That's the way one sales clerk described the impact of losing two cruise ships -- and about 3,600 potential customers -- this week on the Island's east end.

St. George's merchants who cater to the visitor trade yesterday told The Royal Gazette things were bad enough when the Royal Majesty and its cargo of 1,056 passengers and 500 crew were diverted from Bermuda to the grave site of the Titanic for two weeks.

But to add to the misery the Zenith Wednesday took its compliment of 1,360 passengers and 650 crew home early because of the threat of Hurricane Edouard.

Now, says Perry Thompson of the San Giorgio Restaurante, "When you look down Water Street you're lucky to see five people when there should be about 1,500.

"Last night was completely dead; The only people hanging-out in St. George's were those who were working there.'' The Water Street restaurant is fortunate, says Mr. Thompson, because it doesn't rely exclusively on cruise ships clientele.

"We get a lot of locals, customers from the Marriott and from the St.

George's Club as well.

"People think we just get passengers. In fact what we really miss is the crew. We get a lot more crew people and, I think, bar owners will probably agree it's the crews who keep the bars open late,'' he said.

"Between the two boats we've lost about 1,400 people.'' The Wharf Tavern's Dawn Bealing said she's noticed a drastic difference and has even let one staff member leave early for holidays.

"Visibly you can see it. We usually seat between 150-200 people for lunch and today it's down to about 70, all locals and a few tourists,'' she told The Royal Gazette .

The well-known watering hole generally draws 70 percent of its lunch crowd and 40 percent of its supper clientele from the cruise ships.

"It's dead, there's no question about it,'' she said.

Heather Dill, who works the front desk at Dowling Cycle Rentals, says business was down enormously with just the Majesty away and now with two cruisers gone "there's not much doing''.

"We usually rent about 100 cycles a day but today we're doing 20, at the most,'' she said.

"Something's got to be done. They take a ship that supposed to go to St.

George's and send it to the Titanic ; all that does is hurt St. George's.'' Frangipani sales associate Debbie Nesbitt says business has dropped off so much that it's slow for just one person to staff the Water Street boutique.

"Today I'm cleaning in between serving customers,'' she told The Royal Gazette .

"There's been a big difference with the Majesty gone and now that the Zenith's left -- she's quiet.'' Added a sales clerk at Another World: "We miss the ships, we really do.''