quote:
Originally posted by Carlos Fernandez:
Because you can't predict the future say a ship is tight and people will be disappointed if you and nobody else has been on the ship yet. It's not only with Oasis but with every other future new build. It's like saying a mattress is uncomfortable and you haven't slept on it.
The real space does seem smaller than what the renderings depict but that does not mean people will be disappointed with the space or the whole ship because of this. If you look at the image of CP Waynaro posted you can see that the width of the space is not overly exaggerated in the renderings, there is also a lot of scaffolding and construction material which is taking some space away.
This project is an enormous undertaking and the fact that RCI is stepping into uncharted land with this can be come a failure, but after years of planning I don’t think this will be the case, we'll have to wait and see. People though that Voyager of the Seas was going to be too much, but almost ten years and 8 ships later it has proven to be one of the most successful ship-class ever built. They do have their flaws but doesn’t everything.
Just my opinion.
Believe me, despite not being an Oasis fan, I want Oasis to succeed. For one: it puts all those vacationers onto Oasis and leaves the cruise ships to the cruisers and secondly, if Oasis is not a success that means my favorite cruise line will go belly up and Mr Arison will be successful the second time around.
All I hear is how great this ship is and how successful it will be. People forget that RCI has absolutely no margin of error. Since 1999 they build 13 Mega ships (4 Radiance Class, 5 Voyager Class and 4 Freedom Class) with 2 one billion dollar ships currently being build.
Before they build cruise ships - big ones, but cruise ships nevertheless and added a couple of innovations along the the line.
Oasis and Allure are not cruise ships. They basically resorts. Sure by definition they are cruise ships but not by tradition. It will attract vacationers who hardly spent money onboard. You see it already on ships everywhere. People have leftover OBC at the end of a 7 Night cruise. They carry their own cases of water and their own soda to save a couple of dollars. Families share a soda card which is a lousy $6/day to save a couple of bucks. That is the reality.
Do you know how bad Oasis is being viewed? I have yet to find one on board personnel who actually wants to be on that ship - and I cruise a lot and I chat a lot with people on the ships.
I am an RCI cheerleader but I am not a Fain fan. He is not a good business man. His 'expertise' is ship design. That's his life, well his favorite anyways.
Have we all forgotten how RCI wanted to expand into Europe and had Costa hooked, just for Fain to let it slip away - to Carnival. Settled for debt laden Celebrity and couldn't even incorporate that line properly. Instead of letting Celebrity do their thing (like Carnival did with Costa) they closed offices in Europe to save a dime and merged personnel. But at the end, it just cost more money.
Have we forgotten how Fain had the deal with Princess in his pocket just to have himself pick pocketed by - Carnival. And Fain settled for Pullmantour - another second rated European cruise line.
Now RCI has to deploy more ships to Europe to somehow break into Carnival (Costa/Princess/Adia) territory. But how? With what ships? The Sovereign Class is all but gone: Sovereign this year, Monarch next year and Majesty a year later. Who is gonna take the place of the 3 and 4 Nighters? Vision Class? They are old too and most of the ships are deployed around the world.
Oasis and Allure are Fain's last attempt to right the ship. RCI is so heavy in debt and cash flow is low.
All this talk about the old ships are inefficient and are not money makers is a bunch of garbage. The Sovereign Class pulls in darn good money.
I've done the Majesty, Sovereign and the Monarch. The Sovereign and Majesty most of the time drive half speed and float in the early morning hours because of the closeness of the ports and the Monarch floats for an entire day. No engines, just floating, since Ensenada and the other ports are so close to LA. - can't be more efficient than that. The sell off is for cash flow only. And that is what worries me.
Oasis is the final straw and all that hoop of Oasis was because of renderings. If CP is just an indication of the difference between rendering and reality, yes, there will be a lot of pissed off people. The majority going on Oasis will like it but it is always the negative which makes the press.
With Oasis RCI will also split from its most loyal cruisers. No, not the ones who joined the cruising community after 2000 (which is the majority of cruisers) but those who started cruising in the 80s and 90s. Them and the locals are the guarantee for any cruise line to fill up their ships. But with the Sovereign Class disappearing and maybe the Vision Class as well who is gonna fill those ships in the last minute? Oh I forgot, there won't be any.
Oasis, in my opinion is 5 to 10 years to early. RCI would have been better served to rebuild or build a couple of smaller class ships first and establish itself solidly in the European market and maybe pay some of its debt of.
Do we really think that RCI would be the only ones being able to build a ship like that? Heck, Carnival could hire someone on the spot and say: design me something bigger and better, we have the money.
But they don't. Because they are not desperate. RCI's striving for innovation will be their own undoing one day and Arison gets his wish at a bargain price - unfortunately.
I am done with my rant.
Oh, yes, if people can predict a successful future of Oasis then people can also predict doom and gloom.
Just wait until the price tag on the staterooms are going to be released which of course does not include the $25 price tag for each specialty restaurant (per person per visit I may add). But hey, people can ride the carousel for free.
The honeymoon will be over after year 1. And that is the moment when we get the final bill.
[ 07-23-2008: Message edited by: FL_Cruiser64 ]