Miami news station WSVN – 7 aired an interesting interview with Francesco Schettino last night and asked: Is he a coward who caused 32 people to die the night his ship the Costa Concordia capsized? Or is he is a professional who did all that he could to avert disaster due to mistakes by his
Disney Wonder Picks Up More Cuban Rafters
Earlier this week the Disney Wonder was involved in another incident where it picked up Cuban rafters at sea trying to sail to South Florida. This was the third such incident where a cruise ship stopped rafters at sea in the last ten days.
You can read about the prior case involving the the Disney
Carnival Ecstasy Briefly Loses Engine Power
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The popular cruise fan site Cruise Critic is reporting that the Carnival Ecstasy’s return to Port Canaveral this morning was delayed due to a brief power failure last evening.
Cruise Critic states that the Ecstasy lost power for around 12 minutes while sailing back to Port Canaveral at the end of a five-night Bahamas
Another Cruise Crime Alert in the Bahamas!
Yesterday it was announced at the marketing debut of Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas, that one of the ports of the new cruise ship would be Nassau in the Bahamas when it was launched in 2014. My first reaction was that Nassau was a dangerous location to host the new Royal Caribbean cruise
Quantum of the Seas – A Cruise Lawyer’s Dream?
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Today was another weird day in the world of cruise law. Sitting in my office I watched CNN coverage of the bombing in Boston on my big screen TV’s most of the day while also following the travel industry’s internet coverage of the unveiling of images of Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas (as well
Royal Caribbean Cruise From Hell Allegations: Mom Falsely Imprisoned While Cruise Ship Refuses to Rescue Daughter
Courthouse News Service published a shocking article today entitled A Caribbean Cruise From Hell.
The article involves the story of the disappearance of a young woman from Tennessee, 21 year old A’riel Marion, and the cruise lines outrageous mistreatment of her mother, Vera Marion, during a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas
Criminal Case Continues Against Captain Schettino – Island of Giglio Requests Compensation of 80,000,000 Euros
A court in Italy is proceeding with preliminary hearings to consider evidence whether Captain Francesco Schettino will face trial for criminal charges for his involvement in the Costa Concordia disaster.
Schettino, labelled "Captain Calamity" in the press, appeared at the proceedings yesterday, faces a trial on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.
Under Pressure, Carnival Agrees to Reimburse U.S. for Coast Guard & Navy Costs in Responding to Disabled Triumph & Splendor Cruise Ships
Under public criticism and pressure initiated by U.S. Senator Rockefeller, Carnival announced today that it will reimburse the federal government for costs of over $4,000,000 incurred by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy in responding to its Triumph and Splendor cruise ships.
Senator Rockefeller set his sights on the cruise industry at a Senate
Here We Go Again: 55 Celebrity Cruise Passengers & 2 Crew Members Robbed at Gun Point in St. Lucia
Cruise Critic reports that 55 cruise passengers and two crew members from the Celebrity Eclipse were robbed at gunpoint by three men on Friday, April 12 2013 while in St. Lucia.
Celebrity Cruises issued a statement indicating that passengers were visiting the Botanical Gardens in Soufriere at the time of the robbery and were on
Did Costa Cover-Up A Near Concordia-Like Disaster?
A newspaper in Italy is reporting that six and one-half years before the Costa Concordia disaster, another Costa cruise ship ruptured its hull during a "sail-by" maneuver off the coast of Capri.
Libero Quotidiano reports that in June 2005, the Costa Fortuna was sailing by the island of Capri off the western side of Italy.
More Toilet Problems for Carnival: Crown Princess Poop Ship!
"Poop ships" and Carnival have become synonymous this year following the public relations debacle as thousands of passengers aboard the Triumph cruise had to endure several days without working sanitation as they were towed to Mobile Alabama.
This evening, a news station in Houston is reporting that the Carnival-owned Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess is experiencing
Photos of Cuban Immigrants’ Boat “Rescued” by Disney Wonder Emerge
A passenger aboard the Disney Wonder sent a couple of photographs of the boat "rescued" between Cuba and South Florida.
As we mentioned yesterday, the Disney Wonder and the Carnival Conquest cruise ships were involved in separate incidents where they picked up Cuban nationals who had set out to sea to try and escape
Cruise Booze: Is a Passenger’s Drinking Problem Just His Own?
An article this weekend from the popular cruise community Cruise Critic caught my attention: "Royal Caribbean Removes Passenger from Cruise Ship for Rowdy Behavior."
The article is about Royal Caribbean kicking a passenger off the Rhapsody of the Seas for what is described as "rowdy behavior" that included throwing items overboard while the
Carnival & Disney Cruise Ships Intercept Rafters Heading to South Florida
The U.S. Coast Guard is reporting that yesterday two cruise ships responded to migrants at sea in two separate incidents. A Coast Guard representative characterized the migrants as floating in two "rustic vessels" south of Key West Florida.
The cruise ships involved are the Disney Wonder home ported in Miami, and the Carnival Conquest which
Carnival Fascination Cruise Ship Flunks Health and Sanitation Inspection
A Carnival cruise ship has become the sixth cruise ship this year to flunk a sanitation inspection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Carnival Fascination failed the surprise inspection with a score of only 84. You can read the report from the CDC here. It’s full of dirty and unsanitary
Costa Concordia Disaster Continues: Cruise Line Avoids Criminal Liability By Paying Fine of Only One Million Euros
Multiple news sources are reporting that the Italian prosecutors have agreed to drop all criminal charges against Costa Cruises arising out of the Concordia disaster in exchange for a fine of only one million Euro’s.
Just one million Euro’s (around $1.31million) for killing 32 people, including children? What a pittance.
I’m sure Carnival-owned Costa is
Cruise Lines Depend on U.S. Coast Guard for Safety & Security But Pay Nothing
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Today I read a press release by the U.S. Coast Guard about a maritime safety exercise conducted in the waters of Freeport Grand Bahamas.
U.S. Coast Guard crew members from the Coast Guard Cutter Diamondback conducted a safety exercise with Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas on April 2, 2013. The exercise was called "Black
Cruise Ship Cocaine Smuggler Lucky to be Alive
During a six day cruise out of Miami, Norman Mosch swallowed 87 pellets of cocaine during a stopover in Jamaica back in December of 2012.
The Sun Sentinel writes that cruise passenger Mosch swallowed 2 pounds and 2 ounces of cocaine-filled pellets after he had been recruited to smuggle the drugs back to Miami. Not surprisingly