Princess Fined More and Again

[cruzsnooze]

In 2016, Princess Cruise Lines agreed to pay a $40 million penalty for illegally dumping oil-contaminated waste into the sea and acts by employees to try to cover it up.

It was the largest criminal penalty ever imposed for intentional vessel pollution, and the Justice Department put the cruise line’s parent company, Carnival Corporation, on notice.

But that did not stop the company from polluting again, according to federal prosecutors.

On Monday, Carnival and its Princess line acknowledged violating probation terms from the 2016 case and were ordered to pay an additional $20 million penalty, putting further pressure on the world’s largest cruise corporation.

 

The new violations included discharging plastic into waters in the Bahamas, falsifying records and interfering with court supervision of ships by sending in teams ahead of inspections to pre-empt environmental violations, according to the corporation’s agreement with the Justice Department.

“A corporation is responsible to its shareholders and board of directors to be profitable, but not by breaking the law and destroying the very environment in which it navigates for profit,” Ariana Fajardo Orshan, the United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement.

 

Now we know why the beverage packages went up in price !!!

Edited June 5, 2019 by cruzsnooze

[marykay8]

I just read the article in Business Insider.....SO DISAPPOINTED IN Carnival/Princess....NOT acceptable!!! I just went on a 12 day cruise on the Star Princess last month. I feel betrayed reading this. I had such a great time too. To intentionally break pollution laws means no integrity and shoddy business practice. I want to slap someone. 

Edited June 5, 2019 by marykay8

[fishywood]

The parent company Carnival Corporation has been the responsible party for the entirety of these proceedings. Arnold Donald is the individual under subpoena for the final hearing, not Jan Swartz. So technically Princess is not the party being further "fined"

 

But in reality the "additional $20 million penalty" is not a fine per se. It is part of a settlement to keep the probation violation off the record--which the presiding judge had been adamantly refusing to agree to until suddenly out of nowhere this settlement was announced last week. 

 

So maybe bribe is the more correct term.

 

And the alcoholic beverage packages were raised $10/pp/pd a year and a half ago. It is the bar service charge going from 15% to 18%--which affects everyone, not just PBP purchasers--along with the bar menus being "refreshed" to provide increased margins that is the more timely hit to our wallets. You can't seriously be thinking that the new higher priced Soda packages would remotely begin to make up the dollars in question.

 

(...and if one is going to use cut-and-paste from the internet as the basis of their facts, it is de rigueur to provide a link to one's sources so that everyone can determine for themselves the accuracy of interpretation in the post)

[marykay8]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/business/carnival-cruise-pollution.html

[kywildcatfanone]

Well now we know why they have increased some pricing, including some drink packages by 40%.  Got to get more from the passengers to pay their fine.

 

The customer always pays more in these scenarios.

Edited June 5, 2019 by kywildcatfanone

[geoherb]

Let's hope this will finally get Carnival Corp. to ensure all of its ships adhere to environmental regulations. But in the big scheme of things, $20 million is just a miniscule amount on a company that had $3.2 billion in net income.

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Well now we know why they have increased some pricing, including some drink packages by 40%.  Got to get more from the passengers to pay their fine.

Re-read post #3 or maybe you think Princess knew they were going to be fined in the future? 🙄

If they increase the drink prices again then we might know the reason. 

[kywildcatfanone]

Of course they knew what was coming, you think they don't have people who track that sort of thing.  They know what is going to happen, and I'm sure how much before it's announced.

[nukesubsailor]

2 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

The customer always pays more in these scenarios.

So true.  It seems a lot of people fail to realize that the only source of income for corporations is the consumer of the products and services the corporations provide.

[cruzsnooze]

This could be the reason many fees went up, including the auto gratuity, beverage package, and I noticed the port fees went up on a cruise I had already booked.  Worst of all is the damage they are doing to the environment and wildlife.

[Pierlesscruisers]

32 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

This could be the reason many fees went up, including the auto gratuity, beverage package, and I noticed the port fees went up on a cruise I had already booked.  Worst of all is the damage they are doing to the environment and wildlife.

 

So, you believe that the port fees, which I assume are levied by the various ports which are visited, and the auto gratuities, which I can only assume are received not by the cruise line but by some of the employees on board the ships, are going to be way-laid by the cruise line to help pay the fine? That sure seems like convoluted thinking to me.

 

Tom

[cruzsnooze]

23 minutes ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

So, you believe that the port fees, which I assume are levied by the various ports which are visited, 

 

Tom

Since the port fees are predetermined when the cruise line books their itinerary why the need to raise them from when bookings open for that cruise until they close bookings two days before sailings.  And yes, crew is recieving less salary now with auto gratuity so where is all that extra money going?

 

https://fresh-news-now.com/2019/06/04/a-lawyer-who-represents-cruise-ship-workers-reveals-one-thing-passengers-do-thats-awful-for-some-workers/

[4x4bob]

Ref customers paying more.

Do not be surprised if you ask for a glass of water in the main dinning room and find out, that the water is free, but there will be $5.00 rental fee for the glass.  😁

Bob

[capriccio]

33 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

Since the port fees are predetermined when the cruise line books their itinerary

 

I don't think this is true since we've had adjusted - both up and down - port fees on a number of cruises.

 

If you read the other non - CCL cruise line boards, many posters complain about recent increases in gratuities and the price of various packages.  So what is their excuse if they aren't facing a fine?  Answer:  normal and expected (prices never stay static) business practices.

 

I do agree with you that " Worst of all is the damage they are doing to the environment and wildlife. "

[memoak]

So much paranoia on this thread - PBP has not changed in over a year and the non alcoholic package was revised not increased.  Charges will not go up Princess and Carnival have to keep in line with other main stream cruise lines to compete on price

[chengkp75]

Considering Carnival Corp ships, across all lines, carry 11.5 million passengers a year, that fine is $1.75 per passenger, for one year.  Yeah, that's why prices are going up.

[Ep010835]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

Considering Carnival Corp ships, across all lines, carry 11.5 million passengers a year, that fine is $1.75 per passenger, for one year.  Yeah, that's why prices are going up.

 

Ever the level-headed and logical one.

Thanks, Chief. 👍🏻

[kywildcatfanone]

59 minutes ago, memoak said:

non alcoholic package was revised not increased.

The drink package I always purchase went from just over $7/day to almost $12.  I would call that increase personally.

[cruzsnooze]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

Considering Carnival Corp ships, across all lines, carry 11.5 million passengers a year, that fine is $1.75 per passenger, for one year.  Yeah, that's why prices are going up.

My math is different then yours. 60 million dollars divided by 11 million passengers is closer to $6 but then again they have to gigure in future fines since they don't seem to comply even while on probation. 

 In addition to making up what they are paying in fines they also have to make up the lost profit so it really does become a substantial number. 

Edited June 5, 2019 by cruzsnooze
typo

[kywildcatfanone]

Do some of you think that Carnival will just eat that cost?  No corporation does that.

[cruzsnooze]

18 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Do some of you think that Carnival will just eat that cost?  No corporation does that.

 

18 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

 

Some people think Princess can do no harm or bad, no matter what. As much as I like princess and keep cruising with them I am not blind to their short comings. 

[Colo Cruiser]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

So much paranoia on this thread - PBP has not changed in over a year and the non alcoholic package was revised not increased.  Charges will not go up Princess and Carnival have to keep in line with other main stream cruise lines to compete on price

I know right! Kinda like medallions and tin foil! 🤪

[memoak]

1 hour ago, kywildcatfanone said:

The drink package I always purchase went from just over $7/day to almost $12.  I would call that increase personally.

When I look at the website it shows that they did away with the soda only package and replaced it with the sodas and more package - revised package

[elliair]

15 hours ago, marykay8 said:

I just read the article in Business Insider.....SO DISAPPOINTED IN Carnival/Princess....NOT acceptable!!! I just went on a 12 day cruise on the Star Princess last month. I feel betrayed reading this. I had such a great time too. To intentionally break pollution laws means no integrity and shoddy business practice. I want to slap someone. 

I don't feel as though I've been betrayed other than Princess raising the prices to pay for the fines.  That's the betrayal.  Face it, we all pollute every day.  We consume, we throw stuff in the garbage, it's taken to the dump, we are continuous nonstop polluters.  No different on a ship than being at home. /just saying

[chengkp75]

3 hours ago, elliair said:

I don't feel as though I've been betrayed other than Princess raising the prices to pay for the fines.  That's the betrayal.  Face it, we all pollute every day.  We consume, we throw stuff in the garbage, it's taken to the dump, we are continuous nonstop polluters.  No different on a ship than being at home. /just saying

Big difference.  Is putting stuff in your garbage illegal?  Because what Princess and all of Carnival's lines did was illegal.