Carnival Announces Price Increases

Photo courtesy Carnival Cruise Line

Wave Season Ending Soon
Prices to Increase

Do you remember my post, Now is the Time, from last December? In that post, I told you that in a meeting that I had with cruise line executives, they foretold of increasing prices. Ladies and Gentlemen ... That Day Is HERE.

For those not familiar with the term "Wave Season", this is the most important time for the cruise line industry during the year. It runs from mid-January through early Spring and besides being the most important time, it is also the busiest time.

Carnival Cruise Line announced yesterday that they have seen record bookings for the current Wave Season and as a result of the strong reservation activity for 2010 departures, have announced a general price increase that will become effective March 22nd.

Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said, "We're seeing significantly increased volume as consumers are taking advantage of the incredible value that a Carnival cruise provides. And while pricing hasn't fully recovered to 2008 levels, we are increasing prices and will implement an across-the-board increase effective March 22."

He said that the price increases will vary by departure date but will be up to 5 percent.

Cahill attributed the record booking activity to a wide range of factors, including strong travel agent partner support, targeted marketing initiatives, itinerary enhancements and the wide variety of close-to-home departure points.

Carnival Cruise Lines is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 "Fun Ships" operating voyages ranging from three to 15 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England and Europe.

Carnival also has two new ships on order -- the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, which is scheduled for delivery in 2011, and a sister ship set to debut in 2012.

So, just as I predicted last December, this is only the first of many such announcements which I've been expecting. If you have plans to take a summer vacation with your family this year, I strongly encourage you to book now. We are here to help you. As Cruise Specialists, we are experts in finding the right cruise to meet your requirements. Even with price increases, a cruise is still the best travel value out there.

Currently we are featuring Up to a 2-Category Upgrade on Carnival. Find More Carnival Cruises Here.