Apparently, Carnival didn't think (or plan) that the US magistrate (not quite a federal judge) would accede to the plaintiffs' demand to secure their rights, "Playing Chicken" as it were. Faced by the potential cancellation of the cruise, Carnival's lawyers arranged to post a bond equal to the potential "value' of the law suit. I'm surprised that they could pull it off in a Saturday time frame, and likely had to pay a bit above conventional rates (plusa hefty legal bill) to secure a bond on Saturday.