Carnival Spirit 6 and 8 day cruises to Bahamas only...

[stormgrey11]

Interesting move by Carnival.

 

Except for a couple of Journey cruises, looks starting in 2025 , the Spirit will do 6 and 8 day cruises out of Mobile to the Bahamas only and thereby completly eliminating Western Caribbean ports.

 

6 day Start: Mobile > Bimini > Celebration Key  or

          Start: Mobile > Celebration Key > Nassau

 

8 day Start: Mobile > Bimini > Celebration Key > Princess Cays > Nassau or 

          Start: Mobile > Bimini > Nassau > Celebration Key > Half Moon Cay

 

Good move by Carnival or not ?

 

[havanadaydreaming]

Man, for an 8 day itinerary id want some more exotic ports of calls than just Bahamas. 

[ray98]

I think it is a good move.  There are plenty of 5 days going to the western ports from ports not far away.  This gives another option on a nicer ship where more people would be inclined to enjoy more sea days over the Fantasy class ships.  The Spirit is already drawing a premium for fares.

[Purvis1231]

1 hour ago, stormgrey11 said:

Interesting move by Carnival.

 

Except for a couple of Journey cruises, looks starting in 2025 , the Spirit will do 6 and 8 day cruises out of Mobile to the Bahamas only and thereby completly eliminating Western Caribbean ports.

 

6 day Start: Mobile > Bimini > Celebration Key  or

          Start: Mobile > Celebration Key > Nassau

 

8 day Start: Mobile > Bimini > Celebration Key > Princess Cays > Nassau or 

          Start: Mobile > Bimini > Nassau > Celebration Key > Half Moon Cay

 

Good move by Carnival or not ?

 

I just booked Central America for 2025. 

Edited October 8, 2023 by Purvis1231
typo

[highSeas22]

28 minutes ago, ray98 said:

I think it is a good move.  There are plenty of 5 days going to the western ports from ports not far away.  This gives another option on a nicer ship where more people would be inclined to enjoy more sea days over the Fantasy class ships.  The Spirit is already drawing a premium for fares.

It's a nice ship

[havanadaydreaming]

I do love the Spirit.  

 

It doesnt have all the bells and whistles but it felt uncrowded even at very near full capacity.  Thumbs up. 

[Clarasgrandma]

We are considering a 2026 cruise on the spirit which will be our first time out of mobile, Alabama and first time on the spirit. I’d like to add on an 8 day as well and make it a B2B. The current prices seem really high though….I’m still battling with myself over this.

[ray98]

10 hours ago, Clarasgrandma said:

We are considering a 2026 cruise on the spirit which will be our first time out of mobile, Alabama and first time on the spirit. I’d like to add on an 8 day as well and make it a B2B. The current prices seem really high though….I’m still battling with myself over this.

They are insanely high.  We have one coming up after the first of the year and the Celebration and Mardi Gras were both cheaper for the 3 different weeks we were considering.  It will be interesting to see if the pricing holds up after the newness wears off.  Mobile was pretty much the cheapest available when the Fantasy class ships were there.

[ledges1]

For me this is not a good move. It appears Carnival is promoting Celebration Key and hoping people we book the private beach. Also promoting Nassau and the new port facilities. Overall,, Mobile is an expensive city for commercial flights. The best way to hold down your expense is to drive. Even then, they will charge you $20 a day to park. There are better options than Mobile if you want to take a Carnival cruise. The lack of variety may hurt future capacity. Overall, this could reduce Carnival’s fuel cost. Mobile is at the bottom of the list of cities to get a cruise ship. Additional downsizing by Carnival will cost Mobile a ship. After this new contract is complete in 2025, it may be over for Mobile.

[mz-s]

The new Nassau facility is world class...I cannot believe Carnival is still stopping in Bimini though. I really thought Bimini was just there as a stopgap while Nassau was under construction. I have no desire to ever go back. They must be getting good kickbacks from the casino there.

 

3 hours ago, ledges1 said:

For me this is not a good move. It appears Carnival is promoting Celebration Key and hoping people we book the private beach. Also promoting Nassau and the new port facilities. Overall,, Mobile is an expensive city for commercial flights. The best way to hold down your expense is to drive. Even then, they will charge you $20 a day to park. There are better options than Mobile if you want to take a Carnival cruise. The lack of variety may hurt future capacity. Overall, this could reduce Carnival’s fuel cost. Mobile is at the bottom of the list of cities to get a cruise ship. Additional downsizing by Carnival will cost Mobile a ship. After this new contract is complete in 2025, it may be over for Mobile.

 

Mobile is not height limited like JAX or TPA - if the cruises sell, they'll put a ship like Sunshine or Conquest there.

[sunonfire]

I was hoping they would do this for spirit class out of Tampa. So far no luck.

[MisterOJ2]

I'm booked on an 8-day over Christmas this year. It's been a while since we've been to the Bahamas, so we didn't mind the itinerary. (Although when we originally booked, it was supposed to stop at Princess Cay, but it was changed to Bimini a few months later.) I'm looking forward to trying out the Spirit for the first time and cruising out of Mobile again (that port is just really convenient for us) but I do wish they would offer Western itineraries from there. We love going to Costa Maya and Cozumel and Roatan. But I guess if we want to do those, we can always just go to New Orleans.

[grantbob]

They have 6 and 8 day Western iteneraries  in 2024

[MississippiMom]

We are so tired of Cozumel.  I wasn’t even thinking about a Spring Break 2026 cruise until I saw that Mobile was an option WITHOUT going to Mexico.  I’ll be keeping an eye on the Spirit rates.

[dolphinsfan246]

On 10/9/2023 at 8:49 AM, ledges1 said:

For me this is not a good move. It appears Carnival is promoting Celebration Key and hoping people we book the private beach. Also promoting Nassau and the new port facilities. Overall,, Mobile is an expensive city for commercial flights. The best way to hold down your expense is to drive. Even then, they will charge you $20 a day to park. There are better options than Mobile if you want to take a Carnival cruise. The lack of variety may hurt future capacity. Overall, this could reduce Carnival’s fuel cost. Mobile is at the bottom of the list of cities to get a cruise ship. Additional downsizing by Carnival will cost Mobile a ship. After this new contract is complete in 2025, it may be over for Mobile.

Carnival and Mobile just recently signed an extension to 2030. They will be there in some capacity for the next 7 years. 

[tidecat]

On 10/9/2023 at 8:49 AM, ledges1 said:

Even then, they will charge you $20 a day to park. There are better options than Mobile if you want to take a Carnival cruise. The lack of variety may hurt future capacity. Overall, this could reduce Carnival’s fuel cost. Mobile is at the bottom of the list of cities to get a cruise ship. Additional downsizing by Carnival will cost Mobile a ship. After this new contract is complete in 2025, it may be over for Mobile.

Contract runs through 2028, with option to extend to 2030:

 

https://www.cbs42.com/alabama-news/carnival-cruise-set-to-sail-out-of-mobile-for-the-next-5-years/

 

Also keep in mind as Charleston signs off in January 2025, Mobile will be the closest port for a number of people in Georgia - even closer than Jacksonville. With Jacksonville's height issues, Mobile is more likely to go to year round service than go away completely.

 

I don't see much in the way of downsizing before 2030. Luminosa (Brisbane) and whatever Spirit class ship is wintering in Galveston by then will be available to take Elation and Paradise's spots should they depart. I think the Spirit Class likely lives to see 33 years of age given Carnival's current strategy for Alaska and Europe.

[jsglow]

14 hours ago, tidecat said:

Contract runs through 2028, with option to extend to 2030:

 

https://www.cbs42.com/alabama-news/carnival-cruise-set-to-sail-out-of-mobile-for-the-next-5-years/

 

Also keep in mind as Charleston signs off in January 2025, Mobile will be the closest port for a number of people in Georgia - even closer than Jacksonville. With Jacksonville's height issues, Mobile is more likely to go to year round service than go away completely.

 

I don't see much in the way of downsizing before 2030. Luminosa (Brisbane) and whatever Spirit class ship is wintering in Galveston by then will be available to take Elation and Paradise's spots should they depart. I think the Spirit Class likely lives to see 33 years of age given Carnival's current strategy for Alaska and Europe.

I agree. And I don't think Elation or Paradise are going away anytime soon. Frankly, I wonder if Carnival maybe even things they beached one or two prematurely. But hindsight is always 20/20.

[dolphinsfan246]

6 hours ago, jsglow said:

I agree. And I don't think Elation or Paradise are going away anytime soon. Frankly, I wonder if Carnival maybe even things they beached one or two prematurely. But hindsight is always 20/20.

Well yes, all 6 of them were actually beached prematurely. But it was an unfortunate circumstance where Carnival needed that instant revenue more than anything. Thankfully they had those disposable assets or else they might not be here today. 

[toad455]

Carnival should have kept the Ecstasy around for a few more years. It was due for a dry dock, but Carnival scraped her instead.

[tidecat]

2 hours ago, toad455 said:

Carnival should have kept the Ecstasy around for a few more years. It was due for a dry dock, but Carnival scraped her instead.

Both Ecstasy and Sensation (which was also due for drydock) needed really expensive engine overhauls. Between the shutdown itself and China not reopening until late this year, there wasn't enough work to justify keeping either of them around.

 

If the shutdown never happened, Venezia and Firenze, would be doing Chinese cruises for Costa. I think Luminosa still comes over, as does Magica to manage Costa's capacity in Europe. Of course Costa could have sent newer ships (like two from the Concordia class) if Carnival still wanted to do the Italian style concept. At the minimum we would need to save one Fantasy class ship to meet the current level of service, possibly more depending on what Carnival deploys to Alaska and Europe.

 

I think Fascination would have been year-round in Mobile, but likely beached in 2026. Maybe if the engine overhaul happens with her 2023 drydock she stays around until 2029.

 

Magica and Luminosa would be in place of Venezia and Firenze.

 

Sunrise gets sent Down Under in place of Luminosa, and stays there year-round. Miami keeps a Fantasy class vessel for the 3-4 day cruises. I still think Radiance transitions to Long Beach to consolidate the 3-4 day routes ran by Imagination and Inspiration, especially with Jubilee coming to Galveston. The four other Spirit class vessels run one of the following platoons: Seattle/Miami, Europe/Tampa, San Francisco/Galveston, and Seattle/San Diego.

 

I still think we would see some consolidation between 2025-2028 as the Fantasy class ships age, although if Carnival were to overhaul Imagination and Inspiration by 2023 they might dodge that bullet. A new ship in the 2025-2027 range would also help (especially with a Fantasy class vessel in Miami), but we probably still eventually gravitate towards something looking like today's lineup.

[jsglow]

@tidecat, I actually think they've done a solid job managing the situation. I do think they may have been a bit surprised by the poor showing of Venezia up in NYC resulting in her transfer. Personally, I only wish they had one more chessboard move and that would be to return a vessel to San Juan. But with literally nothing coming to the fleet post Jubilee, I'm guessing that doesn't happen.

 

I do think that eventually the Jacksonville (and year round Tampa) ports are 'at risk'. I'm hard pressed to think that Carnival orders another batch of Spirits meaning that by 2030 the inventory of Spirit/Fantasy is diminished and the bridges become a problem without a new cruise port further outside.

[RoperDK]

I just don't understand the desire to cruise on Fantasy class.  I have cruised on them several times over 20 years, but so glad to have a spirit class in Mobile now.  We are booked on Spirit in February.  If they had placed a Fantasy class there again, I would have skipped Mobile.  We only cruise in balconies or suites, so maybe that is why I dislike them so much.  Our last cruise out of Mobile (before Covid) was a disaster.  Other than good crew members, it was my worst cruise ever.  Perhaps the smaller cabin size....no sofa just chair, much smaller bath, and general disrepair around the ship had something to do with that.     

[toad455]

Recently, the Costa Atlantica was transferred to Carnival China's brand, Adora Cruises, but remained laid up and never sailed for them. The ship was just sold to Margaritaville at Sea and will be named the Islander. if Carnival wanted another Spirit-class ship, they could have transferred the Atlantica over to Carnival.

[tidecat]

2 hours ago, toad455 said:

Recently, the Costa Atlantica was transferred to Carnival China's brand, Adora Cruises, but remained laid up and never sailed for them. The ship was just sold to Margaritaville at Sea and will be named the Islander. if Carnival wanted another Spirit-class ship, they could have transferred the Atlantica over to Carnival.

Carnival Corporation exited their position in Adora in September 2023. Carnival would have had to buy the ship back.

[Illbcruzn4life]

On 10/9/2023 at 8:49 AM, ledges1 said:

For me this is not a good move. It appears Carnival is promoting Celebration Key and hoping people we book the private beach. Also promoting Nassau and the new port facilities. Overall,, Mobile is an expensive city for commercial flights. The best way to hold down your expense is to drive. Even then, they will charge you $20 a day to park. There are better options than Mobile if you want to take a Carnival cruise. The lack of variety may hurt future capacity. Overall, this could reduce Carnival’s fuel cost. Mobile is at the bottom of the list of cities to get a cruise ship. Additional downsizing by Carnival will cost Mobile a ship. After this new contract is complete in 2025, it may be over for Mobile.

$20 a day sounds like a bargain. Just paid $30 a day from Bayonne last week and $45 a day in June from Brooklyn