🤣 I’m done with mega ships. I’m booking our next cruise today on a 2,100 passenger capacity ship. Our last cruise was on a 5,400 passenger ship and there were 1,400 kids on it. (I got that figure from a crew member). No thanks. The mega ships attract families with kids. I know I sound like a crabby old lady but our cruises are sacred to us for relaxation and getting away from it all. Dodging toddlers is not relaxing.
Europe ports are no longer wanting cruise ships to dock because there's too many people at one time in their cities. Can you imagine 8k people being dumped in your town all at once?
Plus the polution. Not all European ports will be fitted with possibilities for using electric power while in port, as it is expensive and many European countries are running out of capacity reg electricity.
One of the really Bummers about Carnival doing this... is the fact that Mega ships can't go to all the ports where smaller cruise ships can hit those ports that almost all the ships are missing now due to HUGE ships.
they are floating amusement parks and I am not a fan..too many people for my taste....I like about 2000-2500 passenger vessels... if they go away then I will too.
Platinum level Carnival Cruiser here. I've sailed on all their various sized ships. The Dream and Vista class are my favorite. While I loved the Celebration, the embarkation and debarkation experiences were terrible. Getting that many passengers on and off the ship really requires completely new port facilities. I can't imagine getting 8000 passengers on and off that sized ship at Galveston. What a nightmare.
2,500 is the size I vote for. However, I’m a member of of that senior democratic. I’m 70 yrs old, a solo traveler, and don’t mind paying for the cruise experience I’m looking for. These cruise lines have already proven they won’t police “child free” (aka “Haven, etc.) areas, or out of control night time venues. They lure you in to an “exclusive experience” and then dump you. No thank you.
I’m in good physical shape yet when we went on the Mardi Gras, we spent so much time walking to get to the fun. It changed the whole way we had to cruise. That being said our cabin was way up front. But we had to seriously alter the way we cruised. We never seen everything on that ship because we were exhausted from walking so much and we wanted to just chill and relax. Bigger is definitely not better. ✌🏼
@@EKA201-j7f They’re not faking, those distanced more than meet the criteria for a physical disability placard! I’m thinking that their new additions should be streetcars that take you around the town!
@@thestooges333 yep, amputees, heart patients, asthmatics, and many others could just get rid of their trouble walking by exercising more! Note: exercise isn’t a cure all and can be detrimental to some, depending upon the type.
Royal is going to corner the market with their new smaller ships. Carnival is being ignorant if they don’t follow suit with this. I’m so excited about Royal’s Discovery class.
@@sarahstiles6023 Royal is actually going to be building a new class of smaller ships. It’s called the Discovery class. It’s not officially announced yet, but it’s happening, they are actively in the design phase of it. The CEO has said this on numerous occasions. It’s a game changer.
Platinum on Carnival: Our family WILL NEVER sail on their "8000" passenger ships. Enough is enough. We LOVED the middle size ships and actually got to enjoy the Dream size ships. However, the recent addition of Excel size ships has turned us away. We cruised on Norwegian this year.
Carnival, we have no interest in a Mega ship. Just like RC, we will not sail on their mega ships either. The majority of cruisers are the older crowd with the money and time and do not want all the noise, toys, crowds, or kids.
With more and more ports freaking out about extreme numbers of passengers overwhelming their cities, just what do they think is going to happen? I have no interest whatsoever in a “private island”. If I can’t visit the ports I want, I’ll just fly there.
People go on a cruise so they can get away from other people when you make them that big. It’s like just being in your own town except you really can’t leave.
Every business wants to attract new customers. What these cruise lines need to remember, it's the older and loyalty customers to their brand that has gotten all these cruise lines to where their seeing profits.
It may be people are tired of the crowds and want a more intimate relaxing experience. With the mega ships there is tons to do but some may just want to sit back and relax for their vacations.
It’s almost as if there was a pandemic where everyone was just around a few people so now that they can be in huge venues they are running to them. If that’s the only reason there’s a big disappoint coming for booking these mega ships.
Hello Don. I think greed is what is driving these big ships…not the new cruiser draw. I just think it’s not a win for anyone but the cruise brands. Ports don’t want them and as you hear, most cruisers don’t want them. Have a great weekend Don.
Carnival can’t take care of their cruisers like we are accustomed to. Adding that many more cruisers on one ship would mean close to 5000 crew to take care of us. UnfortunateLy the Xl ships have priced out new cruisers. But my family doesn’t know any different and like me just happy to be on a ship with a family crew.
The wife and I prefer the Spirit class size but we did like the Horizon and then the Mardi Gras size. We got 31days planned on the Spirit coming this Sept/Oct. First impression of mega ship orders to me is counting your hens before the eggs hatch, considering the LARGE debt Carnival has right now. Get outa debt FIRST, then think bigger.
I have book cruises before when school is out and too many kids. So now I book my cruises when school is in session. Some people love the mega ship some people prefer the smaller ones. I booked my cruises depending on the itinerary.
I’m just realizing carnival is making us pay for the new ships now. There getting to expensive for what the offer. When the carnival radiance is more expensive than navigator of the seas from Royal Caribbean, there’s something wrong
Party ships are great for customers like me, I’m a college student and young adult and we definetly needed our types of ships. Theres ships for everyone, however doesn’t mean smaller ships shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Don't care how large Carnival's ships are - we don't cruise with Carnival. Our favorite class of ships are the Celebrity Solstice Class. The Edge Class are nice too. They are the largest ships we enjoy.
I went on the Carnival Destiny in 2008. That was plenty big enough for me. I didn’t realize how much bigger these newer ships are. My goodness I couldn’t imagine being on a ship with 10,000 other people.
I definitely do not want to go on a mega ship. I want smaller ships smaller crowds. We just went on MSC seascape at around 5200 passengers and 1600 crew. While there were many things we enjoyed about the ship and our cruise, the amount of people was way too overwhelming.
I've been on both small and XL size ships, and the problem is long lines. The customers have to understand that with supply so great we need bigger ships.
I’m part of the 40 year old crowd with children and I chose the carnival Celebration for it’s amenities, deck space on even the lower levels…because RC keeps people in a tunnel, and because the ship wasn’t as large as RC mega ships. There is a level of quality that is lost with larger levels of quantity. We are looking at smaller ships for future cruises and the excel class size being the largest…but we are waiting to see how our first cruise goes. I’m editing to add that the other reason I chose carnival was the ability to get to mass before I left and when I returned…really would like to see priest on the cruises when the ships are at sea on Sunday…it’s helpful to the crew. I found it was a thing during Christmas, but not all the time. Holland America keeps a priest on board is what I read…it was the only one.
I am very much a carnival guy but have no desire to go on the bigger ships. Loved the fantasy class. Conquest size is my current favorite. I'll just continue to go on the older ships until its no longer an option
While I can appreciate the larger ships, there is a point where it gets out of hand. The new Celebrity Edge Class ships are in my opinion the right size of large ships, as well as Disney's ships (minus the Disney Adventure, which was purchased). These new Carnival ships will hold 8,000 passengers, at an Oasis size ship, which is nearly 2,000 more people in the same space. Frankly that is insane to even think about. If you thought it was impossible to get a deck chair before, just wait.
I think Royal is winning here. They have ordered some medium sized ships and have finished with the large ships. I think Carnival is a step behind here.
TWO YEARS AGO I wrote John Heald and asked them would CCL ever build a few mid size ships and I got a firm flat NO. When things level off at there peak they will be pressed to fill up these mega ships. You can only ride the wave so long. Mega ships are a firm NO for me.
How about modelling future ships similar to the Spirit class? To me a great layout that can be used to set the foundations for a new class. Stay away from the huge amusement parks by toning it down a little.
The probably of a brawl on a Carnival ship is proportional to the number of passengers. On an 8000 passenger ship the probability approaches one so they should ensure there is brig space.
Every day more cruise ports are announcing restrictions on the number of visitors they can tolerate flooding into their town. It is very possible that these megaships will be limited to cruise company owned islands. Those islands have extremely expensive add ons such as water parks , cabanas, zip lines & ropes courses. Some of these islands are more crowded than Jones Beach on a hot weekend. I really enjoy Home Sweet Home in the Turks where it is very uncrowded, price is all inclusive, and there are no kids. Carnival needs to buy more new smaller ships to replace the aging ships like the Legend and the Pride. All cruise lines should have a stable of different sized ships so that they can sail to any port and cater to different market segments.
With the economy and a medium cost 3* hotel room in popular places being $250.00 and up a night one can see that even with the crunch in economy..a percentage of people are still in good enough places and see the "good deal" in travel and cruising. I just hope there will remain access over time at most levels and ship sizes for the middle and middle upper income folks.
For reference, since about Monday, I've been looking at a 3 day on utopia of the seas. It looks amazing and I've needed an excuse to sail on carnival anyway! 😂😂😂 I also booked the world America about one year ago for 2025 fall... Mega ships are literally the coolest thing on the market right now unless you have your own 100 foot yacht, a hotel, a bnb in Monte Carlo, or a Chiron...
I did 2 cruises on a larger ship, one DCL Fantasy in ‘19, and in June on NCL Bliss. Never again. It’s too much ship for not enough crew. They all work their tails off but still can’t keep up with the demand on board, which leads to the crew resenting the guests.
Speaking of passports. We went from the USA to Canada last year and had to present our passports. Then again to US Customs to reenter the US. We flew to Quebec and cruised back to NJ.
Isn’t carnival watching the news? There has been more and more pushback about the number of tourists in certain ports. The local people do not want huge ships and large numbers of cruisers. I don’t blame them.
I think Royal has it right, and Carnival really needs to stay in their lane. They already have enough problems on their ships. Imagine what kind of problems with a mega ship and mega party people. Whoa... I won't be on one.
And cruise companies wonder why people don't want them in their cities... dumping a few thousand people per ship into their home town has got to be so disturbing. Pretty soon their only destinations will be places that no one really cares to go... but, hey I have been wrong before.
I don't know the figures but I doubt there's a massive difference between the cost of building a 'normal' sized ship and a 'mega' sized ship. However for the operators the running costs to profit margins between the two will be massive. Quite simply, the more people you can cram on to one vessel means higher profit per head. Right now we are unfortunately living in a world where bigger is best for many and that is what the cruise lines are banking on. However a huge number of cruisers who are returning customers will not sail again if mega sized ships take over on their preferred brand, and its these customers that are the lifeblood of the industry. If the mega ships take over we will lose access to many ports not only because the ships are physically too big to get there but also because the community will refuse to accept them. Who really wants to cruise for just a few days to a private island where you pay pay pay, and go home again, because that is what could eventually happen?
The Carnival Celebration will be my last mega ship. I will be cruising on it next summer. My first cruise was on a Royal Caribbean ship with 1400 passengers in 1998. My second cruise was last year on the Mardi Gras. I agree they are too big and I felt more intimate on the smaller ship.
The problem is the size of ships deemed megaships keeps changing. Remember at the time the Fantasy class ships debuted in 1990, they were considered huge. When the Carnival Destiny debuted in 1996, it was considered huge being the first cruise ship to crack the 100,000 gross tonnage barrier.
They just want more money. Sell more tickets. The problem I have with a 8000 passenger ship is how do you get all these people on and off the ship, and how do you do excursions. How much food do you have to stock?
Interesting perspective. People in the know prefer smaller ships. How does that translate down to the travel agent level? Will agents advise new clients, "hey, I know you came in here asking about the Mardi Gras, but you know experienced cruisers prefer the smaller..." But I think part of it too is the bragging factor. When you tell your colleagues at work you're going on a cruise, and you say you're sailing on the biggest ship in the world, or the newest ship, you get a lot more ooohs and ahhhhs then if you said you're going on a 20-year old ship. that's part of what you're paying for
Well Don, if Carnival will be building the larger ships have to look for cruise lines with smaller ships. Don't need bells and whistles. Carnival was doing fine before building the larger ships. The largest ships I want to go on are the Vista Class ships. The only places these ships will be able to go to are the Bahamas, which is unsafe, and private islands. Not a beach person.
