MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Facing a $6 million hit in the next fiscal year, city leaders are scrambling to find a new cruise ship to replace the Ecstasy when the Carnival ship leaves town next month.
Carnival Cruise Line announced earlier this year that it planned to move Ecstasy to Alaska, leaving the Alabama cruise terminal idle for a year. In October 2023, Carnival intends to replace Ecstasy with the new Carnival Spirit. But that ship will only sail for six months.
Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s chief of staff, James Barber, told FOX10 News the city has had ongoing discussions with Carnival and other cruise lines for years about adding a second ship to the port. He said the upcoming interim competition increases the urgency of these discussions, but added that nothing is imminent.
“I think it’s more due diligence at this point,” he said.
City Councilman William Carroll, who sits on the Finance Committee, said he doesn’t know much about the effort but supports it.
“They really haven’t discussed it at length with the council. … It would be nice if we could get a second ship for when Carnival is away,” he said.
However, some industry experts expressed doubts about the possibility of landing another ship.
“No other cruise lines have shown interest. … Carnival is the only option,” said Stewart Chiron, an analyst known as The Cruise Guy. “It is not a first- or second-tier market. The fact that Carnival didn’t pull out completely is amazing.”
It’s not for lack of trying, Chiron said.
“Listen, the mayor over there in Mobile has worked his tail off,” he told FOX10 News. “He’s been working really hard to try to meet with the cruise lines and try to convince them, but it’s just not what’s in the mass market.”
Chiron said Mobile has limitations that are difficult to overcome. The airport is small with limited flights. Ships that have sailed from Mobile are older with less exciting destinations, and Chiron said passengers tend to spend less.
“If you look at the passengers that have been pulled from the ship that sails out of Mobile, I mean they’re not getting the highest fares and the passengers aren’t going to the bigger destinations and the rates aren’t as high as the cruise lines want them to be.” “, he said.
However, city leaders said they hope to keep the cruise terminal in use with another ship, and other opportunities, such as Mardi Gras balls and weddings.
“We’re looking to fill that void, not only with another cruise ship, but also to bring in events,” said Joe Snowden, the city’s executive director of administrative services.
The city collects about $6 million a year from the $20-a-night parking fee and passenger fees included with each ticket. That revenue pays back the money the city borrowed to build the terminal.
However, the impact of not having cruises goes beyond this. David Clark, president and CEO of Visit Mobile, said the cruise industry fills about 35,000 hotel rooms a year in Mobile County, with perhaps another 5,000 to 6,000 on the East Coast.
“So it’s a bit hit and miss. But the good news is, you know, we’re getting another ship,” he said.
That ship, the Spirit, is larger and newer than the Fantasy-class ships Mobile has had before. There will also be longer routes.
Clark said he believes Mobile has shown its worth in the industry.
“We have proven time and time again that we have the best car market in Central America,” he said. “We are the first port of call you arrive at. It’s easy to get here and it’s easy to leave and come back.”
Clark said he believes Spirit passengers will be more likely to arrive a day earlier and leave a day later after their cruise, pumping more money into the local economy.
Chiron said Spirit represents a huge opportunity for mobile.
“I’m excited to see the results of the response to Carnival Spirit,” he said. “It is a more beautiful ship. It’s a bigger ship, much newer. It has much more to offer than the people of Mobile have had in the past. … I just hope they are able to attract higher occupancy and higher rates than they have in the past with Fantasy Class ships.”
—
Download the FOX10 Weather app. Get life-saving severe weather warnings and alerts for your location, no matter where you are. Available for free at Apple App Store AND Google Play Store.
Copyright 2022 WALA. All rights reserved.
