Carnival Email Survey - Mobile, AL?

[nofishforme]

If possible can someone post the link of the survey they got i would love to fill one out i wanna cruise from mobile again Thanks

[LiveLAUGHLove21]

I would be tickled if they brought a ship back to Mobile!

 

It's less than two hours away for me. Bellingrath Gardens, USS Alabama and the Estuairum on Daulphin Island (about 35 miles from Mobile) are very interesting places and well worth a visit too!

[CruiseScrooge]

i liked cruising out of mobile. the big and cheap parking garage was about a 10 minute walk away.cruising from n o during mardi gras sounds like it would be a expensive nightmarish pita if you don't give a darn about mardi gras.

[Tapi]

Mobile has none of the attractions that New Orleans has, they have limited hotel rooms and not to mention New Orleans Mardi Gras and partying. only 2 hrs from Mobile.

 

This post reflects one big issue that Mobile has: PERCEPTION. Even though Mobile HAS attractions (as someone mentioned, Mardi Gras has been happening in Mobile before the more publicized New Orleans Mardi Gras), hotels, and nearby attractions including beaches and casinos, the general public outside of the local area doesn't KNOW what Mobile has to offer (and this has been blamed as one of the reasons why Carnival eventually pulled out in favor of New Orleans).

 

Something tells me that Mobile must've put a VEEEEEERY juicy offer on the table that's financially beneficial to Carnival when they are considering Mobile again to the point of sending out these surveys!

 

I haven't received the survey, but I would vote without a doubt 100% YES to Mobile. We absolutely LOVED sailing from there. To this day our sailing on the Holiday was one of the most enjoyable we've ever had.

 

We live almost equidistant from Mobile, Jacksonville and Charleston (and have driven to all 3), but Mobile is by far the easiest drive.

 

Carnival: YES, BRING MOBILE BACK!! :D

[Tapi]

I got an email survey today which seemed to target whether or not I would sail out of Mobile, AL; and if so, why would I chose Mobile over New Orleans. Makes me wonder what wheels are turning at the Carnival offices. Anyone else?

 

The last time I received a survey like this, I was asked whether I'd be interested in game show style entertainment, a burger joint, themed bars, and a dedicated comedy club. I posted it here and a lot of people showed skepticism at the validity of the survey.

 

Little did I know at the time that the survey was about Carnival 2.0 which was unveiled a few months later. Pretty much everything in that survey came true.

 

I'm truly hoping that the wheels are already in motion for a ship to return to Mobile soon, and that what's contained in this recent survey comes true as well! :D

[scgamecock]

I would love a ship in Mobile. It would be my closest port. Never sailed out of Mobile when there was a ship there because I could always cruise on a bigger ship (Triumph) out of N.O. for far less money. It was always worthwhile for me to drive the extra 2 hours to save money.

 

Mobile ship? Yes, but keep the pricing competitive with N.O. sailings. And some different Western ports! Coz & Progreso gets old!

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[BUBBASCRUSIN]

would love to sail out of Mobile again just as long as the embarcation problems are fixed as the last time we sailed it was a 4 hr wait got their a little before noon and didnt board untill after 4:30 and their were hundreds of people behind us dont know if it was sumthing that hapend that day or not but it wasnt like that either time i sailed on the holiday out of Mobile really hopeing hear as mobile is only like 5 hrs from my house i really like NO but Miami is nice also just what port offers the cruise im in the mood for ya know

[ata1976]

We only cruised out of mobile once before it left and wondered why we didn't cruise out of that port before. It was an easy drive from Atlanta. We would definitely do it again.

[alabamaprincess]

The last time I received a survey like this, I was asked whether I'd be interested in game show style entertainment, a burger joint, themed bars, and a dedicated comedy club. I posted it here and a lot of people showed skepticism at the validity of the survey.

 

Little did I know at the time that the survey was about Carnival 2.0 which was unveiled a few months later. Pretty much everything in that survey came true.

 

I'm truly hoping that the wheels are already in motion for a ship to return to Mobile soon, and that what's contained in this recent survey comes true as well! :D

 

Tapi, I hope you'rs right and Carnival is already in the process of moving a ship to Mobile.

 

:)

ing

[Yazoo cruiser]

We sailed from Mobile and N.O. several times, both are about 4 hour drive and much prefer Mobile. We love staying in Biloxi the night before and driving to Mobile in the morning and the terminal is so easy to get to. I bet if Carnival worked out some deals with the Biloxi casinos, it would benefit both.

[spencercoop]

Now the question is, what port will loose a ship if Carnival moves a ship back to Mobile?

[clackey]

I agree that Calica is a port they should return to also, and I said so on the survey! We really enjoyed Xcaret both times we went there.

We sailed out of Mobile 3 times and loved it. It is about the same distance as New Orleans and Galveston from our home, plus it is so much easier to navigate than NO.

 

We have been to Calica 3 times and was really mad when the port was dropped. I would take Calica or Progreso over Costa Maya any day.

[Tapi]

Now the question is, what port will loose a ship if Carnival moves a ship back to Mobile?

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Pt. Canaveral looses one of its ships. It seems like 2 Carnival ships sailing on short Bahamas itineraries from the same port is overkill.

 

Carnival tried having two Bahamas bound ships in Pt.Canaveral before (when the Elation left San Diego) and it didnt work. Wonder why they tried it again with the Ecstasy.

 

I'm beginning to think that Carnival may have been forced to leave the Mobile market for some undisclosed reason, which meant sending the Ecstasy to Pt. Canaveral in the interim. Now things may be sorted out and service from Mobile is ready to resume...:cool:

[jonbgd]

Id be up for cruising out of Mobile now that we are closer(half the time:o)Another drive to port

[alabamaprincess]

I wouldn't be surprised if Pt. Canaveral looses one of its ships. It seems like 2 Carnival ships sailing on short Bahamas itineraries from the same port is overkill.

 

Carnival tried having two Bahamas bound ships in Pt.Canaveral before (when the Elation left San Diego) and it didnt work. Wonder why they tried it again with the Ecstasy.

 

I'm beginning to think that Carnival may have been forced to leave the Mobile market for some undisclosed reason, which meant sending the Ecstasy to Pt. Canaveral in the interim. Now things may be sorted out and service from Mobile is ready to resume...:cool:

 

I hope they do move the Ectasy to Mobile. I would love to cruise on her.

 

We have cruised on several of the other fantasy class ships: Fantasy, Fasination, Elation, Inspiration and Sensation. I just need to cruise on the Ectasy, Imagination and Paradise, then I could say I had cruised all of the Fantasy class ships.

[spencercoop]

I wouldn't be surprised if Pt. Canaveral looses one of its ships. It seems like 2 Carnival ships sailing on short Bahamas itineraries from the same port is overkill.

 

Carnival tried having two Bahamas bound ships in Pt.Canaveral before (when the Elation left San Diego) and it didnt work. Wonder why they tried it again with the Ecstasy.

 

I'm beginning to think that Carnival may have been forced to leave the Mobile market for some undisclosed reason, which meant sending the Ecstasy to Pt. Canaveral in the interim. Now things may be sorted out and service from Mobile is ready to resume...:cool:

 

It's a shame they have not been more creative with the Ecstasy's itineraries. When The Elation was doing 4 and 5 day cruises out of PC, some of the itineraries included Grand Turk. But they probably would not add Grand Turk to the itineraries now a days because of high fuel costs.

 

I guess one of the problems with Port Canaveral is it is up north just enough to make it difficult to go to ports other than the Bahamas in a 4/5 day's span.

 

I do however think it would be possible to do a 5 day cruise to Cozumel and Key West/HMC/Nassau/Freeport. But then again it would be a whole lot costlier than jut staying in the Bahamas.

[peepaw]

seems like i read or heard that there was an issue with depth for the larger ships. Not the entire reason i am sure. We liked sailing from Mobile. We found a motel with a parking package less than a 5 minute walk from the terminal. Disembarked walked to the car and beat the shuttles to pick up sweet heart and luggage!

[alabamaprincess]

I don't believe Mobile can handle any ships bigger than a fantasy class ship. I also think that it is difficult to maneuver into the port. The Elation has a propulsion system which made it easier to dock in Mobile.

 

I don't care which Fantasy class ship comes into Mobile as long as we get a ship. How about moving the Imagination out of Miami????

[keystonemama]

Interesting, I did post an article back in May about the city "in talks" with a company but no name was given, maybe it is CCL. Here was the link,

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/05/07/cruise-failure-leaves-mobile-with-looming-debt/?intcmp=obnetwork

 

 

 

Happy Sailing,

[LHP]

With the Legend leaving for 6 months out of the year to go to Europe next year.....so (if Europe is successful) perhaps they are looking to replace some of those ports with a ship from Mobile.

 

We sailed from Mobile 5 times on the Holiday, Fantasy and Elation.

 

Not a bad port, but not my favorites....

 

It seems to be the kind of port where everything goes fairly smoothly as long as there are no glitches. But let a ship come in late due to fog or the train decides to block the entrance at peak arrival time etc and chaos happens fairly quickly.

 

The off site parking leaves a lot to be desired if it is raining. And renting those massive buses twice a week, while allowing people to park for free under the bridge and in the parking lot across from the bridge is ridiculous...Mobile lost at least 2 MILLION dollars in parking because of this.

 

You have the guests debarking and loading the bus... crossing lanes of traffic trying to drop off their luggage and get into the garage.

 

We nicknamed it Frogger Mobile Edition.

 

Their taxi situation is limited at best.

The airport is about a $45 dollar ride one way. So any cruise line is going to have to depend on passengers that are within a driving radius.

 

And unfortunately, this clientele before did not spend enough money once they got on the ship. The ports that this cruise goes on is not one that requires ship excursions because the ports are so easy to do by yourself.

And if drawing from the Bible belt means less drinking and less gambling...that means the the top 3 money makers suffer.

 

So these are some of the negatives that Carnival would be looking at.

 

However, the very BEST thing that could happen to Mobile is for the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 to be revolked so that cruise lines could do 3 and 4 day cruises to Tampa and Key West or over to Galveston.

 

But to be perfectly honest, if Carnival brought a ship there tomorrow....Mobile will never benefit from it as long as it has elected officials that do not have a clue how to be financially successful with a port.

 

The mistakes that Mobile made last time were financially ridiculous.

 

I mean who spends 18 million dollars to buy a terminal, they can not afford, without any cruise line under long term contract????

[alabamaprincess]

Interesting, I did post an article back in May about the city "in talks" with a company but no name was given, maybe it is CCL. Here was the link,

 

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/05/07/cruise-failure-leaves-mobile-with-looming-debt/?intcmp=obnetwork

 

 

 

Happy Sailing,

 

Thanks for posting the article, it was very informative. I hope they will get a ship, hopefully a Carnival ship. Mobile and the nearby area needs a better marketing plan.

 

There is so much to do in the Mobile area. Alabama has lots to do from the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail to the wonderful beaches nearby in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Lots to do on the way to Mobile if you are traveling from the north. I hope the state tourism commission and the retirement system of alabama will be more aggressive in showing the nation what a wonderful destination Mobile can be.

 

As mentioned earlier Mobile is also close to Biloxi and all of the gambling and gaming venues, for those who are interested.

[GRAMMYTAN]

I would really love for Carnival (or another line) to put a ship back in Mobile. I have sailed out of NOLA, Mobile, PC, Jacksonville, Galveston and Rome many times. Other than the sailings from Rome, I have found Mobile to have the best embarkation process and the friendliest terminal staff of all of these ports.

It is much easier to navigate than NOLA and the hotel rooms are typically less expensive than NOLA. I rarely consider the local attractions when booking a ship but Mobile does have a lot to offer if you are interested in pre-cruise or post-cruise stay. Apparently Mobile does need to do a better job of promoting this - and I am sure that will change if we were to get a ship back here.

[luckycruzer]

will bring many jobs, new business', new families, NEW, (BRILLIANT) 1st time cruzers..just right up Carnivals alley !!!!

[alabamaprincess]

I believe there would be enough people wanting to drive into the port from places such as Atlanta, Tennesse, Mississippi, etc. to warrent putting a ship back into Mobile. A lot of people don't want to have to fly into a port to cruise. I don't want the added expense, that is one of the reason's we haven't sailed out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Flying has gotten too expensive and too much of a hassel for me and my family.

Mobile is within driving distance of many places and there is lots to see and do on the way to Mobile.

As for the parking situation, I guess we have just been lucky we have never had a problem finding a parking place at the terminal or a hotel with a park and cruise deal.

Of all the cruise ports we have sailed out of (Mobile, Jacksonville, Port Canaveral and Tampa), Mobile has been the best for embarking and disembarking.

[Montycruiser]

The terminal is 15 mins from my driveway. YES YES YES Mobile will welcome Carnival back.....Very much hoping Carnival and the city has something in the works, the future is looking very bright for Mobile and Carnival should be there to enjoy it.