they may be registered offshore, but every time an oasis class ships docks in port miami they pay the port of miami 82,000 dollars. they spend millions on provisions, they have thousands of dock workers, 22 dollars a day per car for parking, taxes on the airline tickets for the passengers getting there, bus and taxis bringing them to the port, sales tax on drinks served while docked, ect ect ect. the criuse ships bring big dollars to the cities where they port. royal has 4200 employees at its headquarters alone in MIA. carnival is right next door with probably about the same. the cruise industry is a large part of florida's economy. yes, the boats are registered off shore, and most employees on the boat are not us citzens, but they still inject a large amount of cash into the US economy. do i agree with bailouts, as a general rule no, but this economic hit will require government help. lets just hope the do it the right way.