Cruise Law News : Maritime Lawyer & Attorney : James M. Walker : Walker & O'Neill Law Firm : Admiralty Law, Cruise Ship Accidents & Injuries

An article this morning caught my eye: "Newest and Biggest Cruise Ship: Oasis of the Seas." The article contains the usual "wow-look-how-big-it-is!" style of writing which is most typically associated with travel agents.  You know, those travel agents doubling as authors whose interest in describing this monster-of-cruise-ship is hopelessly intertwined with obtaining commissions by selling cruises. 

Then I realized that the article (appearing in a Dallas newspaper) was written by Jane Wooldridge who is the business editor of the Miami Herald.

I have written about the Miami Herald and Ms. Wooldridge in several prior articles: Miami Herald: Asleep at the Wheel Regarding the Cruise Industry and Miami Herald - See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.

There have been an incredible number of newsworthy developments involving cruise lines over the past five years - missing passengers, high profile sexual assaults, endless pollution fines, fires, sinkings, and five Congressional hearings involving Miami based cruise lines. But the Miami Herald wouldn't touch these stories.  It did not even report on the passage of the first cruise crime bill in the 40 history of the cruise industry. 

The Miami Herald's writers never publish anything negative or controversial which might embarrass their cruise line friends.  Credible newspapers with real journalists are left to cover these legitimate stories - like the Los Angeles Times, the San Fransisco Chronicle, or the New York Times.

The Miami Herald sold out to the Miami-based  cruise industry long ago.  This latest article is just the same old cruise cheerleading that the Herald is known for.  Consider the gushing adjectives chosen in the description of the mega ship:  "wow ... amazing . . . revolutionary."  Can you imagine a business editor anywhere writing such drivel? The article contained quotes only from other cruise enthusiasts, travel agents and the cruise line's CEO, Richard Fain. 

The spectacle of the Oasis of the Seas raises disturbing questions which I have mentioned in numerous articles. But you will find no hint of controversy in articles by Miami Herald employees who consistently write travel pieces designed to sell tickets for their cruise line advertisers.  

Is it just coincidence that the article uses the word "Wow" (caps in original), when the corporate mantra at  Royal Caribbean is "Deliver the Wow?"   

And the latest controversy of this Cloverfield-like-beast-of-cruise-ship sailing past the ruins of Haiti to the cruise line's "private destination" of Labadee seems to many like corporate malfeasance on steroids.  But the Herald will look the other way.

See no evil.  Hear no evil.  Speak no evil.  The tradition of the Miami Herald continues.

Credits:

Newspaper vending machine        Daquella Manera Flickr Photostream 

Oasis of the Seas                       Kenneth Karsten via shipspotting.com

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I moved to New Orleans in 1980 to attend law school at Tulane.  I lived in an apartment 10 blocks from campus in the bottom of a two story shotgun house on Freret Street in Uptown.  A witch lived above me and insisted that she hang bird feathers over the transom of my front door.    

Yes, New Orleans was a weird place, full of restless souls. I loved it.  Every night there was lots of live music at Maple Street Bar, Tipitina's, Snug Harbor and in the Quarter.  Studying was impossible, being a 21-year-old-student in a city which was an excuse for a 24-hour-party.  

Talking about not studying, one of my best buddies was Mike Delesdernier, a LSU football guard, from Chalmette.  Big Mike.  He was around 260 lbs and could outrun me for the first 30 yards. He came from a family of river boat pilots. A funny guy.  When he was being sworn into the Louisiana Bar, a Federal District Judge asked him why went to law school rather than become a river pilot like his brothers.  His response - "afraid of the fog your Honor?"

Mike and I ate more oysters, crawfish and shrimp po-boys (dressed) and drank more Dixie beer than any 2 people in the history of the city.  Our favorite spot was Sid Mars by the 17th Street Canal.

Mike's dad was the Commissioner of the Super Dome - clearly a job with the best perks in the city.  We had access to the Commissioner's sky box, which was always full of lots of food, drinks, beauties, bookies, and infamous local politicians.

My first year in New Orleans, the Saints were 1 - 13.  The quarterback was a guy named Archie Manning.  Yep, Payton and Eli's dad!  My kids still don't believe me.  Some say Archie was the best quarterback to ever play in the NFL, but was cursed by having to play for the worse franchise in the league. 

The 1980 - 1981 season was brutal. Howard Cosell called the team a "disgrace" on Monday Night Football.  Half-way through the season, fans began wearing bags over their heads.  They called the team the "Aints."  

Mike and I watched a lot of losing games during my years there.  The franchise started in 1967.  It never had a winning season by the time I left in 1987 to come to Miami.     

When I arrived in Miami, the city was in love with Don Schula and Danny Marino.  The Miami Dolphins theme song played everywhere.  But I loved my Saints.  And I missed my oysters and Dixie beer with big Mike. 

So here we are 23 years later.  How things have changed.  Mike is married with three kids.  Sid Mars was destroyed, like my old house, by hurricane Katrina.  And my Saints are in the Super Bowl.

When people ask what I loved about New Orleans, the answer is always the same:

Oysters, Dixie Beer & my New Orleans Saints . . .

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There are lots of interesting blogs out there, one of them being Kenneth Cole's Awareness Blog, which contains an article "Cruise Boat Docks in Haiti."  It has the following political cartoon by Mikhaela Reid at her Flickr page, which pretty much sums up my view of spending several thousands of dollars to sail on a monstrosity like the Oasis of the Seas into an impoverished place like Haiti.

I have written a number of articles about Royal Caribbean's Labadee® boondoggle. It nauseates me to read the cruise line's description of sovereign Haitian land at its website:

On the north coast of Hispaniola, surrounded by beautiful mountain slopes and exotic foliage, sits Labadee®, Royal Caribbean's private paradise. This exclusive destination offers pristine beaches, breathtaking scenery and spectacular water activities . . .

Royal Caribbean's relationship with Haiti seems predatory to me, although the cruise line's PR people are working overtime. The cruise line just announced a charity cruise with Reality TV star Amy Roloff - advertised as "little people . . . Big Ship!"  I am a big fan of Amy and her family, but this one of the weirdest things I have ever seen.  

If you buy a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas with a balcony, its $2,000 a person.  It's hard to imagine a couple handing over $4,000 to Royal Caribbean to sail to Haiti, just to spend hundreds more for a zip line and a wave runner to tool around in the cruise line's "private paradise."

That money could do so much good for the Haitians suffering on the other side of Labadee's barbed wire security fence.  

Credits:

Cartoon      Mikhaela Reid Flickr page 

Labadee security fence            Rudbeckia Flickr Photostream  "A Haitian view of Labadee"

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The non-profit organization International Cruise Victims ("ICV") posted a story on its website regarding Princess Cruises crew member Angelo Faliva who "disappeared" from the Coral Princess cruise ship in November 2009.   

The ICV represents victims of crime on cruise ships, their families and friends, and individuals concerned about disappearances on cruise ships and the cruise industry's lack of transparency. With several hundred members throughout the world, the organization advocates for legislative reform and provides support to victims of crimes occurring on cruise ships. For additional information about the ICV, please contact its president, Ken Carver.

Meanwhile Mr. Faliva's sister, Chiara, continues to seek information from any passengers or crew members who may have information. Ms. Faliva posted a request on a "Princess Cruise Staff" Facebook page:

PLEASE HELP ME: Hi, my name is Chiara Faliva, and I'm the sister of Angelo Faliva, the 31 year old Italian chef disappeared from the cruise "Coral Princess" the night of 25th November 2009, while the cruise was sailing between Aruba and Cartagena (Colombia). I'm looking for passengers that were in this ship that night . . . I just want to have some contacts with them. Please, please help me. My e-mail is:  chiara_faliva@msn.com. Thank you very much for your attention.

Angelo and Chiara are seen in this photograph in in happier times as loving brother and sister. 

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The Antigua Sun reports that two cruise passengers were attacked and robbed while ashore in Antigua yesterday after getting off a cruise ship. 

The passengers were not identified but were described as a "British couple" who arrived in St. Johns yesterday.  They are sailing aboard the Fred Olsen cruise ship, Boudicca. 

The newspaper reports that the "daring daylight incident" occurred around 10:45 a.m. while the tourists were walking along Bay Street in the "Villa area" which is to the north of the St. Johns Harbour where the passengers disembarked. Three young men attacked the couple with "a piece of stick" and robbed them of a digital camera before fleeing. The couple was treated at the Mount St. John Medical Centre and then returned to the Boudicca.

Antigua's tourism officials already have their hands full following the highly publicized murder of Nina Elizabeth Nilssen who was killed in Antigua after disembarking from Star Clippers' Royal Clipper cruise ship.  This latest crime against a cruise tourist occurred while the executive members of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) were meeting with the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda and the local Cruise Tourism Association regarding cruise ships porting in Antigua.  In an article entitled "FCCA Team Gives Advise to Tourism Stakeholders," the Antigua Sun reports that the tourism and cruise people were discussing, among other issues, a "Crime Stoppers" forum when the robbery took place.

Although the media was invited to the meeting, no one would comment on the crime against the cruise passengers. 

Antigua has received a lot of unfavorable press over the last year following high profile murders of tourists.  One year ago, an article entitled "Tourist Murders, Robberies Threaten Antigua's Struggling Tourism Industry" labeled Antigua as "death island."  The article quotes the President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cruise Tourism Association Nathan Dundas as stating ". . .  we have been asking for more security but all of our pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears."

Star Clippers recently announced that it would no longer stop in Antigua, due to concerns with crime.  Carnival stopped scratched Antigua off its itinerary last year, although it did not explain why.  Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises continue to make calls in Antigua.  

The cruise industry is big business in Antigua and Barbuda.  The Anitgua Observer newspaper reported earlier this month that cruise passengers spent around $48 million from November 2008 to April 2009, according to the FCCA.   

We have addressed the issue of crime against cruise passengers in the Caribbean ports of call in many recent articles:

Passenger From Star Clippers Murdered in Antigua

Eleven Cruise Passengers Robbed in Nassau

18 Passengers From Royal Caribbean & Disney Cruise Ships Robbed By Shotgun in the Bahamas

Bahamas Cruise Crime Nightmare Continues

Nassau Welcomes Oasis of the Seas as Bahamas' Murder Count Reaches Record-Breaking Level

14 Cruise Passengers Robbed at Anse-La-Raye Waterfall in St. Lucia

Crime in Caribbean Ports of Call Against Cruise Passengers

Norwegian Cruise Line Passenger Murdered in Guatemala

Credits:    

Photograph of St. Johns Antigua            Squidoo

Antigua tourism - FCCA meeting           ab.gov.ag (via eTurbo News - "Florida Caribbean Cruise Association meets with Antigua and Barbuda Cruise Tourism Association"

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The official site of the Shorty Awards states that it honors "the best people and organizations on Twitter.  These unique awards are for the Twitter community, by the Twitter community."

140 characters of advice for a new user?

OK.  Thanks for reading.  Vote for me and I will appoint you to my cabinet, or maybe to be the Ambassador to the cruise ship League of Nations, or I'll send you a special gift, or  . . . 

Hey, I remember my friends . . .   

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The Antigua Sun newspaper in Antigua reports on the preliminary arraignment of Tishara Daniel who is charged with the murder of Nina Elizabeth Nilssen in Antigua.

The Antigua Sun contains the first photograph of Mr. Daniel.

The article contains rather bizarre details of the suspect's clothing and shoes and what is described as nervous fidgeting by the defendant.

Mr. Daniel was held without bail and sent to prison waiting trial.  His lawyer can petition a higher court for bail.

His attorney is identified as Dane Hamilton Jr.

This will be a trial which will receive a lot of attention in the U.S. over the course of the nest year. 

We have had a number of clients victimized on cruise ships and in ports in the Caribbean.  Obtaining a guilty verdict involving a crime against a U.S. citizen in a Caribbean courtroom is not as easy as it may seem.  There are many talented defense lawyers throughout the Caribbean.

Don't underestimate a dedicated and experienced defense lawyer versus local prosecutors, for a second. 

Our experience has been that jurors are sometimes more sympathetic to the local island citizen than the U.S. victim.  Perhaps this sounds cynical, so be it.  

We hope that this is not the situation with this case. But without a doubt, this will be a long and exhausting process for the families involved. 

Credit:

Tishara Daniel               Antigua Sun

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The following is the statement of the Nilssen family, issued today:

We, the family of Nina Elizabeth Nilssen, welcome the news that the police force in St. George, Antigua Barbuda led by Corporal Marlon Proctor have arrested and charged Tishara Daniel of Sweets Village, Antigua with the murder of our daughter. We are thankful for your respect for our family's privacy at this difficult moment and will not be available for interviews. Our expectation is that the Antigua Barbuda justice system will convict and sentence this killer to the maximum punishment available.

During our horrific ordeal following Nina’s murder, the people of Antigua treated us with respect, grace, and kindness. We would like to thank the Antiguan Ministry of Tourism for their generous hospitality; Corporal Proctor and his team of investigators, Assistant Commissioner of Police Jacques Ouellette, and Deputy Commissioner of Police Neal Parker for their diligent work. Although we do not know their names, we would also like to express our gratitude to the witnesses for playing a big part in the capture of this murderer.

We are especially grateful to our home communities of Taos, NM and San Francisco, CA for the incredible outpouring of love and compassion during this difficult time.

Nina was an adventurer and a free spirit and she is now on the ultimate adventure.

We ask that those wishing to honor Nina send donations to the Peruvian organization ANDES (Asociación para la Naturaleza y Desarrollo Sosentible), which works for land rights for indigenous communities and promotes sustainable development in the Andes. They have set up the Nina Elizabeth Nilssen Fund which will provide resources for the Q'eros people, who were very special to Nina, and other indigenous communities to establish Vilcanota, the world's first spiritual national park, to forever protect their lands and traditions in the face of large-scale mining development and to share with visitors the serene and sacred beauty of the high Andes.

To make a donation in honor of Nina, please visit http://www.taoscf.org or mail your check to PO Box: 1925, Taos, NM 87571. For more information about ANDES, please visit  http://www.andes.org.pe.

Photograph of Ms. Nilssen                 San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate online)

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The Taos News reports that memorial services were held this weekend for Nina Nilssen.

The newspaper states that "donations will provide resources for the Q’eros people and other indigenous communities to establish Vilcanota, the world’s first spiritual national park, to protect their land, traditions and the sacred beauty of the high Andes — a place of great joy for Nina Nilssen."

Donations should be made to the Taos Community Foundation in Ms. Nilssen’s honor.

Please mail your donations to:

Taos Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1925 Taos NM 87571.

Credits:

Photo of Ms. Nilssen         Nilssen family via Rivera Family

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