n6uqqq Posted July 26 #26 Share Posted July 26 1 hour ago, BlerkOne said: I think cruise ships could last 100 years or more. That should be sufficient. The Queen Mary maiden voyage was in 1936. Hope springs eternal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BlerkOne Posted July 26 #27 Share Posted July 26 6 minutes ago, n6uqqq said: The Queen Mary maiden voyage was in 1936. Hope springs eternal. https://www.cruisingearth.com/info/worlds-oldest-active-cruise-ships/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierpop Posted July 26 #28 Share Posted July 26 The biggest ships I’ve ever been on are Excel class. They don’t come close to feeling too big to me. And it’s hard to sail on a smaller ship now without the extras of the Excel. It’s subjective but I don’t see why anyone would prefer a smaller ship in Carnival’s line. Sailing on ships like Glory, Liberty, etc is just not as fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n6uqqq Posted July 26 #29 Share Posted July 26 1 hour ago, BlerkOne said: https://www.cruisingearth.com/info/worlds-oldest-active-cruise-ships/ They must have a well defined VIFP program 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwrestler171 Posted July 27 #30 Share Posted July 27 35 minutes ago, Hoosierpop said: The biggest ships I’ve ever been on are Excel class. They don’t come close to feeling too big to me. And it’s hard to sail on a smaller ship now without the extras of the Excel. It’s subjective but I don’t see why anyone would prefer a smaller ship in Carnival’s line. Sailing on ships like Glory, Liberty, etc is just not as fun. Because we know how to do things for ourselves and don't need all that junk to entertain us. I don't plan on sail on an Excel class ship again. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierpop Posted July 27 #31 Share Posted July 27 Just now, vwrestler171 said: Because we know how to do things for ourselves and don't need all that junk to entertain us. I don't plan on sail on an Excel class ship again. Yeah, all the dining options, live singers, specialty bars….that junk just gets in the way of having true fun. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare IntrepidFromDC Posted July 27 #32 Share Posted July 27 13 hours ago, longhorn2004 said: Well, this puts this subject to rest. Carnival makes more money on the larger ships. IMO, new cruisers want larger ships. https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-not-planning-on-ordering-smaller-ships/140220 With that stated, things do change. At one time, Carnival said that it would not chase Royal and make a ship as large as Oasis. And we know how that turned out. For some reason reminds me of how Apple swore they would never change the form factor of their bricks. Now they look just like Samsung phones. I think Samsung even makes some of their parts (screen/glass?)... Sorry I know that's way off topic. On topic, I love Excel class ships, they're my favorite for a lot of reasons. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare IntrepidFromDC Posted July 27 #33 Share Posted July 27 4 hours ago, vwrestler171 said: Because we know how to do things for ourselves and don't need all that junk to entertain us. I don't plan on sail on an Excel class ship again. I don't understand that way of thinking. What do you do instead of enjoy live entertainment and upgraded free food, with more variety, more shows, etc. Play spades on Lido? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwrestler171 Posted July 27 #34 Share Posted July 27 (edited) 2 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said: I don't understand that way of thinking. What do you do instead of enjoy live entertainment and upgraded free food, with more variety, more shows, etc. Play spades on Lido? I'm not a fan of the shows. I go to the comedy club and piano bar. If you need them to provide your entertainment, maybe YOU shouldn't be traveling. Upgraded free food? The free options on the Excel class are worse than on the Vista class. Chibang is a joke. Edited July 27 by vwrestler171 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BlerkOne Posted July 27 #35 Share Posted July 27 15 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said: I don't understand that way of thinking. What do you do instead of enjoy live entertainment and upgraded free food, with more variety, more shows, etc. Play spades on Lido? Casino? Listen to the water? For some of the shows you can easily waste an hour of your life trying to get good seats. Who needs that frustration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BlerkOne Posted July 27 #36 Share Posted July 27 One thing I have noticed is most of the itineraries that appeal to us are on Spirit class ships. Europe, Alaska, Panama Canal. All the more reason to avoid the behemoths. For those who consider the ship the destination, terrific. I would have thought that is one of Royal's strengths. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare IntrepidFromDC Posted July 27 #37 Share Posted July 27 (edited) 1 hour ago, vwrestler171 said: Upgraded free food? The free options on the Excel class are worse than on the Vista class. Wrong. Shaq's chicken and shawarma are awesome and just some of the offerings. Don't forget about Seadogs! Chibang is hit-or-miss but offers plenty of options that are better than typical lido or MDR. But the best part of it is there are so many choices! I sample ALL of the entertainment, although casino is where I spend a lot of entertainment time and comedy clubs are second. The atrium shows on Mardi Gras were much better than the theaters shows on Vista class and other ships. The comedy was non-stop. And the bars, the live music! Washboard Band!! I understand if people don't like the bigger ships for a variety of reasons, but to say the "free (food) options on the Excel class are worse than on the Vista class" is just plain wrong. Edited July 27 by IntrepidFromDC 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notscb Posted July 27 #38 Share Posted July 27 (edited) I'm wondering if Heald's comment was more to say that if the corporation continues on its current trend, there would never be a reason to build another spirit class ship with the amount of ships in the CCL fleet that will inevitably be absorbed by Carnival and refurbished for the mainline brand. I get that the vista class is bigger than the spirit class, but it seems like that's on trend. If Carnival continues to absorb Costa and Princess branded ships into their mainline brand, they've got the "smaller" ships covered as they retire some of the truly older ships in the fleet. Edited July 27 by notscb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mz-s Posted July 27 #39 Share Posted July 27 One of my favorite cruise activities from the Olden days is to buy the internet package, sit on Cruise Critic all day and post pictures of my hospital tier food, and complain about the casino rates that I take advantage of. People these days just don’t have any idea about the simple joys in cruising back in the day. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted July 27 #40 Share Posted July 27 4 hours ago, BlerkOne said: One thing I have noticed is most of the itineraries that appeal to us are on Spirit class ships. Europe, Alaska, Panama Canal. All the more reason to avoid the behemoths. For those who consider the ship the destination, terrific. I would have thought that is one of Royal's strengths. Variety is the spice of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted July 27 #41 Share Posted July 27 (edited) 2 hours ago, notscb said: I'm wondering if Heald's comment was more to say that if the corporation continues on its current trend, there would never be a reason to build another spirit class ship with the amount of ships in the CCL fleet that will inevitably be absorbed by Carnival and refurbished for the mainline brand. I get that the vista class is bigger than the spirit class, but it seems like that's on trend. If Carnival continues to absorb Costa and Princess branded ships into their mainline brand, they've got the "smaller" ships covered as they retire some of the truly older ships in the fleet. I think you are reading too much into it. It is as it always has been. They follow the money (like they all do). The economics of a bigger ship are real, significant and sitting in front of them. They simply are doing what the market wants. Edited July 27 by jimbo5544 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidecat Posted July 27 #42 Share Posted July 27 8 hours ago, notscb said: I'm wondering if Heald's comment was more to say that if the corporation continues on its current trend, there would never be a reason to build another spirit class ship with the amount of ships in the CCL fleet that will inevitably be absorbed by Carnival and refurbished for the mainline brand. I get that the vista class is bigger than the spirit class, but it seems like that's on trend. If Carnival continues to absorb Costa and Princess branded ships into their mainline brand, they've got the "smaller" ships covered as they retire some of the truly older ships in the fleet. The Costa transfers happened because Costa had a very large surplus in capacity as China continued to remain closed, coupled with the rapid expansion of Costa's European fleet in the decade prior. Venezia and Firenze were intended to sail in China. Carnival was fortunate enough that North America was able to absorb that capacity. Costa Magica (Sunshine-class equivalent) wound up getting cut entirely. Costa Deliziosa is the only ship left in Costa's fleet capable of running a world cruise. The Princess transfers to P&O Australia had always been planned, as P&O Australia never got new ships. Their transfer to Carnival is more about taking out the shoreside costs from maintaining two separate brands in the region. Australia was slow to reopen and New Zealand is making the cruise industry's life more difficult right now, so this is leading them to cut Pacific Explorer. AIDA has announced it will be refurbishing their older ships. I would not expect any more transfers in to Carnival's fleet beyond what has been scheduled. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare IntrepidFromDC Posted July 27 #43 Share Posted July 27 8 hours ago, mz-s said: One of my favorite cruise activities from the Olden days is to buy the internet package, sit on Cruise Critic all day and post pictures of my hospital tier food, and complain about the casino rates that I take advantage of. People these days just don’t have any idea about the simple joys in cruising back in the day. That's so funny! I am imagining that muppet saying what you wrote in a dry, sarcastic muppet voice and I'm really LOLing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennythenose Posted July 27 #44 Share Posted July 27 11 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said: I don't understand that way of thinking. What do you do instead of enjoy live entertainment and upgraded free food, with more variety, more shows, etc. Play spades on Lido? Our favorite class is Spirit class. We are 50s-60s age range just for info. In fairness we have only sailed a Vista class once and enjoyed it and never an Excel (yet) but would like to once just to experience it. Our cruising style is very lazy. We go not go to specialty restaurants unless traveling with others that want to. Have never been to a comedy show or piano bar. We do go to a couple of shows and enjoy the other live music in the evenings. And only spend about an hour or two in the casino. Not what others want to do and I get that. If the ship has all the bells and whistles I do enjoy seeing them. But my main reason to hope they continue to have some smaller ships is itinerary. So many really interesting places cannot or will not allow the large ships. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare IntrepidFromDC Posted July 27 #45 Share Posted July 27 3 minutes ago, lennythenose said: So many really interesting places cannot or will not allow the large ships. Great point. In fact my favorite city in the world, Venezia, is one of them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennythenose Posted July 27 #46 Share Posted July 27 5 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said: Great point. In fact my favorite city in the world, Venezia, is one of them. Just one of the many on my bucket list! I’m beginning to work on that list though. In the next 12 months I will go to Paris, Rome, Athens, Naples, Crete, Istanbul and Mykonos all for the first time either land or cruise. A good start but do many more places to go. And I hope to at least combine a cruise with most of them😄. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted July 27 #47 Share Posted July 27 3 minutes ago, lennythenose said: Just one of the many on my bucket list! I’m beginning to work on that list though. In the next 12 months I will go to Paris, Rome, Athens, Naples, Crete, Istanbul and Mykonos all for the first time either land or cruise. A good start but do many more places to go. And I hope to at least combine a cruise with most of them😄. Lot of clamping down on cruise stops in Europe, especially Venice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BlerkOne Posted July 27 #48 Share Posted July 27 8 hours ago, mz-s said: One of my favorite cruise activities from the Olden days is to buy the internet package, sit on Cruise Critic all day and post pictures of my hospital tier food, and complain about the casino rates that I take advantage of. People these days just don’t have any idea about the simple joys in cruising back in the day. Carnival's got you covered! They say a picture is worth a 1000 words! Ah - the simple joy of cruising. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMAE Posted July 27 #49 Share Posted July 27 12 hours ago, BlerkOne said: One thing I have noticed is most of the itineraries that appeal to us are on Spirit class ships. Europe, Alaska, Panama Canal. All the more reason to avoid the behemoths. For those who consider the ship the destination, terrific. I would have thought that is one of Royal's strengths. I agree. Love the Spirit class! With CCL's current plans calling for additional mega ships, I believe that we will see additional private islands developed or improvements to current CCLs ports to handle the passenger volume of the mega ships, so land-based spending will stay inhouse for CCL. I also believe the new VIFP program will provide benefits across CCLs very diverse cruise lines. This would provide a logical transition for the cruisers seeking to sail on smaller ships while CCL is marketing new cruisers to the mega ships. A CCLs companywide loyalty program will entice CCLs cruisers to stay within CCLs product lines to reap benefits of a loyalty program across their cruise lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BlerkOne Posted July 27 #50 Share Posted July 27 2 minutes ago, JMAE said: I also believe the new VIFP program will provide benefits across CCLs very diverse cruise lines. This would provide a logical transition for the cruisers seeking to sail on smaller ships while CCL is marketing new cruisers to the mega ships. A CCLs companywide loyalty program will entice CCLs cruisers to stay within CCLs product lines to reap benefits of a loyalty program across their cruise lines. I don't see this ever. I can see perhaps a new Carnival benefit of a one time trial of other CCL cruise lines loyalty programs. The sheer number of Carnival cruisers dwarfs the number of cruisers of the other lines and would result in their most loyal customers likely looking outside of the Carnival family. The other lines would quickly run out of resources and budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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