Federal officials are chartering three of Carnival Cruise Lines' ships for six months, part of a plan to provide shelter for as many as 7,000 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
The three ships - the Ecstasy, Sensation and Holiday - will be pulled from regular use starting Monday.
Ecstasy, normally ported at Galveston for four-and five-day cruises, and Sensation, normally in New Orleans for similar trips, will be pulled Monday and are scheduled to dock and house Katrina evacuees in Galveston, Texas.
The Holiday, which sails four and five-day Mexico cruises out of Mobile, Ala., will be pulled Thursday and likely docked in Mobile. About 920 crew members will staff the Ecstasy and Sensation, with about 660 running the Holiday. The Ecstasy and Sensation can each take 2,606 passengers, while the Holiday can hold 1,800.
