Carnival reveals review and confirms cancellations
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
Carnival Corporation has revealed details of the first phase of its fleet review following the problems recorded on the Carnival Triumph, Dream, Elation and Legend.
The company – which admitted to experiencing a double-digit decrease in bookings in the aftermath of the Triumph incident – will carry out a “comprehensive operational review” of its entire fleet, according to a release.
The first phase of the review will focus on Carnival Triumph and Sunshine, the latter of which is currently in drydock undergoing scheduled maintenance. However, Carnival has confirmed that the process will mean both ships will be out service longer than earlier believed – resulting in cruise cancellations.
Triumph will have 10 of its planned cruises cancelled, returning on 3 June; the Sunshine will cancel two cruises before returning on 5 May. Guests booked on any of these cruises will receive a full refund, reimbursement for non-refundable travel expenses and 25% off a 4-5 day voyage.
The company also confirmed that is intending to improve the level of operating redundancies and the scope of hotel services that can run on emergency power. It will also be investigating issues around improving fire prevention, detection and suppression systems.
“We sincerely regret cancelling these cruises and disrupting our guests’ vacation plans,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise Lines’ president and CEO. “We are fully committed to applying the recommendations stemming from our fleetwide review and to make whatever investments are needed despite the difficult decision to impact people’s vacations.”
He continued: “Our team of experts has worked virtually around the clock to determine the best set of solutions and rapidly develop an effective implementation plan for both of these ships. Moving forward, we will have the ability to source materials and schedule improvements much more expediently, thus minimising the scheduling impact on other vessels.
“I would like to provide continued assurances that all of our vessels have fully effective safety systems, equipment and training in place. Additionally, our ships receive regular inspections from the United States Coast Guard and other regulatory authorities. The changes we are implementing are focused primarily on improvements to better support continued power and hotel services should unexpected issues arise. In addition, we are applying new learnings and making enhancements in the area of fire suppression and extinguishing. Going forward, the review will focus on the balance of our fleet. While this process will take time, it is our highest priority and has the full support and resources of Carnival Cruise Lines and Carnival Corporation.”