Cruise Lines Pledge Millions for Bahamas Hurricane Relief

With news agencies covering the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian impact across the Bahamas, many cruise lines have already committed millions to aid in the relief efforts. Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean International was one of the first cruise lines to publicly announce their plans to help those in need in the Bahamas. Royal Caribbean posted the following: "The Bahamas has always been more than a destination for Royal Caribbean and our guests. For more than half a century, we’ve made many friends and many memories. The Bahamas is also home to more than 500 of our colleagues who work at Perfect Day at CocoCay and the Grand Bahama Shipyard. So in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, we’re rolling up our sleeves to help our friends, and inviting our guests to help." Royal Caribbean is committing $1 million to Dorian disaster relief, and ITM—our partner in the Holistica joint venture that is developing the Grand Lucayan resort in Freeport—is also donating an additional $100,000. To make sure our donations go where they can do the most good, we are collaborating with the Bahamian government and our non-profit partner, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), and a network of Bahamian charities and other local organizations, including the Bahamas Feeding Network. We are loading all kinds of goods onto our ships— generators, water, cleaning supplies, clean sheets, towels, and more—for direct delivery to the Bahamas. The trained employee volunteers we call the GO Team are on their way to assist with relief efforts. And we’re taking special care of coworkers and their families who were affected by the storm. Those wishing to donate to PADF, may do so by visiting www.padf.org/hurricane-dorian-royal Carnival Corporation Carnival Corporation that operates several cruise brands including Carnival Cruise Line , Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, along with the Mickey & Madeleine Arison Foundation have pledged $2 million in funding and in-kind support for relief efforts in The Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian. Arnold Donald , CEO of Carnival Corporation said: "We are fully committed to supporting the critical relief and recovery efforts already underway for The Bahamas , and we are working closely with officials and affected communities to identify the needs for support and assistance," "Our company has always been closely tied to The Bahamas with a rich history spanning many years, so it's heart-breaking to see the impact of Hurricane Dorian, and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of The Bahamas . We have long admired the unyielding spirit of the Bahamian people and have no doubt they will overcome, rebuild and recover, and we look forward to supporting their efforts." A portion of the combined pledge will immediately go to support efforts being managed by Direct Relief, an international humanitarian organization that provides critical medications and supplies during emergency situations. Direct Relief is currently assembling and delivering requested medical aid and additional emergency medical caches with first-aid supplies to the affected areas in The Bahamas . In addition, Carnival Corporation and its brands are working together with local officials, community leaders and key relief and recovery organizations to identify the most timely and urgent relief needs and immediate allocations for additional funds and support. Separately, the company today announced an effort to collect and deliver food and supplies donated in Broward , Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties for the people of The Bahamas , through a partnership with Tropical Shipping and The Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The effort, funded by Carnival Corporation and Tropical Shipping, will work in partnership with NEMA to provide immediate assistance to the people of the Bahamas where it is most needed. NEMA-Approved Donated Food and Supplies List for the People of The Bahamas Drop -Off Locations for Food and Supplies For the Bahamas