Mr. Cahill, Tampa wants a Spirit class ship!

[Disconnections]

And what if the Miracle did some 6-8 night cruises from Tampa, a 6 night Visiting Falmouth, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, while the 8 night visited Roatan, Limon and Colon?? That would surely draw business for numerous areas of the country. Ad that would also open up a possible Med summer

 

The Miracle, in the past, eight night cruises to Belize, Puerto Limon and Colon. The Freedom later took over the sailing, but replaced Belize City with Cozumel.

 

This "Exotic Western Caribbean" itinerary was replaced an additional Southern Caribbean itinerary. Now, Southern Caribbean cruises are much more common on Carnival than they were pre-2012.

Edited August 21, 2014 by Disconnections

[MrBanana1240]

well...

 

it's simple. carnival makes more money, consistently, on sailings out of galveston, than pretty much any other port. cruises out of galveston have always been significantly more expensive than comparable cruises out of other ports, ESPECIALLY florida ports.

 

 

 

they tried a ship the size of the freedom - a tad larger, in the splendor, out of long beach. they couldn't fill it up, and prices were consistently depressed with rock bottom rates to fill the ship.

 

further, they would have to sail the freedom around south america to get there, and then quite possibly back around south america to re-deploy to a more profitable market, as they had to with the splendor. those cruises, by the way, were relatively inexpensive given the cruise duration and interesting itineraries.

 

 

 

if cruises on spirit class ships out of tampa were such a good idea (read profitable), they would still be doing them. they have confidence they will make more money as they are deployed currently.

 

 

 

here again i think you're really off base... in your next point you tlk about how much airfare is to hobby or intercontinental... have you checked airfare to europe recently? carnival has perennially had med sailings for the debut of a new ship, and recently tried an expanded program with both the sunshine out of dry dock, and in fact a spirit class ship, the legend within the last season.

 

you do know the result of that right? there are no new med itineraries planned (though likely for the vista if you ask me). they cited the immense cost of airfare not syncing with their cruiser demographic, where the airfare is more than the cost of the cruise, and they had to sell them for far below their target revenue to fill the ships.

 

further, carnival does not really fit well in the european market, given it is such an 'americanized' brand, yet their target demo doesn't want to travel there - or rather won't - for the same reason you site - airfare.

 

 

 

see above re: airfare, as you propose to the med yet think is outrageous to houston.

 

further, this proposal belies the fact that galveston's central location draws a disproportionately high amount of 'drive-in' cruisers. the ships there appeal to a considerably higher amount of cruisers within driving distance, especially in the houston / dallas / san antonio / austin metro areas, as well as throughout texas, oklahoma, louisiana and surrounding states. they are not marketed to the fly-in cruisers, although plenty still do! that said, i've been on cruises out of galveston, and almost everyone you meet is indeed from... texas.

 

it's not a question of carnival 'opening their eyes' as you suggest. in fact, they have already done most of what you have proposed - perhaps with different ships, but often even the same or very similar classes. their eyes were opened and they made business decisions reflected in the current deployment - where they are confident they will make more money. it is as simple as that.

 

all that said, i really find it almost laughable when people get so worked up and make such impassioned arguments - for deploying more ships to FLORIDA?! i mean really? florida has an abundance of riches in terms of the ships deployed there. tampa has its own set of problems which restrict the ships which can be positioned there - that said, i do not believe it to be any more deserving of a spirit class ship (or any other) than say baltimore - which fwiw i agree with you, should keep the pride. maybe it's time tampa builds a new terminal in line with the ships common in the industry of today, and then move one of the multiples from the likes of miami or other florida ports.

 

perhaps I wasn't specific enough for you. 500 a person to Houston, and then however much in cab, to a cruise that is already more expensive than what we usually pay would be stupid. For anybody other than the people who are driving.

 

and I know why they stopped Europe cruises. and actually, airfare to rome in july for me was 1400, which is 200 cheaper than last year. So its going down.

 

my friends in Barcelona are waiting for the Vista, they cant wait to get back onboard a carnival ship. They LOVED their sunshine cruise and want nothing more than to cruise carnival again. people in spain actually like the idea of a carnival cruise,

 

notice I used perhaps and possibly numerous times. I'm not arguing a point down. I'm making small speculation talk. I know some of my ideas are a little out there, but so was adding 2 decks to the Destiny and ripping apart the interior and changing its name in only 44 days, but look what happened.

 

and they moved the Splendor due to the Spirit going to Australia and them not having a ship to cover Alaska, a very profitable market. and they wanted a bigger ship in New York. The long beach market is thriving. after this summer, they will have 3 year-round ships in Long Beach, all sailing above full.

 

god forbid there's a panama canal cruise on miracle and a south America repo cruise on splendor. guests totally haven't called at Cozumel, Nassau, st.thomas, grand cayman and grand turk 5 times each and want to see new places on a longer cruise.

 

I do support a ship (possibly not the carnival freedom if she is THAT much of a deal to Galveston cruisers, even with the revamped triumph and the new magic) going to replace the miracle so it can run new cruises. possibly seasonal tampa, maybe the med, or maybe the cruises it use to do from fort Lauderdale, Bermuda which was announced today, or something. I think there's better use for that ship.

[Disconnections]

perhaps I wasn't specific enough for you. 500 a person to Houston, and then however much in cab, to a cruise that is already more expensive than what we usually pay would be stupid. For anybody other than the people who are driving.

 

and I know why they stopped Europe cruises. and actually, airfare to rome in july for me was 1400, which is 200 cheaper than last year. So its going down.

 

my friends in Barcelona are waiting for the Vista, they cant wait to get back onboard a carnival ship. They LOVED their sunshine cruise and want nothing more than to cruise carnival again. people in spain actually like the idea of a carnival cruise,

 

notice I used perhaps and possibly numerous times. I'm not arguing a point down. I'm making small speculation talk. I know some of my ideas are a little out there, but so was adding 2 decks to the Destiny and ripping apart the interior and changing its name in only 44 days, but look what happened.

 

and they moved the Splendor due to the Spirit going to Australia and them not having a ship to cover Alaska, a very profitable market. and they wanted a bigger ship in New York. The long beach market is thriving. after this summer, they will have 3 year-round ships in Long Beach, all sailing above full.

 

god forbid there's a panama canal cruise on miracle and a south America repo cruise on splendor. guests totally haven't called at Cozumel, Nassau, st.thomas, grand cayman and grand turk 5 times each and want to see new places on a longer cruise.

 

I do support a ship (possibly not the carnival freedom if she is THAT much of a deal to Galveston cruisers, even with the revamped triumph and the new magic) going to replace the miracle so it can run new cruises. possibly seasonal tampa, maybe the med, or maybe the cruises it use to do from fort Lauderdale, Bermuda which was announced today, or something. I think there's better use for that ship.

 

Banana, if you're really interested in new and exotic itineraries, maybe you should consider looking into Princess, Celebrity and Holland America. Princess has been voted to have the best itineraries. Celebrity calls at ports, such as all over the Galápagos Islands. Holland America also has some really nice itineraries too.

 

It seems you're interested in visiting the Panama Canal. The Island Princess and Coral Princess have continuous 10 and 11 night RT sailings from Fort Lauderdale that visit this area. Holland America also has some Panamax vessels visit the canal. Carnival's stops in Colon required everyone to take a shore excursion that some could consider to be pricey. I haven't spent time looking at Celebrity's itineraries, but I think they have some that call in this area too.

 

Edit: As you are also mentioning South America, Holland America and Princess do have many ships that go around the horn. Some are continuous back and forth and a couple even visit Antarctica.

Edited August 21, 2014 by Disconnections

[falkcor]

perhaps I wasn't specific enough for you. 500 a person to Houston, and then however much in cab, to a cruise that is already more expensive than what we usually pay would be stupid. For anybody other than the people who are driving.

 

you don't need to be more specific for 'me'...

 

you again prove the point i am arguing. (in bold above).

 

the cruises from galveston are 'already more expensive than what [you] usually pay'.

 

in other words, carnival can and does command a premium / higher price from galveston than most any other cruise port, on a consistent basis year round.

 

THAT, and only that, is why they have deployed 3 ships to galveston as they have, and why they've been shuffling ships around in the past few years to increase capacity, yet STILL command higher fares than from other ports.

 

and 'for anybody other than people who are driving' - that is also what i argued above. that is who mostly fill the ships from galveston, the drive-in cruisers, of which there are a HUGE population in the vicinity of galveston.

 

what i am saying, is that although the cruises from galveston perhaps do not make sense to people having to fly in / from other areas of the country, regardless, they continue to fill the ships and command a higher price, which is why they have put a third ship there.

 

if there's anywhere in this hypothetical proposal you take a ship from, if you were to run carnival, would it make any sense to take it from your highest grossing port? no.

 

i understand it does not make sense for YOU to select these cruises, the fiscal facts are what they are, and your proposals involving taking a third ship from galveston to serve markets which clearly are not as profitable, simply does not make business sense.

 

and yes, i do understand you are just arguing hypotheticals, and have used 'probably' and such in your statements. i'm simply responding in kind, and giving you my feedback as to why i do not believe that to be rational or logical, from a business perspective. no hard feelings :)

[Tapi]

Although Tampa is one of my "drive to" options, I don't think that it should get yet another ship at the expense of moving ships from more profitable markets, specially when Port Canaveral is a very easy drive away, and with a myriad of ships home ported there.

 

Now, I'll support a ship returning to Mobile (my closest port of embarkation) :o

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[MrBanana1240]

you don't need to be more specific for 'me'...

 

you again prove the point i am arguing. (in bold above).

 

the cruises from galveston are 'already more expensive than what [you] usually pay'.

 

in other words, carnival can and does command a premium / higher price from galveston than most any other cruise port, on a consistent basis year round.

 

THAT, and only that, is why they have deployed 3 ships to galveston as they have, and why they've been shuffling ships around in the past few years to increase capacity, yet STILL command higher fares than from other ports.

 

and 'for anybody other than people who are driving' - that is also what i argued above. that is who mostly fill the ships from galveston, the drive-in cruisers, of which there are a HUGE population in the vicinity of galveston.

 

what i am saying, is that although the cruises from galveston perhaps do not make sense to people having to fly in / from other areas of the country, regardless, they continue to fill the ships and command a higher price, which is why they have put a third ship there.

 

if there's anywhere in this hypothetical proposal you take a ship from, if you were to run carnival, would it make any sense to take it from your highest grossing port? no.

 

i understand it does not make sense for YOU to select these cruises, the fiscal facts are what they are, and your proposals involving taking a third ship from galveston to serve markets which clearly are not as profitable, simply does not make business sense.

 

and yes, i do understand you are just arguing hypotheticals, and have used 'probably' and such in your statements. i'm simply responding in kind, and giving you my feedback as to why i do not believe that to be rational or logical, from a business perspective. no hard feelings :)

 

definitely. I personally think Galveston is a great port to cruise from and I really think its a nice place. but I know what its like to be in your position, when they took the Glory, Splendor away from the north and brought them south, everyone was like "yes new itineraries and could never get o Baltimore" when in reality, it hurt all of us driving cruisers. Galveston has lots of families cruising from it as well, and its hard to fly a family of 4 or 5, when you could drive. I support Galveston a lot. but i'm already tired of carnival's need to stay year-round in a port, and cruise the same route all the time. when I saw what Triumph is doing with its 10 and 11 night cruises, it was so exciting!! and the Pride's itineraries released today blew me away.

 

I just want variation, especially with the 24 or 25 ships they have.

 

Freedom is my favorite ship, and you guys are sure to love her!! if I flew to Galveston, I'd cruise freedom handsdown.

[JLee1973]

You've added such insight to this thread.:rolleyes: Go crawl back into your hole now. You obviously have no interest in the actual thread other than trying to insult a geographical group of people which is pretty lame.

 

Not trying to insult anyone just simply pointing out that since Carnival announced they were moving a Spirit class ship from Tampa all there has been in crying. Like I said I sympathize with you guys because it would upset me, but pointing out you have a lot more options living in Tampa or the Tampa area then the majority of the country. Look at what you have in around you. Trust me most people who sail really don't feel sorry for you and view you all as spoiled.

[tandemcruzr]

Tampa is in need of a Spirit class ship for 7 day cruises after Pride leaves!

 

This vacancy is priming people near this port to move to RCL or Norwegian. I wouldn't do a 7 day on a Fantasy size ship. Pricing the other lines out of Tampa makes them comprable to going to Port Canveral.

 

Help us out! Give Tampa a Spirit class ship again!

 

We are cruising the Pride, 7 day Jan, 2015 from Tampa. It may only be a temporary visit though.

[rolaur]

We have cruised the last few years from Tampa for New Years because it is close. We cruise to gamble and get away (we also do Vegas a few times a year). In the past year, Carnival's casino comps have gotten worse and worse. We stayed with Carnival because we really do enjoy the line but, if they leave us only the Paradise, it will be our motivation to try NCL out of Tampa. Much better casino program (that is tied in with our Vegas comps) and we can still cruise from a close port. Love Carnival but logistics will prevail.

[n6uqqq]

11TH commandment is " Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's ship " . Please stop coveting our west coast gal Miracle. She is spoken for in Southern CA. Only decent ship on the west coast with Balconies!

[losijon]

Not trying to insult anyone just simply pointing out that since Carnival announced they were moving a Spirit class ship from Tampa all there has been in crying. Like I said I sympathize with you guys because it would upset me, but pointing out you have a lot more options living in Tampa or the Tampa area then the majority of the country. Look at what you have in around you. Trust me most people who sail really don't feel sorry for you and view you all as spoiled.

 

 

 

Agree with everything. Especially the last sentence.

 

 

 

.....................................................

Carnival Pride 7 day Mexican Riviera: September 2008

 

Carnival Inspiration 4 day Mexican Riviera: September 2013

 

Carnival Miracle 15 day Hawaii: coming October 2015

[theriac]

It is upsetting seeing the Pride go so quickly, but for me(someone who lives 35 minutes from POT) I still cruise mostly out of Miami because its significantly cheaper and the itineraries are much better then what we get out in Tampa. Tampa does exact same thing as every other port but on a 7 day its usually about $150 to $200 more for inside and $100 more for OV or Balcony. Having said that I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with all this new Port talk on the good side of the bay:D but unless it offered something exciting and new ports I would still probably travel to MIA.

[Captain Carnival]

Ships in every port come and go and certainly Port Tampa Bay is no exception...except...when Carnival Legend set sail this past Sunday on her 36 day transit to Australia this left Tampa just one ship - the Carnival Paradise. That's right just one Carnival ship, no NCL, RC, or Holland ships - just one lonely ship. The bigger issue for Port Tampa Bay is not just the lack of ships but the lack of shore side jobs.

 

Now come November the Port will have a total of 5 ships sailing throughout the winter season, we will be losing those ships by spring leaving just that one little ship behind - the Carnival Paradise.

 

Now I suspect that Carnival will correct this shortsighted issue by redeploying another "updated" Fantasy class ship to fill in the gap however this version of a "ship shell game" will never be able to satisfy the number of guests and shore side employees who both depend on them so much.

 

The solution...a new/bigger bridge, new port location, returning ALL of the remaining Spirit class ships from the west coast and Australia, or close Port Tampa Bay to cruise ships?

 

Only time will tell and I suspect that the "final answer" is some 5 years away but until then....I AGREE - Mr. Cahill Tampa NEEDS another Spirit or Fantasy class ship!!!!!!

Edited August 21, 2014 by Captain Carnival

[gtalum]

I wish they would decide what to do about the cruise terminal here already -- hope they decide to re-build on the other side of the Sunshine Skyway so we can attract a bigger ship.

 

I think they have decided.

 

Nobody's going to build a port outside the Sunshine Skyway and the bridge isn't going to be rebuilt for many decades yet. I think Tampa is done for 7 day Carnival cruises for the foreseeable future.

 

The only options are to travel to another port or choose another line.

[crusinpsychRN]

I think that Carnival (and other cruise lines) are delivering a message to Tampa, which is thta they need to build a new facility outside of the bridge. If true, I doubt they will put another ship there.

 

This is Carnival's way of "bullying" Tampa into building a new terminal. Its not necessarily a bad thing. I'm sure Tampa will lose more from Carnival's absence than Carnival will lose from not having a 7 day ship there.

 

It sure seems that is the case.

[gtalum]

It's not bullying, it's economic reality. There will be no cruise port outside the Skyway. There's simply no place to put one.

[ccruisequeen]

Well either the imagination or inspiration is available. LOL :) Long Beach doesn't need two doing the same itinerary.

 

 

[jimbo5544]

I think they have decided.

 

Nobody's going to build a port outside the Sunshine Skyway and the bridge isn't going to be rebuilt for many decades yet. I think Tampa is done for 7 day Carnival cruises for the foreseeable future.

 

The only options are to travel to another port or choose another line.

 

There clearly is no silver bullet. Each scenario (including doing nothing) is a costly one. Two are huge outlays of cash and one is huge loss in revenue. In the end, it will be the port of Tampa's loss. Somewhat sad, it was our first cruise port on the Celebration back in 96.

[Captain Carnival]

Ships in every port come and go and certainly Port Tampa Bay is no exception...except...when Carnival Legend set sail this past Sunday on her 36 day transit to Australia this left Tampa just one ship - the Carnival Paradise. That's right just one Carnival ship, no NCL, RC, or Holland ships - just one lonely ship. The bigger issue for Port Tampa Bay is not just the lack of ships but the lack of shore side jobs.

 

Now come November the Port will have a total of 5 ships sailing throughout the winter season, we will be losing those ships by spring leaving just that one little ship behind - the Carnival Paradise.

 

Now I suspect that Carnival will correct this shortsighted issue by redeploying another "updated" Fantasy class ship to fill in the gap however this version of a "ship shell game" will never be able to satisfy the number of guests and shore side employees who both depend on them so much.

 

The solution...a new/bigger bridge, new port location, returning ALL of the remaining Spirit class ships from the west coast and Australia, or close Port Tampa Bay to cruise ships?

 

Only time will tell and I suspect that the "final answer" is some 5 years away but until then....I AGREE - Mr. Cahill Tampa NEEDS another Spirit or Fantasy class ship!!!!!!

 

Perhaps there is hope down the road as according to the Carnival booking engine Legend is the only vessel not listed (yet) from Oct 2015 onwards so perhaps she shall return to Tampa after her Alaska season next year?

[jimbo5544]

Perhaps there is hope down the road as according to the Carnival booking engine Legend is the only vessel not listed (yet) from Oct 2015 onwards so perhaps she shall return to Tampa after her Alaska season next year?

 

 

Don't want to rain on your parade, but I think that is the time of year when she goes yo the land down under.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Captain Carnival]

Don't want to rain on your parade, but I think that is the time of year when she goes yo the land down under.

You're correct Jimbo, I just checked the Australia site and Legend will be returning there after Alaska (and a one way to Hawaii on the way). My lawn and trees could use the rain though - thanks! :D

[Ship's Wake]

I think they have decided.

 

Nobody's going to build a port outside the Sunshine Skyway and the bridge isn't going to be rebuilt for many decades yet. I think Tampa is done for 7 day Carnival cruises for the foreseeable future.

 

The only options are to travel to another port or choose another line.

 

It would be far cheaper for the Port of Tampa (ie the taxpayers) to provide monetary incentives for Carnival to base a Spirit class ship out of Tampa than to replace the Sunshine Skyway or try to build a new cruise port somehwere along the beautiful white sand beaches in the area.

[jimbo5544]

You're correct Jimbo, I just checked the Australia site and Legend will be returning there after Alaska (and a one way to Hawaii on the way). My lawn and trees could use the rain though - thanks! :D

 

I actually had a sprinkle as well when I read your post.;) There is always hope!

[jimbo5544]

It would be far cheaper for the Port of Tampa (ie the taxpayers) to provide monetary incentives for Carnival to base a Spirit class ship out of Tampa than to replace the Sunshine Skyway or try to build a new cruise port somehwere along the beautiful white sand beaches in the area.

 

I can see the headlines now: Carnival execs and Port of Tampa head arrested on slush funds after suitcases of cash are found! Rumor is these are to keep a Spirit class ship in Tampa.;)

 

On a more serious note, I bet we all wish that Carnival had 4 or 5 more Spirit class ships around.

[crusinpsychRN]

It would be far cheaper for the Port of Tampa (ie the taxpayers) to provide monetary incentives for Carnival to base a Spirit class ship out of Tampa than to replace the Sunshine Skyway or try to build a new cruise port somehwere along the beautiful white sand beaches in the area.

 

That's true. A lot of the hubbub was as the cruise industry moves to building only very large ships, Tampa will be left out in the cold. I prefer to sail Spirit size ships, like the layout (translation: hard to get lost!).

 

RCL, NCL and HAL are only here a few months of the year. Without Carnival competition, those prices go up.

 

Someone earlier said the prices out of Miami for same itinerary are $100-200 lower. Not in my experience. Then you have to factor in transportation to get there, possibly hotel room.