Thirteen years ago I represented a young woman from St. Augustine, Florida. She was employed as a cook on a private yacht owned by a multi-millionaire tycoon. She went ashore to Cabo San Lucas with a group of fellow crew members. They ended up leaving her in a nightclub and returned to the yacht. When she tried to walk back to the marina
Crime
Royal Caribbean Crew Member Murdered in Mexico
Numerous news sources are reporting that the body of crew member from Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas was recovered from the ocean near Cozumel.
Polish national Ms. Monika Markiewicz, age 32, was employed by Royal Caribbean as a musician. She disembarked from the Allure on Friday and did not return to the cruise ship. The cruise ship then left…
Princess Cruises Crew Member Arrested for “Sex Attack” Aboard Caribbean Princess Cruise Ship
The Bermuda Sun reports today that a Princess Cruises crew member has been arrested for what is described as a "sex attack" on a woman on a cruise ship. The newspaper identifies Filipino Johnwill Reyes Abdon, age 40, as the crew member who allegedly committed the crime.
The incident occurred on the Caribbean Princess, a…
Cruise Law Featured on Cruise Radio
Cruise Radio is the most popular cruise related radio show in the world.
Yesterday we were one of the guests on the radio show and discussed tips on how to stay safe on cruise ships.
I discuss some tips to keep in mind if you cruise. About keeping your kids safe. About child predators on cruises. About…
More Caribbean Cruise Crime – Crew Member Shot in St. Maarten
The international press is reporting that Gahadhar Pradhan, a crew member (waiter) from P&O’s Aurora cruise ship, was pistol-whipped over the head and shot during a mugging while ashore in Philipsburg, on the Caribbean island of St Maarten.
We first learned of the incident via
the cruise blogs by Captain Greybeard in the U.K.
The crew member was shot in…
Cruise Crime: Three Crew Drug Arrests and a Closed Passenger Overboard Investigation
Today, two stories broke about cruise ship crimes issues.
The first story involved three Royal Caribbean crew members arrested for trying to smuggle drugs into Baltimore from the Dominican Republic via Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas cruise ship. We have written a lot about passengers and crew members using cruise ships to smuggle drugs. Earlier this year, passengers…
Cruise Law RoundUp – Cruise Fire Fallout, Business as Usual in St. Kitts, Spy Cruise Spooks, and Oprah Loses Her Allure
Another strange week in the world of cruising, with multiple stories about the cruise industry appearing in the main stream newspapers and on the major television networks.
Cruise Fire Fallout: The Splendor cruise ship will be out of service until January 2011, meaning Carnival will lose revenue from over 20,000 passengers. A Time Magazine blog blasted a…
Does the Cruise Industry Monitor Crime in the Caribbean Ports of Call?
The latest crime against cruise passengers in the Caribbean occurred this week in the lovely island of St. Kitts when a busload of tourists from Celebrity Cruises’ Mercury cruise ship were jacked up at gun point by masked robbers during an excursion. The passengers on the Celebrity cruise ship had sailed down from Baltimore thinking that they were…
More Cruise Tourists Robbed, This Time In St. Kitts
The Observer in St. Kitts-Nevis is reporting that cruise passengers on a tour bus were robbed this morning, apparently during an excursion from a cruise ship – "Busload of Tourists Robbed at Gunpoint."
The robbery reportedly occurred in the Sandy Point area on the island. A "local tour bus of cruise passengers had been robbed at gunpoint along…
Pimp Prosecutors and a Dinner Party of Dirt Bags
Its been eight years since Dianne Brimble died on the floor of a P & O cruise ship, in the cabin of one of the infamous "gang of eight" who likened Ms. Brimble to a dog with bad breath who they contemplated throwing overboard.
Her tragic death was one of the stories which I wrote often about when I started this blog: …
Cruise Passengers: Have You Been A Victim of Crime In St. Thomas?
Our firm is investigating the tragic death of a young girl who was shot and killed while ashore in St. Thomas during a cruise. This child was one of hundred of thousands of passengers who sail into this beautiful island each year without realizing that St. Thomas has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. It’s murder rate this year…
Crimes in the Caribbean Cruise Ports of Call
I have written many articles about the high crime rates in many of the Caribbean islands frequented by cruise lines – Crime in Caribbean Ports of Call Against Cruise Passengers. Consider the following articles in the last year alone:
Antigua – Cruise Passengers Attacked & Robbed in Antigua While Cruise and Tourism Officials Meet and Passenger From Star …
Cruise Crime: Husband Arrested After Throwing Wife Overboard
The police in Hong Kong arrested a 47 year old passenger after he reportedly pushed his 43 year old wife overboard from the MV Macau Success cruise ship yesterday.
The cruise ship made an emergency call to police at 7:40 a.m. reporting that a woman had been pushed into the sea at 7:20 a.m. The police sent…
Congresswoman Matsui and Laurie Dishman Take on the Cruise Industry
In July, President Obama signed the Cruise Vessel Security & Safety Act. On the President’s right side in the Oval Office was Sacramento resident and my friend, Laurie Dishman. On his left side, Laurie’s Congresswoman, Doris Matsui.
The new cruise law involves a remarkable story about the bravery of Laurie Dishman. Laurie went on a Royal Caribbean cruise in February 2006 to celebrate her 35th birthday and…
Passenger Wrongfully Arrested On A Carnival Cruise Ship
A young couple’s cruise over this holiday weekend did not end as planned. When Paola Andrea Londono, her husband Daniel Holanda, and their 9-month-old baby returned to Florida onboard a Carnival cruise ship, law officials came to their cabin and arrested Ms. Londono.
After his wife was led from the cruise ship in handcuffs in…
More Cruise Ship Violence – A Drunken Brawl On Carnival’s Dream
Last year I wrote a blog entitled "Cruise Ship Brawls – A Problem that Will Get Bigger with Bigger Ships" addressing the increasing violence on cruise ships. I posted the following comments and questions:
"Complicating matters is the huge amount of alcohol which the cruise lines sell to the passengers, which often leads to drunken…
Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act – Finally Making Waves
The Washington Post has published an article about the new Cruise Security and Safety Act, written by veteran travel writer Christopher Eliott. Mr. Elliott is a a travel consultant for MSNBC and a writer for National Geographic Traveler magazine and for the Consumer Travel Alliance.
The article was originally entitled " A Long Way To Go To Ensure…
A Cruise Defense Lawyer’s Summary of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act
Ever since the Senate and House passed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, the cruise industry and its trade organization, the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) which spent millions of dollars vigorously opposing the new legislation, have minimized the ground-breaking new law.
So it was to my great interest and amusement today when a Cruise Law News…