Cruise lines asked to 'loan' ships to house Katrina victims

[johare]

Couple interesting articles...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-zcruise01sep01,0,3604734.story?coll=sfla-business-front
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12525796.htm

[stampinshauna]

Interesting idea. Some of my family members mentioned it a couple days ago, but there are a lot of logistics involved. We will see what happens.

[krdisneybound]

This is interesting - what would the individual cruise lines do with the existing ressies - :confused3

[moet7]

I think the article said the ship was scheduled for drydock.

[Amyg]

This would indeed be interesting...especially with the people who are doing the looting of TV's, guns, etc.

[MAGICinMYHEART]

They have stated that if they can arange for the cruise ships to be available it would be temp housing for Rescue workers.

[tvguy]

There are also retired cruise ships like the Norway that could be used.

[LiserAnn]

This is interesting - what would the individual cruise lines do with the existing ressies - :confused3

My friend was scheduled to cruise out of NO on an RCCL cruise in three weeks, which has since been cancelled, so I guess they wouldn't need to worry about people with existing ressies. There's really no way in or out of NO and even if there were, who would want to go there right now to go on a cruise. Talk about depressing!

[johare]

My friend was scheduled to cruise out of NO on an RCCL cruise in three weeks, which has since been cancelled, so I guess they wouldn't need to worry about people with existing ressies. There's really no way in or out of NO and even if there were, who would want to go there right now to go on a cruise. Talk about depressing!Exactly. Both Carnival and RCCL have cruises which depart from New Orleans (hehe...almost called it Port Orlean's). I'm quite sure those cruises will be cancelled for the forseable future and it might be nice to put those ships to good use. I don't know though...after seeing some of the people behaving like animals on TV, I don't know if I'd want to risk that type of behavior occurring on my ships if I was in charge of the cruise line. Maybe they'll use a couple ships to provide lodging for all the Red Cross volunteer's and National Guard people they are going to need to keep around.

I just looked and Carnival seems to be behaving a bit retarded. They've moved the next two departures scheduled from NO to Galveston. I'm sure that most, if not all of the guests for those cruises either lived in the NO area or had air arrangements to fly in there. Not sure why they think people are going to show up in Galveston.

[tecdavidt]

I read over on Cruise Critic web site in the news section that Carnival was helping people change their flights. The concern was for the cruiser(s) who had their cars parked near the terminal.

It does make a lot of sense for cruise ships to be used to provide decent housing for rescue workers and the workers who will be brought in to repair the city. Cruise ships are floating "cities". I wouldn't want to put any of the refugees on one, who knows what would happen. So sad the bad people are making the situation even worse than it already is for the others who just want help. 10 years ago we were caught in New Orleans right before Hurricane Erin. She moved to the east and the town was OK. I now know just exactly how bad it would have been if Erin would not have turned. We were there for a 11 yr. old AAU baseball tournament.

Kathy

[txaggie94gigem]

i also agree the ships would be a great place for national guard/relief workers but definitely NOT for refugees...right now things are just so unstable...i would not want to risk an big uprising on a cruise ship....

I have to admit that i am really shocked at how long it is taking supplies to get into New Orleans....I guess I assumed they would have started packing up trucks/planes last week prepared to go whereever they were needed and would arrive within 1-2 days of the hurricane....it kills me to see the empty national guard vehicle passing the crowds of people that are on I-10 when they could have been stocked with supplies....and the gun gangs running throught the city causing havoc...what are they trying to prove? :confused3

I hope the cruise line industry will help with shelter for the rescue workers that desperately want to come to these areas and help.... :wizard:

[pppiglet]

I agree....just rescue workers should be on the ship. If victims are allowed, maybe just the elderly and very small children. I would hate for anyone to take advantage of Carnival and thrash one of their ships if they are able to loan it out.

[shelleyr25]

I would like to think that if the "victims/refugees" were allowed to house on the cruise ships they would be much better behaved than when they were in New Orleans. Not to be rude, but I am sure YOUR (not directing this at anyone in perticular) attitude would be much differant on an air conditioned ship complete with showers and lots of food as opposed to being packed like sardines into an old sports stadium with no electricity, food, water or indoor plumbing for 4 days.
I say, at this point, there are so many people that are without housing that what is wrong with using the ships as not only a means of shelter but also a means of transporting people out of the area. Obviously, this is just my opinion, but these people have been living like animals and therefore have become a product of their environment.

[OfficerChipmunk]

I don't know if any of the american cruise lines have agreed to donate ships, but I heard that Greece is sending several of there cruise ships to be used as hotels for releif workers. It would be a shame if the american companies didn't do the same.

[Cajun Cruiser]

Depressing is not the word, horrified is more like it.

[Cajun Cruiser]

It is a shame that the animals have ruined it for the good ones because I have met some really good people in the shelter that I am working in who would really appreciate temporary housing until FEMA and the Red Cross could set up and help them.

I also think that the population of New Orleans is going to have a big decline because alot of people are saying that they will never go back, they are going to go some where else and start over.

[njDISNEYnut]

I think it would be a shame and disgrace for lines such as RCCL & Carnival not to help. I have no idea the amount of ships in their fleets, but it is a heck of alot more than DCL. At a minimum, use the ships that sailed out of NO. DCL on the other hand, in even donating the use of one ship, would loose 50% of its capacity, which in my opinion, would cause a significant financial hardship on the company and could even jeapordize the future of DCL. I do find it amusing that when I read cruising magazines DCL is so often never to be found, or even when we have cruised other cruise lines, including RCCL, they ask you when filing out your docs have you cruised before, on which line, DCL is not even listed. But now they are included.
I will not even address the issue of rescue workers vs. victim's on the ships. To me this one is a no brainer. My prayers do go out ever single day to all of those effected by and involved in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

[Kimmielee]

CNN is reporting that Carnival has three ships on the way to house the people!!! :boat:

[carolina_yankee]

i also agree the ships would be a great place for national guard/relief workers but definitely NOT for refugees...right now things are just so unstable...i would not want to risk an big uprising on a cruise ship....


This comment is typical of a few that have been posted in the thread, so I chose it to respond to.

I'm saddened by the fear of letting people who have lost everything they have be housedd on cruise ships. First of all, they are not "our" ships. Whatever risk the cruise lines want to assume, they should be lauded for doing what they can to help.

More to the point, though, these are people who have lost everything - not just homes and posessions, but family members, friends, jobs, a predictable future, and even hope. To say that they must continue, as a class, to be treated as too dangerous to let near something nice shows zero respect for our fellow citizens and the humanity we all share.

I know there has been looting and reprehensible behavior by some, but that's what the media likes to show ad nauseum, thus making it seem like that's all there is. The stories about people already applying for jobs in Houston and struggling to find ways to support their children are only shown once.

As someone else mentioned, anyone who is confined to a 90 - 100 degree facility without power, water, plumbing, privacy, regular supply of food, no reliable means of communication or information, is going to show signs of extreme stress. Heck, I've seen behavior in the lobby of the AKL that I wouldn't want near a cruise ship when a family shows up after an all night flight and is told their room won't be ready until 3, and, no, they can't get a complimentary upgrade.

If this kind of fear is all we have to offer those who are suffering (and are constantly being told, "just be patient' as if water, food, safety, and medical care were bed-time treats), then it speaks very poorly of how we value our communities.

As for DCL, I recognize why they can't donate their ships (though I seriously doubt it would put them in any kind of financial jeopardy given the massive good-will and publicity it would generate), I laud them for their commtiment to donate over $1 million to relief efforts.

Just my two cents. . .

Dirk

[Cajun Cruiser]

Dirk, if everyone felt the way you do there is no doubt this world would be a much better place.

[Kimmielee]

This comment is typical of a few that have been posted in the thread, so I chose it to respond to.

I'm saddened by the fear of letting people who have lost everything they have be housedd on cruise ships. First of all, they are not "our" ships. Whatever risk the cruise lines want to assume, they should be lauded for doing what they can to help.

More to the point, though, these are people who have lost everything - not just homes and posessions, but family members, friends, jobs, a predictable future, and even hope. To say that they must continue, as a class, to be treated as too dangerous to let near something nice shows zero respect for our fellow citizens and the humanity we all share.

I know there has been looting and reprehensible behavior by some, but that's what the media likes to show ad nauseum, thus making it seem like that's all there is. The stories about people already applying for jobs in Houston and struggling to find ways to support their children are only shown once.

As someone else mentioned, anyone who is confined to a 90 - 100 degree facility without power, water, plumbing, privacy, regular supply of food, no reliable means of communication or information, is going to show signs of extreme stress. Heck, I've seen behavior in the lobby of the AKL that I wouldn't want near a cruise ship when a family shows up after an all night flight and is told their room won't be ready until 3, and, no, they can't get a complimentary upgrade.

If this kind of fear is all we have to offer those who are suffering (and are constantly being told, "just be patient' as if water, food, safety, and medical care were bed-time treats), then it speaks very poorly of how we value our communities.

As for DCL, I recognize why they can't donate their ships (though I seriously doubt it would put them in any kind of financial jeopardy given the massive good-will and publicity it would generate), I laud them for their commtiment to donate over $1 million to relief efforts.

Just my two cents. . .

Dirk

Well said. My hats off to you for being so kind and compassionate as well as having the courage to state it. You have verbalized, quite eloquently, what I think many of us are feeling. Let's hope that everyone involved in the decision process makes the most humane decisions. :grouphug:

Why, I must ask... hasn't the Hilton family or one of the other large hotel chains opened up their facilities as well? Why do they have to sleep on cots with no privacy... it's just not right. I'm heartbroken and so saddened by the relief and rescue efforts.

The ONE organization... started by Brad Pitt, Bono, George Clooney and the like... had the gall to send a plea for poverty relief in Africa on Tuesday or Wednesday... I was so angered... that I replied to the email and asked them to PLEASE take a step back and realize that WE have a crisis, right here, at home, in our back yard.... Finally on Friday... I got an email from ONE speaking about Katrina. I'm sure I wasn't the only American that was compelled to respond to their insensitivity. That's my two cents as well... :wave2:

[Cindi0511]

I will not even address the issue of rescue workers vs. victim's on the ships. To me this one is a no brainer. My prayers do go out ever single day to all of those effected by and involved in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Not quite sure what you mean by that, but the victims in NO do have to take responsibility for their own actions. I don't see how cruise lines or hotels or anyone else involved would be able to say, "OK, you haven't looted so you can come in. You can come in. You look like you wouldn't steal everything but the bed frame. Oh, no, you stay out." They would be shot on the spot. I think EVERYONE prays for the people there -- especially those of us who have been through hurricanes before -- but there has to be some accountability for our own actions. What about all the people in the other states or not in NO? We don't even hear about them, just like most of you never heard about the people in Arcadia, FL, after Charley came though. That is a poor, poor, migrant-worker filled town, and they got SLAMMED by Charley. The media just makes me madder than a hornet. They only feed on the sensational, not the whole reality. There are TONS of people all through those states who haven't looted and raped and killed and beaten, but we don't hear a word about them. And they're hungry and thirstly and HOT, too.

In Punta Gorda, there were hand made "thank you!!" signs all over the place by residents thanking the Red Cross and National Guard and everyone else who came to help us or was TRYING to help us, and we didn't get water or food or ice or anything else for several days, either. I think it was three or four, and even then, unless a neighbor told you, you had no way of knowing. I haven't seen anyone say "thank you" in NO. I am NOT bashing them -- I know how hot and hungry and thirsty they are. I have been through it.

But we didn't expect companies to turn over the source of their livelihood, either. The sad thing is, there are so many victims who WOULD be appreciative and WOULDN'T abuse the generosity of others, but the bad apples ruin it for everyone. It's sickening how many bad apples there appear to be. I'll give all of the people taking food, water or medical supplies or diapers or NECESSITIES all the leeway in the world. But the thugs should be shot.

[txaggie94gigem]

I did not mean to imply that the evacuees were bad but after losing everything they have, right now tempers are high and it will take a while for everyone to cool off. Many of these people have been stuck in enclosed spaces for a while now and are going stir crazy...i worry that they would feel too confined being "stuck" on a cruise ship unless it would be docked permanently and they could come and go as they please. I only meant to say earlier that 1 person out of 1800 allowed on these ships could get out of hand and ruin it for everyone. I DO NOT believe these people are animals, instead they are the neediest of us all. I was just going under the impression that these ships would be anchored at sea and that would force these people to be confined at sea which could be detrimental in the long run. I am proud that carnival is opening up these ships, even if the government is paying them. Housing for these victims will be a difficult situation for the next few months....

[goin2disneyagain]

I think it would be a shame and disgrace for lines such as RCCL & Carnival not to help. I have no idea the amount of ships in their fleets, but it is a heck of alot more than DCL. At a minimum, use the ships that sailed out of NO. DCL on the other hand, in even donating the use of one ship, would loose 50% of its capacity, which in my opinion, would cause a significant financial hardship on the company and could even jeapordize the future of DCL. I do find it amusing that when I read cruising magazines DCL is so often never to be found, or even when we have cruised other cruise lines, including RCCL, they ask you when filing out your docs have you cruised before, on which line, DCL is not even listed. But now they are included.
I will not even address the issue of rescue workers vs. victim's on the ships. To me this one is a no brainer. My prayers do go out ever single day to all of those effected by and involved in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Carnival is sending 3 ships for 6 months. They have apologized for the passengers that had reservations that will now be cancelled. 2 ships will be in Galveston and the other will be in Mobile.

[carolina_yankee]

Carnival is sending 3 ships for 6 months. They have apologized for the passengers that had reservations that will now be cancelled. 2 ships will be in Galveston and the other will be in Mobile.

I have to say, that's a pretty gutsy thing for a corporation to do, given the number of customers who will be inconvenienced. I have new respect for Carnival. Does anyone know how many ships Carnival has over all?

Dirk

[carolina_yankee]

I did not mean to imply that the evacuees were bad but after losing everything they have, right now tempers are high and it will take a while for everyone to cool off. . .Many of these people have been stuck in enclosed spaces for a while now and are going stir crazy...i worry that they would feel too confined being "stuck" on a cruise ship unless it would be docked permanently and they could come and go as they please.

Thanks for explaining further what you were concerned about. I didn't think about how a cruise ship might further a feeling of confinedment. It's certianly someting to consider. The evacuees need to feel that they have as much control over their lives as possible. Hopefully the cruise ships can stay closer to the affected areas than Houston is.

I could just imagine how fresh air, a safe place to sleep, and regular meals can go a long way to helping. Anyway, kudos to Carnival. I hope it helps.

Dirk