It seems the Costa experiment is a success

[Honolulu Blue]

Out of 25 topics on the front page as of this writing (it will change constantly), eight are about the Costa Venezia.

 

I admit that I was skeptical at first, but it seems that bringing Costa ships into the fleet is bringing some needed buzz to Carnival.  Nice job, Christine and Carnival!  👍

[shof515]

that's because the ship is about to begin its inaugural sailings, from the first transatlantic to the first few cruises out of NYC

[Honolulu Blue]

22 minutes ago, shof515 said:

that's because the ship is about to begin its inaugural sailings, from the first transatlantic to the first few cruises out of NYC

True, and maybe both the Mardi Gras and Celebration had a similarly excited bunch, but both those ships cost around $1 billion to build.  I'm sure the Venezia cost much less to renovate/remodel.  Lots of buzz, not too much $$$.  I call that good ROI!

[tidecat]

As satisfying a successful launch of Venezia may be, remember that any cost associated with remodeling the ship, along with all of the unsold tickets in Europe while Venezia was deployed there, is ultimately the cost of exiting China. A Vista-class ship runs about $750 million. I have not seen a dollar amount quoted on the drydock, but given the length I think it would probably was at least $20 million. Whatever those costs are, ultimately they get doubled when you tack on Firenze in addition to Venezia.

 

If you assume that Costa Magica and Costa Serena would not have been laid up as long as they were had Venezia and Firenze not been built, with a cost at least $1 million per month per ship, entering the Chinese market was ultimately a $1.6 billion mistake.  It will take 10-15 years of Carnival Fun Italian StyleTM to make that back, assuming Carnival averages $230 in profit per passenger, which was the company average across all brands for fiscal year 2019.

[Thenagers]

Venezia May seem like a success but the Luminosa is not. I have read horrible reviews of that ship from Alaska sailings. 

[Squirreladd]

1 hour ago, tidecat said:

As satisfying a successful launch of Venezia may be, remember that any cost associated with remodeling the ship, along with all of the unsold tickets in Europe while Venezia was deployed there, is ultimately the cost of exiting China. A Vista-class ship runs about $750 million. I have not seen a dollar amount quoted on the drydock, but given the length I think it would probably was at least $20 million. Whatever those costs are, ultimately they get doubled when you tack on Firenze in addition to Venezia.

 

If you assume that Costa Magica and Costa Serena would not have been laid up as long as they were had Venezia and Firenze not been built, with a cost at least $1 million per month per ship, entering the Chinese market was ultimately a $1.6 billion mistake.  It will take 10-15 years of Carnival Fun Italian StyleTM to make that back, assuming Carnival averages $230 in profit per passenger, which was the company average across all brands for fiscal year 2019.

Is the china venture a bust officially?

[BlerkOne]

1 minute ago, Squirreladd said:

Is the china venture a bust officially?

Not at all. The Carnival joint venture is scheduled to have two ships sailing by the end of the year.

[Cruising_Addict]

4 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Out of 25 topics on the front page as of this writing (it will change constantly), eight are about the Costa Venezia.

 

I admit that I was skeptical at first, but it seems that bringing Costa ships into the fleet is bringing some needed buzz to Carnival.  Nice job, Christine and Carnival!  👍

With respect, any new ship in the fleet is going to be the most talked about thing during its first few weeks of sailing. It really doesn’t matter if it’s a new build or a repurposed ship. Personally, I think they could have created even more buzz, and increased demand even more, if they made the Costa ships (that were repurposed to Carnival) adults-only. The style of those ships are already more elegant. To combine that with Carnival’s entertainment, which lacks on the actual Costa ships and most similar cruise lines, on ships that people can enjoy without unruly kids would be fantastic. 

Edited May 27, 2023 by Cruising_Addict

[CruiseAdict218]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

Not at all. The Carnival joint venture is scheduled to have two ships sailing by the end of the year.

Three ships now, Atlantica, the new Vista (Magic City) and Mediterranea in that order.
 

The interesting thing is one Spirit will keep its Costa livery the other will get a “bigger” makeover to match the new Vista. 

[Lizzanna]

I was on the first Alaska sailing of the Luminosa, it was not good.  After that experience, you could not pay me to get on another Costa ship.  

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, Lizzanna said:

I was on the first Alaska sailing of the Luminosa, it was not good.  After that experience, you could not pay me to get on another Costa ship.  

I'm curious about what you didn't like about it. I'm considering a sailing on the Luminosa next year, though as far away from Alaska as possible. You can link to a thread describing your thoughts and opinions if that's better for you. Thanks in advance. 👍

[vwrestler171]

New ships always get buzz when they are about to sail and through their first sailing.  Luminosa seems to be a dud, so its not all roses on the Costa by Carnival side

[gkbiiii]

Luminosa, is Farcis decorating ugliness inside!

[tidecat]

3 hours ago, vwrestler171 said:

New ships always get buzz when they are about to sail and through their first sailing.  Luminosa seems to be a dud, so its not all roses on the Costa by Carnival side

Luminosa isn't part of the "Costa by Canival" project. This was Carnival adding a ship from one of its sister brands. 

[Joebucks]

Excel and Costa have added some much needed variety into the Carnival fleet. The cash-strapped cruise lines are probably taking notice that you can garner interest without a $1 billion new build. Themes can be an additional business model that hasn't been as deeply explored.

[gkbiiii]

Not to mention, Costa's reputation within the English speaking world, is complete & total crap!

[lesters]

On 5/27/2023 at 12:31 PM, Lizzanna said:

I was on the first Alaska sailing of the Luminosa, it was not good.  After that experience, you could not pay me to get on another Costa ship.  

Would love to read your thoughts!  So little has been posted about this ship. 

[Lizzanna]

Sorry been out of town and unable to respond. I will give a few quick thoughts on why I thought the Luminosa was so bad.  The Lido deck area is the worst layout I have ever seen, it is very crowded, very little seating, I actually was taking my food back to the cabin to eat because of lack of anywhere to sit. At off times it was a bit better but during peak times, good luck.  The food was the absolute worst of any cruise I have been on. The burger place is not a Guy's and it was horrible! The only desserts were a small area with cut up sheet cakes, not the usual Carnival desserts. Pizza was good, sandwiches were not good. Wait times in the dining room were 1-2 hours. It felt like no one really knew what they were doing. 

There were plumbing issues all over the ship. Our shower flooded the first morning. Toilet in our cabin wouldn't flush when you wanted it to but then would flush on its own over and over at random times. Public restrooms were often closed due to issues. 

We had a balcony on deck 4, aft. We couldn't figure out why we always smelled cigarette smoke, turns out they have deck 3 aft blocked off as a smoking area for the crew!  It was nonstop smoke, we could not enjoy our balcony at all. Beware if you have a balcony on the aft end of the ship!

There were so many issues with this ship, I have never heard so many complaints from other passengers.  I seemed like none of the people who are in charge really cared that much.  

I can try and answer other questions.