CRUISE UPDATE The Horizon After Legionnaires' Bout Most seem confident water supply shipshap after cleaning, tests ALL EDITIONS

• Published in: Newsday
• Main Author: By George Giokas. STAFF WRITER. George Giokas is
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Long Island, N.Y Newsday LLC 21.08.1994
• Edition: Combined editions

LEGIONELLA "is out there and there is a lot of it," [Bob Howard] said, adding that the bacteria can be found in 30 percent of all buildings with cooling towers. Helen Burford, vice president of marketing communications for Celebrity, said all of the whirlpools on all Celebrity cruise ships have been closed as a precaution against other outbreaks and that no decision on their reopening will be made until the CDC has issued a final report. The ship's pools, meanwhile, which are emptied each day and replenished with sea water, were open and doing a booming business. No bacteria was found there, the CDC said. Passengers paid from $1,000 to $3,000 for the seven-day cruise on the Horizon. The cruise was fully booked, but some berths were filled by travel agents who were offered reduced passage on the ship by Celebrity. Burford said that the cruise line routinely offers passage to agents. Passengers traveling on the first cruise after the ship was cleared also received $200 "on-board credit" for sticking with their plans. ED PERKINS, editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, said that questions to his publication have been about CDC testing procedures. "This kind of thing is potentially more serious than storing a quart of milk next to some flours," he said, adding that some of the CDC tests "are for frivolous things." The CDC rates cruise ships with points, with a score below 85 considered unsatisfactory. The Horizon scored a 94 in the July report, which was based on a February inspection.