Carnival Cruise Lines should do this..........

[southbayer]

Since Carnival Corp is now this mammoth in the cruise industry with many different ships and other companies they now own -

they should find thier first ship, carnivale, mardi gras, or festival, whichever it is, and buy it back, restore it to it's original glory, and do it like a "Hotel Queen Mary" type of thing. That way, people could have something to look back on and see the way things were back in the day. It'd make for a great historical piece. Other companies do it, why not carnival.

Just a thought anyway.

[JerseyshoreBruce]

Too late the Carnivale was just scrapped recently. Good idea though!

[southbayer]

ok then, maybe one of the other two then ???

Too late the Carnivale was just scrapped recently. Good idea though!

[carnivalcruise5]

Since Carnival Corp is now this mammoth in the cruise industry with many different ships and other companies they now own -

 

they should find thier first ship, carnivale, mardi gras, or festival, whichever it is, and buy it back, restore it to it's original glory, and do it like a "Hotel Queen Mary" type of thing. That way, people could have something to look back on and see the way things were back in the day. It'd make for a great historical piece. Other companies do it, why not carnival.

 

Just a thought anyway.

Maybe carnival will eventually have a ship that is apartments that you can buy and you could just sail the rest of your life.

[deborahjo]

Maybe carnival will eventually have a ship that is apartments that you can buy and you could just sail the rest of your life.[/QUO

 

 

[/i]

 

 

I think that is an awesome idea. Put in in Miami or Ft Lauderdle. I bet it would stay booked solid..

[nybumpkin]

All three are gone now - the last (Carnivale) was sold for scrap in May, and Mardi Gras and Festivale were scrapped a number of years ago. Hotel/museum ships aren't operated by cruise lines; they're purchased and developed privately. In the case of the Queen Mary, she was purchased from Cunard by the City of Long Beach and is leased to a private operator. As anyone who has been involved in the development of a museum ship can attest, it's an expensive undertaking.

[southbayer]

But Carnival has the $$

All three are gone now - the last (Carnivale) was sold for scrap in May, and Mardi Gras and Festivale were scrapped a number of years ago. Hotel/museum ships aren't operated by cruise lines; they're purchased and developed privately. In the case of the Queen Mary, she was purchased from Cunard by the City of Long Beach and is leased to a private operator. As anyone who has been involved in the development of a museum ship can attest, it's an expensive undertaking.

[CruiseCentric]

All three are gone now - the last (Carnivale) was sold for scrap in May, and Mardi Gras and Festivale were scrapped a number of years ago. Hotel/museum ships aren't operated by cruise lines; they're purchased and developed privately. In the case of the Queen Mary, she was purchased from Cunard by the City of Long Beach and is leased to a private operator. As anyone who has been involved in the development of a museum ship can attest, it's an expensive undertaking.

 

Yes, they are all gone to the great beyond.

 

While it might sounds like a good idea to the OP, I think most stockholders would disagree.

 

In these unstable times, putting $$ into a floating museum when you are charging folks a fuel surcharge wouldnt sit well with many people.

[Jolimont]

But Carnival has the $$

They have the money because they follow an agressive business plan that precludes them from doing feel-good, no-money projects.

[MrPete]

Yes, I'm sure many people would love the chance to be on a ship today that has high thresholds, and toilets in the showers.

[13point1]

Other companies do it, why not carnival.

 

Just a thought anyway.

What other companies are doing this?

[*Mach*]

All three are gone now - the last (Carnivale) was sold for scrap in May, and Mardi Gras and Festivale were scrapped a number of years ago. Hotel/museum ships aren't operated by cruise lines; they're purchased and developed privately. In the case of the Queen Mary, she was purchased from Cunard by the City of Long Beach and is leased to a private operator. As anyone who has been involved in the development of a museum ship can attest, it's an expensive undertaking.

 

But Carnival has the $$

 

 

A similar fate will befall the amazing and historic Queen Elizabeth II. Dubai bought the ship. Once she finishes her final season she will be permanently docked in Dubai as a floating hotel... not be best of fates for any ship.

Carnival certainly has the money but they aren't in hotel business, per se... they're in the cruise line business.

I can't help but think that a stationary cruise ship has gotta lose money. The fascination of the ship is being at sea not being at dock... at least that's the case for me...

[dan40]

Once a ship reaches the point that it is not profitable to operate as a cruise ship, or the cost to do necessary repairs is too great, it is junk. A very large piece of junk, but still junk. So they sell them to companies, OR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, dumb enough to buy them.

 

Dan

[nybumpkin]

I can't help but think that a stationary cruise ship has gotta lose money. The fascination of the ship is being at sea not being at dock... at least that's the case for me...

Mach, I don't know whether you've ever visited the Queen Mary, but her history in Long Beach has been difficult - the cost of upkeep is tremendous and she's gone through a number of operators. At one point in the early 90's she closed entirely. We visited in 1988 - at that time, the Spruce Goose was housed in the dome that is now Carnival's cruise terminal. It was a nice tour, but you're right - she's static. That being said, someday I'd like to take a cruise out of Long Beach and spend the night before aboard the QM. Of course, first I'd have to find affordable airfare to LAX...:rolleyes:

[MarylandLady]

Yes, I'm sure many people would love the chance to be on a ship today that has high thresholds, and toilets in the showers.

 

But it was so much fun to be on it! We just didn't know any better back then! :( We thought the Mardi Gras was the biggest ship we had ever seen, and then the following year we thought the same thing about the Festivale!!! :D Besides -- where else could you go and sit on the john while you take a shower!!! :rolleyes:

[sjcruiser]

I think the cruiselines should all get together and refurbish the USS United States, that's sitting on a pier in Philly rusting away. RC or NCL now owns her and has plans to do the work, when and if the money becomes available. They shoud also get the government involved as I believe she was the first cruise ship to fly the U.S. Flag and still holds the record for crossing a transatlantic crossing. Evertime I cross the Walt Whitman Bridge into Philly, I think "I wish I had the money to refurbish her"!

[CruiseCentric]

I think the cruiselines should all get together and refurbish the USS United States, that's sitting on a pier in Philly rusting away. RC or NCL now owns her and has plans to do the work, when and if the money becomes available. They shoud also get the government involved as I believe she was the first cruise ship to fly the U.S. Flag and still holds the record for crossing a transatlantic crossing. Evertime I cross the Walt Whitman Bridge into Philly, I think "I wish I had the money to refurbish her"!

 

I dont think it will ever happen. I read a recent article that said it would cost about $500 Mil to get her back into service.

 

Found the article..it even has a Cruise Critic quote :)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-02-ss-united-states_N.htm

[dan40]

I think the cruiselines should all get together and refurbish the USS United States, that's sitting on a pier in Philly rusting away. RC or NCL now owns her and has plans to do the work, when and if the money becomes available. They shoud also get the government involved as I believe she was the first cruise ship to fly the U.S. Flag and still holds the record for crossing a transatlantic crossing. Evertime I cross the Walt Whitman Bridge into Philly, I think "I wish I had the money to refurbish her"!

 

NCL owns her now. They are just waiting until the time is right to scrap her.

They never had a single thought about restoring the ship. It was part of the package in a "CON JOB" they did on the US Congress in order to get a waiver of the "Passenger Services Act" so NCL could register foreign built vessels as American ships. Thereby acquiring a competitive advantage over any other line doing Hawaiian cruises. However the NCL venture in Hawaii has already failed so I'm sure NCL's interest in American registered ships is near zero at this time. They would most likely do cartwheels in the NCL boardroom if some Historical society or Restoration group offered to take the SS US off their hands.

Politicians have no sense at all when it comes to business.

 

Dan

[RatherBFishin]

I think the cruiselines should all get together and refurbish the USS United States, that's sitting on a pier in Philly rusting away. RC or NCL now owns her and has plans to do the work, when and if the money becomes available. They shoud also get the government involved as I believe she was the first cruise ship to fly the U.S. Flag and still holds the record for crossing a transatlantic crossing. Evertime I cross the Walt Whitman Bridge into Philly, I think "I wish I had the money to refurbish her"!

 

It will never happen. They way the ship was built was never designed like a Cruise Ship. It was paid for in part by the US Navy, and a large part of the design criteria was so it could be quickly switched over to a massive troop transport if a conflict like WWII broke out again.

 

If you look at the blueprints (which I have a copy), and read up on it, you'll see what I mean. It's built like a Battleship, with lots of little compartments so that it was supposedly "torpedo proof". Not to mention that about 1/3 of it's cabins were Tourist Class, without bathrooms. And finally, it's steam powered, with old school boilers. Watch old films of the ship on YouTube. It belches out tons of thick black smoke.

 

Finally, even after stripping out all the asbestos in the late 70's (done over in Turkey to avoid environmental laws here), it still would be really tough to get it to pass the SOLAS 2010 laws that are coming into effect.

 

In short: Never going to happen

[southbayer]

OK, point taken. I just thought it would be nice to have something for those of us who were not as fortunate enough to have ever been on earlier models of old Carnival Ships.

Then how bout a Carnival Corp website that does in a professional way, post pictures of everything about past ships as well as comments in a in depth way, as opposed to just searching this site and that site looking for a photo here and there.

I mean, today's first time cruiser is gonna be like ok, this cruise should have this, and that, and where's my in stateroom wi fi, etc.... To better appreciate what is now, we must appreciate what started it in the beginning.

Now go take on the day, lol

[BULLOCH12]

Maybe carnival will eventually have a ship that is apartments that you can buy and you could just sail the rest of your life.

 

bless you, spread the word and i don't mean your post

[Codfish]

Maybe carnival will eventually have a ship that is apartments that you can buy and you could just sail the rest of your life.

 

Carinval doesn't, but ther is one managed by ResidenSea. Its called "The World". Looking at the website it apperrs to have some openings.

 

http://www.aboardtheworld.com/

[steveaaaaa]

I think the cruiselines should all get together and refurbish the USS United States, that's sitting on a pier in Philly rusting away. RC or NCL now owns her and has plans to do the work, when and if the money becomes available. They shoud also get the government involved as I believe she was the first cruise ship to fly the U.S. Flag and still holds the record for crossing a transatlantic crossing. Evertime I cross the Walt Whitman Bridge into Philly, I think "I wish I had the money to refurbish her"!

 

They should just scrap that heap now.Just like the NCL Norway. Its ols,useless and no one really cares,otherwise something would have been done.Just the cost of it sitting there is a waste.

Steve