On 1/24/2012 11:34 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
On 1/24/2012 8:52 PM, Gadget World wrote:
I think that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity made a brace move by writing
to their agents, and frequent guests, explaining their sympathy for the
families and friends of the victims of the Concordia crash and detailing
their own safety records and procedures.

We have not heard from any other lines, including other Carnival
companies.

This was a brave move as even some agents and frequent passengers may
think that Royal Caribbean is controlled or , owned by Carnival.

My hats off to RCI for taking this brave move.

They didn't write to me. I'm Diamond on Royal and Elite on Celebrity.
I'm booked on a Celebrity ship for an April 2012 sailing.
I'd love to see their statement.

Dear xxx,

Like you, all of us at Celebrity Cruises, both shipboard and shoreside,
are deeply saddened by the events surrounding the tragic Costa Concordia
accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the
incident.

I debated about writing to you, as I wanted to be respectful of the
investigation process and avoid adding to the speculation as to the
cause or related failures. However, the concerns that have been raised
about the safety of cruise ships compelled me to take the opportunity to
share what an intense focus we have always placed on safety, and how
rigorously we put that focus into practice every day.

Since Celebrity Cruises’ founding more than 20 years ago, the safety of
our guests and crew has always been our highest priority. The measures
we take in the interest of safety are many, often exceeding regulatory
requirements. It’s a critical part of our ongoing commitment to
innovation and continuous improvement in every aspect of our business.

Our guests see just a portion of our safety practices through the
mandatory muster drills we conduct at the outset of every sailing. But
our safety practices encompass so much more. In light of the Costa
Concordia accident, we chose to post a summary of our safety practices
on our web site. Simply go to, www.CelebrityCruises.com/Safety, and
click on the tab labeled "Safety and Security". I encourage you to take
a look, and to share the information with your family and friends.

Above and beyond what we’ve communicated there, you also may be
interested to know that the leader of Celebrity Cruises’ Captains is a
highly experienced former officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, Greg Purdy.
As the head of our Marine Operations Department, Greg’s highest priority
is to guide and monitor the safety of our fleet. His own experience at
sea, including serving as Captain of a Coast Guard vessel, combined with
his depth of knowledge of cruise ship safety, ensures that he and the
entire Celebrity Marine team continue to build on our strong safety culture.

Our Captains across the Celebrity fleet hold degrees from some of the
world’s finest maritime institutions. You also may be surprised to know
that, along with the Captain, every one of our ships has at least two
other officers who hold the level of license required to serve as
Captain of a cruise ship. Essentially, we have three people onboard
every Celebrity ship who qualify as a Captain.

On average, each of Celebrity Cruises’ Captains has 25 years of seagoing
experience. Besides the training and drills we conduct onboard, our
Captains and their bridge teams also participate in navigation simulator
courses and other training. One of the cornerstones of our training is
that everyone is expected to speak up if they detect something wrong,
regardless of their rank. Our shipboard officers and our shoreside team
spend a considerable amount of time focused on how we can continually
improve our safety procedures.

Along with our vast in-house expertise, we also rely on a group of
experts known as our Maritime Safety Advisory Board. The group was
established in 2006 to help guide our safety program and provide
critical thinking from the world’s leading marine safety experts. The
group includes former senior officials from the US and UK Coast Guards,
as well as leadership from the academic world.

Our Chairman Richard Fain has said there’s no such thing as perfect
safety, but there is such a thing as perfect dedication to safety. And
that’s what we strive for daily.

Whether you’re a longtime cruiser, or have yet to sail with Celebrity, I
hope you’ll help us reinforce the fact that cruising continues to
maintain the best safety record of any industry in the travel business.

Our highly skilled and dedicated crew members look forward to welcoming
you onboard soon to provide you with an outstanding vacation experience.
Meanwhile, I thank you for your continued support of our brand and our
business.

Sincerely,


Dan Hanrahan President & CEO