On Monday, the Miami Herald published an article "Cruise Ship Fires Uncommon, Experts Say." The article was ostensibly about the Azamara Quest cruise ship fire, which is just the latest disaster to plague the cruise industry. The Miami Herald’s article was actually the latest puff piece by a newspaper preoccupied with placing the
Coast Guard Medevacs Pregnant Crew Member
The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a woman from a cruise ship 145 miles south east of Galveston, on Apr. 1, 2012.
The Coast Guard station in Houston-Galveston received a report at approximately 8:08 p.m., that a 44-year old female crew member aboard the cruise ship, Carnival Magic, was having complications with her pregnancy. A
Fire Stricken Azamara Cruise Ship Limps Into Sandakan – Passengers Praise Captain & Crew
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According to first hand accounts taken by reporters in Malaysia, passengers from the Azamara Quest cruise ship that was stranded at sea for 24 hours after an engine room fire, were full of praise of their Captain and crew members.
After the passengers reached a hotel in Sandakan, Malaysia, reporters interviewed them on camera.
Documentary: Disasters at Sea – Why Ships Sink
The U.K.’s Channel 4 broadcast a cruise documentary tonight called "Disaster at Sea: Why Ships Sink."
"Why Ships Sink" examines the issue of passenger safety at sea since the Titanic. A film crew came to Miami last month and interviewed me and others involved in the cruise and maritime industries.
Unfortunately, the documentary
Passenger Missing From Condor Rapide Fast Ferry
Numerous news sources in the UK are reporting that a passenger is missing overboard from a high speed ferry this afternoon in England.
The passenger was aboard the Condor Rapide Fast Ferry, which was en route from Guernsey to Poole in Dorset. The ferry’s crew raised the alarm at 5.35 PM, British time.
The Guardian newspaper
A Shot Across The Bow – Lawyers for German Tourist, Killed in Costa Concordia Disaster, Seize the Carnival Triumph
There is a lot of controversy today about the seizure of the Carnival Triumph cruise ship in Galveston. Lawyers in Mississippi and Texas who are representing the family of a German woman killed on the Costa Concordia filed a lawsuit against Carnival in Galveston. In addition to the lawsuit, they filed a motion to obtain
Azamara Quest Cruise Ship Catches On Fire Near Borneo
An Azamara cruise ship, the Quest, reportedly caught fire in the Sulu Sea, between the Philippines and Borneo.
The story was first mentioned on Twitter by Simon Browning, a reporter for BBC Radio 4, whose twitter handle is @simbrowning. Around 9:24 AM this morning, Mr. Browning tweeted: "hearing reports a cruise
Are Cruise Ships Dangerously Top Heavy?
Ever since the Costa Concordia disaster, questions have been raised whether modern day cruise ships are being designed more dangerously by increasing their size to pile more and more passengers aboard.
There is no question that cruise ship are getting bigger and bigger. You need look no further than Royal Caribbean’s Genesis class (Oasis
Cruise Ship Door Locking Devices – What On Earth Is This?
A member of Cruise Critic posted a photograph of some kind of device designed to prevent the insertion of a key card to unlock a passenger cabin door as well as to padlock the door handle from moving.
The passenger apparently sailed aboard an unidentified Royal Caribbean cruise ship last month, and invited the fellow
Another Princess Cruise Ship Stricken With Norovirus?
The Sun Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale reports that passengers aboard the Island Princess cruise ship are experiencing symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, according to a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control ("CDC").
The Princess cruise ship is scheduled to return to Port Everglades this morning after sailing a 10 night Panama Canal cruise.
The newspaper
“Attacked at Sea” – the Dark Side of Cruising
NBC Bay Area aired a cruise crime special last night regarding the problem of sexual assaults at sea. The program is called "Crime Onboard – The Dark Side of Cruising."
NBC reports that although cruising is one of the most popular ways to travel and vacation, passengers are often left in the dark
NBC Special: Crime Onboard – the Dark Side of Cruising
As part of its special investigation into the problem of crime on cruise ships, "Crimes Onboard – The Dark Side of Cruising," NBC Bay Area interviewed Congresswomen Doris Matsui (D-CA) who was instrumental in the passage of the Cruise Vessel Security & Safety Act.
Congresswoman Matsui’s constituent (and our client) Laurie Dishman called
Coast Guard Busy Rescuing Sick Cruise Passengers: Three Medevacs in Ten Days
The United States Coast Guard has been busy rescuing ill passengers from cruise ships over the past week.
Today a newspaper in North Carolina reports that a Coast Guard helicopter medevaced a 49 year old woman from the Carnival Pride cruise ship. The ship was near Virginia at the time of the emergency medical evacuation.
Cruise Ships: The Deadliest Form of Public Transportation?
Since the Costa Concordia disaster, the cruise lines’ PR departments have been working overtime trying to convince the public that cruising is safe. I have mentioned the cruise industry’s talking points in a prior article "Six Lies the Cruise Lines Will Tell You after the Costa Concordia Crash."
One of the bigger cruise whoppers
Royal Caribbean Crew Member Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of 14 Year Old Passenger
A Royal Caribbean crew member has pleaded guilty to the sexual abuse of a 14 year old girl during a Caribbean cruise.
25 year old Fabian Palmer admitted engaging in sexual relations with the girl during a cruise from Baltimore in December 2010.
Crew member Palmer was employed by Royal Caribbean as a pool attendant
“Rouges & Vagabonds:” Gay Cruise Couple Fined, Insulted & Deported From Dominica
In a weird ending to a weird cruise story, two California men who were arrested on the Celebrity Summit cruise ship while it was docked in Dominica pleaded guilty to indecent exposure at a hearing yesterday and were then ridiculed by a local magistrate.
Yesterday we mentioned the bizarre circumstances surround the Atlantis Events cruise:
A Parent’s Worst Nightmare – Disappearance Of Disney Crew Member Rebecca Coriam
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the disappearance of youth counselor Rebecca Coriam from the Disney Wonder cruise ship.
BBC News published an article which summed up the problems caused when a cruise line like Disney chooses to fly a flag of convenience in a country like the Bahamas. You can read the
Busted for Buggery: Controversy Follows Another Atlantis Gay Cruise
Another Atlantis gay cruise resulted in public controversy yesterday when police in Dominica arrested two passengers on the Celebrity Summit on suspicion of indecent exposure and “buggery” (sodomy).
Someone on the dock supposedly observed the passengers having sex on the cruise ship. The two arrested passengers were men in their 40’s from California. Newspaper accounts