A super busy week took me away from the computer for the last week. What a fun week at Cruise Law and in the strange world of cruising:
Lose Some / Win Some: A trial involving our client, an injured passenger, ended poorly for us and well for Royal Caribbean which obtained a defense
The following is a press release from Hess Marketing on behalf of the Fowler Rodriguez law firm:
Fowler Rodriguez Valdes-Fauli, an internationally recognized maritime law firm obtained a $24 million dollar verdict for Carnival Cruise Lines against Rolls-Royce. Rolls Royce was found guilty of fraud by a unanimous jury. Rolls Royce marketed its Mermaid pod propulsion system
I have been critical of Royal Caribbean’s PR skills over the years, thinking that this particular cruise line’s credibility is at the bottom of the cruise industry. So when RCCL announced after the terrifying storm which rocked the the Brilliance of the Seas and injured its passengers that the cruise ship "had full power and was operating as normal" and that no
The news today is filled with stories about a cruise ship which "rescues" rafters adrift in the Atlantic.
What the news reports fail to mention is that the "rafters" were trying to get to Florida. They are probably already back in Cuba pursuant to U.S. immigration policy.
Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas cruise ship reportedly "rescued" six people who were
A Royal Caribbean crew member was found dead in his cabin on the mega-ship Oasis of the Seas on November 26th. A local television station in Miami, CBS-4, identifies the crew member as a cook.
According to a statement from the cruise line, the crew member is a 33-year old Jamaican man.
"As is our standard
CCN Travel has an interesting article this morning "Cruise Line Chief: We’re in a Better Place." The cruise line’s President Adam Goldstein talks about the "enormous excitement" generated by its two new mega cruise ships, the Oasis of the Seas which debuted last December and the Allure of the Seas which is now sailing from
Last month I ran across an interesting blog called No Cruises In Placencia which focuses on the plight of the tranquil fishing village of Placencia, Belize which Royal Caribbean has targeted as a future site for a new port for its cruise ships.
Placencia is located in southern Belize, and is described as one of the most beautiful locations in Central America where it
The Miami Herald published an article on Friday entitled "New School, New Hope for Young Haitians" about Royal Caribbean Cruises building a new school in Labadee on the 260 acres which it leases from the Haitian government.
The article points out that the new 6,500-square-foot campus consists of six buildings, twelve classrooms, administrative offices and a
Today we received emails commenting on the bad medical treatment provided on board Royal Caribbean cruise ships and the recent $2,900,000 verdict against the cruise line for its negligent medical treatment rendered to an injured crew member from Nicaragua. Here are the emails:
On the $2,900,000 verdict we reported on last week: “Having worked for
Today a jury in Miami, Florida returned a verdict in the amount of $2,900,000 in favor of a disabled Royal Caribbean crew member who received terrible medical treatment after the cruise line sent her back to Honduras.
The case brings attention to the problem many Royal Caribbean crew members experience when they are injured while working for
A 72 year old from Pennslyvania who cruised on the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship last December remains in jail while awaiting trial on allegations that he traveled to Florida to molest boys on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Sherwood Stevenson has been held in jail since his arrest in June on a charge
The Daily Business Review published an interesting article today about a local cruise line’s efforts to disqualify our firm and our co-counsel, Jonathan Aronson. The article is entitled "Cruise Line Case Highlights Ethics of Switching Sides."
The dispute arises out of the fact that Aronson used to be one of the cruise line’s defense lawyers
Throughout the last decade, Royal Caribbean’s reputation would embarrass most executives. Compared to other cruise lines, the cruise line was served with the most lawsuits, paid the highest settlements, and incurred the highest defense attorney fees.
In 2008, Royal Caribbean tried to reign in its out-of-control risk management department by what can only be described as cut throat measures. It terminated its vice president of risk management, an associate general
Working on cruise ships can be tough. Long hours, no days off, cramped crew cabins, and demanding guests. This much stress can place a frown on anyone’s face. But remember, it’s part of your job to always "Deliver the Wow!" So when you feel blue and are afraid that your supervisor may fire you for not acting happy, there is now a solution –
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The cruise industry has an image problem. Royal Caribbean is the main reason.
This year began with Royal Caribbean’s business-as-usual approach to ferrying passengers back and forth to its "private destination" in Labadee (actually sovereign Haitian land leased from Baby Doc Duvalier). While Haitians tried to dig out of the rubble and bury their dead following the devastating earthquake, Royal
Two months ago I commented on the absurd press releases issued by Royal Caribbean Cruises in an article "Royal Caribbean Press Statements And Other Gobbledygook."
Well here we go again!
Yesterday Royal Caribbean released a PR statement entitled "Over-Worked Americans Give Up an Average of 459 Million Vacation Days Each Year." Royal
In an article last month, we reported that Royal Caribbean is threatening Rockland Maine after the quaint town increased its port call fee to $6 per passenger.
Rockland is proposing a modest $2 port development fee and a dockage fee of $4 which reflect the actual costs to the city associated with accommodating large cruise
A number of articles published this weekend reveal the plight of young women sexually assaulted on foreign flagged cruise ships and cargo vessels.
Yesterday, in Cruise Rape – Is Royal Caribbean Up To Its Old Tricks?, we reported that a South African crew member claims that another crew member raped her on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. The Captain of
