Los Angeles resident says PLEASE ...

[Markmom18]

Bring Back A SHIP TO L.A. Harbor... PLEASE!!!! We just hope that RCI remembers that there are "Diamond" Members here on the West Coast that would PREFER to sail on their cruise line. We cannot AFFORD TO FLY to another port. This ECONOMY IS HARD, we're small business owners. So...

 

We are going to be cruising this summer, on Carnival, only because there is NO ROYAL SHIP OUT OF L.A. HARBOR. Yes, I did caps....I'm hoping that this will make the big wigs take notice. :confused:

[Desert Cruizers]

I will add to the plea to bring a Royal Caribbean ship back to the West Coast, perhaps a Radiance Class for RT Alaska cruises again.

[srotes]

I'll join in too. I'm in San Diego but anything on the West Coast would be nice! Florida is just way too far :(

[cruzsnooze]

I enjoyed sailing on the Mariner every year because it is local. Now I sail on Princess Sapphire every year and like the Pacific Northwest itinerary so much better then the Mexican Riv.

[Desert Cruizers]

We did the Mex Riviera and once is enough, since we can't cruise often, we select our cruises carefully, rather then cruise just to cruise. Flying to the east coast for a 7 day cruise, isn't worth the expense.

[Ashland]

Add me to the list also...RCI come back !!!!

[critterchick]

Princess has some nice itineraries coming up in 2013/14, including some 3/4 nighters mixed in with coastals, Hawaii and the Mexican Riviera. We just got home from Maui and saw 3 of their ships while we were there. Yet RCi can't find a way to make money sailing from the West Coast...

[Jsim2011]

adding my voice.

 

At least we have RCI here in SEattle during the summer for Alaska, but it would be great to have some other west coast cruises from RCI.

[gcvt]

Hey RCI...we're sailing on Princess this September only because you're NOT HERE! We are saving about $1300 by not flying to Florida. That's money we could spend on YOUR ship! We love your ships and would have gladly paid you the $3,200.00 for a balcony cabin.

 

RCI, where are you?

[dmwnc1959]

Princess has some nice itineraries coming up in 2013/14, including some 3/4 nighters mixed in with coastals, Hawaii and the Mexican Riviera.

 

Here are a couple of threads with details:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1615163

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1614579

[Sinppu]

We'd also LOVE to sail from L.A or San Diego!!

We are big Las Vegas fans and would very much like to combine a LV trip with a cruise. The other ports are just too far to fly to conveniently (considering we'll first fly 16+ hours to get to Vegas...)

 

Please come to California, Royal??

[dmwnc1959]

RCI seems quite focused on their international expansion more so than the needs of LA or San Diego. I can't honestly see them even thinking about a return to southern California until the first winter season of the new Sunshine-class 2014/2015. Then they can shuffle around a couple of ships and put one on the west coast.

[HokiePoq]

I'd probably been on RCL sooner had they not pulled out of Norfolk as well. Only Carnival is left. LA is so much bigger than our port that it's hard to figure that RC would lose $$$ having a ship on the west coast. So many customers there.

[Desert Cruizers]

I will be interested in seeing this new Sunshine Class. We would gladly sail even out of our Northern neighbors ports, and hope they bring back the longer Alaska cruises and will check other possibilities from Seattle.

[negc]

I'd probably been on RCL sooner had they not pulled out of Norfolk as well. Only Carnival is left. LA is so much bigger than our port that it's hard to figure that RC would lose $$$ having a ship on the west coast. So many customers there.

 

It may be "hard to figure that RC would lose $$$ having a ship on the west coast" but that is apparently what was happening when they did have ships there, or at least they determined that the "$$$" they were making wasn't what they could be making by sailing from other ports with a wider variety of possible itineraries. Economic conditions on the West Coast, problems involving both crime and disease in Mexico, and a limited number of cruise itineraries all contributed to their decision and it should be pointed out that RCI was not alone in pulling back from the West Coast. When most of those conditions change for the better and it makes good business sense for them to return to the West Coast, they will do so, but not until then.

[BecciBoo]

Keeping our fingers crossed for you guys.....but just don't take ours away, O.K. RCCL:cool:

[lorielucks]

Or how about sailing out of San Francisco? Just watched a Princess ship sail out under the Golden Gate and it was magical! With what I could save on airfare, I could afford to book a really nice suite!

[critterchick]

It may be "hard to figure that RC would lose $$$ having a ship on the west coast" but that is apparently what was happening when they did have ships there, or at least they determined that the "$$$" they were making wasn't what they could be making by sailing from other ports with a wider variety of possible itineraries. Economic conditions on the West Coast, problems involving both crime and disease in Mexico, and a limited number of cruise itineraries all contributed to their decision and it should be pointed out that RCI was not alone in pulling back from the West Coast. When most of those conditions change for the better and it makes good business sense for them to return to the West Coast, they will do so, but not until then.

 

Some lines fled, others got creative with their itineraries. I'm confident that Princess would not have committed three large ships to the West Coast market if there was no money to be made.

 

They seem to have just enough Mexican Riviera itineraries for those of us who did not succumb to the mindless hysteria over H1N1 (no reported cases in the coastal regions) and crime (until the Carnival Splendor robbery, there were no reports of violence against tourists in the MR ports, and even that one was out of the city, as I recall). Then they have the 14-nighters to Hawaii and 7-day California coastal cruises. On the last two itineraries, the only foreign port for PSA requirements is Ensenada, so not a lot of danger there, especially if one stays on the ship. And nw Princess is entering the highly lucrative shorter cruise market here.

 

When Mariner came to LA, we enjoyed 2 nights onboard, and asked one of the marketing bigwigs why they couldn't offer a mix of shorter and longer cruises. His response was that it would be too hard on the crew to adjust to the varying itineraries. Perhaps the Guest Services desk would have a hard time, but I imagine that the waiters, bartenders, cabin stewards, etc. wouldn't see a huge difference. And the navigation officers we've spoken to love the challenge of varying itineraries. Imagine doing nothing but Nassau and Coco Cay...

[wocheez]

I'll add my plea to bring them back to the west coast also...

[redlobster]

We add our plea to reconnect ROYAL with the LOYAL West Coasters

 

We started on a BIG SHIP (Monarch) but for first-timers it was a big ship. We would have never flown to Florida for our first cruise.

 

Interesting thot would be for Royal to have several (someone else select the number) attractive cruises out of the West Coast every year....perhaps seasonals of some kind like SUMMER GETAWAYS.

[Puffinater]

Princess has some nice itineraries coming up in 2013/14, including some 3/4 nighters mixed in with coastals, Hawaii and the Mexican Riviera. We just got home from Maui and saw 3 of their ships while we were there. Yet RCi can't find a way to make money sailing from the West Coast...

 

Looks like a good way to checkout Princess.

[workstocruise]

We had friends who sailed on the last voyage of the Mariner from LA before leaving for Rome. Crew members told them the ship was moving to Galveston because Californians don't spend alot of money on board and they could make more money in another port. :confused: I'm not quite sure I get that but that's what my friend said. Apparently for the cruise lines, money made from drinks, the Spa and other on board expenses is big revenue that they count on.

[yj_eugene]

Apparently for the cruise lines, money made from drinks, the Spa and other on board expenses is big revenue that they count on

 

IIRC, Peter Greenberg's 'Big Money on the High Seas' program said much the same thing, that the onboard spending, especially drinks, was the profit. So if it's true that West Coasters weren't spending as much onboard as others, it makes perfect sense that they'd then move those ships elsewhere. This also explains why catching smuggled alcohol is mighty important to them.

[sredish]

I chime in on this!! We're in Chandler, AZ and LA/San Diego is only about a 5 1/2 hour drive for us and we are dying to not have to fly!! Oh please, please, please bring us back a ship! As it stands now we can only afford one cruise a year because we have to fly to Galveston (closest port for a Caribbean/warm itinerary).

 

In fact, it's so bad...we're considering trying out Carnival this summer. I know...eeeek! But the kids and are dying to cruise and we've yet to do Mexico...and Carnival is the only line I see that cruises south from LA in summer months. But oh...can I do it? Can we become Carni's...even for one sailing? :eek:

[Onessa]

Bring Back A SHIP TO L.A. Harbor... PLEASE!!!! We just hope that RCI remembers that there are "Diamond" Members here on the West Coast that would PREFER to sail on their cruise line. We cannot AFFORD TO FLY to another port. This ECONOMY IS HARD, we're small business owners. So...

 

We are going to be cruising this summer, on Carnival, only because there is NO ROYAL SHIP OUT OF L.A. HARBOR. Yes, I did caps....I'm hoping that this will make the big wigs take notice. :confused:

Welcome to my world! Diamond members but WAY too far away from any cruiseline port (unless you count the ferry across Lake Michigan) not to have to drive!:D