Just off the Fantasy!! 12-7 thru 12-12

[mawvkysc]

We live an hour from Charleston and four from Jacksonville. It is considerably cheaper for us to cruise out of Jacksonville because of fares and the fact that there is no offsite parking in Charleston.

[Sunshinecrew]

You are in the majority as far as Fantasy cruisers go!

 

The South Carolina Ports Authority wants to build the new terminal on their own land, on the north end of Union Pier, while using the current terminal on the south end as they construct the new. They and the city have said that two other sites suggested by those opposed to the Union Pier location will not work. The city supports the location near the market believing the industry to be big for business and the area to have historically been an international port. At the same time, they are concerned about traffic and over-crowding and the toll it all takes. For instance, The Post and Courier today had an article about a committee study report that has proposed trolleys into the city originating up Morrison Drive at Mt Pleasant St where parking could be easily accessed. They also stated that we need to increase bicycle traffic by 70%! Also suggested was allowing automobile traffic south of Broad to only those residents! The reaction will be interesting!

 

The preservation and residential groups, etc. who oppose the location of the terminal would probably not fight so hard should the SCPA agree to shore power, a limit of ships per year and a certain passenger capacity as they have discussed repeatedly. However, to ready for shore power would cost a great deal. When the Fantasy was last refitted, it was not made shore power ready. Not many ships or ports are.

 

I don't know the answer. Personally, I'd prefer the terminal be further up the river but regardless look to alternate power as environmentally friendly and limits on capacity. Living downtown Charleston is a joy and at times a nightmare truthfully. Wouldn't trade right now for anywhere else in the world but you just wouldn't believe the stories I could tell! :)

 

 

Sunshinecrew do you know why the city doesn't want to locate the new terminal closer to the navy yard? It seems like it would help crowding as far as embarkation/debarkation goes. I can understand from a tourism aspect why that isn't desirable since passengers wouldn't be right at downtown, but having cruised out of Charleston a few times I can see how passengers aren't a huge source of tourism dollars. We live near Charlotte and it's no problem to drive down the morning of embarkation and then drive straight home after the cruise, therefore we don't spend much time or money in the city. I imagine a fair number of other cruisers are the same way. Not that we don't want to visit Charleston, just that living so close we don't feel the need to squeeze in seeing the city with our cruise, we make visiting the city itself its own trip!

 

As for cruise ships stopping in Charleston as a destination, Union Pier is obviously a much better location than the navy yard for proximity to the historical district and downtown, too bad it couldn't be used only for those ships with a new terminal near the navy yard.

[flucocruiser]

How about moving it to the new site which would move the ship from view and create a dedicated road like they do at many ports and connect it to i-26 this would reduce traffic by providing a direct access. For shore power you can supply it in the new port but you can't force the cruise company to install it usually it's ships post 2000 that has shore power capability, which the current port can't support until a new port is built.

 

For the economy the new terminal by the images provided looks like it allows the passengers to leave the port walk down the sidewalk to the market and then they can go back and board the ship when they are done shipping.

[cruiser fanatic]

I haven't cruised the Fantasy since 2009 when she was in New Orleans. I enjoyed my cruise on her although, things could have changed since 5 years ago. For now, I will be avoiding the Charleston port until they get their mess straightened out!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the honest review of your Fantasy cruise.

[Sunshinecrew]

How about moving it to the new site which would move the ship from view and create a dedicated road like they do at many ports and connect it to i-26 this would reduce traffic by providing a direct access.

 

 

Interesting concept. Not sure where such road would run with so many historic neighborhoods and other public sites in the path.

[flucocruiser]

I know I'm current visiting the lovely city and I'm traveling over ravanal(excuse me if i butchered it) and its hard to see an access point with in the spider webs of bridges

[F27TW]

Embarkation can not change until they get new terminal. With all the lawsuits they are now back to step 1 on getting terminal. Hopefully the old bitties (oh sorry - the historical society) will allow the plans to move forward

 

Since these idiots fighting the cruise lines in Charleston are so powerful and troublesome, why not move to Savannah? Or even Wilmington ?

[flucocruiser]

Because they have invested millions into there french quarter homes.

[cruzeluver]

In my view, the tales of embarkation in Charleston being painful are exaggerated. I have sailed on three different ships (Norwegian Majesty, Celebrity Mercury and Carnival Fantasy) out of Charleston in the last decade and never once had an issue. Yes, its a different process than in the larger embarkation ports, but if you pay attention and follow the directions given by the local authorities its no big deal. Certainly not a reason to avoid sailing fro our fair city. We arrive in August for our Fantasy cruise at 10:45 in the morning and were on board by 11:30.

[F27TW]

Because they have invested millions into there french quarter homes.

 

Actually I worded that wrong .. I meant why wouldn't Carnival consider pulling out of there and moving to Savannah instead of constantly fighting the city of Charleston.

[tucho]

Wow!! Love this, at least have a better idea of what’s going on. Thanks for all the info and opinions

[missdebi]

Since these idiots fighting the cruise lines in Charleston are so powerful and troublesome, why not move to Savannah? Or even Wilmington ?

 

 

Wilmington......yes yes yes........we have a deep water port, a vibrant downtown area, beautiful beaches but we also have electrical lines that have to be moved to the tune of one million! I maintain hope----- a very small hope!

[alreadypacked]

How about moving it to the new site which would move the ship from view and create a dedicated road like they do at many ports and connect it to i-26 this would reduce traffic by providing a direct access. For shore power you can supply it in the new port but you can't force the cruise company to install it usually it's ships post 2000 that has shore power capability, which the current port can't support until a new port is built.

 

For the economy the new terminal by the images provided looks like it allows the passengers to leave the port walk down the sidewalk to the market and then they can go back and board the ship when they are done shipping.

 

Hmm...

 

I can't contribute anything about the shore power issue but...

 

I live in Fort Lauderdale, and many here love seeing the ships in port and love to watch the sail out--in person or on the webcam.

 

DH and I even met Cruise Critic's own Carolyn Spencer Brown at a very busy sail-out viewing spot.

 

Ships visible in port don't seem to be an issue here at all.

 

We do get a kind of black soot/dirt on our deck and patio furniture here--such that I did not experience back home in the northeast. But I can't say for certain if it's from Port Everglades, FLL Airport (we live only minutes from both), or just the heavy traffic in Broward County.

 

Whatever... cruise ship passengers bring lots of dollars into this area in terms of hotel stays, dining out and even purchaes at our local Publix supermarkets. I can't tell you how many times DH & I see people walking towards a hotel on A Saturday or Sunday morning in resort casual wear carrying Publix bags. We always say, "They must be cruisers."

[nc762shooter]

I've cruised out of Charleston 3 times (soon to be 4) and have never had any serious issues for boarding either. As long as you don't get there super early where you have to wait until they actually start taking your bags and parking cars it never took us more than an hour to get on board from entering the port. A couple times we basically drove straight to the parking garage, no waiting at any of the checkpoints for paying and checking bags. Took only a few minutes for enough people to get on the shuttle to ride to the terminal, and the wait inside for security and check in wasn't bad either, probably because the shuttles spread out how many people get in there at once. It's not an ideal set up, but it works about as smoothly as could be expected and I wouldn't let it keep me from cruising out of Charleston.

[Fishtales6]

Wilmington......yes yes yes........we have a deep water port, a vibrant downtown area, beautiful beaches but we also have electrical lines that have to be moved to the tune of one million! I maintain hope----- a very small hope!

I'd prefer Morehead over Wilmington... The only key is to get the crooks..er uh..politicians in Raleigh to see how much money they can make....er uh...potential revenue to the coastal areas.

[Sunshinecrew]

Since these idiots fighting the cruise lines in Charleston are so powerful and troublesome, why not move to Savannah? Or even Wilmington ?

 

 

Sigh...I'm convinced that there is something about being anonymous on the Internet that brings out the worst in some people and gives them some sort of permission in their minds to name call and misrepresent since they won't be held responsible. Go figure. :rolleyes:

 

Yet here I thought that on June 27, 2013, the City Council in Savannah, after already spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a four year study, unanimously voted to cease any further funding of the study and ended the debate on building a cruise ship terminal there! Savannah looked at other cities, for example Charleston, and decided they don't want to build a terminal for cruise ships!

 

I may be wrong but as I understand anyway, Wilmington has a little problem with the width of their channel for a ship as large as the Fantasy.

[Sunshinecrew]

Because they have invested millions into there french quarter homes.

 

Is there a "French Quarter" in Savannah or Wilmington? Not quite sure just whose post you were replying to but it appeared to be to the question of moving cruise ships to Savannah or Wilmington. Wherever, are you an expert on the value of the real estate market in such French Quarter area/areas? Is there a correlation between the price of a home and one's opinion on cruise lines docking in a given city?

[wnc]

We have cruised out of Charleston five or six times and stayed in a hotel every time except once, and that time we stayed close to the city. We also eat out and shop there. DW's favorite place to eat is Pearlz, both downtown and on West Ashley (I think that is the name of the road). I'm really beginning to resent spending my money in a place that doesn't seem to appreciate it. I, for one, would love to see full time cruises out of Wilmington or any other NC port capable of receiving cruise line ships.

[flucocruiser]

Is there a "French Quarter" in Savannah or Wilmington? Not quite sure just whose post you were replying to but it appeared to be to the question of moving cruise ships to Savannah or Wilmington. Wherever, are you an expert on the value of the real estate market in such French Quarter area/areas? Is there a correlation between the price of a home and one's opinion on cruise lines docking in a given city?

 

 

I'm not an expert on estate value per sé but I have looked up houses for sale located in the French quarter area and they are in the 1-3 million range and most of them are going after the terminal because the ship is apparently threaten preservation status that would have land value located within the area plummet. And the correlation is very rare in the cruise industry as most terminals are located in ports far away from places similar to this.

[Sunshinecrew]

We have cruised out of Charleston five or six times and stayed in a hotel every time except once, and that time we stayed close to the city. We also eat out and shop there. DW's favorite place to eat is Pearlz, both downtown and on West Ashley (I think that is the name of the road). I'm really beginning to resent spending my money in a place that doesn't seem to appreciate it. I, for one, would love to see full time cruises out of Wilmington or any other NC port capable of receiving cruise line ships.

 

 

You are the exception to the rule, or I guess I should say the "exception to the studies conducted' which concluded that the majority of the Fantasy cruisers drive in, board, then upon return disembark and drive out. It determined that cruiser spends an average of $61.00 in the city including gas! That same study concluded that the average tourist who comes to see the city spends six times that much. And if the Fantasy cruiser does stay the night, they usually stay in hotels/motels in North Charleston or Mt Pleasant and spend very little overall. Read why the City Council of Savannah voted not to go any further towards looking into a terminal in that city! They looked at studies of what other cities have/will have spent versus return on investment and problems incurred, Charleston chief among them!

 

I'd be very happy if the majority of cruisers were like you and we did realize a large financial return to keep up with the wear and tear on our city. But please don't think that you are not appreciated. I suspect most Charlestonians know that tourism is a vital to our economy! I hope you find nothing but good Southern hospitality in Charleston! I'd just like for us to come up with a solution that works well for everyone as well as the city itself.

 

My husband and I love Pearlz too. We eat at the Pearlz East Bay a couple of times a week. Some of the best Happy Hour prices! The second Pearlz is in West Ashley just off Hwy 17, AKA Savannah Highway, on Magnolia Rd. We've been to that one a couple of times but it just doesn't seem the same somehow.

 

Once again on Wilmington, it's my own personal understanding, and I would like for someone who really is knowledgable on the subject to chime in, that Wilmington now serves very small luxury and adventure cruise ships (100-600 passengers) and that ships even the size of the Fantasy might have a problem when turning up the Intercoastal Waterway channel and they could have a disaster on their hands!

[Sunshinecrew]

I'm not an expert on estate value per sé but I have looked up houses for sale located in the French quarter area and they are in the 1-3 million range and most of them are going after the terminal because the ship is apparently threaten preservation status that would have land value located within the area plummet. And the correlation is very rare in the cruise industry as most terminals are located in ports far away from places similar to this.

 

How do you know that "MOST of them are going after the terminal" much less that the ship threatens preservation status (whatever you mean by that) or that "land value located within the area (French Quarter which you directly referred to) would plummet?

 

How is a "correlation" very rare? You have stated that the ship apparently would threaten "preservation status" that would have "land value" in the area plummet. Is that a correlation or not? And do you know for a fact that has happened since the Fantasy has docked in the French Quarter? Are homes in the French Quarter unable to attain some sort of preservation status? I really don't know what you are saying there. One would assume most have already attained whatever "preservation status" there is to attain. For instance, a Carolopolis Award or admittance to the National Register of Historic Places. And one would assume that since the Fantasy has been docking in the French Quarter for some time and since prices certainly have NOT "plummeted," one could also assume that when the newer terminal is built at the NORTH end of Union Pier or even further up river, if those opposed to the Union Pier site should prevail, prices will not plummet (given a stable economy of course).

 

You are right. Single family homes in the French Quarter for the most part do range upwards of one million now though there are exceptions and condos can be purchased for less. Frankly, even during the recession of 2008, Charleston's historic district didn't see a big hit on prices like other areas did. Somewhat. Some properties sat on the market longer. Sellers may have come off their prices a bit more. Sales and prices moved up quite a bit in 2012 to now. I see no sign of prices "plummeting." Fantasy or no Fantasy!

 

Sorry, the old school teacher in me wants you to really think before you type. :)

[Sunshinecrew]

BTW, while the Fantasy does dock in Charleston's French Quarter, I personally think some of the most vocal about the future terminal and the current cruise ships' exhaust coating their homes and autos live in Ansonborough, between the City Market and Calhoun Street (north to south) and Meeting Street and Concord Street (east to west).

[Coopdog08]

BTW, while the Fantasy does dock in Charleston's French Quarter, I personally think some of the most vocal about the future terminal and the current cruise ships' exhaust coating their homes and autos live in Ansonborough, between the City Market and Calhoun Street (north to south) and Meeting Street and Concord Street (east to west).

 

Maybe it's just me and I am way off base but here is my take. If I was the city of Charleston and the cruise industry I would be doing everything that I could possibly do to have a great working relationship. Why you ask? In my opinion Charleston is a gold mine of a locations! Below are my reasons.

1. From Charleston you can sail to Bermuda, New England, Key West, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Domician Republic, San Juan, and most of the islands south of San Juan. What other port would allow you that much flexibility. What is a top complaint from many cruisers? Same ports same destinations. Wow, how many different options would this allow.

2. Given those options, and if Charleston promoted there city I guarantee you that people would spend more and obviously more people rather fly or drive would be there. You see Charleston, you must put in some effort as people are not just going to show up.

3. The majority of cruisers are over the age of 50. Would those people prefer to see Miami, New Orleans, NYC, Tampa or Charleston. My vote would be Charleston due to the rich history and beauty. Again promote it!

Obviously there are many other little things that would need to happen but your sitting on a gold mine!

[otis30223]

You know why most people stay in North Charleston or Mount Pleasent, due to limited space there is little to no parking at hotels in Charleston. Most cruiser's such as myself like to do the park and cruise, since parking at the port tends to be very expensive. It's the same issue in NOLA with most staying in outlying areas. I've been to Charleston on a visit just to see the city and stayed in Mt. Pleasant, where the rates are lower and you don't have to pay to park.

 

 

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