A1 – ADVANTAGES OF THIS SITE

• The closer you are to the source,  the more accurate and up to date information is.
• The closer you are to the provider,  the lower the costs tend to be.
• Having a personal cruise ‘broker’ gives you an inside advantage of when,  where &  how to reserve optimally.
• Helpfulness of an on-site contact to assist you with the ups and downs,  ins and outs,  advantages and disadvantages of options.

When it comes to playing the stock market many may think of Wall Street,  NASDAQ or NYSE.  So why mention the Galapagos Islands? Like any supply and demand market, there are numerous variables that have a direct influence on the market.  This too applies to cruises in the Galapagos Islands.

When it comes to Galapagos Islands cruises there are such factors as fuel and labour costs that directly influence the price of a cruise. However,  one of the greatest determining factors of a cruise price in today’s scenario is the issue of supply and demand … this is where you,  the tourist, come into play.

Supply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a market. In a competitive market,  the unit price for a particular good will vary until it settles at a point where the quantity demanded by consumers (at current price) will equal the quantity supplied by producers (at current price),  resulting in an economic equilibrium of price and quantity.

The four basic laws of supply and demand are:

1. If demand increases and supply remains unchanged,  then it leads to higher prices.
2. If demand decreases and supply remains unchanged,  then it leads to lower price.
3. If supply increases and demand remains unchanged,  then it leads to lower prices.
4. If supply decreases and demand remains unchanged,  then it leads to higher prices.

As the supply (in term of Galapagos Islands cruise spaces) is for all intents and purposes stable and relatively unchanging,  it boils down to a demand issue.

Therefore,  the applied logic (and reality)  is that as the demand increases so do the cruise prices …  or at least the prices will not generally lower.  On the contrary,  as the demand for cruises starts to drop so do the cruise prices.  If any given Galapagos boat has an excess of available spaces they are more likely to start dropping the prices.  Which brings me to another reality.

The greater the number of available cruise spaces on any one given Galapagos vessel …  and the closer one is to the actual cruise date … the more likelihood that very tempting “deals”  or “bargains”  arise.

Like playing the actual stock market,  the Galapagos Islands cruise market can work for or against you.  If you leave it too late and don’t jump in at the right time,  you may miss out (at least on the good options).  Or maybe if you jump in too soon you may end up paying a higher price.  It all depends on the supply and demand.

This is where having a local ‘broker’  on site may come in handy ….  to assist you in evaluating how, when and where to make your move.

Price aside,  it can be helpful to know someone within a thorough,  inside knowledge of all the aspects involved with a trip to the Galapagos Islands (e.g., what visit sites are more advantageous, what are the respective advantages and disadvantages of each boat, the best cabin location etc etc).

Play wisely &  enjoy!