Roughly what % of capacity has Carnival been running at the last few weeks?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

2 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

The way I read it is that mask wearing is up to the wearer unless Carnival says different.  Like at the comedy shows I hear they are still requiring sip and cover.  I'm taking a mask in my pocket anywhere outside of my stateroom just in case...

 

Not sure what happened to my whole reply! (at sea, you know... lol)

 

We learned upon embarkation on Saturday that the prior day Celebrity had modified their policies -- going from masks required only in the casino and theater to masks totally optional everywhere. It's a very strange feeling going about not "having" to be masked. Of course, at 29% capacity - it's not like we're elbow to elbow to begin with !

 

Tom

[cruisingguy007]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Just off Legend and we sailed at 110% capacity, 2413. It was vacation time in the northeast so there were many kids onboard (around 500).

 

Wow! Crazy! Were they staffed for this? How was the service/lines? Some have reported that the ships were already low of staff (some ships anyway), makes you wonder if they are prepared for capacity jumps like this or will it simply overwhelm the staff and service/quality take a hit. There is a balance. People like a "full" ship but not a crowded ship. It'll be interesting to see how they pull this off. I actually hope capacity never gets anywhere close to full capacity as it was sometimes pre-covid, that's too much of a good thing. Better to raise the prices a bit and keep it near "double occupancy full" as that is more manageable. Filling out the ships makes sense, jam packing the ships with free/ultra low fairs may be mistake and turn some off from returning. People are still skittish.   

[sparks1093]

15 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Wow! Crazy! Were they staffed for this? How was the service/lines? Some have reported that the ships were already low of staff (some ships anyway), makes you wonder if they are prepared for capacity jumps like this or will it simply overwhelm the staff and service/quality take a hit. There is a balance. People like a "full" ship but not a crowded ship. It'll be interesting to see how they pull this off. I actually hope capacity never gets anywhere close to full capacity as it was sometimes pre-covid, that's too much of a good thing. Better to raise the prices a bit and keep it near "double occupancy full" as that is more manageable. Filling out the ships makes sense, jam packing the ships with free/ultra low fairs may be mistake and turn some off from returning. People are still skittish.   

We were on Legend in November at 60% capacity (her first sailing since the pandemic) and didn't really notice that much difference in the service. There were lines at times but nothing super crazy and they moved quickly. I didn't ask but I believe their staffing was close to 100% (Leigh [cruise director] mentioned that he was down two Fun Squad members but that was only noticeable during tender ops and debarkation but they were able to pull in other entertainment staff members to help.) The ship never felt overly crowded, even with the number of kids onboard which was around 500.

[80sGal]

Carnival recently announced they have no restrictions any longer:

 

Many cruise lines say they expect to operate their full fleets by summer and increase the number of guests onboard. 

Carnival says the cruise line has no self-imposed capacity restrictions at this time. The cruise line expects many ships to be full headed into spring break.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/carnival-norwegian-cruise-vacations-masks-11646078755

 

 

[KmomChicago]

On 3/1/2022 at 9:28 AM, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

BTW, onboard now and we're at 890 guests (29%) No waiting on elevators. No issues getting seats, loungers, etc.

 

 

Not as impacted by the lower end family spring break market perhaps?

[cruisingguy007]

10 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Not as impacted by the lower end family spring break market perhaps?

 

Definitely more to do with the line, Celebrity is more of the 60+ crowd comprised of a lot of retired folks, older folks not rearing children any longer and definitely not spring breaker types. These cruises will be less impacted by the spring break crowds and those who vacation more based on scheduled availability. That said, there are plenty of older folks who are young at heart on Carnival ships that don't enjoy the sleepy ships and/or are traveling with their extended families and such.  

[SNJCruisers]

17 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Not as impacted by the lower end family spring break market perhaps?

I believe that Tom is currently on Celebrity and thus would not be as much impacted by early Spring Break as Carnival, NCL or RCI.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Happy to have a sleepy ship! 😁 You can arrive to the shows right at Showtime and still get great seats!

 

They had insides going for $550 per person weeks before the sailing.

 

Nine days until Carnival Liberty, where I expect things will be much different.

 

Tom

[SNJCruisers]

3 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Definitely more to do with the line, Celebrity is more of the 60+ crowd.... That said, there are plenty of older folks who are young at heart on Carnival ships that don't enjoy the sleepy ships

Spent 12 days on the "sleepy" Celebrity Apex in January and followed it up with 14 days on the Mardi Gras in February.  Had just as good of a time on both sailings.

Diversity with your vacation choices are a good thing in my opinion.  But then again there are those that choose to only sail on one line and I think that is shortsighted.  Many have blinders on and they will never experience what the competition offers.  It of course is their choice since it's their dime, but I think they're losing out.

[cruisingguy007]

1 minute ago, SNJCruisers said:

Spent 12 days on the "sleepy" Celebrity Apex in January and followed it up with 14 days on the Mardi Gras in February.  Had just as good of a time on both sailings.

Diversity with your vacation choices are a good thing in my opinion.  But then again there are those that choose to only sail on one line and I think that is shortsighted.  Many have blinders on and they will never experience what the competition offers.  It of course is their choice since it's their dime, but I think they're losing out.

 

I probably would enjoy those types of cruises if it were just the wife and I but when traveling as a family, it's not all about what I want. My kids enjoy the kids club immensely and having a lot of other kids to make their vacation their own is why they like cruising so much. We rarely get away as a couple but that will change eventually and I'll definitely try out different products when that time comes. I'm no spring chicken and can appreciate toned down and mellow but everyone is not in the same place in the cycle of life, I'm enjoying this stage and also looking forward to the rest of the journey and whatever opportunities/challenges that come with it. Enjoying the ride is what counts.    

[KmomChicago]

37 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

I believe that Tom is currently on Celebrity and thus would not be as much impacted by early Spring Break as Carnival, NCL or RCI.

Thinking the same for sure.

[KmomChicago]

19 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

I probably would enjoy those types of cruises if it were just the wife and I but when traveling as a family, it's not all about what I want. My kids enjoy the kids club immensely and having a lot of other kids to make their vacation their own is why they like cruising so much. We rarely get away as a couple but that will change eventually and I'll definitely try out different products when that time comes. I'm no spring chicken and can appreciate toned down and mellow but everyone is not in the same place in the cycle of life, I'm enjoying this stage and also looking forward to the rest of the journey and whatever opportunities/challenges that come with it. Enjoying the ride is what counts.    

All true. A lot of people over the course of life move up or over as circumstances change. It’s hard to beat Carnival to make the average kid happy for good overall value. I did it backwards, Disney and Celebrity back when I was a childless adult then picked Carnival and RCI for my own kid and very casual husband and they’ve both been a decent fit. We may all age out to another brand in the future but we’ll never get judgy about those who stick with Carnival or, for that matter, buy any other product that is none of my business. 

[famof4togo]

I like a nightlife. I stay up late and like company...I find that Carnival has a later nightlife then other lines so for a "fun" getaway we sail Carnival, if I was looking for quiet/romantic etc I'd go elsewhere but we also have a child, so Carnival is best suited for his likes/activities too etc.

[jsglow]

I think the key is knowing what Carnival IS and what it ISN'T.  And it's not even surprising that our 14 day Journey last Fall (I actually teased my PVP asking if she had accidentally booked us on HAL!) was WAY different than our super cheap 14 night B2B2B on Sunrise in early February so there's even big differences depending on the cruise/ship combo.  We were actually comforted by the low key vibe on the 14 night Pride repo making that a viable option for Europe.  Prior to that trip, we were quite convinced we'd likely be on Princess or some other line for that.  Now I get my laundry done! 👍

[SNJCruisers]

4 minutes ago, jsglow said:

Now I get my laundry done! 👍

In hot water.  One ruined shirt and have not used the perk since.

[SNJCruisers]

44 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

I probably would enjoy those types of cruises if it were just the wife and I but when traveling as a family, it's not all about what I want. My kids enjoy the kids club immensely and having a lot of other kids to make their vacation their own is why they like cruising so much. We rarely get away as a couple but that will change eventually and I'll definitely try out different products when that time comes. I'm no spring chicken and can appreciate toned down and mellow but everyone is not in the same place in the cycle of life, I'm enjoying this stage and also looking forward to the rest of the journey and whatever opportunities/challenges that come with it. Enjoying the ride is what counts.    

No question.  Can see where you're coming from since at this stage you put your kids first.  When you become empty nesters, take the blinders off and enjoy the various options available. 

[jsglow]

3 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

In hot water.  One ruined shirt and have not used the perk since.

You like focusing on that don't you?

[SNJCruisers]

6 hours ago, jsglow said:

You like focusing on that don't you?

Just educating people that don't know the "perk" is not all that it's cracked up to be.

[Gypsywych]

8 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Just educating people that don't know the "perk" is not all that it's cracked up to be.

I'm not Platinum til our next cruise and I'll never use the free laundry perk.  I paid for a bag a couple of years ago, and they ruined half of it.  I'll do my own laundry. Which means I won't be doing long sailings on the newer ships with no self laundry rooms. 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Gypsywych
correction

[SNJCruisers]

48 minutes ago, Gypsywych said:

I'm not Platinum til our next cruise and I'll never use the free laundry perk.  I paid for a bag a couple of years ago, and they ruined half of it.  I'll do my own laundry. Which means I won't be doing long sailings on the newer ships with no self laundry rooms. 

The longest sailing on any of the Vista or Excel Class ships is 8 days, doable with a large suitcase, combined with backpack if needed.

[Illbcruzn4life]

10 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

In hot water.  One ruined shirt and have not used the perk since.

Our whites came back blue.

[KmomChicago]

17 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

In hot water.  One ruined shirt and have not used the perk since.

same on RCI. I won’t use the laundry service. It’s shockingly bad. I love the self serve launderette and heading home with a suitcase of fresh smelling and gently washed belongings. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

White socks came back dingy (very noticeable) on more than one occasion, not to mention other issues. We don't utilize that "perk" any longer.

 

Tom

[DrSea]

If they ruin the laundry, did they do anything to compensate you?

[jsglow]

Wow, this took an interesting turn.  No, we never put anything important in it.  But also no, they never ruined my boxers/socks/Tees

I swear some of you people must have butlers and chefs at home. 🤪