United Caribbean Lines: RV/car passenger ferry US to Yucatan

[silversand]

....it appears (from my correspondence with Bruce Nierenberg Chairman, CEO and Tamara Magnusson, today), that the long-awaited RV/car/passenger/cargo ferry service from Gulf of Mexico area to the Yucatan wll start taking bookings this October for April sailing.

Return passage "...including a cabin and all food and entertainment on board to start at $350 round trip..." Cars will be ~~$95 one way. A 1000-LB capacity storage locker in the $95 range.

Ports are yet to be confirmed (Merida? Chetumal? Campeche? US: Tampa? Texas coast?).

Cheers,
Silver-

*I have no financial or fiduciary interest(s) in this ferry service, nor in related Corporations

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Walk to the bitter end of the Progresso pier. A passenger tub can dock there. These psychopathic bath tubs have gyroscopic stabilization to help with their very shallow draft. Their immense size adds to stability. Yet it does not take much of a sea to send them running.

I hope like heck I am wrong and this venture gets up and running. Vamos A Ver.

[Belgique]

Newspaper article on this subject HERE

[TEO]

Two things: First, my trip from the Tampa area to the Cancun area costs about $1600.00 and takes about 10 days. i would HAPPILY pay as much as $2000.00 for a one way trip.

Second: I have been at the port of Progreso. There is a VERY LONG quay that extends into the Gulf of Mexico and I have seen several cruise ships dock there. In fact, Progreso is fast becoming another stop in the cruise ship itineraries.

Paul

[bighatnohorse]

Perhaps there will be government support involved.
Downstream revenue has to be recognized somewhere. Would that revenue then make financial sense?

[silversand]

If this route were ever to be considered the fares would have to be more in the range of $1000 - $1200 each way for a medium size RV.

....the ~$350 return is for passenger only; the $95 one way is for a "car"...no RV pricing was given in the correspondence. I speculate that RV and truck pricing will cost out: per foot (compare the volume of a Class C per foot to a Hyundai car: about 3.5 vol/ft x).

I speculate that an appropriate "ship" will be acquired for the destination port. I imagine that it isn't inconceivable that a "new ship" is being completed. I can't imagine anyone doing a "cost analysis" without knowing the passenger/cargo/vehicle capacity of the ship (unless there is some kind of magic/alchemy is involved in this attempt?).

I can't imagine a vehicle/passenger ferry service funding an infrastructure "upgrade" to a Mexican port...

Over the history of this group's endeavors to "establish" a ferry service from Gulf of Mexico to Yucatan Peninsula, this is the first time that "they" have announced the sale of tickets?

[crandle]

Interesting but how many times have we heard about this? The fares quoted are unrealistically low compared to ferry rates between the Baja and the mainland of Mexico, a small fraction of the distance you are talking about. If this route were ever to be considered the fares would have to be more in the range of $1000 - $1200 each way for a medium size RV. That is what we pay to put our 31' MH and toad on the Prince Rupert to Port Hardy, BC run, a similar distance.

Add a stopover in Havana and I will be on the first sailing.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

For initial transbordador service Mexico purchased retired North Sea ferries from Denmark. They were shallow draft. The Puerto Vallarta took a beating traveling from San Lucas to PV and was retired. Because of open ocean rather than flat Gulf of California seas.

I'm just a broken down EE and MBA and no matter how I pencil out the fees, costs insurance and maintenance for such a run - it does not fit. Alarm bells go off. If fuel cost sixty cents US a gallon it would not be so unfeasible.

Raise transit costs to make things fit and customers dry up. There is zero commercial cargo eligible to be transported on that route. From New Orleans or Houston, perhaps, but not from Florida.

A pier is needed. 35' dredged. Breakwater or jetty. Infrastructure and logistics support.

Aw Jeez...

[Tripalot]

Tripalot wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
The floating bath tub cruise liners are shallow draft. None of those ports are deep draft. This is gonna be interesting...they cannot use a quay because of the tides. Twenty thousand in fuel per trip unless the vessel fires on #6 fuel oil. Yeah this'll be fun to watch and keep fingers crossed for.

What about Merida? I think many years ago there was a ferry service to there. It has a very long pier.

Correction: I was thinking of Progreso which is about 25 miles from Merida. Both are great spots to visit.

Note - this is not the same Progreso that those who stay in the RGV visit.

[navegator]

Merida is inland, the nearest port will be Progreso to the North, West will be Campeche and East may be the area of Cancun most likelly since it is a big tourist trap.

Before the railroad to Merida from the interior of Mexico was built most of the well to do Yucatecos would go to New Orleans or Miami by sail boat during the hot spells and used the port at Progeso, some actually wanted to secede from the Mexican Republic and form part of the United States, well that did not happen.

I belive that this "project" has been proposed for some years, there was talk of some thing like this when I was in Merida in the late sixties.

navegator

[Tripalot]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
The floating bath tub cruise liners are shallow draft. None of those ports are deep draft. This is gonna be interesting...they cannot use a quay because of the tides. Twenty thousand in fuel per trip unless the vessel fires on #6 fuel oil. Yeah this'll be fun to watch and keep fingers crossed for.

What about Merida? I think many years ago there was a ferry service to there. It has a very long pier.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

The floating bath tub cruise liners are shallow draft. None of those ports are deep draft. This is gonna be interesting...they cannot use a quay because of the tides. Twenty thousand in fuel per trip unless the vessel fires on #6 fuel oil. Yeah this'll be fun to watch and keep fingers crossed for.

[Merrykalia]

We would definitely be interested, but hope it's from the Tampa area in the US.

[silversand]

....you bet. We're stoked, too.

Cheers,
S-

[Tripalot]

I hope this is true - what a nice RV circle trip. Tampa to Merida then north to RGV in Texas.