The cruise industry is being pummeled in the world of social media. The endless stories of cruise ship fires, propulsion issues, engine failures, and, most recently, elderly passengers abandoned ashore after suffering serious injuries seem to come at a non-stop pace. The bad news affects the public’s perception of cruising. A Harris Poll conducted this spring
Jim Walker
“Everything the cruise lines don’t want you to know” is the motto of Cruise Law News, authored by Jim Walker.
Jim is the founding partner of Walker & O’Neill, a Miami-based maritime law firm that has represented more than 2,500 clients, including survivors who testified before Congress on cruise ship safety.
Azamara PR Disaster Continues: Is a Law Required to Prevent Cruise Lines from Abandoning Injured Passengers?
The fall-out over Azamara’s abandonment of an elderly couple from Clearwater Florida continues.
The luxury cruise line Azamara, a subsidiary of Miami based Royal Caribbean Cruises, has been accused of abandoning its guest Dodge Melkonian, an 89-year-old World War II veteran, and his wife at a "rural" hospital in Turkey after Mr. Melkonian broke his…
Royal Caribbean Takes the Heat Over Azamara’s Abandonment of Elderly Cruise Couple
"Royal Caribbean In Hot Water Over Couple’s Cruise Medical Ordeal" reads the internet headline on CBS News. This morning CBS Morning News covered the story of a 89 year-old cruise passenger, on the Azamara Journey luxury cruise ship, who broke his hip on the ship.
Although the couple was initially satisfied with their…
Millennium Passengers Fear Riot & Call 911
KRBD FM Community Radio for Southeast Alaska has an interesting story today about cruise passengers aboard the broken down Celebrity Millennium cruise ship calling 911 in Ketchikan out of fear that a "riot" would break out.
It seems like some cruise passengers were unruly about the cancellation of the cruise and communications about where the…
Wall Street Journal: “Reputation, Regulatory Issues Dog Cruise Industry”
Today the Wall Street Journal published an article about the cruise industry’s efforts to overcome damage to its reputation while battling off criticism by a consumer group and efforts by Congress to regulate the industry.
The WSJ points out that the cruise lines have a lot to be concerned with, including "stranded vessels, fires, people…
Coast Guard Medevacs Sick Passenger from Norwegian Dawn
Cape Code Today reports that U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a 50-year-old man from a NCL cruise ship 160 nautical miles from Nantucket. The man was hoisted by a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and flown to meet an ambulance in Hyannis and then transported to Cape Cod Hospital.
The cruise ship is reportedly the Bahamian flagged Norwegian Dawn. …
U.S. Appellate Court Affirms Dismissal of Another Costa Concordia Case
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal has affirmed an order of dismissal on forum non conveniens grounds of a case filed by an Italian citizen and Italian business for damages as a result of the Costa Concordia disaster.
In a case styled Giglio Sub, S.N.C. and Francesco Onida versus Carnival Corporation et al., the…
Cruise Ship Crime & Sexual Assault Lawyer: Read About Our Experience, Reputation & Results
There has been a great deal of debate over the past decade regarding the amount of crime which occurs on cruise ships. The cruise industry claims that crime is "rare," whereas at least one cruise expert who testified before Congress stated that the rate of crime on cruise ships is twice that of crime ashore.…
Azamara Abandons 89 Year Old Passenger in Turkey with Broken Hip
WFTS, an ABC affiliate in Tampa, Florida, reports on a story that we hear about all too often – an elderly passenger is injured during a cruise and ends up alone in a foreign hospital where no one speaks English. The cruise ship then sails off.
In a case which has received attention from…
Lawsuit Filed Against Royal Caribbean After Injury to Child
Today local NBC affiliate channel 6 aired a story today about a 9 year old boy who underwent emergency brain surgery after being injured during a cruise sponsored game on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
The incident occurred on the Monarch of the Seas.
The child’s family say that they trusted Royal Caribbean to organize…
Sun Princess Joins Ranks of Disabled Cruise Ships
USA TODAY and the Mirror newspaper in the U.K. report that Princess Cruises has canceled today’s sailing of the Sun Princess, citing a power problem.
The Sun Princess is an 18 year-old cruise ship which just had a $30 million make-over. It was scheduled to sail a 14-night voyage from Singapore to Freemantle…
Celebrity Cruises’ Millennium Strands Passengers Again
Celebrity Cruises Millennium cruise ship that was grounded in Alaska last week is having trouble again.
Celebrity Cruises said in a statement:
Due to a mechanical problem in one of Celebrity Millennium’s two propulsion units, the ship returned to Ketchikan last night, The ship is capable of sailing without the affected unit. However, in an…
Thomas Aquinas Ferry Collides with MV Sulpicio Express Cargo Ship: Hundreds of Passengers Missing
A maritime disaster is unfolding in the Philippines after the passenger ferry MV Thomas Aquinas sank after colliding with a large cargo ship, the MV Sulpicio Express, near the port of Cebu.
The ferry was carrying 752 passengers, including children and infants, and 118 crew members.
More than 200 people are missing after passengers were forced…
Royal Caribbean CEO on Fox News: Fires & Cruise Mishaps are “Extremely Rare”
The cruise industry’s reputation is under siege.
Cruise line presidents used to be able to appear on cable news business shows and trot out their new products and intineraries and pontificate at length without a hint of controversy.
But as you can see in this interview on FOX BUSINESS, Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO and…
Cruise Industry Ignores Law Requiring Man-Overboard System
There have been 8 Congressional hearings in the House and the Senate since December 2005 regarding issues of cruise passenger safety. One of the most talked about problems has been the issue of passengers going over-board from cruise ships.
Over the years, there has been a discussion about the problem and the necessity of requiring…
30 Years Later, Miami Cruise Ship Lawyer Looks Back
Over thirty years ago, I graduated from Tulane School of Law which had, and still has, one of the best maritime law curriculum programs in the U.S.
In law school, I took courses as a second and third year law school student in Maritime Personal Injury & Death, Maritime Jurisdiction, Maritime Insurance and Carriage of…
New Lawsuits Filed Against Carnival for Triumph “Poop Cruise”
Yesterday we mentioned that the first case filed in Galveston by a passenger following the infamous Triumph "poop cruise" was voluntarily dismissed. But today there is news that additional lawsuits were just filed in southeast Texas for damages alleged by passengers who sailed aboard the ill-fated Carnival cruise.
The Southeast Texas Record reports that…
Cruise Ship Law – Lawsuits Against Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in Miami, Florida
Our law firm handles cases on behalf of injured passengers and crew members against cruise lines. Other law firms handle auto accidents, dog bite cases and whatever may walk in the door. Our firm sues only cruise lines in cases involving serious injuries. That’s all that we do.
One of the cruise lines that we…