Carnival Corporation, parent to Costa Cruise Lines issued a statement confirming their commitment to provide full support to those passengers, crew and families of the victims of the Costa Concordia grounding. As thousands of passengers and crew look to have their displaced lives set back in order, that’s one big promise. It’s the kind of promise one might expect at this point. A quick check of recent history will grant additional confidence to those affected that Carnival Corp will handle the task quickly, efficiently and appropriately.
“I give my personal assurance that we will take care of each and every one of our guests, crew and their families affected by this tragic event. Our company was founded on this principle and it will remain our focus,” said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.
These are the words many industry watchers have been waiting for. This is the promise of an industry pioneer that recalls Arison’s father Ted Arison who created Carnival Cruise Lines in 1972, steering the cruise business for decades.
“During this time of tragedy, we are doing our very best to provide the needed support to the Costa Concordia passengers, crew and their families,” added Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and CEO of Costa Cruises.
Surely, this is a developing situation with questions left to be answered and passengers still missing. But not long ago, when Carnival Splendor caught fire and was disabled, stranding thousands of passengers at sea, Carnival was right on top of the situation.
“We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience,” Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, said at the time. “Conditions onboard the ship are very challenging and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring. The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority and we are working to get our guests home as quickly as possible.”
The Splendor event, compared to the Concordia event, was more of an inconvenience but Carnival’s actions were quick, efficient and appropriate.
Shortly after the Splendor event occured, Carnival CEO Gary Cahill said that guests had “signed up for a great cruise vacation and that is obviously not what they received”. Promising a full refund, assistance getting back home and a free future cruise on the back end, the line tried to make the best of a bad situation as the event occurred too. Complementary beverages, the use of satellite phones to call home and as much entertainment as they could muster under the circumstances was the order of the day.
After living through that Splendor ordeal, the promise issued jointly by Carnival Corporation and Costa rings true:
In this spirit, Costa has been arranging lodging and transportation for affected passengers and crew members to return home. Every passenger and crew member or their family is being contacted and the company has offered its assistance and counseling as needed, and will be addressing personal possessions lost on board. Costa has also begun the process of refunding all voyage costs including both passenger cruise fares and all costs incurred while on board. Our senior management teams are working together to determine additional support.
I think we can take those words to the bank.
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- Costa Concordia: Disaster wipes £1bn off Carnival Corporation share value (dailymail.co.uk)
- Carnival Corporation & plc Statement Regarding Costa Concordia (prnewswire.com)
