Cruise Lines Making Favorite Amenities Sky High!
The cruise lines are definitely trying to make their money back from time off during the pandemic. Their showing it by raising the prices quite a bit on passengers favorite things, such as drink packages and Wi-Fi. Only time will tell if cruising will still be the most affordable way to vacation. The price increase hasn’t seem to affect the amount of people sailing right now.
Drink packages
The only thing more important than food to many cruisers is alcohol. Fans of cruise line drink packages will want to note a few eyewatering price increases that went into effect at the start of the new year.
On Jan. 1, Norwegian hiked the price of two of its alcohol packages to a staggering $165 per person, per day, for the top tier and about $120 per person, per day, for the second-highest. These prices factor in the 20% gratuity the line adds on top of the base package price. The new pricing works out to more than $1,159 or $840 per person, respectively, on a weeklong sailing — enough to book another cruise.
Similarly, Carnival drove up its drink package prices by more than 15% in May of 2022. That increased the overall cost by $8 per person, per day, to about $71 if purchased in advance or $77 if added to your account after boarding, including an 18% gratuity.
That means an additional cost of nearly $500 per person for a seven-night sailing — again, enough for another cruise fare.
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Wi-Fi
Anyone who can't or doesn't want to stay disconnected during their cruise should know that two major lines have recently increased their Wi-Fi pricing.
Carnival, which has improved the quality of its connection on some ships, began charging more for Wi-Fi on Jan. 16. It increased the price by 25% for a single device, from $10.20 per day to $12.75 for the line's Social plan. Other plans, which offer faster speeds and connectivity for additional devices, include the Value plan (now $17 per day) and the Premium plan (now $22 per day).
That means passengers should plan to pay an additional $89 to $154 per seven-night voyage for internet access.
If you thought Carnival's increase was lofty, wait until you hear how much Princess Cruises will charge for its Wi-Fi beginning Feb. 20.
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The cost of the line's one-device plan will jump by 50% to $15 per day. Even worse, the line's four-device plan will set you back $40 a day — a staggering 167% increase in price.
You'll end up paying anywhere from $105 to $280 for Wi-Fi on a seven-night voyage. The good news is that Princess has dramatically improved its connectivity in recent years. That's due in part to its need for a connection that can support the line's Ocean Medallion wearable technology, which serves as a passenger room key, charge card and interactive tracker.
Bottom line
Cruising still remains one of the most inclusive, value-driven and logistically headache-free vacation choices for travelers. However, many lines have recently begun charging more for onboard purchases.
Cruise lines are looking to increase fees wherever they can, from specialty dining to drinks packages. They wish not only to make up for nearly two years of lost revenue and pay off debts but also to eventually turn a profit, even in the face of rising costs.
The worst offenders are Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises. In the coming year, you can absolutely expect to pay more when you set sail, especially with those three lines. We also anticipate additional price hikes and new fees will be announced throughout the next year.