Moronic Marketing by Carnival

[sooner9795]

We live in Okc. We have cruised out of Galveston 3 times, New Orleans 1 time, Miami 1 time, and in a few weeks Fort Lauderdale.

 

For us, it's the cruise we want to go on, not the port it leves from.

[jwalk03]

I have cruised from a different port everytime.

 

Imagination from Miami

Freedom from Ft. Lauderdale

Valor from San Juan

 

I like variety. Though in my case living in Ohio, Im not really close to any port! So its an airplane ride or a long car ride anyway you look at it.

[jdeville71]

The boring ride down the Mississippi River would not be appealing to be. Leaving from Galveston you are in international waters pretty quickly and the shops and casino opens.

 

The cruise down the river is far from boring. You can see many different sites and the casino and shops do not wait until they are out in the Gulf to open!

[Disneynutbsv]

We drove from New England to port canaveral for 2 cruises...Our local port of Boston is only available a few months out of the year and limited itinerary.

[flynnsport]

The embarkation process in New Orleans was much faster than our time going out of Galveston too. But if you like the ship close to home then so be it. If NOLA only had the elation then we would certainly high tail it to Houston for $59 on Southwest.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

I just got a coupon for $1 off of Pamolive liquid soap. But it's at a store I have to drive to and burn $1.50 worth of gas. Threw it in the garbage.

[jtwanabe]

I guess what I find odd is that the amount of discount is only like $40.00 x 2 people. I'm just saying make it worth my while to do so.

 

Being able to drive a hour to the boat and then an hour back afterwards is

part of what I love about the cruise.

[cruizinisthebest]

WE get phone calls for ridiculous things all the time and just ignore them.

 

Exactly. And I wouldn't say it's a waste of paper or moronic either. I live in the Northeast but have never sailed out of anywhere other than Florida and New Orleans. I'm glad they don't assume I'm only interested in ports closest to my home.

[Earthworm Jim]

The whole point of a discount is not for you, it is for the person offering the discount. They don't need to offer a discount to Galveston because there is a built in market in Texas that has a huge population and a population with lower unemployment than the rest of the country and people with good jobs. New Orleans/Louisiana/Mississippi is not in that same boat, so they need to get people to go there rather than Galveston. That is why the Conquest is $200 cheaper than the Magic week after week. Basic economics.

 

Exactly.

 

Why would Carnival offer a discount on a sailing that they are having no trouble selling at full price (Galveston)? They only have reason to offer a discount for sailings that are selling slowly (New Orleans, apparently).

[blindrid]

I live in Houston which is 70 miles from where the Carnival Magic and the Triumph (when it isn't lame and loose somewhere)

leave from. So I get this great rate deal in the mail and I'm saying Yoo Hoo!. Then I read it's for a Cruise leaving out of

New Orleans.

 

Why would I pay $100 dollars in gas and drive 6 hours one way of my time to save $48.00 on a cruise. I would pay more

in gas to get there and back than I would save on the coupon.

 

If it was leaving out of Galveston I would be all over it. Goofy waste of paper if you ask me.

 

JT

 

To me, I enjoy going out of different ports (obviously, I can't drive to a port though) and I'm guessing I'm not the only one. Marketing is marketing. If anything, they got their name in front of you which is part of the game also.

[Earthworm Jim]

Some of us even drive 24 hours for a cruise!

 

I also have to laugh when they send us "deals" to cruise out of NYC. Apparently Carnival does not understand geography. Even though I live in New York State, I can drive to Boston or Baltimore in less time than I can drive to NYC.

 

I can envision places in western New York state from where it would be quicker to drive to Baltimore than NYC. I can envision places in New York State (though not in western New York) from where it would be a tiny bit quicker to drive to Boston than to NYC. I can't envision a place where it would be quicker to drive to both Baltimore and Boston than NYC however.

 

But that aside, Carnival isn't sending you deals that are the most appealing for you based on geography. They are sending you deals to sell cabins they are having trouble selling. And it appears those cabins are in NYC, not in Boston and Baltimore.

[Leo's Rule]

I wish they'd send me a deal. And I too live in Houston.

 

But I don't like putting a lot of miles on my car...though I was going to drive to NOLA for BC7 until I learned its the same week as All-Star...now I'm flying. The flight was robbery IMO, but it's worth my piece of mind and I don't have to sit in traffic either!

[blondietink]

I can envision places in western New York state from where it would be quicker to drive to Baltimore than NYC. I can envision places in New York State (though not in western New York) from where it would be a tiny bit quicker to drive to Boston than to NYC. I can't envision a place where it would be quicker to drive to both Baltimore and Boston than NYC however..

 

Boston- 6 hour drive

Baltimore- 6.5 hour drive

NYC- 7.5-8 hour drive depending on traffic

 

It all has to do with speed limits and traffic patterns.

[misstopgun]

I wouldn't use the term moronic but I do think at times Carnival insults the intellegence of some of its cruisers.

 

Seriously, If you book any cruise for the price you are probably in for a shock. the cruise price is usually a drop in the bucket as compared to the other expenses, travel, on board purchases, excursions, etc.

 

If they want to reduce the price on a cruise I want to take, good for me, but I won't take a cruise based on a minimal savings of the cruise fare.

[DebJ14]

They often have Texas resident rates on sailings from New Orleans and Louisiana resident rates on sailings out of Galveston. I for one wish it was the other way around. We used to live in NOLA, so we try to avoid the place as we know how nasty it really can be, but we really like the Conquest.

[jtwanabe]

Of course in NOLA their is always a chance that you'll be ready to get on the ship only to find the ship is

up on cinder blocks and the propellers have been stolen. LOL:D

 

BTW I'm the OP and I sued the Moronic because used with the word marketing had a nice ring to

it. That too is marketing. Maybe even moronic marketing.

[jtwanabe]

Sorry I need to check my spelling before I post.

 

I meant to write "I used the word moronic because used with the word marketing it had a nice ring to it."

[Prinycesa07]

Some of us even drive 24 hours for a cruise!

 

I also have to laugh when they send us "deals" to cruise out of NYC. Apparently Carnival does not understand geography. Even though I live in New York State, I can drive to Boston or Baltimore in less time than I can drive to NYC. And I for one would never cruise out of NYC just because they are so expensive between the cruise price and the insane parking prices at the port or the insane cruise price plus airfare/taxi to the port for 4 people. I can actually drive to Florida or NOLA and take a cruise for cheaper than one out of NYC.

 

Right?! Buffalonian here and much, much prefer to leave from Baltimore than NYC. Ive done both. I found the drive to Baltimore much better. Never tried Boston though, may do that next.

[blondietink]

Right?! Buffalonian here and much, much prefer to leave from Baltimore than NYC. Ive done both. I found the drive to Baltimore much better. Never tried Boston though, may do that next.

 

Only about 35 miles northeast of you. Boston is a pretty easy drive but never cruised out of there.Not interested in seeing landscape that I can drive to easily.

[jazzlover04]

Driving 9 hours to Mia. Gonna enjoy every mile of it!

[loanshark]

I too like going on ships that I have not yet experienced.

 

In fact, our next cruise is going to be the Elation out of New Orleans as opposed to Paradise out of Tampa, even though both ports are approximately the same driving distance (5.5 hrs for New Orleans vs. 6 hrs for Tampa). In addition, the Elation was actually $30 more expensive p/p. The deciding factor was we haven't been on the Elation before, whereas our last cruise was on the Paradise.