Tag Archives: carnival

Carnival: Agents didn’t get paid due to ‘glitch’

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Carnival Cruise Line has fixed a “glitch” in its system that prevented the payment of commissions and refunds, according to an email that Joni Rein, the line’s vice president of worldwide sales, sent to travel agents on Wednesday.

Commissions and refunds due Jan. 22 will be paid Friday, Feb. 6, along with commissions and refunds processed between Jan. 29 and Feb. 4, Carnival said. Commissions and payments due for the following week, Jan. 23 through Jan. 29, will be paid Friday, Feb. 13, along with the current week’s payments.

One agent said that Carnival was three weeks behind on paying commissions to her agency, and another said that Carnival had missed one week of payments to his agency.

An agent told Travel Weekly that Carnival didn’t know about the lapse until agencies began calling the cruise line. She said that she had to call the cruise line and her sales rep to get a response.

She said Carnival responded with two emails: one on Friday, Jan. 30, saying it was working “’round the clock” to fix the problem, the second on Monday, Feb. 2, saying that it was having trouble fixing the problem because of Wave season.

On Wednesday, the agency received the email from Rein. It was a mass email to travel professionals and included information on the updated payment schedule.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding,” Rein wrote in the email. “Most importantly, we thank you for your continued support.”

Carnival Corp. in preliminary deal with Chinese group

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Carnival Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding with China Merchants Group (CMG) to pursue a possible domestic Chinese cruise line and to develop cruise ports.

Carnival said it formalized a strategic partnership with CMG at a signing event at the Hilton Shenzhen Shekou.

CMG is already developing a flagship port called Prince Bay Cruise Terminal in Shekou. Carnival said the partners would work to have cruise ships sail from this flagship port, while also developing other cruise destinations across China and northern Asia.

In addition, Carnival and CMG will explore a joint venture that would own and operate its own cruise ships as part of the first domestic Chinese cruise line targeted to the Chinese market. The joint venture would explore the possibility of sourcing new ships that are designed and built in China, along with the possibility of acquiring existing cruise ships.

Carnival last year signed a separate memo with China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC). to design and build a cruise ship in China in partnership with Fincantieri. That memo also contemplated the exploration of other possible joint venture opportunities with CSSC, including the potential to form a domestic cruise company, port development, talent development and training as well as supply chain and logistics.

It isn’t clear how that agreement would be affected by the one announced with CMG.

“The MOU we signed today signifies a great opportunity to take the next step in the future of Chinese cruising, while addressing some key needs for both the cruise industry and its passengers in China,” said Alan Buckelew, COO of Carnival Corp.

CMG, China’s oldest state enterprise founded in 1872, focuses on transportation, infrastructure, financial services and real estate development.

Carnival Vista the product of healthy competition

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Business competition isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. It led to ruinous price wars in the late 19th century in many industries.

But it’s also a great goad to improvement. That seems to be what’s happening in the cruise industry, especially in the contemporary market, where a remarkable series of interesting ships have been coming out of Europe’s shipyards.

Judging by the renderings released last week, the latest to join the fray is the Carnival Vista, coming in 2016.

While still bearing the imprint of Funship 2.0, the Vista will have a number of novel elements not shared by other Carnival Cruise Line ships.

Guests on the SkyRide cycle 150 feet above the sea.

SkyRider, a recumbent cycle that runs a circuit around and above the sports deck, may be the most noticeable of the bunch. But there’s also an IMAX theater, part of a Multiplex area; a new kaleidoscopic water slide; a casual seafood restaurant; an area of suites with hammocks; and a new approach to family staterooms. With the Vista, Carnival will become the first cruise line to brew its own beer at sea.

The cluster of new features is reminiscent of two other ships introduced in 2014: Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Getaway and Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas. The new deck of indoor/outdoor restaurant space on the Vista’s Deck 5 looks remarkably like the Waterfront on Norwegian’s Breakaway/Getaway ships.

The Vista's resort-style pool deck.

Norwegian, Royal and Carnival have been rivals for more than 40 years, but their competition in ship design is as vital as it has ever been. Each is pushing the other to develop better and more exciting new features, and the benefits are accruing to cruise passengers who have a fantastic array of fun things to do on a ship.

And of course, there’s a lot for travel agents to talk about and sell on these new ships. So here’s a salute to healthy competition. Long may it reign.