Non USA Departure Ports in the Future?

[Plum Happy]

3 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

So what island will be the next announcement?     Cozumel, Antigua, Aruba, St Thomas - who is ready for thousands of vaccinated tourists to show up and spend money on their beautiful island?

 

Not St Thomas since that's a US port.  It will be a port where it will only take no more than 3 hours to get to from Florida.  Look at their site, they have another one to announce.  I read that Cozumel  and Aruba are interested.  More info about others looking to start cruises in Bermuda too.

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/royal-caribbean-to-begin-cruises-from-bermuda-in-june/48556

 

More Cruise Lines out of Bermuda

In fact, just hours before this news came from Royal Caribbean, Cruise Hive reported on Bermuda becoming a possible homeport. Mr. W. Lawrence Scott, Minister of Transport has already confirmed that they are in discussions with other cruise lines too.

Now we know Vision of the Seas is one of those ships. We also know that there possibly another 900 passenger vessel that will homeport out of Bermuda. We’ll just have to wait and see.

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Plum Happy

[Plum Happy]

3 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Celebrity has another announcement on Thursday

Really, I wonder where.  I am all ears.

[waterfever]

On 3/20/2021 at 7:53 AM, Heymarco said:

Well how will cruising ever survive without the frugal family? Maybe we should take out the shops onboard and replace with a Walmart to better appeal to them. 🤦‍♂️

Ick!  Walmart gives me the willies!

[D C]

1 hour ago, toad455 said:

 

It appears Calica already has the infrastructure already in place. Could see cruises sailing from there and going to Cozumel(overnight), Costa Maya & Jamaica.

I would prefer Cozumel as a home port, personally.   

 

 

[SNJCruisers]

1 minute ago, D C said:

I would prefer Cozumel as a home port, personally.   

 

 

More people can fly into Cancun easier and more than likely cheaper than Cozumel, making Calica a more attractive alternative.

[D C]

8 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

More people can fly into Cancun easier and more than likely cheaper than Cozumel, making Calica a more attractive alternative.

I understand. Problem is that it puts you on mainland Mexico. 

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, D C said:

I understand. Problem is that it puts you on mainland Mexico. 

You probably won’t have to worry as there seems to be a lot of local opposition but in actual fact it could be a very good location. 
 

Lots of pluses as far as mainland excursions and convenience but not so good for sargassum.

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, D C said:

I understand. Problem is that it puts you on mainland Mexico. 

We traveled there last July for a week with zero problems.  Stayed south of Cancun and north of Calica.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, Heymarco said:

Chris Wong just confirmed Royal is staffing a 3rd ship for the Carribean within the next month.

Did Chris state in a previous video that he was going to the Caribbean.  In this one he just referenced a third ship and did not mention where it was sailing from.  We all know there are plans to bring Harmony on line soon as Marc Walker posted he was boarding her soon.

[Plum Happy]

He also stated in his Youtube video that the two ships mentioned (Adventure and Vision) he will not be  sailing on.  Expect more announcements in the coming days.

[radarcruiser]

I think offshore ports could be an acceptable answer if the cruise lines chartered non-stop flights from several major hubs (FLL, MCO, ATL, DFW, JFK, ORD, etc.) on the day of embarkation and back to US hubs on day of debarkation.  This could be made even more efficient if they made arrangements with the host country of the port of departure to meet the chartered planes at the gate and clear customs there.  Cruise lines may be able to arrange avoiding host county customs completely by transferring directly from the tarmac to buses that whisk passengers directly to the ship.  Maybe you could check in for the cruise at the hub airport gate so you could walk right onto the ship from the bus.  Luggage could be collected on check in at the airport and magically arrive in your cabin.

There's no way around US Customs when you return to one of the hubs on the return chartered flights, but we have to deal with that anyway at US ports now.  

[D C]

22 minutes ago, radarcruiser said:

I think offshore ports could be an acceptable answer if the cruise lines chartered non-stop flights from several major hubs (FLL, MCO, ATL, DFW, JFK, ORD, etc.) on the day of embarkation and back to US hubs on day of debarkation.  This could be made even more efficient if they made arrangements with the host country of the port of departure to meet the chartered planes at the gate and clear customs there.  Cruise lines may be able to arrange avoiding host county customs completely by transferring directly from the tarmac to buses that whisk passengers directly to the ship.  Maybe you could check in for the cruise at the hub airport gate so you could walk right onto the ship from the bus.  Luggage could be collected on check in at the airport and magically arrive in your cabin.

There's no way around US Customs when you return to one of the hubs on the return chartered flights, but we have to deal with that anyway at US ports now.  

I was thinking the same thing.  Sure would be convenient if they arranged transport from major hubs to the port.   Hadn't thought of the luggage aspect, but that would make things so much simpler at the port. 

 

 

[radarcruiser]

1 hour ago, D C said:

I was thinking the same thing.  Sure would be convenient if they arranged transport from major hubs to the port.   Hadn't thought of the luggage aspect, but that would make things so much simpler at the port. 

 

 

Yes.  I've read lotsa concern about the port in Nassau and others not having a building to accommodate check-in/luggage, etc.  Much of that need could be alleviated if most passengers were pre-checked in prior to boarding a charter flight in the US (or other global hubs).  Most passengers would walk right on from the busses and luggage could be loaded from under the bus directly onto the carts for transfer to the ship.

 

[toad455]

I don't think we'll see multiple ships sailing out of Nassau on the same day because of their lack of a terminal. Royal announced first, so they get Saturday. I think Carnival will be next and they'll grab Sundays 

[grandgeezer]

2 hours ago, D C said:

I was thinking the same thing.  Sure would be convenient if they arranged transport from major hubs to the port.   Hadn't thought of the luggage aspect, but that would make things so much simpler at the port. 

 

 

You do realize the cruise line is still losing about $300,000,000 a month right? Supposedly this is a temporary thing so it would be money down the drain. A big of plane do you charter? If you don't fill it, more money down the drain. Ride it out, after 14 1/2 months (if there are a few Junes sailings) what's another month or two?

[D C]

1 minute ago, grandgeezer said:

You do realize the cruise line is still losing about $300,000,000 a month right? Supposedly this is a temporary thing so it would be money down the drain. A big of plane do you charter? If you don't fill it, more money down the drain. Ride it out, after 14 1/2 months (if there are a few Junes sailings) what's another month or two?

You charter a plane based on the expected number of passengers.

~150 passengers on a single-aisle plane.  ~4000 passengers on a given ship.  ~12 major airline hubs

Most people who fly to board a cruise will touch a hub.    The math is pretty straightforward.

If you can offer a hub-to-ship experience that offers a higher level of convenience than previously, it could look very appealing to the customer and profitable to the cruise line, now AND into the future. 

 

 

[Tapi]

On 3/23/2021 at 7:24 PM, toad455 said:

 

It appears Calica already has the infrastructure already in place. Could see cruises sailing from there and going to Cozumel(overnight), Costa Maya & Jamaica.

I don’t know if much has changed since I stopped in Calica over a decade ago, but there’s nothing in terms of infrastructure at that port. It’s literally a gravel pit. There not even an actual pier, just a bridge/gangway. I don’t know how they’d load supplies and luggage. I’ve attached a photo. 
 

There were temporary tents set up, some housing vendors, an one set up as a makeshift bar with folding chairs. The main advantage is undoubtedly that it’s on the Mexican mainland, making the Cancun airport and nearby attractions much easier to reach. 

[radarcruiser]

17 minutes ago, D C said:

You charter a plane based on the expected number of passengers.

~150 passengers on a single-aisle plane.  ~4000 passengers on a given ship.  ~12 major airline hubs

Most people who fly to board a cruise will touch a hub.    The math is pretty straightforward.

If you can offer a hub-to-ship experience that offers a higher level of convenience than previously, it could look very appealing to the customer and profitable to the cruise line, now AND into the future. 

 

 

A rough average cost to charter a single aisle jet is about 20K per hour (although RCL could probably get better rates with a contract). That would put make the total average cost about 50K per flight from most hubs DFW-ORD and eastern US to NAS.  At 150 pax per flight that's $333 per person each way.  Competitive with airline rates if especially if you figure costs for luggage etc.  I'd pay that for the convenience to go straight to the ship and back.

 

 

[MADflyer]

8 minutes ago, radarcruiser said:

A rough average cost to charter a single aisle jet is about 20K per hour (although RCL could probably get better rates with a contract).

 

 

RCI owns the charter airline, Wamos Air. It was the former Pullmantur Air. They have 10 wide body aircraft, but have converted 2 of those to cargo during the pandemic. 

[radarcruiser]

8 minutes ago, MADflyer said:

RCI owns the charter airline, Wamos Air. It was the former Pullmantur Air. They have 10 wide body aircraft, but have converted 2 of those to cargo during the pandemic. 

Even better.  Fill those A330's up baby!!!

[SNJCruisers]

36 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I don’t know if much has changed since I stopped in Calica over a decade ago, but there’s nothing in terms of infrastructure at that port. It’s literally a gravel pit. There not even an actual pier, just a bridge/gangway. I don’t know how they’d load supplies and luggage. I’ve attached a photo.

Need some background details please.  Which Carnival ship was it,  what were the reasons behind Calica as a port stop and how did you get that picture?  Thanks

[Tapi]

26 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Need some background details please.  Which Carnival ship was it,  what were the reasons behind Calica as a port stop and how did you get that picture?  Thanks

I don’t recall the exact year, but I went there aboard the Carnival Imagination (RIP). That was when this ship used to do the 5/5/4 night rotation from Miami. We were on the 4 night itinerary, originally scheduled to stop in Key West and Cozumel, but due to the hurricanes that hit Cozumel earlier that year, the piers were damaged so Cozumel was canceled and replaced with Calica. 
 

Calica did become a regular stop on several itineraries from various ships, specifically on some 5 night itineraries that would stop at both Cozumel and Calica. 
 

About the photo, I just googled “Calica” and that photo came up. It gives a good idea of what the port area looks like: ugly, desolate and industrial. When I went there, we took a ship sponsored excursion to Tulum. But I remember that taxis were scarce with a lot of people standing in line waiting for the few ones available going back and forth to Playa del Carmen. I also remember our excursion returning to Calica at night time and the place was poorly lit and scary (like my mom likes to say, it was “as dark as a wolf’s mouth”). 🤣

Edited March 25, 2021 by Tapi

[grandgeezer]

3 hours ago, D C said:

You charter a plane based on the expected number of passengers.

~150 passengers on a single-aisle plane.  ~4000 passengers on a given ship.  ~12 major airline hubs

Most people who fly to board a cruise will touch a hub.    The math is pretty straightforward.

If you can offer a hub-to-ship experience that offers a higher level of convenience than previously, it could look very appealing to the customer and profitable to the cruise line, now AND into the future. 

 

 

You charter 150 person plane and only 50 book it, what do you do then?

[mek]

58 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

You charter 150 person plane and only 50 book it, what do you do then?

As a passenger I say, "screw it," and wait for cruising to start back up from US ports.  In the first place I'm not dying to take a Caribbean cruise during the summer months, so jumping through hoops and dealing with all of the possible issues with these ports simply isn't worth it to me.

But I do give the cruise lines credit for thinking outside of the box to get cruising started back up - it's just not something I'm interested in.

 

[SNJCruisers]

2 minutes ago, mek said:

As a passenger I say, "screw it," and wait for cruising to start back up from US ports.  In the first place I'm not dying to take a Caribbean cruise during the summer months, so jumping through hoops and dealing with all of the possible issues with these ports simply isn't worth it to me.

But I do give the cruise lines credit for thinking outside of the box to get cruising started back up - it's just not something I'm interested in.

 

Fully agree.   Going to Punta Cana for 8 nights in June,  so our summer plans are set.  I'm just worried about our fall and January cruises from FLA.