Carnival Cruise Lines said that it will cancel two seven-day voyages of its cruise ship Elation departing October 29 and November 5, 2000, to
perform preventative maintenance on the ship's two Azipod propulsion units. As a result, the company estimates that fourth quarter 2000 earnings will be reduced by approximately $.01 per share.
The Elation, which sails every Sunday from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera, is one of two ships in the Carnival fleet that features Azipod propulsion. The other vessel, Paradise, experienced a problem with the system in July, which forced the cancellation of five week-long cruises while the ship underwent emergency repairs at
Newport News Shipbuilding.
"Based on what we've learned during the course of repairing the Paradise, we feel it is prudent to take this precautionary measure on the Elation now to ensure we do not experience a similar problem on that ship in the future," said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president.