Photo Credit: Evan Leeson via Compfight
Beginning with a moment of silence to honor the at least 30 people who died in the Costa Concordia incident, the world’s No. 1 cruise operator took a look back and then a look forward at its annual shareholders meeting.
The “cruise industry maintains one of the best safety records of any form of recreational travel in the world,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Micky Arison. Still, Carnival lowered prices to help boost demand after a predicted bookings drop following the grounding.
Chief Operating Officer Howard S. Frank then updated investors on Carnival’s progress through a three-phase review of operational safety standards.
- The first phase is examining management of the bridge, as well as evacuation procedures.
- The second phase covers lessons learned from the Concordia grounding, a review of on-ship procedures, and implications for new ship designs as a result of the Concordia event.
- The final phase includes reexamination of emergency-response procedures, safety management and effectiveness of staffing and training.
“The first six weeks of lost volume came during the most critical part of our year,” said Frank, talking about wave season, the booking period between early January through March that usually yields about a third of annual cruise sales and sets the pace for the rest of the year.
Significant for consumers, Frank noted “Any consumers holding out for deeper-than-normal discounts may be disappointed”
Coming up in June, new Carnival Breeze debuts
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