[Amalu]

There is no way the boat is sold out, and
I don’t even think they’re going to claim that. My estimate based on app usage is that the boat is about 70% full Murch line, walking around the promenade, and other places make it clear that we are down by close to 1000 people.

UMC earned this not sold out for several obvious reasons

Oh, definitely. Hopefully they shape up for next year.

Good news for the merch lovers though, shorter lines!

Honestly if 60-70% is true, then that puts "next year" in serious doubt. That would possibly around break even point. With the COVID gap hat might sum up to some serious money problems for UMC.

[slayergeek]

Honestly if 60-70% is true, then that puts "next year" in serious doubt. That would possibly around break even point. With the COVID gap hat might sum up to some serious money problems for UMC.

So for the cruise, as per the numbers provided by Andy
For 2020 there were a total guest count of 3,028
For 2023 that same measure was given as 2,761 guests at the end of cruise press conference

A reduction of 9.1% or 267 people. This seems off. I don’t want to call BS on Andys numbers, but if it was really that small an amount of people it did not feel like it on the ship.

Four comparison, my app, which some probably got tired of my seemly endless promotion of
2020 number were 2,026 users launch the app within 30 days of the cruise at it’s end
2023 that same number is coming in at 1,494

A reduction of 27% and 532 users

This seem to match the more empty vibe on the ship to me, but it is possible that less users used the app then last year or there are other statistical anomalies at play. If anyone says that the boat was less than 70% full, I think they would have a hard time providing numbers to prove that.

Andy did say UNEQUIVOCALLY that 70K 2024 will happen. That being said he did not provide details at the press conference of any kind. Similar to what he did in 2020. He will announce ‘something’ at his “Thank You” speech in 1 hour. I would be VERY surprised if he gives us Ship, Port, the Date, and Destination…VERY surprised. We might get 1 piece of that like he did for 2021. That being said Andy is full of surprises and we will know soon enough.

The press conference was positive and he acknowledged the issues, gave very plausible explanations for why, and promised that 2024 will be different.

Time will tell.

I can say I will be there!

See you guys in 2024!

[DrinkMoxie]

The press conference was positive and he acknowledged the issues, gave very plausible explanations for why, and promised that 2024 will be different.

I'm interested in these "plausible explanations"

[slayergeek]

The press conference was positive and he acknowledged the issues, gave very plausible explanations for why, and promised that 2024 will be different.

I'm interested in these "plausible explanations"

He gave the credit card processors not wanting to take the money for a cruise that they weren’t sure was going to happen. He also explained they were insurance issues. Basically he was saying that Covid, and likely a late start, lead to businesses that he relies on giving him an extra hard time, and making things take longer than they would’ve otherwise. Could some of these issues have been avoided if he had announced things earlier, it’s possible. Could some of them have been issues that were unavoidable, also plausible.

[DrinkMoxie]

earlier band announcements. lower price. honest explanation of why booking couldn't start yet... all would have improved things

[Mr. HCI]

earlier band announcements. lower price. honest explanation of why booking couldn't start yet... all would have improved things

All of this. Additionally, in my opinion, the Facebook posts didn't help. Lots of useless promo posts with no real information. Lots of condescending comments from 70k in answer to honest questions. I'm sure the people in charge of this were in a tough spot. But it didn't come off well.

Also, the "50% off" offer being given out after many cabins were booked. That was a real kick in the nuts to a lot of us. If you're going to make that offer, offer it to Survivors first. Not only was that bad manners, but it kinda reeked of desperation.

Edit: Did anyone actually use that 50% promo? I wonder if it affected sales to any significant extent.

[Pellaz]

So for the cruise, as per the numbers provided by Andy
For 2020 there were a total guest count of 3,028
For 2023 that same measure was given as 2,761 guests at the end of cruise press conference

A reduction of 9.1% or 267 people. This seems off. I don’t want to call BS on Andys numbers, but if it was really that small an amount of people it did not feel like it on the ship.

Yeah, that doesn't sound remotely right.
.
.

Four comparison, my app, which some probably got tired of my seemly endless promotion of
2020 number were 2,026 users launch the app within 30 days of the cruise at it’s end
2023 that same number is coming in at 1,494

A reduction of 27% and 532 users

This seem to match the more empty vibe on the ship to me, but it is possible that less users used the app then last year or there are other statistical anomalies at play. If anyone says that the boat was less than 70% full, I think they would have a hard time providing numbers to prove that.

A reduction of about 500 revenue cruisers seems right. Note that the number of crew and bands remains the same, and there may have been more non-rev people to fill out the boat some more. A friend of mine is a concert photog from Texas and got a late invitation for a free cabin, sharing with a member of the metal press.

It seemed like the ratio of band members to us revenue plebes was really high this year. You couldn't turn a corner or kick over a sun lounger without finding someone with a performer wristband.
.
.

Andy did say UNEQUIVOCALLY that 70K 2024 will happen. That being said he did not provide details at the press conference of any kind. Similar to what he did in 2020. He will announce ‘something’ at his “Thank You” speech in 1 hour. I would be VERY surprised if he gives us Ship, Port, the Date, and Destination…VERY surprised. We might get 1 piece of that like he did for 2021. That being said Andy is full of surprises and we will know soon enough.

He didn't give us squat.

And the final decision likely rests with the cruise-line, not UMC.
.
.

The press conference was positive and he acknowledged the issues, gave very plausible explanations for why, and promised that 2024 will be different.
Time will tell.

So, he said the usual bullshit.

He said similar things last time...and things were actually WORSE.
.
.

I can say I will be there!
See you guys in 2024!

Me, too. Barring any weirdness, I plan to be onbroad in 2024. The overall experience continues to overrule the initial planning silliness...at least for now.

[Cleon]

earlier band announcements. lower price. honest explanation of why booking couldn't start yet... all would have improved things

I don't think we're going to see lower prices, unfortunately. The cost of touring is up, the price of gas is up, cruise fares are up. Unless Andy manages to land some sort of sponsorship deal or something creative like that, higher prices are a question of "when" rather than "if."

[DrinkMoxie]

earlier band announcements. lower price. honest explanation of why booking couldn't start yet... all would have improved things

I don't think we're going to see lower prices, unfortunately. The cost of touring is up, the price of gas is up, cruise fares are up. Unless Andy manages to land some sort of sponsorship deal or something creative like that, higher prices are a question of "when" rather than "if."

Underselling could end the business, so...

[Cleon]

Underselling could end the business, so...

Sure, it's a balancing act. He could've jacked up the prices years ago, but even when he was selling out he's generally tried to keep prices reasonable, so I don't expect a huge jump. And I think he knows that most of the people who go are working people and not cryptobros or trust fund kids.