CCL Freedom pulled from summer 2009 Rome sailings!

[SunFunCruiser]

I just got word that our cruise on the CCL Freedom has been cancelled :(

They are giving no alternatives for this itinerary during the summer months.

This is their most popular cruise in Europe and it's pulled?? I cannot understand this at all. They gave no reason either.

[Kurbanfan]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=788155

[SunFunCruiser]

Thanks, I found it. I was so mad I posted without looking. I had been on the phone with CCL for over an hour. They are trying to sell the Baltic to me @@.

[bguppies]

I just got word that our cruise on the CCL Freedom has been cancelled :(

They are giving no alternatives for this itinerary during the summer months.

This is their most popular cruise in Europe and it's pulled?? I cannot understand this at all. They gave no reason either.

 

I agree that I would imagine the Med is more popular than the Baltic, but I can't blame Carnival for not sailing two ships in Europe simultaneously.

 

Plus they need to free ships up for the new, closer to home ports they will start embarking from shortly.

 

Started with the Pride moving to Baltimore.

 

Next will be a ship year round from Charleston, Norfolk or both.

 

Thus having embarkation ports up the entire east coast.(about 4-5 hour drives apart)

 

New York

Baltimore

Norfolk

Charleston

Jacksonville

Port Canaveral

Fort Lauderdale/Miami

 

Good move Carnival

 

Bill

[SunFunCruiser]

I think the Caribbean market is satuarted, I know people are looking for different itineraries.

This year the Grand Med is sold out. So, to me, it doesn't make sense. People I know are just looking to go to the Med and will do it on other CL's.

[mafiadon]

I feel the same as you, we were going to cruise the 12th of Oct. 2009 for our 10th anniversary with 11 other couples. We had all of the aft cabins on deck 7 and some on 6. We can go on the 1st or the 25 but there are no aft cabins together. Not sure what we will do. Linda

[Kurbanfan]

I think the Caribbean market is satuarted,

 

I totally agree. How many more ships and this size can the Caribbean market handle. Or should I say......how many more ships can the cruisers handle:confused: The number of ships in port is a big factor when we book. Last time we were in Cozumel we were the only ship in that port. Now the cruises we are interested in are showing 5:eek: No thanks........Mexican Riviera here we come.........no airfare, no overcrowding, best hospitality in the world. And my favorite cerveza:D

[firefly333]

I totally agree. How many more ships and this size can the Caribbean market handle. :D

 

Actually, if you read thru some of the recent threads you will see that quite a few ports are all saying, me me me. New Orleans wants a 7 day ship, that port, sounds like NY wants a ship, etc. True at the destinations ports, they are busy, but there are ports begging for ships so folks dont have to drive so far or fly.

[RatherBFishin]

Plus they need to free ships up for the new, closer to home ports they will start embarking from shortly.

 

Started with the Pride moving to Baltimore.

 

Next will be a ship year round from Charleston, Norfolk or both.

 

Thus having embarkation ports up the entire east coast.(about 4-5 hour drives apart)

 

New York

Baltimore

Norfolk

Charleston

Jacksonville

Port Canaveral

Fort Lauderdale/Miami

 

They obviously need one that sails from Boston, in my humble opinion!

 

Plus it needs to go someplace warm, not cold (ie not Canada)... And it needs to be a newer ship, not one of the older tubs that's on the cusp of being sold to the 3rd world market... And it needs to be cheap enough so I can afford it!

 

(Did I forget anythging?)

[patrickmoran]

Folks, you did not read your letter completely. The Liberty is replacing the Freedom on the same itinerary. The sailing date may change by a day. I called the number listed in the letter and got right through to the person I needed to talk to. He switched my reservation to the Liberty sailing one day later, same cabin, same price.

[mafiadon]

We were booked on the 12th of October 2009 Grand Med the Liberty sails on the 13th but is doing Greek ports and Turkey not the same at all. We had all aft cabins next to each other, we booked this cruise the day it opened up by going to the Liberty we will be all over the ship.

[doodlefan]

Folks, you did not read your letter completely. The Liberty is replacing the Freedom on the same itinerary. The sailing date may change by a day. I called the number listed in the letter and got right through to the person I needed to talk to. He switched my reservation to the Liberty sailing one day later, same cabin, same price.

 

Nope, it's not. The Liberty is doing the Baltics all summer, only once it repositions to Rome in Sept. does it do the Med.

 

We are booked on the Freedom for May 21, the Liberty goes out May 21st as well but it goes out of Dover and does the Baltics, which I am doing THIS August on the SPlendor so that is totally out for me. The Liberty does the itinerary that I would be doing on the Freedom but not until Sept. 19th, which is a whole different time frame. I guess I'll have to call Carnival and see what they are offering.

 

For those of you that switched to the Liberty, did you have to pay the going price or did they just transfer your booking for what you already paid for the freedom? Did they offer anything else or any OBC for the inconvenience.

 

I am glad I found this out now because my sister is using points to fly and we were going to book flights in 3 weeks so she could get the flights we want.

 

Darn, I was looking forward to May in the Med.

[Kurbanfan]

Actually, if you read thru some of the recent threads you will see that quite a few ports are all saying, me me me. New Orleans wants a 7 day ship, that port, sounds like NY wants a ship, etc. True at the destinations ports, they are busy, but there are ports begging for ships so folks dont have to drive so far or fly.

 

I understand that. It is the islands that worry me. They are overcrowded as is during port days. That will make or break a cruise for us.:(

[13point1]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2633

 

 

Carnival Pulls Freedom Out of Europe in 2009 June 6, 2008 Carnival Pulls Freedom Out of Europe in 2009 In a move that may be signaling that Europe as a cruise destination has become oversaturated (and that long-haul airline travel is proving to be increasingly daunting for North Americans), Carnival is pulling Carnival Freedom from its previously announced 2009 summer itineraries in the Mediterranean and positioning it year-round in the Caribbean.

 

Carnival Freedom was always intended to sail Caribbean cruises in the winter, but was originally scheduled to return to the Mediterranean in spring 2009. With this change, Carnival Liberty will now be the only Carnival ship scheduled to sail in Europe next year. It will depart on Baltic cruises from May through August followed by Mediterranean cruises through mid-November. No changes are planned for the Liberty's stated itineraries.

 

Carnival Freedom will return to the U.S. after its Mediterranean season and will be based in Ft. Lauderdale. The ship will sail a series of six-night Caribbean cruises to Key West, Grand Cayman and Jamaica, and alternating eight-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. The Eastern itinerary features calls in San Juan, St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortola and Nassau, and the Western itinerary stops at Cozumel, Mexico; Limon, Costa Rica; and Colon, Panama. The ship will stay there at least through November 2009 (Carnival's website has not yet been updated with the itinerary changes).

 

On Cruise Critic's message boards, readers are speculating whether the line just can't sustain two ships overseas with today's fuel costs. "I think it may be a fuel/air cost issues," says Faeriechick. Nothomeonacruise agrees, "The expense of moving a ship the size of the Freedom across the Atlantic might be a factor. Plus, they have to be able to produce a good product at a reasonable cost to the passenger."

 

 

 

If you're already booked on Carnival Freedom's 2009 Europe cruises, you can cancel or rebook without penalty through July 10. If you choose to rebook, you'll receive a $50 per stateroom credit and any payments made will apply to the new booking. Also, if you choose to switch to the same cabin class on Carnival Liberty, your original fare for Freedom will be protected. As airline inventory is typically not available more than a year out, Carnival is not offering any compensation for airline change fees under the assumption that most booked passengers have not yet bought airfare for their 2009 cruise.

 

-- by Erica Silverstein, Associate Editor

[Ay Caramba]

 

Carnival Pulls Freedom Out of Europe in 2009 June 6, 2008 Carnival Pulls Freedom Out of Europe in 2009 In a move that may be signaling that Europe as a cruise destination has become oversaturated (and that long-haul airline travel is proving to be increasingly daunting for North Americans), Carnival is pulling Carnival Freedom from its previously announced 2009 summer itineraries in the Mediterranean and positioning it year-round in the Caribbean.

 

Carnival Freedom was always intended to sail Caribbean cruises in the winter, but was originally scheduled to return to the Mediterranean in spring 2009. With this change, Carnival Liberty will now be the only Carnival ship scheduled to sail in Europe next year. It will depart on Baltic cruises from May through August followed by Mediterranean cruises through mid-November. No changes are planned for the Liberty's stated itineraries.

 

Carnival Freedom will return to the U.S. after its Mediterranean season and will be based in Ft. Lauderdale. The ship will sail a series of six-night Caribbean cruises to Key West, Grand Cayman and Jamaica, and alternating eight-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. The Eastern itinerary features calls in San Juan, St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortola and Nassau, and the Western itinerary stops at Cozumel, Mexico; Limon, Costa Rica; and Colon, Panama. The ship will stay there at least through November 2009 (Carnival's website has not yet been updated with the itinerary changes).

 

On Cruise Critic's message boards, readers are speculating whether the line just can't sustain two ships overseas with today's fuel costs. "I think it may be a fuel/air cost issues," says Faeriechick. Nothomeonacruise agrees, "The expense of moving a ship the size of the Freedom across the Atlantic might be a factor. Plus, they have to be able to produce a good product at a reasonable cost to the passenger."

 

 

 

 

 

If you're already booked on Carnival Freedom's 2009 Europe cruises, you can cancel or rebook without penalty through July 10. If you choose to rebook, you'll receive a $50 per stateroom credit and any payments made will apply to the new booking. Also, if you choose to switch to the same cabin class on Carnival Liberty, your original fare for Freedom will be protected. As airline inventory is typically not available more than a year out, Carnival is not offering any compensation for airline change fees under the assumption that most booked passengers have not yet bought airfare for their 2009 cruise.

 

-- by Erica Silverstein, Associate Editor

 

My TA offered the $50 but the Liberty is more expensive and we have to pay the difference. We're not very happy about this because we booked the Freedom during a 24 sale and got really good prices. I'm going to fight for this.

[Flip2cruise]

My TA offered the $50 but the Liberty is more expensive and we have to pay the difference. We're not very happy about this because we booked the Freedom during a 24 sale and got really good prices. I'm going to fight for this.

 

Sounds like your price should be protected. Since this just happened, maybe your TA or the person they spoke with at Carnival didnt have all the details correct.

 

Just give the TA a call, hopefully there will be cabins in your category left, since quite a few people will be looking to make the switch.

[themnms]

Nope, it's not. The Liberty is doing the Baltics all summer, only once it repositions to Rome in Sept. does it do the Med.

 

We are booked on the Freedom for May 21, the Liberty goes out May 21st as well but it goes out of Dover and does the Baltics, which I am doing THIS August on the SPlendor so that is totally out for me. The Liberty does the itinerary that I would be doing on the Freedom but not until Sept. 19th, which is a whole different time frame. I guess I'll have to call Carnival and see what they are offering.

 

For those of you that switched to the Liberty, did you have to pay the going price or did they just transfer your booking for what you already paid for the freedom? Did they offer anything else or any OBC for the inconvenience.

 

I am glad I found this out now because my sister is using points to fly and we were going to book flights in 3 weeks so she could get the flights we want.

 

Darn, I was looking forward to May in the Med.

 

 

I just moved to the Sept 19 sailing, we were scheduled on the Jun 2 sailing...The rate is actually less than the jun 2nd sailing so we are saving a little money...one thing though,now I have to wait another 100 days to sail!!!

[TCF]

Not so happy at this news...but what are you gonna do??

We were booked on the freedom reposition from Ft. Lauderdale to Rome in April....we got a great price and I doubt that Carnival is going to give us that price for a Med cruise. Then again I am not sure we want it!!!

Have no idea where air fares are going to be a year from now...but they aren't going to be cheaper. It was the air fares, the Euro, and the shore stuff that made us cancel the cruise we had booked for Sept. this year.

As they move the newer fuel efficient larger ships to North America the cabin capacity for the Caribbean will increase. Nest will come the announcement that they are going to 'mothball' the smaller, lower capacity, fuel guzzlers working in North America....count on it!!

(I wonder who got the recently let RCMP contract for two ships for two months in 2010 to house all the security personnel for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver??? Two ships with crews for the galley, hotel, and engine spaces chartered for two months....and they don't have to sail anywhere!!! A cruise line CEO's favourite dream!!!)

Do you think Carnival will make me transfer the booking to a Europe cruise, or can I book any Carnival cruise....or better still....ANY Carnival product?!?!

[lovebug33]

I think they need to cruise out of Vegas! They could figure that out somehow, can't they :).

[13point1]

==

As they move the newer fuel efficient larger ships to North America the cabin capacity for the Caribbean will increase. Nest will come the announcement that they are going to 'mothball' the smaller, lower capacity, fuel guzzlers working in North America....count on it!!

 

Just where would the be able to mothball a ship??? Do you have any idea how much it would cost Carnival to pay a shipyard/terminal to let the ship just sit there?

 

Airlines own hangers and space, so letting airplane sit isnt really a logistical problem, just not feasible with ships.

 

Carnival seems to be positioning itself to ride out this financial storm...moving Pride to Baltimore...canceling European Cruises.

 

Werent you the person that said Carnival would be sending more ships to Europe because the demand was so high and Europeans were booking cabins at such a high rate? If not my apologies.

[SunFunCruiser]

Folks, you did not read your letter completely. The Liberty is replacing the Freedom on the same itinerary. The sailing date may change by a day. I called the number listed in the letter and got right through to the person I needed to talk to. He switched my reservation to the Liberty sailing one day later, same cabin, same price.

 

No it's not :(

[mek]

It seems to me that Carnival is making a smart strategic move for next summer. Only a small percentage of Americans cruise the Med and more people are looking for vacations that don't include flying. Providing a greater selection of ports along the east coast appears to be a wise decision to me for now.

[corkpopr]

i totally disagree. med sailings are all sold out for all lines. too many ships serving the carribbean already. miami & ft. lauderdale a short hop from all the eastern cities.

 

we were going on the freedom may 21st now we will just use another line.

[Kurbanfan]

i totally disagree. med sailings are all sold out for all lines. too many ships serving the carribbean already. miami & ft. lauderdale a short hop from all the eastern cities.

 

we were going on the freedom may 21st now we will just use another line.

 

Evidently that is not true. Someone just posted on here the other day and received a on board credit of $700 on their European cruise because it was not selling.......

I will looky for the thread:cool:

[13point1]

i totally disagree. med sailings are all sold out for all lines. too many ships serving the carribbean already. miami & ft. lauderdale a short hop from all the eastern cities.

 

we were going on the freedom may 21st now we will just use another line.

 

If the cruises were sold out, they wouldnt have a reason to pull the ship.

 

They just werent selling well, there was tons of availability on all the med cruises.