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CRUISE SHIP REPORT travel agents in a weekend Italian voyage, and will then journey to the U.S. East Coast for further industry previews. On the West Coast, Los Angeles- based Princess Cruises has enjoyed its share of the spotlight lately, pulling in this year's envi- ronmental award from the American Society of Travel Agents and Smithsonian Magazine in recognition of its proactive stance on pollution prevention, as well as the James E. McGuire Safety Award for its outstanding contribu- tions to the improvement of marine safety for ships, crews and the environment. The latter award stresses the importance of the human element rather than regulations in the quest for safety, and was presented to the cruise line in early October after classification society repre- sentatives from ABS, LR, DNV, GL and NKK selected the line as the 1996 recipient. Princess has also contracted with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) to provide scuba certifica- tion programs for passengers onboard several of its ships. Other "Left" Coast reports from the U.S. indicate that Worldport LA has set a new record for cruise passenger business. In the FY ended June 30, the Port handled 945,180 passengers at its World Cruise Center, surpassing its pre- vious record of 920,537 passengers set in FY 93. The popularity of Mexico as a vacation destination, the improved U.S. economic cli- mate for consumer spending on leisure travel, and the convenience of a major cruise facility in Southern California are believed to have contributed to the record-set- ting statistics. CCL's Jubilee and Holiday and RCCL's Viking Serenade are homeported in Los Angeles. Speaking of ports, following recent congressional action which will reinstate gaming on cruise ships sailing between California ports, RCCL has said that Viking Serenade will resume calling at the Port of San Diego during its four- night cruises out of Los Angeles, starting in January. When San Diego was dropped from the ship's itinerary in 1993, after the California legislature passed gam- ing legislation A.B. 3769, the Port reported a corresponding annual loss of more than $6.5 million among area merchants. RCCL also plans to move Sovereign of the Seas to the Bahamas short cruise market fol- lowing a $6-million renovation and refurbishment in mid-December. Contracts including the addition of passenger berths and work on pub- lic spaces and cabins will be ful- filled at BethShip in Sparrows Point near Baltimore, Md., where the vessel is scheduled to enter drydock on November 30. On the other side of the globe, unrest in the Middle East has led to some speculation that cruise ships with worldwide itineraries, such as the Mediterranean voy- ages deployed by RCCL and Cunard, may be easy targets for terrorist attacks. Others have pointed out that these ships rarely venture outside of international waters, and should not be consid- ered to be at inordinate risk. On the subject of risk, financial This IS NO There is no substitute for experience, knowing you can rise to the challenge of the job. At SAFECO Credit, w e're seasoned professionals. We've worked w ith thousands of companies in \ irtually every industry over the last 25 years, providing lending expertise and market insight. \nd since we lend our ow n money and make our own decisions, you can usually get the financing you need w ithin days. To put our experience to work for you, call your SAFECO Credit representative at 1-800-241-7476. ^ SAFECO What's right* Credit 16 Circle 318 on Reader Service Card Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
