I see that Carnival has announced some ship changes

Yeah, we just got an email just a few minutes ago re ours or 11/26/2021 on the RADIANCE (9 days thru the Canal). Seems like they cancelled existing reservations in favor of "re-accommodating" (is that a word?) from two other ships...Chewing on our options, but frankly I'm not in the mood. They'll either refund what we have in it, or put it towards another cruise +$600 OBC..book by 5/13/21, on any cruise departing by 4/30/23..thats all generous enough.....back to the drawing boards...I think this is the first of MANY....

Yep. I have pretty well given up on making plans until a little more certainty creeps into the market and sanity reigns once again. A lot of it has to do with the precarious finances that the cruise lines are trying to juggle. I saw an interesting statement yesterday, "Carnival Corporation at the last earning call stated that it was holding $2,900,000,000 (billion) in refunds owed to customers, which it views as liquidity. What a business model! Using other people's money to try and stay afloat". One might almost think that the cruise lines are behaving like federal governments ... owning islands, running deficits, taking and using our money .....

Pun intended ("Staying afloat") ?

Thats what I've been harping on occasionally in here...For years most passengers and "investors" (I use that term sparingly nowadays) figured cruise lines, like casinos, were cash cows with unimaginably deep pockets. Well, once upon a time, but no more. Anyone who bought and held these things has taken a LONG TERM bloodbath. (The publicly traded ones that is..) ..all that affects the terms of the loans they had to take to stay...err...afloat. Back in the day, loan companies where ranked by how much $$ they had loaned out. "Out in the street" was the expression...the more was owed TO them, the bigger they were. This is the reverse...that's other peoples $$..anybody can claim it. They're betting not everybody will, at least nowhere near all at once. Your analogy to the FED is spot on. I'd hate to be a cruise line vender right about now..

I wrote it up this morning!

https://cruiseline.com/advice/what-s-hot/news/carnival-cruise-announces-debut-date-plans-current-fleet

Nice summary of the changes. Makes for easy reading.

It's sad that we are losing ships, but I am surprised that Carnival is talking about building a new one. Thanks for the information!

Called liquidated damages...they're stuck with it...bet if they could they would've postposed it or even cancelled...

I'm glad they are keeping 4 of the Fantasy Class ships. I'd rather cruise a Fantasy class ship then a Vista class ship. For some reason I did not like my cruise on the Vista as much as other ships. My last cruise was on the Imagination (Fantasy Class) out of Long Beach (about 30 min drive from home for me) for a quick 4 night cruise to Baja, we did not get off the ship in Mexico.

I noticed that they are canceling the 3 and 4 night cruises out of Long Beach and moving them to San Diego on the Miracle (3 hour train ride from me and just a few blocks from the train station in San Diego). Long Beach will have the Panorama (Vista class ship) doing 7 night cruises to Mexico. I wounder when travel to Mexico will be safe? They are having a hard time with the virus going for herd immunity.

I would rather have the 7 day cruise from Long Beach go to Vancouver Canada and back with ports like San Francisco, Monterey and Astoria and maybe Morro bay (Excursion to Hearst Castle or wine tasting).

I have heard that Princess is going to be moving 4 ships in 2021 and 2022 to Los Angeles and San Francisco for cruises to Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska. I would book a 14 night cruises to Hawaii or Alaska round trip from California ports. I could drive to San Francisco in about 6 hours if I kept it at the speed limit, but who am I kidding, I'd be there in 5 hours or less.