Tampa?

[Ofmyheart]

Anyone have any update on if and when HAL will/will not return to the port of Tampa. When I was on the Rotterdam in November we were told HAL was leaving Tampa when the Rotterdam left this spring. Anyone know if anything has changed?

[billbunger]

I think HAL would be the contact for this information. How would the people on this board know? HAL has publicly announced they will not be cruising out of Tampa, they will publicly announce when and if they will cruise out of Tampa again.

 

[Tampa Girl]

9 minutes ago, billbunger said:

I think HAL would be the contact for this information. How would the people on this board know? HAL has publicly announced they will not be cruising out of Tampa, they will publicly announce when and if they will cruise out of Tampa again.

 

 

Some people on this board might have gotten early information from someone close to the corporate heads or reports which had been given to some ship's captain and had been leaked to someone on the ship.  This board is full of such reports, and many turn out to be correct, so don't be so dismissive of OP's question.

 

Marsha - It does not appear that there will be any HAL ships in Tampa for the foreseeable future, i.e. until 2021 or later.  We keep hoping, however.  Obviously it is a very convenient port for us.  I'm not giving up.

 

 

 

[deliver42]

It was on the news that HAL is leaving Tampa for the forseable future.

[Ofmyheart]

Missed it on the news and hope they change their minds and come back.

 

For those of us in Tampa we can keep our fingers crossed.

[RedneckBob]

I live in the Tampa area and are very upset with HAL leaving after 25 years. They always had a great 14 day cruise. I have requested from Corporate several times Why? with no reason given.

[Ofmyheart]

The only thing I was told on the Rotterdam was it was because there was no place in Tampa for larger ships and they wanted a dock on the other side of the Skyway. 

BS line if you ask me.

[RedneckBob]

1 hour ago, Ofmyheart said:

The only thing I was told on the Rotterdam was it was because there was no place in Tampa for larger ships and they wanted a dock on the other side of the Skyway. 

BS line if you ask me.

 

Your BS line is being too restrained.

All HAL ships except the two new ones can go under the bridge. The Oosterdam was here two years ago. A dock will be built outside the Skyway some time this century.

Edited May 7, 2019 by RedneckBob
Add word

[Ofmyheart]

I know, why would they build a new terminal when they have 5-6 ships using this correct port as their home port.

 

I was on the O'dam when she came back from Europe to spend the winter here.

 

[rj42]

As with just about everything for HAL/Carnival/airlines lately, it comes down to maximizing revenue and minimizing costs. They probably saw a single ship at a port every 1-2 weeks as something to be cut, so they could consolidate everything at Ft. Lauderdale, especially since it seems the Caribbean is oversaturated with ships and facing drops in demand because of recent bad hurricane seasons. As a West Coaster, I'm at least happy they're sticking with San Diego instead of an industrial harbor in LA. I fear a future of HAL Lido decks covered completely in cabanas and each with an EXC tours touchscreen inside.

[St Pete Cruiser]

Hi Tampa fans. 

I'm aboard Westerdam with Captain Mark Rowden who mastered the Ryndam out of Tampa many times. He agreed it was a good winter season port despite the fog issue.

I would like to see a vista class out of Tampa doing 10 and 14 day cruises with different ports allowing for nice "collectors" cruises. 

[Tampa Girl]

14 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

 

Your BS line is being too restrained.

All HAL ships except the two new ones can go under the bridge. The Oosterdam was here two years ago. A dock will be built outside the Skyway some time this century.

 

Yes, Tampa has had larger ships here for years.  I think that I read that Tampa is building a new terminal, and I suspect that HAL has been competing unsuccessfully with the larger ships for the best spots at the present terminals.  his withdrawal may be a leverage for a better spot when the new terminal is built.  The Tampa paper, in fact, noted that HAL comprises only about 5% of the port's revenue (I think that figure is correct).  Unfortunately, HAL, IMHO, was the top cruiseline sailing from our city.

[catl331]

15 hours ago, Ofmyheart said:

I know, why would they build a new terminal when they have 5-6 ships using this correct port as their home port.

Because (1) of the frequent problems in the bay such as fog and blockages, and (2) the ability to attract the largest ships.  While still being able to attract much traffic to Channelside.

[Tampa Girl]

1 hour ago, catl331 said:

Because (1) of the frequent problems in the bay such as fog and blockages, and (2) the ability to attract the largest ships.  While still being able to attract much traffic to Channelside.

What blockages?  I also cannot see building a terminal on the other side of the Sunshine Sky, which would be almost directly on the Gulf, subject to wind, tide and waves.  The same problem reportedly also makes inside the Skyway a dubious alternative.

 

According to another post herein, citing the former captain of the Ryndam, the fog has not been that much of a problem, although it certainly does exist occasionally.

[Ofmyheart]

Tampa Girl,

 

I agree, what blockages...fog? Fog has not been that much of an issue. Also agree, HAL was the best line in Tampa. Fingers crossed that we will get them back eventually.

 

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I suspect the withdrawal from Tampa is, as others have pointed out, all about yield/revenue.  To put it simply - HAL has decided they can reduce costs and/or increase yields by deploying a ship to another port/sailing region.  As with all large corporations, it's all about profits and they feel they can maximize that by pulling out of Tampa for the foreseeable future.

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

I suspect the withdrawal from Tampa is, as others have pointed out, all about yield/revenue.  To put it simply - HAL has decided they can reduce costs and/or increase yields by deploying a ship to another port/sailing region.  As with all large corporations, it's all about profits and they feel they can maximize that by pulling out of Tampa for the foreseeable future.

Agreed. Given the close proximity of Port Everglades and the ability to offer the same or similar itineraries from there,  maintaining a presence in Tampa does seem to be financially illogical.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Also by reducing their capacity exposure in the Caribbean overall (fewer ships) it theoretically should help boost yields, in the form of higher average cruise fares, which is good for the company but bad for consumers 

[iwantsomesun]

Oh man, as someone who's into stupid expensive flights for every cruise, seeing complaints about a 4 hour drive to Ft Lauderdale is funny. You locals have it great!

[Himself]

Perhaps HAL will come back to Tampa in the future.  I do know HAL once sailed out of New Orleans on 7 day Western Caribbean cruises but that ended after the old Nieuw Amsterdam left for Alaska in the spring of 1997.