Overcrowded Ports> does Carnival need new itineraries?? Private islands??

[sharecruises]

Lately many reviews are taking a turn for the "worse" but if you really read why it is because of 1) spring break problems and 2) overcrowded ports...

 

if you go to cruisecal.com you can see how many ships are in port each day...in high winter season there are many many "other" cruiselines sharing the ports with Carnival and Royal Carribean...ie, Princess, HAL, Costa, MSC and others...in the spring many of these go to Alaska and Europe

 

I personally avoid the problem somewhat by cruising in May...many less ships in port...but not everyone has this option.

 

To me, 8 ships in Cozumel....6 ships tendering into Grand Cayman, etc is simply overload....I am now reading of overcrowded beach clubs in Mexico ports, long lines to even get a cab out of port etc....real mess

 

IMHO Carnival needs to be more inventive....the new Grand Turk/Half Moon cay itineraries are a good start...

 

I think Carnival should have some more innovative 8, 9 or 10 night cruises out of Florida....to the southern Carribean, to places that are not so crowded.....

 

also using the private island of HAL, half moon cay, is a great idea...why not a few ships to Princess Cay..the princess private island?? That is really nice....easy beach day....Carnival owns Princess

 

I do see that Carnival is developing some ports for cruises...ie Costa Maya, Grand Turk...

 

and maybe they will go back to St Croix, which would be cool IF the island takes more responsibility in policing their own people and cab drivers etc....the cruiseport there is really nice but now hardly used...

 

I just think that overcrowded ports will be a continuous problem unless Carnival and other cruiselines are proactive. These small islands can't handle 6,7, 8 of these huge ships. Normally "good" tours/beach clubs are getting vastly overcrowded and the lines and hassle are resulting in the recent bad reviews IMHO

[Bruin Steve]

It's not really all that easy...

 

The biggest "problem" is that cruising is becoming more and more popular...There are more cruise ships than ever and the ships are getting larger and larger...

 

Then factor in that the facilities which have to exist to accommodate the ships are not just available anywhere...

 

And there's the "demand" factor...The ships visit these ports because they are the ports the CUSTOMERS WANT to visit...

 

As to the various "private" islands, there are all sorts of marketing considerations as to why they don't start sending Carnival ships to Princess Islands...or any other similar combination, whether they own the line or not...Part of the theory behind the "private islands" that each cruise line operates is that they are unique to that cruise line...opening them up to other lines just takes away that uniqueness...and it really doesn't relieve any congestion...just mixes it around...

 

If anyone "develops" new ports (constructs the facilities to accommodate the ships, etc.), sure, that adds to the supply side...but you can't just develop ports (at least not ones that peole want to visit) overnight...and those new ports, without a history of entertaining cruise visitors, will likely be more overwhelmed than the existing cruise ports...

[Iamthesea]

I agree that the ports (especially the Western Caribbean) have become too crowded. I have seen a huge difference in port comfort since my first cruise in 2000 to the point that my DH and I didn't even want to get off the ship! We did however, briefly step on land in all three of the ports of GC, CM and Coz., last month, but quickly returned to enjoy the uncrowded decks of the Grandeur of the Seas.;)

 

It is only going to get worse when the new mega ships start multiplying. I don't see crowd control getting any better in the Caribbean. While I know the ships are good for their economy, I really feel for the permanent residence of those islands. :(

[truecruiser]

the smaller spots are especially problematic. we shared grand turk w/ HAL and margaritaville was tight. thankfully, they weren't on the same itinerary as us the whole time, b/c we were going to HMC the next day, they were going a couple of days later. HMC wld not be pleasant w/ 6,000 people.

[NPK1]

I personnally would not want to go to a private island. I prefer a port where people live. I want to experience the different cultures, not ones that are manufactured!

[big_duck]

Try the Destiny, we were alone in most ports and only had one ship keeping us company in the others.

[sharecruises]

Yes, Destiny is southern...less crowded...HAL and Princess both run some 10 night cruises there from Florida..I would prefer that rather than sailing from San Juan.

 

Private Islands have served as a "buffer" for the cruiselines...they can be profitable, keeping costs down..and easing some of the port crowding. I would also like to see various cultures...but with 8 ships in port or 6 ships tendering into Grand Cayman the chances of seeing much of the 'real" island are becoming more problematical

 

There are many good points being made here...the crowding is obvious, and with bigger ships it will get worse. Hopefully some new ways to "fix" the problem...better scheduling, different itineraries will help??

[Moondawgie]

I vote for more private islands!!! Half Moon Cay is Paradise.

 

I'd skip Nassau, Jamaica and some others for a day on a private island.

 

And if you think the ports are not as manufactured as the private islands, think again.

[westernmom]

I personally would love more private islands! I love just going to the beach or enjoying the scenery and climate. I agree that the "culture" of many places are being lost and the "natives" have become so commercialized that you don't get the real deal anyway.

[CatgirlNC]

I agree that the "culture" of many places are being lost and the "natives" have become so commercialized that you don't get the real deal anyway.

 

I agree! When my mom & I were in Cozumel, she was excited about going to eat lunch at an "authentic Mexican restaurant." There are Mexican places in Charlotte, NC that are more authentic than some of the ones in Cozumel! The one where we ate was certainly nothing special.

 

Costa Maya is a little different, if you go into town, and hopefully it will stay that way...not just become a Cozumel clone.

[lhaddon]

We were on the Norwegian Sun in November and stopped in Guatamela. I absolutely loved this stop. The people were SO nice and glad to have tourists. There was only one other ship in port when we were there. I wish Carnival had a ship that stopped at this port.

 

Lora

[Djptcp]

DH and I sailed on Holland America in December and another HAL ship was also at Half Moon Cay the same day we were. Obviously, much more crowded than the last time we were there with just our own ship. I would absolutely hate to see more than two ships at Half Moon Cay -- the purpose of going there is to totally relax and take advantage of the gorgeous water and beaches. We love the private islands and starting to bring more ships in to relieve the ports would be a mistake. Grand Turk is really like a private island because there's nothing to do there except be at the beach! On this same HAL cruise in December, we were the only ship in port and that was plenty.....it's a tiny venue.

 

I agree that the ports are becoming way too crowded and we often stay on board rather than fight the crowds on shore. Especially if there's a Disney ship also in port with a zillion kids.

 

The southern Caribbean routes are nice because there are fewer ships in port, but we live in Florida and it's nice to drive to the FL ports and not have to fly to Puerto Rico. For those of you who don't mind, try the southern Car. ships that go to Barbados, Aruba, Martinique, Grenada, Curacao -- they are great places to visit.

 

Holland America - 2004, 2006

Carnival - 1995, 1998, 2006, 2006, 2007

NCL - 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003

Royal Caribbean - 2002

[Kreeb]

Carnival is has already been using HAL's private island, Half Moon Cay. We were there twice last year on the Fantasy. It is a gorgeous private island and we thoroughly enjoyed our beach days there.

[OhioJeff]

Try the Destiny, we were alone in most ports and only had one ship keeping us company in the others.

 

Thats one think I loved about Destiny, the ports werent crowded...gotta love the Southern Caribbean.

[OhioJeff]

 

And there's the "demand" factor...The ships visit these ports because they are the ports the CUSTOMERS WANT to visit...

 

This is sooo true.. I love ports like St Kitts, Antigua, Dominca and Tortola, but because they were "Americanized" with shop everywhere so many peolple were complaining. Sadly in 10-15 years there wont be any unspoiled islands left.

[chasetf]

How to avoid crowded ports.... Sail somewhere else beside the Caribbean, Mexico and Alaska. Every one of these posts lamenting about the crowded ports have those itineraries in common.

 

The most "crowded" we were in the Med was 2 ships. In Australia / New Zealand / Tahiti / British Isles we were the only ones in port.

 

The three I mentioned... Caribbean / Alaska / Mexico only have so many ports, and as the ships get larger, the available ports will become even more limited. So if you can only get away for 7 days and don't want to fly 10-14 hrs.... then you will have to grin and bear it.:D

[PACURN]

 

IMHO Carnival needs to be more inventive....the new Grand Turk/Half Moon cay itineraries are a good start...

 

I think Carnival should have some more innovative 8, 9 or 10 night cruises out of Florida....to the southern Carribean, to places that are not so crowded.....

 

I do see that Carnival is developing some ports for cruises...ie Costa Maya, Grand Turk...

 

and maybe they will go back to St Croix, which would be cool IF the island takes more responsibility in policing their own people and cab drivers etc....the cruiseport there is really nice but now hardly used...

 

 

I have said before that with all the ships Carnival owns they could offer different itineraries. Many ships go to the same ports just leave from different cities.

 

And there's the "demand" factor...The ships visit these ports because they are the ports the CUSTOMERS WANT to visit...

Yes so let's demand different itineraries. We are the CUSTOMERS AND THIS IS WHAT WE WANT...