Why did Carnival eliminate European Cruises?

[traveler2100]

Why did Carnival eliminate European Cruises?

I just found this out

[shof515]

Because it cost too much money to fly to Europe and back home again.

 

Carnival Corp already has other ships in Europe, no need to have other ships in that area

[A&Jfamily]

They only do Europe when they release a ship over there - it’s been this way for quite a while. There focus has shifted to the Caribbean and they offer the widest variety of repeat itineraries.

 

 

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[Joebucks]

Regardless of any reason why any company tells you they stop offering something, it's because they weren't make enough money.

[Brazil2112]

Probably due to a extremely higher chançe of terrorism.

[Cafedumonde]

Not enough demand is my guess. I noticed that Disney also seems to be having trouble filling their European cruises. They are offering discounts to EU citizens on European cruises.

[Micahs Grandad]

Not enough demand. We now do mostly European cruises and air is not as expensive as we thought it would be.

 

Carnival fills up their ships elsewhere these days

[BlerkOne]

Carnival is mostly for Americans who have proven to be fickle. Overreacting to a terrorist incident, air fares, VAT, and other things outside of Carnival's control. When cruisers back out, Carnival is left scrambling for replacements at discounted prices. They had enough of that with Vista.

[xDisconnections]

It’s not profitable enough for them to continue doing regular seasons in Europe as there are many factors preventing Carnival’s target demographic from wanting to do these cruises. Some of these can include cost, length of vacations, duration of flights, perceived safety issues and other various obstacles.

 

In the past, Carnival sometimes sent ships from the US to Europe to do a season but times have changed and you’re lucky to have it for a few weeks after a new ship launches.

[bakersdozen12]

First off, the airfare isn’t that bad; when my husband I did our Horizon cruise recently our airfare from Boston to Barcelona was about $850 for both of us round trip. And I think all of the comments about terrorist activity is unwarranted. You have just as much of a chance of being a victim of a terrorist attack in the US as you do abroad.

 

Personally, I think what hurt Carnival with the Horizon is that they had the same itineraries as they did with the Vista. They should have changed it up with some different European cruises. I think a lot of people that cruises on the Vista in Europe would have cruised again on the Horizon.

 

In any case, it’s a shame because I talked with many European cruisers who said they loved Carnival so much more than the lines that sail Europe regularly. I’ll bet they are very disappointed. As am I. Hopefully Carnival will change their minds someday.

 

 

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[pjhootch]

Probably due to a extremely higher chançe of terrorism.��

 

This is a joke, right?

[Domino D]

I don't think any of us knows for sure, but I would imagine part of it is related to their multiple lines. At some point they are competing with themselves. If your Carnival Corp, where does Carnival the line fit in, product and price wise, with the 7 (I believe) other cruise lines they operate in Europe.

 

They are brand building, and Europe may no be part of the "Carnival" brand. Is Costa the Carnival equivalent brand for them in Europe?

[BoDidly]

You're gonna get nothing but speculation here. Did you ask Carnival ?????

[BlerkOne]

First off, the airfare isn’t that bad; when my husband I did our Horizon cruise recently our airfare from Boston to Barcelona was about $850 for both of us round trip. And I think all of the comments about terrorist activity is unwarranted. You have just as much of a chance of being a victim of a terrorist attack in the US as you do abroad.

 

Airfare may not be bad now but varies with fuel costs which can be volatile.

 

 

I agree that knee jerk reactions to isolated terrorist incidents are unwarranted, but happen nonetheless. If you change your plans because of a terrorist incident, the terrorist wins. And yes, foreign visitors to the US are way down for a variety of reasons.

[Hunter69]

They only do Europe when they release a ship over there - it’s been this way for quite a while. There focus has shifted to the Caribbean and they offer the widest variety of repeat itineraries.

 

 

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Same here with Carnival Australia; such a great variety. Noumea for the 20th time. In-Cred-Ible..

[JimmyTheSaint]

I don't think any of us knows for sure, but I would imagine part of it is related to their multiple lines. At some point they are competing with themselves. If your Carnival Corp, where does Carnival the line fit in, product and price wise, with the 7 (I believe) other cruise lines they operate in Europe.

 

They are brand building, and Europe may no be part of the "Carnival" brand. Is Costa the Carnival equivalent brand for them in Europe?

 

As a European who loves cruising with Carnival ( now Gold status ) I'm very disappointed but not surprised. I've been in contact with Carnival for the past 4-5 years about not sailing in Europe. The response is that Carnival Corp has several different cruise brands in Europe and if they put the Carnival brand in Europe they will just be taking customers away from their other brands. Personally I think that's rubbish as the Carnival brand is so different and in my opinion so much better than all their other brands in Europe.

 

Costa is not the equivalent brand it Europe, it's focused on the Italian market, Aida is for Germans, P&O is for the Brits, Cunard for the snobs. None of the brands come close to the fun, excitement and energy you get on a Carnival ship.

[jimbo5544]

As a European who loves cruising with Carnival ( now Gold status ) I'm very disappointed but not surprised. I've been in contact with Carnival for the past 4-5 years about not sailing in Europe. The response is that Carnival Corp has several different cruise brands in Europe and if they put the Carnival brand in Europe they will just be taking customers away from their other brands. Personally I think that's rubbish as the Carnival brand is so different and in my opinion so much better than all their other brands in Europe.

 

 

 

Costa is not the equivalent brand it Europe, it's focused on the Italian market, Aida is for Germans, P&O is for the Brits, Cunard for the snobs. None of the brands come close to the fun, excitement and energy you get on a Carnival ship.

 

 

 

You have hit the nail on the head.

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

You're gonna get nothing but speculation here. Did you ask Carnival ?????

 

 

 

But it is done so well here!!

 

 

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[Joebucks]

First off, the airfare isn’t that bad; when my husband I did our Horizon cruise recently our airfare from Boston to Barcelona was about $850 for both of us round trip. And I think all of the comments about terrorist activity is unwarranted. You have just as much of a chance of being a victim of a terrorist attack in the US as you do abroad.

 

For me to fly to Spain in October from Cleveland, is at least $1200 per person, round-trip. Whereas it was mid $500s from Boston. I don't live on the other side of the world either. Most people don't have easy access to direct flights to Barcelona.

 

I agree, I don't believe the terrorism point is warranted. Personally, would I like to do a European cruise, yea. When push comes to shove, if I can go to some Carribean islands for far cheaper, that's what I'm picking.

[jimbo5544]

As a European who loves cruising with Carnival ( now Gold status ) I'm very disappointed but not surprised. I've been in contact with Carnival for the past 4-5 years about not sailing in Europe. The response is that Carnival Corp has several different cruise brands in Europe and if they put the Carnival brand in Europe they will just be taking customers away from their other brands. Personally I think that's rubbish as the Carnival brand is so different and in my opinion so much better than all their other brands in Europe.

 

 

 

Costa is not the equivalent brand it Europe, it's focused on the Italian market, Aida is for Germans, P&O is for the Brits, Cunard for the snobs. None of the brands come close to the fun, excitement and energy you get on a Carnival ship.

 

 

 

The fact is that the Carnival brand does not sell as well with Europeans and the US market seems reticent to do the airfare and prefer to wait till they come over. Actually a shame.

 

 

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[Domino D]

As a European who loves cruising with Carnival ( now Gold status ) I'm very disappointed but not surprised. I've been in contact with Carnival for the past 4-5 years about not sailing in Europe. The response is that Carnival Corp has several different cruise brands in Europe and if they put the Carnival brand in Europe they will just be taking customers away from their other brands. Personally I think that's rubbish as the Carnival brand is so different and in my opinion so much better than all their other brands in Europe.

 

Costa is not the equivalent brand it Europe, it's focused on the Italian market, Aida is for Germans, P&O is for the Brits, Cunard for the snobs. None of the brands come close to the fun, excitement and energy you get on a Carnival ship.

Jimmy,

Thanks for the info. I did not know the other lines were that regionalized. I'm not surprised by their response. This happens in the hotel industry a lot. As brands consolidate, buying each other up, competing in the same market becomes a huge concern. It's even easier for cruise lines to avoid, you can move the asset. It sucks for you and other consumers to not have that choice.

 

 

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[evandbob]

When we did a 10 day Med cruise, we never considered booking Carnival. Instead we looked at Princess and Celebrity. We were fairly busy every day in port, getting up early for all day excursions, returning to the ship by late afternoon. For us, the ports were the focus, not the ship.

 

Since we weren't sure if we would ever cruise the Med again, we wanted a great dining experience, refined ship decor, and overall, something a bit more elegant than the Carnival Caribbean vibe we are so familiar with.

[Cafedumonde]

I can say from personal experience, that every time I look at European cruises, I get exhausted. Going to Europe seems like something I am supposed to do, not something I want to do. Like a school trip. Europe is beautiful in a historical way, but I would rather go to the sunny Caribbean to relax than battle the crowds on an "educational" European cruise field trip. Plus, anytime I look at airfares they are prohibitive. I would rather go on 2 cruises than 1 European cruise. We prefer to drive to ports anyway, so a European cruise can be the cost of 3 cruises for us. I am not worried about terrorism at all as a safety risk, but Europe does seem rather messy these days which does make it less appealing as well. I saw a video just 2 days ago of migrants arriving on a Spanish tourist beach and running inland through sunbathers. lol. But not actually funny. I am just one person and this is just how I feel. But I suspect a lot of Carnival's customers feel like I do.

[summersigh]

Carnival - within the CCL family of companies - is basically considered the budget line. If you read the posts on Carnival's Cruise Critic threads many, many of them are asking about ways to save $$. I just did a quick Google search and after looking at multiple companies the cheapest I can get a flight/s from my home airport to Heathrow is $1,440 RT so for 2 of us it's $2,880 minimum. I can drive to Florida to sail Carnival for the cost of gas and have a whole 'nother cruise in the Caribbean for the cost of airfare to Europe.

[trvlgirlmq]

I loved our Vista cruise in the Med. The other Carnival Corp lines do not appeal to us (the regionalized European format is not what I am looking for and Princess and HAL are waaaay too expensive). This leaves us with Royal or NCL if we decide to cruise in Europe again.

 

The airfare thing can be overcome. We just booked RT ATL-CDG for $580 per person for next May-June. We live 4 hours from Atlanta but even with gas and parking we are still coming in really cheap for flights. You just have to be creative.