'TRIUMPH' IMPACT MAY BE SHORT-LIVED

For the past week or so, the cruise news has been dominated by the well-documented engine fire and resulting related woes aboard Carnival Triumph. It's a tough situation for Carnival, and an industry that sells and promotes fun vacation experiences. But as anyone who travels knows, things don't always go as planned. Fortunately, such occurrences are rare, as this author points out in his article, "Can Carnival Weather the PR Storm?". The conclusion is they can, with most of the impact probably short-lived and affecting first-time cruisers. The cruising industry has worked hard to sell and elevate their product, which I think most would agree keeps getting better every year. With so much at stake, I'm confident they will, individually and collectively, re-double their efforts to make cruising the best vacation value in travel. -- Gerry