Carnival in the news again

[ChuckElias]

Do you ever have them sign a waiver stating that they can't hold you responsible for things like catching norovirus/illness, ship breaking down, etc? Thanks! I've been curious how one would handle that specific issue, especially if it's a product/trip you don't really recommend or stand behind

That's a really interesting question, but no, I don't. I do usually keep notes or keep emails to document what we've discussed.

 

[jaklgreen]

I've visited more theme/amusement parks than I have cruised. However, I've never gotten sick on a cruise, including Carnival. The only time I have gotten sick during a theme/amusement park visit was at WDW. Causation or coincidence? I think the latter.

BTW, personal opinion: Americans (US) tend to be overzealous in the area of germs. I wonder if immune systems of Americans are weakening over the years as we sterilize our living spaces and bodies to such an extreme.

I think Americans are disgusting. I grew up in a Polish household and they are very house proud and clean. Most American homes I have been in are dirty.

 

[21stamps]

That's a really interesting question, but no, I don't. I do usually keep notes or keep emails to document what we've discussed.

Do you have a decent amount of people who have requested the Vista? I think there’s a sister ship now too, but I can’t recall the name.

 

[NelleBelle]

Do you have a decent amount of people who have requested the Vista? I think there’s a sister ship now too, but I can’t recall the name.

They have the Horizon that's launching in 2018 sometime and an even newer ship, the Panorama, launching in 2019. Geesh!! They have a ton of ships--no wonder they can't keep them all up to snuff. I thought I read either here, or the other board, that cruise ships could only sail for a certain amount of time before they reached they end of their "cruising life".

 

[ChuckElias]

Do you have a decent amount of people who have requested the Vista? I think there’s a sister ship now too, but I can’t recall the name.

I haven't, but that's partly because I don't promote Carnival. I promote DCL. So when people think of me locally, they don't think Carnival. I'm "the Disney guy".

 

[21stamps]

I haven't, but that's partly because I don't promote Carnival. I promote DCL. So when people think of me locally, they don't think Carnival. I'm "the Disney guy".

All I know is, at least on CC, people are upset with NCL right now. I’m stumped over our itinerary change and still not sure what I’m going to do. Looks like Carnival, DCL, and Royal are all keeping their Eastern routes.
If the others were all small ships I’d understand, but Royal has an Oasis and Quantum class in the Caribbean.

I’m considering switching to the Allure.. but if that gets rerouted then I’m worse off than I am now. I’ll lose my OBC (not a big deal) and perks (major deal-I have all 5 included)..and still be doing a Western.

 

[21stamps]

Actually, I think I’m going to call and see if they can still give me all of my perks, but switch to the Escape to Bermuda.

 

[MaryJaneP]

.... I thought I read either here, or the other board, that cruise ships could only sail for a certain amount of time before they reached they end of their "cruising life".

Could this be true because I thought there was a market in selling and refurbing cruise ships from one line to another line as this seems cheaper than laying down a new keel?

 

[NelleBelle]

Could this be true because I thought there was a market in selling and refurbing cruise ships from one line to another line as this seems cheaper than laying down a new keel?

I found where it was that I read that...it was at the other "big forum". One of skipper's of a ship over there mentioned that a passenger cruise ship lasts about 20-30 years. So I did a very brief search and this is what I found...an article from Frommers talking about the same thing. Here's the link if anyone's interested in reading. @MaryJaneP, it sounds like you may be correct, they just refurbish the "old gal" and ship her to another "market" (e.g. Asia), where passengers aren't as "picky!"
https://www.frommers.com/tips/cruise/how-old-is-your-cruiseship-does-it-matter

 

[ScoutN]

They have the Horizon that's launching in 2018 sometime and an even newer ship, the Panorama, launching in 2019. Geesh!! They have a ton of ships--no wonder they can't keep them all up to snuff. I thought I read either here, or the other board, that cruise ships could only sail for a certain amount of time before they reached they end of their "cruising life".

Could this be true because I thought there was a market in selling and refurbing cruise ships from one line to another line as this seems cheaper than laying down a new keel?

I found where it was that I read that...it was at the other "big forum". One of skipper's of a ship over there mentioned that a passenger cruise ship lasts about 20-30 years. So I did a very brief search and this is what I found...an article from Frommers talking about the same thing. Here's the link if anyone's interested in reading. @MaryJaneP, it sounds like you may be correct, they just refurbish the "old gal" and ship her to another "market" (e.g. Asia), where passengers aren't as "picky!"
https://www.frommers.com/tips/cruise/how-old-is-your-cruiseship-does-it-matter

That is such a multi-faceted question that is hard to truly answer. There are factors from the quality of steel initially used in construction to the type of conditions and maintenance the vessel has seen over her life. Higher-end yards like Meyer-Werft are typically going to use a high grade steel unless the customer specifically requests one of a lower tier.

How often ships are not on DD'ed but undergo actual hull maintenance, not just touch up paint, during DDs plays a huge factor. I challenge many of you to look at as many photos as you can of other ships in ports and see how their waterline is maintained against DCL vessels. After you do that, take a look at other areas of the ship and see just how much you notice rust vs on DCL vessels. If areas are allowed to corrode then metal is gradually disappearing; with that metal disappearing you are losing tiny bits of structural integrity that then causes stress and premature wear in other areas. You then get a cascading effect of wears on the vessel.

How many times the vessel has gone through heavy seas is another big factor in life-span. If you could see the frames of the vessel from bow to stern, then you would see the ship flexing and contorting with the motion of the sea. That bending, stretching and compressing takes a toll after a while. Not only is it wise to avoid storms and heavy-seas for safety and guest comfort, but also for the overall lifespan of the vessel.

If a company takes a vessel that really has a comfort (for the engine) speed of 15kts but they run it 19kts and beyond on a regular basis then the motor is going to fail at an earlier point. That is another negligence on the part of the cruise line itself. Rings, bearings, windings, valves, etc all have a pre-determined life of when they should fail at the earliest. Some companies have a tendency to try and push beyond recommended and/or ignore inspection/overhaul intervals.

 

[NelleBelle]

That is such a multi-faceted question that is hard to truly answer. There are factors from the quality of steel initially used in construction to the type of conditions and maintenance the vessel has seen over her life. Higher-end yards like Meyer-Werft are typically going to use a high grade steel unless the customer specifically requests one of a lower tier.

How often ships are not on DD'ed but undergo actual hull maintenance, not just touch up paint, during DDs plays a huge factor. I challenge many of you to look at as many photos as you can of other ships in ports and see how their waterline is maintained against DCL vessels. After you do that, take a look at other areas of the ship and see just how much you notice rust vs on DCL vessels. If areas are allowed to corrode then metal is gradually disappearing; with that metal disappearing you are losing tiny bits of structural integrity that then causes stress and premature wear in other areas. You then get a cascading effect of wears on the vessel.

How many times the vessel has gone through heavy seas is another big factor in life-span. If you could see the frames of the vessel from bow to stern, then you would see the ship flexing and contorting with the motion of the sea. That bending, stretching and compressing takes a toll after a while. Not only is it wise to avoid storms and heavy-seas for safety and guest comfort, but also for the overall lifespan of the vessel.

If a company takes a vessel that really has a comfort (for the engine) speed of 15kts but they run it 19kts and beyond on a regular basis then the motor is going to fail at an earlier point. That is another negligence on the part of the cruise line itself. Rings, bearings, windings, valves, etc all have a pre-determined life of when they should fail at the earliest. Some companies have a tendency to try and push beyond recommended and/or ignore inspection/overhaul intervals.

I knew someone on here could expand on this better than me! I totally agree with your comment about looking at how much rust vs DCL and how much DCL maintains their waterline/hull. Seems that whenever we would pull into port on any of our DCL trips, the crew would be diligently working on painting down by the waterline. There may be a speck of rust here or there, but it always seems that I'm hard-pressed to find much rust or anything amiss on those ships. On our transatlantic, I liked to walk around the running deck and go really slow around the aft of the track so I could watch them repair sections of deck railing--really cool (although the fumes were quite strong ). My point is that DCL seems to always be doing something to keep their ships in good shape, even at sea.