Carnival's Behind the Scenes video Episode 4

Peter Gonzalez is back in the latest Behind the Scenes: Carnival Vista video. This time Peter's joined by Carnival CEO Christine Duffy. Together they explore the ship's new dining options and talk guilty pleasures of the ship's cuisine.

Adding Duffy is a nice touch. So is focusing on food. Unlike previous episodes that focused on the technology that most cruisers don't appreciate or an on-board experience that not all will try, dining is an essential part of any cruise vacation. Seeing the new locations and learning about the potential menus, sells the idea of what the Vista will be.

Report: fire on Carnival Pride

Cruise Law News is reporting that a fire took place Wednesday night on the Carnival Pride. According to their report, the fire was in the engine room and contained. The ship made its scheduled stop in Half Moon Cay Thursday, although it did arrive late. Surprisingly there is no mention of the fire from passengers on social media. Other recent ship fires provided lots of social media chatter and pictures from their respective passengers. There is also no official statement from Carnival. [UPDATE: Carnival is saying it was just smoke and not a fire.]

Unless pressed, Carnival should avoid any mention of the Carnival Pride fire. Coming on the heels of the Liberty's fire, this would amplify any worry from current and future customers. Carnival deserved commendation for handling the blaze, however, they need to discover why these fires keep breaking out.

Carnival Liberty returning to San Juan

After initially implying the ship would sail Monday night, Carnival announced the Carnival Liberty will not complete its current cruise. Still dealing with the after effects of Monday's engine room fire, the ship is awaiting permission to sail from St. Thomas to San Juan. From there, passengers will have the option of staying onboard and exploring Puerto Rico or of returning home. The company also said that passengers will get a refund and a 50% discount on a future cruise.

While the good news is that no one was injured, the massive disappointment and inconvenience for the passengers remains a black eye for Carnival. One bad news story and one boat load of frustrated passengers can undo much of the goodwill the company built up since the Triumph. We hope the passengers make the most of their time in San Juan and we hope this is the last issue to impact a Carnival ship.

Carnival updates Carnival Liberty status after fire

Earlier Monday a fire broke out on the Carnival Liberty. The fire started in the engine room and was contained. The company reported no passenger injuries, though they did evacuate the ship on St. Thomas. According to Carnival the ship will sail again on Monday night. This was the second day of a cruise that left San Juan on Sunday.

It seems like there has been an increase of ship fires of late. Fortunately they've been handled well by the various crews. But this is another reminder to take all ship fire drills seriously.

Danny still alerting cruise itineraries

Even as it has been downgraded from a hurricane, Tropical Storm Danny is still forcing cruise companies to adjust their itineraries. In an effort to avoid the eye of the storm, Royal Caribbean moved two ships from Eastern Caribbean routes to Western. Carnival and Norwegian have also shifted ships from one region to the other.

If you have concerns about your ship and its destinations, contact your cruise company or travel agent.

Carnival expands social media wi-fi access

After two rollouts of their popular social media access package, Carnival announced that soon their entire fleet will offer the package in 2016. With all Carnival ships involved and many of the other Carnival brands also offering similar packages, it is only a matter of time before all cruise companies provide inexpensive internet access to social media. When this happens look for an explosion of customer-generated cruise content all over social media.

That potential growth of cruise social media will be a win-win for the industry. Better access will make cruisers happy and more posts will serve as a great marketing tool for the cruise companies.

Kathie Lee and Carnival together again

Outside of the Love Boat, no other TV presence did more for cruising than Kathie Lee Gifford. Throughout the '80s and '90s she served and the face and voice of the growing cruise line in their ever present commercials. Now she's working with Carnival on a different project: her own line of wine.

Now Carnival passengers will be able to buy various wines from her GIFFT wine collection on all ships. The bottles are all under $20.

Gifford isn't moving back into Carnival commercials, but she will be talking about the wine and ships on the Today show and continues to serve as godmother to two Carnival ships.

For old time sake, here is one of Gifford's old commercials.

Samantha Brown Cruising 101 with Carnival

We've been somewhat nitpicky with Carnival's YouTube videos before, so it is only fair to point out this good clip above. Hosted by Travel Channel star Samantha Brown, this video covers most of the common questions of first-time cruisers.

Carnival uses Brown just like the Travel Channel would. The always perky host gives a tour of the ship while working in policies on food, alcohol and activities. If not for the shortened length and the full screen graphics, it would feel just like a typical Travel Channel special.

The final benefit of hiring Brown for this sort of promotion is that it elevates Carnival a bit to new cruisers. The fun ships aren't always known for their elegance or exclusivity, but Brown's usual resorts stops are. Here she makes the Carnival Breeze look like an upscale spa and resort. By focusing on the luxury, Carnival can impress those new to cruising and begin to change perception with frequent cruisers.

Carnival using Fathom to open up Cuba as a destination

Carnival is coming to Cuba in a roundabout way. The company will sail to Cuba in 2016 from Miami using its brand-new Fathom brand. This makes sense from a strategic standpoint and a political one as well.

First it enhances Fathom's unique selling point. The brand, which is focused on service and environmental oriented travel, can position themselves as one of the first opportunities for many Americans to visit and help in Cuba. The island has welcomed plenty of relief workers over the years, but this will open things to a wider and more diverse group of volunteers. Carnival can also use the smaller Fathom ships to build up its infrastructure on the island in anticipation of its other larger ships coming in the next few years.

Politically, using Fathom works in both Cuba and the United States. The brand is focused on education and giving back. This should work well with the State Department's gradual easing of restrictions. Fathom's passengers won't just be there to drink mojitos and take pictures of old classic cars. This should also appease any Cuban fears of the island being overrun with "ugly" Americans looking to change the country (and politics) overnight.

Carnival improving internet options onboard

After successfully rolling out new internet pricing packages earlier this year, Carnival announced a new batch of ships will soon have the same options. Soon, passengers on the Carnival Glory, Carnival Conquest and Carnival Dream will be able to purchase internet access in bundles for as little as $5 a day.

Like many of the other cruise lines, the cheapest option focuses just on social media. And this is probably the best deal for most, as it allows you to check in on friends, news and share information on your cruise.

More expensive options with more bandwidth are also available. The whole fleet will be outfitted by October. This is a big deal because once Carnival has the access and the pricing on all their ships, other cruise lines will follow.

Carnival orders megaships for AIDA

AIDA's getting bigger. As part of a larger order for Carnival Corp, AIDA will receive two 6,600 passenger ships between 2019 and 2020. The ships will dwarf the current passenger record of Royal Caribbean's recently launched 5,400 passenger Allure of the Seas. This order shows a major commitment to AIDA and a major commitment to the European market. (Carnival also announced that two other 6,600 passenger ships will also service Europe, although which brand is still to be determined.)

Congrats to AIDA on the new ships and to the cruise fans in Europe who have a lot of exciting ships coming soon. 

No more cruise to nowhere

Cruise Critic and USA Today's Cruise Log have the latest on the end of "cruises to nowhere." Although the law has been on the books for years, the United States is cracking down on these short cruises that depart from a U.S. port, sail into international waters and then return to the United States without a stop in a foreign country. Ships registered in the U.S. can still do these short trips, but the vast majority of ships from the major cruise companies are registered elsewhere.

This is good news for the Bahamas. As cruise companies adjust their 2016 schedules to the new enforcement, a few of these itineraries will now probably add a short stay in the island nation near Florida.

Much ado about bottled water

There are plenty of cruise policies that are disingenuous money grabs, but we don't understand the uproar over Carnival's new bottled water policy. If they were really intent on just making a few extra dollars on water, they wouldn't be lowering the pricing so dramatically of their own bottled water. There new bottled water pricing is lower than most big box stores. Carnival will still allow passengers to board with non-alcoholic beverage cans, juices and milk.

Even if you were a believer in smuggling alcohol on to the ship in water containers, this policy makes sense. The BYOB abusers slowed down boarding and created problems for Carnival. When passengers are buying alcohol at the ship's bars and restaurants, the ship has a certain level of control over intake and those drinking to dangerous excess.

Currently the policy only impacts Carnival and not the company's other brands. Look for that to change if this step succeeds.

Can Carnival's Fathom project work?

Niche, specialty and theme cruises work. Cruise companies have been selling them for decades. But can a niche market support a 710 passenger ship year-round? Carnival is about to find out as it plans to launch it Fathom brand. Fathom will target those who want to mix social work/volunteerism with travel.

Initially the ship will travel to the Dominican Republic and passengers will be to teach English, help clean water or work in local food cooperatives.

Volunteer tourism is big business. Tens of thousands Americans travel globally to help those in need. Many of those opportunities are done through church groups or global non-profits. Will there be enough people who want to do it through the world's largest cruise line? After a day helping some of the Caribbean's poorest people, will they feel guilty about returning to their floating resort?

Carnival has enough marketing power to fill one small ship for a few months, so there is very little initial risk in the venture. But long-term, Carnival will have to find and develop a new customer base to support Fathom. It is a noble venture, so we hope they succeed, but we doubt that the people who want to spend their vacation helping others also want to spend time on a "fun ship."

Cruise Fever's Video Reviews: Carnival Breeze

We like to point out some of the better video reviews online, so please enjoy this thorough tour of the Carnival Breeze. Cruise Fever highlights most of the public areas with clear shots and good descriptions. Check out Cruise Fever's YouTube Channel for other quality video cruise content.  

Carnival Pride back in Baltimore

Carnival ended its hiatus in Baltimore and announced the return of year-round sailing out of the Maryland. The Carnival Pride will sail a variety of itineraries from the port. Most coverage focused on the renovations of the ship and its new environmental standards (which were a factor in the hiatus from coastal waters). However, the big picture news is really that Carnival is committed to year-round service in a northern drive market.

Having the renovated and updated Carnival Pride sail from Baltimore is a win-win for the company and passengers. Ten of millions of potential cruisers live within driving distance of Charm City. A driveable cruising option can save each passenger thousands in airfare. For Carnival, the upside of Baltimore is less local competition, the chance to introduce cruising to those who might not otherwise sail, and the opportunity to turn some of those airfare savings into onboard spending.

Given the history and reinvestment, there will probably be more sailings and other ships out of Baltimore. And with continued success, more out of other east coast ports (Philadelphia? expanded options from New York? More in Boston?). All of that is good news for people exploring new cruise options.

Cruiseline.com Reviews: Carnival Breeze

Cruise reviews are a critical resources as you plan and book your next cruise. However, sifting through the thousands of online reviews can be daunting. How do you find useful tips and get the general consensus on a ship without getting bogged down in the minutia of what one reviewer had at the lunch buffet on the second to last day of their cruise?

Of the many options, we find Cruiseline.com's reviews to provide the right mix of detail and overview. Most of their reviewers are thorough and informative. Yet, you can also just breeze through the summations to get high points, a quick star rating and glimpses into specific aspects of the ship.


Use the reviews of the Carnival Breeze as a example. Cruiseline.com currently has 444 verified reviews and of those reviews, the average rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. For perspective that rating is above most other Carnival ships. The reviews also tend to emphasize the cleanliness and newness of the ship. To learn more about the Carnival Breeze or other potential cruise options check out other reviews on Cruiseline.com

Florida couple sails Carnival Sensation 100 times

Do you have a favorite cruise ship? Are there some itineraries you want to sail again and again? One Florida couple has taken repeat cruising to a new level. Meet the Caffarys. They have now take 100 cruise on the Carnival Sensation. It has become a second home to them, to the point where they barely get off the ship when sailing. 

While many Cruise lines have permanent passengers, Carnival cannot recall another couple that have taken so many separate trips on one of their ships.