Cruise Ships: Ways to Kill an Industry

You could blame the "greedy" passengers for making over-inflated claims and outrageous demands as set out in this lawsuit report, "Carnival cruise passengers sue seeking $5000 per month for life" from MarineLink:

A group of passengers suing Carnival cruise lines for damages after an engine fire left their ship adrift for days are asking the company to pay $5,000 a month for the rest of their lives for medical bills and mental anguish.

A lawsuit brought by 33 passengers of the ill-fated 2013 voyage could change how cruise lines insulate themselves from legal actions, according to maritime legal experts.

Or, if the fine print on the tickets they bought gets tossed as a "contract of adhesion" by sympathetic judges, then you could blame the cruise lines for overreach in attempting to avoid liability for most everything under the sun and above the sea.

You could blame the engineering of the cruise ships or perhaps their construction or maintenance.

You might expect lawsuits on such matters to be lined up end to end in the federal courts . . . and you would just be seeing the crowd chasing the visions of pots of money at the end of the cruise ship rainbow.

However it shakes out, if these cases succeed, I suspect that the cruise business will decline in capacity and increase in cost, which usually spells doom for an industry.

$5000 a month for life? Nice retirement plan. Could probably afford to take some cruises . . . oh, wait.

Disabled Cruise Ship Safe in Seychelles

BBC News - Costa Allegra: Relief as cruise ship docks in Seychelles Now let the whining and lawsuits begin!

Ask Mr. Travel: Are there any good deals on Italian cruise ship tours?

Ask Mr. Travel get many questions about cruising the high seas. Most recently, these questions have focused on what cruise lines to sail.
Well, I am pleased to say that the Italians have come up with something completely different in international travel, the "Voyages of the Damned Accursed Adventure Cruise Series."


Perhaps you've seen some exciting articles in the travel press about the "we'll be talking about this forever" adventure cruise off Kenya in which the cruise ship catches fire and loses power in "pirate-infested" waters and has to be towed back to port. Like this one, "French Tugboat Reaches Italian Cruise Ship Adrift In Pirate-infested Indian Ocean After Fire".

Or the long-running "Let's Drive Ship on the Rocks" adventure, which ends in a flurry of lawyers trying to beat the contractual and international law governing recoveries for survivors! Talk about exciting!

Yes, while thousands board ships hoping to have a little romance, a little over indulgence in wine and food and a trip to some beach where they can stare at the some ocean they were just riding on, most come home with perhaps with only a norovirus to talk about.

These new adventure cruises are really making headlines! So, sign up now for one of these cruises before the adventures are all gone.

The prices are low now, but once this new form of "adventure cruising" catches on, well, book early and book often.

Cruise Ship Disasters: "Human Error?"

Story speaks for itself - BBC News - Costa Concordia cruise ship captain 'went off course'

Based on reports I have heard, here's a thought for you - when at sea on any sort or size of vessel, always carry a small, waterproof flashlight or glow stick on your person.

I don't care if it's the biggest ship on the ocean with the most lights per square foot or a small sailboat like a Sunfish, having a light when the lights go out or if you fall over the side or whatever may save your life.

Doesn't have to much of a light, either.

Even carrying a couple of glow sticks in a pocket or purse is a good idea if you won't carry anything else.

They will help you find your way out of dark spaces and help rescuers find you.

Glow sticks are cheap. I always carry a supply in my car. You just never know.

Sample light.

Cruise lines moving out of California

Bad business conditions move jobs away from California as AP reports Carnival, other cruise lines fleeing California:

Carnival Cruise Lines said Thursday it is pulling the last of its ships out of San Diego, and other cruise operators are departing Southern California because of economic woes and tourists' fears over traveling to Mexico.

The 2,500-passenger Carnival Spirit is moving to Australia by April 2012, the cruise line announced on its Web site, citing a "huge potential for growth" there while its San Diego business sags.

The Port of San Diego estimates the departure of the ship, which takes more than 60,000 passengers a year to destinations along the Mexican Riviera, will cost the local economy about $54 million in annual spending, the San Diego Union Tribune said.

To the north, Royal Caribbean's 3,100-passenger Mariner of the Seas is leaving on its final voyage from the Port of Los Angeles on Sunday and after a tour of South America. It will end up at its new home base of Galveston, Texas, the Los Angeles Times said. And the 2,348-passenger Norwegian Star will leave LA in May for Tampa, Fla.

The two boats carried nearly half of the business of the Port of Los Angeles in 2009.

While the cruise industry is seeing signs of recovery in Florida and elsewhere, persistent drug-related violence has meant fading interest in cruises to Mexico, the chief destination of California-based ships.

"What we need is a better economy — so does everybody — and a better product in Mexico," Rita Vandergaw, director of marketing for the Port of San Diego, told City News Service.

In the first six months of 2010 just 187 cruises docked in Mexican ports, compared to 290 in the same period in 2008, the Times said.

That giant sucking sound you hear is Mexico's economy slipping further into the third world.

Somali Pirates: Possible Cruise Ship Attack?

A report of a possible attack on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden here:

Several news outlets are reporting that a cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden Tuesday evaded what appeared to be a pirate attack.
The UK's Metro says more than 1,000 Britons aboard British line Fred Olsen's Balmoral were ushered to safety late in the day as two small craft raced toward the cruise ship at high speed. The news outlet quotes a spokeswoman for the line as saying the master of the Balmoral ordered passengers to 'safe havens' as part of a pre-planned safety procedure.

"Aggressive maneuvering was implemented and contact was made with the EU Coalition Task Force," the spokeswoman added.
The Balmoral is scheduled to arrive in Oman Thursday. The ship is on a three month cruise around the world that began last month in England.

More details later.

More cruise ship fun- this time with fire

Read the piece and the comments.

"Bravo on my watch"

Suspicious activity near cruise ship in Long Beach port

Odd goings on draws a crowd of security, albeit after the fact, as set out here:

A "suspicious" vessel was seen near a docked cruise ship in Long Beach today, a Coast Guard lieutenant said.

The Coast Guard received a report around 11:30 a.m. that the boat was within the 100-yard security zone around a Carnival Pride cruise ship, which was docked at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, said Lt. Junior Grade Andrew Munoz of the Coast Guard.

Police, lifeguards, the Coast Guard and Long Beach Fire Department all responded immediately, he said.

The boat, a 15-to-18 foot metal skiff that was holding three males and a female, was seen in front of the cruise ship and along the cruise ship pier, Munoz said. The boat exited the area before law enforcement arrived.

The Port Operations Dive Group, which is composed of divers from U.S. Coast Guard, Long Beach Police, Long Beach Fire Department, Long Beach Lifeguards, Port of Los Angeles Police and Los Angeles Fire Department, searched the pier and cruise ship hull but did not find anything suspicious.

Federal regulations prohibit unauthorized persons and vessels from approaching within 100 yards of a docked cruise ship. Violations of the security zone, which extends to 200 yards in front of the cruise ship and 100 yards around the rest of the ship while underway, is a federal offense which can result in seizure and forfeiture of the vessel, fines of up to $32,500 and up to 10 years in prison.

More here:

U.S. Coast Guard divers inspected the hull of a cruise ship docked in Long Beach Harbor Sunday after several people reported having seen a small, suspicious boat floating nearby, authorities said.

Cruise ship officials called the Coast Guard at 11:30 a.m., after one of four people in the 18-foot skiff went into the water and pulled himself back out, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. j.g. Andrew Munoz said.

It is illegal for unauthorized people and boats to come within 100 yards of a docked cruise ship, Munoz said.

The regulation was implemented to avoid possible terrorist attacks on cruise ships.

The small boat and its occupants were no longer at the scene by the time police, firefighters, lifeguards and Coast Guard officers arrived.

Eleven divers inspected the hull of the ship with the aid of a remote-controlled, submersible camera as the ship's 2,576 passengers boarded.

Nothing suspicious was discovered, Munoz said.

Far better waterside security is needed than showing up after a "suspicious" boat has left the area if you are serious about preventing an attack on a cruise ship.

UPDATE: A little more information here:

The skiff was towing a small, bright orange inflatable dingy, and a witness said one of the boat's occupants had been in the water near the pier's pilings before getting back into the skiff, Munoz said.

UPDATE2: Port Security at Long Beach described here:

Security at the Port of Long Beach is the multi-jurisdictional responsibility of many government agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs & Border Protection, federal and state Homeland Security offices, Long Beach Police Department and the Port Harbor Patrol, which have the authority to access all facilities and cargo at the Port. All terminals must comply with the Federal Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002.

Q: If everyone is in charge, does that mean no one is in charge? Why don't the cruise lines provide some security around their own ships? Even a couple of boats manned by armed security guards to warn off unauthorized boats would be useful.