Cruising Coming to a TV Near You

Designed to further your PCS (post-cruise syndrome) at being landlocked when you want to be cruising, two new programming items from Carnival and NCL are coming to a TV near you.

First up is NCL's Norwegian Pearl on the Travel Channel this Sunday, December 21. The Pearl is focused in a new show from one of her 2008 Alaska sailings. The one-hour special entitled “Great Cruises: Norwegian Pearl,” is hosted by Brook Lee, Miss Universe 1998. Filmed in high-definition during a seven-day Alaska cruise aboard the ship, it will premiere during the network’s Alaska-themed night on Dec. 21 at 10 p.m. EST. The show will feature Lee as the ship sails through Alaska’s Inside Passage with stops in Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan, Alaska. While on board, she explores the ship’s amenities, including bowling in Bliss Ultra Lounge; dining in several of the ship’s specialty restaurants; dancing in the Spinnaker Lounge at Nil’s White Hot Party; rock climbing; relaxing in a whirlpools while sailing through Glacier Bay; taking in a show at the Stardust Theater; and getting a hot stone massage at the spa.

On shore excursions, Lee journeys into Juneau to take in the Mendenhall Glacier and sets off on a wildlife quest where she sees orca and humpback whales, seals, salmon and eagles. In Skagway, she indulges in Alaskan king crab at the Skagway Fish Company and sets off shopping in the town. Then, she embarks on a Bering Sea crab fishermen’s tour in Ketchikan aboard the Aleutian Ballad, one of the fishing boats featured on Discovery Channel’s hit show “Deadliest Catch.”

Of course, if you have other plans on Sunday, “Great Cruises: Norwegian Pearl” is scheduled to air again on the Travel Channel on Dec. 27 at 10 a.m. EST, Jan. 10 at 2 p.m. EST, Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. EST and Feb. 12 at 10 p.m. EST.

But if that's not enough to get your cruise juices flowing, Carnival is set to debut a new series of commercials. The new network TV advertising campaign kicks off December 25 with two 30 second spots designed to evoke the kind of spontaneous and spirited fun that underlies the Carnival vacation experience. The two spots were shot during local events held recently in Dallas and Philadelphia attended by several thousand people. During the events, Carnival set Guinness World Records for the world’s largest inflatable beach ball and the world’s largest piñata.

The new commercials are part of the line’s new “Fun For All. All For Fun.” branding campaign intended to capture the truly unique essence of the Carnival vacation experience. “Fun is more important today than ever,” said Ruben Rodriguez, executive vice president of marketing and guest experience for Carnival Cruise Lines. “These new spots capture a sense of genuine, spontaneous fun which is the same kind of experience that makes a Carnival cruise such a memorable vacation.”

“There is a difference between telling consumers you’re fun and actually being fun,” added Pete Favat, Arnold’s chief creative officer. “These commercials truly capture the essence of fun and you can’t help but have a good time watching them. We hope that this will create even more passion for the Carnival Cruise Lines brand among consumers.”

In the “Beach Balls” spot, members of the Carnival Fun Team inflate three gigantic beach balls, each measuring a world record-breaking 35 feet in diameter. They then roll the balls off the tops of buildings in downtown Dallas as thousands of people below come together to help bounce the enormous balls up and down the city streets.

In the “Piñata” spot, the Carnival Fun Team assembles the world’s largest piñata in Philadelphia. Members of the community wake up in the morning to discover the gigantic, colorful donkey measuring over six stories tall, standing near a busy street corner. Thousands of people begin gathering to help break open the piñata, and celebrate in the 8,000 pounds of candy that showers down from the massive burro.

The new commercials are scheduled to air nationally on ABC, CBS and NBC as well in select local markets on FOX, on primetime programming including Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty and Private Practice. They will also be running on several cable networks as well as in movie theaters nationwide and in various online channels.

In other words, they'll be tough to miss if you watch TV.

So while you're celebrating the holidays be sure to get your cruise fix from NCL and Carnival on a TV near you!

Carnival Brands Eliminate Fuel Supplement!

In the best news yet in the ongoing saga of fuel supplements, Carnival Corporation announced today that they will be suspending (eliminating) fuel supplements for all of their North American brands (Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess and Seabourn) starting with sailings departing on or after December 17, 2008. No complicated formula of watching the West Texas Intermediate Crude for 20 consecutive days beginning 25 days prior to sailing, not even the quarterly formula of the other major brands. It's just gone, vamoosed, outta here!

For those who have already paid their final payment and are sailing on or after December 17, the fuel supplement will be refunded in the form of onboard credit on your cruise (do be sure to check your account to verify it shows up). For those who have not yet paid final payment, the amount will be removed from your booking.

From the Carnival press release:

“As the price of oil has dropped to $46 per barrel, it has now reached a level where we are able to suspend the fuel supplement,” said Bill Harber, director of marketing for Carnival Corporation & plc. Harber cautioned that the fuel supplement could be re-instated if oil prices increase
significantly.

The company reserves the right to re-instate the fuel supplement for all guests at up to $9
per person per day (except Seabourn, which would be up to $15 per person per day) should the price of light sweet crude oil according to the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index) increase above $70 per barrel.

“It is our hope that fuel prices have stabilized and will remain at a more rational level. The complete suspension of the fuel supplement makes the inherent value of a cruise even greater and that is increasingly important in the selection of a vacation in the current economic climate,” Harber added.

The next logical question is if other brands will follow suit Of course, Disney has already suspended their fuel supplements, which may have precipitated this announcement by Carnival. I think it's possible other brands will make similar announcements, though their quarterly assessment of fuel prices is a much more sensible formula than what the Carnival brands had set up, and I'm not sure that the Royal Caribbean International brands, at least, will do so.

At least we have this for now, and it's great news!

Honoring Our Military

In honor of Veteran's Day, both Royal Caribbean and Carnival today announced some nice additions to their military rate programs for the month of November, applicable for both active-duty military and honorably-discharged former military personnel as well.

First up, Royal Caribbean is extending their Military Rate Program through the month of November with the following offers:

• 3-5 Night Cruises - $50/cabin discount
• 6-9 Night Cruises - $100/cabin discount
• 10+ Night Cruises - $200/cabin discount

This offer is not only applicable for the military personnel's own cabin, but can be extended to two others as well for family or friends!

Carnival's offer is very similar, though they don't do a specific amount off per cabin. The discount is determined by ship and sale date. But it is also good through November and may be applied up to three cabins per eligible military person!

I will say that these discounts are stringently enforced, with proof in the form of a current military ID or DD-214 being required in order to book. But it's a nice way for the cruise lines to give back to those who give so much to us. I'm honored to extend these offers to you and to support our military!

Carnival Makes Fleet Changes with Liberty and Pride

Carnival has announced a couple changes to their fleet schedules affecting the Carnival Liberty and Carnival Pride.

In anticipation of a bit lower demand for European cruises in the summer of 2009, mostly due to air issues, Carnival has decided to bring the Carnival Liberty back to the Caribbean year-round! They will still have the brand new Carnival Dream in Europe for a few sailings after her inaugural, but since most of Carnival's passengers in Europe are from North America, and we all are aware of what's happening with air fares and lowered availability, they believe that even with the exchange rate improving (rather dramatically this last week, actually), fewer North Americans looking for mainstream cruises will be heading to Europe next summer.

The Liberty will continue her previously-scheduled itinerary of sailings through the spring, then in April, 2009, she will begin a new series of 7-night sailings from Miami.

This change means that the Carnival Pride will be able to move up to Baltimore to start her year-round cruises even earlier than originally announced! She will now begin her Baltimore deployment on April 27, 2009!

Reservations for both ships for the new sailings will begin on October 30.

Carnival Returning to Galveston on November 1

In one of the largest steps toward Galveston's tourism recovery efforts, Carnival Corporation yesterday announced they will be returning to the Port of Galveston on November 1. As you may remember, Galveston was hit by Hurricane Ike early in September, and the port facilities required significant repair. In the meantime, the affected ships have been sailing from Houston.

While this is good news for Galveston, I'm sure it serves as a huge disappointment to the Port of Houston, which had an unexpected opportunity to showcase its brand new Bayport Cruise Terminal. By all reports, this new facility functioned beautifully, even with the difficult circumstances and very short notice, and hopefully other cruise lines will take a look at basing a ship here, at least seasonally, in the future. By stepping up in this way, both by building the terminal without a contract with a cruise line, and hosting the displaced cruise ships, Houston has earned a shot at future business.

The Carnival Ecstasy will resume year-round four- and five-day cruises from Galveston with a five-day voyage departing on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Carnival Conquest will begin year-round seven-day service from Galveston Sunday, Nov. 2. Up until that time, the ships will continue to operate round-trip from the Port of where they were shifted temporarily following Hurricane Ike. The Carnival Ecstasy cruises on October 23 and October 27; and the Carnival Conquest cruise on October 26 will operate round-trip from Houston.

“We are extremely pleased to be resuming service from the Port of Galveston and extend our congratulations and appreciation to the port and the Galveston community as a whole for enabling us to return so quickly,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s president and CEO.

“We would also like to express our gratitude to the Port of Houston for their tremendous efforts in accommodating our ships and being such exceptional partners. Their support enabled these ships to remain Texas based while Galveston worked through its recovery process,” Cahill noted.

According to Steve Cernak, director of the Port of Galveston, “We took a hit however we rapidly rebounded. We had our first cargo ship in nine days after the storm. Now, six weeks after Hurricane Ike, we are fully operational. The Port, as well as all of Galveston Island, is excited to welcome home both Carnival Ecstasy and Carnival Conquest."

Carnival to Hold “Fun Crowd” Events in Dallas and Philadelphia

Carnival is out to break world records. No, not with their ships - but in two recently-announced "Fun Crowd" events.

The first event is Sunday, October 26th at 12 noon at Pegasus Park in downtown Dallas, where Carnival will be unveiling the World's Largest Beach Ball (35 feet tall or approx 3 stories). In addition to tossing around the humongous beach ball with Carnival's own Senior Cruise Director John Heald and breaking a Guinness World Record®, there will be music, ice cream , and free Carnival Cruise giveaways.

The second event will be in Philadelphia's City Center on November 2, where they will attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Piñata . The event will be at North 20th and Market streets, where the six-story-tall piñata -- filled with 8,000 pounds of candy -- will be unveiled, along with free ice cream, live music, cruise giveaways and a booth of activities that can be shared online with friends. To break the world record, the piñata will be 62 feet tall and 55 feet from nose to tail. Philadelphia was chosen for this event because Carnival launches the first year-round cruise program from the Port of Baltimore beginning in fall 2009.

A Guinness World Record adjudicator will be on hand at both events to make the proper inspections and certifications. Those attending the events will have the opportunity to be in Carnival’s new TV commercial being shot on-site, and have the chance to win one of five free Caribbean cruises.

Shhh - Carnival’s Pack & Go Promotions

Shhh, Carnival Cruise lines has just announced that they have a new set of last-minute, limited inventory clearance pricing for their ships, called their Pack & Go Fares. Why am I whispering about this? Because they're not permitted to be posted on any web site (including this one) and they cannot be searchable in fare search engines.

Operating much like the Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Happy Hour specials, though not limited to sales only on a single day, these particularly low offers are for new bookings only, and existing bookings will not be able to receive these low rates. Updated weekly, these fares are extremely attractive. Of course, not all ships or sailings are included, just those which need a bit of help in selling out the last cabins.

What does that mean to you? If you are looking to cruise last minute (generally within about 2 months of sailing), and you like Carnival, when you call or email to ask about specials, be sure to ask me about Pack & Go fares as well.

Carnival Reveals Fuel Supplement Reduction/Removal Plan

Carnival has revealed their plans for removing and/or incorporating fuel supplements in the future, setting out specific guidelines for refunding of existing supplements, and incorporating future supplements into fares. Because the plan is pretty complicated, I'm going to put the release to the industry here in its entirety for your reading pleasure:

Over the past few months as fuel prices have declined, we have had many questions about our fuel supplement. While fuel prices today remain very volatile, we have given this careful consideration and I am pleased to update you on some new and important information regarding the fuel supplement for Carnival Corporation & plc brands.

Six of our brands, Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn have announced that effective October 31, 2008, the existing fuel supplement will be eliminated for all new bookings on 2010 departures. At the same time, a price increase on 2010 sailings will become effective.

Additionally, the company has established specific guidelines under which the current fuel supplement may be reimbursed to consumers for 2008 and 2009 voyages. For 2008 and 2009 departures, if the price of light sweet crude oil according to the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index) is $70 per barrel or less at the 2:30 p.m. close of business as reported by Reuters on each of the 25 consecutive trading days ending five trading days prior to the guest’s
cruise departure date, the fuel supplement will be refunded in the form of a shipboard credit.
Guests who book a 2010 cruise prior to Oct. 31, 2008, will still be charged the current fuel supplement but will also be eligible for a refund of the fuel supplement in accordance with the same fuel price conditions that are being implemented for current 2008 and 2009 departures.

We are implementing these initiatives due to recent trends in declining fuel prices in an effort to migrate away from charging a separate fuel supplement. If fuel prices stabilize below $70 a barrel, we will be able to effectively eliminate the fuel supplement. However, there is still a risk that fuel prices could move higher which would require us to maintain or reinstate a fuel supplement but we are hopeful that the goal of eliminating the fuel supplement can be achieved.

What does this really mean? Don't even think of looking for a rebate on cruises already booked unless, just before your sailing, crude pricing is below $70/barrel for the month prior to your cruise. And if that happens, be pro-active on your cruise to ensure you get the promised onboard credit. So if fuel drops to $70 a barrel or less for 25 days in December, 2008, but your cruise isn't until May, 2009, your fuel supplement will remain on your booking. However, if the fuel supplement is $70 or less for 25 consecutive days in April, start paying close attention for your May sailing - you may be eligible for an onboard credit refund.

Second, for new 2010 bookings starting October 31, fuel supplements will be incorporated into the price of your booking not a separate line item. This means likely they will not be taken out, even if fuel price is reduced in the future.

Thinking about booking one of the Carnival brands for a 2010 sailing? Do it prior to October 31! Otherwise, no chance of getting any type of fuel supplement refund, and you will see a price increase across the board on November 1.

Finally, watch for other lines to come out with plans of their own to incorporate fuel supplements into their pricing and/or how they would remove or refund them in the future.

Confusing? You bet. If you have questions, let me know. I'll be keeping on top of these to be sure

Carnival Offers New Itineraries to Quebec

Carnival is dipping into the longer Canada/New England sailing market with a series of 9-night sailings round trip from New York.

Sailing on the Carnival Triumph, these sailings feature an extended, 16-hour visit to Quebec, the first for the line in many years. There are three sailings in 2009: June 25, July 23 and August 20.

These sailings are already proving to be extremely popular! If you'd like to book, just call or email for more details on these wonderful values!

That Was Quick! Turks & Caicos Cruise Port Scheduled Reopening

Carnival Corporation today announced the expected date to reopen the Turks & Caicos Cruise Port, with the first cruise ship call scheduled for October 8 with the Carnival Destiny.

This quick a reopening isn't unprecidented, as Cozumel re-opened in approximately the same amount of time after Category 5 Wilma slammed over the island 3 years ago. And I expect the reason for the quick reopening is for the same reason - the island desperately needs the income cruisers bring.

"We believe we can complete repairs to the cruise center within a 30-day period and bring cruise ships back to Grand Turk," said Giora Israel, Carnival's vice president of strategic planning and port development. In addition to its existing staff on the island, Carnival Corp. & plc will bring in a number of additional skilled workers who will not only repair the cruise center complex, but also assist in the repair of some of the island's key attractions.

"We will be investing millions of dollars in the coming months to help Grand Turk quickly rebuild its cruise-focused tourism. Bringing tourists back to the island as quickly as possible will play a major role in driving the island's overall recovery," said Israel.

The Grand Turk Cruise Center is the largest private employer on the island and the cruise center staff, combined with shore excursion operators, comprises approximately 80% of non-government jobs in Grand Turk.

Carnival Corporation & plc will also be providing financial and logistical assistance to shore excursion operators to enable them to resume their businesses. Cruise passengers and crew members will be provided the opportunity to participate in volunteer-oriented excursions for those who wish to assist in the island's recovery effort.