The Real Deal

By Sharman Egan Lagniappe columnist

When Carnival Cruise Lines started cruising out of Mobile in October 2004, there was dancing in the streets. “Travelers have yet another great reason to visit our city,” said former mayor Mike Dow. Leon Maisel, president of the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau (MBCVB) said it would transform Mobile from a “pass-through” destination to a “go-to” city. Downtown business owners were equally ecstatic. Roy Pope, owner of Busaba’s Thai Cuisine, added three tables to handle the new customers flocking to his restaurant in the first few months.

Potential economic impact figures (reported in the Press-Register, based on a study by USA’s Center for Economic and Business Research) were impressive: $20 million in annual spending with $2.3 million from passengers and $5.2 million from crew members

So where are we now, three years after the Holiday first cruised down the Mobile River? While there’s no doubt Mobile has been a successful port for Carnival, has it been a success for the city of Mobile?

One thing’s clear: the numbers bandied about in 2004 were wildly optimistic. For example, the $5.2 million in potential spending by crew members. Carnival says about 250 employees get off the ship each time it docks here (sounds high to me, but what do I know?). That means each one would have to spend almost $300 per visit. Now let’s face it – most crew members don’t make a heck of a lot of money. And they only have a few hours to spend it. I’d be surprised if they spend 20 percent of the original projection.

What about the $2.3 million in potential passenger spending? That number looks to be way off the mark as well. Back in 2004, estimates were 20 percent of passengers would fly into Mobile and 30 percent would stay overnight. Those figures turned out to be closer to 10 percent to 15 percent, according to MBCVB numbers.

And Roy Pope no longer needs three extra tables, at least not for customers from the Holiday. “After Katrina, we never saw them again,” says Pope. He says he doesn’t know why they disappeared but he thinks they are being encouraged to go shopping at the malls rather than going downtown.

When I took the cruise over Labor Day, I was surprised that virtually no one I met had spent a dime in Mobile, over and above the parking fees. In fact, after the first few people we spoke to, Kevin and I made it a game. We were determined to find someone, anyone, who had spent money here. We did an ad hoc poll, speaking to 23 people representing over 50 passengers. We finally found one party (a group of 16 from California) that went looking for lunch and ended up at a chain restaurant on Airport Boulevard. (Hardly the experience we would wish on first-time visitors to our lovely city).

So what’s the problem? According to Leon Maisel, efforts to market Mobile to passengers have suffered from the exact thing that has made the ship successful. “Mobile is a drive-in market,” he said. “We’ve been successful because it’s so easy to drive in, park and get on the ship.” He explained over one-third of passengers come from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and northwest Florida. So when it comes to Mobile, their attitude is “been there, done that” (my words, not his).

Maisel said a number of other things make it difficult to get passengers to spend money here, ranging from homeland security issues to the fact that Carnival makes most of the decisions on how to market to passengers (for example, what shore excursions to offer).

With all due respect to the hard-working folks at the MBCVB, I think there’s a little more to it than that. Frankly, Kevin and I saw nothing that would entice us to spend time or money in Mobile. From the shrimp shacks next to terminal to the absence of greeters, we were left with a less-than-positive impression of Mobile.

Maisel said volunteer greeters are at the terminal each day the ship is in port, handing out visitors’ guides. But I can tell you for a fact that the only greeters between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. on Sept.1 were contractors working for Carnival – people paid to get you on the ship as quickly as possible so you’ll start gulping down over-priced umbrella drinks served up in pineapples.

Could we do a better job marketing to Holiday passengers? Maisel said he and his staff have “torn their hair out,” trying everything from marketing to travel agents to a major promotion in Chattanooga. I was left with the impression they’ve decided there’s not much potential here and they’ve moved on to other things. I found no press releases on the MBCVB Web site related to Carnival or the cruise terminal since February 2005. Nothing when the Holiday, Sensation and Ecstasy were refurbished in Mobile after Katrina, or when the Holiday was put back into service in March 2006.

Nothing when the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico (which will be located right next to the cruise ship terminal) launched its capital campaign this past June, an event that received wide coverage in Mobile. And I’m still not clear why the MBCVB is using volunteers to greet passengers as they embark, rather than paid staff that will likely be more reliable and aggressive in promoting the city (no offense intended to the volunteers).

So back to the original question: has the Holiday been a success for Mobile? “It’s been successful for brand-building,” said Maisel. And, of course, there’s an economic impact over and above spending by passengers and crew. But I’m still thinking Mobile is missing the boat on the tourism business.

On a more positive note: Kevin and I are veterans of seven cruises now, including five cruise lines and itineraries in the Caribbean, Hawaii and Europe. If you’re looking for a relaxing getaway that’s an incredible value, we suggest you check out the Holiday. Just don’t gain five pounds in five days like I did. That melted chocolate cake thing they serve is killer.

Sharman Egan is Lagniappe lagniappe columnist. Contact her at Sharman@SharmanEgan.com.

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