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January 2016
UK Naval Commander Warns that ISIS Could Target Cruise Ships in Mediterranean
Multiple news outlets in the U.K. are reporting that the U.K. naval commander for NATO is warning that ISIS presents a threat to shipping in the Mediterranean Sea.
The popular Daily Mail published UK Commander Warns Mediterranean Cruise Ships Could be Terror Targets.
It’s a topic we cover often. It is our belief that…
Excursion Bus with Passengers from MSC Orchestra Crashes in Dominica
A newspaper in Dominica reports that an excursion bus taking passengers from a MSC cruise ship to a tourist attraction crashed today in Dominica.
An infant reportedly died in the accident, according to the online newspaper in Dominica.
The bus was heading on an excursion to Trafalgar Falls.
The newspaper says that five people have been…
Court Dismisses Passengers’ Costa Concordia Lawsuits Filed in Miami
An appellate court in Miami has ruled that Costa Concordia passengers, both U.S. residents and non-U.S. residents, cannot seek compensation in the U.S. for any injuries which they suffered arising out of the Concordia disaster in 2012.
Yesterday, the Third District Court of Appeal published its decision in Denise Abeid-Saba, et al. vs. Carnival Corp., Carnival…
RCCL to Hire 30,000 Filipino Crew Members Over Next Five Years
The Manila Bulletin reports that Royal Caribbean announced yesterday that it is "hiring a total of 30,000 Filipino crew members over the next five years" as the company "expands its fleet and routes to Asia."
The newspaper also states that the cruise line currently employees around 11,000 Filipinos as crew members.
Filipinos seafarers have a proud…
Coke Bust on Jewel of the Seas
The Daily Star reports that U.S. authorities in San Juan arrested seven people after finding 24 pounds (11 kilograms) of cocaine aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship just before it was to set to sail.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said today that a canine doing cabin inspections aboard the Jewel of the Seas found…
Bahamian Police Arrest U.S. Cruise Passenger for Rape
The Tribune newspaper reports that the Royal Bahamas Police Department arrested a U.S. passenger from Missouri over the weekend for allegedly raping another passenger on an unidentified cruise ship.
The Bahamian police is holding the U,S, citizen for "indecent assault" of the cruise passenger of a female on Saturday morning.
The newspaper says that "shortly…
Labadee® in Limbo – When Will Royal Caribbean Return to Its Private Resort?
Today is the third occasion when Royal Caribbean has canceled a port call in its private destination of Labadee, Haiti. The Vision of the Seas was supposed to call on Royal Caribbean’s fenced-off private port today but instead the cruise line has chosen to avoid Labadee and take passengers on the Vision of the Seas…
Pukefest on the Crown Princess – Why Does Princess Cruise Have So Many Norovirus Outbreaks?
The first norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship calling on a U.S. port this year has been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And, no surprise to anyone that follows cruise ship outbreaks, it involved a Princess Cruises cruise ship.
The Crown Princess just returned to Los Angeles following a two…
CDC Expands Zika Travel Warning
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added eight (8) more destinations to its recent Zika virus travel alert yesterday.
In addition to the 14 countries already on the CDC list (Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti , Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Suriname, and Venezuela), the CDC added…
Cruise Ship Passenger Robbed in Roseau, Dominica
One of the issues which we follow is the high crime rate throughout the Caribbean islands which are visited by U.S. tourists on cruise ships. One of our articles – Top 10 Most Dangerous Cruise Destinations in the World – caused a fervor among many tourist-dependent ports.
We cited a Huffington Post article entitled…
Is Your Cruise Ship Prepared for a Terrorist Attack?
Yahoo Travel just interviewed me for its article Is Your Cruise Ship Prepared for a Terrorist Attack?
There are nearly 500 comments to the article some of which are quite interesting to read.
The Yahoo article does not really touch upon the issue that cruise ships are largely unarmed. So regardless how you feel about…
Royal Caribbean Cancels Another Cruise to Labadee
Royal Caribbean announced that it is canceling another port stop, this time by the Navigator of the Seas, at it’s "private destination" in Labadee, Haiti. According to the RCL Blog, Royal Caribbean said today:
"Royal Caribbean has not received any guarantees or assurances that there will not be any protests in the future.
U.S. State Department Warnings: Mexico & El Salvador
Yesterday the U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning for Mexico. The warning applies to only certain locations in Mexico and warns U.S. citizens of traveling to certain places in Mexico due to threats to safety and security. According to the U.S. State Department, U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, such…
Local Protesters Greet Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship
By Tom Fox, currently aboard the Freedom of the Seas.
Dozens of chanting protesters, banging pots and cymbals, and packed onto a half dozen small vessels, greeted Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas cruise ship as it docked this morning in Labadee, Haiti.
Labadee is a 260-acre peninsula – dubbed a “vacationer’s paradise&rdquo…
Haitians Protest at Royal Caribbean’s “Private Destination” at Labadee
Many news sources are reporting that thousands of Haitian protesters have rioted in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and other locations in Haiti against President Michel Martelly and the upcoming election to determine his successor, which some say is rigged in favor of his ruling party, according to Time magazine. The turmoil comes before the scheduled runoff…
Tender Boat on Fred Olsen’s Balmoral Malfunctions
Cruise Hive reports that a cruise ship tender boat on the Balmoral operated by Fred Olsen Lines malfunctioned a week ago, on Sunday, January 10, 2016, during a scheduled boat training drill.
At the time of the accident the cruise ship was docked in Funchal, Madeira.
The cruise line told Cruise Hive that “this incident…
MSC Fantasia Terror Alert?
A Greek newspaper is reporting that the MSC Fantasia has been subjected to a search for explosives today after calling on Haifa.
The MSC cruise ship arrived today in the Bay of Souda near Chania in Crete. A Greek newspaper in Athens "To Vima" reports that suspicious passengers or explosives may be on board the…