Carnival Cruise Lines set a one-week reservations record booking 165,308 guests between Feb. 7-13, 2011, topping the previous one-week reservations record set nearly four years ago. Recent moves made by the line suggest an improving economy but cautious consumers are still seeking value.
“Clearly, consumers are taking advantage of the incredible value that a Carnival cruise provides, not only in terms of our fun on-board experience but also our many convenient close-to-home departure points and wide variety of short itineraries,” Cahill said. “This activity reaffirms that even in today’s economic climate, consumers still want to have fun and view their vacations as an important part of their lives,” he added.
Carnival did not just stumble in to a record-breaking week. They have been working on it for quite some time.Kicking off the year in a socially engaging way, Carnival threw its signature “Fun” hat in the ring as official confetti sponsor of the Times Square New Years Eve 2011 celebration. The sponsorship included multiple opportunities for the line to infuse its version of fun into the festivities including a free-cruise giveaway.
Indeed, Carnival took the lead steering the cruise industry through uncharted social waters introducing their “Hey America, DidJa Ever?” campaign where the line is collecting the “Top 100 Firsts” from over 420,000 Facebook fans. Fans are encouraged to tighten up relationships by sharing experiences through photos and videos aimed to create events and memories. Carnival will help make those dreams come true for fans giving away anything from cruise vacations for four to appearing on stage with a favorite band.
Value is the name of the game when it comes to cruise pricing and Carnival’s Early Saver Fare, guaranteed by the line to be the lowest available, has become wildly popular. Ranking high on top cruise value lists, the fare is much like a restricted air fare. The Early Saver fare requires a non-refundable deposit and no changes can be made without penalty. But the trade-off is the best value offered by the line, even beating past-guest, military and senior rates.
The big question: Why don’t other lines offer a similar program?
Talk about a cheap cruises, this one from Royal Caribbean is great if you can swing the time on short notice. Departing from Miami on April 2, 2011, Liberty of the Seas will sail from Miami to Barcelona with prices starting at $549+ tax per person for an inside stateroom. That’s $39.21 per person, per day.
The ship will leave Miami on April 2nd, stop by Nassau, Bahamas the next day, then spend seven days at sea then stop at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Another day at seas takes the ship to Seville then Malaga followed by Valencia before ending in Barcelona, Spain.
Check with your Travel Expert first before buying, they may have additional values to add on to your booking that add up to real dollars and cents savings to you. More importantly, having a Travel Expert on your side will insure you keep that best value, get you additional values that may come along over the life of your booking and maximize your vacation experience.
Often a highlight of a cruise to the Bahamas or the Caribbean is a stop at one of the cruise line’s private islands. Probably one of the safest, most controlled ports of call you might visit, cruise line private islands are consistently ranked high by passengers. Most are located in the Bahamas and each one is unique.
On every private island you will find crystal clear water, sandy beaches, water sports and activities along with beach-side service for drinks and lunch will be served. Some require tendering in from the ship, others dock at the island.
The first passengers off the ship will find a pristine beach raked and clean, along with resident workers ready to make your stay comfortable. There is plenty to do (or not do) for adults and kids and even serene adult-only areas.Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas is Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island, under their care since 1977 when the line became the first to have one. The island features Snorkeling
Recent enhancements to the island that started in January of 2010 will continue through the end of this year. Several new island activities have been added since the project began including more than 16 wave runners, kayak rentals and an eco-adventure boat tour around the island. These are in addition to the existing snorkeling; floats; inflatable hippo slide; and parasailing.
The second phase of enhancements includes an arrival/departure pavilion, additional bar facilities; several comfort stations; a band stand; cruise program activity area; private beachfront cabanas; a kid’s play area; straw market; and beach volleyball courts. The beachfront will continue to be expanded on the island’s west end.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas This Holland America Line island (now also a Carnival island) was originally called Little San Salvador Island and has been rated as “Best Private Island” by Porthole Cruise Magazine. An international bird sanctuary in the Bahamas, the beauty and serenity of Half Moon Cay is unique.
There are a variety of exciting and new activities to choose from while exploring this privately owned paradise. You can go horseback riding on the sand and through the surf, take a stingray adventure, visit the Half Moon Lagoon Aqua Park, hike a nature trail or simply relax in an air-conditioned, private beachfront cabana.
Princess Cays, Bahamas is Princess Cruises private island on the south side of Eleuthera Island about 30 miles from Nassau. Princess Cays guests will find equipment for many beach activities. Water sports fans can choose from water craft such as sailboats, catamarans, paddle wheelers, kayaks, and banana boats, while those who wish to explore the island’s coral reef can rent gear for snorkeling.
Floating mattresses are available for lazily drifting in the sun, and several protected swimming areas are available on both the north and south beach areas. Beachside, reggae and calypso music set the mood, and guests can enjoy a game of volleyball or basketball, or choose to relax with a hammock, beach chair or under an umbrella.
CocoCay, Bahamas is one of two private islands for Royal Caribbean. This one is more along the lines of other cruise lines private islands with sandy beaches (duh) and a nice hammock here and here to enjoy your island-style seaside barbecue.
Tip: When you get off the tenders, there are three beaches to go to. The first one is the biggest and the most crowded. Keep walking and you’ll find the second beach, which is a little smaller and less crowded. Keep going even further and you’ll find the third beach, which is the smallest and least crowded.
Labadee, Haiti in is the home to what Royal Caribbean calls their “private destination” and with good reason. On the north coast of Hispaniola, the secure, secluded area is surrounded by exotic foliage and mountain slopes. Guests can enjoy beautiful coral reefs, a pristine public beach as well as a very nice private beach area reserved for suite guests.
A year ago Royal Caribbean International came under close scrutiny as the line planned to visit their private destination of Labadee, Haiti shortly after a devastating earthquake rocked the island. I was on board Freedom of the Seas last January when critics said it was in bad taste for the line to have cruise passengers go ashore for fun and sun while so many were suffering on different parts of the island nation. A year later, not a lot is better in Haiti and Royal Caribbean continues to call.
Castaway Cay, Bahamas is Disney Cruise Line’s private island. Unique to Castaway Cay is that the ship docks at the island, no tendering involved, which makes for a great experience. Recently updated, this one has it all.
This is Disney Cruise Line turning an island into a theme park, complete with rides, trams to get around on, gift shops plus really good food. All other private islands pale by comparison. Really.
They should build hotels here and let people stay a while. No wonder some sailings include two stops at the popular island.
If all those are not good enough for you, maybe you should just buy your own
Cruise vacations consistently rank high in guest satisfaction. Most cruise lines really have their act together in creating a total package that can make for a fabulous experience. Still, we get comments and complaints from readers in response to articles here at Gadling. Those complaints/hate mails also come from those who have actually been on a cruise and experienced less that a wonderful time.
While most are stories of readers own personal experiences, our top ten cruise complaints include some recurring themes.
“Cruising is not really “traveling”– This comes from backpackers, mountain climbers, campers, world-travelers of all sorts and a lot of people who have never been on a cruise. That last group probably makes up the bulk of those who think this. Once they actually do take a cruise (like someone fooled them into it) they like it. Grappling with a craggy cliff may still be the love of their lives but they give a nod to cruising as at least worthy of consideration. By some. Not them. Someone else.
“I was double-charged on my bill for…” On-board charge account errors have been an ongoing challenge for guests. A good deal of the time guests are confused about how it all works and they really were not charged double. Debit card users know all about “holds” cruise lines put on their account throughout the voyage to be sure there is money there at the end of the cruise to pay them. Your best bet: check your shipboard account and be sure it is accurate before leaving the ship.
“You took away my past-guest benefits” Royal Caribbean is the poster-child for this hit on the list and still gets heat for not letting guests stack discounts anymore. In the olden days, guests could get on-board credit or a discount for being a Royal Caribbean shareholder, booking during a special sale, booking certain category staterooms or asking on a Tuesday afternoon during a thunderstorm. Pretty much anything worked and the cruise lines gave guests whatever they wanted. Now it’s “one deal per booking” all the way and there are still some sore feelings about it. Shining light: Princess Cruises on-board credit for military members stacked on top of anything else. Nice touch.
“Your drink prices are way too high” / “I don’t call it smuggling, you do” (tie) We would like to believe that there is a relationship between the price of drinks on a cruise and booze smuggling. Like lots of people are smuggling booze on the ship, robbing the cruise line of high-profit drink sales. Recently, though, it appears that cruise lines are cracking down on booze smuggling but drink prices don’t seem to be dropping. The cracking down part is fair, not something to advertise but fair. Your vodka in a Evian bottle might be someone elses liquid dynamite and I’d prefer that not be allowed on the ship.
“Solo cruisers should not have to pay double!” Cruise lines base the world on double-occupancy and solo cruisers just don’t fit the mold. Sorry. They don’t. Well they do on Norwegian Cruise Lines with their solo accommodations but that’s about it. Singles: Look on the bright side. You also don’t have to share your photo-booth size bathroom, pay for an extra airline ticket, or listen to anyone other than yourself complain about lines.
Why does my Internet connection suck so bad?” OK, I get it, the ship moves and we have to constantly be looking for a satellite connection to grab. But once we have that signal though shouldn’t we be able to have a good time on the Internet? It’s not like the ship is racing through the ocean at warp speed. There are many who simply turn off their cell phones and never use the Internet on a cruise. They don’t care about this. People who do care use those devices and would like a nice connection
“You have really yucky toilet paper” It’s one of those things that guests don’t talk about around the dinner table in the main dining room but everyone knows: this is not Charmin, White Cloud or any other brand you might find at the grocery store or a truck stop. There actually is a reason for it; regular toilet paper clogs up the airline-style vacuum toilet and plumbing. Bring your own anyway
“Stop “nickel and diming me” This comes from guests who believe a little too much in the “all-inclusive” illusion of a cruise vacation. The major cruise lines never told us it was all-inclusive, we just like to believe that. As the industry has evolved, guests wanted more choices. The industry gave us choices but slipped in an extra charge along the way. The idea is that it should seem fair to pay $20 extra for a meal you might pay $100 for on land. Well sure, give me that deal on land and I will be happy. Drive your cruise ship right into downtown Denver and I’ll brag all over the place about how wonderful you are. Oh. You can’t.
“What’s with the wacky pricing?” Cruise lines never advertise the total price. There are always at least taxes to be paid. If you are/were good at playing Truth or Dare, you will do well finding the “select sailings” that great offer is good for. Surprising frequent comment: “Stop with the “free upgrades” promotion unless that means from an inside to an ocean view or an ocean view to a balcony.” In-category upgrades are meaningless.
“It’s over. Now I have to go back to the real world” By far, the biggest complaint about cruise vacations is that they end too quickly, regardless of how long they are. Those who buy into the whole on-board program are often left either refreshed and looking forward to returning to their real life or sadly disappointed that their real life is a shambles compared to their cruise vacation. Those in the later group, seek professional help immediately. The cruise lines really don’t aim to put you into a depression tailspin.
Carnival Cruise Lines has a 72 hour sale going on right now that features some of their best cruise values of the year so far. Celebrity Cruises Has a deal on Alaska that will get you up to $400 onboard credit if you book by February 18th.
It’s last-minute bargain time and cruise lines have lined up with offers for you.
Carnival’s 72-hour sale features reduced rates plus their wildly-popular “best available upgrades” promotion, back again. Past guests get reduced rates plus the best available upgrades too and this is on most sailings through 2011. (some blackout dates may apply) Carnival also has extended its “FUN-omenal” best of Europe sale until February 20th.On Celebrity Cruises they are trying to fill up space on end-of-season Alaska sailings from August to Mid-September with Concierge class and below getting $200 Onboard Credit per stateroom. Deluxe accommodations and suites get $400 onboard credit per stateroom. Celebrity is also featuring the Caribbean with sailings starting at $599 per person + tax.
See your Travel Expert for more details as time is running out on these cheap cruise deals.