Ernie - who will working Delta relief flights to MSY tomorrow.

From Seatrade Insider:
========================
Three Carnival ships go to Katrina relief
3/9/2005

Ecstasy, Sensation and Holiday will be pulled from service next week and deployed for six months to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, Carnival Cruise Lines confirmed.

Ecstasy, normally homeported at Galveston, and Sensation, normally homeported in New Orleans, will be pulled from service effective Monday. Initial plans are for both vessels to be docked in Galveston.

The Holiday, which is homeported at Mobile, will be pulled from service effective Thursday. Initial plans are for the vessel to remain docked in Mobile.

Carnival president and ceo Bob Dickinson apologized to guests whose vacations will be impacted. ‘However, given that Hurricane Katrina is the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, we trust our guests will understand that the decision to enter into these charters was the right one. This inconvenience to our guests will provide desperately needed housing for thousands of individuals affected by this tragedy,’ he said.

All customers whose bookings have been canceled will be offered full refunds and the opportunity to re-book their cruise on any Carnival ship. Those who re-book will receive a $100 per person shipboard credit. Carnival is protecting travel agent commissions on cancelled cruises.

US charters 3 Carnival ships, ferry for hurricane relief

3/9/2005

Carnival Cruise Lines’ Sensation, Ecstasy and Holiday as well as the car-ferry Scotia Prince have been chartered for the hurricane relief effort on the Gulf Coast, Seatrade Insider has learned.
The total value of the contract is $249m, a spokeswoman for the Military Sealift Command said.

Will crew numbers be halved with no selling required, re on deck drinks etc and surely the 'residents' can make and clean their own cabins in the main. A daily service is not required. Many of the entertainment staff can be transferred off too.

quote:

---

Originally posted by PamM:
$249m = 340k per ship per day. We don't know the split of funds, but take $375k per each of C's ships per day. Maybe roughly get $175 per person per night.. Hmmm great 'donation', however rough my figures and on the conservative side. I guess this figure will have to pay full wages to the crew, and allow for repairing of the inevitable trashing that will happen, but seems on the face of it a good deal for Carnival.

Will crew numbers be halved with no selling required, re on deck drinks etc and surely the 'residents' can make and clean their own cabins in the main. A daily service is not required. Many of the entertainment staff can be transferred off too.

Pam

---

Pam,
You also have to figure in the cost of logistics, not to mention all the refunds, credits, etc. that have to be processed for all the canceled bookings. This will obviously put Carnival's resources to the test, but why do I think they will manage this far better than the US government?

It's not a "donation", but a charter. I don't have a problem with that as Carnival is a business who's primary goal is to earn profits. They are not a charity last I checked. I'm sure they (as a company) will be doing more than their share in terms of true donations to the victims of the hurricane.

Knowing Carnival, they are a smart company and they will come out on top with this. After the six months, all three ships will probably go in for a heavily subsidized refurbishment, there will be great PR, and Carnival will be in very good graces with the US government ... so who knows what could happen?

It's great to hear of companies stepping up to the plate ... cruise lines and air lines (who are already losing TONS of money) seem to be doing the most. How about some hotel chains? I see no reason why some large hotel properties couldn't be used to house refugees??

They are only giving dumped pax $100 obc. Monies which these people will not see unless they book another Carnival Cruise. Not exactly an incentive, and some may not wish to sail Carnival at all again, especially the British family in the news today, refused boarding by 5 mins, after even checking the time of departure the day before.

What about people who have non-refundable flights, hotels and so on. Seems there is nothing and I wonder if insurance will pay up, for those who have it? Not exactly a forseeable event for anyone.

It'd good on Carnival for pulling their ships and putting them to good use, but they're getting good money for it. I also think perhaps it may also cause a bit of bad feeling amongst some, regardless of how sympathetic they are towards the residents of the affected areas.

Pam

[ 09-03-2005: Message edited by: PamM ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by moodus2:
savy business move on part of
carnival.
1) charter 3 ships to u.s. govt.
for 6 months at $246 million.
2) u.s. govt. will pay for operation and maintaince of ships.
3) u.s. govt. will probably pay
for refurbishing the 3 ships.
4) 3 less ships in service means
increase in fares for remaining
fleet ?
5) great pr move to get congress
to remove the jones act.
6) i wonder what mr. mickey arrison is getting out of this ?

---

Great list. All true I think except for #5. Removing the Jones Act doesn't help Carnival ... removing the PSA (Passenger Service Act) would. So far that is still in tact. In the end it this is probably a good move for Carnival, but none the less it's nice to see them step up to the plate and offer the use of three ships with hardly any notice. After all, they are accountable first to stock holders, and their customers second. No doubt they have failed some customers in this process, but again I think they will come out ahead in the end.

There may be additional benefits to Carnival some time down the road ... like tax breaks or even a US registered ship to compete with NCL? Who knows? Certainly they will now be in good graces with the US government which is never a bad thing for a large company. After the six months, we may see Carnival make some major ship deployment moves.

Ernie

quote:

---

This is by no means official yet, but word coming out of Carnival is that the Company is looking at the feasability of using SENSATION, ECSTASY, and HOLIDAY for accommodations and shelter in NOLA and Gulfport for the next few months...

---

Linerrich your info was spot on. Also Ernie, you are absolutely right, Carnival will gain a lot from this. A good decision all round. Now, to those that doubted that cruise ship wouldn’t or couldn’t be used...

Now hotels need to step up to the plate!

******

quote:

---

Originally posted by bulbousbow:
Linerrich on the 09-02-2005 at 04:10 PM, had posted in Cruise ships for refugees? the following:

Now hotels need to step up to the plate!

******

Cheers

---

Unfortunately, there is some current controversy over hotels in the Florida Panhandle and Tallahassee areas. They had been previously booked up for a big football game this week (Miami vs. Florida State U.), and supposedly they are kicking out guests who evacuated far enough East to find those accommodations last week.

It seems that this big football game could be cancelled or postponed due to the extreme circumstances!

I can see cruise ships as a great resource for housing the thousands of relief workers that will be required to rebuild the infrastructure of the Gulf Coast. Currently there is no electricity, running water, sewer, etc. In this instance I think cruise ships would be put to great use, and certainly needed for six months or more as the rebuilding process gets underway.

Of course I just read again where the cruise ships will be used to house refugees, so go figure. For refugees, I think even hotels on land would be a far better place for them for an extended period.

quote:

---

Originally posted by RANGERVR6178:
They aret refugees- they are American citizens...

---

Just because they are American doesn't mean they are not refugees. They are refugees from the city of New Orleans.

Websters defines a refugee as:
"One who flees in search of refuge"

Refuge is defined as:
"Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship."

I would say many of the citizens of New Orleans fit the definition of "refugee".

Ernie

[ 09-04-2005: Message edited by: eroller ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by CGT:
Boy those ships are going to be utterly trashed. Oh well, at least they are Carnival Line ships.

---

It really makes no difference whether the ships will be trashed or not. They will be completely refurbished from top to bottom after the six months (at government/tax payer expense) and likely emerge better than new.

Besides, I don't think the refugees will trash these ships to any greater extent than a typical Carnival "guest". I'm joking, I'm joking!! I actually like Carnival and I have sailed on them many times ... none the less, Carnival "guests" have earned a certain reputation over the years.

quote:

---

Originally posted by CGT:
Boy those ships are going to be utterly trashed. Oh well, at least they are Carnival Line ships.

---

I have heard that the ships will be gutted out to a large extent, kind of like when the liners were converted to troopships in WWII. It's doubtful that these new tenants will have artwork and fancy bars and lounges to hang out in.

They are 3 of Carnival's oldest ships, and if the govt. is picking up the tab on refurbishment afterwards, CCL will be getting a deal. That could also be a point in which one or more of them is divested to another company.

Australia, would you like another hand-me-down?

Rich

[ 09-04-2005: Message edited by: Linerrich ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by RANGERVR6178:
Same with the QE2, wasnt she used for military serivice and now she came out fine?

---

Not really the same - she needed a refit, also because there were extensive modifications necessary for her use as troop transporter.