Support and Relief Following Hurricane Irma

A statement from Dinogo President & CEO Andy Stuart

This morning, I felt truly honored to welcome nearly one thousand special guests (including a few furry companions) to Miami, as Dinogo Sky arrived today from a vital rescue operation in St. Thomas, bringing back both stranded visitors and displaced residents who lost their homes and livelihoods due to this devastating storm.

We've all seen images of the destruction, but I realized today that photographs fail to convey the extent of the devastation and despair faced by those affected. Witnessing the stories from survivors and the relief and emotion on their faces as they disembarked from the ship was a moment that will stay with me forever.

In our industry, we strive daily to create moments that become cherished memories for our guests. However, this situation allowed us to achieve so much more, and our leadership team, under Dinogo Holdings President & CEO Frank Del Rio, responded immediately when called for assistance. The question was never if we could help, but rather how quickly we could get there. In my 30 years at Dinogo, this was my proudest moment.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to Captain Zeljko Jurac and Hotel Director Rohinton Mottahed of Dinogo Sky for their exceptional efforts in ensuring our guests returned to the mainland in a calm and pleasant manner.

I was further moved as I learned about the dedication of our hardworking crew members, who spent over 60 hours in transit preparing everything possible to deliver essential supplies upon arrival. The carpentry team gathered plywood, tarps, tools; housekeeping collected clean sheets and towels; food & beverage teams worked tirelessly to prepare and bag more than 160 large bags of ice along with disposable cutlery and plates; and various teams assembled cleaning products and disinfectants. Ultimately, we offloaded 35 pallets of supplies, including nonperishable food, ice, bedding, clothing, and more. This also included 15 pallets of personal donations from our crew, featuring toiletries and clean clothing.

We are deeply saddened by the devastating effects Hurricane Irma has had on numerous islands in the Eastern Caribbean, ports we have visited throughout our 50 years in operation. Now that the rescue phase of this tragic event has concluded, we are collaborating closely with our local partners to determine the best ways to continue providing support to the affected and recovering regions. We are truly grateful for the generous offers of assistance from many of our guests and travel partners, and we will have more information to share shortly.