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cbr663

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  1. Carnival Corp stated in 2023 Q3 reporting that 51% of its passengers on all its brands are new to the brand or new to cruising. So this isn't surprising at all. What may be surprising to some of us is that there may be a chance that the cruise line isn't as interested in meeting the needs of it loyal passengers as it is in meeting the needs of all these new passengers? Welcome to the era of big data, where companies know which customers add the most to the bottom line and which customers don't.
  2. I realize that most people booking a cruise don't read the cruise lines investor relations information prior to booking a cruise. You really should though as in 2023 things changed in the cruise industry and will continue to change for '24, '25 and possibly beyond. From today's Carnival Cruise Corp Q1 report: "The company experienced an early start to a robust wave season with record booking volumes for all future sailings that exceeded expectations.... "We are enjoying a phenomenal wave season with strength across all major deployments and brands. Even with less inventory available for the remainder of the year, booking volumes hit an all-time high, driven by demand for 2025 sailings and beyond. Our brands have demonstrated continued success creating demand that outstrips available capacity translating into higher prices (in constant currency) and a further elongation in the booking curve.." What does this mean for the company? "Record first quarter revenues of $5.4 billion, with record net yields (in constant currency) and record net per diems (in constant currency) both significantly exceeding 2023 levels. Gross margin yields nearly doubled compared to 2023 and net yields (in constant currency) significantly exceeded 2023 levels by over 17 percent." https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/carnival-corporation-plc-reports-record-first-quarter-revenues What does this mean for cruise passengers? It means that you can expect to pay much more for your cruise fare and can expect that there will be more and more people sailing. Occupancy is over 100% and yes, this does mean more people on board - people being children and adults. HAL has never marketed itself as an adults only cruise line. It actively markets itself to families with children and while many people may mistakingly believe that HAL can't compete with the RCs range of ships, fact is that there are many people travelling on HAL's ships with children.
  3. Welcome to the new cruise experience of high speed internet being widely available and widely promoted by the cruise lines. You have to expect that this will happen. You have to expect that cruise passengers will now be doing live feeds on their devices on a cruise ship.
  4. You really want to keep an eye on HAL's numerous sales. For instance, I am Canadian and HAL has the 7 day Zaandam Wine and Country sailing on the Stand by list. At $49US standby it isn't a bargain when it is currently advertised for $349 CDN for an inside cabin. Better to pay $49 CDN pp/pd right now than roll the dice on paying $49 US pp/pd on standby.
  5. One of the things that I always appreciate about HAL is the stainless steel plate covers. I hate (and yes, hate is a strong word 😆) those plastic covers where you can see all the condensation underneath. I've always heard that we eat with our eyes and the plastic covers just ruin the dining experience for me. Now, if we can only convince HAL to get rid of those screw top bottles they are using for coffee cream/milk and bring back the stainless steel carafes they used to have.
  6. Club Orange is another targeted bundled amenities package to get passengers to spend more on their cruises. Getting passengers to spend more is why these policies and programs exist. So yes, I think you are right that CO may be a way around being bumped. It makes sense to me, but then again, I don't count beans for a living. 🤣
  7. Lisa, I thought it was well known that HAL has been aggressively marketing to family and groups, but from some comments on this thread it seems some people still believe HAL is the cruise line of 10+ years ago.
  8. I am surprised that they are requesting 2 copies of the passport that will be collected at check-in as someone will have the verify that each copy is an actual copy of the passport. That can make for a very long and slow check in process.
  9. I agree. Not how we travel but I do know lots of people who do travel like this. We all have different wants and needs.
  10. We are sailing in June and we booked our air separately. Avalon offered air but its flights weren't the greatest. We selected the flights that we wanted and our TA reached out to Avalon to see if they would price the same flights. They did and at that time were the most expensive. No sense paying more for the exact same flights.
  11. I think it is a better method also. I have written on CC that HAL is making it very difficult to book a cruise these days and this simply adds to the frustration. With the unprecedented demand for cruising (over tourism being a problem for years combined now with revenge travel after the pandemic) combined with AI and Data Analytics I think we are going to see huge shifts in the customer service experience.
  12. We are empty nesters so travel just as a couple yet I can tell you that I have siblings and lots of relatives who travel with their adult children. All cram everyone into one cabin and one hotel room.
  13. FYI - on Pinnacle Class ships there are 4 categories of Neptune Suites - SA, SB, SC, and SQ. SQ are forward on Deck 10 and SC are forward on Deck 11 and both these categories appear to be for 2 passengers only.
  14. That's our concern also - ships at more than 100% capacity are not a pleasant experience for us and we have paused our ocean cruising at this time.
  15. Thanks for sharing. This is concerning news as we are also in the category of liking to pick our specific cabin and as everyone who does this knows, HAL charges a premium to do this. I can't imagine after paying this premium to then receive an email telling me that my cabin has been changed. I wonder how the system selects whose cabin is being resold? Is this AI at work? It does though indicate to me that HAL is doing everything that it can to ensure that its ships are sailing at more than 100% capacity. More passengers buying more drink packages, more spend in the shops, more HIA, more excursions. Easy to see that spend on board increases when there are more people onboard.
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