Carnival to add 9 new ships

[jimbo5544]

Would love it if they dumped the Splendor. Not our favorite ship.

Don't want to ruin your day, but t is not happening,

[Cuizer2]

Back in the day 2+2=4. Now it's more like "how does 2+2 make you feel?" :D

 

I always thought 2+2 = Twenty-two. :)

[MCFTJCH2V]

Just wondering about them removing 4 ships. Where is that info' please?

 

It was on the PR. And it was mentioned that it already includes the two departed Seaborne vessels, as well as the Grand Celebration.

[MCFTJCH2V]

Two ships on order, at least one more on the drawing board, eight more distributed around the fleet. Still don't understand why you think this is a "scale back" since they just committed many billions of dollars to new builds with no real market for the ones they are trying to unload. It seems to me like full steam ahead.

 

1 ship per cruise line, with only one line getting 2, not starting for another 4 years, and not completed for another 7, pales in comparison two its two closest competitors. Before I read the details, I thought CCL was finally riding itself of the Fantasy class, but it certainly isn't going to be based on this news. So unless CCL is planning on decreasing its fleet, they're going to be around another 7 years. This means they will be older than when the Queen Mary retired in 1967.

[jimbo5544]

1 ship per cruise line, with only one line getting 2, not starting for another 4 years, and not completed for another 7, pales in comparison two its two closest competitors. Before I read the details, I thought CCL was finally riding itself of the Fantasy class, but it certainly isn't going to be based on this news. So unless CCL is planning on decreasing its fleet, they're going to be around another 7 years. This means they will be older than when the Queen Mary retired in 1967.

 

 

Why would they rid themselves (your term not mine) of the Fantasy class? They own them (actually, until the Dream class they did not have debt on any ship, with the exception of the Triumph - and may still be true, but I just don't know). Debt free, profitable ships, sounds good to me. Might they be port heavy wight the Fantasy class in the Caribbean? Another topic for sure.

 

Whatever their plans for ship retirement, 3 new ship (really 4 counting the Breeze) over 8 years is a sound strategy.

[MCFTJCH2V]

Why would they rid themselves (your term not mine) of the Fantasy class? They own them (actually, until the Dream class they did not have debt on any ship, with the exception of the Triumph - and may still be true, but I just don't know). Debt free, profitable ships, sounds good to me. Might they be port heavy wight the Fantasy class in the Caribbean? Another topic for sure.

 

Whatever their plans for ship retirement, 3 new ship (really 4 counting the Breeze) over 8 years is a sound strategy.

 

Profitability. If they are slashing fares just to fill these ships just because they don't have the bells and whistles, or the number 1 reason people cruise Carnival now called Guys, their usefulness has passed.

[EZ4]

Why would they rid themselves (your term not mine) of the Fantasy class? They own them (actually, until the Dream class they did not have debt on any ship, with the exception of the Triumph - and may still be true, but I just don't know). Debt free, profitable ships, sounds good to me. Might they be port heavy wight the Fantasy class in the Caribbean? Another topic for sure.

 

Whatever their plans for ship retirement, 3 new ship (really 4 counting the Breeze) over 8 years is a sound strategy.

 

I think the Fantasy class is creating a conundrum for CCL. While they are coming up on retirement age, they don't really have anywhere to place them after they leave CCL's fleet, AND there isn't a real market for selling them.

 

This may be one reason why they aren't building ships as fast as they used to. When the Fantasy class first came onto the scene, they were the gem of the industry, but their time has past.

[MCFTJCH2V]

I think the Fantasy class is creating a conundrum for CCL. While they are coming up on retirement age, they don't really have anywhere to place them after they leave CCL's fleet, AND there isn't a real market for selling them.

 

This may be one reason why they aren't building ships as fast as they used to. When the Fantasy class first came onto the scene, they were the gem of the industry, but their time has past.

 

It was such a grave mistake to invest so heavily in one design of ship just as the advent of mass balcony ships was about to explode. Someone didn't see that coming.

[CarnieAddict]

Is this Carnival Cruise Lines or Carnival Corp. & PLC.

 

I doubt all these ships go a CCL, but to their other cruise lines, such as Princess, Costa, HAL, Cunard, et al.

 

Its the Carnival Corporation. Not just Carnival. I am assuming there will be 2 sister ships to the Vista.

[Jay Sam]

I think the Fantasy class is creating a conundrum for CCL. While they are coming up on retirement age, they don't really have anywhere to place them after they leave CCL's fleet, AND there isn't a real market for selling them.

 

This may be one reason why they aren't building ships as fast as they used to. When the Fantasy class first came onto the scene, they were the gem of the industry, but their time has past.

 

Yep, I agree. I remember seeing Fascination in San Juan about 1995, and I thought wow, that is one huge ship. Now those ships are mostly resigned to markets serving 3-5 nighters, about half serving the Bahamas. I feel they have their niche for those markets and for the other markets in the western Caribbean along with the ones from southern California.

 

I took Paradise from Tampa on a 4 nighter to Cozumel in Dec. Had a great time and really enjoyed the ship. Not right for every market but they serve the ones they do quite well. But there will come a time when they will retire.

 

I like what you said about them not building ships as fast as they used to. Now Carnival may feel they maybe got a couple too many Fantasy class ships. But at the time and for many years to come, I am sure they were quite profitable and now marginally too.

 

Thanks for the post. Will be interesting to see what happens regarding Fantasy class, and a lot of other ships/ports.

[cjknox]

So they each get one new ship, and the article indicated that Costa was getting two 175,000 ton ships. =9. Looks like Carnival is only getting one out of this order, plus the two already on order. On the surface it looks like a huge order, but in reality, it's not really very aggresive.

 

Actually this is not accurate.

 

The ships ordered will be delivered between 2019 - 2022.

 

Therefore combined with their current orders they have 18 new builds scheduled to be delivered between 2015 and 2022 which is only a 7 year period.

 

While it is measured capacity growth (smart business decision ) it is by no means a non aggressive move; as each ship represents billions of dollars invested.

[jimbo5544]

It was such a grave mistake to invest so heavily in one design of ship just as the advent of mass balcony ships was about to explode. Someone didn't see that coming.

 

 

Actually I think the only thing that differentiates them from the competition is the amount of ships they built in the timeframe (lifespan of the Fantasy class, coincidentally spilled over into other classes of ships). Royal has roughly the same problem with their older ships, just fewer of them. Same can be said for the older NCL ships. While from your perspective, it was a grave mistake, for theirs it is a large part of what made Carnival the biggest cruise line in the world.

[EZ4]

Actually I think the only thing that differentiates them from the competition is the amount of ships they built in the timeframe (lifespan of the Fantasy class, coincidentally spilled over into other classes of ships). Royal has roughly the same problem with their older ships, just fewer of them. Same can be said for the older NCL ships. While from your perspective, it was a grave mistake, for theirs it is a large part of what made Carnival the biggest cruise line in the world.

 

You're right about the class making Carnival what it is today. They've just got to figure out where to go from here, and what to do with all of them. No easy task.

[jimbo5544]

You're right about the class making Carnival what it is today. They've just got to figure out where to go from here, and what to do with all of them. No easy task.

 

 

It is not, they do still have time and my guess is we shall get a glimpse soon enough. Bl