Cruise Line Pricing Up During Wave Season's Third Week, Says Analyst

warm weather destination
Photo by Susan J. Young

The thought of a cool destination apparently isn’t so hot with consumers this month, as Wave Season enters its third week. Robin Farley, cruise industry analyst, UBS Global Research (www.ubs.com) said that while Caribbean itineraries showed pricing increases over the past week, Alaskan itineraries are softer.

“Record cold temperatures in many regions may not be helping sell cruises to Alaska,” she told investors in a Wave Season pricing update.

The good news is that pricing is up sequentially in the third week of Wave Season, based on an average price of all sailings for the six largest North American cruise lines and two of the largest European lines. UBS Global Research tracks pricing on more than 8,000 sailings.

Farley said the pricing uptick has been “an improvement from flattish to slightly down trends prior to the start of Wave, which included the pre-New Year lull in the week of Dec. 29."

RELATED: Pricing is on the Rise in the Second Week of Wave, Says UBS Global Research

In the most current week of pricing, only Cunard Line and Norwegian Cruise Line were down week over week. Royal Caribbean International had the highest sequential pricing uptick, with Carnival Cruise Lines and Celebrity also seeing higher pricing. Costa Cruises’ pricing has been flat throughout January but is up slightly this week, Farley said.