Ahoy, Spirit Class fans…

[brilliantseas]

On 12/4/2023 at 8:03 PM, mz-s said:

I only wish things worked out differently and the Fantasy class had lived on with a line like this.

 

Still a slim chance... Two of the Fantasy class float on, including one in Tampa. As much as I love the Fantasy class, I can't imagine MAS will go after another ship that was built before balconies were the norm. So long as Paradise isn't losing money, I suspect it'll stay in the fleet in the short-term, but the people behind the Margaritaville brand aren't happy with the quality of the overall experience, so once Islander proves to be profitable, I suspect they'll look to find another vessel to replace Paradise in the short cruise market.

 

If they choose to stay at Port of Palm Beach, the most obvious choices would be Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky, as they are likely the only mainstream cruise ships built with bow-to-stern balconies that are still small enough to berth at Palm Beach. Alternatively, MAS could choose to move south to Fort Lauderdale with a larger vessel, with the port also being closer to the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort. If volume permits, I could even see Carnival Conquest, Carnival Luminosa, Costa Deliziosa, or Costa Fortuna being acquisition targets for placement in Fort Lauderdale or Miami in the next 2-3 years. 

 

It will be interesting to see which of the "big three" cave first on a new-build small ship class to serve Tampa, Jacksonville, Baltimore (height constrained ports). There are a lot of smaller ships with balconies in all three fleets that would likely serve well to complement Islander in the MAS fleet if and when they come on the market. 

[toad455]

Those Fantasy class ships that are now scrap would be over 30 years old if Carnival kept some of them or if they got purchased by MAS. The Paradise and Elation are now 26. Odds seem like a Costa ship might be available soon as that fleet keeps dwindling. Keep the Islander out of Tampa and a third ship can go out of Jacksonville for longer cruises (Key West & Grand Turk?) assuming it'll fit.

[JMAE]

I see the Pride is scheduled for drydock 3/15/26 to 4/9/26.  

[brilliantseas]

On 5/17/2024 at 12:48 PM, toad455 said:

Those Fantasy class ships that are now scrap would be over 30 years old if Carnival kept some of them or if they got purchased by MAS. The Paradise and Elation are now 26. Odds seem like a Costa ship might be available soon as that fleet keeps dwindling. Keep the Islander out of Tampa and a third ship can go out of Jacksonville for longer cruises (Key West & Grand Turk?) assuming it'll fit.

 

Costa Deliziosa would be the obvious choice, followed by Carnival Luminosa as MAS already has the design work done to convert these vessels to be near-carbon copy versions of Islander. The Carnival Spirit class and the Norwegian Sun and Sky are the other obvious choices if MAS chose Jacksonville as the next port. The Celebrity Millennium class and RCCL Vision class ships also fit under the bridge in Tampa, but I'm not sure about Jacksonville. The larger vessels, such as the Costa Fortuna or the Carnival Sunshine or Conquest classes are too tall to fit under the bridge in Jacksonville. 

[CarnivalShips480]

On 5/21/2024 at 4:01 PM, brilliantseas said:

 

Costa Deliziosa would be the obvious choice, followed by Carnival Luminosa as MAS already has the design work done to convert these vessels to be near-carbon copy versions of Islander. The Carnival Spirit class and the Norwegian Sun and Sky are the other obvious choices if MAS chose Jacksonville as the next port. The Celebrity Millennium class and RCCL Vision class ships also fit under the bridge in Tampa, but I'm not sure about Jacksonville. The larger vessels, such as the Costa Fortuna or the Carnival Sunshine or Conquest classes are too tall to fit under the bridge in Jacksonville. 

Deliziosa, Luminosa, and the Spirit class won't be available until the 2030s to 2040s