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Judge dismisses suit against cruise line by family of missing man
A Miami judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Royal Caribbean
by the family of a man who disappeared from a Mediterranean honeymoon cruise.
George A. Smith IV disappeared July 5, 2005 from the Brilliance of
the Seas somewhere between Greece and Turkey - a case that became one
of the most publicized incidents of a missing passenger aboard a
cruise ship. While his body has not been recovered, bloodstains were
found on an awning underneath the newlywed's cabin balcony and the
FBI is investigating.
Judge Jon I. Gordon granted a motion Monday to dismiss the lawsuit
faulting Royal Caribbean International's handling of the case.
Royal Caribbean welcomed the dismissal.
Old & New World wines to be showcased aboard Carnival Valor Cruise
The upcoming wine-themed cruise aboard the Carnival Valor in December
will offer participants an opportunity to sample fine wines from top
wineries in Italy, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and New York
state, while expanding their wine knowledge through insightful wine
seminars and tastings.
The week-long cruise, which will be hosted by Carnival President and
CEO Bob Dickinson, a noted wine collector and connoisseur, will sail
round-trip from Miami Dec. 3-10, 2006, and feature visits to Nassau,
St. Thomas/St. John and St. Maarten.
World-renowned French master chef, restaurateur and winemaker Georges
Blanc, whose “Signature Selection” menu items are featured
fleetwide on Carnival’s ships, will also be on hand to share his
vast knowledge of fine food and wine to cruise participants.
A wide range of wine-related events and activities, including a
Welcome Aboard Reception and Gala Tasting, along with seminars
focusing on Argentinean, Australian, Italian, and New York state
wines, and a question-and-answer session hosted by Dickinson, will be
held throughout the voyage.
Star Princess Fire Update
The U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch on Oct. 23 published
its report on the March 23 fire on the Star Princess, and the report
stated what was widely suspected: That the fire was
"probably" caused by a discarded cigarette that heated
combustible materials on a balcony. According to the report, among
other things, the balconies' polycarbonate partitions, polyurethane
deck tiles and plastic furniture were "highly combustible"
and no fire detection or suppression systems were fitted on the balconies.
In response to a MAIB Safety Bulletin published earlier this year, a
proposal to require more robust fire protection rules for cruise ship
balconies will be considered by the International Maritime
Organization in December, and in the current report the MAIB said
that, in view of the responses to the bulletin, "no further
recommendations have been made." Carnival Corp., meanwhile, has
begun replacing combustible dividers on 26,400 balconies on its 81
vessels, said Stephen Meyer, the MAIB's chief inspector for marine
accidents. Meyer said that Carnival Corp. expects to replace all of
them with non-combustible dividers by the end of the year. "This
is a major achievement," he said.
Princess Statement on MAIB Star Princess Report
We acknowledge the report issued today by the United Kingdom's Marine
Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) regarding the fire aboard Star
Princess which occurred on March 23, 2006, and can confirm that we
have fully cooperated with the inquiry into the incident.
We remain, as from the first day, devastated that the fire occurred
and we wish to again express our deepest sympathy to the family of
the passenger who passed away, and to our other passengers and crew
who were affected.
Immediately following the fire, and during the past seven months, we
have striven to do everything in our power to ensure a similar
incident could never happen again.
In our opinion, the report issued today provides a professional and
balanced overview of the various aspects of the incident. It points
out the many safeguards and procedures Princess had in place to
protect passengers, and it confirms the professionalism demonstrated
by our crew members, to whom we are very grateful.
However, we also acknowledge that the report shows there were lessons
to be learned by us, and that some aspects of our response to the
fire, and related training, needed to be addressed. We can confirm
that we immediately took corrective action and implemented procedures
which addressed the shortcomings detailed in the report. Today, there
are no recommendations made by MAIB that Princess has not met.
The measures that are now in place across our fleet will enable us to
prevent, quickly detect and extinguish any fire. These include
specialized training of our crew, the removal of combustible material
from our balconies, and the addition of suppression and detection
systems on our balconies.
We want to assure our passengers that their safety, as well as that
of our crew, is our first and most important priority, and we will
continually evaluate all our procedures on an ongoing basis to ensure
their well-being when they are on board our ships.
Award-Winning Artists and Speakers Slated for Crystal
Serenity's 2007 World Cruise
Befitting the grandeur of the World Cruise, Crystal Cruises has set a
roster of award-winning entertainers to join Crystal Serenity's 12th
annual 2007 World Cruise, beginning January 12. Departing for the
first time from Miami and concluding in London's port of Southampton,
the luxury ship will feature Grammy Award-winning singer and
songwriter Neil Sedaka, Olympic gold medalists Dorothy Hamill and
Mitch Gaylord, the winningest coach in NFL history Don Shula, Emmy
Award-winning actress Doris Roberts and Emmy Award-winning sports
commentator Frank Deford, and James Beard Award-winning chef
Guillermo Pernot.
RCCL partners with CTO on education program in Caribbean
FREEPORT, Bahamas -- Royal Caribbean Cruises has donated $35,000 to
the Caribbean Tourism Organization's Education Foundation to support
and initiate an internship program for Caribbean nationals who want
to study in the tourism and hospitality industries.
The cruise line also committed to a five-year program with an
additional $25,000 each year to sustain the program.
Canaveral breaks multiple revenue records
Preliminary figures show that total revenues for the Canaveral Port
Authority have topped $50m for the first time, reaching the $51m mark
in fiscal 2006.
Records were achieved in overall revenue, operating revenue, cruise
revenue, cargo revenue, multi-day cruise passengers and cargo tonnage.
In the latest economic impact report, Port Canaveral contributed
34,000 jobs and more than $1.5bn to Brevard County. Regionally, the
port generated 50,000 jobs and $2.3bn for central Florida’s
economy. Statewide, the port affects 90,000 jobs with a total
economic impact of nearly $4bn.
Mexican operator acquires Enchanted Capri
Enchanted Capri has been sold to Mexico’s DEMAR in a
hire-purchase agreement, according to International Shipping
Partners, Inc.
The 15,400gt ship has been on charter to DEMAR for the past three
years. Enchanted Capri will be delivered to the new owners on Nov. 1.
Supermodel godmother for Carnival Freedom
Kathy Ireland, whose career has taken her from the international
runways of modeling to the boardroom of her own billion-dollar
business, will serve as the godmother for Carnival Freedom.
She will preside at a naming ceremony for the 110,000gt ship on March
4 in Venice prior to a gala overnight reception for dignitaries and
travel agents.
Panama Canal expansion will boost flexibility
With Panamanian voters’ approval last Sunday of a
multibillion-dollar expansion of the Panama Canal, the cruise
industry can look forward to more itinerary options for its biggest
ships in the long term.
The expansion, which will create a larger lane parallel to the
existing one, is expected to cost more than $5bn and will take until
at least 2014 to complete.
Being able to transit the canal will add flexibility to the
deployment of the cruise industry’s growing post-Panamax fleet.
The ability to reposition more easily to other destinations in
response to issues like Caribbean softness is another benefit, said
analyst Robin Farley of UBS Investment Research.
‘For Royal Caribbean, it would be a benefit to the Voyager- and
Ultra-Voyager-class ships since it would open up Alaska, Hawaii and
Asia as itineraries to which those large ships could then transition,
versus having to spend 35 to 40 days going around South America,’
Farley said in a note.
UBS counts about a third of Carnival Corp.’s fleet as
post-Panamax, a figure that could grow to roughly 42% by 2010, while
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s post-Panamax capacity could go
from about 30% currently to 42% in 2010.
Dickinson to address community involvement
Carnival Legend will serve as the venue for the Nov. 16 luncheon
meeting of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. Carnival Cruise
Lines president and ceo Bob Dickinson will be among the headliners of
the event, which will focus on the topic of community involvement marketing.
Dickinson said the gathering will unite some of Florida’s best
marketers to discuss the wide-ranging impact of volunteerism. The
Carnival chief and his company have a long history with service and
charitable projects, ranging from the employee-driven service
organization, Friends Uniting Neighbors (F.U.N.) Team, to
participation in the Biscayne Bay Baynanza Beach Clean-Up Initiative.
Hong Kong proposes new cruise facility at former airport
Hong Kong plans to develop new cruise terminal facilities at Kai Tak,
a former airport closed since 1998, said Hong Kong's Secretary for
Economic Development and Labour, Stephen Ip.
"The development of new cruise terminal facilities is important
for Hong Kong to capture the growth of the cruise industry in the
Asia Pacific Region, and sustain its development as a regional cruise
hub," said Ip in a release.
The new cruise terminal and tourism-related facilities will be built
on approximately 18 acres at the southern end of the former runway,
Ip said. The government will offer land adjacent to the cruise
terminal for the development of tourism-related facilities, such as
hotels, shopping malls and conference facilities.
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