I blame the higher fares on the new builds. You'd be hard pressed to find a line out there that doesn't currently have at least one new ship under construction or fresh from the shipyard.

Also, as with the rest of the travel industry, cruise lines have to suffer through bad economic times. Airlines aren't dropping fares the way most people have expected in oil prices have plummeted. For years they have lost billions. It's only recently that they are experiencing record profits. I don't know if the cruise lines are making boat loads (pun intended) of money nowadays, but I am understanding if they are.

I seem to recall watching something on YouTube in the last couple of years about a particular cruise and how much money it made. If I recall correctly, while the line executive would not mention specifics it was astonishing how little money a line makes per cruise, and if it wasn't for discretionary spending that particular cruise would have operated at a loss.