FEMA Chartering Carnival Ships for Katrina Victims

September 6, 2005

FEMA Chartering Carnival Ships for Katrina Victims
September 6, 2005 – Three of Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships will be used to shelter victims of Hurricane Katrina. The ships, the Ecstasy, the Sensation and the Holiday, have been chartered to the Military Sealift Command on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, effective Sept. 5. The ships will be used for six months and could house as many as 7,000 people.

Approximately 920 crew members will staff the 70,367 gross-ton Ecstasy and Sensation, with about 660 running the 46,052-ton Holiday. The Ecstasy and Sensation can each take 2,606 total passengers, while then Holiday can hold 1,800, according to USA Today.

"We sincerely apologize to those guests whose vacations have been impacted by these voyage cancellations," Carnival CEO Bob Dickinson said in a news release. "This inconvenience … will provide desperately needed housing for thousands of individuals affected by this tragedy."

Carnival has canceled the ships’ scheduled sailings through early March and will offer full refunds to passengers booked on affected sailings. Passengers who rebook will receive a $100 per-person shipboard credit.