Costa By Carnival. Adults-Only Brand?

[CruisingWalter]

16 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Then there is the matter of what an "adult cruise" would look like. Based on the current options, I would think it a disaster for any of the current products to try and emulate Virgin cruises. Not everyone appreciates blaring techno, overt sexual innuendo, PDA's and the overall youth orientated hipster vibe.  

 

I would not be looking for Carnival to emulate anyone other than themselves. Why would we expect a 'different' Carnival experience just because the sailing is adults-only? That's the entire reason we would be sailing, to get the Carnival experience, just without the kids. The only big difference is any entertainment that's adult only, such as the comedy shows, could run at any hour vs. waiting till 11pm or so. They could also have more fun with the trivia contests and things like that. 

 

Nobody is asking for, nor wants, Carnival to 'be like Virgin.' Just be who they are, but give us a chance to have an entire ship to ourselves so we can actually enjoy the aft pools. 🙂 

[CruisingWalter]

19 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

I basically lump all bloggers, vloggers, and similar into the National Inquirer category. They derive income from their "product" and try to out scoop/sensationalize/whatever the competition.

 

They are not prophets.

 

First you say, "I would not expect crew members to be robots" when I suggested crew members are expected to work multiple roles.

 

Now you're suggesting those same crew members are lying in their vlogs when they take us inside their workplaces and describe what they do. 

 

So which is it?  I honestly can't keep up with your logic other than the fact that you hate the idea Carnival offering adults-only cruising so no matter what anyone says to the affirmative in this thread, you're going to throw shade on the information because "I don't trust anyone who doesn't share my own opinion."   

[CruisingWalter]

19 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

I also think they would apply for specifically for that. They may be part of the entertainment staff, but they aren't going to get up onstage and sing and dance for adults.

 

Why would they get up on stage to sing and dance for adults? Although I have heard and watched some AMAZING crew members on multiple ships take turns singing in the restaurants and smaller venues that blow the house down. There is so much talent on these ships it's ridiculous.

 

What those child activities folks CAN do is run trivia games, host events like ice carving, dance classes, sports competitions, herd and escort guests to/from shore excursions and more things like that all over the ship that naturally fit with what they were hired primarily to do. 

 

I'm really enjoying how you jump immediately to something that was never implied to show just 'how ridiculous this sounds.'

"Oh my gosh, you really expect a child activities person to put on a costume and start dancing?!? HOW DARE YOU!" 

"You really expect a dinner server to work in a Casino?!?" HOW DARE YOU!" 🤣

[pc_load_letter]

2 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Ships have to run about 35% capacity to break even. Virgin has had more success out of the gate in Europe than in the US, but the US market is slowly starting to catch up. It's looking like we'll have around 1500+ on our sailing in a few weeks for a ship that maxes out at 2770.

 

We're also noticing in the Virgin Cruise Critic and some private Facebook groups that some folks are already taking their 2nd, 3rd and 4th cruises on Scarlet. Folks who are squarely NOT in the original targeted demographic, but more like us. 50+ seasoned cruisers. And they're singing the praises of the experience. As we all know, that's what it takes much more than any advertising to get folks to try a new cruise line. Word of mouth. I have no idea if we'll like it, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what it's all about.

 

That being said, I would be all over an adults-only experience on Carnival, especially a Vista class or the new Xcel class. 

 

Sure, any new cruise line will have that new car smell. Lets see if they're still at 1500 out of a possible 2800 in a year or two. From what I've read, they are already heavily discounting their cruises. The other lines are running at 100% (and charging full price) so they will be fine. And yes, there are lots of people who love what VV offers. There are also who tried it and will never come back.

 

[CruisingWalter]

2 hours ago, pc_load_letter said:

The other lines are running at 100% (and charging full price) so they will be fine. And yes, there are lots of people who love what VV offers. There are also who tried it and will never come back.

 

 

Nobody has been charging full price since the restart of sailing. Carnival currently offering 40% and the recent Florida discounted pricing was absolutely insane. $350 for two people to sail the Mardi Gras for 7 days. That was the total price for two people with that ridiculous amount of included food options.

 

Add to the steep discounts, the other cruise lines have long established loyal fans so it's pretty easy to sail 75-100% full. We'll know by summer 2023 where Virgin Voyages stands in terms of their future. 

 

[pc_load_letter]

30 minutes ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Nobody has been charging full price since the restart of sailing. Carnival currently offering 40% and the recent Florida discounted pricing was absolutely insane. $350 for two people to sail the Mardi Gras for 7 days. That was the total price for two people with that ridiculous amount of included food options.

 

Add to the steep discounts, the other cruise lines have long established loyal fans so it's pretty easy to sail 75-100% full. We'll know by summer 2023 where Virgin Voyages stands in terms of their future. 

 

 

 

Well, I will agree and disagree at the same time. We booked Radiance two months ago, Carnival sent us an upgrade which we took. Price was great. So yes, there are deals. (and who really knows what full price even is nowadays. There is cheap and there is expensive)

 

But, when we went back to rebook the original cabin, it was over a $1000 for a four night cruise.

 

So yes, you can get deals if you buy early (as I would say a lot of cruise critic folks do), but ships are running at full capacity again and closer to sail dates are seeing higher and higher prices.

Edited June 28, 2022 by pc_load_letter

[BlerkOne]

5 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

First you say, "I would not expect crew members to be robots" when I suggested crew members are expected to work multiple roles.

I wouldn't and still wouldn't. I really have no comment on what you suggested or not.

 

5 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Now you're suggesting those same crew members are lying in their vlogs when they take us inside their workplaces and describe what they do. 

 

I never said anything about crew members lying. I suggested that people who derive income from tabloid journalism might try to one up each other.

 

5 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

So which is it?  I honestly can't keep up with your logic other than the fact that you hate the idea Carnival offering adults-only cruising so no matter what anyone says to the affirmative in this thread, you're going to throw shade on the information because "I don't trust anyone who doesn't share my own opinion."   

Because you don't like my opinion, is no reason to attack me or make false statements.

[BlerkOne]

50 minutes ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Nobody has been charging full price since the restart of sailing. Carnival currently offering 40% and the recent Florida discounted pricing was absolutely insane. $350 for two people to sail the Mardi Gras for 7 days. That was the total price for two people with that ridiculous amount of included food options.

 

I don't see that price. Is is available to everyone? What sail date?

[ninjacat123]

13 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

I don't see that price. Is is available to everyone? What sail date?

The best I see for that sale is $524 per person for MG.

[staceyglow]

I can't think of many ways that kids have negatively impacted cruises I have taken.  I go up to Serenity when I want to spend time on deck, the overwhelming majority of children I have encountered in the MDR (where I eat whenever I had the opportunity) have been reasonably well-behaved. They aren't in or around the bars.  I don't see them much in the comedy clubs or the theater show.

 

What is actually gained by having an all-adult Carnival ship?  Not much, IMO.

 

 

[Charles4515]

2 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

I can't think of many ways that kids have negatively impacted cruises I have taken.  I go up to Serenity when I want to spend time on deck, the overwhelming majority of children I have encountered in the MDR (where I eat whenever I had the opportunity) have been reasonably well-behaved. They aren't in or around the bars.  I don't see them much in the comedy clubs or the theater show.

 

What is actually gained by having an all-adult Carnival ship?  Not much, IMO.

 

 

I have been on several sailings where kids acted badly. On one Carnival with a lot of kids who had the run of the ship they heckled an entertainer who was singing in a style not to their taste. Usually the acting badly is on summer sailings with a lot of kids. Had them running down the hall knocking on doors, also pulling off the room service requests. My pet peeve is the hot tub. Little kids will take them over and I have been in a hot tub with no kids and ten minutes later five littles jump in and splash around. They certainly are in bars, the parents bring them and on one NCL cruise a toddler was wailing so much we moved on. On another NCL sailing a toddler was running around in a specialty restaurant. I have been on over 60 cruises so I have seen everything. Yes, even in the comedy club and the comedian warned them he was going to be doing adult humor and they stayed anyway then they stormed out. That said the only thing I do to avoid children on cruises is to avoid holiday sailings. I don't expect a mass market line like Carnival or Royal Caribbean to be child free and I don't mind the children when they are not in numbers that overwhelm the ship. 

[staceyglow]

2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I have been on several sailings where kids acted badly. On one Carnival with a lot of kids who had the run of the ship they heckled an entertainer who was singing in a style not to their taste. Usually the acting badly is on summer sailings with a lot of kids. Had them running down the hall knocking on doors, also pulling off the room service requests. My pet peeve is the hot tub. Little kids will take them over and I have been in a hot tub with no kids and ten minutes later five littles jump in and splash around. They certainly are in bars, the parents bring them and on one NCL cruise a toddler was wailing so much we moved on. On another NCL sailing a toddler was running around in a specialty restaurant. I have been on over 60 cruises so I have seen everything. Yes, even in the comedy club and the comedian warned them he was going to be doing adult humor and they stayed anyway then they stormed out. That said the only thing I do to avoid children on cruises is to avoid holiday sailings. I don't expect a mass market line like Carnival or Royal Caribbean to be child free and I don't mind the children when they are not in numbers that overwhelm the ship. 

I am sure it happens, but in my experience (and I am platinum), I see far more misbehaving adults than children.

[Charles4515]

12 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

I am sure it happens, but in my experience (and I am platinum), I see far more misbehaving adults than children.

Children will be children and I don't expect them to act like adults.  I can understand why some want an adult only cruise or cruises with few children. Adults are expected to act like adults. I have seen a few misbehving adults but not many. 

[Itried4498]

2 hours ago, pc_load_letter said:

 

Well, I will agree and disagree at the same time. We booked Radiance two months ago, Carnival sent us an upgrade which we took. Price was great. So yes, there are deals. (and who really knows what full price even is nowadays. There is cheap and there is expensive)

 

But, when we went back to rebook the original cabin, it was over a $1000 for a four night cruise.

 

So yes, you can get deals if you buy early (as I would say a lot of cruise critic folks do), but ships are running at full capacity again and closer to sail dates are seeing higher and higher prices.

 

Historically, the lion's share of cruise bookings come during "wave season" (traditionally mid-January into mid-March) -- this is when cruise lines offer their best deals.  A summer 2013 CNN article notes that Carnival's cruise fares were at record lows, as the cruise line saw mass cancellations in the aftermath of the poop cruise, and summer was already traditionally a very slow booking period.  I can't find anything more recent, but I doubt those trends have shifted much.

 

Into mid-April, Carnival had perpetual sales (some targeted, some open to the public) featuring historically low cruise prices.  This included travel for peak summer and Christmas/New Year's.  Unquestionably, this contributed to their 'best booking period ever' and boosted occupancy enough that the industry's fares could stabilize.  

 

But while summer may be stable, the industry keeps pushing cheap fares for fall.  I keep getting offers on the Radiance/Miracle (inside) for $30 - $80pp, for pretty much every itinerary from post-Labor Day to Thanksgiving.  Last week, the Panorama was priced at $90 - $120pp on several sailings during the same period.  It's not just Carnival -- Princess has several voyages to Hawaii from LA/SD for sub-$1000pp.  The website that's most known for tracking cruise prices notes that we're still seeing historically low fares regularly for fall travel.

 

Pricing soars come 2023, as the industry is hoping for a turnaround, but don't be shocked if/when the sales are extended into 2023.  But to point at a snapshot of pricing and insist things have returned to normal is simply basing an opinion off a fallacy.

[pc_load_letter]

28 minutes ago, Itried4498 said:

 

Historically, the lion's share of cruise bookings come during "wave season" (traditionally mid-January into mid-March) -- this is when cruise lines offer their best deals.  A summer 2013 CNN article notes that Carnival's cruise fares were at record lows, as the cruise line saw mass cancellations in the aftermath of the poop cruise, and summer was already traditionally a very slow booking period.  I can't find anything more recent, but I doubt those trends have shifted much.

 

Into mid-April, Carnival had perpetual sales (some targeted, some open to the public) featuring historically low cruise prices.  This included travel for peak summer and Christmas/New Year's.  Unquestionably, this contributed to their 'best booking period ever' and boosted occupancy enough that the industry's fares could stabilize.  

 

But while summer may be stable, the industry keeps pushing cheap fares for fall.  I keep getting offers on the Radiance/Miracle (inside) for $30 - $80pp, for pretty much every itinerary from post-Labor Day to Thanksgiving.  Last week, the Panorama was priced at $90 - $120pp on several sailings during the same period.  It's not just Carnival -- Princess has several voyages to Hawaii from LA/SD for sub-$1000pp.  The website that's most known for tracking cruise prices notes that we're still seeing historically low fares regularly for fall travel.

 

Pricing soars come 2023, as the industry is hoping for a turnaround, but don't be shocked if/when the sales are extended into 2023.  But to point at a snapshot of pricing and insist things have returned to normal is simply basing an opinion off a fallacy.

 

Sorry, not really following your post. You cite an article from 2013 that indicated low fares as a result of the poop cruise and say that it's still applicable? I would simply say that everything is more expensive since 2013, not just cruises.

 

And then you go on to make a statement on prices, yet invalidate your own argument. You say cheap fares are all around us. Yes, if you book far enough out being the asterisk. Otherwise, the price increases, as we would expect on an almost full cruise on any itinerary.

 

But then you say 2023 will have higher fares. I am sure fares will continue to go up and up.

 

And I will reiterate, no one really knows what "full price" for a cruise is any longer. You can look at snapshots of time and compare but the cruise lines are not like car companies where you have a consistent sticker price one month to the next. We watch some NCL cruises and you'd think Stevie Wonder was setting the price. We can see a higher than normal price but NCL plays games with their free drink package, free wifi, free specialty dining. Someone said it eloquently in aother post, they want you on the ship and spending money. 

 

The point I was making is that if VV is "killing it" in Europe and people are returning time and again for US departures, why sell low fares if your product is valued? Why, if the VV brand is low supply (two ships), and there is great demand, which the poster said, not me, why the need to sell discounted fares. My contention is that VV is NOT killing it to the extent he made it out to be.

[Itried4498]

26 minutes ago, pc_load_letter said:

 

Sorry, not really following your post. You cite an article from 2013 that indicated low fares as a result of the poop cruise and say that it's still applicable? I would simply say that everything is more expensive since 2013, not just cruises.

 

 

I'm assuming you rushed / skimmed my posting, because your response isn't even close to the points I was making.

[cruisingguy007]

10 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

I don't see that price. Is is available to everyone? What sail date?

 

This! I just looked for a last min cruise as availability opened up for me but the prices are not super discounted at all. In fact, the only deals are well after summer break ends for most areas, mine included. They are well over 50% more right now for last min bookings. Was hoping to jump on Radiance as a second choice but all the available times are at a premium. Panorama has zero availability for this entire time. We certainly aren't seeing those prices out west. Ships are booked up! Only deal is Princess 10-days to Alaska but too long of a commitment. Carnival booked solid through summer.    

[CruizinSusan70]

10 hours ago, staceyglow said:

I am sure it happens, but in my experience (and I am platinum), I see far more misbehaving adults than children.

Having sailed on Carnival over 20 times and over 40 times overall, I've seen my share of drunk adults, but far more misbehaved rug rats.  Well behaved children are fine, but there are too many parents that take a vacation from parenting and let their kids do what they want since they're in a contained area.  Besides that lets Mom have another frozen drink of her choice.

[CruisingWalter]

19 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

I don't see that price. Is is available to everyone? What sail date?

 

The $350 for 7 days was posted right after we got back from our Mardi Gras cruise, so that would have been the first or second week in April. I was trying to convince my wife to go right back on the ship it was so cheap. 

 

Currently looks like $400 for two for 6 nights on the Magic is the cheapest out of Port Canaveral with Mardi Gras being $888 for two for 7 nights. Carnival Horizon is about $500 for two out of Miami for 6 nights.

 

We're moving into 'prime time' for families so it makes sense the pricing has gone up. Those super cheap prices were for April sailings I belive.

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by WheresWalter