Cruise lines are taking different approaches in their attempts to assuage safety concerns following the Costa Concordia accident.
Carnival Cruise Lines, a sister company of Costa Cruises, has been using its Facebook page to spell out its safety program, even going so far as to post the safety video that plays inside its staterooms.
Carnival Cruise Lines also has posted links to all official statements from its parent company, Carnival Corp., regarding the disaster, which has left 16 confirmed dead and at least that many still missing since the Costa ship hit a rocky reef off the Italian island of Giglio on Jan. 13.
Crystal Cruises placed a link on its website's home page, detailing its safety standards, such as when its lifeboat drills are held and its practice of holding “passage planning meetings” with captains and other officers.
Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan emailed his safety message to customers, saying the line’s “experienced seafarers” have an average of 33 years at sea and that its captains “regularly undergo rigorous simulation training on navigation and bridge operations.”
Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises also emailed past guests.
Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein, went further, with a blog entry that specifically addressed the Concordia disaster. Goldstein was the first cruise executive outside the Carnival Corp. brands to speak directly about the incident.
“We will need the results of the authorities’ investigations to truly understand and respond to all of the implications. But we do not need to wait for anyone or anything to underscore the preeminent role of safety in the daily life of every cruise ship and of the industry as a whole,” Goldstein wrote.
Follow Donna Tunney on Twitter @dttravelweekly.