Is Carnival ever going to change up itineraries?

[Illbcruzn4life]

56 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

Our excursion on our first trip to St. Lucia was great, too.  We had a private tour of the island by a great guide,  who chased away anyone we didn't want to talk to.  We also did a fun scuba excursion on a return trip.  But after that, we had literally done everything there is to do in St. Lucia except walk around town (and hence my trip and fall).

We were just there in St Lucia in the last few months. My wife and I walked all over the place in St Lucia totally over 12000 steps walked. Went through the fort, and over the floating bridge and through some open market they had and nobody bothered us all day.

 

I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience and glad your injuries weren't worse, Needing stitches is bad enough.😒

[Aoumd]

A few thoughts...

 

1. The concentration of Caribbean port calls around Grand Turk and Amber Cove probably reflect Carnival's stake in the properties the ships call at on each island; they get to keep more of the land revenue (like at Half Moon Cay) but there's a local population they don't have to pay to get to the island. 
2. Conversely I'm amazed at how few Carnival port calls St. Maarten, Martinique, Barbados, etc. get now.  A lot of places that were staples back in the day with weekly port calls year-round.
3. I'm curious if this is a post-COVID sign of the times with the itineraries in Carnival's current booking window reflecting decisions made a year ago that emphasized drive-to-homeport cruises, and thus call at the ports that can be easily reached in 7 days from mainland homeports versus the Southern Caribbean ports that used to be reached by ships homeported in San Juan.
4. If Carnival CORPORATION's focus is to have Carnival CRUISE LINES be the "entry-level" brand, and then have people go on to HAL, Princess, Cunard, etc. when they want more robust port itineraries, then it would behoove them to merge VIFP and the other lines' programs into a single loyalty program across the corporation.

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Aoumd

[BlerkOne]

21 hours ago, Riles34 said:

I have been cruising with Carnival for many years and we used to hit up some beautiful islands that they don't sail to anymore (VG, Tortola, St Vincent etc.). Now every time I look for a cruise its the same itineraries, eastern and western, same ports, different ship or departure port, and multiple Carnival ships together at these ports. Of course I don't mind going to the same destinations here and there but why the drastic change? They have one sailing listed for St Lucia over the next two years and its a 14 day from Baltimore. Is it due to fueling at these ports? Does anyone else feel they are forcing some of us to look at other cruise lines? MSC has many options for unique destinations at a reasonable price. I really enjoy Carnival and have zero complaints minus the Itineraries!

Carnival used to sail smaller ships. Jumbo of the seas type ships can't touch smaller ports, and more exclusive ports want the big spenders anyway 

[Riles34]

40 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Carnival used to sail smaller ships. Jumbo of the seas type ships can't touch smaller ports, and more exclusive ports want the big spenders anyway 

I don't buy that. I see a lot of other lines using large ships at "small" ports. This itinerary is the MSC Seaside which is bigger than the Vista class! They just need to mix up some ports!!

 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, Riles34 said:

I don't buy that. I see a lot of other lines using large ships at "small" ports. This itinerary is the MSC Seaside which is bigger than the Vista class! They just need to mix up some ports!!

 

I don't see vg, Tortola, ..., MSC is a niche player.

[jsglow]

9 hours ago, Aoumd said:

 

1. If Carnival CORPORATION's focus is to have Carnival CRUISE LINES be the "entry-level" brand, and then have people go on to HAL, Princess, Cunard, etc. when they want more robust port itineraries, then it would behoove them to merge VIFP and the other lines' programs into a single loyalty program across the corporation.

 

Word.

Edited November 13, 2022 by jsglow

[tidecat]

2 hours ago, Riles34 said:

I don't buy that. I see a lot of other lines using large ships at "small" ports. This itinerary is the MSC Seaside which is bigger than the Vista class! They just need to mix up some ports!!

 

It's a lot easier to cruise the Southern Caribbean when you start in the Southern Caribbean.

 

I don't think we'll ever see anything comparable from Carnival unless if they can reach a new agreement with San Juan to homeport a ship there. There is a substantial difference in airfare between Barbados (which was a secondary embarkation port on Fascination sailings) or Martinique compared to San Juan.

[Badfinger]

Good grief.  It is all about the bottom line.  If the same ports produce sold out cruises, the the itineraries are cost efficient, why change?

 

Perhaps time to explore non-cruise vacation options.

[Itried4498]

Carnival is not an “entry level” cruise line.  It’s value focused, which inherently is going to attract a lot of first time cruisers, but it’s not focusing on first-time cruisers.

 

It’s itineraries are most likely selected for a combination of mass appeal and cost (many costs - the cost to dock, the cost of fuel, the coat supplies, the cost of labor to some some R&M, the costs passengers will face when on share, the ability to generate fees from tours and activities, etc).  Eg Some people may grow tired of Cozumel, but it has huge appeal and is a good value for both Carnival and its passengers.

[MichiganFisherman]

It is up to the individual cruiser to seek out more exotic itineraries and that isn't going to be on Carnival. 

[shof515]

I love the new Carnival Venezia itineraries out of NYC, lots of amazing 10-12 day cruises..wow o wow

[Anyislandwilldo]

Back in the day we were able to visit Tortola, Antigua, Dominica, Martinique, Grenada and Tobago on a journeys cruise or out of San Juan.  Those are some lovely islands to visit.  I would love to go back to Tortola.  I think that is one of my favorites.

[shof515]

17 minutes ago, Anyislandwilldo said:

Back in the day we were able to visit Tortola, Antigua, Dominica, Martinique, Grenada and Tobago on a journeys cruise or out of San Juan.  Those are some lovely islands to visit.  I would love to go back to Tortola.  I think that is one of my favorites.

in 2019 carnival did a cruise out of NYC that went to San Juan, Tortola, St Maarten and St Thomas. it would be nice to get a similar itinerary like that again just like the new ones 

[crewsweeper]

On 11/12/2022 at 10:21 AM, skrufy said:

The Caribbean used to be our place to sail, now it's way down on our list. Love St. Thomas and San Juan will sail there again in the future ( if Carnival ever goes back to San Juan ).A

Carnival IS going to San Juan.  

[JT1962]

36 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

Carnival IS going to San Juan.  

But not as a home port, at least currently.

[MistyRo76]

Maybe Carnival could mix in some Journey's type sailings that are shorter than 10-14 days. Many of us can't be gone for that long at this point in our lives (kids, work, etc.). Maybe have a smattering of 6-7 day voyages that hit some of the lesser sailed to ports. This would I think satisfy a big need! 

[staceyglow]

1 hour ago, MistyRo76 said:

Maybe Carnival could mix in some Journey's type sailings that are shorter than 10-14 days. Many of us can't be gone for that long at this point in our lives (kids, work, etc.). Maybe have a smattering of 6-7 day voyages that hit some of the lesser sailed to ports. This would I think satisfy a big need! 

The problem is that the ships can't reach a lot of other destinations from where they currently sail domestically.  Sure, there are a few places such as Tortola, but I would not be surprised if many of those limit the number of cruise ships for environmental or other reasons.

[crewsweeper]

15 hours ago, Badfinger said:

Good grief.  It is all about the bottom line.  If the same ports produce sold out cruises, the the itineraries are cost efficient, why change?

 

 

Don't disagree.  Just look at the alternate week sailings for the Mardi Gras because it costs so much for fuel to even go to San Juan.  Easy enough to hop on a plane and fly to various islands not visited by ships, if your ideal vacation is to see new places.  As for going on the same itineraries time and time again, remember millions of American families travel to the same vacation destination year after year.  And enjoy the heck out of it.

[Island Dog]

Until Carnival's financial situation substantially improves I see more closer ports in the immediate future than further and more exotic ports. There are still a few regular itineraries with some less beaten paths like Bonaire. But if you don't want your cruise go to the same old same old, you need to look to other lines for the foreseeable future. I prefer to sail to Carribean destinations, as land based options are exponentially more expensive. I get bored after a few days on any of these small islands as well. Also, while many do it, I could never go back to the same place year after year. Life is too short to get stuck in a rut with where you travel, IMHO. It's a big beautiful world out there and I'd like to experience as many of the places I want to see before the big dirt nap.

[broberts]

It's a volume business. As long as ships sail full Carnival will continue to reap the benefits of higher volume contracts in fewer ports.

[Pyxie]

This isn't just a Carnival thing. Try researching Disney itineraries. Granted, they only have a few ships but the number of itineraries to Castaway Cay and Nassau (at much higher prices than Carnival) is insane. Sometimes you can throw Cozumel in there too. 

[vwrestler171]

8 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

Maybe Carnival could mix in some Journey's type sailings that are shorter than 10-14 days. Many of us can't be gone for that long at this point in our lives (kids, work, etc.). Maybe have a smattering of 6-7 day voyages that hit some of the lesser sailed to ports. This would I think satisfy a big need! 

The issue is that the ports that people want, simply can't be done in the time frame.  Yes, they may be able to get 1-2 ports, but many people want more ports days and less sea days.  

[Anyislandwilldo]

On 11/14/2022 at 9:02 AM, shof515 said:

in 2019 carnival did a cruise out of NYC that went to San Juan, Tortola, St Maarten and St Thomas. it would be nice to get a similar itinerary like that again just like the new ones 

I would definitely book that itinerary again.  I think the Eastern Caribbean islands are the prettiest.  

[abby1257]

On 11/12/2022 at 9:33 AM, Riles34 said:

I have been cruising with Carnival for many years and we used to hit up some beautiful islands that they don't sail to anymore (VG, Tortola, St Vincent etc.). Now every time I look for a cruise its the same itineraries, eastern and western, same ports, different ship or departure port, and multiple Carnival ships together at these ports. Of course I don't mind going to the same destinations here and there but why the drastic change? They have one sailing listed for St Lucia over the next two years and its a 14 day from Baltimore. Is it due to fueling at these ports? Does anyone else feel they are forcing some of us to look at other cruise lines? MSC has many options for unique destinations at a reasonable price. I really enjoy Carnival and have zero complaints minus the Itineraries!

I'm still waiting for Antigua to come up again.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 11/12/2022 at 1:32 PM, Theosprey247 said:

During the summer months, MSC goes to the same boring ports as the big 3 (Nassau, Cozumel, Jamaica) Nothing exotic, nothing new. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t cruised with them. 

MSC is just now expanding in North America besides just the few ships they had on this side of the pond.  They want to increase their market share compared to the big three.  MSC does have a good price point with their included easy plus drink package.  Check out their Black Friday pricing which is in effect till 11/25.