July 2016

Blue MosqueThere are mixed messages about cruising to Turkey, following a spate of terrorist attacks in the last six months and the failed military coup two weeks ago.

A number of cruise lines stopped calling on Turkey following the June 29th ISIS-inspired terrorist attack at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul when three suicide bombers exploded powerful devices

Don’t Join Our Organization This Summer, by Kendall Carver

More than 10 million Americans will set sail on a cruise vacation in 2016. Many of these travelers will book their trips through U.S.-based travel companies—expecting not only top-notch service, but also safety and accountability in the event of an emergency.

Yet American travelers aren’t guaranteed

The Horizon cruise ship ran aground today in Stavanger, Norway.  The Stavanager Aftonblad newspaper reports that the cruise ship became stuck after sailing into the sandbanks near the Norwegian port. Tugs were sent to the scene and and pushed the ship safely into the dock.

The Horizon is owned by Croisieres de France, a subsidiary

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced two cruise ship passengers from NCL’s Norwegian Gem today. The NCL cruise ship was off the Virginia coast at the time of the rescue.

The Norwegian Gem notified the Coast Guard shortly after 2:00 a.m. that two men had experienced unspecified medical complications when the ship was approximately 75 miles

NCL Norwegian BreakawayThe U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a nineteen year old cruise ship passenger, yesterday, from NCL’s Norwegian Breakaway.  The cruise passengers was reportedly experiencing severe stomach pain.

The Norwegian Breakaway alerted the Coast Guard yesterday morning that the passenger needed medical treatment when the ship was approximately 400 miles off the North Carolina coast while

A couple on a cruise spent a little extra for the proverbial room-with-a-view only to find that HAL had a little surprise – it didn’t tell them beforehand about a crew member using a grinding tool outside their cabin’s window. 

The YouTube caption says: "Thanks for telling us when you upcharged us $600 extra for

Today, the United States embassy in Nassau issues a "Personal Security Awareness" security message about the crime problem in Nassau. The message says: 

"This message is to remind U.S. Citizens resident and visiting New Providence Island (Nassau) and Paradise Island to be mindful of their surroundings at all times and employ practical personal security awareness when

Shooting of Philando CastileIn what many believe to be a political game of backatcha’, the Bahamas on Friday issued a warning to its citizens planning to travel to the United States about the danger of interacting with police officers:

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken a note of the recent tensions in some American cities over

Yesterday, residents in the Faroe Islands brutally slaughtered a pod of 30-50 pilot whales in the Danish island’s annual gruesome, grindadráp (grind). 

The Sea Shepherd organization, which is barred by Denmark from the Faroe Islands, wrote yesterday "the ordeal began this morning when locals spotted a pod of between 100-150 pilot whales passing by Svínoy. Several