With one ship fewer in Alaska next year, Princess set a smaller schedule for 2010 with four basic itineraries there with seven ships, but still 112 sailings, indicating there is still a lot of inventory to be sold in 2010. With the parent company, Carnival Corp, recently stating there would be further reductions to their fleet in Alaska in 2011 if pricing doesn't rise, it leaves the question if Princess and its sister brand, Holland America, can sustain the optimistically high pricing levels the lines indicated with their 2010 lead prices - especially in view of the low 2009 pricing.
In the April 20 Cruise News Daily article, we took a look where 2009 pricing is and where it is likely to go in 2010. It seems to spell trouble for Alaska in 2011, and we looked at where the cuts would then likely be.
