RCI come back.....at least for the summer!

[spintowin]

All you So. Cal residents, and those in the southwest regions of the US, UNITE!!! We need to get RCI back here. Just got off our first and last Carnival cruise out of Long Beach. NEVER AGAIN. For those that say no cruise is a bad cruise, have never sailed on the Inspiration.

[wl2cruise]

There to busy getting SUPERIOR returns in Europe:eek: Or least that was the excuse Goldstein gave us west coast cruisers for taking the Mariner away. Meanwhile the metrics are improving on the GOLDEN COAST!:D

[pollux]

You hear us Mr. Goldstein, I will sign up for at least 3 cruises a year.

Getting to old for the hassle of air travel.

Going to Spain in Nov. but at my age most likely my last long flight to get to your ships.

[chipq]

Yes! Get creative and look at some of the less frequently visited Mexico ports like La Paz, Loreto, and Zihuatenejo. That would make for a very nice Mexico cruise to ports that have not (yet) been infested with drug cartel influence. PLEASE.

 

Also not a fan of the CCL Inspiration, CCL Splendor was OK but is leaving for NYC but need other options.

 

What about San Diego, Ensenada, SanFranciso, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver for an Itinerary. Come on, do something.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[Ocean Boy]

I can understand the frustration that you folks out west must feel. However, it is not like RCI didn't give it a try. They put Mariner out there and it didn't work. What has changed that you feel a second try would have a different outcome?

[spintowin]

With the increased price of airfare, more people vacation closer to home. Look at Disneyland, crowded year round now. Wasn't always the case. (They have raised the season ticket price to over six hundred dollars per year.) RCI should at least give it another shot during summer and holidays maybe. And offer a different itinerary. The west coast covers a lot of area.

[Blue Line]

We definitely need cruises out of SoCal.... I would much rather use the 1200 dollars I had to spend for flying to FLL on a room upgrade instead.... We r going on the oasis in less then 2 weeks (which is exciting), but it sure is NOT convenient to cruise with RCCL (at least for us west coasters)..

[celebrity]

As a New Yorker I would gladly cruise from the West Coast. It would give me an excuse to spend a few days in Ca.

[Classynfun1]

Agreed!! Another San Diegan here that has sailed on two other ones this year, plus my previous and future Oasis cruise. I would LOVE to stay loyal to royal when cruising on the west coast!! Otherwise, I can't find enough time to fly, and cruise, on the east coast more that twice a year...

[SherriZ366]

I can understand the frustration that you folks out west must feel. However, it is not like RCI didn't give it a try. They put Mariner out there and it didn't work. What has changed that you feel a second try would have a different outcome?

The result was RCI having to sell Mariner for pretty low prices. Onboard revenue was also lower than on other ships.

[Ocean Boy]

The result was RCI having to sell Mariner for pretty low prices. Onboard revenue was also lower than on other ships.

 

Exactly. That is why I asked what people feel has changed that RCI should risk putting a ship back out there with the expectation that the same thing won't happen again. Folks on this thread can post about how they will book cruises if a ship comes but that hardly translates into corporate profits. In fact I would bet that if RCI did deploy a ship out west, and ended up with the same result, people would be posting all over these boards about how corporate has no idea what they are doing and that they should all be fired before they run the company into the ground.

[SherriZ366]

Exactly. That is why I asked what people feel has changed that RCI should risk putting a ship back out there with the expectation that the same thing won't happen again. Folks on this thread can post about how they will book cruises if a ship comes but that hardly translates into corporate profits. In fact I would bet that if RCI did deploy a ship out west, and ended up with the same result, people would be posting all over these boards about how corporate has no idea what they are doing and that they should all be fired before they run the company into the ground.

Agree -- I remember how the California folks gloated to follks who sailed from Port Canaveral when RCI announced that Mariner was going to California. They posted on every thread where we Port C cruisers posted about wanting a new ship. Well, we got Freedom -- she goes out full each week and has great on board revenue. We're getting Enchantment to replace Monarch next year.

 

RCI only has a limited amount of ships and won't have anything new until 2014 with the Sunshine class. They are now looking a possibly reducing some capacity in Europe which is why Mariner is going to Asia. They have done well there and in Australia.

[spintowin]

You cannot compare Florida with the west coast. It seems to me that most people in Florida have more leisure time. Florida has more ports and more itinerary choices than CA does.

[TEXASMUNK]

We can all beg, but RCI has truly become an international cruise line....ship deployments are now totally focusing on opening new markets....look at Voyager's new home port.

 

We can beg, plead, cajole all we want, it ain't gonna happen

[SherriZ366]

You cannot compare Florida with the west coast. It seems to me that most people in Florida have more leisure time. Florida has more ports and more itinerary choices than CA does.

And you just gave RCI the rationale for keeping many ships in Florida. Lots of ports and lots of people with leisure time and money. RCI is in the business to make money so they place their ships where they will generate the best revenues. And that includes not only Florida but most of the Europeon itineraries, Asia and Australia. I usually listen to (or read transcrips of) RCCL's quarterly earnings conference calls and their rationale for ship placement is pretty clear. They want to earn as much per ship as they can and ships are mobile and they can be moved when they are not making money unlike land resorts.

[Topo Gigio]

I see more ships spending summer in the states because sending most ships to europe didn't work out like they thought it would be. Around May/June this year you could get a balcony for around $500 for a whole week.

[CVU]

What about San Diego, Ensenada, SanFranciso, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver for an Itinerary. Come on, do something.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

Yes!!!!!

That would be wonderful!! Or, round trips to Hawaii?

Anything is a HUGE improvement.:D:D

[SherriZ366]

I see more ships spending summer in the states because sending most ships to europe didn't work out like they thought it would be. Around May/June this year you could get a balcony for around $500 for a whole week.

Wonder if they would do well with a ship year round in Galveston or another Gulf Coast port.

[Cushing985]

All you So. Cal residents, and those in the southwest regions of the US, UNITE!!! We need to get RCI back here. Just got off our first and last Carnival cruise out of Long Beach. NEVER AGAIN. For those that say no cruise is a bad cruise, have never sailed on the Inspiration.

 

Why on God's green earth would you cruise on the Inspiration when the Splendor is right next door? You essentially went on a booze cruise.:rolleyes:

[wl2cruise]

I can understand the frustration that you folks out west must feel. However, it is not like RCI didn't give it a try. They put Mariner out there and it didn't work. What has changed that you feel a second try would have a different outcome?

 

A lot has changed. The one thing that has not changed is California's position on bunker fuel.

[riclop]

All you So. Cal residents, and those in the southwest regions of the US, UNITE!!! We need to get RCI back here. Just got off our first and last Carnival cruise out of Long Beach. NEVER AGAIN. For those that say no cruise is a bad cruise, have never sailed on the Inspiration.

Why the inspiration an old beat up ship, no wonder you had a terrible cruise.

[spintowin]

The reviews weren't that bad and the dates fit in to our schedule. Are you saying I should give Splendor a chance? Believe me I am kicking myself. If that had been our first cruise, it would have been our last.:eek:

[PCWalton1]

The result was RCI having to sell Mariner for pretty low prices. Onboard revenue was also lower than on other ships.

 

Yup, We went on Mariner in Nov 2010 and paid only $380 each for a seven day cruise to Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Valarta. And we were told by our wait staff that the ship still didn't sail full with prices that low. :eek:

 

Bill

[smoosh21]

As long as Mexico is having political problems, I don't see more ships going back to Southern California. Too many people are afraid to travel there, even if the tourist areas are safe, I am not sure you can convince enough people to go there

[wl2cruise]

Yup, We went on Mariner in Nov 2010 and paid only $380 each for a seven day cruise to Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Valarta. And we were told by our wait staff that the ship still didn't sail full with prices that low. :eek:

 

Bill

 

You can find cheaper cruises in Europe now.