Carnival Paradise Still Laid Up At NNS

Carnival Cruise Lines has canceled the August 13, 2000, voyage of its cruise ship Paradise while repairs to the vessel's damaged starboard Azipod propulsion unit continue at Newport News Shipbuilding.

The ship is now expected to re-enter service on Aug. 20. The technical problem occurred shortly after the Paradise departed from the Port of Miami for a seven-day cruise on July 16. Carnival Corp., parent company of Carnival Cruise Lines, had previously announced an estimated $.03 per share reduction to third quarter earnings as a result of the incident and that estimate remains unchanged with the additional canceled voyage. Guests who were scheduled to sail on the Aug. 13 cruise will receive a full refund as well as a 50 percent discount on a future three to seven-day cruise. Travel agent commissions will be protected. "We are very disappointed and sincerely apologize for having to cancel an additional cruise and disrupt the vacation plans of all the folks who were scheduled for this voyage, as well as the previous ones," said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president. "Unfortunately, repairs of this nature are very technical and, as work on the Paradise has proceeded, the complexity of the repairs has necessitated additional time in drydock," he added.