 |  Casino Ship Delays Inaugural Voyage
28 Jul 2004
Casino Ship Delays Inaugural VoyageThe owners of the Ocean Jewel, the new St. Petersburg-based
mega-casino ship, have postponed their early August opening until
mid- to late August. Duncan Elliott, a spokesman for the ship's
owners, Titan Cruise Lines Inc., says new federal regulations are
requiring two-week security training for ship personnel to deal
with homeland security concerns.He said the Ocean Jewel is the first ship at the Port of St.
Petersburg subject to the new regulations, which are mandated by
the federal Office of Homeland Security. Elliott said 500 employees
have been hired to operate the Las Vegas-style gambling boat,
including 400 in the last week.Positions filled last week include dealers, hosts and servers,
he said. The 450-foot gambling ship, the largest of its kind in
Florida, was first announced in December 1992, and service was
supposed to begin in March 2003.St. Petersburg officials embraced the ship, saying it would
bring more tourists downtown and erase the city's $150,000 subsidy
for the port with docking fees that would be paid. But financial
problems caused the original owners to pull out of the project in
March 2003, before the service started. A group of investors from
Illinois took over.The company began a major advertising campaign in the past few
months, emphasizing it offers Las Vegas-style gambling and
entertainment. Elliott said the Ocean Jewel will have a full
complement of Las Vegas-style games, such as blackjack and and
baccarat. He said the ship's main competitor, the Seminole Hard
Rock Casino, offers a more limited gambling experience.However, Doug Hoppe, director of marketing for the Seminole Hard
Rock Casino, which had its grand opening in March, said the casino
is crowded nightly and is meeting expectations. ``We have a great
product and we hope to continue growing our product,'' he said.The Seminole Hard Rock Casino offers poker, bingo and, in
contrast to the Ocean Jewel, the freedom to arrive and depart as
one pleases, he said. Elliott said the Ocean Jewel will be
different from the typical casino boat experience because customers
won't have to stay on board all evening. Three Hovercrafts will
depart throughout the evening, taking passengers on the 30-minute
journey from the Port of St Petersburg to the ship's location in
international waters. That would mitigate the normal
hour-and-a-half journey that a casino boat must travel to get to
international waters. |
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