Very Upset with Carnvial

[ed_k_tx]

Well, a couple of problems here. First, dredging and the bridge have nothing in common. Dredging will allow larger ships that have deeper drafts into the river. However, dredging will not lower a ship to allow a taller ship to pass under a bridge. Since a cruise ship does not change it's "cargo" weight by much, the ship's draft and air draft don't change.

 

Secondly, you're under the misconception that dredging will shut the river down completely? Nothing further from the truth. Dredging operations go on every day in many ports around the world, with minimal impact on vessel traffic. At most, two way traffic is limited or eliminated (requiring pilots to arrange inbound and outbound sailing times), or the dredge will move during times of high traffic density.

 

Good points, even if they do come from the engine room.;)

[louisianagirl70]

I'm from New Orleans and I just read in the news that the Elation is moving to Jacksonville after April 4, 2016. The Triumph will move to take the Elation's place in NO to increase capacity.

[Cristallo]

Yeah I'm none to happy with CCL right now. As locals we loved being able to hop on the Fascination for a quick vacation. We have a cruise coming up in May with her and were kicking around going on her again next year as well. With the announcement of the Elation getting switched out we might just forgo cruising in general in exchange for more land based vacations.

 

We liked the ease of not having to drive or fly to another port and since we prefer a balcony which the Elation doesn't have outside of suites we might be saying bye bye to cruising for a while.

 

Additional note: I just got off the phone with my PVP who said that the Elation may be going in for dry dock soon to finish the upgrades so if that is correct Jacksonville might not be getting such a downgrade.

[Cruisegirl6]

The elation just had a dry dock last year, and there are no plans, it would of been on the schedule and then why would they do a second dry dock in just a years time, I don't believe it but it would be nice if it were true.

[chengkp75]

Since Elation is over 15 years old, she is required to actually dry dock twice in 5 years (2.5 year interval, max). Younger ships are allowed to do in water surveys using divers to meet the "mid-period" inspection, and only dock every 5 years. So, not too "soon", but late 2016 or early 2017 for her next touch up.

[LaShea]

They'll still have the Liberty there as well (another Conquest class) so it looks like they will have two ships there unless they are pulling the Liberty out after only a year being there.

 

The Liberty is coming to Galveston in 2016. They will just have the Fascination in San Juan. I hope it is true that it is only for a few months. We just got back from a cruise on the Valor in November in San Juan. I for one will not pay to fly to San Juan from Texas just to get on the Fascination. I absolutely LOVED that cruise and was looking for a time to go back. I will wait on that one. Thank goodness Galveston is getting Freedom, Liberty and Breeze. That will keep us busy for a while since we have never been on those ships.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

They move ships around all the time. I like that. If you are close to a port you use more often you can sail a new ship occasionally.

[BenjiRodney]

I am not going to fly to San Juan to sail on a Ship without Guys Burgers or a Steakhouse.

 

 

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[SexyK]

So there's no balconies on the Fascination?? She was my first cruise but we stayed in an inside. Never noticed. I have no issue with fantasy class ships. Some of them have nice waterworks (Sensation for one) and balconies (Sensation again). But to put a fantasy class ship with no balconies on that port intensive cruise with those great views doesn't make sense. I think people will dislike that more than it being an older, smaller ship.

 

 

Fascination does have balconies. It was done during one of the dry docks. I had two in 2010. So it was done prior to that.

[cynthe66]

Yep its true yey i have a casino last minute ship!

 

http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2015/03/02/carnival-triumph-moving-from-galveston-to-new-orleans/24258169/

 

This is also from the Jacksonville news

 

http://www.news4jax.com/news/carnival-cruise-ship-elation-set-to-call-jaxpot-home/31565200

[deliver42]

Any cruise I take from San Juan will definitely not be Carnival with the scow that's going there.

[Cruisegirl6]

I guess I can say lucky I have a ship going out of Jax to get away when I want to. lol

[cdamion]

I was going to book a Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan for 2016 as a HS graduation present for my son.

 

No way in heck am I going to spend a week on a Fantasy class ship. How on earth does Carnival expect to compete with a beautiful Radiance class ship or the big Voyager class ships on Royal, or even the NCL Jewel class ship they are sending down there?

 

While fantasy class ships may have their fans, they are old, lack features and should be reserved for the shorter cruises.

 

Big disappointment.

[NCTribeFan]

Some of us love San Juan and couldn't care less about the ship that sails from there. They're port-intensive itineraries. Minimal time on the ship. My first cruise from there was on Victory in 2009 when it was a port every day. I literally did nothing on the ship except have breakfast, return from an excursion to shower and have late dinner, then spend a little time in the casino or at a show; to bed and repeat. I have virtually no idea what the ship was like!

 

So fine. All you balcony snobs and anti-Fantasy-class people can just go sail a different line. Keep the prices lower for those of us who actually enjoy the Fantasy class (no stupid big tv blaring non-stop; geez, can't imagine how I'll live without that noise pollution!).

 

And I'll just starve without a Guy's Burger joint. Oh wait. That hasn't happened yet! :p

[kybluecruiser]

I understand the op frustration. Half glass full view is at least you got a ship lol..... Am i wrong in thinking that this will be the first time in a very long time that a fantasy class ship has visited some of these ports? Usually all fantasy class visit HMC,Nassau, Freeport cozumel, and progresso lol

[cruizinisthebest]

Some of us love San Juan and couldn't care less about the ship that sails from there. They're port-intensive itineraries. Minimal time on the ship. My first cruise from there was on Victory in 2009 when it was a port every day. I literally did nothing on the ship except have breakfast, return from an excursion to shower and have late dinner, then spend a little time in the casino or at a show; to bed and repeat. I have virtually no idea what the ship was like!

 

So fine. All you balcony snobs and anti-Fantasy-class people can just go sail a different line. Keep the prices lower for those of us who actually enjoy the Fantasy class (no stupid big tv blaring non-stop; geez, can't imagine how I'll live without that noise pollution!).

 

And I'll just starve without a Guy's Burger joint. Oh wait. That hasn't happened yet! :p

 

Lol. I love this post! I must say, the freak out is a bit overkill. The Fascination ain't no tugboat. And the Valor didn't have 2.0 either. There's a reason why they put a smaller ship there. Give it a chance. Geesh.

[sirfuller]

I actually think this may be a test to see if it really matters to cruisers what class of ship sails out of San Juan. If the powers that be home port a really old ship, will people still sail out of there because of the quality of the itinerary? They may be trying to figure out what the baseline is and if a Fantasy class ship is above or below that.

 

I personally think it is below that and if they had trouble selling fares on newer ships, that trend will only continue or even become more compounded. But, who knows? Stranger things have happened -- maybe repositioning the Fascination to San Juan will be a huge success! ;)

[ray98]

Jeez....it isn't the end of the world. Same pool of ships, they just move them around. Nothing gained, nothing lost. People just look for reasons to get pissed off.

Edited March 3, 2015 by ray98

[CJHAN]

They'll still have the Liberty there as well (another Conquest class) so it looks like they will have two ships there unless they are pulling the Liberty out after only a year being there.

 

The Liberty will be going to Galveston in 2016 along with the Breeze.

[Tapi]

I actually think this may be a test to see if it really matters to cruisers what class of ship sails out of San Juan. If the powers that be home port a really old ship, will people still sail out of there because of the quality of the itinerary? They may be trying to figure out what the baseline is and if a Fantasy class ship is above or below that.

 

I've been trying to make sense of this decision in my head, and a couple of things come to mind:

 

- Here on Cruise Critic, most of us know the difference between the Fascination and the Liberty. But the first time cruiser does not. I'm thinking that Carnival will be relying heavily on those first time cruisers that don't know the difference, not only between Carnival ships, but also between the Fascination and Royal's Voyager or Radiance class ships. Maybe this ship swap wont have as big of an impact as we think.

 

- A lot of people say that they care more about the itinerary than the ship. Well, this is a great opportunity to see how many of them are out there, and if they're being sincere when they say that. If there's one region of the Caribbean where the cruise is more about the itinerary than the ship, this is definitely it.

 

- Cruises to the Southern Caribbean out of San Juan may have become too expensive for Carnival's target: the budget minded cruiser. I'm thinking that cruisers with a bit more vacation money have been taking their business to other cruise lines (which would explain why Royal now has a 130,000 ton ship and a 90,000 ton ship sailing from San Juan at higher prices than Carnival). This is similar to why other cruise lines have such a huge presence in Alaska while Carnival has one lonely ship in that region. This strategy allows Carnival to maintain a presence in that market (although small), and it allows them to charge higher prices for a premium itinerary while giving an option to those passengers that will sail on Carnival no matter what.

 

I'm still hopeful that the Fascination will only be in San Juan temporarily, and that the Victory (or another larger ship) will eventually replace it as previously reported. But trying to make lemonade out of lemons, I'm grateful that at least Carnival has chosen to keep a ship in San Juan year round, even if its the Fascination, instead of just pulling the plug altogether.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Tapi

[jimbo5544]

I've been trying to make sense of this decision in my head, and a couple of things come to mind:

 

- Here on Cruise Critic, most of us know the difference between the Fascination and the Liberty. But the first time cruiser does not. I'm thinking that Carnival will be relying heavily on those first time cruisers that don't know the difference, not only between Carnival ships, but also between the Fascination and Royal's Voyager or Radiance class ships. Maybe this ship swap wont have as big of an impact as we think.

 

- A lot of people say that they care more about the itinerary than the ship. Well, this is a great opportunity to see how many of them are out there, and if they're being sincere when they say that. If there's one region of the Caribbean where the cruise is more about the itinerary than the ship, this is definitely it.

 

- Cruises to the Southern Caribbean out of San Juan may have become too expensive for Carnival's target: the budget minded cruiser. I'm thinking that cruisers with a bit more vacation money have been taking their business to other cruise lines (which would explain why Royal now has a 130,000 ton ship and a 90,000 ton ship sailing from San Juan at higher prices than Carnival). This is similar to why other cruise lines have such a huge presence in Alaska while Carnival has one lonely ship in that region. This strategy allows Carnival to maintain a presence in that market (although small), and it allows them to charge higher prices for a premium itinerary while giving an option to those passengers that will sail on Carnival no matter what.

 

I'm still hopeful that the Fascination will only be in San Juan temporarily, and that the Victory (or another larger ship) will eventually replace it as previously reported. But trying to make lemonade out of lemons, I'm grateful that at least Carnival has chosen to keep a ship in San Juan year round, even if its the Fascination, instead of just pulling the plug altogether.

Interesting thoughts. There have been some recent decisions that make me scratch my head, but this one is at the top of the heap. While I get your theory's. and they make sense I am more than a little surprised. So much so I sent off an email to some management people in Carnival I know, giving them my thoughts (which I rarely do).

 

They do have all these Fantasy class ships, which are getting a little long in the tooth and my guess (and it is all it really is) is they had ideas to sell these off and the market is softer than they thought. So, make the best of it (and I do get that). Either I have no idea on the revenue produced on the southern route or am missing something though. I just don't see how a Fantasy class of ship can compete with the competition. Why not a Conquest class ship? They sure have enough of them sailing to the exact same ports week after week.

 

Your thoughts about some sort of trial are interesting. I do enjoy sailing the Fantasy class. They offer a smaller ship experience. The lack of amenities and balconies (Yes, I know the Fascination has some, but .....) make trying to sell it for a group we were considering out of San Juan a no brainer....no.

[sjn911]

Just had a thought...they are easier to navigate because smaller...easier to get on and off of...maybe they are attracting the crowd that would appreciate that, has a bit more money for the flight etc. and would not consider a larger ship there..IE Seniors...on a Carnival preference and budget...taking what others have said a bit in this direction...since I am at the beginning of it LOL..Sarah

Edited March 3, 2015 by sjn911

[Tapi]

Well, just a thought. Even though Carnival announced the Fascination sailing from San Juan year round, they may be holding off on announcing yet another swap for later. Here's my reasoning.

 

The rumor about the Fascination started before the announcement because someone posted The Port of St. Maarten's cruise schedule, showing the Fascination sailing there beginning on April 2016. We can assume then that the webpage's information is accurate. The same page shows a shift from the Fascination to the Victory around November 2016, which is when the Vista will be arriving in Miami.

 

I don't think it's far fetched to think that the Fascination will indeed be replaced by the Victory on November 2016 because of the verifiable source of information, and also because of the timeline. It fits. And it would be a perfect time to bring a larger ship, right at the beginning of the high season winter months.

 

Hoping that this is the case and that Carnival is just not ready to make that announcement. [emoji120]

Edited March 3, 2015 by Tapi

[kybluecruiser]

Well, just a thought. Even though Carnival announced the Fascination sailing from San Juan year round, they may be holding off on announcing yet another swap for later. Here's my reasoning.

 

The rumor about the Fascination started before the announcement because someone posted The Port of St. Maarten's cruise schedule, showing the Fascination sailing there beginning on April 2016. We can assume then that the webpage's information is accurate. The same page shows a shift from the Fascination to the Victory around November 2016, which is when the Vista will be arriving in Miami.

 

I don't think it's far fetched to think that the Fascination will indeed be replaced by the Victory on November 2016 because of the verifiable source of information, and also because of the timeline. It fits. And it would be a perfect time to bring a larger ship, right at the beginning of the high season winter months.

 

Hoping that this is the case and that Carnival is just not ready to make that announcement. [emoji120]

 

 

I thought the same thing. Until I read the announcement that it was year round.

[Tapi]

I thought the same thing. Until I read the announcement that it was year round.

 

 

Initially, me too. But then I remembered other times when Carnival has made announcements and then changed them. For example, when the Sunshine's initial schedule was made public, it was also announced as year round from New Orleans. Next thing we knew was that the Sunshine was headed to Port Canaveral and that its presence in New Orleans would be short lived. The announcement about the Sunshine going to Port Canaveral was made before the ship even arrived in New Orleans.

 

So I'll keep hoping. [emoji4]