This is a reprint of a review I wrote published over a decade ago in the Daily News of Galveston County.<\/p>\n
By Mike Lardas
\nCorrespondent<\/p>\n
Published January 7, 2007<\/p>\n
\u201cDevils on the Deep Blue Sea: The Dreams, Schemes and Showdowns that Built America\u2019s Cruise-Ship Empires\u201d by Kristoffer A. Garin, Viking Books, 366 pages, $24.95<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Devils are tempters, as well as torturers. No industry deals temptation in wholesale lots like cruise lines. In that sense, the management of the cruise ship industry merits the \u201cdevils\u201d accolade of the title.<\/p>\n Kristoffer Garin seems okay with temptation. The great gobs of money made by selling temptation are what bother him. Owners squeeze a good chunk of profit by keeping operating costs \u2014 including wages \u2014 as low as possible in an industry that legally operates outside national laws.<\/p>\n Their worst sin? The money earned is not easily taxed. If God grants governments first call on wages and earnings, then cruise lines lead the rebel angels.<\/p>\n \u201cDevils on the Deep Blue Sea\u201d tells an absorbing story. Garin starts with the origins of the modern cruise industry. He shows why the established lines like Cunard missed the potential of cruising \u2014 voyages with the ocean as the destination. He then shows how a few men turned this seemingly screwy notion into a money machine.<\/p>\n Knut Kloster had a ship, but lost his passengers. Ted Arison had passengers, but lost his ship. Lesser men would have quit. Kloster and Arison solved both problems by founding Norwegian Cruise Lines.<\/p>\n When the partners fell out (in best buccaneering tradition, over a division of loot) Arison started Carnival Cruise Lines \u2014 with NCL\u2019s money. Carnival\u2019s first ship, Marti Gras, ran aground leaving port on its first voyage. Having bet everything on Carnival, Arison doubled-down, throwing open the bar to passengers that chose to stay, and finished the voyage.<\/p>\n Those stories are typical of the early days. Garin follows the industry as it becomes a behemoth. Carnival made Arison one of the world\u2019s richest men.<\/p>\n Yet Garin shows unbridled capitalism working. Cruise lines must deliver value \u2014 including safe surroundings \u2014 or they quickly go bust. No one needs a luxury. They must want it \u2014 in the thousands for cruise line economics to work.<\/p>\n Given the cruise industry\u2019s increasing role in Galveston, this book is a valuable read for any island resident.<\/p>\n Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, amateur historian and model-maker, lives in League City. His website is marklardas.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n This is a reprint of a review I wrote published over a decade ago in the Daily News of Galveston County.<\/p>\n By Mike Lardas Published January 7, 2007<\/p>\n \u201cDevils on the Deep Blue Sea: The Dreams, Schemes and Showdowns that Built America\u2019s Cruise-Ship Empires\u201d by Kristoffer A. Garin, Viking Books, 366 pages, $24.95<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Devils are tempters, as well as torturers. No industry deals temptation in wholesale lots like cruise lines. In that sense, the management of the cruise ship industry merits the \u201cdevils\u201d accolade of the title.<\/p>\n Kristoffer Garin seems okay with temptation. The great gobs of money made by selling temptation are what bother him. Owners squeeze a good chunk of profit by keeping operating costs \u2014 including wages … Continue reading \u2018Devils\u2019 exposes cruise ships’ sordid history<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Correspondent<\/p>\n