What can carnival up-sell better

I believe carnival has a great view on what’s going on. I do however think it’s time for them to bring out a mega cruise ship like their visioned Pinnacle. However let’s be realistic. They cut to many corners for people to want to invest mega bucks. What do you think carnival should change and why?

 

 

 

I personally think they really have to start with cost effectiveness and packages people enroll into at the gate of buying into the cruise. For example: basic which would include no WiFi data (just the basic fun 2.0) with no packages what so ever. Then full blast wifi plan, discounted behind the fun for 2, Cheers!, steakhouse reservations, laundry package (yes I know carnival doesn’t have one), fly2fun significantly discounted, airport transportation, FTTF on Journey cruises for free and last but not least the mid package. The basic WiFi plan the cheers package laundry prepaid card and a discounted ticket to the behind the fun.

I think the single best thing Carnival CORP could do for itself and its customers is establish a loyalty program across its lines.

 

With a much better selection than any competitor, they could continue to cut corners with the Carnival brand and retain veteran cruisers who are wanting to pay more for more.

 

2nd would be to beef up their presence on sister lines at secondary ports such as Galveston. They'd be much better served with a princess or Hal ship instead of a second ship doing 7day runs.

 

Give me my status and a departure port I can drive to on a line that isn't cutting corners like Carnival and I'd be happy to pay more while others just starting out can go on the other ship.

 

Unfortunately, it appears that the trend is to let folks have a more differentiated experience on the same ship with "Spa/ Havana", "FTTF", specialty restaurants and onboard "excursions". I understand that that makes sense when there is only one ship serving the port. But when it comes time to upgrade a Carnival branded ship, I wish they'd give more thought to sliding that ship to one of the more traditional brands in their portfolio.

 

 

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I think the single best thing Carnival CORP could do for itself and its customers is establish a loyalty program across its lines.

 

With a much better selection than any competitor, they could continue to cut corners with the Carnival brand and retain veteran cruisers who are wanting to pay more for more.

 

2nd would be to beef up their presence on sister lines at secondary ports such as Galveston. They'd be much better served with a princess or Hal ship instead of a second whale tale ship doing 7 day runs.

 

Give me my status and a departure port I can drive to on a line that isn't cutting corners like Carnival and I'd be happy to pay more - while others who are just starting out can go on the Carnival ship.

 

Unfortunately, it appears that the trend is to let folks have a more differentiated experience on the same ship with "Spa/ Havana", "FTTF", specialty restaurants and onboard "excursions". I understand that that makes sense when there is only one ship serving the port. But when it comes time to upgrade a Carnival branded ship, I wish they'd give more thought to sliding that ship to one of the more traditional brands in their portfolio.

 

For example, when the time comes for Freedom's next upgrade, instead of trying to make here more like the Breeze or the Vista (but selling at a discount because you can't cram all that stuff on a Conquest class vessel and have it be as nice), upgrade the service, food and entertainment, cut the split off the funnel and put a sea witch or Hal logo on it. Give me half of the Plat perks and let me work towards the special perks on those lines and I'd be quite content.

 

Same goes for RCCL with respect to Galveston. Don't need a second RCCL ship that's not as good as the one that's already there; Make it an X ship experience - at least Royal already has the cross line loyalty thing figured out.

 

 

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And I don't know how I quoted myself when I intended to edit!

 

 

 

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I would love to see Carnival have some freebie deals like NCL does.

Free: drink package(pay gratuities part), 3 nights specialty dining, 3/4 person cruise free, excursion credit each port, wifi package.

Pick 1 for inside, 2 for ocean view or balcony

All of them for suites

 

Karen

I think the single best thing Carnival CORP could do for itself and its customers is establish a loyalty program across its lines.

To ensure that that actually benefits the corporation it would naturally need to be structured based on recent voyages, just like the airline frequent flyer programs, rather than lifetime voyages. I think that change is inevitable regardless of whether it goes Corporation wide or not.

 

 

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I would love to see Carnival have some freebie deals like NCL does.

Free: drink package(pay gratuities part), 3 nights specialty dining, 3/4 person cruise free, excursion credit each port, wifi package.

Pick 1 for inside, 2 for ocean view or balcony

All of them for suites

 

Karen

 

It's not exactly "free". You are paying for these perks in the form of higher prices. "Included" would be the correct descriptive word here.

How are you going to give FTTF free on Journeys cruises? Then everyone will be Priority one way or another and there won't be anything special about it. Defeats the purpose. There are also only a small amount of Behind the Fun tour slots so you can't just have that in a normal package either.

 

I would like to see something similar to what Celebrity does where you can choose your perk(s) such as OBC, prepaid gratuities, drink package, internet plan.

To ensure that that actually benefits the corporation it would naturally need to be structured based on recent voyages, just like the airline frequent flyer programs, rather than lifetime voyages. I think that change is inevitable regardless of whether it goes Corporation wide or not.

 

 

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Maybe, maybe not. There are very few top tier frequent fliers who are spending their own money on flights and you have to fly a lot even to earn bottom tier status (40 segments in a year). Generally, airline status has to be earned through flights in a calendar year and is good for the balance of that year and a full year after - then you have to start all over again the year after, regardless of status. But the upper level tier perks are worth A LOT more than anything offered by any cruise line vs the dollars spent.

 

In cruising, very few people would ever get to the status levels that offer much of anything in a year. If you tried to juxtapose comparable earning times (let's say it lakes 5 years for a very frequent cruiser to make Platinum - then you are platinum for 5 years) you get to time spans that are simply not workable.

 

So I'm not worried about this one, but I'd be willing to bet we start seeing checked bag fees on cruise lines soon.

 

 

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If you tried to juxtapose comparable earning times (let's say it lakes 5 years for a very frequent cruiser to make Platinum - then you are platinum for 5 years) you get to time spans that are simply not workable.

5 years is perfectly workable. :shrug:

 

So the program could consider your cruises over the last five years, and that earns you elite status for just that one year (not for five years). At the beginning of the next year, it again could consider your cruises over the last five years (so four years of the five considered the year previous, plus the most recent year), and that earns you elite status for that next year.

I'd rather not see Carnival go all-inclusive. My parents don't really drink so when I travel with them, I rarely do either. I don't want to pay upfront for a bunch of stuff that I'm not going to use.

 

I think if Carnival should do anything it should be more like a choice checklist for add on experiences.

 

Add on:

Drink package - Soda, Non-Alcoholic, Cheers

Wifi - Social, Basic, Deluxe

Picture Package - Social (7 pics), Basic (12 pics), Deluxe (25 pics + USB)

Spa Package - Basic and Deluxe

Specialty Dining - 1 night, 2 night, 3 night (with small discounts for the more times)

Excursion packages - no discount for 1 excursion, 10% discount for booking 2 excursions, 15% for booking 3 excursions, 20% discount for booking an excursion at 4+ ports.

 

I hope that Carnival does not go the NCL or Celebrity route of bundling stuff together, adding it on to your cruise price and calling it "Free".

I hope that Carnival does not go the NCL or Celebrity route of bundling stuff together, adding it on to your cruise price and calling it "Free".

 

I don't like that NCL charges gratuities or taxes or whatever it is on a supposedly free perk. But with Celebrity when I was pricing out my Edge cruise, you had your choice of Go Big, Go Better, or Go Best packages. They were running a special where the Go Big was included (2 perks). Also if you got the Go Best Package, you got upgraded to the Premium Drink Package from the Classic. We wanted the Go Best and it shows $315 pp for all 4 perks which if they would have been booked separately would have been $752 for gratuities, internet, and Premium drink package. Add in the $150 OBC and the total comes to $902. So I think that's a pretty darn good deal. I would love to see that on Carnival.

I agree its time for a megaship. The 2 major things that get on my nerves with this line is the Cheers package and the internet prices. Cheers to me just is not worth the price for folks that do wine and beer but no liquor and all adults in a stateroom having to purchase the package is not fair. Id like to see a package for just wine and beer or a set all inclusive rate when purchasing the cruise that would include 1 or 2 night specialty dining. A one set price for internet would also be nice.

 

Carnival is very family and budget friendly but bigger, better adults only pool areas are nice like on the other cruise lines. Cloud 9 on the newer ships is the way to go, just extend it, add a pool and make it free for adults to come and chill. I love the adult areas in NCL And RCL.

 

Another thing that is bothering me is the room décor. When are they going to get rid of that awful pink color in the older ships (conquest line and below)? Ships dry dock about every 5 years and its about time to change out wall paper, carpets, couches, bed colors etc. I loved the Breeze rooms, it looked very modern. I think adding better amenities like serenity area, are great but a complete makeover of the rooms would be nice to see and if the pools and slides are old they could be replaced too.

Another thing that is bothering me is the room décor. When are they going to get rid of that awful pink color in the older ships (conquest line and below)? Ships dry dock about every 5 years and its about time to change out wall paper, carpets, couches, bed colors etc. I loved the Breeze rooms, it looked very modern. I think adding better amenities like serenity area, are great but a complete makeover of the rooms would be nice to see and if the pools and slides are old they could be replaced too.

 

I don't think they will be able to replace the interior walls as it's not wallpaper. It's actually the wall itself. The cabins are prefabbed and if you look closely, the walls have the color embedded in them. I'm guessing they can't wallpaper over them due to first of all, the wear and tear, but also I think more importantly it has to do with fire rating. I could be wrong on that last part but I thought I saw that somewhere. The best they can do is replace carpet, furnishings, and bed skirts. I saw in some pics of the Glory they did do the carpet. But I don't think it was in all cabins and I don't know what criteria they used to determine which ones got it.

I'm in the majority here but I save, leave it alone. There are lines out there with their mega ships, internet packages, freestyle dining, you name it, it's out there.

 

Leave Carnival the affordable cruise line where people just want to go on a cruise and not spend a fortune doing it.

 

And postings like this usually get the heads to thinking and before long, they've eliminated something else.

And postings like this usually get the heads to thinking and before long, they've eliminated something else.

"The heads" do this for a living and almost surely have thought up everything we've mentioned here long before we thought it up along with several things that we didn't think of.

MSC has very specific cabin fares - basic, fantastico, wellness, and yacht club. They are specific in telling you what you get and don't get for each level. They also have a status match, so my Diamond level on Carnival gives me the highest Black Card perks on MSC, inc. a 5% fare reduction.

I booked a fantastico midship balcony on the brand new Seaside for under $2K for 2 people. I'm paying 60% more for a balcony on the Horizon.

 

For those saying "free" perks on NCL or Celebrity are included in their higher fares, check again. Sometimes true, sometimes not. I'm doing the totally remodeled Dawn in amid ship balcony for $400 pp less than those opting for the free perks. Even so, anyone who buys Cheers on Carnival would probably save going to NCL or Celebrity and getting the drink package in their cabin fare.

 

All this boils down to the need to check what's out there, get good at comparision shopping, and use different sites to check prices. And remember, the comparisions should be with similar class ships, of similar size and age for the most accurate cost analysis.

MSC has very specific cabin fares - basic, fantastico, wellness, and yacht club. They are specific in telling you what you get and don't get for each level. They also have a status match, so my Diamond level on Carnival gives me the highest Black Card perks on MSC, inc. a 5% fare reduction.

I booked a fantastico midship balcony on the brand new Seaside for under $2K for 2 people. I'm paying 60% more for a balcony on the Horizon.

 

For those saying "free" perks on NCL or Celebrity are included in their higher fares, check again. Sometimes true, sometimes not. I'm doing the totally remodeled Dawn in amid ship balcony for $400 pp less than those opting for the free perks. Even so, anyone who buys Cheers on Carnival would probably save going to NCL or Celebrity and getting the drink package in their cabin fare.

 

All this boils down to the need to check what's out there, get good at comparision shopping, and use different sites to check prices. And remember, the comparisions should be with similar class ships, of similar size and age for the most accurate cost analysis.

 

It's hard to compare MSC right now. Right now they're basically undercutting prices to get people on the ship and check them out to some extent. The same with the status match (which was an awesome marketing idea of theirs, I hope that person got a big bonus). I did like the Divina when I sailed on her, beautiful ship, though service was slow. I'm not sure how long all of what they're doing will last. By the way, you need to sail MSC every 3 years to keep that status match, so it's not permanent.

 

And yes, you need to comparison ship if you're checking on pricing. What do you get, and at what cost is all the bundled pricing? NCL's drink package requires you to pay the gratuities (which amounts to about $100pp on a 7-day cruise) for example. We don't drink much, so never take that package (we generally do the specialty dining, at a smaller gratuity add-on, and mostly the internet). The same goes with loyalty benefits, which have an added value to a cruise as well.

Why not make a titan level and a legendary level.

 

Like the AA program etc I’m not saying someone’s spending 1,000,000 miles lol I mean after 500

It's hard to compare MSC right now. Right now they're basically undercutting prices to get people on the ship and check them out to some extent.

Good point. Anyone "investing" in MSC needs to be cognizant that they're almost surely underselling to gain market share, and that once they have critical mass in the market they probably will be comparable to their competitors in this market as they are comparable to their competitors in the European market.

If I could ask one thing it would be better suite perks. Better yet, an area like the NCL Havan. I love Carnival but an extra special week of pampering in the Havan was lime being in a dream. Come on Carnival. These Havan suites sell out on each sailing.

I'd like to see FunShop Sales for Pre-cruise purchases.

 

For example:

6 cans of pop is $10. I won't pay that for 6 cans. I'd rather take a walk from my hotel room the day before and buy some to carry on. However if they went on sale 6 cans for $6.00 I'd order 12 right away. They'd still make money off of the cans (because we all know Pop is cheap bought in bulk) and I'd save a bit of money.

 

It's easy to do a deal of the week in the Fun Shops.

Week 1 - Sale on Cookies

Week 2 - Sale on Decorations

Week 3 - Sale on Pop

Week 4 - Sale on Fruit baskets

Week 5 - Sale on Apparel

and so on...

 

It would keep those of us who book far in advance coming back to their website to see what's on sale each week. Sure I might get everything I order to the cabin on sale, but since I don't plan on ordering anything right now, it would still make them money.

I'd rather not see Carnival go all-inclusive. My parents don't really drink so when I travel with them, I rarely do either. I don't want to pay upfront for a bunch of stuff that I'm not going to use.

 

I think if Carnival should do anything it should be more like a choice checklist for add on experiences.

 

Add on:

Drink package - Soda, Non-Alcoholic, Cheers

Wifi - Social, Basic, Deluxe

Picture Package - Social (7 pics), Basic (12 pics), Deluxe (25 pics + USB)

Spa Package - Basic and Deluxe

Specialty Dining - 1 night, 2 night, 3 night (with small discounts for the more times)

Excursion packages - no discount for 1 excursion, 10% discount for booking 2 excursions, 15% for booking 3 excursions, 20% discount for booking an excursion at 4+ ports.

 

I hope that Carnival does not go the NCL or Celebrity route of bundling stuff together, adding it on to your cruise price and calling it "Free".

 

 

 

I like that idea!!!

 

 

 

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I'd rather not see Carnival go all-inclusive. My parents don't really drink so when I travel with them, I rarely do either. I don't want to pay upfront for a bunch of stuff that I'm not going to use.

".

 

I understand your point totally. I just wish they wouldnt make ALL adults in a cabin buy a drink package or at least accept a Dr's note. :mad: I cruise with my mom and she is 72 years old. Not only does she not drink, she CANT because of her meds. I was holding out hope that Carnival would follow Royal in getting rid of that rule but I read recently where Royal is going back to it too.

5 years is perfectly workable. :shrug:

 

So the program could consider your cruises over the last five years, and that earns you elite status for just that one year (not for five years). At the beginning of the next year, it again could consider your cruises over the last five years (so four years of the five considered the year previous, plus the most recent year), and that earns you elite status for that next year.

 

 

 

Interesting thought, but the juxtaposing this system back to how airline the airline programs would work would be that status you earned over a year would be subject to change every 10 weeks, based on what you did over the past rolling year.

 

So I don't think you can say that cruise lines could have programs just like the airlines.

 

Not saying that somebody won't try something like you suggest one day, but justifying it because the airlines do the same thing would be wrong.

 

 

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Interesting thought, but the juxtaposing this system back to how airline the airline programs would work would be that status you earned over a year would be subject to change every 10 weeks, based on what you did over the past rolling year.

That is indeed parallel to what I wrote: Status earned would be subject to change every year based on what you did over the past rolling 5 years.