Carnival opens Princess Cays to competing cruise lines

Carnival Corporation has opened Princess Cays to competing cruise lines as its own brands increasingly favour nearby RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.

Marie McKenzie, the company’s senior vice-president of government and destination affairs, outlined the change at the CruiseWorld conference in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 4.

The move follows enhancements at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, which have prompted most of Carnival’s brands to prioritize that destination. Princess Cruises has replaced Princess Cays calls with stops at RelaxAway in published itineraries beginning this month.

Princess Cays remains operational, McKenzie said, with a shared service team supporting both Bahamian destinations.

“The company smartly came up with a blended operating model to be able to facilitate running both destinations, but I will say most of our brands have decided that they would like to take advantage of the investment and the great experience that we’ve created at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay,” McKenzie said.

Enhancements at RelaxAway include a pier and tram service on the Carnival Cruise Line side, along with a new beach club and beach facilities on the Holland America Line side.

Expanding destination experiences

During the session, Ally Nichols, Carnival Corporation’s vice-president of product development, outlined the company’s Paradise Collection, which brings together six destinations across the Caribbean, The Bahamas and Mexico.

Celebration Key and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay are its two Paradise Destinations. Celebration Key offers a more active, resort-style experience, while RelaxAway emphasizes a tranquil, remote setting.

The collection also includes four Gateway Destinations: Isla Tropicale in Honduras, Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, Grand Turk in Turks and Caicos and Puerta Maya in Cozumel, Mexico.

McKenzie also highlighted the importance of working with local governments, businesses and residents to improve experiences ashore.

She encouraged destinations to keep Carnival informed about new tourism offerings and continue developing shore excursions, pointing to Aruba as an example of a destination actively sharing new experiences with the company.

Only a minority of guests purchase excursions through Carnival, McKenzie said, but those who do tend to rate destinations more highly.

“Every guest on that ship will rate that destination, and from a Carnival perspective, we want the entire destination rated higher, not just from guests who take tours from us,” McKenzie said.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.