Fantasy to Mobile and getting 2.0 upgrades.

[Tapi]

If Mobile was such a huge cash cow, another cruise line would have moved a ship there. Wishing the best for Mobile, but let's not act like it's some amazing port that cruise lines are fighting to sail from .

 

 

Carnival made it very clear years ago that their goal was to make cruising affordable to everybody in the US, and part of that plan was to deploy as many ships as possible from as many ports of embarkation as possible.

 

But Carnival has something that allows them to do that without compromising other, more lucrative markets; and that is the large number of (let's face it) outdated 70,000 ton ships. Carnival has chosen to keep these ships and deploy them in small, underdeveloped markets like Jacksonville, Charleston, and Mobile. Even in Long Beach, where Carnival is the only year round game in town for short cruises, the Fantasy class makes sense.

 

Other cruise lines are not rushing to deploy a dedicated ship to these small US markets simply because they have different strategies. For example, Royal could've kept all of their Sovereign class ships (which were the direct competition of the Fantasy class) and followed Carnival's plan to deploy older ships in these smaller US markets. Instead, they've chosen to get rid of them except for one (which will now be relegated to short Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral). The next class of ship in that size range (the Vision class) has been deployed globally with some of them currently sailing in Europe and Asia. Also, Royal has been busy during the last years modernizing their fleet with bigger and more innovative ships. That's their strategy and it works for them, just like Carnival's strategy works for them.

 

That other cruise lines aren't rushing to base year round ships in cities like Mobile, Charleston and Jacksonville is not an indication that these are underperforming markets or that they aren't lucrative, but simply that they are not their target.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Tapi

[Purvis1231]

I certainly glad Carnival is back in Mobile but it maybe a short term deal. I think the cruise lines are waiting to see if the Cuban market opens up. I do not think Mobile itself would be a good market for cruises going to Cuba but many of the nearby ports may. So if in two or three years the Cuban market starts to operate ports like Tampa may have several ships.

[toad455]

The one year contract does worry me, though. I guess it's mostly a precaution in case the Fantasy doesn't do well in Mobile.

[Rudyard]

 

Not thrilled with 4 and 5 day sailings. But might be beneficial for some passengers in regards to putting together a B2B, 9 day sailing. However the itenerary, mixed with 4 and 5 day sailings, screams booze cruises & not so great passenger clientele...

 

What day of the week you sail on might also make a difference. Our four day cruise on Triumph left on a Thursday (so basically a long weekend) and was a bit rowdier than our five day which left on a Monday (meaning you had to take the whole week off work).

[Cruzman]

Back to back, 11/19 and 11/24/16. First time on Carnival in 4 years!

[MandiesMom]

Just booked for Cozumel/Progresso for the Dec 17, 2016 sailing! WOOHOO!

[NOSaints1]

What's so special about Mobile? Is there anything to do there

[Tapi]

What's so special about Mobile? Is there anything to do there

 

 

I can't tell you what tourist attractions Mobile has, but I can tell you what the biggest attraction for us is: the ability to leave our house in Atlanta at 8:00am and pull into the port of Mobile at 11:30am. No need for extra nights away from home, or money spent on airfare or hotels. No other port is as convenient as Mobile.

[mjhouse2]

What's so special about Mobile? Is there anything to do there

 

Um Go on a cruise! Just saying :)

[NOSaints1]

Been on Conquest, Breeze, Valor and booked on Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan

[cuppettmd]

I'm very glad that the Fantasy is going to Mobile! But I will have to see the 2.0 upgrades to believe it. Fascination was supposed to get the 2.0 and it got the Waterworks, Pizza Pirate, the Taste Bar and the new shows. No Guy's, No Iguanas, No Burrito Bar! Life's Hard!:eek:

[Cruzman]

Our ship is back! Just booked a back to back next year around Thanksgiving. I just love the Fantasy!

[NOSaints1]

So if the Fantasy got Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana will the rest of the Fantasy class get it?

[Mayertwins1]

The Dry Dock is scheduled in February 2016 and the Fantasy will be in Miami. Do you think the 2.0 upgrades will be in the Miami Cruises before it goes to Moblie?

[Pkbryant]

What's so special about Mobile? Is there anything to do there

 

Mobile is a beautiful historic city with a great deal to see and do. Just a few attractions within a 5 mile radius of the terminal are Fort Conde, the brand new GulfQuest Maritime Museum (http://www.gulfquest.org), the USS Alabama (http://www.ussalabama.com), IMAX/Gulf Coast Exploreum, Mobile Carnival Museum (http://www.mobilecarnivalmuseum.com), and numerous historic museums are located downtown Mobile, plus much much more.

[otis30223]

The upgrades where officially announced on Carnival's website and confirmed by Mr Heald so I'm pretty sure they will get done. I will personally find out as I'm booked to go out of Mobile the week after Thanksgiving next year. This will be my second time on the Fantasy and the second time out of Mobile, looking forward to having a great time!

[Drelkor]

Personally, I'm ecstatic to see a ship return to Mobile. From where I live, it's not that much further to New Orleans but it is closer to Mobile and I'd like to see the city/state benefit from the increase in revenue. I sailed the Elation out of Mobile in 2010 and had a great time. Sailed the Elation again out of New Orleans earlier this month and still had a fabulous time. I'm not sure why people knock the Fantasy class ships so much because I've been on the bigger ships on CCL and RCCL and I always prefer the Fantasy size ships for one main reason and that is crowd size. They simply feel less crowded. While the other ships are bigger, they also have way more people jammed into the common areas and the lines are always longer for everything. I do appreciate some of the newer features on the bigger ships but there's nothing on any of the bigger ships that would be something I cannot sail without. Also, the announcement of Fun Ship 2.0 additions coming to the Fantasy is great news because now it will have some of the amenities that I do like on bigger ships without having to fight that bigger crowd. Also, I see people rag on the age of the ship all the time but as long as the ship is well maintained and they refurbish them every so many years I could care less. I really don't go around the ship looking for stuff to be wrong or needing everything to look like it's the Ritz-Carlton of cruise ships. All that fancy decor might look nice but it adds to the cost of a cruise and doesn't increase the enjoyment factor for my family in the least. We cruise with Carnival because the entertainment is excellent, the food is generally good, they try to provide convenient ports, we always have lots of fun, and the price is reasonable enough that we can cruise twice on CCL for the same price as two on another line, in general. The entertainment onboard the Elation this past trip was fantastic. It was as good as any we've had on the bigger ships and if the Fantasy class ships help to keep that caliber of entertainment very affordable and close to us, I'll gladly sail them until they do retire them.

[bobsfamily]

Wonderful news for Mobile, The Fantasy has been a great ship to go out of from Charleston, will miss her. BUT we get the Ecstasy (we are on her first cruise out of Charleston) and are looking forward to her.

 

The crew on the Fantasy made her special, hope she does the same for you in Mobile!

[Tapi]

I'm not sure why people knock the Fantasy class ships so much.

 

They simply feel less crowded. While the other ships are bigger, they also have way more people jammed into the common areas and the lines are always longer for everything.

 

 

Ok, I'll bite: [emoji4]

 

Personally, I don't think that they "feel less crowded". On the contrary, my experience is that they feel much MORE crowded than ships 2 or even 3 times its size (and I've done everything from 16,000 tons to 225,000 tons). Fantasy class has one of the worst space to passenger ratios in the cruise industry and in my opinion, it shows.

 

Yes, they carry less passengers, but in a considerably smaller, more enclosed ship. The ship design limits outdoor space with most open areas on the upper decks, which makes these ships feel more claustrophobic. Think of where the closest outdoor space is from your stateroom in the Riviera deck. And the lack of balconies in the original design exacerbated the problem even more.

 

I feel that a lot of people have developed a special liking for these ships, either because they've sailed on them frequently, or because they are their local ships, which may have clouded their perception on how crowded these ships really are.

 

Also, I see people rag on the age of the ship all the time but as long as the ship is well maintained and they refurbish them every so many years I could care less. I really don't go around the ship looking for stuff to be wrong or needing everything to look like it's the Ritz-Carlton of cruise ships. All that fancy decor might look nice but it adds to the cost of a cruise and doesn't increase the enjoyment factor for my family in the least.

 

While I don't need or expect these ships to look like "a Ritz Carlton", I don't pretend that the 90's tacky old Vegas decor isn't noticeable. I tolerate how they look but I don't like them. Yes, I know that a lot of people claim that the decor doesn't bother them and doesn't take away from their enjoyment, but it does bother me. When I go on vacation, I want ALL of my senses to enjoy, including my vision. So I would prefer to see decor that's pleasing to the eyes because nice surroundings add considerably to our enjoyment of our vacation.

 

And I know that I'm not alone in that assertion when cruise lines (and the travel industry in general) spend millions of dollars to modernize and decorate their properties. I don't expect Carnival to spend money on multi million dollar art collections or on fine and elegant furnishings, but a simple update to these aging ships' decor would make them much more pleasing and welcoming for a lot of people. But as long as there are people that are willing to overlook this aspect of their vacation in order to save a buck, there will be establishments that will deliver a subpar experience.

 

We cruise with Carnival because the entertainment is excellent, the food is generally good, they try to provide convenient ports, we always have lots of fun, and the price is reasonable.

 

I do support these Fantasy class ships out of smaller cities simply because they feed the local economy, they are cheap, and they are convenient. And these are the main reasons why I WILL choose to sail on the Fantasy when it comes to Mobile. But I will not pretend that I'm doing so because the ship is so nice, or because the entertainment is wonderful, or because the itinerary is so unique. I can support these ships without "fantasizing" (no pun intended) that they are something that they are not.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Tapi

[bobsfamily]

Ok, I'll bite: [emoji4]

 

Personally, I don't think that they "feel less crowded". On the contrary, my experience is that they feel much MORE crowded than ships 2 or even 3 times its size (and I've done everything from 16,000 tons to 225,000 tons). Fantasy class has one of the worst space to passenger ratios in the cruise industry and in my opinion, it shows.

 

I do support these Fantasy class ships out of smaller cities simply because they feed the local economy, they are cheap, and they are convenient. And these are the main reasons why I WILL choose to sail on the Fantasy when it comes to Mobile. But I will not pretend that I'm doing so because the ship is so nice, or because the entertainment is wonderful, or because the itinerary is so unique. I can support these ships without "fantasizing" (no pun intended) that they are something that they are not.

Yes we know your views on "smaller" ships...

You voice them every time you get a chance. Thanks for the input.

Fantasy class ships with the Fantasy being the first of the class are wonderful ships and have a huge following that LIKE them for their size. They are a HUGE ship compared to lots of other ships. I have seen first time cruisers lost into the 3rd day on them.

 

Enjoy them for what they are, I find them less crowded, even full.

Edited September 28, 2015 by bobsfamily

[Tapi]

Yes we know your views on "smaller" ships...

 

You voice them every time you get a chance. Thanks for the input.

 

 

I always wonder if people actually read what I write here. It's good to know that someone does![emoji6]

 

Enjoy them for what they are.

 

I think that you nailed it right on the head. The key to having a great time on these ships is exactly what you said. Enjoy them for what they are (and go with realistic expectations).

Edited September 28, 2015 by Tapi

[bobsfamily]

I think that you nailed it right on the head. The key to having a great time on these ships is exactly what you said. Enjoy them for what they are (and go with realistic expectations).

Wow, you really, really, really can't stop can you? The Fantasy is a WONDERFUL SHIP!

[kybluecruiser]

Wow, you really, really, really can't stop can you? The Fantasy is a WONDERFUL SHIP!

 

 

Of course not the same without Risa lol

[Wilgr]

I love the Fantasy and hate to see her leave Charleston, I have done 11 cruises on her, a couple 7 days, a couple 4 days and the rest 5 days. I love the casino, the crew and the kitchen has the best product of the fleet IMHO.

 

Mobile better treat her good because she will always have a home to come back to in Charleston.

Edited September 29, 2015 by Wilgr

[marshhawk]

While this is an old thread, and it was getting a bit nit picky and testy, I read through because I did book a cruise on the Fantasy out of Mobile, and then I added on another 5 days to it, to do my first back to back cruise.

 

A cruise is what you make of it, and where ever you go, there you are.

 

I wanted to verify information regarding the 2.0 upgrades-whether or not there will be a Guys Burgers (a friend from work who cruised over Christmas said that once he found guys on his last cruise, he ate no where else.) I do not have access to John Heald, or any other social network site while at work, and since I usually work 10 hour days, six days a week, I rarely go on any site other than here. So there you have it, CC is my news.

 

I am glad that Carnival and Mobile have worked out a deal, originally when it was posted there was mention of Panama Canal cruises, but really was never sure from where. Maybe they are starting with 4 and 5, and if the market is there, they will start doing canal cruises.

 

The port of Savannah will be deeper to accommodate the larger ships coming through the canal. Every one loves Savannah I have been told, perhaps, cruise ships will begin to use this port too. And keeping those older smaller (LOL) ships working, staff working, and ports working, makes me think, that while we speculate, Cruise lines are looking towards a future market.