Viking SeaThis evening, I received word from a passenger on board the Viking Sea that the ship had lost power in Malta.  

The passenger stated: 

"Viking Sea broken down in Malta today August 11th. We were due to sail at 6pm but we are now waiting on a technician who will not arrive

AIDAvitaToday, a German Court sentenced a nurse, who had worked aboard a cruise ship as a doctor, to three years in jail.

News agency dpa reported that the Berlin state court convicted the nurse of "bodily harm, fraud, abuse of titles and deprivation of liberty." The latter charge referred to the fact that he put

Cruise Ship TerrorismAre cruise ships prepared for the threat of terrorism?

As I have contended for a long time, in my opinion no.

Cruise lines are still calling on dangerous ports. They are still sending passengers on unescorted shore excursions in buses without armed security personnel. Cruise ships can’t prevent terrorists from overpowering their unarmed security guards

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