Paradise in Tampa what do you think?

[theriac]

So I was thinking about my upcoming cruise on The Paradise and I'm excited for it, but it got me thinking Tampa is a dying port. There's been endless discussions about how the bridge is affecting not getting bigger and arguably better ships. That definitely has some validity, but Carnival is also at fault here IMO. Why can't Carnival shake up the itineraries a little bit to get people more excited about cruising from here. Tampa has a fantastic Airport, but flying in for a 4 or 5 day cruise isn't really worth it but neither is doing a B2B from here. First let me say I love this port as its my home port and I see so much potential. I'm going to list some ideas that I think will give Tampa and Carnival a shot in the arm to bring life back to this area for tourism and rejuvenate revenue.

 

First bring in a fantasy class ship that has balconies other than suites. This would help by exciting people into trying out a balcony on a shorter cruise and also entice people who only cruise with a balcony without having to pay suite prices.

 

Secondly switch up the itineraries. Currently the Paradise only does 4 day to Cozumel and 5 day Cozumel/Grand Cayman(GC). Doing a 4/5 cycle is fine and I understand the location makes it tough to reach some ports but something can be done here. I propose these could work.

5 day Key West & Half Moon Cay(HMC) or Grand Turk.

5 day Key West & Cozumel/GC

5 day Roatan & Cozumel/GC/Belize

5 day Ocho Rios

4 day GC

4 day Belize

4 day Nassau

4 day Grand Turk

 

Now I know all of these can't be done, but if they could form a rotation of some sort with some of these it would give someone a reason to want to do a B2B or B2B2B to do a 8/9/10/14 cruise. I feel interest would be there for locals alone to fill the ship.

 

Finally with the Fantasy class becoming older and showing age instead of selling them all off to smaller lines or to become casino cruises Carnival could, to a lesser extent, do what they did to the Destiny(Sunshine) and completely revamp 2 of these ships to home port here. People(even me) have been mentioning for years of bringing a Spirit class ship here year round and clearly Carnival has no interest in that or building a new one so why not just completely redo what they have. I'm not saying add more rooms or anything, but Guys burgers, Alchemy, and a few other 2.0 upgrades would do wonders, along with new paint and decor throughout the ship. Also leave Playlist Productions off so the cruise purist has somewhere to cruise without giving up other amenities. Also with a second ship being brought in longer more unique itineraries are available like a 6/8 night cycle that can go to Costa Rica/Colombia/GC and the Eastern Caribbean for 8 nights and 6 nights Cozumel/Belize/Roatan/GC(one is always interchangeable depending on the week)

 

I'm sure more could be done too, but these few changes could change the game for a port that is slowly dying when it's best years are still far away. Exciting itineraries are at its door step for a market that's truly never been tapped into. Again Tampa Airport is highly rated and very easy to navigate plus some of the best beaches in the U.S. are only 30 minutes away for pre/post cruise stays.

 

I'm sure some of you will flame me for this, how it's the dumbest thing you've ever read, but I'd like to hear your thoughts, and hopefully if enough of you agree or like what I've posted Carnival will take notice and hopefully maybe implement some of these ideas. I just think the Port of Tampa could be used much more to create a huge revenue stream for Carnival and the area.

 

Let me here your thoughts and sorry for such a long post and I hope I articulated everything well enough for you all to get the jist of it. Also sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors, this was all written with my two chubby thumbs on my phone, after not much sleep.

[Homosassa]

Dying? You do realize that Carnival is not the only line that goes out of Tampa? There are HAL, NCL and RCI and all three offer seven day cruises.

[tamirpr]

I agree wholeheartedly with you. I don't necessarily agree the port is dying, but Carnival's presence is. We were just off the Paradise again. We were extremely disappointed in the condition of the ship, and we were the first cruise after dry dock. It needs serious help. So many things were broken, dirty and grimy.

 

Staff and food is wonderful, of course, but the ship is not in great condition. And I agree about the port selection. There definitely should be more options, but I would not want to do seven days on the Paradise.

[legion3]

Dying? You do realize that Carnival is not the only line that goes out of Tampa? There are HAL, NCL and RCI and all three offer seven day cruises.

 

Not year round.

[Captain Carnival]

Port Tampa Bay is far from dead and Paradise, or another Fantasy class ship, will not be the only Carnival vessel in port for very much longer....more to follow on April 6th!

[tbjl24]

Port Tampa Bay is far from dead and Paradise, or another Fantasy class ship, will not be the only Carnival vessel in port for very much longer....more to follow on April 6th!

 

Ok, I am calling my shot.....

 

1. Legend replaces Spirit year round in Australia. Spirit takes over for Legend in Alaska over the summer then repositions to Tampa.

 

2. Sensation moves to Miami to compete with Majesty of the Seas. Paradise goes to dry dock and then replaces Sensation in Port Canaveral.

 

3. Ecstasy to Tampa

[JohnSpo]

The OP's idea of a 5 day Key West & Half Moon Cay(HMC) or Grand Turk sounds great. Sign me up.

 

I use to do the 7 days out of Tampa on the Inspiration. I guess they need a better ship than the Paradise to get the people to do a 7 day.

 

As mentioned, Tampa has a great airport. Too bad the Port is not adequate.

[Angiet75]

I have never been on the paradise but will be in 22 days.

I have only been on the Legend (2) and the Miracle (1)

so never been on a smaller ship.

I have been out of Tampa and I think the port and location are great.

As long as I m on a cruise i dont care what the ship looks like.

[Jay Sam]

To theriac. Wow, very nice post. A lot to respond to here.

 

The Skyway and geographical location of Tampa works against us of course. As the Fantasy class ships get retired and other ones too, with no new-builds in the size to fit beneath the Skyway, there will be fewer and fewer opportunities for growth here. I may be on Brilliance of the Seas on 25 April for a birthday cruise, but have been to Cozumel 3 times. Not my first choice, but it is so easy leaving from my home port and the ship sounds great from what I hear about the Radiance class. Don't think I need to go to Cozumel again after this one. I like it but would like to experience something different too.

 

The idea of sending Carnival ships from Tampa to the places suggested is great, but the lines including Carnival will probably stick with the east coast ports of Florida for those. Carnival had a late December cruise from Tampa visiting a couple of Bahamas ports in 2014, but those are far and few between. Lately I have noticed Holland doing some 14 night trips to the eastern Caribbean which is nice, but it hurts the port traffic in that for those trips, there is a ship leaving once in 14 days when before would be 2 ships in 14 days each doing 2 7 nighters.

 

Used to be Carnival had Fantasy and Spirit class here year round. Then it became Fantasy class here year round and Spirit class here from Fall to Spring. Now with the exit of Pride to Baltimore we have Fantasy class year round. I feel if NCL and RC had not come here Carnival may still have both ships here still, but with the others jumping on the Tampa band-wagon, Carnival's yields could no longer sustain Tampa as a 2 ship port.

 

I took Paradise in Dec to Cozumel and had such a nice time. I am not a particular guy, and found Paradise to be great. It looked a bit worn and out-dated compared to other ships, but I liked it a lot. Would travel that ship again, but would like some different ports like you mentioned. Grand Turk HM and some other spots in the Bahamas too. I don't need to go to Belize, Roatan or Jamaica again. Been there done that, no thanks for a repeat.

 

To Captain Carnival, I hope you are correct that Tampa gets a Spirit class ship to replace Pride. Looking forward to the 6th of April announcement by Carnival. Chomping at the bit for that announce. At his point, I would even be happy to have 2 Fantasy class ships in Tampa.

 

Happy sailing to all. Great thread and happy to be a part of it.

[JohnSpo]

I have never been on the paradise but will be in 22 days.

I have only been on the Legend (2) and the Miracle (1)

so never been on a smaller ship.

I have been out of Tampa and I think the port and location are great.

As long as I m on a cruise i dont care what the ship looks like.

 

I was on Paradise last may for the 5 day Cozumel/Grand Cayman itinerary. Yes Paradise is a smaller ship but there are also less people and less lines. For a smaller ship it still has most of the big ship amenities. It is very clean, a great crew, great shows and entertainment. The food was also very good. I had a great time. I am sure you will too.:cool:

[Jay Sam]

I was on Paradise last may for the 5 day Cozumel/Grand Cayman itinerary. Yes Paradise is a smaller ship but there are also less people and less lines. For a smaller ship it still has most of the big ship amenities. It is very clean, a great crew, great shows and entertainment. The food was also very good. I had a great time. I am sure you will too.:cool:

 

I ditto your comments. When I was on board, it seemed bigger than it was. Great ship, crew, shows etc. Food was marvelous. Had a blast. I loved the ocean liner theme too. The nostalgia was an added part of her charm. Great memories from that cruise. Absolutely.

[islandatsea]

I ditto your comments. When I was on board, it seemed bigger than it was. Great ship, crew, shows etc. Food was marvelous. Had a blast. I loved the ocean liner theme too. The nostalgia was an added part of her charm. Great memories from that cruise. Absolutely.

 

We cruised on the Paradise in 2013 & 2014 one cruise doing a 4 day to Cozumel and the 2014 cruise doing the 5 day to Grand Cayman & Cozumel. No complaints from either cruise and the parking garage is very close to the terminal for check-in. Hope Carnival starts to offer more varied itineraries from the Tampa Port.

[Clearwater]

I agree with the original post. Tampa is my home port also but for family trips, we head to Miami or Port Canaveral. Boy do I miss having The Legend here.

 

I would be happy with any ship with 2.0 upgrades actually.

 

We take the Paradise for girls getaways, and am heading out this month for a friends birthday with many first time cruisers on it. It will be interested to see if they love cruising or not based on an older ship.

 

We were just off the Breeze and I would love a ship like her to head to Port Canaveral and a more modern ship in Tampa.

 

I am really hoping for some favorable news on the 6th as well for Tampa and Port Canaveral!!

[theriac]

Dying? You do realize that Carnival is not the only line that goes out of Tampa? There are HAL, NCL and RCI and all three offer seven day cruises.

 

You do realize those other lines are only here seasonally, right? They're all gone by the end of this month to go to Europe, Alaska, and I think Boston.

 

I stand by my original statement that Port of Tampa is a dying breed. It may not be tomorrow or even in 5 or 10 years, but what's going to happen when the spirit class becomes like the fantasy class? They will be sold off to various lines and Tampa will have nothing left. This port is huge in terms of west coast demand. People from Georgia and Alabama who come down 75 or 19 and don't want to drive to Miami or pay the higher price port Canaveral cruises yield.

 

Tampa and Carnival could really do something here. Think if Carnival implemented some of those I itineraries and had two nice refurbished ships here. I know lots of people who want to cruise around here but hate the current cycle it's on, even the 7 days from here are uninspired that the spirit class ship would run. If Tampa and Carnival could work out an exclusivity deal or something where Tampa would subsidize the refurbs if Carnival kept those ships here a minimum of X amount of years. I love the port it's easy to get to, navigate, the airport is the same and cruise business should be boomimg here.

 

Again the port is dying! In 15 years when Spirit class ships are retiring and the state of Florida and Pinellas and Manatee Counties do nothing about the bridge situation then the only thing coming into and out of Tampa by ship is going to be freight liners smuggling drugs instead of the 17 year old with dreads on a family vacation smuggling drugs back on a Cruise Ship.

[Captain Carnival]

...To Captain Carnival, I hope you are correct that Tampa gets a Spirit class ship to replace Pride. Looking forward to the 6th of April announcement by Carnival. Chomping at the bit for that announce. At his point, I would even be happy to have 2 Fantasy class ships in Tampa...

 

From what I understand...there "should" be good news coming on the week of the 6th (previously slated for March 23rd) and I am quite hopeful that there are no other delays in the announcement.

 

At note of interest to you and Fantasy Class ships - there was a time several years ago when a Fantasy Class ship - the Inspiration did do 7-day cruises out of Tampa that included stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and oddly enough New Orleans before heading back to Tampa.

 

That being the case, it is clearly possible to do 7-day cruises on Fantasy Class ships that could also include a variety of other port calls such as Key West, Costa Maya, or even Belize.

 

Stayed tuned for more info...sooner than later...I hope!

[cruiser fanatic]

From what I understand...there "should" be good news coming on the week of the 6th (previously slated for March 23rd) and I am quite hopeful that there are no other delays in the announcement.

 

At note of interest to you and Fantasy Class ships - there was a time several years ago when a Fantasy Class ship - the Inspiration did do 7-day cruises out of Tampa that included stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and oddly enough New Orleans before heading back to Tampa.

 

That being the case, it is clearly possible to do 7-day cruises on Fantasy Class ships that could also include a variety of other port calls such as Key West, Costa Maya, or even Belize.

 

Stayed tuned for more info...sooner than later...I hope!

 

I already know the news for Tampa (I am assuming that you know the news too). My PVP told me but asked that I not tell anyone else! Can't wait for the "official" announcement!

Edited April 1, 2015 by cruiser fanatic

[cruiser fanatic]

I agree with your post. However, Grand Cayman and Cozumel is better then Progreso and Cozumel or Freeport, Nassau, and Belize. I wish they would start going to Calica again!

[EZ4]

This is Carnival we're talking about. April 6th will come and go. Probably by the end of May you'll hear something concrete.

[theriac]

I already know the news for Tampa (I am assuming that you know the news too). My PVP told me but asked that I not tell anyone else! Can't wait for the "official" announcement!

 

Should I call my PVP? I'm interested now to what's going to happen. I just hope its not another tired itinerary and they go back to when they sailed to Costa Rica from Tampa.

[Tutontow]

I too live in Plant City. My wife and I much prefer the Bahama's to Mexico. Having said that Port of Tampa is so convenient but in reality from Plant City it really isn't that much farther to go to Port Canaveral which is so much closer to the Bahamas.

 

I'm willing to bet the powers to be sure which they could have foreseen the megaships when the built the new Skyway.

[StaceySteveDMB]

My guess is Miracle is coming here and Legend stays West Coast after the Alaska season.

[cruiser fanatic]

Should I call my PVP? I'm interested now to what's going to happen. I just hope its not another tired itinerary and they go back to when they sailed to Costa Rica from Tampa.

 

You can try. You may or may not get the answer.

[Jay Sam]

From what I understand...there "should" be good news coming on the week of the 6th (previously slated for March 23rd) and I am quite hopeful that there are no other delays in the announcement.

 

At note of interest to you and Fantasy Class ships - there was a time several years ago when a Fantasy Class ship - the Inspiration did do 7-day cruises out of Tampa that included stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and oddly enough New Orleans before heading back to Tampa.

 

That being the case, it is clearly possible to do 7-day cruises on Fantasy Class ships that could also include a variety of other port calls such as Key West, Costa Maya, or even Belize.

 

Stayed tuned for more info...sooner than later...I hope!

 

Thanks for your recent posts, actually all of them. I remember you from that post a while back regarding Tampa/Skyway. We were both a part of that one.

 

I would do a 7 nighter on Fantasy class if it were to a varied itin'. Seems for the most part those are now resigned to 3-5 nighters, and out of the Florida ports to the same ole same ole. Took Paradise in Dec to Cozumel and had a wonderful time. The price was unbelievable. Third time to Cozumel.

 

Interesting about Inspiration doing that itin' that included New Orleans. My cousin and her husband took Paradise from New Orleans back in the 90s sometime and that trip had a stop in Tampa before doing the other 2 stops and going back to New Orleans.

 

Interesting about Fascination going to San Juan for 7 nighters. I don't think that will be long term, but maybe so.

 

I am now going to e-mail my PVP at Carnival and see if I can find out anything. Like they say, stay tuned.

[xeroxme]

Paradise is a fun ship and port of tampa is so much fun to sail in and out of!! I hope it thrives and more ships use the port!!

[keishashadow]

The OP's idea of a 5 day Key West & Half Moon Cay(HMC) or Grand Turk sounds great. Sign me up.

 

I use to do the 7 days out of Tampa on the Inspiration. I guess they need a better ship than the Paradise to get the people to do a 7 day.

 

As mentioned, Tampa has a great airport. Too bad the Port is not adequate.

 

Not a huge fan of Grand Turk. If they would offer HMC on itinerary, we would book. Many out-of-state guests who visit the Orlando parks a few times a year enjoy adding a short cruise to complement their visits.

 

The drive is not much longer to Tampa vs Port Canaveral from Orlando & it's far easier & quicker option to drop a rental car in TPA. Bonus points:) the rental car agency offered us free shuttle service back to the airport after our cruise returned to port.

 

Only issue in my mind is that the Paradise is currently assigned to the port. Have never sailed it or that class of ship, however, the negative reviews of the ship are rather daunting. That said, as long as they put HMC on the itinerary, I'd give it a whirl.:)

Edited April 2, 2015 by keishashadow