March 2010

Cruise Line International Association - CLIA - Lobbying Today Business Week published an article "Cruise Trade Group Spends $400K on 4Q Lobbying" which is re-printed, unedited, as follows:

"Cruise Lines International Association spent almost $400,000 in the fourth quarter to lobby on security and environmental issues along with other matters, according to a recent disclosure report.

The trade group that represents

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that Celebrity Cruises’ Mercury cruise ship has returned to Charleston, South Carolina with 182 ill passengers. 

According to its web page "Investigation Update on the Mercury,"  t’he CDC reports 182 of 1749 passengers (10.41%) are ill with diarrhea and vomiting, and 14 of the 850 crew (1.65%) are sick.

With

A story in the BVI Platinum’s newspaper indicates that the cruise excursion bus driver Roland Allen, nick-named "Crash Dummy," had been convicted of driving offenses – including reckless driving – before the ill-fated Princess Cruises excursion bus crash. 

We suspected this, as we raised this issue in a prior article "How Did Princess Cruises Excursion Bus Driver "Crash Dummy"

When cruise passengers are injured during cruises and require legal representation, the chances are that they will require a lawyer in South Florida.  Most cruise lines are based in either Miami or Fort Lauderdale.  These cruise lines include "forum selection" clauses in the passenger tickets which require that the passenger’s lawsuit must be filed in Florida.  

So if the accident occurs on a cruise

This morning Kendall Carver, President of the International Cruise Victims organization, appeared on the "Fox and Friends" television show regarding the death of passengers aboard the Louis Majesty cruise ship.  

Ken Carver - International Cruise VictimsMr. Carver raised the issue why the passengers were not warned of the wave conditions before the disaster, based on information gathered from the ship’s radar and ocean

Three 30 foot waves crashed into the Louis Majesty cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday.  Two passengers died.

The Greece-based Louis Cruise Lines ship was north-east of Barcelona, Spain, heading east to Genoa, Italy when three “abnormal” waves struck the vessel.

The waves smashed windows in public areas.  CNN reported that the deceased

In an article entitled "Taxi Driver Granted $60,000 Bail – License Suspended," BVI News in Tortola, British Virgin Islands (BVI) reports that the driver of the Princess Cruises excursion bus arrested for reckless driving and causing death by reckless driving has been offered bail in the amount $60,000.  The Magistrate set bail of $25,000 cash and a $35,000 surety.

BVI citizen

CruiseJunkie.com reports that was a person may have gone overboard from the Costa Serena last Saturday February 27th.

A passenger informed the CruiseJunkie web site that a person was reported missing from the Costa cruise ship while in the Atlantic between the Canary Islands and Malaga.

Costa Serena Overboard? - Missing - DisappearanceThe web site stresses that this incident is not yet confirmed from the cruise line company