Oil Spill Changing Your Plans?

[Lynn & Glynn]

Houston or Galveston either one will be great, I was afraid they might try to move it east and I would have to pay extra airfare. We are looking forward to spending a day and a half in New Orleans though.

[firefly333]

Houston or Galveston either one will be great, I was afraid they might try to move it east and I would have to pay extra airfare. We are looking forward to spending a day and a half in New Orleans though.

 

So far the Captain has been steering around the oil ... no cruise ships have needed cleaning yet from the oil. No reason to assume your ship will sail thru the oil either.

[cruiserbryce]

we arent...

[Willie T]

Thinking of it. Too many "what if " issues. The oil spill, bad hurricane season. And the air fare is going to be over $1000. That's a lot to spend, get there, and have issues. Booked on the Triumph in Sept. as of now.

[LambKnuckles]

It hasn't affected me... I'm still booking cruises!

I pray the solution is found and measures put in place to have better response if this ever happens in the future... But I think this was Murphy's Law in motion... :(

The cruise industry seems to be able to steer around and keep going... The shores and livelihood of those dependent on the sea is hurt -- I'm sure it affects them... But I'm in a position to be OK...

I do what I can to help others get through this...

[RVman]

Not sure why. Oysters are available. Some places have stopped serving them because the price has gone up. PJ's supply is going day to day, but are managing to have oysters available for distribution. I know Acme Oyster has oysters. The oyster festival was just last weekend.

 

I believe they are shrimping as usual in Mississippi, so they should be available as well, too.

 

 

 

 

 

By Catherine Clifford, staff reporterJune 12, 2010: 3:42 PM ET

134-year-old oyster company stops shucking

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- P&J Oyster Company, a 134-year old operation in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter, has stopped shucking.

The company processes and distributes oysters. A big part of its business was shucking oysters out of their shells, but that has been killed off by the BP oil spill. Fewer oysters are being farmed in the oil-stained waters of the Gulf of Mexico. So P&J Oyster has no oysters to shuck.

"My son -- who is delivering oysters right now -- he asked me yesterday, 'Should I go apply for food stamps?' " said Al Sunseri, president and co-owner of P&J Oyster. "I started here when I was 21, and I remember how I wanted to carry on the tradition of our business and I remember the feeling of not only the pressures of trying to carry on this long-standing business but also the opportunity that I had to do it."

Oyster shuckers are paid by the piece and typically make between $16 and $24 an hour depending on how skilled they are, according to Al Sunseri. Thursday was the last day P&J Oyster did any shucking, and 11 shuckers didn't have a job to report to on Friday.

Sunseri had warned his employees that the end was near, and the shuckers started working with BP representatives and Louisiana state representatives Thursday to arrange compensation for lost wages.

Oysters are big business in the Gulf area. About 67% of the nation's total production of oysters comes from the region, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 2008, Louisiana alone landed nearly 13 million pounds of oysters worth almost $40 million in sales at the dock.

[firefly333]

I heard this morning Obama told BP to pay the oil riggers who are laid off due to the 6 month moritorium on oil drilling compensation and BP say, NO WAY. The stoppage by Obama was his decision to make, and not BPs responsibility. I have to agree. Its one thing to pay their own workers on the oil rig that blew up ...but not the other rigs in the area that Obama choose to tell them they had to stop drilling.

[EaglesRock]

I heard this morning Obama told BP to pay the oil riggers who are laid off due to the 6 month moritorium on oil drilling compensation and BP say, NO WAY. The stoppage by Obama was his decision to make, and not BPs responsibility. I have to agree. Its one thing to pay their own workers on the oil rig that blew up ...but not the other rigs in the area that Obama choose to tell them they had to stop drilling.

BP is legally correct on this one. They're under no obligation to pay the wages of any workers idled by a political decision such as Obama's moratorium (which was not the recommendation of the expert panel he appointed to study the issue). He alone made that decision and now thousands of wage earners from the Gulf South will pay the price, as if they didn't already have enough problems already with the negative economic impact the spill is having in the region. This moratorium was a double-whammy the region didn't need or deserve! :mad:

[NutsAboutGolf]

I didn't read very much, but saw a teaser last night on the news...If you want a beachfront wedding, you can find outstanding deals right now...lol

[firefly333]

I didn't read very much, but saw a teaser last night on the news...If you want a beachfront wedding, you can find outstanding deals right now...lol

 

My friend who also cruises, actually has booked a beachfront wedding in Florida. She was going to go to the panhandle, but think she moved it further down the coast around Tampa ...it was all planned out before the oil spill ...I know for sure she is going nuts with worry ... I forget the date, this fall I think.

[NutsAboutGolf]

My friend who also cruises, actually has booked a beachfront wedding in Florida. She was going to go to the panhandle, but think she moved it further down the coast around Tampa ...it was all planned out before the oil spill ...I know for sure she is going nuts with worry ... I forget the date, this fall I think.

 

Good stuff...After eloping a few years ago, we had our formal ceremony in clearwater beach fl (next to tampa) this past fall...

[RVman]

Our son had a beach wedding on Panama City Beach, heck I think he was conceived about three hundred yards to the left from there :D

 

 

 

 

Seriously, that’s why I’m so passionate about what’s happening in the Gulf as most people I know are. It’s so sad for everyone including the poor wild life

Just seems as tho they could do more on the clean up end without the red tape...

[RVman]

By Catherine Clifford, staff reporterJune 12, 2010: 3:42 PM ET

134-year-old oyster company stops shucking

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- P&J Oyster Company, a 134-year old operation in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter, has stopped shucking.

The company processes and distributes oysters. A big part of its business was shucking oysters out of their shells, but that has been killed off by the BP oil spill. Fewer oysters are being farmed in the oil-stained waters of the Gulf of Mexico. So P&J Oyster has no oysters to shuck.

 

"My son -- who is delivering oysters right now -- he asked me yesterday, 'Should I go apply for food stamps?' " said Al Sunseri, president and co-owner of P&J Oyster. "I started here when I was 21, and I remember how I wanted to carry on the tradition of our business and I remember the feeling of not only the pressures of trying to carry on this long-standing business but also the opportunity that I had to do it."

Oyster shuckers are paid by the piece and typically make between $16 and $24 an hour depending on how skilled they are, according to Al Sunseri. Thursday was the last day P&J Oyster did any shucking, and 11 shuckers didn't have a job to report to on Friday.

Sunseri had warned his employees that the end was near, and the shuckers started working with BP representatives and Louisiana state representatives Thursday to arrange compensation for lost wages.

Oysters are big business in the Gulf area. About 67% of the nation's total production of oysters comes from the region, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 2008, Louisiana alone landed nearly 13 million pounds of oysters worth almost $40 million in sales at the dock.

 

Sarge did you see this???

[Sargent_Schultz]

Sarge did you see this???

 

I did. I also have Sal's cell phone number. What does your post have to do with cruising?

[RVman]

I did. I also have Sal's cell phone number. What does your post have to do with cruising?

 

LOL, If you look back in the thread I belive you were the fist one to bring up about the Oyster festival in N.O. Suck it up

[Sargent_Schultz]

LOL, If you look back in the thread I belive you were the fist one to bring up about the Oyster festival in N.O. Suck it up

 

The oil spill has not changed my plans. The Oysterfest had plenty of Louisana oysters.

[dengirl]

About a month ago I emailed the gentleman who we booked through and I asked him him if carnival cancelled the cruise for my husband and I would we be refunded and he told me yes. If carnival canceled due to oil then we would be refunded. I kept the email in case I needed it later to show him. Lol .

[firefly333]

About a month ago I emailed the gentleman who we booked through and I asked him him if carnival cancelled the cruise for my husband and I would we be refunded and he told me yes. If carnival canceled due to oil then we would be refunded. I kept the email in case I needed it later to show him. Lol .

 

I really dont think you need to worry. Honestly, IF (huge if imo) Carnival cancelled the cruise, of course you would be able to get a refund ... its much more likely ports would be changed and at worst the embarkation port would be changed. Carnival is going to do whatever they can to get your money and not have to cancel the cruise.

[Grits53]

IF I was planning a cruise to the Bahamas, I might think about changing to a western or southern itinerary. But if I was planning to sail to any ports other than Bahamas & Key West, I would not give it a second thought.

[firefly333]

IF I was planning a cruise to the Bahamas, I might think about changing to a western or southern itinerary. But if I was planning to sail to any ports other than Bahamas & Key West, I would not give it a second thought.

 

Most of us are locked into Early Saver rates, at least I am, so it would cost me $100 to change 2 pax to another cruise. ... so Im taking my chances. Im not paying $100 to change ports.

[Grits53]

Most of us are locked into Early Saver rates, at least I am, so it would cost me $100 to change 2 pax to another cruise. ... so Im taking my chances. Im not paying $100 to change ports.

 

Are you sailing to the Bahamas? We don't care for that itinerary anyway, so it's not an issue for us. If I were you, I wouldn't change either. But if I were someone who stresses out about these things, I might. The wait for a person's sail away date should be exciting and happy, not stressful. So the people who worry about these things might want to consider a change of itinerary. :)

[MOHAVE]

Not much sense in tossing big money at cleaning up stuff that is going to get dirty again. I think we should put every nickle into plugging the hole, then worry about clean up.

[firefly333]

I dont think they want to let the beaches get worse and worse and not keep them as clean as they can.

[RVman]

I dont think they want to let the beaches get worse and worse and not keep them as clean as they can.

 

 

I agree, save as much of the wild life as possible, if they wanted to save money they should stop the P R commercials they are showing of them saving the birds..Yeah Right

[spleenstomper]

I did. I also have Sal's cell phone number. What does your post have to do with cruising?

 

 

:eek::eek::confused:

 

LOL

 

 

Sarge, why don't you give Sal a call and report back on the status of the oil... for instance, were there plenty of oysters for the festival and then because the situation is fluid, the oil has now killed the oysters? It would help to get a firsthand account on how the situation isn't static and from someone who has undoubtedly gone out to the oyster beds a month ago and then recently. What has Sal seen over the last month?

 

This thread is half about the oil and half about how it impacts plans for cruising.