Hurricane relief efforts by Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association and cruise industry

On behalf of the FCCA and our Member Lines, we want to thank you for your diligence and coverage during these tragic times in the wake of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. The lives lost and damage done are irreparable, and our hearts are with all those affected.

Of course, words cannot change anything, but we—along with our Member Lines and destination partners—have provided action to assist as much as possible before, during and after these tragedies.

We are grateful to have partners that truly exemplify goodwill. Even before the storms, Member Lines were assisting, such as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. providing bottled water, gas and an evacuation option for its employees prior to Irma’s impact. And they, along with Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings brands and Disney Cruise Line, took ships offline to prepare for the assistance of affected destinations.

After disaster struck, these plans went immediately into action. We, the FCCA, were fortunately able to communicate and work directly with our destination partners to ascertain their needs, coming in the form of both evacuation and supplies.

Through the assistance of our destination partners, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean, we coordinated the evacuation of nearly 1,000 stranded visitors and displaced residents in St. Thomas on Norwegian Sky, along with the evacuation of 1,700 people in St. Thomas and St. Maarten on Adventure of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas.

Our Member Lines have also used these ships to provide supplies, with Norwegian delivering 35 pallets of supplies to St. Thomas; Royal Caribbean bringing more than 20 pallets of medical supplies, 5,539 gallons of water, 7,831 gallons of milk, 4,200 rolls of toilet paper, 67,500 garbage bags and 13,050 pounds of animal supplies; Disney Cruise Line donating meals and bedding and providing storage for supplies and power-utility vehicles; and Carnival Cruise Line planning to use 11 ships to bring supplies—all this on top of the industry’s commitment of about $15 million for donations toward relief efforts.

We cannot thank our Member Lines enough for this, and we also cannot thank our other partners who have worked with us to identify and fulfill needs. These efforts are still ongoing, considering the recent and unprecedented impact of Maria following Irma. So we are continuing to work with our destination partners and Member Lines, along with Eventstar and Tropical Shipping, to ascertain and fulfill needs.

To that end, we have also already committed $500,000 through the FCCA Foundation for necessary supplies and services that will provide some quality of life to those currently devastated. So far we have worked to source and coordinate the delivery and installation for semi-permanent structures for shelter and schooling (constructed by our Platinum Member Eventstar), sleeping pods, cots with blankets and mattresses, and canned food and other various supplies, delivered by our Member Lines and Tropical Shipping. And we recently began communications with Royal Caribbean to coordinate relief efforts in Dominica due to Hurricane Maria.

We are truly fortunate to have such caring and proactive partners, and we have the utmost gratitude for all of their efforts, along with the support of all who have helped during this time of need.

Below is a fact sheet detailing some of the efforts so far, along with quotes from our President and Eventstar CEO Alain Perez.

FCCA

-Committed $500,000 to provide necessary relief supplies, including semi-permanent structures for shelter and schooling, sleeping pods, cots with mattresses and blankets, canned food and other various supplies.

-Worked directly with destination partners to ascertain needs and with Platinum Members (Eventstar and Tropical Shipping) and Member Lines to assist with the acquisition and delivery of the supplies.

-Coordinated with destination partners and Member Lines for evacuation of 1,000 stranded visitors and displaced citizens in St. Thomas on Norwegian Sky, along with evacuation of 1,700 in St. Thomas and St. Maarten on Adventure of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas.

Carnival Corporation

-Pledged up to $10 million, in conjunction with the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund and the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, in funding and in-kind support for relief and rebuilding efforts in Florida and throughout the Caribbean.

-Carnival Cruise Line to carry supplies to affected areas throughout Florida, Caribbean island nations and parts of the Bahamas on 11 vessels.

-Partnered with St. Kitts to deliver supplies, including food, beverages, medical supplies, blankets, batteries and ice.

-Instated a program enabling travelers to donate directly to Hurricane Irma recovery efforts.

-Created a matching fund through its Community Foundation for employee donations to support hurricane relief via the American Red Cross.

-Set up initiative on board Princess ships to gather donations from passengers and crew, which will be matched up to $100,000.

-P&O Cruises UK launched a campaign to support hurricane relief through donations directly to UNICEF.

Disney Cruise Line (and The Walt Disney Company)

-Donated $2.5 million to aid in humanitarian relief efforts across Florida, the Caribbean and other areas impacted by Hurricane Irma.

-Committed to matching contributions from Disney employees to eligible relief and recovery organizations dollar for dollar by Disney Employee Matching Gifts: A Program of The Walt Disney Company Foundation.

-Donated meals and bedding to shelters, provided storage for supplies and power-utility vehicles, and made rooms available for first responders during Hurricane Irma

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

-Delivered 35 pallets of supplies to St. Thomas.

-Norwegian Sky crew provided 15 pallets of personal donations, including toiletries and clothing.

-Evacuated 1,000 in St. Thomas on Norwegian Sky

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

-Mobilized three ships to provide immediate help through provisions and evacuation.

-Evacuated 1,700 people in St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

-Delivered more than 20 pallets of medical supplies; 5,539 gallons of water; 7,831 gallons of milk; 4,200 rolls of toilet paper; 67,500 garbage bags; and 13,050 pounds of animal supplies.

-Committed to match donations up to $1 million by passengers and crew to aid Hurricane Irma relief efforts.

-Supplied employees with bottled water and gas prior to Hurricane Irma’s landfall in Florida.

-Provided evacuation to employees and their families (and dogs) on Enchantment of the Seas.

-Currently communicating with the FCCA about relief efforts in Dominica due to Hurricane Maria.

“I wish words could bring back the lost lives, rebuild the catastrophic damage and support people physically and emotionally in this time of need, but there are no words. However, the FCCA is fully committed to taking every possible action to help our partners during this tragedy, as they are not just our partners, but more like our family. Our Member Lines and Platinum Members like Eventstar Structures and Tropical Shipping have also shown their commitment to this family, and we cannot thank them enough for their tireless relief efforts and astounding donation commitments that will help bring this family back together.”

-Michele Paige, President, Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA)

“Eventstar has been fortunate to work in the Caribbean for many years, all while building strong relationships along the way. Watching the devastating destruction that Hurricane Irma left behind, there was no doubt that we would extend our resources to help and assist in every way we could. We will continue to support the Caribbean in this rigorous rebuilding process.”

-Alain Perez, CEO, Eventstar