QM2 generating waves of business for South Florida

Jason · January 28, 2004

By Joseph Mann

Business Writer, Sun Sentinel

January 27 2004

Boat Blossums of Fort Lauderdale will deliver about 5,000 fresh flowers to the Queen Mary 2 this week before it steams out of Port Everglades on its maiden voyage to the Caribbean Saturday.

The florist supplies the world's largest passenger ship every seven days or so, said owner Lynn Hoffman. "Our average weekly shipment is about 1,500 orchids, 500 anthuriums, 500 to 600 roses, and about 2,500 other varieties," he added.

The Queen Mary 2's arrival at Port Everglades Monday is making waves of new business for South Florida companies, and Boat Blossums is one of dozens of the liner's local suppliers.

Although no one can say for sure what the total economic impact of the QM2's eight scheduled calls to Fort Lauderdale will be this year, the figure will be several million dollars in direct purchases in South Florida, according to figures provided by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, Carnival Corp.'s Cunard Line, which owns the ship, and Port Everglades officials.

Where do these millions of dollars come from? The ship itself, which carried more than 3,800 passengers and crew when it docked Monday, buys food, beverages, hotel supplies, flowers and fuel each time it docks at Port Everglades.

Its passengers and crew spend money on a host of goods and services while in port, such as hotels, restaurants, bars, taxis, car rentals, tours, clothing, entertainment and gifts. There are other expenditures, too, such as advertising and public relations, repairs and maintenance for the ship.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau conservatively estimates that QM2 will generate about $2.5 million in hotel and restaurant trade this year, according to Nicki Grossman, the bureau's president.

Port Everglades will earn $55,000 in fees for each visit, or $440,000 for the season.

Rolf Hensche, director of procurement and logistics for Cunard, estimates the luxury liner will spend close to $700,000 for food, beverages, hotel and other supplies before leaving port on Jan. 31. "We're spending about $50,000 on produce and over $150,000 on wine," he said. "We ordered 4,000 pounds of soft ice cream and the supplier couldn't believe it," he added.

"This is a wonderful catch for us," Grossman said.

The QM2 has a large number of European cruise passengers, and they tend to stay longer in these destinations. And with the euro and British pound as strong as they are, they'll be spending more dollars."

Malls and other businesses also are looking forward to a boost in sales from the QE2's arrival. "We get a lot of cruise passengers here, we're close to the port so it's very convenient," said Linda DiZinno, general manager of Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale. "When the cruise ships come in, we get a lot of traffic."

Local companies contacted by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel were pleased that the Cunard liner was generating new sales for them, but were reluctant to discuss dollar sales.

Leif Griffin, owner of High Seas Trading Co. Florida, a ships' chandler in Miami, said, "We send them everything from electrical tape to plastic garbage bags to dust masks." He noted the ship was fully supplied when it left Southampton, so purchases this week will only reflect items used up during the transatlantic crossing.

In addition, the QM2 orders patÃƒÂ© de foie gras and fine oils and vinegars from France, truffles, and Spanish saffron from Marky's Caviar in Miami, said Moshe Cohen, the director of sales. "They're a brand new customer -- they started in November -- and they order pretty impressive volumes," he said. "They make zero compromise on quality. We don't sell them caviar yet, but we're hoping to."