Farewell to Carnival's Signature Decor??

[jks336]

what i've seen from the renderings of the new Magic, i think the "toned" down design should please even the one's that think carnival's decor is tacky/las vegas. as far as i'm concerned the design isn't a big issue to me, it's the fact being on vacation! lol

 

and honestly, decor taking away from someone having a good vacation? sorry, but imho thats silly.

[StingRaysfan]

I like Las Vegas glitz and interesting decor, but someone should have been there to smack Farcus upside the head every so often with certain areas of certain ships...some areas are sooo very tacky!

 

The worst is the pink dining room on the Valor. Or maybe the buffet that nothing matched in. I can't decide. I also agree that the staterooms could use a big update!

 

But other areas I love on the ships like the atrium on the Inspiration or the clubs on the Valor... Maybe Farcus with a little supervision and better collaberation would have better then straight up Farcus...

 

I think this is a good thing for Carnival, as long as they don't go vanilla....

[eroller]

So that we're on the same page;

CCL= Carnival Corp.

Carnival Cruiseline= Carnival brand.

RCL= Royal Caribbean Corp.

RCCL= Royal branded ships

 

RCCL has more berths than Carnival Cruiseline, from fewer but larger ships.

 

RCL lost money in a couple of quarters in 09 and only shows profit in the last 4 quarters because they sold off $900 million in equipment.

I am a Diamond cruiser with RCL and Platinum with Carnival. I prefer Carnival, but like RCL itinerary choices. And I have enjoyed all my RCL cruises. However as a company, they are out on the edge financially. Without a Govt BAILOUT [luckily not the US Govt, for a change] There would be no Oasis or Allure.

 

And what % of the industry does RCL have? I'd guess its near 25%, maybe more. After CCL and RCL, only NCL has a sizable segment of the market. Not a large sizable segment but more than the remaining bit players.

 

Again, we have no way of knowing how successful Carnival Cruise Lines the brand is, because Carnival does not separate out earnings.

 

I also never said that Royal Caribbean hasn't had some losing quarters over the past 10 years. They have, but that is not unrealistic considering how the economy has been. Many very successful companies lost money during certain quarters in 2009. Overall though, Royal Caribbean has never had a money losing year. They have always shown a profit at YE. Are they as successful as Carnival? No. Are they more leveraged? Yes. I don't think anyone is arguing those points, but trying to portray them as a losing company is just ridiculous.

 

As for a "government bailout", where on earth does this come from? All cruise lines receive "incentives" from the various shipyards (including Carnival). That is a fact. Any cruise line that did not leverage these incentives would be at a financial disadvantage. It's hardly a "bailout". It's basically very good terms on a shipyard backed loan. Unfortunately the shipyards themselves are in a precarious situation. STX in Finland and Fincantieri in Italy both find themselves in desperate need for business. FYI the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, where most Carnival Corp. ships are built, is government backed and Carnival receives tons of incentives when they place a ship order. I would expect nothing less, and of course Royal Caribbean should be expected to take advantage of incentives as well.

 

Anyway, what does all this have to do with Carnival's decor? Do you think the average cruiser cares about the financial results of Carnival or RCI? Of course not. Maybe it makes you feel better that Carnival is more successful when you cruise on Carnival for some reason, but most people don't care. I certainly don't feel better when I shop at Walmart over Target because Walmart is the more successful company. I actually prefer to shop at Target. To each his own. A shareholder may have a more vested interest in the financials but personally I would never invest in any cruise line stock. I can get a better return investing my money elsewhere.

 

Back on topic, which is about Carnival's decor, my two favorite Carnival ships are CARNIVAL SPIRIT and CARNIVAL PRIDE. I really enjoy the Farcus decor on both ships. CARNIVAL PRIDE has my favorite dining room in the entire Carnival fleet!

 

Ernie

[nealstuber]

For us, the Farcus Decor is to Carnival what freestyle is to NCL. They are both significant parts of the the lines' personality. They are also both something we tolerate because we love cruising at a reasonable price.

[LynneL]

I like the decor on the Sapphire Princess much more than any Carnival ship I've been on and I'm looking forward to sailing on the Ruby Princess next year.

 

But that hasn't stopped me from sailing on Carnival and I won't sail on Carnival more if they change designers or less if they keep the same style.

 

I'll just enjoy the Carnival decor more if it's more like Princess. :)

 

I've only been on one Princess ship - The Crown - and 16 Carnival ships, but I must say the Crown was my favorite. Loved the central atrium area with the sweeping marble stair case, wrought iron tables & chairs, the little bistro area to get fresh baked cookies or great chicken salad. Having only been on one ship though I don't know if all their ships look the same.

 

That said, I wouldn't want Carnival to make all their ships like that though. Some of the Carnival decor is fun. Just off the Valor & I loved the Americana theme to it. I also liked the Freedom (guess I go for the whole America thing). All personal taste - someone mentioned they hated the Victory, I liked those soft sea-foam greens & the sea theme - though I can't say how often I banged my leg on those sea horses at the end of each staircase - still I thought they were cute. Appropriate for cruising. Some Carnival decor is downright ugly.

 

The rooms do need a change. Every ship - same cabin decor. That gets boring.

[DocF]

There is a simple reason why all the Carnival staterooms on the newer builds look alike. They are modules. The shipyard cranks them out in mass production and plugs them into spaces on the ships. This saves huge amounts of money. I find the staterooms to be comfortable, the art in each one is different and some is quite beautiful. The environment in the cabin seems sort of like an old friend to us.

 

Doc:rolleyes:

[hubofhockey]

Say it's not so!

 

According to this article (see link below) from USA Today, Carnival will not be using long time architect Joe Farcus to design the new CARNIVAL BREEZE. This is such a shocker to me, because Joe Farcus has been designing Carnival ships ever since the CARNIVALE in the late 70's. Love or hate Carnival's decor, "Farcitecture", or "entertainment architecture" has become a signature trademark on every Carnival ship. It's one of those things that really sets Carnival apart from other mass-market cruise lines. You walk onboard and go "WOW"!!

 

CARNIVAL DREAM was the first Carnival ship that seemed really toned down to me, and I imagine the trend will continue with CARNIVAL MAGIC and finally no Farcus at all with CARNIVAL BREEZE. I hope the decor doesn't become boring.

 

It's interesting how many changes have happened at Carnival ever since Gerry Cahill took over. Most of the long term executives have left the company. I'm sure Mr. Cahill is a very capable man, but I just don't know about some of the changes. He certainly will be leaving his mark on the company.

 

FYI Joe Farcus will continue to design Costa ships, and my understanding is the same German firm that designs the ships for AIDA Cruises will design CARNIVAL BREEZE.

 

Ernie

 

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2010/09/will-carnival-tone-down-its-flashy-decor-for-future-ships/111825/1#uslPageReturn

 

THAT IS GREAT NEWS!!!!!:cool:

[glrounds]

The rooms do need a change. Every ship - same cabin decor. That gets boring.

 

Agree, Lynn. One of the biggest disappointments of the SPLENDOR last September was discovering that this brand new ship brought to the west coast had virtually identical cabin layout and decor to almost every other Carnival ship I'd been on.

[Kurbanfan]

This is exactly how I feel about Princess. The decor can be found in any Marriott convention hotel. The "paint by numbers" art around most of the ship is a joke. I will say the decor is very comfortable, but certainly nothing memorable. Also, it's all the same on every Princess ship right down to the carpet pattern and drapes, so there is no excitement in trying out different ships in the fleet. Overall I like the Princess product, but the decor is just so dull. I'm hoping they take a new direction with the two new ships they recently ordered.

 

Ernie

 

Really? Well I have only been on 2 Princess ships.....the Star and the Crown.......and they were completely different.......

No vanilla at all..........Crown was tastefully decorated in marble, granite and rod iron.......something you would find in an Italian Villa........

 

When I use to have my real estate license I use to tour peoples properties that I swear Farcus could have designed:p Some people don't care what mish mash of stuff that they have going on in their homes so I can totally understand why some like the circus look:D Other properties were just stunning. It all comes down to style.......which some have absolutely none......

The decor fit Carnivals image 20 years ago with the party ship........now it sounds like they know what consumers want and are changing to that direction.......good for them.....they finally get it:D

[Bonneville02]

Agree, Lynn. One of the biggest disappointments of the SPLENDOR last September was discovering that this brand new ship brought to the west coast had virtually identical cabin layout and decor to almost every other Carnival ship I'd been on.

 

I expect the same cabin layout on every ship, due to the modular nature of modern cruise ships that DocF mentioned earlier. It would be nice if they could do something different with the decor. I'm still fairly new to cruising, but from what I've seen, Carnival has used the same color scheme for its passenger cabins since the (now retired) Holiday Class ships. Personally, I'm not asking for a major makeover, just different colors and fabrics.

[eroller]

Really? Well I have only been on 2 Princess ships.....the Star and the Crown.......and they were completely different.......

No vanilla at all..........Crown was tastefully decorated in marble, granite and rod iron.......something you would find in an Italian Villa........

 

 

 

 

Star, Crown, Ruby, Golden, Grand, Diamond, Sapphire, Caribbean, & Emerald Princess are all essentially the same ship with minor differences. They are the "Grand Class" and all had the same interior designer who generally uses the same treatment for each ship (Teresa Anderson). Personally I find the decor very "vanilla" including the Piazza atrium. Yes it's all nice, but nothing really memorable. Perhaps the Piazza style atrium was not added yet to STAR when you sailed on her, but it will be if it hasn't been already. They basically add a "Vine's" wine bar and International Cafe plus the marble floor and new chairs. That's about the extent of it from a design standpoint.

 

Princess actually prides itself on the fact that almost all their ships are alike. It's their strategy and they don't apologize for it. Every Princess guest can pretty much walk onto any Princess ship and instantly feel at home. That is the strategy. Personally I find it boring.

 

Carnival has/had a very different strategy. Give every ship a unique decor and base it on a theme. The layout may be the same, but the decor will be unique. It's worked quite well for them, and I like the fact if I sail on CARNIVAL FREEDOM then CARNIVAL CONQUEST I will recognize that it's a Carnival ship, but the decor and theme will be completely different. To me it's actually fun to look at the same physical space on the different ships, yet see how decor wise they look nothing alike. Some you like better than others of course.

 

To each his own, and one strategy is not right and one wrong. Just different and they appeal to different people. I suppose that is why we have so many cruise lines to choose from.

 

Ernie

[eroller]

I expect the same cabin layout on every ship, due to the modular nature of modern cruise ships that DocF mentioned earlier. It would be nice if they could do something different with the decor. I'm still fairly new to cruising, but from what I've seen, Carnival has used the same color scheme for its passenger cabins since the (now retired) Holiday Class ships. Personally, I'm not asking for a major makeover, just different colors and fabrics.

 

 

Exactly. All modern ships of every cruise line have a modular design. As mentioned they are mass-produced to the cruise lines specification, constructed off site (or in a particular section of the shipyard), transported ship side, then literally lifted and slid into a large hole cut into the side of the ship. Once inside the ship, it's a big empty deck and they just slide it into place, fasten it down, and connect all the utilities. It's a really cool process.

 

So we won't see the modular cabin design go away. It's just the way they build ships today. What will hopefully change is the decor and I think it's long overdue for a major makeover. They have looked the same for a VERY long time now. It won't take much ... just get rid of that red carpet and orange/peach sofa, walls, and drapes.

 

Ernie

[Kurbanfan]

Star, Crown, Ruby, Golden, Grand, Diamond, Sapphire, Caribbean, & Emerald Princess are all essentially the same ship with minor differences. They are the "Grand Class" and all had the same interior designer who generally uses the same treatment for each ship (Teresa Anderson). Personally I find the decor very "vanilla" including the Piazza atrium. Yes it's all nice, but nothing really memorable. Perhaps the Piazza style atrium was not added yet to STAR when you sailed on her, but it will be if it hasn't been already. They basically add a "Vine's" wine bar and International Cafe plus the marble floor and new chairs. That's about the extent of it from a design standpoint.

 

Princess actually prides itself on the fact that almost all their ships are alike. It's their strategy and they don't apologize for it. Every Princess guest can pretty much walk onto any Princess ship and instantly feel at home. That is the strategy. Personally I find it boring.

 

Carnival has/had a very different strategy. Give every ship a unique decor and base it on a theme. The layout may be the same, but the decor will be unique. It's worked quite well for them, and I like the fact if I sail on CARNIVAL FREEDOM then CARNIVAL CONQUEST I will recognize that it's a Carnival ship, but the decor and theme will be completely different. To me it's actually fun to look at the same physical space on the different ships, yet see how decor wise they look nothing alike. Some you like better than others of course.

 

To each his own, and one strategy is not right and one wrong. Just different and they appeal to different people. I suppose that is why we have so many cruise lines to choose from.

 

Ernie

 

I find them no different then Carnival.........same layout different decor......although Carnial is over the top different and that is probably why alot of people don't notice the different decor on the Princess ships like I do;) But again like you said that all comes down to different taste......thank goodness for that IMO!

[ynp1]

:pIt's about time! Yippee!

[w&k]

but more like 'HOLY CRAP!'

 

Our first Carnival ship was the Glory. Our impression of the ship was miles of hallways connecting public rooms that were decorated by folks that had an over-the-top compulsion and some sort of an attention-deficit disorder.

 

We then went on the Sensation with the purple and orange corrugated metal everywhere. We felt like we needed flashlights because it was so dark and strange on our cabin floor.

 

Last time on Carnival was the Fascination. I could not even tell you what color it was, but it must have been a lot less dramatic than the other two.

 

I didn't think anything in the world could beat the Glory for brightness and mismatched themes.

 

Boy, was I wrong!

 

We got a last-minute special on the Costa Atlantica, and, quite frankly, the Glory faded into nothingness in comparison.

 

We walked onto the ship and both of us came to a dead stop in shock. The main atrium was enough to give me vertigo. Colors, patterns, and textures all swirled together in cacophonous disarray.

 

But, in contrast to the other ships, our cabin was calm and restful... so go figure.

 

Personally, I would enjoy the Carnival line ships much more if the flow was designed better, and you could 'get there from here.' I find the miles of hallways that stop abruptly quite frustrating.

 

One thing - a day on a cruise is wonderful, regardless of the taste of the decor (or lack thereof).

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Wendy

[dan40]

Again, we have no way of knowing how successful Carnival Cruise Lines the brand is, because Carnival does not separate out earnings.

 

I also never said that Royal Caribbean hasn't had some losing quarters over the past 10 years. They have, but that is not unrealistic considering how the economy has been. Many very successful companies lost money during certain quarters in 2009. Overall though, Royal Caribbean has never had a money losing year. They have always shown a profit at YE. Are they as successful as Carnival? No. Are they more leveraged? Yes. I don't think anyone is arguing those points, but trying to portray them as a losing company is just ridiculous.

 

As for a "government bailout", where on earth does this come from? All cruise lines receive "incentives" from the various shipyards (including Carnival). That is a fact. Any cruise line that did not leverage these incentives would be at a financial disadvantage. It's hardly a "bailout". It's basically very good terms on a shipyard backed loan. Unfortunately the shipyards themselves are in a precarious situation. STX in Finland and Fincantieri in Italy both find themselves in desperate need for business. FYI the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, where most Carnival Corp. ships are built, is government backed and Carnival receives tons of incentives when they place a ship order. I would expect nothing less, and of course Royal Caribbean should be expected to take advantage of incentives as well.

 

Anyway, what does all this have to do with Carnival's decor? Do you think the average cruiser cares about the financial results of Carnival or RCI? Of course not. Maybe it makes you feel better that Carnival is more successful when you cruise on Carnival for some reason, but most people don't care. I certainly don't feel better when I shop at Walmart over Target because Walmart is the more successful company. I actually prefer to shop at Target. To each his own. A shareholder may have a more vested interest in the financials but personally I would never invest in any cruise line stock. I can get a better return investing my money elsewhere.

 

Back on topic, which is about Carnival's decor, my two favorite Carnival ships are CARNIVAL SPIRIT and CARNIVAL PRIDE. I really enjoy the Farcus decor on both ships. CARNIVAL PRIDE has my favorite dining room in the entire Carnival fleet!

 

Ernie

 

Well we agree on the PRIDE. My favorite ship. The decor is certainly different from other Carnival ships but the layout of the Spirit Class ships is my fave. HAL's Vista class is the same layout.

The decor is almost unnoticed by me, but we did come to call the buffet on the Pride, The Puking Fish with all it water sprouting fish everywhere. We sailed Pride twice. the first time it was nearly new. The water sprouts out of the fishes mouths were much larger and wider, and SHARPER. If you bumped into one it was sharply painful and surprising it didn't cut. The second trip the water sprouts were ground way back.

[oldstubblejumper]

Guys,

were on a cruise... sand...rum and fun... it's a holiday....

Nothing else matters :)

OSJ

[Cathy p]

The cabins could use a different color. They are very boring, however, if they have a big sale on the boring cabin guess who will be there? Yep, me.

[uppitycats]

Don't know how I missed this thread! I'm really really glad he's going! Maybe I can consider Carnival again. I absolutely hated the garishness of the ships. I was well treated by the crew, great food, wonderful handicap-accessible cabin, but we were so turned off by the cheap Las Vegas decor, we've sworn off Carnival.

 

Once there are some new ships, maybe it'll be time to consider them again.

[1timecruiser]

Someone needs to do more research:) All the newer ships have bigger cabins.....our balcony cabin was the same size as Carnival......oh wait but the balcony itself was bigger:D

 

 

For what I'd pay for that "bigger" cabin, it should be bigger. It's still not the size of a OS or GS and significantly more than what I'd expect to pay, for a still subdued and boring cabin. Hooray for your cabin size..still not impressed. :rolleyes:

[1timecruiser]

Guys,

were on a cruise... sand...rum and fun... it's a holiday....

Nothing else matters :)

OSJ

 

 

Exactly!!

[Savoia]

John Heald has this on his blog today:

 

I think it is nice John went with a positive spin but this was not totally suprising. Carnival's President Jerry Cahill has been cleaning house in recent months and Mr. Farcus is one of those changes within CCL. In a recent press conference that USA Today covered Mr. Cahill is quoted as saying interior design at Carnival was going to be a new initiative. And not entirely unexpected considering the attention both NCL and RCL have been getting with their success in design lately. If Mr. Farcus was the lone departure that would be one thing. But several longterm Carnival executives in recent months have been let go.

 

While I appreciate what John was trying to do I think it does him a dis-service when news reports on other forums provide a detailed explanation as to what has been happening. Changes are going on and Mr. Farcus was one of them.

[lillian marie]

I'm ready for a change in decor on CCL ships.

[Cruzaholic41]

I'm ready for a change in decor on CCL ships.

 

I am sooooo ready for a change in decor. For goodness sake Carnival, change things up a little. Give us something new for once and maybe I'll consider you a little more often.

[halos]

Carnival NET profit last 12 months $1.7 BILLION. RCL net profit last 12 months $380 million. And they sold off $900 million of equipment, meaning cruise operations LOST money.

Choice 1. Garish profitable ships,

 

OR

 

Choice 2. pretty, unprofitable ships?

 

Dan...People choose CCL because the price is right, NOT because the ships look like pimps on steroids.