Called “Fun Ship 2.0,” the expansion program will include burger joints from Food Network personality Guy Fieri; comedy clubs overseen by actor and comedian George Lopez; a sports bar linked to video game manufacturer EA Sports; interactive game shows featuring Hasbro games such as Sorry and Simon and more original bars and lounges.

Cruise line executives announced the initiative at a press conference in New York. The Carnival Liberty will be the first ship to offer many of the new options, but 14 ships are scheduled to get the updates through 2015 in the first phase.

Owned by Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise ship company, Carnival Cruise Lines cultivates a reputation as a fun, memorable value option. What the line, which has 23 ships, hasn’t done is form relationships with well-known companies like its competitors have over recent years.

Royal Caribbean International’s deal with DreamWorks places characters such as Shrek and Fiona in shows and other onboard activities, while Norwegian Cruise Line has Nickelodeon characters and shows and Disney Cruise Line has a kingdom of fictional personalities to entice kids.

Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, said the new offerings are an effort to lure guests from any other vacation option — on land or sea.

“It’s not a reaction to any particular competitor, it’s a reaction to the whole travel and tourism sector,” he said in an interview with The Miami Herald. “Everyone is trying to make their brand stand out and we’re trying to do the same.”

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Surely their passengers will eventually notice that Carnival are lagging behind in ship design?[/QB]

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Not really sure it matters to the masses that are attracted to Carnival. Carnival is price driven and those most attracted to Carnival look at price as the driving factor in the decision making process. So long as Carnival keeps the prices low, and still offers perceived value they will continue to do well especially in this economy.

The same can be said for companies like McDonalds and WalMart. Both are the most successful in their industry, and both appeal to the masses mainly on price. Neither is particularly innovative or offers the best quality or customer experience ... but both are immensely popular with the middle class to lower middle class masses because they are cheap and offer perceived value. Carnival basically has the same business model today.

At least Carnival realizes they can't completely rely on price alone, and are taking action to have recognizable brands as business partners. Of course this is something realized long ago by Carnival's competitors. Recognizable brands are another thing the masses seem to gravitate to, so it's fitting they have found their way onto mass-market cruise ships.

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Originally posted by Linerrich:
Possibly the most amazing aspect of these Carnival enhancements, is that many of them, like the Burger Joint, are free! I totally expected these things to be at extra cost.

Rich

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One thing I will say about Carnival is they have never been big on offering a lot of extra fee options. I think this plays into the entire price driven value product that Carnival is known for. People on a budget know they can sail on Carnival without too many extra fees. Again, very appealing to a price sensitive clientele which is Carnival's bread and butter.

I think theyre doing the right thing with this project and it will definitely enhance the already great on board experience Carnival is known for.

I also like the fact that they will be making these changes to most of the fleet so more passengers can enjoy them, and I think its a smart move making all of the new dining options Free which is something many other cruise lines have decided to do away with for the most part.

I think it makes sense to add these venues to about 15 existing ships rather than spend $ Billions on 2 new ships. Its thinking like this that makes Carnival the best at what they do.

My only complaint is the comedy "director", George Lopez. Let me just say, I HATE HIS SENSE OF HUMOR. I think he is the most irritating comedian, of them all. I have no idea why Carnival picked him, when there was a myriad of other sensible options.

Other than that, great job Carnival.

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Originally posted by eroller:

Not really sure it matters to the masses that are attracted to Carnival. Carnival is price driven and those most attracted to Carnival look at price as the driving factor in the decision making process. So long as Carnival keeps the prices low, and still offers perceived value they will continue to do well especially in this economy.

The same can be said for companies like McDonalds and WalMart. Both are the most successful in their industry, and both appeal to the masses mainly on price. Neither is particularly innovative or offers the best quality or customer experience ... but both are immensely popular with the middle class to lower middle class masses because they are cheap and offer perceived value. Carnival basically has the same business model today.

At least Carnival realizes they can't completely rely on price alone, and are taking action to have recognizable brands as business partners. Of course this is something realized long ago by Carnival's competitors. Recognizable brands are another thing the masses seem to gravitate to, so it's fitting they have found their way onto mass-market cruise ships.

Ernie

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It does seem like Carnival is playing catchup lately. It has been Royal Caribbean that has been hitting the news and tv shows depicting their newest ships like Oasis for example.

Nothing of what the other cruise lines have done appeal to me at all like relationships with dreamworks, disney etc....that seems cheap and tacky and more alligned to a family theme park rather than a cruise ship offering holidays to fantastic new destinations to explore.

These innovations look like they are trying to attract new breeds of passengers.

I can only hope that the other many cruise lines that exist that still do traditional cruise holidays to explorers and vacationers continue to do the same rather than follow down this path.