Carnival Celebration - New Venues?

[Eli_6]

3 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

The real question though is are you interested in going to Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan every week of the year with 7 day sailings and zero other options on the Jubilee?  Once the new ship sales slow down, Carnival had better switch things up and turn it into 10/11 day sailings for part of the year, thus being able to visit the ABC's.

You are right about that!  I have been to Roatan, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica so many damn times that I have run out of excursions to do.  Especially Cozumel!  Carnival needs to shake up their Galveston ports of call even if it requires an 8 or 9 day sailing.  Hell, I have even been tempted by the 8-day Freeport, Bahamas, etc. sailing out of Galveston even though the ports aren't that good just because it is something different. They could do one sailing out on a Friday or Saturday and returning the following Sunday to some farther away ports and alternate it with a 5 or 6 day sailing that goes to the closer ports.  My husband and I were even saying a 3 day sailing out of Galveston to New Orleans would be fun.  

[Saint Greg]

2 minutes ago, crazy4themouse said:

 

Most of the sailings from here already go to Belize... But we sail for the ship anyway. Not saying it wouldn't be very nice to have some options to do a 10/11 nighter once in a while to someplace new, but we'd generally be happy if the ship did donuts in the ocean for a week. 🙂 

 

Yeah the post I was responding to was talking about how all of the Jubilee cruises are currently scheduled as Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatan. I was just saying once the new Belize port is built...which hopefully will be an attraction itself....we should have Belize mixed in with the Jubilee ports.

 

But yes I think most people will cruise Jubilee for the ship. I feel like you need two weeks on Mardi Gras Jubilee will probably be the same. I think Carnival would have a more difficult time filling a 6k ship on 10/11 day cruises for a portion of the year. I don't think they would do that with Jubilee. Maybe 6/8 but not 10/11.

[BlerkOne]

1 minute ago, Eli_6 said:

You are right about that!  I have been to Roatan, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica so many damn times that I have run out of excursions to do.  Especially Cozumel!  Carnival needs to shake up their Galveston ports of call even if it requires an 8 or 9 day sailing.  Hell, I have even been tempted by the 8-day Freeport, Bahamas, etc. sailing out of Galveston even though the ports aren't that good just because it is something different. They could do one sailing out on a Friday or Saturday and returning the following Sunday to some farther away ports and alternate it with a 5 or 6 day sailing that goes to the closer ports. 

 

As long as Carnival sells cruises, there is no need for them to shake anything up. Long cruises aren't Carnival's emphasis - Carnival has other brands for that.

 

1 minute ago, Eli_6 said:

My husband and I were even saying a 3 day sailing out of Galveston to New Orleans would be fun.  

and illegal.

[Eli_6]

12 minutes ago, crazy4themouse said:

 

 

 

Most of the sailings from here already go to Belize... But we sail for the ship anyway. Not saying it wouldn't be very nice to have some options to do a 10/11 nighter once in a while to someplace new, but we'd generally be happy if the ship did donuts in the ocean for a week. 🙂 

 

But I agree about people flying in to cruise out of Galveston -- It has to be a huge hassle. We're incredibly lucky in that we live <30 miles from the terminal so it's very easy for us to go hop on a ship. Securing the time off and saving up the $$ is another story, lol, but at least getting there is easy. 

 

The entire reason we cruise out of Galveston is because we can drive and save the hassle of flying.  Galveston is a 40 to 90 minutes away for the 6 or so million people who live in the greater Houston area.  Throw in San Antonio, Austin, Beaumont, DFW, and the rest of South and Central Texas and you have 20+million people who live within a 5 to 6 hours drive from the port. 

[Saint Greg]

6 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

.  My husband and I were even saying a 3 day sailing out of Galveston to New Orleans would be fun.  

 

Of course that would have to go to a foreign port so you'd have to go to Mexico and New Orleans. Probably an 8 day cruise with two ports. 

[Eli_6]

1 minute ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Of course that would have to go to a foreign port so you'd have to go to Mexico and New Orleans. Probably an 8 day cruise with two ports. 

Oh blech. Never mind. Didn't realize they had to do at least one foreign port. Is that rule just for the US?  If so, how do they get around that for their UK cruise out of Dover that stays all within the UK?  Or, I guess, maybe Dublin counts as their one foreign port... 

 

Although, they maybe could do a Bahamas/Key West/New Orleans cruise out of Galveston and Bahamas could be the foreign port...

[Saint Greg]

5 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

Oh blech. Never mind. Didn't realize they had to do at least one foreign port. Is that rule just for the US?  If so, how do they get around that for their UK cruise out of Dover that stays all within the UK?  Or, I guess, maybe Dublin counts as their one foreign port... 

 

Although, they maybe could do a Bahamas/Key West/New Orleans cruise out of Galveston and Bahamas could be the foreign port...

 

Yeah it's a US thing. Like my upcoming Alaska cruise has one night where we stop in Canada for three hours....at night.

 

Adding it to the eastern route would probably be more feasible. 

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by Saint Greg

[sid_9169]

36 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

I just googled The Magic City and the top result was a strip club in Atlanta.

The best chicken wings in Atlanta...

[Saint Greg]

Just now, sid_9169 said:

The best chicken wings in Atlanta...

 

I'll take your word for it. I'm not eating anything from anyone working there.

[Eli_6]

1 minute ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Yeah it's a US thing. Like my upcoming Alaska cruise has one night where we stop in Canada for three hours.

 

Adding it to the eastern route would probably be more feasible. 

 

Ooooo.  Everything makes sense now.  I am going on an Alaskan cruise in May and I was wondering why in the world they were having us stop in Victoria from 8 pm to midnight. It seemed pointless from the perspective of being able to enjoy the port, but that makes sense now that I know they legally have to stop there to avoid violating US law.  I guess they have to do the same with Hawaii cruises, too.

[Saint Greg]

Just now, Eli_6 said:

Ooooo.  Everything makes sense now.  I am going on an Alaskan cruise in May and I was wondering why in the world they were having us stop in Victoria from 8 pm to midnight. It seemed pointless from the perspective of being able to enjoy the port, but that makes sense now that I know they legally have to stop there to avoid violating US law.  I guess they have to do the same with Hawaii cruises, too.

 

Yeah except for one ship that can get around it called the Pride of America. I believe it's American built, registered, and has American employees. All that stuff.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_of_America

 

 

 

[crazy4themouse]

22 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

The entire reason we cruise out of Galveston is because we can drive and save the hassle of flying.  Galveston is a 40 to 90 minutes away for the 6 or so million people who live in the greater Houston area.  Throw in San Antonio, Austin, Beaumont, DFW, and the rest of South and Central Texas and you have 20+million people who live within a 5 to 6 hours drive from the port. 

 

Exactly. And there are always a *ton* of folks from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, etc. on our cruises. Super easy for them to drive in as well. Heck, on our cruise last month there were people in our group who had driven in from Idaho! As much as I hate driving long distances, I think I'd still prefer that to all the flying and ground transportation headaches.

 

[BlerkOne]

15 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Yeah except for one ship that can get around it called the Pride of America. I believe it's American built, registered, and has American employees. All that stuff.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_of_America

 

 

 

There are some small American flagged ships that do Alaska cruises and I supposed could do Hawaii cruises if it was profitable. But they cost more for a variety of reasons.

[keels81]

57 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

But yes I think most people will cruise Jubilee for the ship. I feel like you need two weeks on Mardi Gras Jubilee will probably be the same. I think Carnival would have a more difficult time filling a 6k ship on 10/11 day cruises for a portion of the year. I don't think they would do that with Jubilee. Maybe 6/8 but not 10/11.

 

This is us, which is why we jumped at the opportunity for the Aft Excel Suite. Between the casino deal we got and the money we won't be spending on excursions or getting off the ship, it was a wash and instead we'll have a nice big room for the final leg of our Excel Class exploration.

[Eli_6]

57 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Yeah except for one ship that can get around it called the Pride of America. I believe it's American built, registered, and has American employees. All that stuff.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_of_America

 

 

 

I just googled and found out where Viking will soon have a built-in-America river cruise that goes from New Orleans up the Mississippi river!  Looks like fun and I can drive there.

[Eli_6]

57 minutes ago, crazy4themouse said:

 

Exactly. And there are always a *ton* of folks from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, etc. on our cruises. Super easy for them to drive in as well. Heck, on our cruise last month there were people in our group who had driven in from Idaho! As much as I hate driving long distances, I think I'd still prefer that to all the flying and ground transportation headaches.

 

Me, too.  I won't fly unless the drive is over 10 to 12 hours.  Flying is miserable between the airlines cramming so many people on a plane and the headaches of getting through security.  Unfortunately, I think only Galveston and New Orleans fit the bill...and *maybe* Alabama.  

[Saint Greg]

5 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

I just googled and found out where Viking will soon have a built-in-America river cruise that goes from New Orleans up the Mississippi river!  Looks like fun and I can drive there.

 

Now river cruises I think are different. River cruise ships stop in New Orleans all the time. They had two there when I cruised out of New Orleans a couple weeks ago. The ones I see the most are American Cruise Line.

 

https://www.americancruiselines.com/

 

They even have a board here.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/796-american-cruise-lines/

 

 

[figmentfreak]

5 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

I sailed her for the ship just like I will sail her for the ship again over labor day.  But at least the MG and the Celebration have multiple port options to mix and match between.  The Jubilee is stuck with the same 3 ports week in and week out, which will increase to 4 once they could include Belize.  Still has less flexibility then the other two Excel Class ships.

Because of the difficulty getting to Galveston I will never sail on her until she changes embarkation ports.  Would love to know the percentage of people that drive versus fly that embark from there.  I would guesstimate at least 80% drive.

I drive to Galveston from DFW for cruises. At this point I use Galveston cruises as my don’t get off the ship just relax cruises. 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Now river cruises I think are different. River cruise ships stop in New Orleans all the time. They had two there when I cruised out of New Orleans a couple weeks ago. The ones I see the most are American Cruise Line.

 

https://www.americancruiselines.com/

 

They even have a board here.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/796-american-cruise-lines/

 

 

They are US flagged ships. It's the same law.

[Jamman54]

5 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

 

I don't recommend people from the northeast travel to Galveston to cruise. Or anyone who has to fly. I don't think they're targeting you for that ship. Do you want every Excel class ship in Florida?

Don't count us Northeast people out! Patti and I are discussing a "super" road trip for September / October 2024, or April / May 2025. Our plan is to drive from New Jersey to Galveston, stopping to visit some cities on the way. We would do a one week cruise on the Jubilee, then drive to New Orleans and do a S2S on the Valor and Glory (if they are still there). Of course we would be spending a few days in New Orleans before driving home, with maybe a stop in Myrtle Beach. Since we would like to sail the fleet, you have to get creative! 

[Saint Greg]

59 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Don't count us Northeast people out! Patti and I are discussing a "super" road trip for September / October 2024, or April / May 2025. Our plan is to drive from New Jersey to Galveston, stopping to visit some cities on the way. We would do a one week cruise on the Jubilee, then drive to New Orleans and do a S2S on the Valor and Glory (if they are still there). Of course we would be spending a few days in New Orleans before driving home, with maybe a stop in Myrtle Beach. Since we would like to sail the fleet, you have to get creative! 

Sounds like a great trip!

[brilliantseas]

4 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Yeah the post I was responding to was talking about how all of the Jubilee cruises are currently scheduled as Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatan. I was just saying once the new Belize port is built...which hopefully will be an attraction itself....we should have Belize mixed in with the Jubilee ports.

 

But yes I think most people will cruise Jubilee for the ship. I feel like you need two weeks on Mardi Gras Jubilee will probably be the same. I think Carnival would have a more difficult time filling a 6k ship on 10/11 day cruises for a portion of the year. I don't think they would do that with Jubilee. Maybe 6/8 but not 10/11.

 

I hope the new port in Belize is as nice as Harvest Caye (NCL private port). For as much as I hate Belize City, Harvest Caye is my new favorite Western Caribbean port. I booked the NCL Bliss next year just to get back to that port. 

[Saint Greg]

6 minutes ago, brilliantseas said:

 

I hope the new port in Belize is as nice as Harvest Caye (NCL private port). For as much as I hate Belize City, Harvest Caye is my new favorite Western Caribbean port. I booked the NCL Bliss next year just to get back to that port. 

Haven’t been to HC but definitely will if I book NCL one of these days. Here’s are a couple of pics of what the new port is supposed to look like.

 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by Saint Greg

[jasong38501]

2 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Haven’t been to HC but definitely will if I book NCL one of these days. Here’s are a couple of pics of what the new port is supposed to look like.

 

Here is a picture of the progress they had made as of three weeks ago. 

[Jamman54]

13 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Sounds like a great trip!

Sure does! Just waiting for the fall 2024 cruises to be released so we can make our decision. When are you going to sail out of New York? You can go watch your beloved Mets play at Citifield, then jump on the Magic for the best sail away in the United States. We will be on the Magic for a B2B in September 2023. I know you are on the Magic earlier in the year, but you could easily transfer the booking, just sayin!