Carnival switches OFF fun in Europe

Carnival Cruise Line will not have any of its Fun Ships sailing in Europe in 2014. The company has taken the decision to pull out of the region next year just as Carnival Sunshine – fresh from a £100 million makeover – makes its first voyage in the Med.
Carnival Legend, which will be based in Dover from next month, is to be redeployed in Australia next year.
The decision follows a lavish TV advertising campaign which urged holidaymakers to “Switch On Fun.”
While Carnival’s UK managing director Adolfo Perez say the ads persuaded more Brits than ever to cruise with Carnival, the line’s European sailings are still dominated by American passengers whose numbers have been cut by the rising cost of Transatlantic air fares.
“Air fares have risen and airlines have cut capacity which drives the price up. We have been happy with our year-on-year growth in the UK but we still rely heavily on the North American market,” he said.
Deployments for 2015 are still being decided, but Perez said he was hopeful the line could return to Europe in two years time.
Most of the new British customers attracted by the Switch On Fun campaign are choosing cruises which depart from US ports, says Perez, adding: “We have 24 ships in our fleet and we will increasingly rely on the UK to help fill those ships.”
 Rival cruise line Royal Caribbean announced last week that it is withdrawing its 3,114-passenger Navigator of the Seas from the Mediterranean next year. Nevertheless, seven of the company’s 22 ships will be cruising in Europe during 2014.