Well, I feel it's just not in good business sense (at least here in Texas) for ANY cruise line to sail during hurricane season. The ONLY cruise line which sails out of Texas during hurricane season is Carnival. Princess and Royal Caribbean don't....and for good reason....there is just too much at stake. Hurricane season is always a "hit or miss" and luckilly you are one of the lucky ones to sail (during hurricane season). I know during that season it's always "hit or miss" and Carnival (like any other cruise line) is in the business to make money....but I feel not at the expense of a potential of its customers. Of all those folks they let sail out (and I know those folks elected to stay to cruise) when Galveston was under mandatory evacuation Carnival should have thought about their customer point blank. So knowing how a customer will react when they come back home after their port of home is destroyed the customer is going to get mad and many will choose a "legal" transport of recourse. Carnival has got to have been bound to have taken a big financial "hit" out of this. Perhaps I was wrong fearing bankruptcy...but I'm sure Carnival has got to have lost out alot of money they probably should not have given better customer service.
Which brings me to another issue. Carnival just wants to make money. Like I said, that's what every cruise line (like Carnival) is in the business to do. However, don't put their customers at potential stake and cruise out of a port knowing that a catastrophe after a hurricane is what they will come back home to. Just CANCEL the whole trip and either reimburse full cruise fare or give them the option to rebook at a later date with no penalties charged. Don't just sail out and hope to get lucky. Customers are going to be truly upset. I'd rather have my trip cancelled (like it happened for me) than to lose valuables and go through the "red tape" with insurance companies just for a mere vacation they probably never got to fully enjoy on the trip to begin with (knowing what was going on with Ike in Galveston). Then Carnival could never even get their mess together with the passengers on board regarding their trip back home or even the status of their cars to begin with.
So if Carnival wants to make good relations with the people in any hurricane region and sail out during the prime time of that season they need to be better prepared to handle the outcome and not choose the low road. Carnival just chooses to "play dumb" with certain and handle others that "would've sailed" after a hurricane and play fair. I will tell you I feel lucky to have even gotten a refund....you were lucky and did so yourself. Those folks on the boat...some got a refund and others didn't (cruise insurance or not).
During hurricane season Carnival should just not choose to sail out of Texas here. If passengers truly want to sail they'll wait (and save even more money on the personal side if they choose for more trip excursions or boat goodies) rather than sail out and "hope" to get lucky if no hurricane happens to touch home port. There is a great chance one season there will be no hurricanes - then other seasons there might be a whole slew of them - that's all a part of this great global warming trend.
So, in the end, it's all down to basic customer service. Apparantly Carnival is lacking a good deal in it. It's also "buyer beware." With enough "sail outs" during prime hurricane season, and with just enough catastrophes, Carnival (in any hurricane region) will have to take enough hits to either make their cruises more expensive to the masses or face other recourse. Like I said, I was wrong in saying they will fear bankruptcy, but they will feel a major loss.
I don't feel like sailing with a line with this much stress under their belt (given the financial state of the US or even the customer service they give to certain who were affected by a hurricane loss at home port). I MAY sail with them in the future...but not during a hurricane season. The way they handled their customers during Ike is enough to sicken me for a while. I know those folks got a cruise and got to sail (and get a few extra days to holiday with) but not at the expense of losing transportation to work (which got them the money to be able to pay for the cruise to begin with). I know insurance will "pay off" those vehicles but it's still a total loss.....cars are credited margins and always lose value. Most of those folks insurance companies paid off their cars for far less than what the cars were worth (and unless these customers have no debt outside of a car payment...they had to have taken a huge financial hit in order to use that "payoff" as a down payment on another car they will have to take another huge debt out for - even worse if their car is close to being paid off by themselves).
Carnival is on shaky ground with me...and until they can get their selves together I won't sail with them again.