 3 passengers on a balcony and I am spending about 12K between the fare, drink package, meal package, and other miscellaneous expenses. I can stay on a Airbnb for much less and order out every night, bring my own alcohol and still spend less. Cruising is certainly a better experience, but individuals might choose the latter if prices keep going up. Limiting food in the MDR is really making me re-think how I spend my vacation dollars. Just food for thought!
It really does depend on how you sail and when. Cruising will always be cheaper than any other vacation for us because we live in central Florida and can cruise in the off season. Our best deal ever was a 9-night ABC islands cruise the week after thanksgiving. When you are a crazy person like me with four kids, there’s no comparison. But I do enjoy seeing how other people do the math. There are so many considerations. After the cost, the MOST important factor to me is whether I (as mom) can actually enjoy myself and relax. Cruising is one of the only ways I get to do that with little ones.
You’re also choosing to make your cruise overly expensive. Assuming your B2B consists of two 7 night sailings, you’re only spending $4000 per person or $2000 per week. You mentioned that everyone had drink packages and specialty dining packages. Again, that is artificially inflating the price of your cruise, and I don’t see the need to spend the money on stuff like that when I could eat the same thing back home for less.
I agree that cruising is a great value and that you can optimize your vacation if you desire to modify your experience. However, I feel that RCCL and some other cruiselines are desperately trying to nickel and dime their passengers and its showing. It is not coincidental that Royal surveyed its passengers about paying for pizza. While that subject is mute for now, I know that their wheels are turning and somewhere in the future we will see another charge for something that used to be included in the dining experience. Unfortunately, RC is increasing the cost of cruising and they feel justified with the introduction of the Icon of the Seas. On my end I feel that large vessels lower their cost per passenger thus achieving economies of scale. The increase in size does little for the passengers due to diminishing returns. While we are being WOW’d by large ships, the reality is that most of that benefit goes to the cruiseline and not the passenger. Having 7,600 passengers on one sailing takes away from the experience and lowers the quality of the service as it has already in many of their food venues. I think with these changes in the industry it is best to look around and cruise with the cruiseline that best matches your needs. For example, like you I want to relax and enjoy a great meal so food is very important in my decision to travel. I don’t really care about Flow-Riders, rock climbing, parties, etc. I rather pay for comfort, elegance, quality service, good food, and personalized attention. Again, I do think that cruiselines provide good value but I think loyalty is out the window because the perks are not valuable enough anymore to help me choose the kind of vacation I want. Incidentally, RCCL just announced an increase in the automatic daily gratuity charge. Gratuities will increase from $16 to $18 per guest, per day for non-suite staterooms and from $18.50 to $20.50 per guest, per day for suites. In other words, this amounts to an additional $2/per day per person or a 12.5% increase for non-suite staterooms. This move comes about a year after the previous increase despite the cruise line increase in net income rise to $1 billion in the third quarter of 2023.
the prices are too high now it's true, we had a beautiful cruise in 2016 with royal to the caribbean, with the flight from Italy included and the cabin with the balcony, this cost us even less than what only a cabin costs today.
Booked on the Quantum of the seas next year from Brisbane I live in NZ and in total its cost us close to $5000 2 adults 1 child with flights and soda drinks package and 1 night hotel the night before in Brisbane. So not too bad really first holiday in 4 years so we super excited plus first time cruise.
Enjoyed this one. To be honest, I'm predicting that cruise costs are about to sky rocket. I'm really impressed with some of the fares on offer out there, especially considering the price/cost of fuel these days. It's going to be a really careful balance, as costs everywhere are rising, but ultimately too high a hike will result in a loss of bookings - let's see how the next 6 months pans out...
I am in canada and in total for a 6 night Caribbean cruise on odyssey of the seas sailing on December 11, 2022, I paid $5577 for 2 people. This price includes: cruise Pre-paid gratuities Port fees & taxes Airfare Pre-selected seats on plane 3 night dining package Deluxe beverage package Surf & stream internet for 2 Zone zero virtual reality for 2 Northstar for 2 2 nites in hotel pre-cruise 1 night hotel post-cruise All-inclusive travel insurance (and covid coverage) Airport lounge at Winnipeg Airport pre-departure Private Car service to winnipeg airport Excursion in Labadee Dinner for 2 at Giovannis Birthday package (includes cake, Strawberries, decorations) So, overall, I find the total cost to be very reasonable! I compared a 1 week, all-inclusive hotel in both Cancun, Mexico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and it would have been closer to $6500 so I think I got a great deal on this cruise!
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog thank you! Plus I want EVERYONE to take note - and Matt has said this multiple times - BOOK EARLY - you can always cancel right up until final payment date if you change your mind or, if the price goes down, you can re-price all the way up to final payment. The earlier you book, the cheaper the price. I re-priced this cruise 4 times and as a result I saved over $850! As soon as you know you want to go - BOOK IT! Another tip - book REFUNDABLE deposit. Yes, it is more money, but well worth the minimal cost. I also pre-pay everything, including gratuities as I do not want that "surprise" on my bill at the end of the cruise. Last tip, and again Matt has said this so many time I have lost count - if you want any of the dining packages, or liquor packages or internet packages or any excursions, do NOT say to yourself "oh I will wait for a sale" - just book it when you know you want it that way you LOCK IN that price so that if price goes UP you won't pay more, and, if the price goes down later, you can ALWAYS cancel and rebook right up until 2 days before sailing. I have done this 6 times on this cruise alone and have saved a small fortune. This will be my 4th cruise ever (all with Royal) and I did this from my very first cruise
I booked the MSC Divina January 16-20, 2022 from Miami for $300 for one person in an inside guarantee and it included the wifi and easyplus medium level drink package. $75 per night? can't beat that? So, yes, there are deals, but you have to search them and be flexible when you can cruise.
My best tips: 1. Get a credit card that offers points that you can use toward hotels, airlines, etc. Use those points to book your pre/post-cruise hotel room and/or airfare to the port. We just did a cruise this fall where I paid $44.80 for four people roundtrip airfare (yes, that's $44.80, not a typo) from home to the port, and two nights at a nice hotel for $0 prior to the cruise. 2. Shop Cruise Planner sales. While I have found the best deals around late November/Black Friday times, they drop during the year as well. Pay attention. 3. Choose one (1) specialty dining location to visit on the cruise, and then do it for lunch (if possible). You'll save $$$! 4. Book through a travel agent and there's a chance you'll get onboard credit. They will also save you from major headaches when things need adjustment! Also, you can sometimes get OBC if the cruise price is adjusted prior to final payment.
Just used the "Specialty restaurant for lunch" tip for our upcoming cruse in Dec. Got Izumi Hibachi for $29 for lunch instead of $53 for dinner. For a family of 5, not a bad saving & still expect a great experience! Can't wait!
My land vacation for my family of 5 was 3k including everything... my cruise is costing 6k for my husband and I... our family vacation was a cabin in the woods, dollywood for three days, a day at the Nascar go-kart for 5, food for everyone, gas, and souvenirs for everyone, I booked them the same time. They are both for a week, and the only difference is the liquor package.
Agree, not sure how they came up with how cruising is cheaper. I like cruising but it has always been more expensive, not to mention how they nickle and dime you once in the ship.
The cruise includes comedy shows, piano and other music, a production or Broadway show, etc every single night. The biggest plus to me about a cruise is that the ship takes me to 4-5 different cities or countries and I sleep while they transport me. I don’t have to pack and unpack, switch hotels, get from city A to city B , etc. I don’t think your comparison to a cabin in the woods is apples-and-apples.
$6k sounds very expensive for a cruise for two for a week. You didn’t say where it was or on what ship (newer ships are more expensive). My husband and I cruise for about $3k in total (23 cruises so far). Our 15-night Panama Canal was far cheaper than your $6k. We always get an ocean view balcony.
I’m on the odyssey right now and man I don’t remember royal being this expensive. EVERYTHING has a charge $$$ cruises used to be all inclusive now you buy the room and then there’s a package just to drink soda? Lol the alcohol package is 800 per person in the stateroom. That’s insane!
Soda is a bar drink. Unless you are on a luxury cruise ship where the fare really is all inclusive, you have to pay for soda. There are a few exceptions to this. I think Disney has some free Soda but they have high prices. If you drink several sodas a day a soda package will save you money.
It’s easy to avoid soda on a cruise given the broad availability of iced tea, water, flavored waters in the Buffet, spa area, café promenade, etc. I have diamond status on royal Caribbean, which provides four free alcoholic drinks per day, which is more than enough for me. Thus, I don’t need to buy the expensive beverage package. I think the cruise lines have had to increase the cost of the alcohol packages since they include specialty coffees and so many people are drinking those these days. For me, I find that I am better to pay as I go, as I tend to drink less and consume fewer calories via beverages.
Although I agree that cruise is a better value, I booked 2 cruises in 2021 and early 2022 both for 2024, each balcony cabins. I checked Black Friday and Cypher Monday sales, the prices have increased so much that an inside cabin is now more expensive than my balcony cabins. The price drop expected during the sale periods is no longer available and can only hope prices will decrease within the next few years
Matt, Thanks for the information. Unless I’m missing something, I Never realized you could get two connecting rooms cheaper or a couple hundred dollars more than a single room depending on the ship, date and length of cruise. Seems too good to be true.
I had been shocked too. It was actually cheaper for us to get two rooms. Well, two rooms guaranteed was cheaper than one 4-person guarantee. Since we wanted connecting, selecting the rooms made it a little more expensive. The rooms that you get are a little smaller with max 2-person. But getting two more than makes up for it. I so love the rooms I selected I'd turn down an upgrade.
We've been on four cruises and doing our fifth in 2024. The Mariner, Oasis, Freedom, and Harmony have been our ships, and we'll be on the Wonder in 2024.
@@harveybirdman_23 They were all nice, but we really loved the Oasis and the Harmony, which is very similar. The Harmony promenade is somewhat curvy, so it has more of a neighborhood feel. We had balcony rooms overlooking Central Park in both cases, and really liked people watching. The Park Cafe is awesome with roast beef sandwiches and huge, made-to-order salads. Ate lunch there a couple of times. The Harmony has the robotic bar, which was cool to watch. Watched a movie on huge screens in the Aqua Theater while munching on hot dogs and nachos too 🙂
Me and my wife only ever took land vacations the all inclusive ones like in Cancun or Cabo or something. They are def cheaper then a cruise, we went on our first cruise back in April on symphony and it was def more money BUT the non stop entertainment and amazing food and casino and excursions and seeing 3-4 different places and perfect day at coco cay…. It’s none stop fun! Sometimes when on a land vacation it can get repetitive… not on a cruise … literally something new to do everyday and a different show! Broad way play!…. Ice skating show…… comedy!!!! And so much more l! This is all on oasis class ship … yea it cost more but I def think it’s worth it! Thanks for the video Matt!
I feel that the cruise prices are fair considering you have all meals included (plus snacking in between) and entertainment. Some of the excursions and cabanas are a little pricey. Thanks for all the info Matt. Sorry I missed the live.
Being close to docks is highly beneficial as airfare, bag fees, etc. are increasing and add to the costs. Unfortunately, being in NJ provides limited destination options.
Cruises are affordable right now, its the flights that are EXPENSIVE!!! Ridiculous!!! Cruises are $810 for 2 rn. But flights r also going for the same price..smfh
@@KS-qp2ml in my previous post, right beneath this update, I posted a complete breakdown of every expense and I put the grand total. it was $5577 total for 2 people
I Last week I booked a Christmas '23 cruise on Anthem for myself and my family instead of spending $$$ on "traditional" gifts. Was about $7000 for one interior and one balcony stateroom for 5 people.
We have a 7-Day Alaska cruise booked for 2024 on May 6th on Quantum of the Seas from Seattle round trip, our cruise fair price total with taxes, gratuities, trip protection insurance for a balcony cabin that is handicapped accessible $3,200
I had to cancel my Royal Caribbean cruise due to health problems. The thing you need to know is that you will lose your deposit. I was 160 days away from sailing and assumed I would get my deposit back but it seems not. I am not totally sure a cruise is worth it sometimes. I was going to have to pay £59 a day per person for the drinks package,£254 for gratuity package and then another £25 a day per person for Wi-Fi. I worked out this 12 day cruise was going to cost over £5000 for the 2 of us. Think I will go back to the hassles of airports and a 10 night 5 star all inclusive Turkey holiday for £2400 all in
We managed to get a holiday in lovely barbados for 2 weeks. Beachfront hotel and flights for 2300. Bit more expensive but the cruise cost over 3500 all in. Drinks package, gratuities and flights.
I’m cruising next week on the harmony 6 days . I did air to sea With a jr. suit 5 people ,drink packages , gratuity and excursions I’m at about 12k , this is the most I have ever paid to cruise .
The unlimited dining package and drinks package is the best way to go in my opinion. I paid only 230 dollars per person for an 11 night cruise and 73 dollars a day for the drinks unlimited drink package. Like Matt said cruise prices change often and everyone cruises differently. This cruise is going to be interesting because I am going to a Sandals resort for the same amount of time I am going on a cruise for so I am going to be able to do a cost breakdown.
As someone who lives in Florida, my family constantly cruises. For that we are Diamond Plus or higher, so for us drinks are a mute point. Between all ov us we get 15 free drinks a day and we barely consume that much. Plus, for the most part speciality dining isnt our thing. So usually base fare and shore excursions cover the majority of our costs.
Totally agree. We are sailing x 1 week on Rhapsody of the Seas early March 2023 from Barbados and have already booked 4 excursions via Royal Caribbean Cruises. They were less expensive than independently run excursions and we won’t get stuck on land if there are delays, or problems occur 👍⚓️🛳️
We have cruised for years and we love it.( almost 40 cruises at this point) Unfortunately, there has been a huge increase in prices for cruises. In addition Royal Caribbean is now charging additional money for a Refundable cruise. They also have charges if you have to change your Cruise to a different date or ship. Then they just raised the gratuities amount 😢 We still love cruising and we love RCCL (our favorite cruise line) however I’m not sure if it’s much cheaper to cruise now than doing other vacations. Sad to say.
I’m pricing a cruise for next year, surprised by the exorbitant price of one night hotel and transportation at departure port. My flight is short I’m may do a direct connect to the ship
Got Harmony for mid August for 4k, Balcony family of 4 (2 kids between 7 and 11) through Cotsco and got a $215 Cotsco card back. So really around 3785. But still need to add: Tips, Drinks (cannot justify the Drink Package since we do not drink much, probably 1 or 2 drinks a day + water). Still debating on Specialty restaurants. We may go on 1 or 2, and the Chops+1 does not seems to save that much money overall.
Booked an Alaskan this week 2 people 2 grand before gratuities for an inside room … my brothers booked across the hall in a balcony 2 people for 3k…. I thought it would still be cheaper with covid but it seems everyone is traveling again
Is $1775 each for a couple a fair price for an ocean balcony 8th deck room on the Wonder…the cabin is in the 600s (room number, that is)? There are 4 couples total all in the same type of cabin….the price was the same for all of us. Sailing in June this year.
Really surprised to see so many comments about cruising being cheap. I’ve been cruising 20 years and aside from all the changes and nominal increases, rates have doubled for the most part in comparison over the last two years. I’m seeing most 4 day sailings going for what 7 day cruises used to cost.
It's slightly unfair to compare prices today vs during the pandemic when prices were clearly slashed to promote cash flow. Basically, prices in 2020-2021 were aberrations.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog You are correct. I actually meant prior to the pandemic. Example: prior to the pandemic a 7 day interior room in Aug would run under $600pp all day/every day. 10 years ago it was under $500pp. Looking at CCL right now and it's between $700-800 and NCL is over $800 - but at least they include the drink package. A family of 4 could sail for $2500 for a 7 day, now you can't find one under $3k and NCL is even trying to charge close to $6k....for an interior.
It's been about a decade since we've cruised and these prices scare the @$%& out of me! Now that we're finally retired I thought we might get back into it. Now, not so sure.
Depends on the cruise line. I can go on new Sky Princess by myself for $750 for a week in February, or $2000 for an RCL cruise. Decision made. Not sure why RCL is consistently 3-10X the price of other cruise lines. Internet on Princess $40 for the week, RCL $380. Drinks, Princess $350, RCL $850. Second Lobster, Princess 0$, RCL $26 CDN Even priced out an MSC Yacht Club 7 day, $7000 for 2, all inclusive, RCL is actually more at $7200 for just a balcony cabin. Come on.
Conversion rate is the kicker for us...we are from Australia and its difficult but possible... we save by cruising within Australia...luckily for us nearest port is an hour away...id hate to book flights and accomodation on top of cruise expenses
I want to do a Bahamas cruise but from the literal opposite side of the world. With the hyper inflated cost of flights just on its own makes it harder just to get to the cruise. Let alone the increased cost of cruising at this time means i might have to play the waiting game for another 6~ months 😥
So much money.... The cruise royal Caribbean on first time February cost me 4060 us dollars... I am not even with traveling with family. This is it for me.. I couldn't afford this and I won't even be able to do an excursion.... This my last cruise. I looked for deals and couldn't not find anything
How does the rccl photo package work? I was interested in the 50 pic package for our first cruise. Are there people all over the ship taking photos? Do they go online? When do you choose which pics you want? Is it worth the money?
There are photographers around the ship, primarily in the evenings. On most ships, it's digital. Some still have printed photos to browse through. Overall, the photo package is worth it IF you take the time to get photos every day. It really boils down to you taking the time to get value out of it.
To me, it is like booking a hotel with board included and some activities. You'll pay for your drinks, other restaurants, other activities, spas, etc. 🤔🤔🤔😁😁😁😁😁
I saw the $13.99 price for Wi-Fi on this video….wish it was that price now….and it should be per room, unlimited devices, not per person per device to better serve their customers.
Another informative video. Thanks. I wanted to make a comment about Re-booking at a lower price. We are sailing Allure of the Seas in October 2023. Royal Caribbean informed us that we were ineligible for a rebooking, because all cabins in our class were filled. Any comment/advice?
Contact your travel agent. If there’s a way they will know what to do. Make sure it’s a travel agent that knows about cruising. Maybe you could rebook on different dates. It varies with dates and availability.
Wow cruising is so cheap in the US, at least compared to here in Australia, allowing for currency conversion as well. However cruising still does offer better value, IMO, than land based, especially if you live within an easy drive, or train trip, of Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane, and thus don't need to pay for air fare. For a week long cruise to NZ, for example, on say Ovation or Quantum, we'd be paying close to those Oasis class fares, and, generally, RCL only sails here in Australia during peak or shoulder periods, say, IIRC, late Oct - March. There's a rumour, unconfirmed, that we may see an Oasis class here within the next few years. They are too big for my liking, I don't like ships where the passengers numbers are higher than my town population (3500) haha, but it'll be interesting to see.
Just take your kids out of school I taught high schools and almost every student would benefit more from a week with their family than a week in my class. They easily catch up.
We can’t do that in England if you take your child/children out of school in term time the parents have to pay a fine but a lot of parents would rather pay the fine because it’s cheaper to go on holiday in term time than go on holiday when the children have school holidays
Cruising has become one of the biggest reasons Americans are $3 trillion in debt! I live in Boston and I do Bermuda in the Spring and Canada in the Fall, and that cuts big bucks off my costs!!!
As someone that always pre-pays my gratuity, I've never once gotten the sense the server thought I was stiffing them. Remember, even if you dont prepay, you get auto charged for gratuities. So very, very few people actually hand servers a cash tip.
It's hilarious listening to this guy. He can say the same thing a hundred different ways. Give him a simple concept and he can run with it for thirty minutes. 😂
I hate videos like this that don’t answer the question that is asked in the title. Sure, the video has a good information about what cruising has to offer. The video started off making a comparison about how cruising is 30-40 percent cheaper than land vacations. True!!! But this has nothing to do with title of the video, if the price of cruising and land vacations are too expensive for the middle class. I have been on 5 cruises and I have 2 cruises booked (Celebration and Icon). I do enjoy cruising. But when I watch similar video about affordable land based vacations they don’t make excuses about being cheaper than another kind of vacation. For example: Is a trip to Spain affordable? Yes, because a trip to Dubai is 75% more than a trip to Spain. You see what I did there? That kind of logic is just stupid. Also, when addressing affordability, I’m tired of being told by the cruise industry that it depends on the type of room. Let’s face it. We all want at least an ocean view or balcony. We settle for a windowless interior room because of the cost. I want to see a video that addresses what most people want (even if they don’t book it). And let’s look at prices. Also inflation affects everything but no one is talking about how it is making cruising less affordable. Also how much has the price of a balcony room gone compared to last year or 2 years ago. This will tell you if cruising is affordable.
Hey Matt, I have a question regarding the re-pricing policy for the cruise fair itself. In the video you stated that we could re-book up to 48 hours before boarding, but on the Royal Caribbean website it says you can only re-book up to 48 hours after booking the cruise. Is this a change in the "Best price guarantee" program that many people aren't aware of? Or am I just reading it wrong? Thank you for all your videos, I have found them very helpful for booking my first cruise on Oasis of the seas in December 2023!
Apologies for the confusion. You can rebook Cruise Planner purchases (drink packages, wifi, shore excursions etc) up to 48 hours before the cruise. You can rebook your cruise fare up until final payment date
Of course. There are over 20 million millionaires in the U.S. alone. But anyone making halfway decent money who keeps their expenses in check can easily afford a cruise. There are cruises available with a total cost of under $300 - including taxes, port charges and gratuities. That's pretty cheap.
@@janiekcarney5482 Are they? I dunno - maybe to and from some spots, but I get notifications from Google Flights for a number of routes I'm interested in. Today I got notification that some fares between TX and FL can be had for as low $20. Whereabouts are you, and where would you want to fly to?
@@janiekcarney5482 Sure, they're shorter cruises, but cruises nonetheless. Even longer cruises can be pretty cheap: 6 days under $450; 7 days a little over $500. I don't have an issue with 'old' ships myself, as long as they're maintained and nice. And realistically, they have a heck of a lot more than bingo.
It really depends on the sailing and price. Most often balcony, but we recently did Promenade View room on Independence and doing suite on Wonder for our group cruise.
They charge full price for every day. Including the first day and last day when you are barely on the ship. I just wait until I’m off the ship before I use wifi.
A lot of cruisers are retired people. The best rates are a week before sailing. If there are openings, they are reduced to a ridiculous amount. People who have flexibility can save thousands!! Plenty of websites to get those kind of rates last minute. True that the room options could be limited, but most people I know, just want to be on the ship.
I was thinking the same thing. My kids are six and three and I asked my wife “why didn’t we cruise more before we had kids” lol. Both our jobs are super flexible.
I disagree the best rates are a week before sailing and would definitely advise someone to plan their vacation based on what may or may not be available a week before the cruise. Can I assume you live near a cruise port? Perhaps in Florida? I get we Floridians are lucky to have so many choices, but most people don't cruise like that. And when it comes to prices, often the best prices are still booked far out. Sure, there can be last minute deals. But I would never bet on it for my family vacation.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog that's why I said for "retired" people who have flexibility. My statement was based on people who can go at a whims notice. Or someone who got last minute vacation time. But best prices are clearly just before the boat sails!
I've always booked our cruises online or calling Royal Caribbean. Would I get any benefit other than just not needing to look for the right cruise, which I personally enjoy doing? For instance, is the overall cost less, onboard cruise credits, or any other perk using a travel agent that specializes in cruising?
I frequently use a travel agent although I do have one cruise booked in 2023 that I booked directly through RCI. The advantage of using a travel agent is they handle all the details, changes, phone calls with the cruise line, rate adjustments, etc. Sometimes, depending on the travel group the agent is associated with, they will purchase a block of staterooms and offer special rates for preferred clients. My husband and I will be going on Allure next September. I contacted my TA. Because the travel group had purchased a block of staterooms, we were able to get an ocean view balcony stateroom for $800/pp for a 7 nt western Caribbean cruise. This was significantly less than I could get booking directly through RCI. The other advantage of using a TA, even if the best fare is the same as what RC offers, is that a TA is able to view and access staterooms that do not appear on the RC website.
My travel agent has saved me over $300 so far for my cruise. It was booked in August(Feb cruise), but every few weeks almost I would get an email saying the price dropped. If I didn’t have a travel agent, I wouldn’t have known the price dropped. They have a computer system to auto alert them to drops.
Prices for cruises is way out of control.that's why I won't go. You used to be able to eat as much as you want,now you have to pay so much more to eat more,that's BS.Even drink packages is Damm Ridiculous. I rather go to VEGAS,and while gambling,you can drink for free,and Buffets you can eat as much as you want for,$37.99. It's not worth taking a cruise anymore. You can eat 20 Lobster tails for that $37.99,but on a cruise ship the same amount of Lobster tails will cost$225.00,at $15.00 a peace. The cruise business,they are killing it over STUPIDITY.
Great until someone gets sick and no one wants you docking in their country. Going on holiday on a floating shopping center polluting the ocean is not my idea of fun. And your stuck around hundreds of other peoples kids. Scary.
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For budget cruisers I recommend cruising from Galveston. They have the biggest ships (allure/harmony) sailing from there and others. The fare from there are some of the lowest. Flights to Houston are also dirt cheap and it could be a great alternative to Miami or other ports. 2 people for a week on Christmas was $1500 on harmony 2023 (balcony room). Way cheaper than other ports. I highly recommend that port.
They really got me on my last cruise in January on Symphony. This was my second cruise and I'm a solo cruiser. I had an inside room for about $1k. I was moved to an ocean balcony for free. I was like crap, now I need to get an ocean balcony from now on because I liked it so much. I booked one for Jan 23 on Harmony for about $2k, and Navigator 24 for about $2,500. It's still a better value than a resort or staying home during the cold winter months.
I agree, once you go balcony you can NEVER go back!!!
Lol. My dad used to say “Nothing is more expensive than free!”
I chose my cruise based on the fact that I don't have to fly to get to the port. Not on the ship I want but I just wanna cruise.
Took the words out of my mouth. I live in Jacksonville Florida so I get to choose whatever port I want to go to. The no flying aspect is basically 90% of the reason why I like to cruise. Now if I lived in the Midwest or some thing then I probably would not do any cruising lolol.
@@itr0863 I'm currently in New York (moving to Maryland next summer) so I'm at the mercy of what is offered at Cape Liberty. You're lucky to have so many options within reasonable driving distance!
I’m flying to my cruise this year - I live in Southern California and I’ve sailed to Catalina & Mexico enough times to be bored of them by now 😂 waiting for good deals for flights
Flying adds so much more stress and expense. If you can cruise from a port within an easy drive from home, you save a lot of money.
@@gmkarliah6528 I know. I always think about people that live more north that want to go on cruises and I totally understand and sympathize when you guys come down. It’s just a lot of money to fly! What ports are available along the East Coast besides Florida? I assume New York and Baltimore how are those ports compared to you guys coming down to Florida! I understand gas is expensive and I really don’t like driving long distances but the price of flights it’s almost like you’re better off just driving down with your family!
We just cruised on Wonder of the Seas. Myself, husband and one child. Price was about $2500 for 7 days with a balcony room. We booked about a month before sailing. This was our first cruise and we thought it was well worth the price. We did excursions through Viator in St. Maarten, a restaurant in St. Thomas, and no additional expense at Perfect Day at CocoCay. We also don’t drink alcohol so no drink package and chose not to do specialty dining because our son has several food allergies and we are usually limited in what we eat anyway. Overall the value of the vacation with the activities for him on the ship was amazing.
Spot on analysis of the gap between sea & land prices.
I’ve booked 5 cruises since the end of the lockdown.
My upcoming Liberty OTS January cruise is absurdly cheap.
Note: Many people r still refusing to ever go back on a cruise. A stigma has developed in many circles
Just did the Ensenada 3 night cruise out of San Pedro. Total cost for two was $606. So cheap when you consider the quality of the food. I brought my own soda and did not drink alcohol.
Currently on an 8 nighter on explorer of the seas to the ABC islands and my family of 4 booked a balcony for less than $1,700!! Cruising is definitely a better deal than a land vacay 🙌🏻
Hello Everyone I enjoy every post blog and QA sessions that Matt does.
Thank you!
My tip is to book early! We're doing the Western Med on Symphony next summer and booked when the schedule first came out. If we booked the same rooms today, we'd be paying double what we paid!
Agreed!
Amen to that!
Just got back from a 6 night Carribean cruise on Explorer of the seas. Total vacation expense including,cruise, airfare, 2 excursions, hotel room (night before), inside room, my time dinning, and soda package, and a couple adult beverages day was $1800 per person.
I leave on Explorer January 2nd. It will be just my gf and I. Any adult recommendations or things that would be fun for a young couple? I want us to be comfortable on the ship we sail on.
P.s. ours is a 5-night with 0 excursions and extra dining/packages only $900 per person!
@jamesepicmamba Where are you going? There is an adults only pool and hot tube!
Cruises are worth every penny for our family of four, especially with two young kids. The ease of travel, the entertainment, and the families memories we make are priceless. With the food included on the cruise, we actually spend about the same if we were to rent a beach house in Florida. So again, cruising is worth every penny. Plus beach homes don’t have kids clubs,……as parents we love having some time to ourselves on vacation ❤️
Totally TMI on the last part of your comment.
@@marksmith5696 Nothing she said was TMI, if your mind goes straight to the gutter than thats on you
Nobody's mind is in the gutter here, so.....yeah, I guess you shouldn't assume and perhaps check your own mindset for clarity? I'm allowed to have my opinion on the comment, thank you for commenting as well.
@@madisonharrill1935 Please seek some therapy. Ty in advance.
@@marksmith5696 therapy 🤣 thanks I’ll consider
Doing my first cruise in a couple of months and so far, I am still finding all inclusive resorts to be a better deal. Far less nickel and diming with things like internet, alcohol and virtually all restaurants included in your price, which is less overall than our base cruise fare. I still think we're going to have a great time though.
While I agree that cruises do provide good value, unfortunately that is changing fast. I am going on a B2B on the Wonder of the Seas for 3 passengers on a balcony and I am spending about 12K between the fare, drink package, meal package, and other miscellaneous expenses. I can stay on a Airbnb for much less and order out every night, bring my own alcohol and still spend less. Cruising is certainly a better experience, but individuals might choose the latter if prices keep going up. Limiting food in the MDR is really making me re-think how I spend my vacation dollars. Just food for thought!
It really does depend on how you sail and when. Cruising will always be cheaper than any other vacation for us because we live in central Florida and can cruise in the off season. Our best deal ever was a 9-night ABC islands cruise the week after thanksgiving. When you are a crazy person like me with four kids, there’s no comparison. But I do enjoy seeing how other people do the math. There are so many considerations. After the cost, the MOST important factor to me is whether I (as mom) can actually enjoy myself and relax. Cruising is one of the only ways I get to do that with little ones.
You’re also choosing to make your cruise overly expensive. Assuming your B2B consists of two 7 night sailings, you’re only spending $4000 per person or $2000 per week. You mentioned that everyone had drink packages and specialty dining packages. Again, that is artificially inflating the price of your cruise, and I don’t see the need to spend the money on stuff like that when I could eat the same thing back home for less.
I agree that cruising is a great value and that you can optimize your vacation if you desire to modify your experience. However, I feel that RCCL and some other cruiselines are desperately trying to nickel and dime their passengers and its showing. It is not coincidental that Royal surveyed its passengers about paying for pizza. While that subject is mute for now, I know that their wheels are turning and somewhere in the future we will see another charge for something that used to be included in the dining experience. Unfortunately, RC is increasing the cost of cruising and they feel justified with the introduction of the Icon of the Seas. On my end I feel that large vessels lower their cost per passenger thus achieving economies of scale. The increase in size does little for the passengers due to diminishing returns. While we are being WOW’d by large ships, the reality is that most of that benefit goes to the cruiseline and not the passenger. Having 7,600 passengers on one sailing takes away from the experience and lowers the quality of the service as it has already in many of their food venues. I think with these changes in the industry it is best to look around and cruise with the cruiseline that best matches your needs. For example, like you I want to relax and enjoy a great meal so food is very important in my decision to travel. I don’t really care about Flow-Riders, rock climbing, parties, etc. I rather pay for comfort, elegance, quality service, good food, and personalized attention. Again, I do think that cruiselines provide good value but I think loyalty is out the window because the perks are not valuable enough anymore to help me choose the kind of vacation I want. Incidentally, RCCL just announced an increase in the automatic daily gratuity charge. Gratuities will increase from $16 to $18 per guest, per day for non-suite staterooms and from $18.50 to $20.50 per guest, per day for suites. In other words, this amounts to an additional $2/per day per person or a 12.5% increase for non-suite staterooms. This move comes about a year after the previous increase despite the cruise line increase in net income rise to $1 billion in the third quarter of 2023.
the prices are too high now it's true, we had a beautiful cruise in 2016 with royal to the caribbean, with the flight from Italy included and the cabin with the balcony, this cost us even less than what only a cabin costs today.
We priced a week in Las Vegas and a week on the Allure of the Seas. Sailing is about 1/2 of what we were looking at for a land based vacation.
Las Vegas is right up there with New York. That’s not typical on land. Many cities have Broadway shows and great restaurants.
Booked on the Quantum of the seas next year from Brisbane I live in NZ and in total its cost us close to $5000 2 adults 1 child with flights and soda drinks package and 1 night hotel the night before in Brisbane. So not too bad really first holiday in 4 years so we super excited plus first time cruise.
Enjoyed this one. To be honest, I'm predicting that cruise costs are about to sky rocket. I'm really impressed with some of the fares on offer out there, especially considering the price/cost of fuel these days. It's going to be a really careful balance, as costs everywhere are rising, but ultimately too high a hike will result in a loss of bookings - let's see how the next 6 months pans out...
I am in canada and in total for a 6 night Caribbean cruise on odyssey of the seas sailing on December 11, 2022, I paid $5577 for 2 people.
This price includes:
cruise
Pre-paid gratuities
Port fees & taxes
Airfare
Pre-selected seats on plane
3 night dining package
Deluxe beverage package
Surf & stream internet for 2
Zone zero virtual reality for 2
Northstar for 2
2 nites in hotel pre-cruise
1 night hotel post-cruise
All-inclusive travel insurance (and covid coverage)
Airport lounge at Winnipeg Airport pre-departure
Private Car service to winnipeg airport
Excursion in Labadee
Dinner for 2 at Giovannis
Birthday package (includes cake, Strawberries, decorations)
So, overall, I find the total cost to be very reasonable! I compared a 1 week, all-inclusive hotel in both Cancun, Mexico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and it would have been closer to $6500 so I think I got a great deal on this cruise!
Great analysis!
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog thank you! Plus I want EVERYONE to take note - and Matt has said this multiple times - BOOK EARLY - you can always cancel right up until final payment date if you change your mind or, if the price goes down, you can re-price all the way up to final payment. The earlier you book, the cheaper the price. I re-priced this cruise 4 times and as a result I saved over $850! As soon as you know you want to go - BOOK IT! Another tip - book REFUNDABLE deposit. Yes, it is more money, but well worth the minimal cost. I also pre-pay everything, including gratuities as I do not want that "surprise" on my bill at the end of the cruise. Last tip, and again Matt has said this so many time I have lost count - if you want any of the dining packages, or liquor packages or internet packages or any excursions, do NOT say to yourself "oh I will wait for a sale" - just book it when you know you want it that way you LOCK IN that price so that if price goes UP you won't pay more, and, if the price goes down later, you can ALWAYS cancel and rebook right up until 2 days before sailing. I have done this 6 times on this cruise alone and have saved a small fortune. This will be my 4th cruise ever (all with Royal) and I did this from my very first cruise
I booked the MSC Divina January 16-20, 2022 from Miami for $300 for one person in an inside guarantee and it included the wifi and easyplus medium level drink package. $75 per night? can't beat that? So, yes, there are deals, but you have to search them and be flexible when you can cruise.
I heard that ship is terrible...
My best tips:
1. Get a credit card that offers points that you can use toward hotels, airlines, etc. Use those points to book your pre/post-cruise hotel room and/or airfare to the port. We just did a cruise this fall where I paid $44.80 for four people roundtrip airfare (yes, that's $44.80, not a typo) from home to the port, and two nights at a nice hotel for $0 prior to the cruise.
2. Shop Cruise Planner sales. While I have found the best deals around late November/Black Friday times, they drop during the year as well. Pay attention.
3. Choose one (1) specialty dining location to visit on the cruise, and then do it for lunch (if possible). You'll save $$$!
4. Book through a travel agent and there's a chance you'll get onboard credit. They will also save you from major headaches when things need adjustment! Also, you can sometimes get OBC if the cruise price is adjusted prior to final payment.
Really good tips!
Tip 1 sounds like you flew Southwest using points and Companion Pass. Segments are only $5.60 each to cover taxes. That’s how we fly for free also.
@@jackiebyers3424 Exactly! Love Southwest, though we don't have companion passes on there yet.
May I ask, what are Cruise Planner Sales, and how do you find them? Many thanks!
Just used the "Specialty restaurant for lunch" tip for our upcoming cruse in Dec. Got Izumi Hibachi for $29 for lunch instead of $53 for dinner. For a family of 5, not a bad saving & still expect a great experience! Can't wait!
My land vacation for my family of 5 was 3k including everything... my cruise is costing 6k for my husband and I... our family vacation was a cabin in the woods, dollywood for three days, a day at the Nascar go-kart for 5, food for everyone, gas, and souvenirs for everyone, I booked them the same time. They are both for a week, and the only difference is the liquor package.
Agree, not sure how they came up with how cruising is cheaper. I like cruising but it has always been more expensive, not to mention how they nickle and dime you once in the ship.
The cruise includes comedy shows, piano and other music, a production or Broadway show, etc every single night. The biggest plus to me about a cruise is that the ship takes me to 4-5 different cities or countries and I sleep while they transport me. I don’t have to pack and unpack, switch hotels, get from city A to city B , etc. I don’t think your comparison to a cabin in the woods is apples-and-apples.
$6k sounds very expensive for a cruise for two for a week. You didn’t say where it was or on what ship (newer ships are more expensive). My husband and I cruise for about $3k in total (23 cruises so far). Our 15-night Panama Canal was far cheaper than your $6k. We always get an ocean view balcony.
Booked a European one for $4500!
I'm super excited!
Nice!
I’m on the odyssey right now and man I don’t remember royal being this expensive. EVERYTHING has a charge $$$ cruises used to be all inclusive now you buy the room and then there’s a package just to drink soda? Lol the alcohol package is 800 per person in the stateroom. That’s insane!
Soda is a bar drink. Unless you are on a luxury cruise ship where the fare really is all inclusive, you have to pay for soda. There are a few exceptions to this. I think Disney has some free Soda but they have high prices.
If you drink several sodas a day a soda package will save you money.
It’s easy to avoid soda on a cruise given the broad availability of iced tea, water, flavored waters in the Buffet, spa area, café promenade, etc. I have diamond status on royal Caribbean, which provides four free alcoholic drinks per day, which is more than enough for me. Thus, I don’t need to buy the expensive beverage package. I think the cruise lines have had to increase the cost of the alcohol packages since they include specialty coffees and so many people are drinking those these days. For me, I find that I am better to pay as I go, as I tend to drink less and consume fewer calories via beverages.
Although I agree that cruise is a better value, I booked 2 cruises in 2021 and early 2022 both for 2024, each balcony cabins. I checked Black Friday and Cypher Monday sales, the prices have increased so much that an inside cabin is now more expensive than my balcony cabins. The price drop expected during the sale periods is no longer available and can only hope prices will decrease within the next few years
Matt, Thanks for the information. Unless I’m missing something, I Never realized you could get two connecting rooms cheaper or a couple hundred dollars more than a single room depending on the ship, date and length of cruise. Seems too good to be true.
It's the best tip a family can take advantage of!
I had been shocked too. It was actually cheaper for us to get two rooms. Well, two rooms guaranteed was cheaper than one 4-person guarantee. Since we wanted connecting, selecting the rooms made it a little more expensive.
The rooms that you get are a little smaller with max 2-person. But getting two more than makes up for it. I so love the rooms I selected I'd turn down an upgrade.
We've been on four cruises and doing our fifth in 2024. The Mariner, Oasis, Freedom, and Harmony have been our ships, and we'll be on the Wonder in 2024.
What ship is your favorite so far
@@harveybirdman_23 They were all nice, but we really loved the Oasis and the Harmony, which is very similar. The Harmony promenade is somewhat curvy, so it has more of a neighborhood feel. We had balcony rooms overlooking Central Park in both cases, and really liked people watching. The Park Cafe is awesome with roast beef sandwiches and huge, made-to-order salads. Ate lunch there a couple of times. The Harmony has the robotic bar, which was cool to watch. Watched a movie on huge screens in the Aqua Theater while munching on hot dogs and nachos too 🙂
Me and my wife only ever took land vacations the all inclusive ones like in Cancun or Cabo or something. They are def cheaper then a cruise, we went on our first cruise back in April on symphony and it was def more money BUT the non stop entertainment and amazing food and casino and excursions and seeing 3-4 different places and perfect day at coco cay…. It’s none stop fun! Sometimes when on a land vacation it can get repetitive… not on a cruise … literally something new to do everyday and a different show! Broad way play!…. Ice skating show…… comedy!!!! And so much more l! This is all on oasis class ship … yea it cost more but I def think it’s worth it! Thanks for the video Matt!
Thanks for watching!
Book early and use an experienced cruise travel agent. We have booked a cruise to Alaska for Aug 2024.
I feel that the cruise prices are fair considering you have all meals included (plus snacking in between) and entertainment. Some of the excursions and cabanas are a little pricey. Thanks for all the info Matt. Sorry I missed the live.
Being close to docks is highly beneficial as airfare, bag fees, etc. are increasing and add to the costs. Unfortunately, being in NJ provides limited destination options.
Cruises are affordable right now, its the flights that are EXPENSIVE!!! Ridiculous!!! Cruises are $810 for 2 rn. But flights r also going for the same price..smfh
UPDATE - forgot to mention that the cabin I have on the cruise is NOT an inside cabin. It is a "spacious Oceanview balcony"
Lucky u. How much did u pay for that?
@@KS-qp2ml in my previous post, right beneath this update, I posted a complete breakdown of every expense and I put the grand total. it was $5577 total for 2 people
Our favorite room if we can’t get a suite.
There are still bargains. Eg repositioning from end of alaska season to japan. Under 1k. Travel out of peak is also good for value
I
Last week I booked a Christmas '23 cruise on Anthem for myself and my family instead of spending $$$ on "traditional" gifts. Was about $7000 for one interior and one balcony stateroom for 5 people.
We have a 7-Day Alaska cruise booked for 2024 on May 6th on Quantum of the Seas from Seattle round trip, our cruise fair price total with taxes, gratuities, trip protection insurance for a balcony cabin that is handicapped accessible $3,200
I had to cancel my Royal Caribbean cruise due to health problems. The thing you need to know is that you will lose your deposit. I was 160 days away from sailing and assumed I would get my deposit back but it seems not. I am not totally sure a cruise is worth it sometimes. I was going to have to pay £59 a day per person for the drinks package,£254 for gratuity package and then another £25 a day per person for Wi-Fi. I worked out this 12 day cruise was going to cost over £5000 for the 2 of us. Think I will go back to the hassles of airports and a 10 night 5 star all inclusive Turkey holiday for £2400 all in
We managed to get a holiday in lovely barbados for 2 weeks. Beachfront hotel and flights for 2300. Bit more expensive but the cruise cost over 3500 all in. Drinks package, gratuities and flights.
Using my FFC for a Perfect Day cruise in 2023. See where we are then . I like to book at future cruise.
I’m cruising next week on the harmony 6 days . I did air to sea With a jr. suit 5 people ,drink packages , gratuity and excursions I’m at about 12k , this is the most I have ever paid to cruise .
The unlimited dining package and drinks package is the best way to go in my opinion. I paid only 230 dollars per person for an 11 night cruise and 73 dollars a day for the drinks unlimited drink package. Like Matt said cruise prices change often and everyone cruises differently. This cruise is going to be interesting because I am going to a Sandals resort for the same amount of time I am going on a cruise for so I am going to be able to do a cost breakdown.
As someone who lives in Florida, my family constantly cruises. For that we are Diamond Plus or higher, so for us drinks are a mute point. Between all ov us we get 15 free drinks a day and we barely consume that much. Plus, for the most part speciality dining isnt our thing. So usually base fare and shore excursions cover the majority of our costs.
Honestly I spend about the same when planning a beach vacation these days, so I think its well worth it. It is basically an all inclusive resort
I would never do a third party vendor for shore excursions, to much of a chance of missing the ship.
Totally agree. We are sailing x 1 week on Rhapsody of the Seas early March 2023 from
Barbados and have already booked 4 excursions via Royal Caribbean Cruises. They were less expensive than independently run excursions and we won’t get stuck on land if there are delays, or problems occur 👍⚓️🛳️
We have cruised for years and we love it.( almost 40 cruises at this point)
Unfortunately, there has been a huge increase in prices for cruises. In addition Royal Caribbean is now charging additional money for a Refundable cruise. They also have charges if you have to change your Cruise to a different date or ship. Then they just raised the gratuities amount 😢 We still love cruising and we love RCCL (our favorite cruise line) however I’m not sure if it’s much cheaper to cruise now than doing other vacations. Sad to say.
I take a cruise to get away from all the emails and internet. Therefore I wouldn’t consider buying a WiFi package.
I’m pricing a cruise for next year, surprised by the exorbitant price of one night hotel and transportation at departure port. My flight is short I’m may do a direct connect to the ship
Got mine in Feb free. Interior state room. $230 total for port fees and taxes.
Got Harmony for mid August for 4k, Balcony family of 4 (2 kids between 7 and 11) through Cotsco and got a $215 Cotsco card back. So really around 3785. But still need to add: Tips, Drinks (cannot justify the Drink Package since we do not drink much, probably 1 or 2 drinks a day + water). Still debating on Specialty restaurants. We may go on 1 or 2, and the Chops+1 does not seems to save that much money overall.
Off season in the Caribbean has hurricanes October
Sailing on Monday !! First cruise 😊
Love this video! Great comparisons and information.
Thanks!
Whoa! 22 minutes! Yay! Nice long video…thanks, Matt!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Matt, great video! Maybe dumb question, but what are all the months that are considered off season and peak season?
Booked an Alaskan this week 2 people 2 grand before gratuities for an inside room … my brothers booked across the hall in a balcony 2 people for 3k…. I thought it would still be cheaper with covid but it seems everyone is traveling again
Is $1775 each for a couple a fair price for an ocean balcony 8th deck room on the Wonder…the cabin is in the 600s (room number, that is)? There are 4 couples total all in the same type of cabin….the price was the same for all of us. Sailing in June this year.
The drink package is so expensive. I’m about to pay almost the same as the 2 tickets. Minus 200 bucks lol wild
Really surprised to see so many comments about cruising being cheap. I’ve been cruising 20 years and aside from all the changes and nominal increases, rates have doubled for the most part in comparison over the last two years. I’m seeing most 4 day sailings going for what 7 day cruises used to cost.
It's slightly unfair to compare prices today vs during the pandemic when prices were clearly slashed to promote cash flow. Basically, prices in 2020-2021 were aberrations.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog You are correct. I actually meant prior to the pandemic. Example: prior to the pandemic a 7 day interior room in Aug would run under $600pp all day/every day. 10 years ago it was under $500pp. Looking at CCL right now and it's between $700-800 and NCL is over $800 - but at least they include the drink package. A family of 4 could sail for $2500 for a 7 day, now you can't find one under $3k and NCL is even trying to charge close to $6k....for an interior.
It's been about a decade since we've cruised and these prices scare the @$%& out of me! Now that we're finally retired I thought we might get back into it. Now, not so sure.
There are still deals to be found, especially if you cruise off season
18:56 Two connecting rooms cheaper than one on Navigator? If that’s not a typo, that’s one heck of a bargain!
Depends on the cruise line. I can go on new Sky Princess by myself for $750 for a week in February, or $2000 for an RCL cruise. Decision made. Not sure why RCL is consistently 3-10X the price of other cruise lines. Internet on Princess $40 for the week, RCL $380. Drinks, Princess $350, RCL $850. Second Lobster, Princess 0$, RCL $26 CDN
Even priced out an MSC Yacht Club 7 day, $7000 for 2, all inclusive, RCL is actually more at $7200 for just a balcony cabin. Come on.
Conversion rate is the kicker for us...we are from Australia and its difficult but possible... we save by cruising within Australia...luckily for us nearest port is an hour away...id hate to book flights and accomodation on top of cruise expenses
I booked Alaska yesterday. 10 day for a junior suite 2 adults $8645.00 includes ins. Port fees and taxes.
we booked seabourn for dec 27th, 11 day, 14000 plus air.........
I don't have any money left. This one cruise will b it for me
Even it one day only.
I want to do a Bahamas cruise but from the literal opposite side of the world. With the hyper inflated cost of flights just on its own makes it harder just to get to the cruise. Let alone the increased cost of cruising at this time means i might have to play the waiting game for another 6~ months 😥
So much money.... The cruise royal Caribbean on first time February cost me 4060 us dollars... I am not even with traveling with family. This is it for me.. I couldn't afford this and I won't even be able to do an excursion.... This my last cruise. I looked for deals and couldn't not find anything
Use a travel agent. The price you paid is way too high.
7 day cruise is cheaper than 5 days at any all inclusive.
How does the rccl photo package work? I was interested in the 50 pic package for our first cruise. Are there people all over the ship taking photos? Do they go online? When do you choose which pics you want? Is it worth the money?
There are photographers around the ship, primarily in the evenings. On most ships, it's digital. Some still have printed photos to browse through.
Overall, the photo package is worth it IF you take the time to get photos every day. It really boils down to you taking the time to get value out of it.
To me, it is like booking a hotel with board included and some activities. You'll pay for your drinks, other restaurants, other activities, spas, etc. 🤔🤔🤔😁😁😁😁😁
That's fairly accurate, and it's why cruising is such a good value. Any land vacation you take won't include those things.
I saw the $13.99 price for Wi-Fi on this video….wish it was that price now….and it should be per room, unlimited devices, not per person per device to better serve their customers.
Another informative video. Thanks.
I wanted to make a comment about Re-booking at a lower price. We are sailing Allure of the Seas in October 2023. Royal Caribbean informed us that we were ineligible for a rebooking, because all cabins in our class were filled. Any comment/advice?
Contact your travel agent. If there’s a way they will know what to do. Make sure it’s a travel agent that knows about cruising. Maybe you could rebook on different dates. It varies with dates and availability.
When is the right time that I can call so they can reprice the cruise ?
Wow cruising is so cheap in the US, at least compared to here in Australia, allowing for currency conversion as well. However cruising still does offer better value, IMO, than land based, especially if you live within an easy drive, or train trip, of Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane, and thus don't need to pay for air fare. For a week long cruise to NZ, for example, on say Ovation or Quantum, we'd be paying close to those Oasis class fares, and, generally, RCL only sails here in Australia during peak or shoulder periods, say, IIRC, late Oct - March. There's a rumour, unconfirmed, that we may see an Oasis class here within the next few years. They are too big for my liking, I don't like ships where the passengers numbers are higher than my town population (3500) haha, but it'll be interesting to see.
The aussie cruise market faces a huge test with bookings for our summer likely to face cancellations just 90 days from departure. Watch prices drop!!!
The best room is always the one you can afford.
Great video
Thanks!
It was cheaper for me to fly to Jamaica n stay on resort with unlimited alcohol included in the price. The alcohol not included on cruise ships
Just take your kids out of school I taught high schools and almost every student would benefit more from a week with their family than a week in my class. They easily catch up.
I wish it were that easy. The unexcused absence policy in schools today is absurd.
We can’t do that in England if you take your child/children out of school in term time the parents have to pay a fine but a lot of parents would rather pay the fine because it’s cheaper to go on holiday in term time than go on holiday when the children have school holidays
Amen MLK day week in the Caribbean is our go to week for price.
Hopefully in 2024
Cruising has become one of the biggest reasons Americans are $3 trillion in debt! I live in Boston and I do Bermuda in the Spring and Canada in the Fall, and that cuts big bucks off my costs!!!
If you pre-pay your gratuities, do the servers realize that? I don’t want them to think that I am not tipping them.
As someone that always pre-pays my gratuity, I've never once gotten the sense the server thought I was stiffing them.
Remember, even if you dont prepay, you get auto charged for gratuities. So very, very few people actually hand servers a cash tip.
It's hilarious listening to this guy. He can say the same thing a hundred different ways. Give him a simple concept and he can run with it for thirty minutes. 😂
I can’t even afford life right now let alone a cruise lol😅
Does Royal always discount connecting cabins?
We are planning a cruise for 2024
same here i got a cruise planned for 2024
I hate videos like this that don’t answer the question that is asked in the title. Sure, the video has a good information about what cruising has to offer. The video started off making a comparison about how cruising is 30-40 percent cheaper than land vacations. True!!! But this has nothing to do with title of the video, if the price of cruising and land vacations are too expensive for the middle class. I have been on 5 cruises and I have 2 cruises booked (Celebration and Icon). I do enjoy cruising. But when I watch similar video about affordable land based vacations they don’t make excuses about being cheaper than another kind of vacation. For example: Is a trip to Spain affordable? Yes, because a trip to Dubai is 75% more than a trip to Spain. You see what I did there? That kind of logic is just stupid. Also, when addressing affordability, I’m tired of being told by the cruise industry that it depends on the type of room. Let’s face it. We all want at least an ocean view or balcony. We settle for a windowless interior room because of the cost. I want to see a video that addresses what most people want (even if they don’t book it). And let’s look at prices. Also inflation affects everything but no one is talking about how it is making cruising less affordable. Also how much has the price of a balcony room gone compared to last year or 2 years ago. This will tell you if cruising is affordable.
Hey Matt, I have a question regarding the re-pricing policy for the cruise fair itself. In the video you stated that we could re-book up to 48 hours before boarding, but on the Royal Caribbean website it says you can only re-book up to 48 hours after booking the cruise. Is this a change in the "Best price guarantee" program that many people aren't aware of? Or am I just reading it wrong? Thank you for all your videos, I have found them very helpful for booking my first cruise on Oasis of the seas in December 2023!
Apologies for the confusion.
You can rebook Cruise Planner purchases (drink packages, wifi, shore excursions etc) up to 48 hours before the cruise.
You can rebook your cruise fare up until final payment date
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Thank you sir!
Of course. There are over 20 million millionaires in the U.S. alone. But anyone making halfway decent money who keeps their expenses in check can easily afford a cruise. There are cruises available with a total cost of under $300 - including taxes, port charges and gratuities. That's pretty cheap.
But the airline tickets are really expensive.
@@janiekcarney5482 Are they? I dunno - maybe to and from some spots, but I get notifications from Google Flights for a number of routes I'm interested in. Today I got notification that some fares between TX and FL can be had for as low $20. Whereabouts are you, and where would you want to fly to?
Those are short cruises and old ships with nothing but bingo.
@@janiekcarney5482 Sure, they're shorter cruises, but cruises nonetheless. Even longer cruises can be pretty cheap: 6 days under $450; 7 days a little over $500. I don't have an issue with 'old' ships myself, as long as they're maintained and nice. And realistically, they have a heck of a lot more than bingo.
We're getting turned off by these prices. Our Icon cruise might be our last.
Do the new cruise boats have chromecast built into the tvs?
Odyssey of the seas has chromecast. Need to purchase internet package to be able to use it.
I think it sucks. Not happy about it at all. I will have to reevaluate my options.
I have anxiety already, and we are looking a year away
Are room prices for Inside, Balcony or Suite cabins?
interior cabins
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog I only book Balconies. Haven't booked inside for 30 years. What do you normally book?
It really depends on the sailing and price. Most often balcony, but we recently did Promenade View room on Independence and doing suite on Wonder for our group cruise.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog I think that we are both looking forward to our ext cruise. Mine is on Sky Princess for Christmas. Happy Cruising.
They charge full price for every day. Including the first day and last day when you are barely on the ship. I just wait until I’m off the ship before I use wifi.
i cant begin to afford to go on the icon of the seas....PERIOD!
A lot of cruisers are retired people. The best rates are a week before sailing. If there are openings, they are reduced to a ridiculous amount. People who have flexibility can save thousands!! Plenty of websites to get those kind of rates last minute. True that the room options could be limited, but most people I know, just want to be on the ship.
I was thinking the same thing. My kids are six and three and I asked my wife “why didn’t we cruise more before we had kids” lol. Both our jobs are super flexible.
I disagree the best rates are a week before sailing and would definitely advise someone to plan their vacation based on what may or may not be available a week before the cruise.
Can I assume you live near a cruise port? Perhaps in Florida? I get we Floridians are lucky to have so many choices, but most people don't cruise like that. And when it comes to prices, often the best prices are still booked far out.
Sure, there can be last minute deals. But I would never bet on it for my family vacation.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog that's why I said for "retired" people who have flexibility. My statement was based on people who can go at a whims notice. Or someone who got last minute vacation time. But best prices are clearly just before the boat sails!
Gotcha!
The title should be rephrased as, “is cruising with Royal Caribbean affordable?”
This just a long commercial.
I've always booked our cruises online or calling Royal Caribbean. Would I get any benefit other than just not needing to look for the right cruise, which I personally enjoy doing? For instance, is the overall cost less, onboard cruise credits, or any other perk using a travel agent that specializes in cruising?
A travel agent makes your life easier. Costs you nothing extra but they will save you time the more you use them. That's the true benefit.
I frequently use a travel agent although I do have one cruise booked in 2023 that I booked directly through RCI. The advantage of using a travel agent is they handle all the details, changes, phone calls with the cruise line, rate adjustments, etc. Sometimes, depending on the travel group the agent is associated with, they will purchase a block of staterooms and offer special rates for preferred clients. My husband and I will be going on Allure next September. I contacted my TA. Because the travel group had purchased a block of staterooms, we were able to get an ocean view balcony stateroom for $800/pp for a 7 nt western Caribbean cruise. This was significantly less than I could get booking directly through RCI. The other advantage of using a TA, even if the best fare is the same as what RC offers, is that a TA is able to view and access staterooms that do not appear on the RC website.
My travel agent has saved me over $300 so far for my cruise. It was booked in August(Feb cruise), but every few weeks almost I would get an email saying the price dropped. If I didn’t have a travel agent, I wouldn’t have known the price dropped. They have a computer system to auto alert them to drops.
I think if everyone want to travel in cruise ship , they can afford it.
Prices for cruises is way out of control.that's why I won't go. You used to be able to eat as much as you want,now you have to pay so much more to eat more,that's BS.Even drink packages is Damm Ridiculous. I rather go to VEGAS,and while gambling,you can drink for free,and Buffets you can eat as much as you want for,$37.99. It's not worth taking a cruise anymore. You can eat 20 Lobster tails for that $37.99,but on a cruise ship the same amount of Lobster tails will cost$225.00,at $15.00 a peace. The cruise business,they are killing it over STUPIDITY.
Great until someone gets sick and no one wants you docking in their country. Going on holiday on a floating shopping center polluting the ocean is not my idea of fun. And your stuck around hundreds of other peoples kids. Scary.