No fun for these ships: Carnival says 4 vessels won't come back when cruising resumes
Make that four Carnival Cruise Line ships that won't be returning to service when cruising resumes.
The Miami-based cruise giant on Thursday said two of its 27 vessels would leave its fleet immediately and two more are being put into long-term storage.
The moves will reduce the number of ships that Carnival operates by about 15%.
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The two vessels leaving the Carnival fleet immediately are the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy and 2,056-passenger Carnival Inspiration.
TPG in recent days has reported that both of the ships were on the way to a ship-scrapping town in Turkey, but Carnival until now wouldn't confirm that they were leaving the line.
Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles
The two ships going into long-term storage -- known in the cruise world as a "long-term layup" -- are the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fascination and 2,056-passenger Carnival Imagination.
"Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination will move to a long term lay-up status, with no specific timeline identified for a return to operation," Carnival said Thursday in a statement.
Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination are among Carnival's oldest vessels. They all are part of the line's Fantasy Class of ships that rolled out between 1990 and 1998. There are eight vessels in the series in all.
Related: Another cruise line has shut down due to financial pressures
The four ships have been sailing out of Mobile, Alabama; Long Beach, California; San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Barbados; and Long Beach, respectively.
In addition to removing the four ships from operations, Carnival will rearrange its remaining vessels once it resumes service, the line announced Thursday.
Carnival said the 2,056-passenger Carnival Sensation would move from Miami to Mobile, Alabama, to operate the itineraries previously assigned to Carnival Fantasy.
The 2,984-passenger Carnival Sunrise, in turn, will move from Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades to Miami to assume the itineraries previously operated by Carnival Sensation.
Carnival said passengers already booked on Carnival Sunrise voyages out of Port Everglades would be automatically moved onto the ship's new sailings out of Miami.
Among other changes:
- Carnival Fascination itineraries out of San Juan, Puerto Rico and Barbados scheduled for 2020 and 2021 have been canceled. Carnival no longer will operate regular sailings from the port.
- Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration sailings out of Long Beach, California, scheduled through April 19, 2021, have been canceled.
- Carnival Radiance will move to Long Beach in April 2021 to pick up the short cruises to Mexico previously offered by Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration.
The combined moves amount to a retrenchment for Carnival in sailings to the Southern Caribbean out of San Juan, Puerto Rico and voyages to Mexico out Long Beach.
Carnival on Thursday also announced it was pushing back its target date for a return to service in Australia from Sept. 25 to Oct. 29.
Carnival noted that its fleet would begin growing again next year with the arrival of Mardi Gras, its biggest ship ever. The 180,000-ton vessel is under construction at a shipyard in Finland.
Related: Carnival ship to have first roller coaster at sea
Mardi Gras had originally been scheduled to debut this year but has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Carnival also set an arrival date -- November 2022 -- for an as-yet-unnamed sister ship to Mardi Gras that has been on order from the same shipyard in Finland.
“We have used this pause in operations to think carefully about our fleet and to build a plan that gives our guests new choices and upgrades to current ship offerings,” Carnival president Christine Duffy said in a statement. "With a fleet that gives guests lots of choices in ships, home ports, destinations and features including a multitude of dining, entertainment and accommodation choices, we are very excited about the future for Carnival Cruise Line.”
Duffy said Carnival would continue to invest in the four remaining Fantasy Class ships in its fleet.
The news of the Carnival ship departures comes just two weeks after Arnold Donald, the CEO of Carnival Corporation, revealed that the company’s nine brands had arranged to remove 13 ships from their fleets in the coming months as they cut costs and reorganize in anticipation of a slow restart to cruising.
“To reduce our cash burn and have a more efficient fleet once we do resume cruising, we have aggressively shed less efficient ships,” Donald said July 10 during a conference call with Wall Street analysts to discuss quarterly earnings.
Based in Miami, Carnival Corporation is the parent company of Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises and five other brands that went into the coronavirus crisis with a combined fleet of 104 ships.
Together, the nine brands account for about 45% of all cruises taken in the world.
All nine of the Carnival Corporation brands halted departures in mid-March due to the crisis, and many have canceled all sailings into September or October. It’s a shutdown that is unprecedented in the history of modern cruising, and it’s causing the company great financial hardship.
Donald didn’t specify which ships would leave the company’s fleets. But most of them are now known. Carnival Corporation’s Holland America brand last week announced it would remove four vessels from its fleet. The company’s U.K.-focused brand, P&O Cruises, recently said one of its vessels would depart as did the company’s Europe-focused Costa Cruises brand.
Related: A major line is scrapping a cruise ship that is just 23 years old
TPG recently published a list of 23 ships that we thought were most likely to be laid-up, sold or scrapped in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that included both Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration as well as several ships from other Carnival Corporation brands.
Carnival on Thursday said passengers and travel agents were being notified directly about impacted sailings and cancellation policies.
Additional resources for cruisers during the coronavirus outbreak:
- When will cruising resume? A line-by-line guide
- Why you shouldn't expect bargain-basement cruise deals anytime soon
- How to cancel or postpone a cruise due to coronavirus
- Expecting a refund for a canceled cruise? Here's how long it will take
- Some of the year's hottest new ships could be delayed
- Stream these 13 movies, television shows to get your cruise ship fix
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.