HAL returns to Tampa

[DaveOKC]

Just saw an announcement that Veendam will be sailing out of Tampa for 2020 season.  Will have 7, 12 and 14 day cruises to Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean.

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by DaveOKC

[G&G]

25 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Just saw an announcement that Veendam will be sailing out of Tampa for 2020 season.  Will have 7, 12 and 14 day cruises to Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean.

 

 

Thanks for the info but this was discussed in a prior thread. I guess HAL did not like Celebrity moving into its territory

[DaveOKC]

Sorry - I have been on a 2 week cruise so likely missed it.  It showed up on a finacial website as news release from today.

[POA1]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

Just saw an announcement that Veendam will be sailing out of Tampa for 2020 season.  Will have 7, 12 and 14 day cruises to Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean.

 

 

That's got to make you happy Dave.

[Roz]

MSC is also moving into Tampa. 

[FlorenceItaly]

With all the competition in Tampa I think we are going to see some very low rates on the Veendam, jmo.

[rkacruiser]

4 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

With all the competition in Tampa I think we are going to see some very low rates on the Veendam, jmo.

 

MSC and Celebrity are going to be formidable competitor I expect.  

[MISTER 67]

1 hour ago, FlorenceItaly said:

With all the competition in Tampa I think we are going to see some very low rates on the Veendam, jmo.

It's hard to beat the rates on MSC.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

MSC and Celebrity are going to be formidable competitor I expect.  

 

Well MSC is using the Armonia, and even though she will have been "refreshed" in Drydock before coming to Tampa she is nowhere near what many think of with MSC (No Yacht Club for example).  I'd say the Armonia is more comparable to NCL Sky/Sun or RCCL Majesty than anything else.  She will sell at budget rates, especially given her odd itineraries (Friday to Friday 7 day cruises and 4 & 5 day on odd days of week). 

 

Celebrity is focusing on 10+ days, on a really good ship (Constellation fresh from Revolution refit), so I expect them to get premium yields, especially on her partial canal sailings.

 

Veendam may do ok on her longer sailings, but I expect her 7 day departures to have deep discounting within 60 days of departure.

Edited September 26, 2019 by AtlantaCruiser72

[Caribbean Chris]

When Celebrity announced the Constellation out of Tampa, we booked a 10-day immediately with friends for April 2021. Big surprise when HAL jumped back in.

 

However, much as I truly love HAL and probably would have booked Veendam, had I known sooner, I’m already looking forward to Constellation. It’s likely to be in much better refurbished condition, and the ship has a wonderful, free Thalassotherapy pool I enjoyed. Celebrity’s Sky Suite includes much more than a Veendam Neptune Suite, with the  Luminae suite dining room, Michael’s Club lounge, and now a new suite Retreat area. And X was offering a full amenity package (gratuities, premium beverage package, unlimited WiFi, and OBC) at a great price for a suite.

 

Maybe we’ll do a last minute 7-day while HAL is back in Tampa. It’s always a treat to sail under the SS Bridge.

 

 

[Himself]

Many cruisers on the gulf coast will be happy.

[Roz]

Odd days of the week for the MSC 4-5 days will work for some cruisers.  My sister works in retail, and it's hard for her to take 2 weekends off in a row.  Retirees, of which there are a lot of in Florida, aren't married to the work schedule.

[rkacruiser]

Veendam will be more of a competitor with MSC Armonia than with Celebrity Constellation in my opinion.

[wdw1972]

It's been many years since I sailed Veendam, and I've come to really like the venues and amenities on the newer HAL ships (Vista and after) so I couldn't justify booking well in advance.  It's possible, since Tampa is 2 hours away and Port Everglades is 5+ hours away that I'd add one at the relatively last minute if the price was too attractive to pass up.  I do enjoy sailing under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  The itinerary does nothing for me, but I cruise for life on the ship.  I just have to be sure not having BB King's, Billboard, Tamarind, etc won't make me regret it!

 

Sue/WDW1972

[ottahand7]

This Michigan resident is happy Tampa is coming back.  We loved our Rotterdam cruise out of Tampa.  That coupled with good Allegiant Air direct flights and Tampa Bay Downs are a great reason to give them a look - especially last minute in 2020.