Busted Cruise Ship: Long Beach's Loss, Maybe LA's Gain

Repercussions from that Carnival cruise ship fire: The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports that Carnival has canceled all Splendor trips until mid-January while the ship gets fixed in San Diego Bay. That means that half of Carnival cruises out of the port of Long Beach are a no-go for two months of the busiest cruise season (the LB-based Paradise will continue to sail around Baja). The Carnival cruise ships bring about 450,000 travelers and workers to Long Beach every year, and the ships themselves spend about $45 million annually in the port city on food and other sundries. (What the ships do to the oceans is another thing.) Jack Kyser of the Southern California Association of Governments tells the Press-Telegram that people heart-set on cruising may just book a ship out of the port of LA, where there will be more options. Traffic levels at LAX and Long Beach airport could be affected by the cancellations, too.
· 30,000 Affected by Carnival Cancellations [Press-Telegram]