Huge Value in Luxury all-inclusive Cruise Pricing

The recent trend of luxury cruise lines throwing in all kinds of free amenities continues to grow in their new era of all-inclusive cruising.

Going into 2008, luxury cruisers had to book almost a year in advance to ensure they got on the luxury cruise of their choice.  A couple of the luxury cruise lines recognized the pent up demand and built several new larger ships.  Not large like Royal Caribbean large… but larger ships than their existing fleet.

With these new luxury cruise ships hitting the market at the same time the economy started to nose dive leads us to where we are today.  With new builds and refurbishments Seabourn, Regent, Crystal, & Oceania all have beautiful ships full of innovative, luxurious accomodations that need to be filled.

Their solution to fill their all-suite ships is to throw in free airfare, pre- and post-cruise hotels, shore excursions, Alcoholic beverages, gratuities, and concierge/butler service.

Regent Cruise line vs. Royal Caribbean total vacation price

I kept asking myself, with all these freebies how does the total price of a luxury cruise vacation on Regent compare to the total price of a contempory cruise experience on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.. . So of course, I did the research that I’ll share with you:

Regent Cruise Line – Seven Seas Mariner

10 night Med Cruise departing May 30th
252 sq ft. OV Suite
$6,899 Per person. [list price]

List Price includes airfare, beverages (alcohol and non-alchoholic), pre-cruise hotel room, shore excursions, gratuities & transfers

Estimated breakdown of the included items’ dollar value:

R/T Air from Charlotte, NC = $1250 per person
Gratuities $130 per person
Soft Drinks, Wine and Alcoholic Beverage @$55/day = $550 per person
Pre-Cruise Hotel $225 per person
Shore Excursions $850 per person
Transfers $70 per person
$250 on board spending credit [only from CruiseDeals.com]
TOTAL value of Included amenities: $3,325 per person

When you back this cost out of the Regent Cruise [$6899 - $3075], that leaves the cruise fare on Regent at approximately $3,574 per person for the Regent Cruise.

Royal Caribbean – Grandeur of the Seas

11 night Med cruise departing May 31st
170 sq ft Balcony
$3,249 per person

That is $325 per person difference – or about $32.5 per day more for Regent Cruise Line. You get one extra day on the Royal Caribbean cruise and you get 80 more sq ft on the Regent Cabin, as well as the luxury experience that’s more refined and less crowded.

This is just one example… there are many like it for European, Tranatlantic, and Alaska Cruises.

Cruiser’s who typically book a balcony cabin and higher on the contemporary cruise lines are starting see that the TOTAL PRICE of cruising luxury vs contemporary is similar when you consider the true value of everything being included by the luxury cruise lines.   We recommend working with a professional travel agent to help you find the best Luxury Cruise Values.

Related posts:

1. Regent Inclusive Cruise Deals
2. What’s New in Luxury Cruises in 2012?
3. An All-Inclusive Resort vs Cruise Vacations
4. Is that Cruise Ship Luxury, Premium, or Budget?
5. Cruise Specialists Announces New Elite Journeys Luxury Land Division