Carnival Corporation Orders 5th Excel-Class Ship

[jimbo5544]

23 minutes ago, Itried4498 said:

 

I understand your argument.  Looking at 2025, New Orleans consistently has higher fares than Orlando and Miami.  If published fares told the entire story, it makes no sense Carnival is adding capacity to PC, LB, etc. but not NO.  Post-pandemic, fares have soared at many of the secondary ports and I doubt it's pure demand driven.  You can maximize revenues by selling a product at an inflated price and highly restricting discounts to select groups. 

Macro 101, how many ships are sailing from PC, LB, Galveston, et al and how many from NO?  Then add other cruise lines to the same question.  There are other factors without a doubt.  I have been told that Galveston is Carnivals best home port.   I got that info from someone who should know the answer.

[dolphinsfan246]

6 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Macro 101, how many ships are sailing from PC, LB, Galveston, et al and how many from NO?  Then add other cruise lines to the same question.  There are other factors without a doubt.  I have been told that Galveston is Carnivals best home port.   I got that info from someone who should know the answer.

Galveston has quickly become their top homeport. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they got a second Excel class ship for shorter cruises in 2027/2028. The only problem is the itineraries can be so boring. But that’s the way of the industry now, pivoting more towards the ship as the destination and the ports as an afterthought. 

[Itried4498]

47 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Macro 101, how many ships are sailing from PC, LB, Galveston, et al and how many from NO?  Then add other cruise lines to the same question.  There are other factors without a doubt.  I have been told that Galveston is Carnivals best home port.   I got that info from someone who should know the answer.

 

Yup, my point is that things aren't always the way they appear.  Just taking this a step further... for winter 2026, if we segregate the 3/4 day local cruises from Long Beach from the rest of the itineraries, the average fares from Long Beach (for simplicity, I used the published fares for two adults) are about $20 less per night for the 3/4 day local cruises whereas the other cruises average a slightly higher rate.  Those 3/4 days have some of the least miles traveled on them and are heavy on alcohol sales.  

 

 

[Itried4498]

47 minutes ago, dolphinsfan246 said:

Galveston has quickly become their top homeport. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they got a second Excel class ship for shorter cruises in 2027/2028. The only problem is the itineraries can be so boring. But that’s the way of the industry now, pivoting more towards the ship as the destination and the ports as an afterthought. 

 

I'd bet PC & Miami generate more revenue than Galveston but that could change really soon.  PC, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Galveston and Los Angeles/Long Beach/San Diego is pretty much where most of the growth capacity has went post-pandemic.

[MississippiMom]

On 3/27/2024 at 4:09 PM, Saint Greg said:

 

What I know is I'm always looking for the cheapest price on an interior and Panorama is always at the top of the list. It's been that way for years. And now Firenze is right up there with it.

 

Fine... I decided to do a little random search I wouldn't normally do. A balcony for four during the summer. I first tried fourth of July but it's sold out. So I decided the last week of July. I came out with a total of $3,652 on Panorama. And $3,619 on Liberty.

 

So in that case the really old ship with no bells and whistles..not even a waterpark for the kids...is selling for the same price as the much newer Panorama.

 

Let's do Firenze and Valor on the 5-day that same week. 

 

Valor $3,190

Firenze $2,732

 

Unfortunately I don't have time to search for every category on every cruise for the entire year, but I've seen enough over the years to have a good idea of how it would come out.

 

 

 

I really appreciate that you typed this out.

 

Just last week, I was curious about CCL NOLA sailings for (March) Spring Break 2025, and the pricing seemed NUTS to me.  No wonder my BIL & SIL just drove all the way to PC to get on a larger CCL ship for their family of seven to enjoy.

[jimbo5544]

On 3/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Itried4498 said:

 

I'd bet PC & Miami generate more revenue than Galveston but that could change really soon.  PC, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Galveston and Los Angeles/Long Beach/San Diego is pretty much where most of the growth capacity has went post-pandemic.

I would not take the bet to the bank. Of course it all depends on how you define revenue, but Galveston is the king of homeports for Carnival.  PC might challenge some day, Miami’s days are gone.

[jimbo5544]

14 hours ago, MississippiMom said:

I really appreciate that you typed this out.

 

Just last week, I was curious about CCL NOLA sailings for (March) Spring Break 2025, and the pricing seemed NUTS to me.  No wonder my BIL & SIL just drove all the way to PC to get on a larger CCL ship for their family of seven to enjoy.

Limited availability and high demand.  When there is basically one ship, prices will be higher.