Good morning everyone
As an early Christmas gift I thought you might like to see a taster of our new commercial. This marks the start of our new advertising campaign showing that once again the Fun is waiting oboard the ship’s of Carnival.
Remember the full commercial can be seen after my mate Kevin stars in Grey’s Thingy
Happy Holiday’s and now let’s have a look at this brilliant commercial!
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COOL……
makes me want to go on a cruise….oh that’s right…we are next week!!! woo hoo!!!!
Merry Christmas!!!!!
Linda
I’m glad I was there to see the actual making of this. Will be watching to see the real commercial on Grey’s. Got to see Kevin (McBadass) too.
BIG ED
woo hoo! well that was tits! merry christmas everyone!
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
The very best wishes for you, your better half, and the little one on the way. Merry Christmas and give thanks for the soldier who is standing the post on Christmas day…
Now that is a great commercial! Why can’t they all be like that?
My family wishes you, Heidi, and the Thingy a Merry Christmas.
dctravel
WOW! A commercial we were part of in our favorite TV show – what a Christmas!
Linda
I love that I got to be there to see this actually made, though it did almost cause some riots over free candy!
Nice work Carnival!
Merry Christmas John, Heidi, and Thingy!
Sarah
Ha, awesome, commercial! No need to even show one of the ships to get the point across–good marketing there! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Merry Christmas!
I love it- and Merry Christmas to all!!! and Happy Holidays as well.
SWEET we love CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES,,,
the blooger in february marks our 28th.
Carnival Cruise,and the blooger in december on
the DREAM will be 29.
lots of time in the middle to add many more.
hugs from CIGAR CITY
tom & jane
BRILLIANT!!! My favorite part is the cruise ship horn at the end! That has to be THE BEST sound in the whole world! What a great commercial–you can hear and see the excitement! Makes me smile and wish I were on a cruise right now, not going to make Christmas dinner!
Sheryl
That is sooooo COOL! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Take care and best wishes for the coming year
Joan
Merry Christmas to Everyone
(especially our blogger friends)
May 2009 be another banner cruise year for us all.
and we will see you all on board…..
Dave and Jo Myerly
Am I the only one to think that’s got to be one of the worst commercials for a cruise line? What does that have to do with cruising?? Sure a huge pinata might be fun and Carnival is synonymous with fun… but someone who has never cruised before will never understand this. I think Carnival needs to rethink there marketing strategy very quickly before they dump millions into more ads like this.
I wish they had been able to bust the pinata while we were there, but not at the cost of someone getting hurt. We enjoyed meeting some of our Evil Krewe and visiting with John.
I can’t wait to see it on TV.
Countess Carolyn
Wonderful! We’ll be back on Carnival on 1/11!!!
Duchess Sandy and Duke Dick in GA (for now)
WOO HOO!!!
I love the commercial… can’t wait to see the BEACH BALL ONE, too!!!
FUN FOR ALL!! ALL FOR FUN!! FUN FOR ALL!! ALL FOR FUN!! I wear my wrist band PROUDLY at home and at sea!!! I AM the Mayor of FUNVILLE!!!!
Lambie
P.S. The horn is MUCH TOO SHORT!!!
I love the horn!!!!
CAN YOU HELP
Below are some posts from a thread at CruiseCritic.Com
To start I would like to point out that Princess has always been very friendly and very helpful. I love Princess.
When I have spoken with staff on ship or 1-800-Princess I have gotten cooperative responses. But fellow passengers on ships or people posting at CruiseCritic have been rather rude, intimidating, etc.
The issue is Formal night dress. Princess indicates many dressy alternatives are acceptable for passengers. The website indicates a suit or Jacket are REGUIRED.
The gender stereo typing outlined on the website is not gay and lesbian friendly. It is sexist and discriminatory. It does not comply with USA law that requires companies to not discriminate on the basis of sex or sexual orientation.
Again, when I speak with Princess personnel they are generally much more liberal and understanding, but they also indicate that dress is at the discretion of the Captain of the ship. They refuse to put anything in writing even though they are generally more reasonable on the phone or aboard the ship.
I have to have the website description thrown in my face on websites and aboard ship by fellow passengers. In my relationship I do not wear suits and I do not wear dresses.
Can you help with the stated policy for formal night attire. Princess seems more open minded and has always seemed fair. Unfortunately, the failure to state things more openly have caused tense moments on board ships and in web site discussions.
All I am asking for is a change to a policy that may encourage the current attire while obviously being tolerant of other views in writing.
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I think he is correct. Requiring men to wear a jacket and not women is gender stereo typing and sexual discrimination. I do not think sexual discrimination would be legal for cruises starting in a US port. This may be why Princess has been allowing men on formal night with just a shirt.
Jokes about ties a side Carol is right. This gender stereo typing by Princess is not gay or lesbian friendly in addition to being sexist by suggesting men should wear jackets. I am not surprised Princess no longer enforces the formal attire. I am surprised they continue to post it on their web site.
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coiran coiran is offline
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Jokes about ties a side Carol is right. This gender stereo typing by Princess is not gay or lesbian friendly in addition to being sexist by suggesting men should wear jackets. I am not surprised Princess no longer enforces the formal attire. I am surprised they continue to post it on their web site.
Really? When was this announced – they were enforcing it on the Dawn in October.
Princess should make some sort of formal announcement on their website or changes to the answer book when they do this.
Ron
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Ron & Connie
Merry Christmas to all of our friends. We love you all and can’t wait to see you in “09!
Oooh! This makes me want to take another cruuuuuuuuuuise!
Way to go Carnival. Love the music like when you’re on a cruise. Sheer enjoyment. Merry Christmas.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
Tis the season to be busy so I haven’t read the blogs in days and days. So after a busy day with kids and grandkids, I’m reading my paper as I watch Grey’s and luckily I was watching and was surprised to see the new commercial. I LOVED it! It exudes FUN. And I have always loved the song. Great job all. And Merry Christmas to All.
Shirley
It was also on NBC, Deal or No Deal
BIG ED
John, I want to be honest. I have mixed feelings about the comerical. As a Platinum cruiser I do like the “All for Fun and Fun for All” Theme. The ships horn was great also and have been used in other comercials.
Having followed the blog I knew what to expect but I am not sure the tie in to the all the fun on a Carnival cruise was there on the first commercial. The Carnival logo is not even seen until the very end. Up until then the viewer does not have a clue about the sponsor.
Hi John!
Love the horn at the end. Should be longer.
Great job!
Take care!
David
I must be missing something.
Nothing about this commercial makes me think cruise.
In fact, it made me think of AFV.
Nothing is further from a cruise than an inner city parking lot with the “Trojan Horse”.
Give me BLUE WATER (above shots, please) and STEELE DRUM BANDS, with shots around the ship.
Even a simple brochure can get me in the mood.
imho, oc.
OK… so Philly goes first… Where’s Dallas??
WE WANT THE BEACH BALL!!!
Looks brilliant, my friend!!!
Host Mach
Hi John & Heidi,
I guess I’m in the minority – I didn’t think much of the commercial. Especially after having seen the new one for godzilla of the seas’ nation. It just didn’t “grab” me as much as the previous campaigns did, especially the ones with “fun” songs.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Since my sister’s family was either in Florida or upstate NY visiting in-laws, I spent most of the day watching the Sci-Fi Channel’s Star Trek Next Generation Marathon. It was still on this morning at 5:00 a.m.
So have a great weekend, and I’ll be here Monday morning,
Hugs,
Carol
The point of the commercial is to convey that Carnival enables Fun and I believe the advertisement does express that … Although when I think of cruising I tend to envision surreal open blue waters, fantastic fun ships, and impeccable service.
Lose these streets and crowds.
Dance the night away.
Will find myself an ocean,
Sail into the blue…
The Flying Dutchman
Hi all,
Happy Holidays John, Heidi, the Thingy, and all readers.
While I think the whole “fun” gatherings seemed like a very good time, I think Carnival’s marketing failed on this ad. Have a look on cruise critic, and you will see many people who agree. I have shared many positive things about Carnival on this board and others, and for the Sake of offering opinion and helping Carnival, I don’t know what they and the marketing team were thinking.
A lot of people…. a pinata…. candy…. viewers have no idea that this if for Carnival. This does not look like fun for a lot of people. Most people want to see clips of what a cruise is about from drinks, to bands, to pools, to slides, to grand lobbies – we want to be reminded what a cruise is in the ads.
Again, Happy Holidays to everyone.
Oh My Got! Awsome commercial, my favorite! Happy Holidays !
Marianela
This actually makes the “new” RCCL commercial look good.
Did everyone see the wife and I?
I saw it last night while watching CBS and CSI! Very cool–love the horn!
Merry Christmas fellow bloggers and all those on the ships that make our cruise vacations so great!
Cheryl
Oh, and forgot–I do like the All for fun and fun for all slogan but the pinata not so much but still love the horn!
I really really hate to admit it…but, I also did not like the commercial. Carnival already has a “Party” reputation and a young one at that. I avoided Carnival for many, many years because of that (false) reputation of being a party ship. I finally went on a Carnival cruise and was so impressed and shocked that the chatter and negative comments I had heard was in fact false.
I am just afraid that this Mardi Gras (spelling?!) looking commercial may send out the wrong message and turn away the avid 40+ year old cruisers…I really hope I am totally wrong!!!
Did I miss something? What does this commercial have to do with cruising? Carnival you need to get your money back from the ad agency.
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I was really disappointed in the commercial, I would fire the PR company before they do more damage.
Papanh
Dear John & Heidi,
The commercial teaser was good, but after watching the “Animal Towel Theater” online, I think Carnival is missing a PRIME opportunity to advertise the fun aspect of cruising by not developing a commercial series based on the exploits of the characters. It is such a simple, yet brilliant idea. Animal towels are such a universally understood concept amongst cruisers. Even those who haven’t cruised yet are familiar with the concept.
The spots are absolutely hilarious. The one about the cheese puffs is a gem!! They are deceptively simple, yet their charm is undeniable. From the lighting, to the camera angles, to the settings, the great editing and finally, the spot-on voices, the ads are incredibly well done. Carnival corporation SHOULD have plans on turning this online series into a full-blown series for television spots. If they don’t, another cruise line may beat them to it! The current Carnival ads are OK, but the Animal Towels are the real stars here. I’m very surprised that there has not been more of a “Buzz” about them, given the high quality of the production values. We look forward to more spots in the very near future!
All our best to you, your lovely wife…and the “Thingy.”
Lance & Ilda
Merry Christmas John and Heidi,
Sorry this is late but our computer hasn’t been cooperating lately. I’ve read the blogs but haven’t gotten to the comments yet.
Anyway hope you had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Year. May 2009 be your best one yet.
George and Linda
Hi John and Heidi,
Happy Holidays and New Year to you and everyone on the board.
First a comment… then a question. This blog is all about discussion, so I figured I would chime in here with a few thoughts. I hate to be negative, but at the same time, I usually have positive comments, and they must sometimes be balanced with the negative truth. What in the world was Carnival thinking when they hired this new marketing company. New is not even the word… this ad is just an embarrassment for Carnival. When I showed some friends both those who have cruised and those who haven’t, I got the same response, “what in the world is this an ad for, and why in the world would I want to cruise because of it, let alone on Carnival.” The old ads both the “fun fun fun” ones and the “somewhere” with the puzzle pieces at the end were MUCH better. They actually showed the ship and made me want to cruise. Does this new marketing company realize that Carnival is a CRUISE company?
Sorry for all the rambling… just for the sake of Carnival, I think you guys should REALLY reconsider.
Anyway, as for my question: When we cruise, there is nothing that we love more than having a drink and listening to the live pool band(s); especially the reggae ones. A friend just got back from a cruise on another line, and they said that while there was a reggae band, they hardly played and were disappointed with the cd music. This is an embarassing cost-saving cut for any line, as this is what cruising is about. I hope taht Carnival plans on keeping the bands by the pool as always. I fear that the TV’s on the ships by the pool will replace some of the live pool music. Please reassure me that I am wrong.
We love Carnival for the traditional cruise experience, and things like set dining at a set time every night with the same wait staff and live pool music are the things that keep us coming back to Carnival time and time again after having tried all the lines.
Please keep up the good work with the cruising experience Carnival. I look forward to a traditional cruising experience with live pool music, watersides, and an amazing staff on the Dream.
Sorry for this being so long. Happy holidays to all!
-John
I thought the commercial was pretty clever and expands the emphasis of what fun can be. Carnival took the concept of fun from the ship to one’s own backyard. I liked the transition.
What bothers me me John is how this commercial was in effect fiction. You documented well what really transpired and the countless hundreds of thousands spent for something planned that never happened. You had actors and special effects people convey something that never happened and that is an intentional untruth, a lie.
The concept of the ad was not bad (though to be frank and being in the biz..somebody at Carnival really dropped the ball planning this event). I just wish your commercial did not mislead your clients into portraying something that never happened.
It is amazing how most of the posts here are extremely positive on the commercial (yes, a few criticisms)…. yet on the Cruise Critic Boards, there are pages and pages of people who are expressing negative feedback on the commercial.
I just don’t get it. I want to find away to escape the stress in my life! My family wants to have a wonderful week together, so relaxing, yet so full of memories. This commerical, with all the crowds of people, makes me want to find a secluded spot on a warm beach – just to get away from this scene!
Catrin
hi john heidi and (thingy) lol baby i forgot to wish u a merry xmas. and i had a good time on my cruise. but skip not karl was cd but he was great had a nice time. but too short we might go on the bloggers cruise in dec on the dream.have a happy new yr.
I’m sorry, but I think this is one of Carnival’s WORST ad campaigns. I believe that the only ones that will find it truly appealing are those who actually took part in the taping and creation of it.
I am also a Platinum cruiser and I’ve been crusing on Carnival for the last 15 years. Campaigns like the “Beyond the Sea” commercials truly made me want to go cruising. This ad made me want to scratch my head
John, if you can explain what the marketing department had in mind when they created this commercial, it might make me have a better appreciation for it. Although I understand the “Fun for All” concept, I just don’t think that people breaking a giant pinata in the middle of Philadelphia has much to do with the cruising experience.
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Hi John,
Sorry, but I am not impressed by the commercial.
It smacks too much of the “old days” and might give a new cruiser the wrong impression of Carnival. Perhaps, if it were only a part of a commercial that also showed caribbean shots, towel animals and views of the ships and beaches, etc. it would be ok. I think the advertising company needs to rethink this.
If I were a shareholder, I’d be upset with Carnival. I didn’t even believe it was a TV commercial when I saw it. Honestly, it seemed more like a Jr. High you tube project. Really, really dumb. … and the only people talking about it are those if us who are already Carnival fans who frequest these sites – cruise newbies can’t even tell what it’s advertising until it’s over!
I think this ad / these ads will cause Carnival to LOSE customers rather than gain. This ad is just in plain, simple words: TERRIBLE. Nothing to do with cruising, does not make me want to cruise, does not make me think of cruising, of carnival, or of fun. When home in the winter, I want to see the sun, the bands, relaxation ON THE BOAT… after all… carnival is a CRUISING company.
Well, I saw the commercial at the movie theatre on Friday night. (Four Christmases – very good) I liked the commercial then, and I like it now. It was a fun commercial…..and I liked someone’s words above….they took the fun into the back yard, or streets as is the case here. In any event, we had fun in Philly and met some fellow bloggers, so it was FUN to see the commercial on the big screen. Will be waiting to see more of them in my living room.
Happy new year to all!
Hugs,
Catmama – Lori
Merry Belated Christmas, John, Heidi, Thingy, and all!
Hope everyone had a great holiday! I have taken a few days off from the internet and am now catching up on recent blogs. My girlfriend and I saw this commercial over the weekend on TV. I could understand this commercial being misleading/disappointing, but anything Carnival-related definitely reminds me of the great things I’ve had on a Carnival cruise!
Happy New Year to everyone!!!
Alex G.
Love the Song
Love the new Logo ” Fun for All, All for Fun”
Love the Horn at the End
Love the baby’s face in the Ad
Don’t like the Pinata, the Location, the Confusion About What’s Being Marketed until the end of the ad. If you blink, you miss that it’s for Carnival.
Overall Rating: C-
The ad is a disappointment.