March 2013

Cruise Ship Bill of RightsThe AP is reporting that New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer is calling on the cruise ship industry to adopt a "bill of rights" to guarantee passengers certain protections while cruising. 

Senator Schumer says that he will be asking the cruise lines to voluntarily adopt certain guidelines which include guarantees that cruise ships have what

On the heels of power and propulsion difficulties facing Carnival Cruise Line cruise ships Triumph, Dream, Legend and Elation, it is now being reported that another cruise ship operated by a Carnival Corporation brand, P&O Cruises, is suffering propulsion problems.

Passengers are reporting that the P&O Ventura has broken down several times over the

WTSP in Tampa reports on the plight of the Carnival Legend cruise ship which left last Sunday from the Port of Tampa under full power but will return limping home tomorrow.

There’s a problem with one of the cruise ship’s two propulsion pods that is substantially reducing the Legend’s speed.

Carnival canceled the ship’s port stop

Carnival Legend Cruise Ship - Propulsion ProblemsCNN reports that  the Carnival cruise ship Legend is experiencing mechanical problems that are affecting its sailing speed, the latest in a growing list of woes for the cruise line.

The Legend was on the last part of a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departed Tampa on Sunday. 

The cruise ship had to be escorted by a

Senator John Rockefeller TwitterTwitter Smack Down!

A few minutes ago Senator John Rockefeller tweeted to Carnival CEO Mickey Arison:

".@USCoastGuard responded to 90 incidents with Carnival ships in 5yrs- with passengers onboard. This needs to change" http://1.usa.gov/152nF2x "

Senator Rockefeller linked his tweet to a letter he sent to Micky Arison today expressing his deep concerns regarding the

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

When the Cruise Shipping Miami’s "State of the Industry" presentation started yesterday at 9:30 AM, I wondered whether anyone would mention Costa Concordia.  

Keynote speaker, David Scowsill,World Travel and Tourism Council President, briefly mentioned the Concordia disaster in passing, saying "despite the tragic cruise ship incident last year" cruising is still "safest" form

Cruise Shipping Miami ("CSM 2013") starts tomorrow morning.  Word on the street is that notwithstanding rough times for the cruise industry over the past year, there will be a record attendance.

Formerly known as "Seatrade," CSM is a huge trade show in the Miami Beach Convention Center with all types of cruise vendors, tourism delegates

Norwegian Jade Cruise Ship Katakolon GreeceAccording to a news account in Greece, a 25 year old Filipino crew member aboard the Norwegian Jade died when the cruise ship was in Katakolo, Greece.

In addition to the skimpy information contained in the newspaper, we learned that the incident occurred early this morning when cruise passengers were preparing to disembark for

Malvinas - Falkland Island - Cruise Ship ProtestsOver the past year, there have been a number of protests at ports in Argentina against cruise ships which stop in the Falkland Islands.

Argentina asserts sovereignty of what Argentinians refer to as the "Malvinas."  Britain claimed sovereignty over the islands in the late 1700s; Argentina claimed possession in 1820; and the islands were a