While Big Ships Discount the Caribbean, One Line Says It Is Raising Prices

Windstar Cruises says the Caribbean pricing pressure reported across the wider market has not reached it. On a media call on October 8, company president Chris Prelog said the line has actually raised Caribbean prices, adding: “We are not seeing any pricing pressure.” The claim comes from the company itself, and it did not release fare or occupancy figures.

Executives credited the line’s small ships. Chief Commercial Officer Janet Bava said Windstar does not call at the same islands as the big ships, which are limited to a set number of ports, and that its smaller harbors have helped it sell the Caribbean season much more strongly. Prelog also said the line has secured multiple charters in the region.

Windstar is also spreading its bets. It is adding the Canary Islands and offering a winter Mediterranean season as alternatives, and Bava noted that more direct flights from Montreal and Toronto to the Canaries give Canadian advisors another product for snowbirds. The new Star Explorer begins its first winter in the Mediterranean with a New Year’s sailing on December 28.

The line is staying away from short cruises out of U.S. ports, which its chief operating officer said do not fit its destination focus. For travelers, the lesson is that smaller-ship itineraries may not follow the same discounting as the mega-ships, so waiting for a deal is not guaranteed to pay off.

Sources: Cruise Industry News, Cruise Industry News