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 Travel & Outdoors | March 2005 
New Twist on 'Cruises to Nowhere'
 Harry Shattuck - Houston Chronicle
| Canceling a cruise is a last option.
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Every so often readers ask if "cruises to nowhere" still operate from Galveston.
They fondly recall vessels that would depart the island, sail just far enough to reach international waters, meander about for a day or evening, then return to port.
The lure: Gambling is legal in international seas. As a bonus, there was plenty of grub and booze. These passengers had no interest in sightseeing.
That was years ago. With five ships now sailing to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, Galveston has outgrown gambling junkets. But Carnival Cruise Lines recently revived the "cruise to nowhere" concept unintentionally when its Ecstasy, bedeviled by a malfunctioning propulsion system, spent five days slow-poking in the Gulf of Mexico without striking land.
The experience was only a minor nuisance to anyone whose favorite vacation activity is feeding slot machines or sipping piρa coladas poolside. But those who had anticipated fun and sun on the shores of Cozumel and the Yucatαn Peninsula were more than a tad agitated especially since the problem had developed on the Ecstasy's previous sailing and the ship was returned to sea unrepaired.
Carnival officials say the problem is corrected, but the Ecstasy's troubles prompt two questions:
Why would any cruise line let a ship set sail before it was fixed?
Should travelers worry that the Ecstasy, or any other Texas-based ship, will experience more trouble?
As for the first question, Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said the line has found "that it's better to operate a cruise while letting people know about the situation rather than pulling a ship out of service."
"If we flat-out cancel a voyage, we have a lot more people unhappy," she said. "They've arranged their time off and can't easily reschedule. More repairs are made while a ship is in service than in port. And only the ship's speed was affected; the hotel operation (of all activities and services) was normal."
She described the problem aboard the 2,052-passenger Ecstasy as an "evolving situation."
"We hoped to be able to do the itinerary as scheduled. Then, when that wasn't feasible, we went to Progreso (near Mιrida in Mexico) but couldn't dock because of sea conditions."
Opinions varied among passengers on how well they were informed of developments. De la Cruz said all were told they could disembark before the ship left Galveston and receive a full refund. Fewer than 100 accepted, and some who refused said that the gesture came too late and that they were misled. Anyone who took the voyage was given a 50 percent refund plus a 25 percent credit toward a future cruise.
The skeptic in me wonders whether Carnival figured it could generate enough onboard revenue from spa treatments; liquor sales; gift-shop, photo and bingo-card purchases; casino profits; and other sources to offset partial refunds. There are significant operational expenses, but the Ecstasy's international crew of 920 already was in place and had to be paid whether it sailed or not.
But when pondering Carnival's dilemma, consider this: The same day the "cruise to nowhere" ended, the Ecstasy departed Galveston again carrying 2,455 passengers 403 above normal capacity because of third and fourth persons in staterooms with the repair status and itinerary still in doubt. (After repairs, that cruise did reach Cozumel on Monday, albeit several hours late.)
Clearly, folks didn't want to give up their vacation, even amid uncertainty.
And unlike airlines, cruise lines have limited alternatives: There are no "reserve ships" to substitute. With rare exceptions, vessels that depart from Galveston or Houston are sold out.
Are continuing disruptions a concern? Neither the Ecstasy nor Carnival's Elation, a near-identical ship also based in Galveston, has a history of breakdowns. Nor does any other vessel now operating from Texas. I sailed on the Ecstasy in January without a glitch it seemed worn in spots but provides good value and I suspect that this malfunction is isolated. Still, I'd monitor news reports and check cruise message boards (www.cruisecritic.com; www.cruisemates.com) over the next few weeks for passenger observations.
One reader complained recently that despite increased volume, Galveston and Houston do not get the newest and fanciest ships. He's right. That's part of the growing pains in a still-fledgling Texas industry.
But the Texas fleet has been upgraded each year, and indications are that the trend will continue. Don't expect "cruises to nowhere" to become routine. |
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