RCI come back.....at least for the summer!

[critterchick]

I can understand the frustration that you folks out west must feel. However, it is not like RCI didn't give it a try. They put Mariner out there and it didn't work. What has changed that you feel a second try would have a different outcome?

 

For starters, the market isn't oversaturated any more. IMO, RCI shot themselves in the foot by placing Mariner in LA and Radiance in San Diego. We could sail RD for 9 nights, driving down from LA, for the same number of vacation days as 7 nights on Mariner. I haven't looked at travel statistics for Mexico, so I don't know how tourism is faring there.

 

Agree -- I remember how the California folks gloated to follks who sailed from Port Canaveral when RCI announced that Mariner was going to California. They posted on every thread where we Port C cruisers posted about wanting a new ship. Well, we got Freedom -- she goes out full each week and has great on board revenue. We're getting Enchantment to replace Monarch next year.

 

RCI only has a limited amount of ships and won't have anything new until 2014 with the Sunshine class. They are now looking a possibly reducing some capacity in Europe which is why Mariner is going to Asia. They have done well there and in Australia.

 

I think that it was celebrating, not gloating (although, since I don't care for Mariner, I wasn't doing either). And RCI isn't doing well in Australia, judging from the email sent sent to TA's asking for help selling it, as well as emails to passengers promoting it.

 

Violates the Passenger Services Act. (PSA)

 

San Diego R/T with a stop in Ensenada and/or Vancouver wouldn't violate PSA. Princess offers a California Coastal cruise that has Ensenada as the required foreign port and also stops in Santa Barbara and San Francisco.:). During the swine flu hysteria, Mariner sailed r/t to Victoria from LA. So it can be done - it wasn't popular at the time in large part because people had booked a warm weather cruise, but Princess does very well with their coastal itineraries.

 

One problem with RCI coming back right now is that several other lines already have plans to do so (or, in Princess' case, to expand their presence in the market). I don't know what the market will bear, but it's certainly less than the days when everybody was coming through So Cal. So they may have missed a window of opportunity.

 

I do miss having an RCI weekend option. We've sailed on Paradise and Inspiration, and they were ok for awhile, but we're about done with Inspiration and will wait for the Golden Princess' short cruises in 2013.

[SherriZ366]

 

 

I think that it was celebrating, not gloating (although, since I don't care for Mariner, I wasn't doing either). And RCI isn't doing well in Australia, judging from the email sent sent to TA's asking for help selling it, as well as emails to passengers promoting it.

 

 

 

.

Sorry Jean, but Port C cruisers viewed California folks bragging about their getting Mariner on every thread dealing with getting a new ship in Port C as gloating. We congratulated West Coasters on getting a ship but wanted to make sure that RCI knew we would support a substitute ship in Port Canaveral.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

A coastal cruise would be awesome! Even if it were one way voyages...northbound and southbound from SD or LA.

Fly or drive to one port and take the train back to your originating port!

WAIT....Better yet...a B2B! :)

 

***

[Merion_Mom]

 

 

San Diego R/T with a stop in Ensenada and/or Vancouver wouldn't violate PSA. Princess offers a California Coastal cruise that has Ensenada as the required foreign port and also stops in Santa Barbara and San Francisco.:). During the swine flu hysteria, Mariner sailed r/t to Victoria from LA. So it can be done - it wasn't popular at the time in large part because people had booked a warm weather cruise, but Princess does very well with their coastal itineraries.

 

 

Yes, adding Ensenada satisfies the PSA. I missed that in chipq's post. And Victoria satisfies it, too. I forget the reason, but Vancouver doesn't. (doesn't "count" as a "distant" foreign port, I think?)

[wl2cruise]

Yes, adding Ensenada satisfies the PSA. I missed that in chipq's post. And Victoria satisfies it, too. I forget the reason, but Vancouver doesn't. (doesn't "count" as a "distant" foreign port, I think?)

 

All of them qualify as a foreign port on a closed loop cruise. Now if the ship is repositioning none of them qualify as a distant foreign port.

[The Big Booper]

Yes, adding Ensenada satisfies the PSA. I missed that in chipq's post. And Victoria satisfies it, too. I forget the reason, but Vancouver doesn't. (doesn't "count" as a "distant" foreign port, I think?)

 

Canada, Caribbean and Mexico never count as a distant foreign port. For that you need South America or Aruba/Curacao, which is why full Canal transits stop at one or the other. And why East Coast repos from Boston and NY to Fla go down to either island and then back to Fl.

[Ashland]

Even with the 7 days Cabo/Mazatlan/Puerto Valarta run the fuel consumed at a per passenger rate was high which cut into profitabilty. Combine that with people being afraid to go to Mexico (whether that fear is rational or not doesn't matter) and not filling the ship, it was not making enough money and I really don't see what has change. Did the economy in California turn around last night?

The economy is California is "no" worse than Florida or really any where else RCI has their ships ported :rolleyes:...Seems to be a lot of anti-west coaster's on this board...Can't we all just get along :confused:

[Arizona Laura]

Would love a coastal from LA to Victoria and back.

 

Don’t mind LA’s ports. Really liked the Doubletree in San Pedro and Hilton Long Beach. So easy for us in Az to get to driving. San Diego is also a great port for us also.

 

Would not want to go any further south than Cabo in a MR cruise but after going to MR on the Radiance and Mariner one really gets spoiled.

[Merion_Mom]

I seriously doubt any line will be able to make the west coast profitable for passenger travel. Disney has all but pulled out as well, and they have a tie in to their parks here. The destinations that can be offered from the west coast just are not that grand. I think Princess has announced they will have round trips to Hawaii from San Francisco on a regular basis and Disney is doing the "Pacific Coast" itinerary for about six weeks before sending the Wonder back across the Panama Canal. There simply isn't any money to be made sailing from the LA area.

 

In addition, the LA ports are not exactly friendly for passengers. There is so much container and commercial traffic in and around the ports, it isn't even very appealing to cruisers.

 

I will take issue with that "problem".

 

The Explorer and the Summit sail out of "Cape Liberty", i.e., Bayonne, New Jersey. An UNlovelier port you would be hard-pressed to find.

 

And they go out full and at non-cut-rate prices every time.

 

 

 

 

[tahqa]

The economy is California is "no" worse than Florida or really any where else RCI has their ships ported :rolleyes:...Seems to be a lot of anti-west coaster's on this board...Can't we all just get along :confused:

 

The national unemployment rate as of June is 8.2. The unemployment rate for the southern region is 7.8. The unemployment rate for the western region is 9.4.

 

 

So I'd say that at this moment the economy is better for the areas that typically feed the Atlantic and Gulf ports than it is for the areas that feed the Pacific ports. :rolleyes:

 

 

That certainly has an impact on the decision on where to port ships. People that are unemployed have a tendency to not take cruises. :D

 

 

http://www.bls.gov/eag/

[spintowin]

We may have high unemployment but we also have some of the largest wage earners in the country. After all the input here, I still believe RCI should give it another shot, even if just for the summer.

[tahqa]

We may have high unemployment but we also have some of the largest wage earners in the country. After all the input here, I still believe RCI should give it another shot, even if just for the summer.

I don't disagree with you and I do want to take a cruise to the Mexican Riveria and I have no desire to do it on anyone except Royal Caribbean. However, expressing those desires here will likely have zero effect on the deployment plan. :D

 

 

I would suggest that everyone go to the loyalty ambassador when onboard a ship and ask them when ships are coming back to the west coast. If enough people are asking for it through official lines then it'll have a better chance of happening. :)

[spintowin]

Great advice. Thanks!

[PCWalton1]

The economy is California is "no" worse than Florida or really any where else RCI has their ships ported :rolleyes:...Seems to be a lot of anti-west coaster's on this board...Can't we all just get along :confused:

 

The national unemployment rate as of June is 8.2. The unemployment rate for the southern region is 7.8. The unemployment rate for the western region is 9.4.

 

 

So I'd say that at this moment the economy is better for the areas that typically feed the Atlantic and Gulf ports than it is for the areas that feed the Pacific ports. :rolleyes:

 

 

That certainly has an impact on the decision on where to port ships. People that are unemployed have a tendency to not take cruises. :D

 

 

http://www.bls.gov/eag/

 

tahqa,

don't confuse them with actual facts. :p

[critterchick]

I don't disagree with you and I do want to take a cruise to the Mexican Riveria and I have no desire to do it on anyone except Royal Caribbean. However, expressing those desires here will likely have zero effect on the deployment plan. :D

 

 

I would suggest that everyone go to the loyalty ambassador when onboard a ship and ask them when ships are coming back to the west coast. If enough people are asking for it through official lines then it'll have a better chance of happening. :)

 

I recall that Cruise Critics were imploring RCI to bring a Voyager class ship to the West Coast. Then when they did, the timing couldn't have been worse, as already noted. So I doubt that they will listen to anything we have to say at this point.:(

 

The company can't afford to take any more flyers on a market - Europe hasn't worked out recently, they are struggling in Australia (at least they are asking TAs to get bookings there) and they have mounds of debt to repay for Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class ships.

 

I still based that, based on my conversations with several Hotel Directors, that Monarch made her goals here. She greatly exceeded it on the 3-nighters and fell slightly short on the 4-nighters. Given how that length of trip is a great test for somebody who doesn't know if they're really like cruising, and that other markets are struggling, I am always surprised that RCI didn't want to keep the "starter" cruise out here in order to have a pipeline supply to longer cruises out of other ports.

Just babbling...

[Ashland]

I don't disagree with you and I do want to take a cruise to the Mexican Riveria and I have no desire to do it on anyone except Royal Caribbean. However, expressing those desires here will likely have zero effect on the deployment plan. :D

 

 

I would suggest that everyone go to the loyalty ambassador when onboard a ship and ask them when ships are coming back to the west coast. If enough people are asking for it through official lines then it'll have a better chance of happening. :)

I take every opportunity I can to speak about bringing a ship back to the west coast...onboard with the LA, guest surveys, online surveys, phone reps..etc. etc...Who ever will listen... I sometimes feel like a west coast loyalty ambassador on a mission :D

[Ashland]

I recall that Cruise Critics were imploring RCI to bring a Voyager class ship to the West Coast. Then when they did, the timing couldn't have been worse, as already noted. So I doubt that they will listen to anything we have to say at this point.:(

 

The company can't afford to take any more flyers on a market - Europe hasn't worked out recently, they are struggling in Australia (at least they are asking TAs to get bookings there) and they have mounds of debt to repay for Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class ships.

 

I still based that, based on my conversations with several Hotel Directors, that Monarch made her goals here. She greatly exceeded it on the 3-nighters and fell slightly short on the 4-nighters. Given how that length of trip is a great test for somebody who doesn't know if they're really like cruising, and that other markets are struggling, I am always surprised that RCI didn't want to keep the "starter" cruise out here in order to have a pipeline supply to longer cruises out of other ports.

Just babbling...

Our family started riding that "pipeline" many years ago and it has worked well for RCI :D

[wl2cruise]

I recall that Cruise Critics were imploring RCI to bring a Voyager class ship to the West Coast. Then when they did, the timing couldn't have been worse, as already noted. So I doubt that they will listen to anything we have to say at this point.:(

 

The company can't afford to take any more flyers on a market - Europe hasn't worked out recently, they are struggling in Australia (at least they are asking TAs to get bookings there) and they have mounds of debt to repay for Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class ships.

 

I still based that, based on my conversations with several Hotel Directors, that Monarch made her goals here. She greatly exceeded it on the 3-nighters and fell slightly short on the 4-nighters. Given how that length of trip is a great test for somebody who doesn't know if they're really like cruising, and that other markets are struggling, I am always surprised that RCI didn't want to keep the "starter" cruise out here in order to have a pipeline supply to longer cruises out of other ports.

Just babbling...

 

You forgot to mention RCI has not made a single penny in the Asian market, But they are sending a second ship there next year.:confused:

[Puffinater]

You forgot to mention RCI has not made a single penny in the Asian market, But they are sending a second ship there next year.:confused:

 

Is this fact? What info do you have to support this. Thanks.

 

The casinos are making 267 gazillion dollars in this market.

[wl2cruise]

Is this fact? What info do you have to support this. Thanks.

 

The casinos are making 267 gazillion dollars in this market.

 

2012 Q1 call

 

Richard D. Fain

 

Harry, I think we've made it clear we see Asia, in general, and China, in particular, as a strategic objective. And we've acknowledged in the short term that it's a losing proposition. In particular, and you raised the question of infrastructure, et cetera, there's a lot of infrastructure that goes in. We've had 3 offices in China to support one relatively smaller vessel. So I think you've put your finger on something. In the short term, this is a strategic move which is going to cost us money, and we think that it will pay off relatively quickly. And part of that is to grow the volume to help cover much of that infrastructure and overhead and initial opening costs. So right now, it is costing us money. But when we do look at it, when you look at why we're doing it, we're doing it because in the long term, we think that we will get strong enough returns to justify. We're [ph] getting enough returns today, but we'll first approach breakeven then we'll be profitable taking into account all of those things.

[Puffinater]

Thank you for the short term. Let's wait and see the long term.

[Ocean Boy]

We may have high unemployment but we also have some of the largest wage earners in the country. After all the input here, I still believe RCI should give it another shot, even if just for the summer.

 

Why weren't they filling up Mariner when they had a chance?

[wl2cruise]

Why weren't they filling up Mariner when they had a chance?

 

Adam Goldstein disputes that point in his blog, he said it went out full.

[CruiseDreaming]

As an Arizonan I would LOVE to have cruising return to LA! I particularly liked the 4 nighters and I would alternate each year with a longer one. I have since had to do Carnival and it simply doesn't compare to me.

 

Kerrie :)

[time4u2go]

Perhaps a silly question, but why not contact the cruise line directly with this request instead of just posting here?