U.S. Government Charters 3 Luxury Cruise Liners to House Katrina Victims

CBC.ca ^ | 9/3/2005 | Staff Writers

[ex-Texan]

Carnival Cruise Lines announced Saturday that the U.S. government has chartered three luxury cruise liners - Ecstacy, Sensation and Holiday - for the next half year, to provide temporary housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Two of the ships, the Ecstasy and Sensation, have a maximum capacity of 2,606 people each and will be based in Galveston, Texas. The third, the Holiday, has a maximum capacity of 1,800, and will likely be docked in Mobile, Ala.

Carnival Cruise Lines would not reveal how much FEMA was paying to charter the ships. Carnival crews will operate the ships, which will be at the disposal of the U.S. Military Sealift Command.

The company said people who had their cruises on the ships cancelled could receive a full refund or book a trip on another ship.

A Carnival spokesman said the inconvenience to their guests will provide desperately-needed housing for thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims

[ex-Texan]

This was all over the Internet this morning. The Wash Post reported it a bit differently giving the impression the cruise liners were being sent by Carnival. Read More It is apparent to me that FEMA is doing everything it can to aid the victims of Katrina. Has the Gov. of Louisiana declared a emergency yet? I have not seen a report clarifying the apparent dispute over this issue as yet either.

[bitt]

hope they demand that people clean up after themselves a bit better than they did at the Superdome and convention center.

[staytrue]

The next thing the media will say is that the refugees are being tortured by being confined on luxury cruise ships ala Club Gitmo.

[aspiring.hillbilly]

These vessels will be trashed and crapped in like the rest the "accommodations"

[Patti_ORiley]

What it is going to cost us to lease these ships for the relief effort is going to be nothing compared to the cost of repairing them after these animals destroy them.

[verity]

"Carnival Cruise Lines would not reveal how much FEMA was paying to charter the ships"

An arm and a leg.

[Andy from Beaverton]

[SC DOC]

Hopefully they will be eating MRE's rather than the midnight buffet.

[mikegi]

Doesn't this seem like a terrible waste of money? Aren't there inactive military bases *on land* that could be used instead?

[bust]

You can kiss those boats goodbye. We shuld have just purchased them so we could throw them away after those folks move out.

[MineralMan]

I'll bet there was an error in this story. It's more likely that FEMA is chartering these ships to house its own employees, rather than refugees. Normally, FEMA employees stay in hotels in the damaged area. In this case, there aren't any.

I could be wrong, but mistakes are often made in news stories.

[hflynn]

I see 3 floating slums in Carnival's future.

[Travis McGee]

FEMA has just bought these ships, IMHO. In six months they will be ruined.

[hophead]

"The next thing the media will say is that the refugees are being tortured by being confined on luxury cruise ships ala Club Gitmo."

Have you ever seen how small some of those cabins are? These accomodations are not up to par with what they are "entitled" to due to the hardships they have had to endure.

I want the name of those ships so I NEVER book a cruise on any of them in the future.

[craig_eddy]

You can bet that part of the lease agreement is that either the ships will be returned in the same condition or the "government" (you and I, of course) will pay a hefty, hefty fine.

[Trust but Verify]

Yeah, I doubt they'll be getting the whole cruise ship experience. This will be interesting. First, how are they going to control who gets on and off the ships, and second, what will be left of them by the time they are turned back over to Carnival?

[devane617]

Man Oh Man, Those ships will need complete refit when this is over. Can you imagine the conditions aboard in six months? Will not be a pretty site.

[conservative cat]

I want the name of those ships so I NEVER book a cruise on any of them in the future.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

[tanknetter]

You can kiss those boats goodbye. We shuld have just purchased them so we could throw them away after those folks move out.

IIRC those are the oldest three ships in the Carnival fleet. Carnival is probably looking to get a nice hefty lease payment out of them, then take a write-off when they are through being used as shelters and send them off to India for breaking.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Why didn't the emergency evacuation plans for the city and state include contracts with the cruise lines to supply ships to dock at NO and get large number of people out? Yes, I realize that it might be difficult to have ships at the ready at all times but with a week to prepare it seems like a better way to get folks out than driving them fifty at a time in school buses. Same with Amtrak and airlines. A train with ten coaches takes five hundred out and a 747 lifting off takes what, 300?