KeepcruisinCarnival!!

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Originally posted by rd77:
I'm a serious liner/cruise ship enthousiast...

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If you are "serious", why on earth pick a Carnival ship?

Carnival ships are more like the liners than many of us might want to admit. The liners had a very practical design and were not always the most asthetic visually. They were work horses designed to transport passengers from point A to B. They were an ocean vessel first and then a luxury vessel second.

The CARNIVAL ships are a lot like the description above. They are very basic sea-going vessels first and cruise ships second. There are certainly few frills in their hull design, in fact they would make exellent container ships someday. When you look at a Carnival ship docked next to a Royal Caribbean ship for example, you can see the difference....The RCCL ship looks more classy and more luxurious, whereas the Carnival Ship is very plain and boxy....bare-bones passenger vessel from the exterior. The interiors are very nice though on many of the Carnival ships.

It seems some people haven't read your posting well enough!

Cheers,

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Originally posted by nathan:
Why on earth would you criticize a line that you haven't sailed?

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Hi Nathan, I was not criticising Carnival at all. I was suggesting that if a person is interested in Ocean Liners, and maritime history in general, they may prefer a more 'traditional' cruise experience, which is not offered by Carnival.

Carnival ships are designed to be 'Floating Resorts'. As Carnival say they are 'Fun Ships'. I understand that the original design brief of Joe Farcus was to avoid the traditional nautical features of ships. They wanted people to forget that they were at sea and create a kind of 'floating' Las Vegas, feel.

I have no problem with Carnival's product, I'm sure they do a great Job. I was suggesting it may not be the ideal product for maritime aficionados?

Even cruise lines like Celebrity, with a new fleet, offer a more traditional experience. Of course I am generalising and Ralph may well prefer a cruise on Carnival Legend to a classic ship?

Personally, I can't really imagine choosing a cruise to Amsterdam etc (Whats the point when I can get a £20 flight from my local airport with easyJet). However, if it was to be in the increasingly saturated med market I would be interested. But I cannot imagine prices being particularly low, and more in line with the likes of P&O and Princess rather than Airtours and Thomson, which themselves are constantly rising!!! But will their presence make the oter lines readdress their niche definition - if Carnival are charging £800 for a week on a brank spanking new megaliner, whill Airtours continue charging comparable amounts for a week on their 32 year old, 100 passenger Carousel and Sundream? Equally, if they are charging P&O style amounts will they want to charge more in a psychological move to create a higher quality public pereption? I am very confused with this...

Of course we have lots of American products in the UK/Europe now. However a 'Pizza Hut' meal or a 'Subway' sandwich is a smaller portion, at a higher costs than in the USA.
O.K. a Cruise and a Pizza are very different products, but the end result may well be the same?

I think Europes cruising public are probably older, on average, that the USA's? I suspect that Carnival will be trying to change that? However, I'm not sure Europe, especially the Brits, are ready for 'Glitz' and 'Fun' yet?

They are the cruising juggernaut because they have an experience for most every market segment.

If I were a 19yo spring breaker, Carnival it would be, if the grand-parents; it would be Holland America.

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Originally posted by desirod6:
Carnival ships are not for everybody, and Carnival Corporation knows it.

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In this way you can advocate your favorite home team, maker of farm machinery, or favorite obscentiy to the largest group!

And have fun on the fun ships!

Hi Malcolm!!

Ain'tcruisindiscussionsfun..

The Carnival newbuilds while not exactly a P&O experience...really are not attracting the "guzzle & puke" crowds of the older shorter-length Carnival ships in the Caribbean. Carnival Spirit currently in the Alaska market is much more sedate... and Legend, et al will follow Spirit's lead.

Speaking of Alaska, who remembers how dear the fares were when HAL and Princess were the only competition in the market?? With so many ships....and not enough bodies to fill the berths... fares for Alaska have plummeted.

Now as to demographics....funny....whenever we try to entice our UK clients with attractive Inn's & Country Hotels here in New England, they have no interest. Why???
because they can get all the Laura Ashley prints and Richard Morris wallpaper they want at home. They want modern!!!!! I am always surprised to see so many folks from the UK on Celebrity. While they do complain to a certain extent about the service (as most seasoned pax do)they find with Celebrity's aggressive marketing and pricing that they can have a longer holiday at 1/2 the cost of P&O. Carnival Corp is no slouch when it comes to marketing and pricing.

With more berths to fill in the European market, I can only see prices fall. Where that would leave the likes of Airtours remains to be seen. I had no idea that their fares were SO HIGH considering the product.

As everyone is aware, cruise fares on this side of the "pond" have never been lower. The mass market lines effectively put the budget cruiselines (Premier, Commodore, Cape Canaveral) out of business. Those who sailed the premium lines (HAL, Celebrity, Princess) after seeing the degradation of service and amenties following deep price cutting are, to a certain extent, jumping ship to the luxury lines (Crystal, Seabourn)
or to the likes of P&O.

It's a funny industry. And a constantly changing one, too.