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Do you think it's possible?

Royalty X

By Royalty X,
in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

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Royalty X

Royalty X

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We've recently found out that Carnival Spirit is essentially being operated like a P&O Australia ship once she arrives here. And the rumour that P&O Australia will cease to exist has been around for quite some time. Do you think, with the success of the Carnival Spirit (apparently Carnival Australia are thrilled with the popularity and number of bookings they've had), that they might move the entire P&O fleet on (we know Carnival Asia is being set up and they did it with Ocean Village) and redeploy another couple of Carnival ships here? Carnival will need to keep up with RCI and with them bringing ships like Voyager of the Seas here, it's gonna be very difficult. Plus Carnival Conquest (built in 2002, 110000 tonnes - comparable to Voyager) is set to be redeployed somewhere (location hasn't been revealed) and there's still those TBA bookings at the OPT in Sydney...

 

What do you think?

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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It's only speculation, but I don't see that on the cards right now.

 

Last I heard there were also issues with sales so far. Note there haven't been any sell outs yet, even though she's a new ship here and first trips is only a month away.

 

Not that any of the other lines are better - it's a much more competitive market this year - but I'd expect they'd want to see how the market plays out a bit more than just taking a leap like that given the tougher situation now.

 

There are many that like P&O, and Carnival is a different market which they view as more premium. As you say there's more competition there, whereas P&O doesn’t have that. It’d be silly for them to give that up and switch to the tougher market imo, plus there would also be issues of management and redeploying between brands.

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Kiwi Kruzer

Kiwi Kruzer

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plus there would also be issues of management and redeploying between brands.

 

I dont see why....

Its only a name these days.

They just put on a different coloured jacket and a new name label.

 

Get your head around it folks...

 

There is NO P&O Australia...

 

its Carnival Australia.

 

 

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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I dont see why....

Its only a name these days.

The issue is the exact same one that you can't book Carnival Spirit cruises through the US. They are separate operations, management, costs, everything.

Carnival Spirit has been transferred from the US operation to P&O Australia. Her operations are now managed here, but she is not managed under the Carnival US operation.

They just put on a different coloured jacket and a new name label.

That may be all you see on the front end (actually, there's more to it than that as well), but there's a lot more to it on the back-end.

Get your head around it folks...

 

There is NO P&O Australia...

 

its Carnival Australia.

 

 

 

You're confusing different things there.

 

Ship wise, there are both P&O and Carnival brands. And as pointed out above, they are serving different markets. They have different inclusions. They have different standards.

 

The only time your statement is accurate is in terms of the company name, but the name of the company doesn't make much difference to most customers, like where their payments are processed.

 

Also, if it was as simple as the above, then that would also mean that Princess no longer exists either...

 

Carnival operate a house of brands worldwide, and that also applies locally.

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Royalty X

Royalty X

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The Spirit is going horrible, no cruise at all has been sold out, not even the christmas cruises which usually sell out (or heavily sold) a year in advance. They would be better off closing Carnival Australia and making it P&O Australia.
Not according to friends of mine who are cruise consultants. Apparently sales are above and beyond what Carnival expected and they're very happy.
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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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Not according to friends of mine who are cruise consultants. Apparently sales are above and beyond what Carnival expected and they're very happy.

 

Have you ever heard any cruise consultants say anything is bad with what they're selling?

 

The sales speak for themselves. Prices have had to come down (although they were excessively high to start with), and no sell outs only a month out on a new ship to the market...

 

This doesn't mean they're doing particularly badly, all lines are finding it tougher this time around, but it's not a raging success either. It still needs to establish itself to see what the direction is, but I can't see a good reason for them to surrender P&O's market right now.

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Sutho

Sutho

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I think it is highly probably that it can happen. It seems unlikely that P&O Australia will be given any brand new ships to operate. With Australians getting a taste of the latest and greatest ships it is going to make it harder to recycle older ships to our shores. Carnival Spirit could be testing the waters for that.

 

The last rumour I heard this year was that P&O call centre staff have all been replaced by people in mainland America. Not sure if that one is true either.

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Kiwi Kruzer

Kiwi Kruzer

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What ever happens with a name change I can't see them getting rid of Pac Dawn, Jewel and Pearl.

Look at all the empty Aussie cruise terminals that would be left that the bigger ships would not be able to access :D

 

Perhaps they will start accepting registrations of interest

for a new block of contempary waterfront apartments at White Bay .:D:D

 

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Cruise ship fan

Cruise ship fan

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Not according to friends of mine who are cruise consultants. Apparently sales are above and beyond what Carnival expected and they're very happy.

 

Carnival must of had a very low expectation then. All the cruise lines are having trouble filling but the Spirit is doing horrible in comparison (in peak periods).

 

I blame RC, it appears as though they are being a tad strategic with their recent additions. It seems as though they are trying to flood the market to try and shake other cruise lines out of the way with their bigger newer ship and try and get the market mostly to themselves. Its just what it seems they are trying to do by sending the Voyager out here, as there is really no reason for it to be out here when it can hardly fit in any of the ports and being so soon after deploying the Radiance.

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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I blame RC, it appears as though they are being a tad strategic with their recent additions. It seems as though they are trying to flood the market to try and shake other cruise lines out of the way with their bigger newer ship and try and get the market mostly to themselves. Its just what it seems they are trying to do by sending the Voyager out here, as there is really no reason for it to be out here when it can hardly fit in any of the ports and being so soon after deploying the Radiance.

 

I think there's a mix of it in that.

 

The Primary motivation for Voyager was actually for the Chinese/Asian leg of the itinerary. However, it seems it was a good opportunity while it was in the area to get some attention in this market as well. And with a limited itinerary, a well known brand, sales on Voyager in particular have been some of the best at this time here.

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Sutho

Sutho

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Dont forget Rhapsody of the Seas was here years before they sent Radiance down so they must have been very popular to be confident to send the bigger ships. I think a few years back Legend of the Seas was sent here too.

 

If anyone is to blame for P&O Australia's demist (if it happens) the blame should fall on Carnival. Before the merger P&O owned Princess and their fleet was up and coming. They had started Ocean Village and P&O Australia was getting the recyled Princess ships. After the Carnival merger the growth of P&O and Princess stayed the same with newbuilds, but for some reason Carnival did not invest in P&O Australia and now we have a situation where all the big players are cashing in on Australias love interest with cruising by sending all the biggest and latest ships here. Once passengers get a taste of them they keep going back for more.

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Mum81

Mum81

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Call center jobs being outsourced TO America...now I've heard everything!

 

:)

 

This may not be so far fetched. I called Carnival AUSTRALIA today and was answered by a guy with a full American accent. I asked where the call centre was based? Answer: Miami Florida :eek:

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Royalty X

Royalty X

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This may not be so far fetched. I called Carnival AUSTRALIA today and was answered by a guy with a full American accent. I asked where the call centre was based? Answer: Miami Florida :eek:
OMG! Seriously!? I wonder if that's the case when you call for P&O Australia...
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Debsta

Debsta

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Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe, just maybe, they will move Pac Jewel/Pearl to Melbourne or Fremantle or Adelaide even? Oh what the heck....stick one in Darwin so we can get some Asian cruises in :D

 

Pearl is doing some cruises from Adelaide in April 2014 (check out Adelaide ports - this info was on FB).

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Sutho

Sutho

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All I remember being told about call centres moving to America was from an Ents officer on Arcadia just before it arrived in Sydney this year. He said he has friends all over the world and the benefit of his job he gets taken around each city he visits. On the ocassion he was visiting Sydney he knew someone in the call centre there who had claimed they recently lost their job to call centres overseas.

 

All I can do is repeat what I heard. I cant validate the story at all.

 

The ships P&O Australia has will not last forever. I can picture Carnival sending more ships here. Most of the possible contenders to come to Australia would not fit under the harbour bridge. The way I see it if for arguments sake Carnival does phase out P&O Australia it would be a cost saving measure to send older Carnival ships here like the Fantasy class which are getting on in age and keep them under the Carniva banner instead of forking out cash to change their identity and brand.

 

Same goes for Princess. Princess have pretty much given us the Sun class ships but they have not been rebranded, they are being sold as Princess Cruises but almost exclusively to the Australian market.

 

If P&O Australia is phased out it will possibly be phased out in that fashion.

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Royalty X

Royalty X

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Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe, just maybe, they will move Pac Jewel/Pearl to Melbourne or Fremantle or Adelaide even? Oh what the heck....stick one in Darwin so we can get some Asian cruises in :D

 

Pearl is doing some cruises from Adelaide in April 2014 (check out Adelaide ports - this info was on FB).

That makes sense. It's silly to have 3 P&O/Carnival ships based in Sydney and doing the same itineraries. At least this way, they'll probably chuck some new itineraries into the mix.
The ships P&O Australia has will not last forever. I can picture Carnival sending more ships here. Most of the possible contenders to come to Australia would not fit under the harbour bridge. The way I see it if for arguments sake Carnival does phase out P&O Australia it would be a cost saving measure to send older Carnival ships here like the Fantasy class which are getting on in age and keep them under the Carniva banner instead of forking out cash to change their identity and brand.

 

Same goes for Princess. Princess have pretty much given us the Sun class ships but they have not been rebranded, they are being sold as Princess Cruises but almost exclusively to the Australian market.

 

If P&O Australia is phased out it will possibly be phased out in that fashion.

I reckon you're on to something Sutho.:)
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