There is a lot of controversy today about the seizure of the Carnival Triumph cruise ship in Galveston. Lawyers in Mississippi and Texas who are representing the family of a German woman killed on the Costa Concordia filed a lawsuit against Carnival in Galveston. In addition to the lawsuit, they filed a motion to obtain
March 2012
Azamara Quest Cruise Ship Catches On Fire Near Borneo
An Azamara cruise ship, the Quest, reportedly caught fire in the Sulu Sea, between the Philippines and Borneo.
The story was first mentioned on Twitter by Simon Browning, a reporter for BBC Radio 4, whose twitter handle is @simbrowning. Around 9:24 AM this morning, Mr. Browning tweeted: "hearing reports a cruise …
Are Cruise Ships Dangerously Top Heavy?
Ever since the Costa Concordia disaster, questions have been raised whether modern day cruise ships are being designed more dangerously by increasing their size to pile more and more passengers aboard.
There is no question that cruise ship are getting bigger and bigger. You need look no further than Royal Caribbean’s Genesis class (Oasis…
Cruise Ship Door Locking Devices – What On Earth Is This?
A member of Cruise Critic posted a photograph of some kind of device designed to prevent the insertion of a key card to unlock a passenger cabin door as well as to padlock the door handle from moving.
The passenger apparently sailed aboard an unidentified Royal Caribbean cruise ship last month, and invited the fellow…
Another Princess Cruise Ship Stricken With Norovirus?
The Sun Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale reports that passengers aboard the Island Princess cruise ship are experiencing symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, according to a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control ("CDC").
The Princess cruise ship is scheduled to return to Port Everglades this morning after sailing a 10 night Panama Canal cruise.
The newspaper…
“Attacked at Sea” – the Dark Side of Cruising
NBC Bay Area aired a cruise crime special last night regarding the problem of sexual assaults at sea. The program is called "Crime Onboard – The Dark Side of Cruising."
NBC reports that although cruising is one of the most popular ways to travel and vacation, passengers are often left in the dark…
NBC Special: Crime Onboard – the Dark Side of Cruising
As part of its special investigation into the problem of crime on cruise ships, "Crimes Onboard – The Dark Side of Cruising," NBC Bay Area interviewed Congresswomen Doris Matsui (D-CA) who was instrumental in the passage of the Cruise Vessel Security & Safety Act.
Congresswoman Matsui’s constituent (and our client) Laurie Dishman called…
Coast Guard Busy Rescuing Sick Cruise Passengers: Three Medevacs in Ten Days
The United States Coast Guard has been busy rescuing ill passengers from cruise ships over the past week.
Today a newspaper in North Carolina reports that a Coast Guard helicopter medevaced a 49 year old woman from the Carnival Pride cruise ship. The ship was near Virginia at the time of the emergency medical evacuation.
Cruise Ships: The Deadliest Form of Public Transportation?
Since the Costa Concordia disaster, the cruise lines’ PR departments have been working overtime trying to convince the public that cruising is safe. I have mentioned the cruise industry’s talking points in a prior article "Six Lies the Cruise Lines Will Tell You after the Costa Concordia Crash."
One of the bigger cruise whoppers…
Royal Caribbean Crew Member Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of 14 Year Old Passenger
A Royal Caribbean crew member has pleaded guilty to the sexual abuse of a 14 year old girl during a Caribbean cruise.
25 year old Fabian Palmer admitted engaging in sexual relations with the girl during a cruise from Baltimore in December 2010.
Crew member Palmer was employed by Royal Caribbean as a pool attendant…
“Rouges & Vagabonds:” Gay Cruise Couple Fined, Insulted & Deported From Dominica
In a weird ending to a weird cruise story, two California men who were arrested on the Celebrity Summit cruise ship while it was docked in Dominica pleaded guilty to indecent exposure at a hearing yesterday and were then ridiculed by a local magistrate.
Yesterday we mentioned the bizarre circumstances surround the Atlantis Events cruise:…
A Parent’s Worst Nightmare – Disappearance Of Disney Crew Member Rebecca Coriam
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the disappearance of youth counselor Rebecca Coriam from the Disney Wonder cruise ship.
BBC News published an article which summed up the problems caused when a cruise line like Disney chooses to fly a flag of convenience in a country like the Bahamas. You can read the…
Busted for Buggery: Controversy Follows Another Atlantis Gay Cruise
Another Atlantis gay cruise resulted in public controversy yesterday when police in Dominica arrested two passengers on the Celebrity Summit on suspicion of indecent exposure and “buggery” (sodomy).
Someone on the dock supposedly observed the passengers having sex on the cruise ship. The two arrested passengers were men in their 40’s from California. Newspaper accounts…
What Happened to Disney Youth Counselor Rebecca Coriam on the Disney Wonder Cruise Ship One Year Ago?
The following is a copy of a press release issued today regarding the disappearance of Rebecca Coriam:
What Happened to Rebecca?
One year ago tomorrow, twenty-four year old Rebecca Coriam disappeared from the Disney Wonder. Rebecca worked aboard the Wonder as a youth counselor.
She was responsible for taking care of the children…
Silversea Silver Shadow Collides with Container Ship
CNN iReport contains a first hand account from a passenger describing a collision between Silversea Cruises’ Silver Shadow cruise ship and what is being described as a Vietnamese container ship near Halong bay, Vietnam. The report indicates damage to both the cruise ship and the container ship. The passenger’s account and a photograph of…
Has the Cruise Industry Already Forgotten the Costa Concordia?
I have been out of town for the past week with my family on spring break vacation, returning last night to Miami. But I have been my usual self reading up on the latest cruise news.
It seems that the cruise lines enjoyed a great time last week of self-generated good news. The Cruise Shipping…
Cruise Shipping Miami 2012 – Cruising is Safe, It Really Is, Trust Us
I am out of town with my family on Spring Break for a couple of days. This morning I was on my computer reading the Twitter feed for Cruise Shipping Miami 2012.
As all of you know, the Cruise Shipping Miami event (previously known a SeaTrade) is the annual event sponsored by the cruise industry…
Miami Herald Continues to Publish Puff Pieces for Its Cruise Line Friends
Let me place my biases front and center.
I am no fan of the Miami Herald. it’s beholden to the cruise industry which pays it for cruise advertising ads. The Herald’s "business" editor, Jane Wooldridge, is the former travel editor for the newspaper. Although she graduated with me from Duke in 1980, she is at…