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

CNN reports this morning that passengers aboard the Dream contacted the news channel, stating that there are power outages and overflowing toilets on the cruise ship which is in port at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, in the eastern Caribbean. The ship was supposed to leave port yesterday at 5:00 PM.

CNN quotes a passenger from North Carolina saying:

"We are not allowed off of the boat despite the fact that we have no way to use the restrooms on board . . . The cruise director is giving passengers very limited information and tons of empty promises. What was supposed to take a hour has turned into 7-plus hours."

Another passenger tells CNN: "There's human waste all over the floor in some of the bathrooms and they're overflowing -- and in the state rooms. The elevators have not been working. They've been turning them on and off, on and off." 

CNN quotes the U.S. Coast Guard saying that Carnival notified it that the Dream is experiencing "generator issues." 

The incident occurs while the cruise industry is conducting its annual convention, "Cruise Shipping Miami." Carnival President Gerry Cahill told the convention audience that disabled cruise ships are "very rare."

Early this morning Carnival released a statement saying: "At no time did the ship lose power but there were periodic interruptions to elevators and toilets for a few hours last night . . . At present the ship has full power and all hotel systems are functioning normally and have been functional since approximately 12.30 a.m."

If the ship never lost power why is it still in port 16 hours past schedule? 

A webcam link posted by a Cruise Critic member shows the Dream still in port as of 9:00 AM this morning.

The Dream's webcam is here.

Reuters quotes Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss in Miami saying “Right now the passengers are being kept on board the ship for accountability reasons.  They were scheduled to leave today so the captain has decided to have everybody remain on board at this time.”

If you are on the ship or have information to share, please leave a message or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons (Kuloskulos)

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A number of news stations in Florida are reporting on the rescue of two boaters by the crew of the Disney Dream cruise ship.

The incident happened on Wednesday as the cruise ship was sailing in Bahamian water at the end of the cruise 

WKMG 6 reports the Disney Dream responded to a distress signal and launched a lifeboat to bring two people stranded on a small pleasure craft on board. Disney officials said the two needed medical attention, food and water but are expected to be okay. 

The ship returned to Port Canaveral on yesterday morning with the two people on board.

The Orlando Sentinel also covered the story and stated that the two boaters were U.S. citizens. The stranded vessel was registered in Florida.

Passengers on the cruise ship took photographs of the rescue.  

Photo credit:

Top - Matt Crawford via WKMG 6

Bottom - Dan Tressler, II via Orlando Sentinel

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Courthouse News reports today on a disturbing story regarding a cruise passenger's death due to what is alleged to be delayed and inadequate shipboard medical care.

The story involves John and Victoria Showers who sailed from Miami on a Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Dream.

After leaving Miami, Ms. Showers complained of constipation. She went ashore in Cozumel, the following day, where she purchased laxatives that didn't help her. The article states that Ms. Showers experienced severe abdominal pain while back on the cruise ship. The following morning, Mr. Showers called the ship's medical personnel, who eventually sent a wheelchair to their cabin and took Ms. Showers to the infirmary.

But instead of seeing a ship doctor, Ms. Showers was seen by who appears to be a nurse who did not take a history, or take her vital signs, or examine her according to Mr. Showers.  All the cruise employee did, according to the article, was to give Ms. Showers two fleet enemas.

When the ship doctor finally saw Ms. Showers later in the afternoon, he diagnosed a bowel obstruction after examining her.  The ship doctor recommended she she be seen at a medical center in Belize where crew members are treated.

Once Ms. Showers was ashore in Belize City, the doctors there stated that they could not provide emergency treatment for her. Mr. Showers had to arrange for emergency medical evacuation of his wife to Miami.

The doctors in Miami found that fecal matter had entered Ms. Showers abdominal cavity, causing an infection and other severe complications. Following hospitalization from November 4th and many surgeries later, Ms. Showers died on December 22nd.

We have written many articles about bad medical care on cruise ships and in the Caribbean, and the difficulties holding cruise lines responsible for medical malpractice.  Read: If The Ship Doctor Kills You, Too Bad

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A Carnival crewmember found a dead baby in a passenger cabin this week.  The child is apparently the newborn baby of a twenty year old passenger. 

The disturbing discovery occurred aboard the Carnival Dream cruise ship.  Carnival released a statement indicating that Dutch authorities detained the mother in St. Maarten, where the cruise ship called on Wednesday.  The FBI boarded the Dream when it returned to Port Canaveral.  The FBI has special maritime jurisdiction to investigate alleged crimes involving U.S. passengers in international waters.      

Carnival does not permit pregnant women to cruise if their estimated gestational age on the day of disembarkation is 25 weeks or more. 

There is no indication whether the baby was stillborn or died after the mother gave birth.  An autopsy should provide answers.

If you have additional information about this incident, please leave a comment below. 

Video credit:  CBS / Today Show

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A family from Illinois is thankful that their son survived a medical emergency during a Caribbean cruise aboard Carnival's Dream cruise ship which quickly turned into a nightmare. 

NBC Chicago reports that the Cohn family were three days into their week long cruise, when their 14 year old son Stephen became very ill with severe stomach pain and internal bleeding.

Heading to St. Thomas, the captain diverted the cruise ship to Puerto Rico.  However, Stephen's medical  condition deteriorated and the captain summoned a coast guard helicopter to medevac the child from the ship.  The child's mom, Michelle Cohn, was also lifted from the cruise ship and accompanied her son to an intensive care unit in Puerto Rico.

The helicopter rescue avoided what would have been a 6 hours journey to the port in Puerto Rico.

The boy's parents thanked Carnival for saving their son's life, saying "They saved his life. They absolutely saved his life." 

For other happy endings, read our articles about cruise ship medevacs here.

Video credit:  NBC Chicago

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A video has been circulating on the internet which shows the new Disney Dream cruise ship coming perilously close to colliding with Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas, just days before the Dream was christened in Port Canaveral. 

A passenger's YouTube video shows the Dream drifting very close to the Royal Caribbean cruise ship.  

The Orlando Sentinel reports that before the video was uploaded to YouTube, officials with Disney Cruise Lines, Port Canaveral and the U.S. Coast Guard said they were unaware of any such incident.   Disney's PR people are now claiming that the ship was never in danger of a collision. 

"The ship was under the control of our captain the entire time," spokeswoman Christi Donnan said. "There was never a safety concern."

Yeah, right.

The interesting thing is that a Royal Caribbean crewmember stopped the passengers from filming or taking photos of the incident.  You can see the Royal Caribbean employee blocking the passenger's video camera: 

The passenger left the following comment on his YouTube page:  

THIS WAS NOT REPORTED ON THE NEWS AND THE CREW TRIED TO KEEP PASSENGERS FROM FILMING!!  Standing on RCI Monarch of the Seas during the mandatory Muster drill when Disney Dream began to turn around.  Mickey got closer .... and Closer.... AND CLOSER!!!!!  The crew tried to keep us from video taping so this is in parts.  We were all certainly bracing for the BUMP!!!!  An officer ran by us, gesturing to the Dream and taking on a radio - Muster came to a STOP until the Disney Dream missed us.  The officer said it was less than one foot - JUST BARELY!!!!  This happened in Port Canaveral as the Monarch of the Seas was leaving.  The Harbor Master was aboard the Monarch and the Disney Dream did not have the authorization to move the ship.  The Disney Dream was set to have the christening on the 19th for the maiden voyage, but it almost didn't happen!!!

Video credit:  Floridagalrb's YouTube page

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