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Passenger cruises return to New Orleans
http://bizneworleans.com/109+M5b5321cf163.html NEW ORLEANS — A 600-passenger luxury ship on Saturday will become the first cruise ship to call on the Port of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck the city. The “Delphin Renaissance” will dock Dec. 31 at the Thalia Street Wharf alongside the port’s administration building. The ship’s visit marks the return of the cruise ship industry, which had a $226 million annual impact on the local economy before the hurricane. The Delphin Renaissance is in the midst of an around-the-world voyage. Its passengers will visit New Orleans and partake in New Year’s Eve festivities before the ship sales again Jan. 1. A press conference is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., Saturday, December 31, aboard the ship with Port and tourism officials in attendance. The port has restarted construction on the Erato Street cruise terminal and parking garage. Expected to be completed in late 2006, the $37 million project includes a 90,000-square-foot terminal and a 1,000 vehicle parking garage. Cruise passenger embarkations and disembarkations grew 818 percent in the last 11 years, from about 80,000 in 1993 to 753,000 in 2004. The three cruise lines with homeports in New Orleans have pledged to return, port officials said. The “Norwegian Su”n will resume its normal November to May Western Caribbean cruises from New Orleans in 2006 and Royal Caribbean will return its “Grandeur of the Seas” for seven-night sailings next fall, as well. Carnival Cruise Lines has scheduled its cruise ship “Sensation” to return to New Orleans for its four- and five-day Caribbean cruises once it completes its scheduled trips next year from Port Canaveral, Fla. The “Carnival Conquest,” previously home-ported in New Orleans, is now operating from Galveston, Texas, indefinitely. However, Carnival indicates it intends to resume seven-day cruise service from New Orleans and is exploring options for doing so as soon as possible. In the meantime, several other cruise ships are scheduled to visit New Orleans in the winter and spring of 2006. P&O’s The Arcadia, a 3,000-passenger ship will undergo a passenger change in New Orleans Feb. 9, and new passengers will arrive and sail on a new cruise Feb. 11. Swan Hellenic Cruise Line’s 600-passenger Minerva will make a port call with no changing of passengers on Feb. 22-24, as well. As cruise passengers return to the city, many of the city’s attractions are gearing up. New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau officials say hotels and motels have about 20,000 rooms open, with about 13,000 available to visitors. New Orleans will welcome 2006 with a bang, as the Crescent City Countdown Club presents the “New” New Orleans New Year’s Eve Celebration, complete with a “Gumbo Pot” drop, live music and a choreographed fireworks display on the Mississippi River. Also, New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport will offer 70 daily departures to 24 cities accounting for 8,225 seats a day by the first part of January. Airport officials hope to reach about 50 percent of pre-storm flights by Mardi Gras, which is February 28. The Mardi Gras season will act as a grand reopening of the city to tourists, with eight days of parades and revelry in Orleans Parish and a full slate of parades in neighboring Jefferson Parish.
Miami Seaplane Crash Closes Port Of Miami
http://today.reuters.com MIAMI, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A seaplane packed with passengers crashed off Miami Beach and sank into the southern U.S. city\'s main shipping channel on Monday, killing at least 14 people, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The twin-engine seaplane, which flies between downtown Miami and the Bahamas, crashed just off the southern tip of Miami Beach after taking off with 16 passengers and two crew, Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Danielle DeMarino said. Other Coast Guard officials said up to 20 people were on board. DeMarino said 14 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. Witnesses told local television the plane seemed to explode in the sky before falling into Government Cut, the entry to the Port of Miami, where it came to rest in shallow water next to a jetty. \"There was a huge explosion in the sky, a big ball of smoke,\" witness Frank Amadeo told Miami\'s Channel 7 television. \"It just sort of spiraled downward,\" he added. The Coast Guard said the channel was closed to shipping. A woman who answered the telephone at the Ft. Lauderdale offices of Chalk\'s Ocean Airways said: \"The plane was full.\" She gave no further details. Chalk\'s planes are a familiar sight in Miami, swooping low over the shipping channel to splash to a landing near Watson Island, just off the downtown area. The crash site, near some of Miami Beach\'s newest condominium towers, was surrounded by Coast Guard and other rescue vessels and scuba divers descended to the plane just visible under the murky green sea surface to recover bodies.
Royal Caribbean Statement - Re: Jennifer Hagel-Smith
Royal Caribbean Statement December 15, 2005 All of us at Royal Caribbean extend our deepest sympathies to Jennifer Hagel-Smith and the Smith family. They have suffered an inconsolable loss, and it is totally understandable they want answers and some measure of closure regarding George Smith\'s disappearance. We also realize members of the family remain in deep shock and pain, and their recollections of events may not reflect what actually happened. In many cases, our computer systems and other records, which we have given to the FBI, tell a different story. On July 5, Jennifer was accompanied by a ship staff member-a female Guest Relations Manager-from approximately 10 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m., when she was placed in the care of a female U.S. consulate official and an FBI agent. The only time Jennifer and the Guest Relations Manager were not together was for a brief period at the Turkish police station when Jennifer was being questioned by a Turkish judge, at which point she was joined by representatives from both the U.S. Consulate and the FBI, who we had called at 10:19 a.m. (3:19 a.m. Miami time). Several people were asked by the Turkish police to disembark the ship so they could get statements from them. Jennifer was among those being questioned. Prior to leaving the ship, however, the Captain personally spoke to Jennifers father by phone-and in her presence-to explain what the Turkish police were requesting and to convey his offer of assistance to the family. Turkish police conducted two interviews with Jennifer that afternoon, once in their port offices and once in their downtown facilities. As part of their investigation, Turkish authorities also requested Jennifer undergo a brief physical exam, which was conducted at a local hospital to determine if there were any injuries or signs of a struggle. The ship\'s Guest Relations Manager was with Jennifer during the medical exam. It is totally understandable Jennifer was upset at being the subject of a police investigation-spouses are often questioned in investigations involving family-so we made sure she was not alone. After authorities completed their investigation, Jennifer was given the choice of sailing with the ship-but in another cabin since the Smith\'s cabin was sealed-or returning home. Jennifer said repeatedly she preferred to leave the ship. Royal Caribbean initially offered Jennifer assistance in making arrangements to return home but the U.S. Consulate ultimately took this responsibility over. With Jennifer\'s concurrence, all of the Smith\'s belongings, including wallets with cash and credit cards from their cabin safe, were delivered to U.S. Consulate staff, who, in turn, returned them to Jennifer. We also provided Jennifer with contact information for local Royal Caribbean staff in Kusadasi. At no time was Jennifer left without resources or contact information. We continue to cooperate closely with the FBI and to observe the limitations they have asked us to respect.
Carnival profit rises on ship capacity
http://today.reuters.com NEW YORK, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Cruise ship operator Carnival Corp. (CCL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday fourth-quarter profit rose 20 percent, as greater ship capacity offset the effects of higher fuel prices. But it forecast 2006 earnings to come below analysts\' expectations, sending its shares down about 4 percent. The company, which operates the Holland America, Cunard and Princess cruise brands, reported profit of $353 million, or 43 cents per share, for the quarter ended Nov. 30. That compared with $294 million, or 36 cents, in the year-ago quarter. Wall Street analysts expected earnings of 41 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates. Net income for fiscal 2005, ended Nov. 30, was $2.3 billion, or $2.70 a share, compared with $1.9 billion, or $2.24, in the previous year. The company\'s quarterly revenue increased to $2.6 billion from $2.2 billion last year, compared with analysts\' forecast of $2.5 billion. Its revenue for the year increased to $11.1 billion from $9.7 billion in fiscal 2004. The company\'s net cruise costs per available lower berth day for the quarter rose 3.8 percent, compared with last year. \"Despite an approximate 50 percent increase in fuel costs for the quarter and the worst hurricane season in our history, we were still able to grow earnings,\" Chief Executive Micky Arison said. The company forecast earnings for the first quarter of 2006 to be in the range of 34 cents to 36 cents per share, compared with analysts\' expectations of 45 cents. It forecast earnings per share for 2006 to be between $3 and $3.10, compared with analysts\' expectations of $3.13. Carnival\'s shares were down $2.69, or 5 percent, to $52.15 in morning trading at the New York Stock Exchange.
Missing cruise ship passenger identified as B.C. woman
http://www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_cruise-begora20051213.html It\'s now been learned that the Canadian woman reported missing from a cruise ship in the Bahamas on the weekend is from Victoria. Jill Begora was reported missing by her husband last weekend, as the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Jewel of the Seas pulled into the Bahamian capital of Nassau after visiting the eastern Caribbean island of Antigua. The 59-year-old Begora and her husband retired to Victoria two years ago from Ontario. Fran Pfaff, who was the missing woman\'s close friend for 30 years, says Begora suffered from depression, but had left for the cruise in good spirits. \"She had lots of things going on in her life,\" she said. \"You know, lots of things to look forward to.\" Pfaff is now waiting as officials investigate whether Begora fell or jumped off the ship. \"It doesn\'t seem that that would be right at this point because she was doing so well. You know I just can\'t … but on the other hand I can\'t just see someone falling off a ship.\" The U.S. Coast Guard and Bahamian naval vessels have called off the search for Begora. When the cruise ship arrived back in Fort Lauderdale, it was searched by Coast Guard staff. The investigation has now been turned over to the FBI.
Cruise ship death must spur changes
http://www.connpost.com/opinion/ci_3302256 The story of George Allen Smith IV — the Greenwich man who disappeared aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the Mediterranean in July — has, up to this point, been that of a mysterious tragedy that resulted in the untimely death of a bright, energetic young man. Sometime soon, though, his story may become one of hope. That\'s because U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, has scheduled a congressional hearing next week aimed at learning more about how international law currently responds to tragedies that occur aboard cruise ships. Hopefully, the hearings will be an early step in assuring that a story like the mystery surrounding the death of Smith never occurs again. Smith was aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Brilliance of the Seas in the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey on a honeymoon with his new wife, Jennifer Hagel Smith. But during the night of July 5, Smith\'s body mysteriously disappeared. His disappearance was made even more suspicious after blood stains were found both inside and outside Smith\'s cabin and reports of a loud argument — and possibly an altercation — that may have taken place inside Smith\'s cabin the night he went missing. The mystery has been compounded by the fact that Smith disappeared in international waters. During the crucial hours immediately following his disappearance, there were numerous questions of jurisdiction on the matter amongst investigators. Authorities from both Greece and Turkey have investigated the case along with the FBI — a coalition that may have hindered the investigation more than helped it. And that\'s the thrust of Shays\' congressional hearing. There needs to be international law that dictates exactly what processes transpire should a person disappear while in international waters. That way, an investigation by properly designated authorities can take place as soon as possible — as the first hours a person is missing are the most important. The sooner a probe begins, the sooner the family of the missing person can start getting answers. To this day, Smith family members are still waiting for those answers. Smith\'s death was a tragic one, but like all deaths it simply can\'t be undone. Through the hard work of Shays and other members of Congress, though, a replication of Smith\'s sad story can be prevented in the future. Community center in Ansonia in need It\'s no surprise that high fuel costs will lead to cutbacks, and that reduced federal spending has consequences. But the combination has brought an untenable situation at Ansonia\'s Tinney Community Center, where staff will be cut at a place on which parents have come to depend. The center, which offers supervised activities for young people, is a bright spot in an area with its share of problems. The ability to ease parents\' minds for a few hours at a time makes life that much easier for some people, and the prospect of living without it, or living with less of it, makes many people nervous. It\'s estimated that 1,000 people a month use the community center, and any cutbacks will have severe consequences. It hasn\'t yet been specified what positions are due to be trimmed, and how many programs kids will have to do without, but it is hoped more funding could be found to help offset some of the needs. This certainly won\'t end here. Programs around the state are facing higher fuel and administrative costs and less money from above to help out. The state and its communities need to take a hard look at spending priorities to make sure the neediest among us are properly provided for.
Coast Guard searches for woman missing from cruise ship
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1211coastguard,0,5649135.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines NASSAU, Bahamas -- A U.S. Coast Guard plane was searching Sunday for a Canadian woman who may have fallen overboard from a Florida-based cruise ship off the Bahamas, an official said. Jill Begora, 59, was reported missing by her husband Saturday morning as the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Jewel of the Sea pulled into Nassau, the Bahamian capital, Coast Guard spokesman Dana Warr said. The ship\'s crew searched the vessel for Begora before filing a missing person\'s report with the Coast Guard Saturday night, according to a Coast Guard statement. \"They did a full ship search and there was no evidence that she had left the ship in Nassau,\" leading authorities to believe she may have fallen overboard, Warr said. A Coast Guard C-130 plane was conducting an overhead search about 25 miles northeast of Nassau, the area where the ship was when Begora was first reported missing, Warr said. A Coast Guard helicopter found no sign of the woman Saturday evening. \"Generally in cruise ships if people come up missing we have a pretty good idea of where they potentially could be,\" Warr said. The cruise ship arrived early Sunday in Fort Lauderdale\'s Port Everglades, where Coast Guard officials conducted an onboard investigation, the Coast Guard said. The findings will be turned over to the FBI. The last person who went missing from a cruise ship in the Southeast was a 54-year-old Virginia man who disappeared from a Carnival ship in November 2004.
Family Of Man Who Disappeared From Cruise Ship Suspects Foul Pla
http://www.local10.com/news/5499508/detail.html MIAMI -- The family of a Connecticut man who disappeared from the cruise ship of a Miami-based company during his honeymoon said they\'re convinced he was a victim of foul play. George Allen Smith IV vanished July 5 from a Royal Caribbean ship in the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Turkey. His body was never found. \"We have no closure, as we have no answers,\" Smith\'s sister, Bree Smith, said. \"George has not surfaced, so we have no body to bury and we have no grave to pray at.\" Authorities have called Smith\'s disappearance suspicious. Bloodstains were found running from the balcony of Smith\'s cabin to lifeboats, and a handprint was discovered on the side of the ship. Passengers also reported hearing loud noises, furniture being tossed around and arguing coming from Smith\'s cabin. The attorney for Smith\'s wife claims she isn\'t a suspect. The family said it plans to sue the cruise line for failing to go into Smith\'s cabin despite other passengers\' claims. The FBI has been investigating. Smith\'s sister said she\'s confident in the FBI and predicted arrests would be made. \"He was murdered at the age of 26 with a promising future and a lifetime of happiness ahead of him,\" she said. \"George is a very special person to the family, and we really want to get that across. He should not just be a bloodstain.\" Officials haven\'t released further details about the blood and handprint. A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said passenger safety is a priority and that the company is fully cooperating with authorities and the family in Smith\'s disappearance.
US cruise passenger’s weight causes concern for ship’s stability
The joys of cruising, five meals a day, all night buffets and room service on demand! Well it seems that all this chomping has led to some real ‘growth’ in the cruise market…we don\'t mean more passengers, just more of them to love! It seems that the USCG have begun to recognize that people are getting, ahem, bigger. Which means they have started to look at the effects of these lardy cargoes on the stability of vessels. This has stemmed from a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation which recommended that assumed passenger weights used for stability tests on pontoon vessels should be raised to more accurately reflect the weight of today\'s \"growing\" population. As a result the USCG has started to view the potential impact that would result from increasing the passenger weight and size standards when calculating the intact stability of domestic passenger vessels. The study will include an assessment of the potential impact across the industry, it will identify the regulations that require change, and will develop an implementation strategy to introduce the new increased passenger weight and size standards. As the requirements of the study will be rolled out across a wide number of vessels it could have an enormous effect on the industry – we often hear of shipowners “tightening their belts”, maybe this time they really will, but not before many passengers have to loosen theirs! Full study here: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-21560.pdf
Cruise ship "Devils" are in the details
BY JAYNE CLARK USA TODAY http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051204/LIFE02/51202005/1006/LIFE Four decades ago, the cruise industry was a \"decaying back water\'\' of the passenger shipping industry. Today, 12 million people spend $13 billion a year on cruise vacations, making it one of the fastest-growing segments of the tourism market. Kristoffer Garin\'s book, \"Devils on the Deep Blue Sea: The Dreams, Schemes and Showdowns that Built America\'s Cruise-Ship Empires\'\' (Viking, $24.95) goes behind the fun-in-the-sun image. Here, USA TODAY\'s Jayne Clark talks with Garin. Q: Is there any single major factor responsible for the cruise phenomenon? A: The globalization of labor has allowed incredible values to be offered (because of low wages paid by the lines). And then there\'s the \"mallification\'\' of America … the public\'s increased interest in mass activities in predesigned spaces. It\'s the Disney model for the mainstream American vacation. And that\'s what these big ships are: floating luxury theme parks. Q: Three lines … most notably Carnival, which owns seven brands … now control nearly 95 percent of the cruise market. What impact has that had on consumers? A: In a funny way, it\'s actually been good for the consumer, particularly concerning health and safety issues. In the 1980s, the whole industry was like a floating germ factory. But the marginal companies have dropped out, and now you have only these big players, and they\'re spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make people aware of their ships. It\'s just not worth it to cut corners. Q: You write extensively about the huge profits reaped by the major lines, how their foreign-flag status enables them to circumvent U.S. taxes and labor laws, how they\'ve taken advantage of small Caribbean countries, how they pollute. This is hardly a picture of corporate good citizenship. And yet their profits continue to climb. A: These are complicated issues. The cruise lines have very good answers to cursory questions. On the labor front, they say these people are making more money than they would at home. And in some cases, it\'s true. If they\'re sweatshops, they\'re benevolent sweatshops. That said, they reap all the benefits of doing business in the richest society in the world without shouldering any of the responsibilities. Environmentally, even when facing repeated felony convictions for full-on conspiracies for dumping oil overboard and lying about it, you didn\'t have dramatic media images of sea gulls covered in oil. The dumping was systematic, but it was a little at a time … and it all happened in the middle of the ocean. Q: When industry scandals occasionally erupt, such as those regarding unreported shipboard crimes or medical incompetence, the industry has countered that ships are as safe as a small town. Are they? A: Statistically they are. I\'d argue the difference is there are few small towns in America where you can\'t get to a hospital within an hour. And in small-town America, you have cops, so you have public servants whose mandate is unconflicted. I think there are much more dangerous ways to spend time both on vacation and off vacation, but it\'s a silly comparison. Q: About 55 percent of tourists to the Caribbean arrive on cruise ships. Yet, there\'s a love-hate relationship here. Would the islands be better off without cruisers? A: I think there\'s a fair amount of ammunition for that argument. Money goes in, but money goes out in cruise infrastructure that the islands don\'t necessarily need. Plus, it\'s tough to have such a huge invasion of people in such a small place. And cruise- ship tourism has given rise to a new wave of franchise shops and restaurants … rather than local businesses. You can get off a ship and not really know what country you\'re in. Q: It\'s tough to soak up much local color on a hit-and-run shore excursion. But a lot of these attractions are wholly manufactured … swimming with nonnative dolphin species, ordering a Cheeseburger in Paradise at Jamaica\'s Margaritaville, for example. What are they going for here? A: In order to provide experiences in the tiny windows of time that you have off a cruise ship, they have to create them. If the point of going to the Caribbean is seeing azure seas and green hills rolling toward them, you can do that on a cruise ship. If the point is to take in the slower pace of island life, it can be a challenge in five hours. Q: How many cruises have you taken? A: Four, while researching the book. Q: Did you enjoy them? A: Ummm, yes and no. The real joys are on the ship. If you\'re really looking to explore the land destinations in an extended way, a cruise isn\'t the way to go. Q: Do you think you\'ll ever be tapped as an on-board guest lecturer? A: I\'d be happy to be. I\'ve tried to present a fair and straightforward look at what I think is a fascinating industry that has some problems. But people who really, really love cruising just don\'t want to hear anything bad about it. To the extent that they might be the audience for a lecture, I might not be the best person.

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