Is Carnival Falling Behind?

[Hendricks Clan]

The current rate for a balcony on the June 22, 2014 sailing on the Carnival Conquest is $819 pp. before taxes. And, only $669 for a guarantee. Have to go further in the booking process to see these rates.

 

I did the base fare on each one...thats the best way to compare. I specifically didn't add in resident rates, past guest rates, etc... If I do that the Getaway is still comparable the Conquest. The total for me when I go through the booking process on CCL is $1,884.62 for two. On NCL for two people on the Getaway is $1,901.84. Thats a $17.22 difference and once you compare the two ships, its a no brainer to go with NCL.

[MissKIA]

By golly I think you have it.

 

 

Carnival even wanted to hear back from cruisers and gave out feed back forms. When was the last time you saw one of those forms?

 

 

I've gotten an email survey for every cruise I've taken so far. (and those have only been over the past 2 years, so it's hardly a thing of the past)

[misguidedangel]

Carnival is doing well and filling the ships with no real problems. They have added Funship 2.0 and the passengers do enjoy those added features. No, they aren't innovative but Carnival did ask what passengers would like to see on their ships and have put those features on a number of ships. We have a Red Frog Pub, we have a ropes course at sea (who else has that, and is that not innovative?), we have wrap around Promenade decks, thrill theater, the comedy club and others. The Breeze was a total break from tradition where Farcus didn't design the ship and now they have a more resort feel ship and three alternate options for dining--steak house, Cuchina del Capitano, and Asian food.

 

Carnival was smart in getting John to be the brand ambassador and from him they are getting great idea for what the passengers want to see on the new ships. I can only wonder what the Vista will have when the deck plans are announced...

 

Personally, I have looked at the deck plans of NCL's new shows, and RCI's Monsters of the Seas and they just do not appeal to me. I know a few people who went on the Oasis or Allure and they never felt like the cruise was a vacation because there was too much to see and do, and that was just the ship not the ports.....

 

I'll pay the lesser price to cruise on Carnival because I like the ships and it suites my budget!

[pspercy]

http://economics-files.pomona.edu/jlikens/SeniorSeminars/Likens2012/reports/Carnival.pdf

 

Dated in parts but most interesting, thanks:D

 

It even covers the build vs refurb issue as mentioned on this thread:

 

Accordingly, in order to better exploit its strategic position, Carnival should reduce new ship production somewhat and re-invest the money into retrofits and marketing (page 20).

[ferfoodle]

I did the base fare on each one...thats the best way to compare. I specifically didn't add in resident rates, past guest rates, etc... If I do that the Getaway is still comparable the Conquest. The total for me when I go through the booking process on CCL is $1,884.62 for two. On NCL for two people on the Getaway is $1,901.84. Thats a $17.22 difference and once you compare the two ships, its a no brainer to go with NCL.

 

Unless you spend a big portion of your cruise on your balcony. It seems the new builds of Breakaway and Getaway as well as Royal Princess, that the dinky balconies are not quite a hit.

 

I cruise. I am not line loyal. I go when it is least likely for a ship to be packed. I don't slide, climb, dance, flow-ride, skate, etc. I go to be on the sea and get off at a port or two to snorkel in the sea. I will cruise any line that has a decent itinerary on a decent ship for a decent price. But that ship better have a standard balcony cabin with a good balcony - one I can stretch out on and cruise without paying a fortune. The new builds don't. And to me, that is a no brainer.

[Buck64]

which ships would they be building? They have 1 on order and rccl has what 4 or 5. Not sure how many ncl has but it is higher than one. pretty sure redecorating a ship isn't the same as building a new ship. no one says carnival has to match rccl with the behemoths of the seas but a new ship to WOW us would be nice. The vista will be nice no doubt, but how does that compare to the new rccl quantum of the seas? It simply doesn't. imo carnival fell behind years ago.

 

Do you have inside information on the Vista cause I can't find any info on it?? If you don't have any more info than the rest of us, then you are just speculating that the Vista will not compare with the Quantum of the Seas. Maybe the Vista will be better! :cool:

[Disconnections]

Carnival is doing well and filling the ships with no real problems. They have added Funship 2.0 and the passengers do enjoy those added features. No, they aren't innovative but Carnival did ask what passengers would like to see on their ships and have put those features on a number of ships. We have a Red Frog Pub, we have a ropes course at sea (who else has that, and is that not innovative?), we have wrap around Promenade decks, thrill theater, the comedy club and others. The Breeze was a total break from tradition where Farcus didn't design the ship and now they have a more resort feel ship and three alternate options for dining--steak house, Cuchina del Capitano, and Asian food.

 

Carnival was smart in getting John to be the brand ambassador and from him they are getting great idea for what the passengers want to see on the new ships. I can only wonder what the Vista will have when the deck plans are announced...

 

Personally, I have looked at the deck plans of NCL's new shows, and RCI's Monsters of the Seas and they just do not appeal to me. I know a few people who went on the Oasis or Allure and they never felt like the cruise was a vacation because there was too much to see and do, and that was just the ship not the ports.....

 

I'll pay the lesser price to cruise on Carnival because I like the ships and it suites my budget!

 

If they're doing well and having no issues filling any ships, why do I keep seeing 3/4 night cruises for $109 and plenty of 3-5 night cruises from $119-$149? Let's not forget the free cruise offers. Between their staff not getting paid from gratuities and loss of onboard revenue, they have no choice but to give cruises away.

 

They're smart having John Heald as a brand ambassador? I didn't know it was a good business move to have a figure head publicly ridicule his guests/customers. Not only that, but also letting his fan base go ahead and attack those that have complaints or simply want their opinion to be heard. Don't forget... he isn't too reliable and consistently tells lies to his guests.

[Hendricks Clan]

Unless you spend a big portion of your cruise on your balcony. It seems the new builds of Breakaway and Getaway as well as Royal Princess, that the dinky balconies are not quite a hit.

 

I cruise. I am not line loyal. I go when it is least likely for a ship to be packed. I don't slide, climb, dance, flow-ride, skate, etc. I go to be on the sea and get off at a port or two to snorkel in the sea. I will cruise any line that has a decent itinerary on a decent ship for a decent price. But that ship better have a standard balcony cabin with a good balcony - one I can stretch out on and cruise without paying a fortune. The new builds don't. And to me, that is a no brainer.

 

Not sure how you get there not a hit...they seem to sell quite well. The balcony itself on Carnival Breeze not counting the room is 35 sf and by comparison on Norwegian Getaway is 32 sf. A difference so small you couldn't possibly tell a difference.

[Hendricks Clan]

If they're doing well and having no issues filling any ships, why do I keep seeing 3/4 night cruises for $109 and plenty of 3-5 night cruises from $119-$149? Let's not forget the free cruise offers. Between their staff not getting paid from gratuities and loss of onboard revenue, they have no choice but to give cruises away.

 

They're smart having John Heald as a brand ambassador? I didn't know it was a good business move to have a figure head publicly ridicule his guests/customers. Not only that, but also letting his fan base go ahead and attack those that have complaints or simply want their opinion to be heard. Don't forget... he isn't too reliable and consistently tells lies to his guests.

 

JH is a great CD. Had the pleasure of sailing with him, but you are exactly right. Not to mention besides his lies all he is good for is handing out free gifts to anyone under the sun to the masses for no reasons at all.

[ferfoodle]

Not sure how you get there not a hit...they seem to sell quite well. The balcony itself on Carnival Breeze not counting the room is 35 sf and by comparison on Norwegian Getaway is 32 sf. A difference so small you couldn't possibly tell a difference.

 

Numerous complaints about the balconies on Breakaway. 3 sf. is not much difference, I agree - but on Carnival (the Conquest class are also 35 sf.) you can sit in the chair directly facing the ocean. On NCL you cannot - or so is reported. Therefore, the balconies must be longer on them, but the chair has to sit at an angle to have any leg room. And again, IMO that is not desirable.

[LHP]

Carnival does not have any pressure on them from anyone....

 

Carnival is doing what works for them and Carnival could care less what the other cruise lines do....especially when other cruise lines have such a horrific debt load for the number of ships they have and Carnival does not.

 

NCL was "innovative" when they put 3 ships in Hawaii and it almost bankrupted them.

 

Royal was "innovative" with those big ships, but if you are like me and do not wish to pay for things I would never use (flowriders, ice rinks, etc)... then all that innovation is a waste.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Yea Carnival is falling behind. That's why they are the #1 cruise line in the world. They have no clue what they are doing.

[morganboys]

Do you have inside information on the Vista cause I can't find any info on it?? If you don't have any more info than the rest of us, then you are just speculating that the Vista will not compare with the Quantum of the Seas. Maybe the Vista will be better! :cool:

 

I hope you are correct. I hope carnival makes the vista better then the quantum but I'm not going to hold my breathe.

 

Carnival does not have any pressure on them from anyone....

 

Carnival is doing what works for them and Carnival could care less what the other cruise lines do....especially when other cruise lines have such a horrific debt load for the number of ships they have and Carnival does not.

 

NCL was "innovative" when they put 3 ships in Hawaii and it almost bankrupted them.

 

Royal was "innovative" with those big ships, but if you are like me and do not wish to pay for things I would never use (flowriders, ice rinks, etc)... then all that innovation is a waste.

 

someone must not think its a waste. their two ships sail full at rates higher then almost all the other ships afloat and they have two more oasis class ships on order. debt must not be an issue since they have two quantum class ships on order, two more oasis class ships on order, and they registered the names for quantum class ships #3 & #4.

[Hendricks Clan]

Numerous complaints about the balconies on Breakaway. 3 sf. is not much difference, I agree - but on Carnival (the Conquest class are also 35 sf.) you can sit in the chair directly facing the ocean. On NCL you cannot - or so is reported. Therefore, the balconies must be longer on them, but the chair has to sit at an angle to have any leg room. And again, IMO that is not desirable.

 

I kind of see what you were meaning and for just getting that I apologize. You can sit facing the ocean, but the one thing I don't like about the balconies on the newer NCL ships is the location of the life boats. Their not built into/stored in the hull like on the Conquest and dream class and older NCL ships. They instead hang like those found on CCL's Spirit class...which means if you look straight down on Epic, Breakaway, or Getaway you see the life boat and ocean, rather than just ocean but that's not a big deal to me. To some it might be...

[Hendricks Clan]

Carnival does not have any pressure on them from anyone....

 

Carnival is doing what works for them and Carnival could care less what the other cruise lines do....especially when other cruise lines have such a horrific debt load for the number of ships they have and Carnival does not.

 

NCL was "innovative" when they put 3 ships in Hawaii and it almost bankrupted them.

 

Royal was "innovative" with those big ships, but if you are like me and do not wish to pay for things I would never use (flowriders, ice rinks, etc)... then all that innovation is a waste.

 

That NCL no longer exist once Mr. Sheehan came on and took over the company...Kevin Sheehan killed that as soon as he came on and has done a remarkable job of taking NCL from worst to competing very well with RCI and CCL. IMHO they have gone from worst to the best of the mainstream lines, but that's just simply my view as Im sure others disagree.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Hendricks Clan

[pauleydm]

I may be in the minority here, but I actually cruise to go to new destinations. These mega ships are a destination in themselves...and because of their size, their itineraries are more limited. At the moment, Carnival fits the bill for my travel needs and the prices allow me to cruise twice a year:)

[Carnival Beerleader]

JH is a great CD. Had the pleasure of sailing with him, but you are exactly right. Not to mention besides his lies all he is good for is handing out free gifts to anyone under the sun to the masses for no reasons at all.

 

 

 

Please list " his lies"

 

and he is good for much more , if only you new what he did for me and my family you would cringe with embarrassment.

[Big_G]

I may be in the minority here, but I actually cruise to go to new destinations. These mega ships are a destination in themselves...and because of their size, their itineraries are more limited. At the moment, Carnival fits the bill for my travel needs and the prices allow me to cruise twice a year:)

 

You're not really in the minority. People cruise for a variety of reasons. We've been on the 'mega' ships three times and I agree they are a destination but for the same reasons you mentioned, we have to switch it up. It will probably be a while before we sail them again unless our adult children want to do a family cruise. Maybe they'll pay...nah, not likely. :rolleyes:

[Kristi Williamson]

We've sailed every major, mass market line and we've enjoyed them all for different reasons. We intend to continue to enjoy each of them on future trips.

 

RCCL does have the most beautiful ships and excellent service, but we believe their food to be sub-par at best and they are usually priced above both Carnival and NCL. (not always, but usually)

 

NCL has ATD down and we really enjoyed the Garden Villa. It is, without doubt, the most incredible room experience at sea. We were rock stars for those 10 days. NCL is very mellow and we enjoyed that.

 

Carnival has it's own little quirks that we enjoy and as an added bonus, their food is almost always a little better than the other lines, plus their steakhouse kicks both RCCL and NCL in the rear. Their bedding is heavenly.

 

With all that being said, we don't cruise for the ships. Ever. We base our selection on itinerary first and price second, so no matter how "innovative" a company seems or not, we may never sail the Oasis class for no other reason than because I don't want to go to St. Thomas or St. Marteen again. We'll always choose an itinerary that is interesting vs a ship. That's us. The beauty of having each line is that there is always...always...something out there to see and do. :)

[beansie429]

Please list " his lies"

 

 

 

and he is good for much more , if only you new what he did for me and my family you would cringe with embarrassment.

 

 

When he announced the Alaska miracle itinerary change on Facebook, he promised to answer all questions folks had on a date certain. He did not address any questions on Facebook as far as I could tell, other than have the captain describe the route. My questions and concerns have been ignored.

 

He strikes me as a blustery cheerleader: Everything is great and will be even better now that we've cancelled a port.

 

 

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[Tapi]

I actually cruise to go to new destinations. These mega ships are a destination in themselves...and because of their size, their itineraries are more limited.

 

When we sailed on the Allure, we got off the ship for 4 hours in Labadee, 2 hours in Falmouth, and 5 hours in Cozumel. So a total of 11 hours ashore with the rest on the ship. Considering the number of hours in a week (roughly 168), YES, the ship was indeed THE destination. But we took that cruise specifically for the ship (and as much time as we spent onboard, we still didn't have enough time to do everything there was to do). Had we been traveling for the ports of call, sailing on a ship like the Allure would've been a total waste of money.

 

 

 

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Edited May 13, 2014 by Tapi

[LMaxwell]

Carnival is building ships that are quite innovative

 

What? Did you type that with a straight face? What does Carnival offer that is innovative, industry leading, or just plain unique?

[Disconnections]

Please list " his lies"

 

and he is good for much more , if only you new what he did for me and my family you would cringe with embarrassment.

 

Alan, let's start here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1655257

 

Post #19

 

How many more examples do you want? There's quite a few there, timestamped and dated, with plenty of other occasions. He's a phenomenal cruise director (even though a lot of his material is repetitive and taken from an older cruise director,) but he's not the best brand ambassador one can be, when representing a company, such as Carnival. It's disappointing to see a spokesperson take enjoyment at ridiculing his guests and watching his fans attack his customers.

 

Alan, if I didn't know any better, I would assume you worship him. All of your posts seem to be how godlike he is. I suppose he could be, if six chocolate covered strawberries have the power to change your life.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Disconnections

[Pine Bluff]

Alan, let's start here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1655257

 

Post #19

 

How many more examples do you want? There's quite a few there, timestamped and dated, with plenty of other occasions. He's a phenomenal cruise director (even though a lot of his material is repetitive and taken from an older cruise director,) but he's not the best brand ambassador one can be, when representing a company, such as Carnival. It's disappointing to see a spokesperson take enjoyment at ridiculing his guests and watching his fans attack his customers.

 

Alan, if I didn't know any better, I would assume you worship him. All of your posts seem to be how godlike he is. I suppose he could be, if six chocolate covered strawberries have the power to change your life.

 

Omissions s as well. All the issues with the post Freedom dry dock were removed from his page.

[cruisinfanatic]

Yea Carnival is falling behind. That's why they are the #1 cruise line in the world. They have no clue what they are doing.

#1 in size is all

Look at ratings from different places. Here are some

The only one they are number one in is budget cruising

First timers - Budget

Top Rated

For Couples

For Families

Customer Satisfaction

Best ships - Not even listed