Possible Ship Deployments After Fantasy's Retirement.

[talkorpi]

Ahh, another speculation thread.

 

Last time I started one of these threads it ended in disaster, so hopefully this one will end up better :rolleyes:

 

As we all probably know, there have been a cluster of rumors swirling around that the Fantasy is slated to be sold/retired. So I decided to start a speculation thread about what would happen after the fact. (Sorry if there is already a thread like this, I've been inactive for almost 5 months :eek:).

 

I think that if they don't base Vista in NYC (which is already a huge speculation in the Everything Vista category), they will probably put her in Miami. The Breeze will take over Glory's itineraries, and the Glory will move to Charleston to replace the Fantasy. Then the Vista can take over the Breeze's alternating 6- and 8- day trips.

 

Feel free to share what you would think, anything's fair game!

[misguidedangel]

Yep, nothing like having to pack a heavy winter jacket to go on a Caribbean cruise...No, when I cruise in winter I leave winter clothes behind and only pack summer clothes.....don't want winter weather when I go to board the ship and the first day at sea....

 

If they were smart they would take switch ships from Galveston and FLL and given them new ships.....

[seannyice81]

I like to speculate on repos...

 

I don't see any Conquest Class going to SC. You've got seasonal sailings out of Norfolk, Pride out of Baltimore, and Fascination out of Jacksonville. I only see Fantasy being replaced by another of it's class when it comes to SC unless they decide to mix itineraries as well.

[mattcj89]

Ok here's what I think...

 

Vista to Galveston

Magic to Port Canaveral

Sunshine or Valor to Charleston

 

There's also been speculation about Elation and Paradise leaving the fleet before Fantasy due to upgrades, which I hope isn't the case. The only Fantasy class ship I've been on is Elation and what I've seen in pictures it's much more elegant than the older ships in that class.

[talkorpi]

Ok here's what I think...

 

Vista to Galveston

Magic to Port Canaveral

Sunshine or Valor to Charleston

 

 

Love that idea, but it's probably not realistic (or at least to me). Living in Texas, I would love to see Vista come to my state, but I think Carnival signed Magic to Galveston for a while.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[EZ4]

I don't think Carnival will be poking the sleeping bear in Charleston with a ship larger than a Fantasy class for a while. The lawsuit may be over for now, but it won't take much to incite the uproar again. A Conquest class ship would certainly be met with another round of resistance and I don't think that Carnival is anxious to do that. I think Charleston is stuck in Fantasy class land for the foreseeable future.

[karmgonnagetcha]

Victory is headed to Charleston.

 

 

Thank you

[mattcj89]

Love that idea, but it's probably not realistic (or at least to me). Living in Texas, I would love to see Vista come to my state, but I think Carnival signed Magic to Galveston for a while.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

I wouldn't be surprised since Carnival commands higher prices in Texas than most other markets.

 

Someone who seems pretty credible (not the guy with multiple sign-ons) stated that he had spoken with someone inside Carnival who said Vista would be most likely deployed to Galveston or NOLA. I can't imagine Carnival choosing to deploy Vista to NOLA especially now that RCCL is sending Liberty OTS to Galveston, Carnival needs to be able to compete and RCCL has pulled out of NOLA for the next few years.

 

I can't imagine Port Canaveral not getting a newer ship regardless of where Vista ends up going. So if she ends up in Miami as everyone here is wanting to speculate, I would imagine Breeze would go to PC.

[talkorpi]

I wouldn't be surprised since Carnival commands higher prices in Texas than most other markets.

 

Someone who seems pretty credible (not the guy with multiple sign-ons) stated that he had spoken with someone inside Carnival who said Vista would be most likely deployed to Galveston or NOLA. I can't imagine Carnival choosing to deploy Vista to NOLA especially now that RCCL is sending Liberty OTS to Galveston, Carnival needs to be able to compete and RCCL has pulled out of NOLA for the next few years.

 

I can't imagine Port Canaveral not getting a newer ship regardless of where Vista ends up going. So if she ends up in Miami as everyone here is wanting to speculate, I would imagine Breeze would go to PC.

 

 

Well, I would certainly love to see Vista come here! The only problem with that is that it would almost certainly bring prices up even more. Cruises from Galveston are already pretty expensive as is, and bringing in a new ship would raise that bar substantially. Liberty OTS is going to be pretty expensive as well, though, so maybe Carnival will keep their prices lower then those (if she does end up coming to Galveston).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[mapsmith]

Although everything is speculation.

 

Hasn't every new build lately started in either Galveston or New Orleans? Seem to remember, that Magic, Dream, Breeze, all started there. Charleston is a minor port in the overall scheme of things. I would expect one of the "ion" ships to wind up there. or possibly the Paradise. That way even will low bookings the ship will sail mostly full. Finally, I kind of expect that Sunshine will be the NYC ship.

[Justyman87]

I just don't see Carnival putting a new ship in N/O or Galveston. I think that Carnival will put it in Florida or NY where all the new ships seem to go and move some ships around.

 

For the Fantasy leaving, I posted a thread a while back speculating that it was retiring or going to a sister cruise line in Europe but IDK... it seems that Carnival is key to having them because some of there markets wouldn't exist without them.

 

My guesses:

Fantasy leaves, Ecstasy takes place and another ship currently based in Miami, takes over route. (Very possible, why not?)

Fantasy stays, new ship based in Miami, Breeze to Galveston, Magic to Port Canaveral, Something to N/O.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Justyman87

[karmgonnagetcha]

 

it seems that Carnival is key to having them because some of there markets wouldn't exist without them.

 

There will come a day, sooner rather than later, where some of their homeports will simply have to go away because the ports can't support the size of the larger ships of today.

 

 

Thank you

[CruisingwithAutism]

Dear Santa,

All I want for 2015 is the Breeze in PC! I've been a good girl...most of the year.

Kisses!

-Kelly

 

 

Feb '11 Carnival Elation

Nov '11 Carnival Fascination

Sep '12 Royal Monarch of the Seas

Nov '12 Royal Freedom of the Seas

Sep '13 Carnival Dream

Jan '14 Disney Dream

Mar '14 Disney Magic

Aug '14 Caribbean Princess

Oct '14 Carnival Dream

May '15 Carnival Sunshine

[Justyman87]

There will come a day, sooner rather than later, where some of their homeports will simply have to go away because the ports can't support the size of the larger ships of today.

 

 

Thank you

Yea you are definitely right. Look we lost Tampa with long cruises because of lack of ships. I just think at this time it is not happening. Who knows maybe carnival will surprise me. Maybe under new management but it is tough a lot rely on these ships to make cruising cheaper which carnival is known for.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Forums mobile app

[bmc alabama]

Heck, we'd just love one ship, no matter what class back in Mobile. It's 2 hours closer than NO and you don't have to navigate the river for 7 hours...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[EZ4]

Heck, we'd just love one ship, no matter what class back in Mobile. It's 2 hours closer than NO and you don't have to navigate the river for 7 hours...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Probably not going to happen. As much noise as the mayor's office makes about getting a cruise line back in Mobile, I don't think they are really trying too hard. Airbus and Austal are their crown jewels and I think cruising has lost it's appeal. It's just a PITA for the city to deal with. There's bad blood between the city and Carnival, no matter what either one says. Something happened behind closed doors that we'll probably never hear about. Plus, ALDOT has a new I-10 bridge in the works that will bypass the I-10 tunnels, just south of the cruise terminal, that even at 215 feet clearance, will probably negatively impact cruise ships going forward. Don't hold your breath. The locals don't miss Carnival.

[falkcor]

Love that idea, but it's probably not realistic (or at least to me). Living in Texas, I would love to see Vista come to my state, but I think Carnival signed Magic to Galveston for a while.

 

they sign up for port facilities / slip / berth rights. while it may even contractually based on the ship at the time, depending upon the contract, if they were to replace it with a ship of equal or greater size the port would not turn that down, and may again based upon contract, potentially garner greater return. this is part of why it seems recently carnival ships transfer around so frequently.

[falkcor]

Although everything is speculation.

 

Hasn't every new build lately started in either Galveston or New Orleans? Seem to remember, that Magic, Dream, Breeze, all started there. Charleston is a minor port in the overall scheme of things. I would expect one of the "ion" ships to wind up there. or possibly the Paradise. That way even will low bookings the ship will sail mostly full. Finally, I kind of expect that Sunshine will be the NYC ship.

 

no. new orleans has not had a new build since carnival conquest.

 

dream started in port canaveral. magic started in galveston. breeze started in miami.

 

(this refers to homeports, not the one off tours through nyc and such).

 

i agree charleston is a minor port in the grander scheme of things. and given the unrest, i doubt there'll be anything more than a fantasy class ship there in the near future.

 

we already know splendor is coming back next year to NY. they will be facing somewhat stiff competition vs. NCL and RCCL in the NY market, and i don't think putting 'a destiny with lipstick' in NY will work that well - a refurbished splendor would do better than that, given the age of destiny / sunshine. that said, year round from ny apparently didn't work for them despite a captive market, so i think they're doing it wrong anyway - anything could happen :)

[Disconnections]

they sign up for port facilities / slip / berth rights. while it may even contractually based on the ship at the time, depending upon the contract, if they were to replace it with a ship of equal or greater size the port would not turn that down, and may again based upon contract, potentially garner greater return. this is part of why it seems recently carnival ships transfer around so frequently.

 

Ships have always moved around frequently, especially other cruise lines that have many ships repositioning seasonally with a continuous change of homeports.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Disconnections

[falkcor]

Well, I would certainly love to see Vista come here! The only problem with that is that it would almost certainly bring prices up even more. Cruises from Galveston are already pretty expensive as is, and bringing in a new ship would raise that bar substantially. Liberty OTS is going to be pretty expensive as well, though, so maybe Carnival will keep their prices lower then those (if she does end up coming to Galveston).

 

you see though, that is exactly what they have been cultivating in galveston. you are exactly correct, that the new ships drive the prices up.

 

lets say conquest / ecstasy era - those were the ships in galveston. conquest doing the 7 days, ecstasy doing the 4/5 day cruises. they were always more expensive than pretty much any other port...

 

then they upgraded the capacity with magic (brand new ship in galveston), and triumph, for the shorter cruises - the second 'big ship' (post destiny) to run the short cruises. prices were still higher than in almost any other port...

 

so then they add to magic / triumph, FREEDOM, a conquest class ship... and prices are still higher than they get in almost any other port.

 

does it really seem to be that much of a stretch, that they would then cycle in the newest ship (as they did with magic, which was 'scandalous' to the florida devotees and status quote at the time), to support 3 ships and maximum revenue? not at all, to me. galveston continues to be about the best decision carnival can make :)

[talkorpi]

I started a Corpus Christi thread! That was my reference to my last "disaster" of a thread.:(

Edited December 22, 2014 by talkorpi

[falkcor]

Ships have always moved around frequently, especially other cruise lines that have many ships repositioning seasonally with a continuous change of homeports.

 

yes, i understand that and made that point in particular. i was specifically referencing the point that:

 

Love that idea, but it's probably not realistic (or at least to me). Living in Texas, I would love to see Vista come to my state, but I think Carnival signed Magic to Galveston for a while

 

and indicating that ships can move around, and magic in particular is not specifically 'signed' to galveston, and that ships can move around, which is what you just said. and i said before that. :p

[Disconnections]

they sign up for port facilities / slip / berth rights. while it may even contractually based on the ship at the time, depending upon the contract, if they were to replace it with a ship of equal or greater size the port would not turn that down, and may again based upon contract, potentially garner greater return. this is part of why it seems recently carnival ships transfer around so frequently.

Ships have always moved around frequently, especially other cruise lines that have many ships repositioning seasonally with a continuous change of homeports.

yes, i understand that and made that point in particular. i was specifically referencing the point that:

 

and indicating that ships can move around, and magic in particular is not specifically 'signed' to galveston, and that ships can move around, which is what you just said. and i said before that. :p

 

You stated Carnival only recently started repositioning ships frequently. I stated cruise lines have always repositioned their ships frequently. Some cruise lines are now changing certain homeports whenever their ships return from Europe. Some change their homeports every few months. Some sail around the world over 110 days with continuous segments. Not every cruise line will run the Grand Cayman/Jamaica/Cozumel, Cozumel/Grand Cayman/Belieze/Roatan, etc. itineraries week after week on multiple ships year-round.

[falkcor]

I know, even though they're trying to get legislation, I've realized it was just a small thing that didn't have as much support as I thought :o Oh, well.

 

it's a huge investment, and probably not right at this time. i wouldn't hold out too much hope. it'd need more support than just 'hey let's build a cruise port!', it needs a public private partnership, in corpus christi, to also provide the hotels and hospitality infrastructure, including restaurants, bars, etc. problem is that those things don't tend to present themselves upfront, they follow the trend. i.e. private investors will not build hotels and restaurants on speculation only. 'if you build it, they will come'... but cruise lines are 'if you build it, we will come'.

 

that was the problem with houston bayport. it's not a great port as it was built. it didn't even have enough parking. but nobody wanted to invest, with 0 tenants. really, it was only proposed to be the 'sexy' part of a much larger initiative for the industrial port. but they built it anyway, and nobody came. it's only now, that carnival is thriving out of TX that it's garnered any interest from other cruise lines, who i bet you are wishing they embraced galveston earlier - which now is of course loyal to carnival, as the only line that has sailed year round from the port for years. very tricky, port negotiations are. :)

[Tapi]

I doubt Vista will go to NYC when Carnival had to throttle back their presence considerably and doesn't even have a ship there year round anymore. They went from 2 ships, one year round and one seasonal, to one ship seasonal.

 

I do think that Vista's new home will be either Miami, Galveston, or Port Canaveral with other ships reshuffled as a consequence.

 

I also think that Charleston will get a larger ship sooner rather than later. Although I'd hate to agree with the poster with multiple personality disorder, I do think that a ship like the Victory may be headed to Charleston and a larger/newer ship will be deployed on the 4/5 day market out of Miami to keep up with the competition from other cruise lines now doing these short itineraries with better ships.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app