ledges1

This topic is being dominated by a few posters and in my opinion enough has been said by both sides. I have totally lost interest in comments by either side. 

There is an entertainment factor to all news site. I read this site for a a good laugh each day.

The comments this morning were  In a different setting than his afternoon show many have made comments about. I agree with a lot of the theatrics in the afternoon show. This was an interview/discussion with David Faber without the theatrics ( more serious discussion on cruise and travel industry).

Did anyone hear Jim Cramer on Squawk on the Street this morning. He stated that he was worried about the cruise line industry and said "I think the CDC wants to put these guys out of business".  Interesting comments to say on national TV. What do you think about this statement. There are a lot of supporters of the CDC on this site.

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

Since it is too dangerous to congregate on a boat, we congregate in planes, bars, and other attractions in Florida.

It is not just Florida. Lots of Snowbirds came south to other states this winter and were out at restaurants, bars, beach, etc.... 

9 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

That's one possibility. In Carnival land, I can see possible mergers between some of the lines and less dependency on Americans.

I agree that another possibility is consolidations through mergers. As cruise lines downsize, mergers are another way to grow in the future.

The cruise industry may go through considerable more downsizing in my opinion if it takes another year before we can cruise from the US. This could include more older ships going to the scrap yard. Please don't ask where I got my facts, it is just an opinion. 

I am flying to Key West soon for vacation. Any cruise will be later next year. I want to go to the ABC islands. I know I will have to fly to Miami for that cruise. It will be on hold for a while, 2022, maybe.

I will cruise less and be very selective of a cruise if it is outside the US. I live near to Carnival ports. I would drive to the ports and was always looking for a special.

I have about 14 cruises with Carnival (132 nights) over a 9 year period. I will probably cruise less if the number of cruises from the US drops. Of the 14 cruises, I have only flown to two of the ports. Ft Lauderdale and San Juan. I was planning to fly to Miami, but the cruise was cancelled. Flying adds another $1000 on average to the cost of the cruise for two. 

Spending five nights in Key West. I live 5 miles from the Gulf. I will spend the summer on the beach and golf course. A cruise is a nice vacation, but not the only type of vacation. For those going to Gatlinburg, they have a really nice acguarium.

Give the waiter a good tip and they will bring you most any drink you want. I started going when  they included gold. They have now limited to Platinum and Diamond. The crowd got to large when it included Gold. The food is not that good and you do have to endure the redundant video. One of the Lounge singers usually plays. The last few I have been to lasted 45 minutes. There is an introduction of the officers along with a trivia game. If it is not something you enjoy, so be it. Let others decide on their own.

10 hours ago, maryann2 said:

 

I thought they had cancelled that due to lack of interest!!

Everyone I have been to has been packed.

2 hours ago, Anyislandwilldo said:

Agree, the only worthwhile perk of platinum is priority boarding.

I like the free beer at the frequent cruiser's party. I also enjoy the priority boarding and the priority debarkation. I drive to New Orleans and Mobile for a lot of cruises. I can get on the road early after the cruise.

43 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

The Saudis invested in Carnival Corp not Carnival Cruise Line and they want a ship or ships home ported in their country. I doubt that would be Carnival - more likely one or more of the other lines.

 

Several of Carnival Corp cruise lines are resuming cruising.

The Saudi's purchased 43.5 million shares of CCL. The stock now pays no dividend. We all want a return on our investment. All ships under the Carnival umbrella will need to sail and generate positive net revenue.

I think Arnold Donald has more pressure on him than the CDC has to resume cruising. He has stockholders and a significant stockholder in Saudi Arabia that will expect a good return after making a significant investment.

As Blerkone stated, the CDC will take the most conservative route with restrictions. The cruise lines need to get on board with a conservative approach to restrictions or we will all still be sitting on the bank at US ports. At least my money will be in pocket and the cruise lines will be bleeding cash.

The cruise industry is in disaray. Forget the CDC at the moment. We have NCL and RCL requiring the vaccine and Carnival indicating it will not require the vaccine for US cruises. We have NCL requesting the CDC to cruise with 100% vaccinations. If the CDC made a decision about cruising immediately, would they let NCL cruise or Carnival. NCL. The cruise industry should have a united front. Donald will look foolish if he has to change his decision and Carnival misses revenue opportunities due delays based on his decisions.

I have also used the online shopping through Barclay and you can get much higher points as you mentioned. I just have to remember to look at what is available.

I thought it was a   2x multiplier.

I have the card. For regular purchases the points do not accumulate very fast. If you take lots of cruises, it is ok. I have had one for since 2011. I have probably generated $2000 in credits. Today, this is worth one cruise with an inside room and all the cruise services put on the card during the cruise. Points do not accumulate very fast and they can only be used to pay your bill for carnival purchases. It is limited.

People can be lazy. How many times have you seen on Lido deck, people put half eaten plates of food under their chairs. Wind blows the food, cups, beer cans, etc.... They have only removed the straws and tooth pick umbrellas. You will see mask blowing around the deck and into the pool. 

During all this down time, has Carnival repaired the gouge in the Glory. I sat in that corner of the dining room a couple of years ago.

3 hours ago, cyntil8ing said:

Feeling so jealous! After years of saying I was going to buy 100 shares of both CCL and RCL for the shareholder benefits, I finally did in January 2020 at $45 and $115 respectively. Yup, what an idiot, right? I can laugh at it now, but it was painful watching the bottom fall out one week later. 

Misery loves company. Welcome aboard.

5 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

If that is all that was needed, then the CDC would have approved the proposal last week from NCL with their 100% vaccinated cruise with cruisers and crew.