jetsfan58

42 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

As of right now I see it more likely that Carnival or Royal would want to shed brands, not take on more. But as the decade wears on anything can happen.

Great point and truly time will tell.  

9 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Indeed, Royal's main brand identity seems to be "Not Carnival"

That could be mainly due to the ongoing price disparity between the two giants. We cruised only one Royal adventure in our journeys. Again the line just did not appeal to us so we became Carnival Cruisers. Not only did we save valuable dollars we really enjoyed ourselves.

Don't know if a buyout/merger would help the "Not Carnival feelings" aspect but I do truly believe that it would help all of our wallets!

First I am glad that you were able to Cruise, enjoyed most of the sailing and more importantly said "you will return." 

It's a sign of our times. I wish I could find half of the items on my grocery list when I go shopping? I wish I didn't have to pay a mortgage payment each time I fill up my cars gasoline tank?  I wish didn't have to live through all of the hatred and unrest in our World? 

There are many other things worse than a bad Cruise moment. Enjoy the Voyages!!! 

Thanks for the great commentary. We have all seen the mergers, acquisitions and parachutes (Chrysler, etc.). I just wanted to gauge the responses and your candid perspectives of something that could potentially happen to this Industry. As the industry progresses there will be certain lessening of the corporate offerings. The smaller entities just will not survive without a big brother/sister organization backing them.

Firefly I did indeed want to add a bit of fun to this forum.  

Anti-Trust is always a major player in any merger and/or acquisition talks. That won't stop the process if it ever happens. The biggest risk is violating the Clayton Act Section 7. Depends on the level of communication for all parties,  

Not about buying bacon it's about a mega merger that could eventually happen? Then Royals prices  (which is how they continue to stock the bacon) will inevitably go down.  

In todays society, competition still enables vast consumer choices. When it comes to the Cruise Industry there are two giants; Carnival and Royal Caribbean. In business the number one organizations are always having to keep an open eye on the number two player. Sometimes the number one organization has to spend additional marketing and advertising mega dollars to remain on top. 

With Carnival ruling the category and always looking behind at a close second Royal; would there ever be a need for Carnival to buy them? The old sales philosophy is "If you are concerned about remaining number one, then purchase number two."

Could it ever happen? Never say Never!. Car-Royal Cruises "Not a Bad Sound" Thoughts????????

I have been cruising with Carnival for decades in Interior Cabins. Trust me a balcony is not a necessity to have fun. Whatever you choose just enjoy the adventure.  

A cold water with lemon, lime and orange slices works quite well.  

8 minutes ago, TheSeagoer said:

They have a fiduciary duty to the share holders. If it cost less to put some ships docked than operating at a bigger loss, they will

That point is certainly well taken. The stockholder value equation will always rule the decision. The stockholders are also human and know the value of "idle time." They are gong to advise the Carnival Leadership Team to keep those vessels moving regardless of the probabilities of success/failure.

It's a hard choice but at that level only "cash and green" matter. We can all help by masking up when necessary and following the prescribed rules.    

13 hours ago, TheSeagoer said:

It maybe wiser to dock the boats than pay expenses

No way. The industry doesn't want to chance surviving/not surviving another two year layoff!!! 

You have been bitten by the Carnival Cruise Bug!! It has happened to us all.

Welcome to the Carnival Cruise Nuts Brigade! 

I never care where Carnival takes us; I am just glad to be on a Ship!!!!!  

We always travel knowing there is always certain risks. I will always take my chances State side. 

There is nothing blown way out of proportion that is still effecting Americans and people around the World. I am still encouraging citizens to take precautions and help slow it down.

Just my $.02

38 minutes ago, bamaone said:

I agree it’s great to lure new customers with more affordable pricing. But at some point you have to make money or you don’t survive. Carnival is so far in debt  right now they’re having difficulty making payments. They may not be able to wait out a turnaround without price increases to cover operating cost.

When you keep offering the discounts to new and existing cruisers you are increasing critical mass which increases spending! Rule of Marketing 101. They are still making dollars even though offering the discounts as cruisers are freeing up cash to spend onboard and on the Islands.

These high paid Senior Leaders have a lot at stake and they are going to protect the interests of their families, their crews, their stockholders and us!   

9 minutes ago, bamaone said:

Carnival is paying more for everything that keeps their business going. Wages, fuel, food, and materials. How can a company survive with negative finances?

The end result revolves around available cash and the degree to which the first line creditors believe in the Carnival Brand. They will continue to offer sporadic "discounted" deals because still only about 15% of the total US population has ever cruised.

Why would they walk away from that potential cash?  

I was hoping that Carnival would have taken the lead of the Big 2 in the Cruise Industry. They played the "Wait and See" game with the media. 

Hopefully they will step up and revise the 5 day or less restriction to a 6+ day alteration? Whatever the long term plan I will continue to mask up whenever and wherever necessary to do my part to help the Industry not have to return to another two year period of No Cruising!!

Think about that scenario! No a good look for any of us who love cruising Carnival!    

The old Webster definition of a recession is: A significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP (Income, Employment, Retail Sales, etc.).This is nothing, so far, like the Great Depression of 2007. We all lived through and survived that nightmare.   

Since the majority of a Recession begins with consumers having less confidence in the overall economy Carnival should be just fine. We all have huge confidence in Carnival and their continued success. One major result from a Recessionary Period is that prices can actually fall. 

As a result Carnival should not have to raise prices for us to continue to enjoy their family fun filled products. 

Since Carnival played the "wait and see" game I am hoping that they take the leadership position and grant the exemption for 6 days or longer cruises. 

We all still can't rejoice prematurely as we are still battling the spread of the Pandemic. I am wearing my mask wherever and whenever appropriate. Please follow my lead to help protect against another two year hiatus from our favorite pastime (Carnival Cruising).   

Again we all have our personal opinions. I trust the Carnival Senior Leadership to do what's right for the corporation, their crews and for all of us. I trust that they will also not "Rush" the decisions based on the thirst for revenue; rather the thirst for "Safety".   

Hopefully My NY Jets gets priority!

43 minutes ago, topaz123 said:

We have to accept that walking out our front door each morning carries risk. If we try to set the standard for cruising safely as covering every conceivable risk factor...then cruising disappears. 

If we are careless and don't consider all possibilities (insignificant or not) the Pandemic will again "Win" and shut the Industry down.  

1 hour ago, pe4all said:

I wish I had a crystal ball, or inside info, but my specific opinion is that pre-cruise testing will be dropped by the end of August.  People are coming off cruises and developing covid within the week, if not days after debarking.  (and yes, I have first-hand knowledge of this due to our Facebook page for the Magic 6/28-7/6 sailing).  Pre-cruise testing doesn't change that.   Now that the CDC has changed their stance on testing I think the cruise lines will do what they have to do to keep solvent. Hope that satisfies you, and if not, not.

Unless we have a designated chair at the Carnival Big Table Board of Directors all we have is speculation, opinions and experience. As long as we all have breath in our bodies we will all have opinions. Fact of Life.   

18 hours ago, topaz123 said:

If CCL, continues to go overboard( no pun intended) on  more than mandated or reasonable safety...then it will not survive as a company. You cannot possibly cover every issue....what about nail fungus checks, could catch it in the locker rooms,  on and on. Look CDC has released the burden, now is the time to remove all the obstacles for cruisers, make it EASY ...just ask for a vaccination proof, and stop. Endless , expensive testing weeds out only a minimal amount of cruisers, so why insist on the Pre cruise Barricade. This alone is particularly huge problem.

The CDC is smart and playing the "It's not my fault game". Carnival may not be concerned with nail fungus but they are concerned with the nail fungus source. 

There are still too many areas to cover and uncover. People are still trying to purchase fake Covid vaccine cards. What's the solution to that madness? Those individuals have never received a vaccine and could be potential super spreaders. These things are high risk stakes and very serious. 

Carnival could certainly announce later today that the mandate is lifted and we would all rejoice and start booking even more cruises. But at what premature costs?