Interesting Article about Carnival

[joepeka]

Carnival has also cut commissions to TA's who were once so loyal to the brand. Some have reported that they cannot even offer OBC if it is not a part of a Carnival promotion. We'll just have to wait and see what happens next. ;)

I cannot recall if this was Carnival-specific or industry-wide (probably the former) but I know that TA's cannot offer a price lower than what can be found on the Carnival web site or directly from Carnival. I seem to remember that they (TA's) even risk the wrath of CCL (whatever that means) if they cut their commission to offer a lower price to their customers. Nothing like smacking down the industry that supports you.... unless you just don't care and are deliberately funneling customers to the web site, PVP's, etc. I know, some will say "that's just good business.". Ugh. :mad:

[ATHENA3]

Good article,most of it is very true. Carnival needs a major change!! They can't keep hiding and have somone keep saying how everything is just brillient.

[halos]

I ran across this article this morning and think it is spot on and goes along with a lot of posters here think.

 

It also runs counters on many issues to many other think.

 

I get a kick out of people who aren't in business who want to tell Carnival how to run a company that last I looked was still growing, responsible for over 50% of the global market and not sailing less than full on any ships.

 

This is not to deny the issues that have arisen. Neither have the company. Hence the fleet-wide retrofit and the ongoing improvements -- note the article does not mention nor allude to Carnival's actual responses. But then the Huffington Post always does publish articles that carefully frame any issue discussed to reflect its own ideology on life.

 

Here is something you may not know about large business....when the crap hits the fan, no matter if it's the top brass' fault ot not, (which in the eyes of large business, it ALWAYS is) heads ROLL.

To protect the company's image, they usually remove the top brass...and announce to the world that they have made changes.

This is not personal, it's business and a comapny usually has no problem letting someone (like Cahill) go, especially after having one, (let's face it..two, three, four) too many fiascos.

I can't for the life of me understand how that man is still at the helm. And it's to CCL's detriment that he is.

 

I thought the article was a very good one...although I am not sure the Triumph needs to be ditched...just Cahill.

CCL needs a change of momentum and that is the way to get it.

[kingoftheicedragons]

Thanks for the article. It was definitely interesting and illustrates that Carnival needs to get better with public relations.

[CdrescherRBL152]

I cannot recall if this was Carnival-specific or industry-wide (probably the former) but I know that TA's cannot offer a price lower than what can be found on the Carnival web site or directly from Carnival. I seem to remember that they (TA's) even risk the wrath of CCL (whatever that means) if they cut their commission to offer a lower price to their customers. Nothing like smacking down the industry that supports you.... unless you just don't care and are deliberately funneling customers to the web site, PVP's, etc. I know, some will say "that's just good business.". Ugh. :mad:

 

 

You will not get a TA to admit it but what upsets them, is the fact that Carnival is giving a fair shake to those of us who don't use a TA. TA's have to pay the cruise line minus commosion for each cabin. Now lets say that the commision is 10%. If RCCL is listing a cabin at $2000 then that means they get $1800 from a TA. However if the TA (who despite what they tell won't sell a cabin they get make profit on) is selling it for $1500, RCCL gets $1350. Which means RCCL can make their money at $1500 (acctually at $1350) but they sell it to me since I don't use a TA at $2000. Using these prices the same priced cabin on Carnival, CCL makes $150 off me, while RCCL would make $650. Keep in mind that the TA's, cruise lines and everyone else are in buissiness to make money. They do not and will not ever give you anything for free, or do anything that lowers their bottom line.

[hattack]

The American public has a very short attention span and add on huge discounting, Carnival will retain market share. It also has over 30 years of goodwill.

 

Actions , great customer service and a very sincere " I am sorry" go much further then a slick PR spin

 

The good thing for Carnival is that it's competitors cannot take advantage or Carnival's woes because but for the "Grace of God" go they

[H82seaUgo]

The American public has a very short attention span and add on huge discounting, Carnival will retain market share. It also has over 30 years of goodwill.

 

Actions , great customer service and a very sincere " I am sorry" go much further then a slick PR spin

 

i take it you have no marketting experience to make a post like this.

[Eriksgarden]

It was an interesting article and I agree with much of what was said in it. I also think Carnival needs to upgrade its experience and value-added services and perks. The brand, like its ships, appears dated.

[swedish weave]

When I see an article like this, my first question is why the author left the company, and does he have a personal agenda.

 

When upper management changes, some of the loyal supporters of the prior management are also let go.

 

I am not saying this is the case here, but the question may impact how I interpret the article.

[DirtyDawg]

When I see an article like this, my first question is why the author left the company, and does he have a personal agenda.

 

When upper management changes, some of the loyal supporters of the prior management are also let go.

 

I am not saying this is the case here, but the question may impact how I interpret the article.

 

Swed, what have you found out so far about the author? It's takes about 3 clicks in G**gle to get his C.V.

 

I'm no marketing guru, but his C.V. is impressive. Take a look, see how it impacts your interpretation of the article.

[taszmom]

Ever since Dickinson and Freed left CCL, the support of TA's has diminished greatly. I don't think their relationship with TA's is reparable at this point. When all this crap was going on, they sent an email to TA's giving us a lousy $15-$25 bonnus commission....really? That's incentive to push your product?? Fix the problems and make it easier for us to work with you and then we will reconsider.

 

I am also a CCL stockholder so I am concerned about what happens to them. Luckily all their other brands are not having these same problems and is limited to Carnival. Princess is great to work with and you don't see them having all these problems, neither does HAL. I think Micky Arison needs to have a serious conversation with Cahill if he hasn't already.:rolleyes:

[nbsjcruiser]

Great article and a good read. The only thing I believe he missed is the perception that Carnival is now a budget line. Cheap food and sub-par service need to be corrected. A launch of new menus with an emphasis on quality (e.g. bye bye flat iron steaks) would help woo cruisers back to Carnival. One last thing that I think the author could have added is that Carnival markets the first time cruiser and when things go bad as they have, the first timer is far more reluctant to choose another option then say an experienced cruiser. Carnival should start actively targeting repeat customers in a more obvious and strong way. I've had more than one TA say to me that Carnival's main interest is the first time cruiser. They need to fix this.

 

Long story short, there's plenty Carnival needs to do better. I look back at our very first cruise on the Fantasy in 2001 and recall how excellent the food was and how top notch the service was. I then look and compare that to our last Carnival cruise where I felt I was tricked and fooled into buying something that would not live up to the hype. There's no reason why Carnival can't perform better in the areas many of us know they need to improve on. It may mean a slightly smaller profit, smaller executive bonuses and pay but in the long run it will mean a healthier company, happier customers and a company in the spotlight for all the right reasons as opposed to all the wrong ones. They need a Lee Iacocca type person. A CEO whose primary interest is in saving and running a great company. His pay is secondary to the health of the company not the other way around as is now the impression one gets from the current crop of bozos - hello Mickey Arison.

[Eriksgarden]

The first-time cruiser doesn't want budget. They want "Wow". The cruise industry needs to attract from all-inclusive and resorts.

[wannago35]

Don't know about Cahill being a scapegoat, but CCL definitely needs to make changes, IMO. We have a PVP for CCL cruises, but use a TA (friend) for our RCI cruises. Our TA, says he will book a CCL cruise for us, but had rather not. He says he can not book in good conscious feeling we would enjoy any cruise on RCI and/or NCL more than CCL.

 

Cahill sure made it easy to become a scapegoat by going to Miami Heat games and enjoying himself when the Triumph was out to sea in distress. I'm sure we won't be hearing from him anytime soon no matter what happens because the Heat are battling Chicago in the 2nd round of NBA playoffs right now.

 

Otherwise, that was a good article with on point suggestions for this line's future.

[swedish weave]

Swed, what have you found out so far about the author? It's takes about 3 clicks in G**gle to get his C.V.

 

I'm no marketing guru, but his C.V. is impressive. Take a look, see how it impacts your interpretation of the article.

 

What stands out to me is his experience at Carnival and that NCL is one of his present clients.

 

I don't know if he has a motive for his article, but if he left Carnival for a reason, maybe it could be a factor.

[JaniceB]

Thanks for sharing the interesting article.

[taszmom]

You will not get a TA to admit it but what upsets them, is the fact that Carnival is giving a fair shake to those of us who don't use a TA. TA's have to pay the cruise line minus commosion for each cabin. Now lets say that the commision is 10%. If RCCL is listing a cabin at $2000 then that means they get $1800 from a TA. However if the TA (who despite what they tell won't sell a cabin they get make profit on) is selling it for $1500, RCCL gets $1350. Which means RCCL can make their money at $1500 (acctually at $1350) but they sell it to me since I don't use a TA at $2000. Using these prices the same priced cabin on Carnival, CCL makes $150 off me, while RCCL would make $650. Keep in mind that the TA's, cruise lines and everyone else are in buissiness to make money. They do not and will not ever give you anything for free, or do anything that lowers their bottom line.

 

I am a TA and how do you know what upsets me or my colleagues about CCL? Have you interviewed any of us?

 

What I won't do is book the ESR for clients. Why would any TA take a client who wanted to book a ESR rate when in fact it is not meant to be handled by a TA but by the consumer direct. That's what CCL wants. If the consumer wants to spend their time doing daily price checks and submitting forms, go for it, but why in the world would a TA want to take that on to make less commission? In fact we cannot book the ESR over the phone, online only. They give lower prices by cutting out out the middle man. So what that says is we don't need you, travel agents. But then when these "disasters" happen they come looking for us to push their product and help them through these tough times. All of sudden now we are important to their business. On one hand they want to cut us out and on the other hand they say they need us. Can't have it both ways. It wasn't like that when Dickinson and Freed were there.

 

Yes we do make higher commission on RC because their price point is higher Always has been, that's nothing new. The bigger issue why we don't like pushing CCL products is because a) they have become very hard to work with and b) the quality of the product has diminished.

[ontheweb]

I am a TA and how do you know what upsets me or my colleagues about CCL? Have you interviewed any of us?

 

What I won't do is book the ESR for clients. Why would any TA take a client who wanted to book a ESR rate when in fact it is not meant to be handled by a TA but by the consumer direct. That's what CCL wants. If the consumer wants to spend their time doing daily price checks and submitting forms, go for it, but why in the world would a TA want to take that on to make less commission? In fact we cannot book the ESR over the phone, online only. They give lower prices by cutting out out the middle man. So what that says is we don't need you, travel agents. But then when these "disasters" happen they come looking for us to push their product and help them through these tough times. All of sudden now we are important to their business. On one hand they want to cut us out and on the other hand they say they need us. Can't have it both ways. It wasn't like that when Dickinson and Freed were there.

 

Yes we do make higher commission on RC because their price point is higher Always has been, that's nothing new. The bigger issue why we don't like pushing CCL products is because a) they have become very hard to work with and b) the quality of the product has diminished.

 

I had no idea which Carnival rate category to use. I found it all very confusing. It was our TA who decided that Early Saver was our best option. And I do feel bad for him that with 2 price decrease so far, his commission will be going down. But, he knows that we have been loyal to him in the past, and will remain loyal to him.

 

I do know that he is very unhappy with Carnival, the corporation, not just the cruise line. He has said that he has made them a lot of money in the past, and now they make it hard for him to make money.

[cjknox]

Cahill sure made it easy to become a scapegoat by going to Miami Heat games and enjoying himself when the Triumph was out to sea in distress. I'm sure we won't be hearing from him anytime soon no matter what happens because the Heat are battling Chicago in the 2nd round of NBA playoffs right now.

 

Otherwise, that was a good article with on point suggestions for this line's future.

 

You are confused.

 

It was Micky Arison that was at the Miami beat game since he is the owner of the franchise. Gerry Cahill was in fact in Mobile when the Triumph pulled in. In fact he even gave a live press conference and helped passengers debark the vessel.

[taszmom]

I am experiencing at this very moment how difficult it is to deal with CCL... I am currently on hold while the rep at the other end had to get Guest Solutions to help me because they have no power or understanding of their own fares. My client wants to BUY an upgrade to an oceanview. This should be a simple process and it's not.

[zenful6219]

Hmm, the comments are more exciting than the article! I liked the article but see no need to dump the Triumph. Only "we" remember the name. It's not like Concordia or something that instantly rings a bell.

 

I disagree that only people who frequent cruise forums, or even Carnival customers, are the only ones that remember the Triumph disaster. I've got a cruise coming up in about 8 days on Carnival Dream. I can't tell you how many times I've received a negative reaction after being asked which cruise line I'm taking and telling them "Carnival Dream." Pursed lips, shaking of heads, snickering, and the popular "Don't forget to bring a rowboat" comment are just some of the highlights. If Gerry Cahill can't answer a question about whether or not the Triumph disaster was a PR disaster, I'd say Carnival needs a new President.

[DirtyDawg]

What stands out to me is his experience at Carnival and that NCL is one of his present clients.

 

I don't know if he has a motive for his article, but if he left Carnival for a reason, maybe it could be a factor.

 

I also want to know the motivation of people who write articles. You just don't know their particular biases. That being said, the writer is no longer in the corporate world (left in 2009), he is a lecturer in Marketing and pursuing his PhD. So as an academic, I'll give him my benefit of the doubt. And I thought the article was well reasoned and dispassionate observation of the current situation for CCL.

 

(A lot more reasoned and dispassionate than most posts on CC ;) )

[RRLLAL]

I am a TA and how do you know what upsets me or my colleagues about CCL? Have you interviewed any of us?

 

What I won't do is book the ESR for clients. Why would any TA take a client who wanted to book a ESR rate when in fact it is not meant to be handled by a TA but by the consumer direct. That's what CCL wants. If the consumer wants to spend their time doing daily price checks and submitting forms, go for it, but why in the world would a TA want to take that on to make less commission? In fact we cannot book the ESR over the phone, online only. They give lower prices by cutting out out the middle man. So what that says is we don't need you, travel agents. But then when these "disasters" happen they come looking for us to push their product and help them through these tough times. All of sudden now we are important to their business. On one hand they want to cut us out and on the other hand they say they need us. Can't have it both ways. It wasn't like that when Dickinson and Freed were there.

 

Yes we do make higher commission on RC because their price point is higher Always has been, that's nothing new. The bigger issue why we don't like pushing CCL products is because a) they have become very hard to work with and b) the quality of the product has diminished.

 

I'm glad my TA books, and usually recommends ES for me. She even checks for price drops. I've used her for most of my cruises and she recognizes me as a valued customer of hers and wants to keep my business.

 

Sent using my Commodore 64

[H82seaUgo]

I'm glad my TA books, and usually recommends ES for me. She even che ks for price drops. I've used her for moat if my cruises and she recognizes me as a valued customer of hers and wants to keep my business.

 

Sent using my Commodore 64

 

you just need to figure out who she's more happy to see; making 10 to 16 % commisioin on a package for $1200, or higher commission rates on fares of $4200. i wonder which customer they prefer?

[RRLLAL]

you just need to figure out who she's more happy to see; making 10 to 16 % commisioin on a package for $1200, or higher commission rates on fares of $4200. i wonder which customer they prefer?

 

Who cares who she prefers? She treats me exactly as she should, a valued customer. Always gives me free travel insurance and I've found a bottle of wine in my room upon embarkation several times from her.

 

Sent using my Commodore 64