Canaveral Port Authority
02-12-2004, 04:21 PM
Posted by Canaveral Port Authority on October 09, 2001 at 08:10:04:
September 15, 2001
Reprinted from an article by Scott Blake in FLORIDA TODAY.
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Canaveral Port Authority is planning to
permanently operate a patrol boat to increase security at Port Canaveral, among
other measures.
Port commissioners are expected to discuss the proposals during their monthly
meeting Wednesday, said Canaveral Port Authority Executive Director Malcolm
McLouth. The Port Authority could take bids from law-enforcement agencies and
security groups for a contract to operate the patrol boat, he said.
So far, Tuesday's terrorist attacks haven't scared away many people from taking
cruises out of Port Canaveral, port and cruise officials said.
On Thursday, Carnival's Fantasy and Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas
departed Port Canaveral for Bahamas cruises, each with more than 2,000
passengers on board, McLouth said. Both ships have maximum capacities of
2,600 passengers. The vessels are scheduled to return Sunday at the end of
three-day voyages.
On Wednesday, Disney's Magic also departed with more than 2,000
passengers on board for a Bahamas cruise, McLouth said. The Magic, which
has a maximum capacity of 2,400 passengers, is scheduled to return today.
McLouth theorized that Canaveral's cruise passenger numbers didn't drop
significantly this week because many already may have been in Orlando on
vacation before Tuesday's attacks. The port also gets many passengers who
drive from other parts of Florida and other states, instead of flying in, McLouth
said.
"The impact of airlines not operating hasn't affected us as much as it probably
has (the cruise industry) in Miami," he said.
Disney Cruise Line spokesman Mark Jaronski said the Magic didn't see a
significant decrease in passengers for Wednesday's cruise. Disney's other ship
at Canaveral, the Wonder, is undergoing dry-dock refurbishments in Virginia, he
said.
Many of the passengers that took Wednesday's cruise on the Magic had been
staying at Disney's resorts in Orlando earlier in the week. And Disney was
allowing passengers who could not fly home to return to Disney's resorts after the
cruise at no charge, Jaronski said.
Before Wednesday's cruise, the company sent letters to passengers, telling
them there would be heightened security for the voyage, including security
checkpoints near Disney's cruise terminal, Jaronski said.
Disney made no changes to its itinerary, but it has beefed up security personnel
on the ship in a way that isn't that visible to passengers, he said.
"The same plan has been set up for today's cruise," Jaronski said. "If anything
changes, we'll be ready to change along with it."
September 15, 2001
Reprinted from an article by Scott Blake in FLORIDA TODAY.
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Canaveral Port Authority is planning to
permanently operate a patrol boat to increase security at Port Canaveral, among
other measures.
Port commissioners are expected to discuss the proposals during their monthly
meeting Wednesday, said Canaveral Port Authority Executive Director Malcolm
McLouth. The Port Authority could take bids from law-enforcement agencies and
security groups for a contract to operate the patrol boat, he said.
So far, Tuesday's terrorist attacks haven't scared away many people from taking
cruises out of Port Canaveral, port and cruise officials said.
On Thursday, Carnival's Fantasy and Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas
departed Port Canaveral for Bahamas cruises, each with more than 2,000
passengers on board, McLouth said. Both ships have maximum capacities of
2,600 passengers. The vessels are scheduled to return Sunday at the end of
three-day voyages.
On Wednesday, Disney's Magic also departed with more than 2,000
passengers on board for a Bahamas cruise, McLouth said. The Magic, which
has a maximum capacity of 2,400 passengers, is scheduled to return today.
McLouth theorized that Canaveral's cruise passenger numbers didn't drop
significantly this week because many already may have been in Orlando on
vacation before Tuesday's attacks. The port also gets many passengers who
drive from other parts of Florida and other states, instead of flying in, McLouth
said.
"The impact of airlines not operating hasn't affected us as much as it probably
has (the cruise industry) in Miami," he said.
Disney Cruise Line spokesman Mark Jaronski said the Magic didn't see a
significant decrease in passengers for Wednesday's cruise. Disney's other ship
at Canaveral, the Wonder, is undergoing dry-dock refurbishments in Virginia, he
said.
Many of the passengers that took Wednesday's cruise on the Magic had been
staying at Disney's resorts in Orlando earlier in the week. And Disney was
allowing passengers who could not fly home to return to Disney's resorts after the
cruise at no charge, Jaronski said.
Before Wednesday's cruise, the company sent letters to passengers, telling
them there would be heightened security for the voyage, including security
checkpoints near Disney's cruise terminal, Jaronski said.
Disney made no changes to its itinerary, but it has beefed up security personnel
on the ship in a way that isn't that visible to passengers, he said.
"The same plan has been set up for today's cruise," Jaronski said. "If anything
changes, we'll be ready to change along with it."