EVENTS AT SEA
"All the Things that Can Go Wrong On A Cruise"


2018

The table below lists "events at sea" occurring after January 1, 2018, including cruise ship accidents.  It is based on media reports, passenger reports posted at on-line boards and discussion groups, and reports sent to Cruise Junkie. In reviewing the information, please keep in mind that some cruise lines are given less scrutiny by the media than others, and it is not uncommon for events to not appear in the media.  This information reflects only that which has made it into the public domain.

Useful Resources from Judge Thomas A Dickerson:

Cruise Passengers' Rights and Remedies

Travel Abroad, Sue at Home


THE Comprehensive list of Persons Overboard, 1995 - 2018

Pollution and Environmental Violations and Fines

Getting a Grip on Cruise Ship Pollution - Summary

Getting a Grip On Cruise Ship Pollution - Full Report

Poorly Cleaned Public Cruise Ship Restrooms May Predict Norovirus Outbreak



Have you been onboard during an "event" or illness outbreak?
Let me know, and send along photos or video if you have them.

NOTE: Medical Evacuations (Medevacs) are not reported here. They are common (10 - 20 a week) and a often reported elsewhere.

Date
Ship
Cruise Line
Event
Type of Incident
December 31
Nippon Maru
Guam Daily Post reports the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an incident that occurred Sunday night when a cruise vessel ran into a U.S. Navy fuel pier at inner Apra Harbor, the Port Authority of Guam confirmed. The Nippon Maru cruise vessel, originating from Yokohama, Japan, collided with delta pier as it was departing to Saipan. The 546-foot vessel was carrying 524 passengers and a crew of 224. The incident was reported around 9:14 p.m. Sunday. An initial assessment indicated the lower portion of the stern on the starboard side of the vessel was punctured resulting in a gap measuring approximately 5 feet by 7 feet, stated a release from the Port Authority. Collision with pier - cruise canceled
December 31
Carnival Elation
From a passenger: We received emails this morning that our cruise from JAX leaving 12/31 has been delayed due to fog! UPDATE: The port is now open for parking as of 3 pm! They have moved our boarding times back by 4 hours. People are parked at the Pilot and sleeping on sidewalks with their luggage. Delayed by fog
December 31
Carnival Dream
Cruise Law News reports a lifeboat broke free from the ship as it was sailing back to New Orleans on December 30, 2018, according to a travel agent on the ship. Mum’s Travel Blog reported that a lifeboat sheered from the davit hook and fell into the water around 2:00 p.m. yesterday. Fortunately, there was no one in the lifeboat at the time. The ship was unable to raise the lifeboat and decided to abandon it at sea. There are comments posted on social media that the Coast Guard may later retrieve the lifeboat. Loses lifeboat - left adrift
December 30
Multiple ship
ABC Action News reports heavy fog in Tampa led to disruptions among cruise ships trying to get in and out of the Port Tampa Bay.  Even though it's now open and operating normally, passengers and cruises are still dealing with significant delays which could get worse with the Coast Guard expecting the fog to return tonight. The Coast Guard closed the port because visibility was under a mile, but later reopened it when the fog cleared. Still, the delay was enough to cause around 6,000 passengers to be displaced, according to a spokesperson for Port Tampa Bay. Janie Hollerorth is waiting to leave on a 7-day Holland America Cruise, but she's been told they won't be boarding until between 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. Delayed by fog
December 29
MSC Preziosa
Trinidad Express reports, after being robbed, slashed on her hand with a knife, hospitalised and having to undergo surgery, British cruise ship tourist Sally Wilson left Trinidad yesterday with her husband, Michael, grateful for life and the help they received. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said in a release yesterday that Sally, 72, and Michael, 74, who came to Port of Spain on board the MSC Preziosa on Boxing Day, were sitting on a bench at the Queen’s Park Savannah (QPS) when they were approached by a man armed with a knife. The man cut the strap of Mrs Wilson’s handbag and escaped with her belongings. She was cut on the left arm in the process. Robbery/slashed
December 28
Carnival Conquest
Cruise Law News reports the cruise ship was delayed for several hours in Aruba last night due to what the local press is reporting to be a sexual assault. Several passengers stated that they reported what they described two things of significance: (1) a van at the port where local police are placing bags of some type of forensic evidence from the ship, and (2) a security guard posted outside of a passenger cabin. Several newspapers in Aruba report that a passenger was arrested and taken into custody in Aruba by the local police. The cruise ship crime reporting portal maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation reflect that there have been 53 sexual assaults reported on cruise ships in the last year (October 1, 2017 – September 30, 2018). Of the 53 alleged incidents listed on the portal, 31 occurred on cruise ships operated by Carnival Cruise Line. The last sexual crime on the Carnival Conquest which we reported on involved an adult passenger who sexually assaulted a 12 year-old girl during a cruise in January 2016. The man was arrested and pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of the minor. Sexual assault
December 26
Harmony OTS
Miami Herald reports the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 20-year-old Royal Caribbean cruise line crew member who went overboard Tuesday in the Atlantic Ocean. The Coast Guard first learned that Arron Hough, 20, of the United Kingdom had gone overboard at 1:45 p.m. Christmas Day. At the time, the Harmony of the Seas ship was traveling from its home port of Fort Lauderdale to its first stop of St. Maarten island on its seven-day Caribbean itinerary. According to his Twitter account, Hough was a performer in the musical “Grease” aboard the ship. Royal Caribbean said in a statement that Hough did not show up for work on Tuesday. Ship crew members reviewed footage from the ship’s security cameras and found that Hough entered an area on Deck 5 at around 4 a.m. and was not seen on camera again. On Wednesday the Coast Guard continued to search for Hough with an airplane and cutter ship. They are focusing their search on the area of ocean 267 miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico where Hough reportedly went overboard. The Harmony of the Seas continued on its regularly scheduled itinerary, arriving in St. Maarten Wednesday. Crew overboard
December 18
Arcadia
Royal Gazette reports the ship’s mooring lines broke during strong winds in Dockyard at about 2.53am yesterday morning. According to a caption on a video posted by the Port Bermuda webcam, “the ship drifted backwards and sideways for a short time before the ship’s crew brought manoeuvring power online.” Breaks moorings
December 17
Carnival Fantasy
AL.COM reports a passenger (22 year old male with special needs) is missing from a Mobile-based cruise ship. Citing reports from passengers, Cruisehive reported announcements were made on board the Carnival Fantasy last night about a missing guest. The passenger was still missing as of Monday as onboard security searched the vessel. The Fantasy is currently on a five-day western Caribbean cruise after departing from Mobile on Dec. 15. Cruisehive reports the passenger went missing as the ship was sailing towards its first port of call of Progreso on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The ship is scheduled to be in Cozumel, Mexico tomorrow before arriving back in Mobile on Dec. 20. Miami Herald reports the man was traveling in a group of nine from Wishes4Me foundation on a five-night Carnival Fantasy cruise from Mobile, Alabama, when his travel companions reported him missing. The group was traveling with three chaperones. Carnival confirmed Wednesday that Renner climbed over the deck rail and jumped off the ship. His family said in a statement that they believe he may have mistakenly believed he was going swimming. They now presume he is dead but do not blame the group that organized the sailing, they said via a statement. Pax missing
December 14
NCL Jade
From a passenger: I was aboard the NCL Jade  on Friday dec 14. The Jade left the dock at 5pm and the rear thrusters pushed us about 50 feet off the dock….the front thrusters did not come on….so we were bow in aft out and headed for the dock….as I watched in utter disbelief, we rammed straight ahead hitting the dock and 2 finger piers as the thrusters finally came on. The ship redocked and damage pictures etc were taken. Eventually after an hour we departed for St. Martin for the second time.!! Allision with pier
December 14
Celebrity Infinity
From a passenger: Celebrity Infinity currently docked at Key West Naval Station scheduled to leave at 1700 is delayed due to malfunction of bow thrusters. Delay considered temporary. Ship is docked at alternate location due to damage at Mallory square dock. This situation is discussed, with details, at Cruise Critic.
Propulsion issues
December 14
Carnival Cruise Lines
Florida Record reports a judge has ordered sanctions ahead of a trial against the Carnival cruise ship company, which claims to have lost the footage of a woman allegedly slipping and falling near the buffet on one of its ships. U.S. District Judge Jonathan Goodman, on the bench of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, issued a 50-page ruling on Dec. 4, ordering the sanctions in the lawsuit filed by Ruby Sosa against Carnival Corporation. Sosa sued Carnival for damages after she allegedly slipped and fell on board the ship Freedom. She stated that she fell in a buffet area. She argued that security officer James Desouza, in charge of the CCTV, "failed to complete his investigation because 'halfway through, for reasons unknown and never explained,' Desouza unilaterally decided to stop his investigation," the ruling said. Carnival denied acting in bad faith, and said it did not know how or why the security camera footage went missing after a security officer watched it and took steps to download the video into a computer drive. Sanctioned by court
December 14
Carnival Victory
Cruise Law News reports a cruise guest is reportedly missing from a Carnival cruise ship this morning, according to several passengers including a journalist on the ship. According to at least one passenger on the ship, CCTV “cameras confirm that the passenger went overboard. It’s unknown if he jumped or fell. The U.S. Coast Guard is searching by air.” The overboard passenger appears to have gone overboard around 4 or 5 hours earlier, according to passenger accounts. The Carnival ship was returning to Miami at the time of the overboard. The Miami Herald reports the Coast Guard announced at 9:35 a.m. that it sent a helicopter, ship and plane to look for the 27 year old man early Friday. By 10:15 a.m. the Carnival Victory was back on its normal route to Miami as the Coast Guard continued the search. Pax overboard
December 13
NCL Star
Bloomberg Law reports Norwegian Cruise Line (Bahamas) Ltd. defeated a Canadian’s man’s suit over his drunken tumble down a cruise ship hatch. Olivier Caron waited too long to filed his claim that the cruise line served him too much alcohol, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said Dec. 13. And his claims of a dangerous hatch lacked support because he had to pass through two doors emblazoned with “Crew Only” signs to get there. Lawsuit dismissed
December 13
Allure OTS
ABC13 reports a woman claims Royal Caribbean Cruises is responsible for a zip line accident that killed her husband on the Honduran island of Roatan. Court records show that attorneys for 27-year-old Shir Frenkel sued the company in Miami federal court last month, seeking more than $1 million in damages. The lawsuit says Frenkel and her husband, 24-year-old Igal Tyszman, were passengers on the Allure of the Seas in July when they booked the Extreme Caribe Zip Line Tour at the ship's excursion desk. The suit claims they collided in midair, killing Tyszman and seriously injuring Frenkel. The suit says the excursion was operated by an independent contractor, but guests were misled to believe it was operated by Royal Caribbean. Lawsuit
December 12
Multiple ships
Cayman Compass reports high seas and windy weather in George Town on Tuesday led to four cruise ships missing their scheduled stops, and sent the one ship that did arrive to Spotts Dock. Tuesday had been expected to be a busy day for George Town, with five ships carrying more than 14,000 passengers scheduled to arrive. However, just one ship, the Carnival Magic with 3,690 passengers, made the stop as Cayman experienced strong north to northeasterly winds of 15 to 20 knots and rough seas with swells along the west and northern coasts. The Norwegian Pearl, Crystal Symphony, Disney Fantasy and Carnival Freedom skipped Cayman. Rough seas are expected to continue this week, with wave heights of 6 to 8 feet forecast for Wednesday and waves of 4 to 6 feet on Thursday.
Skipped port call
December 11
MSC Preziosa
Cruise Law News reports a female cruise passenger reportedly went overboard from the ship in the Caribbean several days ago, according to the France-Antilles newspaper. The Martinique newspaper reports that a 69-year-old Dutch citizen was not located on the MSC Cruises ship when it arrived in Fort-de-France last Saturday, December 8th. The last port before Martinique scheduled on the cruise was Philipsburg, St. Maarten on Friday, December 7th. The unidentified passenger was last seen Friday night on the balcony of their cabin by her husband. The newspaper concluded that “most likely hypothesis would be a fall” from the cruise ship” estimated at 30 meters. The ship left Fort-de-France at its scheduled departure time of 11:00 p.m. on Saturday. A helicopter and Navy jet conducted a search for the woman after he was not located on the cruise ship on Saturday morning in Martinique. The search was called off on Sunday, December 9th following which transmissions of the missing passenger continued to be circulated to merchant ships in the area. This appears to be another case where a cruise line failed to have an automatic man overboard system installed on the ship. Such systems automatically send a signal to the bridge when a person goes over the railing. The cruise ship can quickly try to locate and rescue the person using sophisticated motion detection, infrared and radar technology. Pax overboard
December 11
Marco Polo, Cruise and Maritime Voyaqes
Independent reports two British pensioners have been arrested on a cruise ship after “a large amount of cocaine” was found in their cabin. The suspects, aged 70 and 72, were detained on suspicion of international drug trafficking moments after the vessel docked at the terminal in Lisbon. Portuguese police said a search revealed the cocaine had been “ingeniously concealed” within four suitcases. The authorities did not identify the pensioners but indicated the suspects have already appeared before a judge and remain in custody. BBC reports the ship had left Tilbury in Essex on 5 November and travelled to the West Indies and Azores with 610 passengers and 294 crew on board. The couple were arrested on 4 December following a tip-off from the UK National Crime Agency. They appeared before a judge and will be held separately while a joint Portuguese and British investigation continues. A spokesman for the operator said the firm "does not tolerate any criminal activity or anti-social behaviour on board its ships". The Times says drugs gangs are trying to use penshioners as mules,.
Drug bust
December 11
Crystal Symphony
CDC reports 30 of 700 (4.3%) passengers and  17 of 585 (2.9%) crew have reported gastrointestinal illness on the 8 November - 2 December cruise. Illness outbreak
December 10
Unstated
New Zealand Herald reports Coffee. Tea. Ink. That is how Napier residents are describing the water which came out of their taps at the weekend. One resident Chris Baylis, said the water was bad enough she would not let her granddaughter bath in it. "We used bottled water to clean our teeth." She wanted council to take responsibility and communicate with residents about the problem. One resident, who did not wish to be named, said he believed it was caused by the cruise ships taking water. "What's left is just dredges on the bottom." However, council denied that cruise ships were the cause of the problem. The resident said they had run their water for 45 minutes before it was clear. "You can't drink it, it came out the colour of black coffee." Tap water = sludge
December 9
Celebrity Millennium
Crew Centre reports a fellow crew member has informed Crew Center that a young officer working onboard Celebrity Millennium was found dead in his cabin on December 6, just one day before the ship arrived in Singapore. According to the source the officer is identified as Anton Ilichev from Ukraine who was working as a Suite Manager. Anton was working for Celebrity Cruises for several contracts. This supposed to be his final voyage before the end of the contract because the young officer was scheduled to disembark in Singapore for his regular vacation. The terrible tragedy was also confirmed by other crew members and Anton’s close friends. Celebrity Millennium was on a 14 Night Southeast Asia Cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore when this tragic event took place. Suicide (crew)
December 9
Jewel OTS & Celebrity Summit
Cruise Law  News reports a strike in San Juan today impacted cruise passengers. Departing passengers have been unable to retrieve their luggage and take taxis to the airport and arriving passengers have been delayed or unable to travel to the port due to the strikes. The current strike involves an organized protest against governmental cuts of employee benefits in Puerto Rico. Delays in port - Strike
December 6
Silversea Silver Spirit
Miami Herald reports the ship got caught up in a heavy sustained wind last week and crashed into a mooring in Key West. It did enough damage to leave the port of call at Mallory Square unusable for at least three months The ship was leaving Mallory Square at about 6:30 p.m. Nov. 27 when the winds stopped it from turning around to get underway. No injuries were reported and the ship was not significantly damaged. Ship collides with pier
December 6
Pacific Dawn
Cruise Law News reports a crew member from Vanuatu was sentenced to five years and eight months in jail on Tuesday after he was found guilty two months ago of raping a co-worker during their employment for P&O Cruises.’ The court found beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Isaac trespassed into the victim’s cabin on the morning of December 6, 2017. Despite her pleas, he overcame her resistance and committed what the newspaper described as full and forcible sexual intercourse with her without her consent shortly before he disembarked from the cruise ship.She reportedly did not return to her job duties and was forced to leave the ship due to the trauma. She later notified P&O that she would not return to work due to the assault. She reported the crime to the local police who reportedly had to halt the investigation awaiting the ship’s next visit to obtain the CCTV images. She was a new hire who worked in the galley. She boarded the< ship in Brisbane in early December 2017; the ship thereafter sailed for New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The assault took place just a few days after she started work on the cruise ship. Rape (crew on crew)
December 1
Dinner cruise (unnamed)
KOMO reports the Coast Guard issued a $5,000 fine to someone who jumped overboard from an entertainment vessel into the Columbia River in Richland in June. The fine was issued in mid-November after The Coast Guard received an investigation report from the Benton County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office responded to the June 15 incident after they say a man climbed over the rail of a dinner cruise boat and jumped off. The sheriff's office says the man had asked the captain if he could jump but the captain said no. The man swam to shore safely after the jump. His name was not released. Intentionally jumping into the water from a passenger vessel is considered interfering with the safe operation of the vessel and is illegal. Passenger fined for jumping overboard
November 30
Carnival Cruise Lines
Cruise Radio reports Carnival Cruise Lines has increased mandatory gratuities for drinks (and presumably all other services) from 15% to 18%. That is a whopping 20% increase. The question is where that money goes -- there is no indication that Carnival has increased its salaries for service staff by 20% so it must end up in the corporate coffers (as though they need more than the $3 billion in net profit they already earn -- profit on which they PAY NO INCOME TAX).  Cruise Law News reports a Carnival employee sent a copy of a letter from Richard Morse, Carnival’s Senior Vice President of Hotel Operation, explaining that from the the 3% increase, 1.5% will go to the Carnival server and the remaining 1.5% will go into a pool to fund Carnival expenses including the costs of  uniforms and return airline tickets for crew members. Mandatory gratuities increased a whopping 20%
November 29
Multiple ships
The Telegraph reports tourists planning a winter getaway on a romantic cruise along Europe’s rivers are facing stranded ships and long coach journeys after the dry summer left water levels at record lows. Holidaymakers expecting to travel between Budapest and Vienna on the serene waters of the Danube have been told they will be bussed between the cities instead because the water is too low for the cruise ships to navigate. Instead of settling into a cabin for a week they will be forced to move between stranded cruise ships that have been turned into floating hotels as cruise companies frantically try to rescue as much of their itineraries as possible. But it has left many customers angry and frustrated. “We are starting to wonder how many bus trips we are going to have as we booked a seven-day river cruise on a boat not a bus trip. We have absolutely no interest in bussing around Europe or any other country let alone at Christmas time,” one Australian traveller wrote on an internet message board. Water level too low for ships to operate
November 29
Anthem OTS
Royal Gazette reports Luis Samudio believes birthdays should be more about giving than gifts. His 50th was no different. The Pennsylvania resident brought three suitcases filled with things for charity when he visited on Bermuda two weeks ago. He and his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters then spent a good part of their three days here putting their plan in place. “These things are only a few dollars [in the United States],” Mrs Samudio said of the soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and other toiletries they donated to the Centre Against Abuse. We know there are not thousands of low-income people in Bermuda, but there are enough.” The family initially planned to bring in 20 bags filled with 13 toiletries each but, as many friends wanted to help, they tripled their expectations. Laurie Shiell-Smith, the charity’s executive director, “seemed very grateful” for their efforts. “I think she was a little surprised when I e-mailed her a month ago,” Mrs Samudio said.  “We didn’t know each other but I figured if someone is either looking to leave an abusive situation or anything it could be a help to have some essentials to help them relocate. Usually we fly. On an aeroplane you really pay for the suitcases but this time we were on a boat so we thought we’d try it.” The problems began when they tried to get the luggage off the ship. Bermuda Customs told them that as long as they did not bring in anything illegal and paid the duty, all was fine. Royal Caribbean International, the cruise liner’s operator, was not as keen. “They were very unhappy with the idea,” Mrs Samudio said (what happened to the cruise lines' supposed care and concern for the locations they travel to?). “When we arrived on November 12, they wouldn’t let us leave with the donations. “They were suspicious because it is not something that people normally do. “Laurie called the port agent for me. She also spoke to customs on the ground. Everyone was on the same page, and said, ‘We don’t mind if you bring these items in, as long as you have documentation.’ “We spent maybe two or three hours on Monday and another couple of hours on Tuesday. When they finally gave us permission, we took a taxi to Laurie’s office. RCI tries blocking philanthropic effort by pax
November 28 Norwegian Escape
Navy Times reports the Coast Guard rescued two crew members severely burned in a Monday afternoon during an engine room accident onboard the Norwegian Escape while the cruise liner sailed off the coast of North Carolina. What we know is that there appeared to be an accident in the engine room,” said Public Affairs Specialist 3rd Class Ronald Hodges, a Coast Guard spokesman. Because the vessel was more than 12 nautical miles offshore of the United States and the two victims were from the Philippines serving onboard a Bahamas-flagged vessel, the Coast Guard is unlikely to probe the incident, Hodges added. On Wednesday, the Coast Guard said that the injuries appeared to have been caused by a steam pipe that burst. Coast Guard watchstanders at the Fifth District command center in Portsmouth, Virginia, were contacted Monday at 3:50 p.m. by the Norwegian Escape that the two crewmen, 25 and 26 years of age, needed emergency medical attention for second-degree burns, officials say. The Coast Guard scrambled a Jayhawk MH-60T rescue helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to fly 24 miles east to the cruise ship. NOTE: in May 2003, a boiler explosion on NCL's Norway killed 8 crew members and left 10 with serious injuries. The explosion was likely caused by Norwegian Cruise Line's improper operation, maintenance and inspection of the steam chamber, federal investigators said. 2 crew members severely burned in accident
November 28 NCL
AZ Family reports a seven-day cruise to Alaska is supposed to be one of the most scenic, domestic vacations you can take. That's exactly what a Mesa couple was in for until the unexpected happened.  They never got around to taking that cruise and the reason wasn't even their fault. As a result, they're out of the cruise and the money. VaDonna and Richard Stich were surprised with a seven-day Alaskan cruise paid for by their kids and grandchildren. "We were thrilled," said VaDonna. "We heard so much about going to Alaska. It's supposed to be gorgeous up there! "The $4,000 trip was purchased through Norwegian Cruise Line and was much deserved. Richard served more than three decades in the Air Force and today he still flies at special events. "We do a lot of flybys for veterans because the military won't do them anymore," said Richard. Richard and VaDonna were supposed to set sail from Seattle on Sept. 16. To get there, they were scheduled to fly out of Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix.  However, when they arrived at the airport, they were in for a big shock. Bomb squad, SWAT, police K9s surrounded Sky Harbor, all because of an unattended car. Their flight was canceled and they were unable to make the cruise. The family immediately called Norwegian Cruise Line to tell them about the airport's security problem and asked if they could reschedule the $4,000 cruise. They were told no and NCL wouldn't budge. They said the couple should have purchased travel insurance from NCL. As readers know from other incidents, \the travel insurance sold by cruise lines often does not cover problems encountered by passengers. Veteran has flight canceled; cruise line says that's not their problem
November 28 HAL Westerdam
News.Com Australia reports a confused couple was booted off their cruise and left stranded in South Korea — and thousands of dollars out of pocket — over a simple but profound error they made when booking their trip. And their mistake is a lesson for all of us, said Michelle Couch-Friedman from consumer rights group Elliott Advocacy, which was not able to get compensation for the devastated couple. American man William Coates and his wife had booked a 14-day Holland America Line cruise through Japan, South Korea and China on the Westerdam in October. “This is a trip we had planned for a long time. At 71 years old, we were looking forward to this adventure,” Mr Coates told Elliott Advocacy. The couple flew to Japan, where they boarded the ship at Yokohama and settled into the voyage as they cruised to South Korea. But on the third day of the 14-day trip, a member of the ship’s guest relations staff told the Coates they would be kicked off the ship when it reached the South Korean port at Pusan. They would have to gather their things and leave, their journey suddenly over. “She (the staff member) told us that it was our responsibility to get ourselves home. We couldn’t believe it,” Mr Coates said. The reason the Coates were told to leave the ship was because they didn’t have the necessary visas to enter China. Americans, like Australians, on cruise journeys have to have the right visas for all ports of entry on the voyage. And American and Australian travellers need visas to enter China, where authorities “strongly enforce penalties for entry and exit visa violations” according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Mr Coates said that was the first time they were made aware of this. “Holland America removed us from the ship. They left us, literally on the dock,” he said. “It was up to us to find our way to the airport and then pay $US2400 ($A3320) for additional airfare to get home.” Last I traveled on HAL to a country where a visa was needed, we were told be the cruise line several times -- they were sure to let us know how to purchase a visa (through a compant from which HAL got a commission. Pax kicked off ship and left to fend for selves
November 28 Starboard Cruise Services (ship unknown) & Royal Caribbean International
Daily Business Review reports the latest installment in the battle between a cruise ship passenger and a Doral-based cruise line over a diamond worth nearly $5 million has handed a victory to the passenger. The Third District Court of Appeal denied Starboard Cruise Services’ motion for attorney fees from former passenger Thomas DePrince in a ruling issued Wednesday. The two parties have been locked in litigation for several years over DePrince’s purchase of a 20.64-carat diamond for only $235,000 in 2013. In reality, the stone was valued at $4.75 million. A former fine-jewelry dealer, DePrince bought the deeply discounted diamond while aboard one of Starboard’s ships. Once the cruise line learned of its vendor’s pricey mistake, it reversed the charge on DePrince’s credit card, prompting him to file suit for breach of contract. Following years of litigation, the Third District Court of Appeal issued a favorable ruling to Starboard in August. The appellate panel held that “a party seeking rescission of a contract based on a unilateral mistake does not have to prove that she was induced into making the mistake by the other party.” But after handing Starboard that legal victory, the same appellate court ruled against the company in its pursuit of attorney fees. The latest opinion written by Chief Judge Leslie Rothenberg affirmed an order denying the cruise company’s motion for fees based on its settlement proposal. Judges Vance Salter and Robert Luck concurred.(FYI, Starboard Cruise Services is wholly owned by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey (LVMH). 
Pax loses (and wins) lawsuit over being sold a diamond at deep discount
November 28
MSC Seaview
Cruise Law News reports MSC touted the ship as the “first of a new generation of MSC ships with revolutionary architecture and cutting-edge technology” when it christened the ship in Miami last year.  USA TODAY explained that MSC specifically designed the MSC cruise ship to “appeal to American cruisers.” But when U.S. passenger Laura Eka and her newlywed husband, Ebong,  boarded the MSC ship several weeks ago to celebrate their honeymoon, they were greeted by a caricature of a black person. Ms. Eka complained to MSC that she and her husband (who is black) felt “unwelcome and uncomfortable” by the blackface artwork. MSC refused to acknowledge the racially insensitive artwork which it chose to display on its Miami-based cruise ship. So Ms. Eka has gone to Twitter to express her disgust with the racist caricature. Racist artwork
November 26
P&O Azur
The Guardian reports the captain of a cruise ship found to be burning fuel with excessive sulphur levels has been fined €100,000 (£88,500) in a Marseille court, the first such ruling in France. The prosecution was intended to signal a new seriousness in tackling pollution from cruise ships after a spot-check in March on the Azura, operated by P&O Cruises, found it contained unauthorised bunker fuel. The American captain, Evans Hoyt, knew the fuel was illegal – it contained 1.68% sulphur, 0.18% above the European limit – and the company was using it to save money, prosecutors said during the trial. The judge handed Hoyt a fine of €100,000, but specified that the parent company of P&O, the US-based Carnival, should pay €80,000 of the sum. The company had “wanted to save money at the expense of everyone’s lungs”, the prosecutor Franck Lagier told the court in October. Fine for environmental violation
November 26
Emerald Princess
Otago Daily Times reports the Emerald Princess – operated by the Bermudan-registered firm Princess Cruise Lines Limited – was docked at Port Otago on February 9 last year carrying 3115 passengers on a tour between Australia and New Zealand. While docked, the vessel's crew members were tasked with checking the pressure of nitrogen cylinders - used to launch lifeboats in the event of an emergency. Allan Alarde Navales and Bernabe Santos carried out the maintenance work on boat 24, filling the canisters to the required level. Once it had been refilled, Mr Navales instructed Mr Santos to start the hydraulic system. After a minute of operation, one of the cylinders exploded. Mr Navales, standing beside it, was killed. Judge Kevin Phillips told the Dunedin District Court this morning the staff had not been trained how to do that aspect of the job. The force of the blast caused another nitrogen container to be thrown onto the wharf. It spun around in an area where passengers and crew were walking but no one else was injured, court documents said. After a Maritime New Zealand investigation, Princess Cruise Lines were charged with causing a maritime product to be maintained or serviced in a manner that caused unnecessary danger or risk to other people. An inspection of the failed cylinder on board the cruise liner found areas of corrosion, “significant wastage and pitting” which was clearly visible. Princess Cruise Lines subsequently pleaded guilty to the charge and came before the court today for sentencing. Judge Phillips heard submissions from counsel on both sides but reserved his decision as to penalty. The charge carries a maximum fine of $100,000 but the judge may award reparation outside that. Prosecutor Dale Lahood said Mr Navales' family were living in poverty in the Philippines and his wages were a significant crutch for them. He told the court the victim had a sick mother, a sibling with an intellectual disability, one with a hole in their heart and a sister now caring for two children alone. Mr Lahood argued the reparation figure should by more than $800,000. Defence counsel Matthew Ferrier accepted the company's shortcomings and acknowledged them. However, he disputed the reparation amount, saying aspects of his calculation were speculative. Fine for failure to maintain equipment, leading to crew member death
November 26
MSC Seaside
Miami Herald reports Seven MSC Cruises crew members were arrested on charges of smuggling cocaine into the U.S. at PortMiami earlier this month. Customs and Border Protection found six crew members with a total of 17 pounds of cocaine on their bodies or in their cabins during a K9 drug sweep of the MSC Seaside on Nov. 17, according to court filings. Another employee, Damion Hawthorne, 32, was arrested on charges of hiring five of the crew members into the smuggling operation. Federal prosecutors said Hawthorne recruited Londiwe Shange, 27, Wandile Mhlongo, 29, Thembeka Sokhulu, 36, and Viwe Tshaka, 23, all from South Africa, to pick up drugs when Seaside was docked at the port in Jamaica and deliver them to someone in Miami. Shange, Mhlongo and Sokhulu told investigators they had been earning around $2,000 for each run over the past couple of months, according to court flings. Tshaka said Nov. 17 was her first time making a run. Drug bust
November 25
Radiance OTS
Radio New Zealand reports an Australian cruise ship passenger has been deported this morning after he was refused entry to Dunedin because he didn't meet character requirements. The 59-year-old man was a passenger aboard the Radiance of the Seas cruise ship when he was refused entry to Dunedin on Sunday. Immigration New Zealand confirmed the man was held in custody overnight before flying back to Australia on Monday morning. National border manager Stephanie Great said the man did not meet character requirements. Ms Great did not specify which requirements he did not meet. More than 14 people have been refused entry when they arrived at the border by sea since July 2015. Passenger detained & deported at disembarkation
November 24
Carnival Pride
Cruise Hive reports Carnival Cruise Line has stated that arrival into Baltimore, Maryland tomorrow will be delayed. The ship won’t be arriving until the afternoon instead of the usual early morning hours. The ship is suffering from its maximum cruising speed and due to adverse weather conditions, the delay is unavoidable. The disembarkation for guests from the 7-night November 18 sailing will commence not long after the ship docked at Baltimore but this will have a knock-on effect for the next scheduled voyage. Propulsion problems - delayed arrival and departure
November 24
Adventure OTS
Cruise Law News reports a number of cruise passengers say that the captain announced to the cruise ship yesterday that a crew member disappeared from the ship. The Adventure of the Seas was in Cozumel when the captain made an announcement that an unidentified crew member could not be accounted for and was missing from the cruise ship.  The crew member did not appear at his work station and the remainder of the crew was unable to locate him.The fact that a crew member could “disappear” without a trace from the cruise ship indicates that Royal Caribbean has still not bothered to install an automatic man overboard system on this ship. Nottingham Post reports the 26 year old man was a member of the sport staff.
Crew member missing
November 24
MSC Cruises
NL Times reports cruise ship company MSC Cruises will no longer stop in Amsterdam from next year, due to the new tourist tax of 8 euros per day for passengers for whom the Dutch capital is a stopover. The company does not want to recover these costs from its customers. The cruise ships will instead stop in other Dutch cities, from where passengers can travel to Amsterdam by bus. Seatrade Insider subsequent reports CLIA Europe chairman David Dingle honed in on the prickly subjects of passenger head tax and custom duties, citing two recent examples where he believes a city, in one instance, and a government in the other, are viewing visiting cruise ships as ‘providers of an easy source of extra income.’ It is curious in that I thought it was the reverse, the cruise lines see ports as an easy source of income as the ouch them around, threaten them, and exploit them. And then Dingle goes on (like Trump woruld), calling the city fathers' decision 'stupid.' The industry's arrogance and narcissism rears its ugly head again. Ships stop port calls at Amsterdam
November 21
Le Boreal
Crew Center reports a horrible tragedy occurred during a dry dock refurbishment of the cruise ship Le Boreal in the port of Valparaiso, Chile on November 19, resulting in the death of a young crew member. The authorities say that the crew member died in the early morning hours after he slipped from a ladder placed on the ship's deck and fell 23 meters on the dock. The young man was identified as Andrei Madalin Circhea, age 25 from Constanta, Romania working as electronics engineer. Some sources say that he was previously working for Royal Caribbean International. Crew death in accident
November 19
Norwegian Jade
Miami Herald reports thousands of passengers will have to fly back to Miami from San Juan, Puerto Rico, cutting their 10-day Caribbean vacation short. The ship left from Miami on Friday, Nov. 16, and arrived in San Juan on Sunday. Late Sunday evening, about an hour before the ship was supposed to leave the port, the captain announced that the remaining seven days of the cruise had been canceled. The ship’s itinerary included stops in Barbados, St. Kitts, and St. Lucia before its planned return to Miami on Nov. 26. The company will refund the price of the cruise for passengers and offer a 100% credit for a future cruise. A passenger on board who first wrote to me about this situation (before it was reported in media) now writes: Getting worse by the minute.  Told us we were booked on first flight out this morning.  We were up and ready to go at 6:30am.  Get to buses for the airport.  “Sorry folks we don’t have your name... and all flights out are booked today.  You will have to wait until 5pm tomorrow.  (Wednesday) now.   Still no guarantee we will get out.  Now ship is closed.  We've been standing out here for 2.5 hours in the heat.   I’ve been very patient but about to flip the switch. 
Mechanical problems / Cruise canceled
November 19
Carnival Magic
Cruise Hive reports the cruise line canceled the scheduled call at Grand Cayman on November 16 due to bad weather conditions. Grand Cayman is a tender port where passengers need to use a water shuttle to and from the ship, if sea conditions aren’t good this can impact the safety of guests. The ship called at Cozumel, Mexico instead. Port call canceled
November 15
Le Soleal
Maritime Bulletin reports the ship contacted bottom while passing Kirke Narrows, Chile (Patagonia) on Nov 14, and damaged one of her propellers. In latest reports hull breach wasn’t mentioned, though in initial report it was said, that the hull was breached. The ship was brought to anchor for underwater survey. She was said to cancel her cruise and sail to Punta Arenas, where tourists will be disembarked, and ship will be taken to ship repair yard for repairs. As of 0000 UTC Nov 15, the ship was still at anchor. She’s to be either towed, or escorted by tugs, on her way to Punta Arenas. Scraped bottom
November 14
Volendam
CDC reports  68 of 1285 (5.29%) passengers and  9 of 599 (0.50%) crew have reported gastrointestinal illness on the 3-18 November cruise Illness
November 14
MSC Musica
From a reader: Last Friday (9 Nov 2018) the ship arrived at Portuguese Island, Mozambique, from Durban, South Africa for the start of the summer cruise season. Master and senior officers and the ship's security team went ashore via tender and determined it was unsafe for pax to go ashore. On a subsequent cruise also from Durban on Monday 12 Nov the ship arrived at Pomene also in Mozambique this morning 14 Nov. Swell was to big for paz to tender ashore so the ship is now on her way back to Durban where she is due on Friday 16 Nov. Missed port calls
November 13
Royal Princess
Cruise Law News reports several passengers say a passenger fell from an upper deck and struck a lifeboat last night.One passenger, who wishes to remain anonymous, stated: “A women on royal princess princess cruise line was pushed or fell from the lido 15th or 16th deck onto the top of  life boat #2 at 4 am in the morning. She died instantly. Once the ship arrived into Aruba, authorities boarded the ship. Outcome of investigation is unknown. Passengers said the scene was gruesome.” Passenger were first alerted to the incident when they heard an announcement around 4:30 a.m. for the security team to respond to deck 7 underneath lifeboat number 2. When the cruise ship arrived at port in Aruba, the captain made an announcement that the crime scene investigators were coming on board and no one would be allowed to get off until they cleared the ship. Mas Noticia refers to the incident as a “possible murder.” USA Today subsequently reported the 52 year old woman fell after struggling with a man on the upper deck.
Pax falls to death - murder?
November 11
Norwegian Escape
From a passenger: Norwegian Escape November 4th Left NYC at 3 PM for 7 night cruise. At 5PM heard code Alpha and coast guard came along side ship. 28 year old man with wife on board (married 6 months) jumped or fell from 17th floor to 7th floor on to shuffle board area. Got to Port Carnival Police and FBI on Ship. Confirmed by officers and crew members. Pax falls to death
November 11
Maasdam
Cruise Law News reports a cruise passenger on board Holland America Line’s Maasdam was killed on November 7th when she slipped and fell between a tender and the HAL cruise ship. At the time of the incident, the ship was in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. The source of the information is a passenger, wishing to remain anonymous, who stated that: . . . the seas were very rough and it was debatable whether we should have been tendering at all. She was traveling by herself. It would appear that this incident is being covered up. The safety on this ship is rather haphazard.” The passenger later stated that “the tender service was definitely operated by HAL. The staff members were offered counseling by phone.  I am particularly surprised how unsafe it is on their tenders . . . This particular day was the roughest I have ever seen at sea.  It was definitely not safe and that poor lady paid the ultimate price.” The ship is currently sailing on a 28 night “Polynesian & South Seas Sampler” cruise. Pax death in tender accident
November 11
Norwegian Escape
Royal Gazette reports an American tourist who claimed to be disabled was fined $2,000 yesterday after he admitted having cannabis for medical reasons. Magistrates’ Court heard Sean Finnerty, 48, plead guilty to possession of the drug in his cabin on the Norwegian Escape. He told the court he used the drug to treat anxiety, depression and pain after an operation during which he had a cancerous kidney removed. But he admitted neither he or his wheelchair-bound wife, who also used the drug for relief of back pain, had a medical marijuana card. The defendant confirmed that the plant was cannabis and that the items were his. The incident happened on November 4. Drug bust
November 2 Star Princess Star Advertiser reports a 74-year-old Nevada man was charged with assaulting another passenger aboard a cruise ship en route to Hawaii from California on October 23. The 73-year-old victim had to be evacuated to Hilo via a military helicopter. He told the FBI when he opened a bathroom stall door on the seventh deck of the ship to exit, an agitated male confronted him. The two exchanged words and he was struck in the head as he was  attempting to leave. Mcavay told the FBI that he was the one in the bathroom stall and that  the other passenger tried to enter it while he was still inside. He said the other passenger kicked him in the leg when he tried to push  his way out. In response Mcavay told the FBI he hit the other passenger with his right hand. The other passenger went down, hitting his head on the toilet. Physical Assault
October 31 Oceania Marina From passengers: We are passengers on board trip from Venice which left on 10/26/18 on way to Rome. We were diverted from Zadar, Croatia on October 28th due to weather concerns. We stopped in Dubrovnik, Croatia instead. Seas have been rough all week, but captain and crew have been great. Many excursions have been cancelled all week due to weather as well.  Change of itinerary
October 31 Carnival Sunshine Daily Mail reports passengers on board the Carnival Sunshine embarking on a five-day cruise to Eastern Caribbean on Sunday were left terrified after the ship listed to one side just hours after setting sail from Florida, sending furniture sliding across the floor.  Carnival has since issued an apology to its customers, explaining that a piece of equipment called a fin stabilizer was to blame for the listing.  According to a letter sent by the captain of the ship t the passengers Monday, an electrical switchboard malfunction disrupted the fin stabilizers, which are not a safety feature but are designed to make the sea voyage smoother.  Severe List
October 31 Excellent (cruise ferry) Old Salt Blog reports at around 8AM, local time, the 663′ long ship was caught in high winds. While waiting for additional tugs, the ship was blown down on to the dock, striking and toppling a container gantry crane. The gantry crane fell on stacks of containers, causing a fire. Some of the burning containers were reported to contain hazardous materials. Barcelona firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze by around 11AM. No injuries were reported on the ship, the dock or among the firefighters.  The cruise/ferry Excellent has a capacity for 2253 passengers and 760 vehicles and is owned by the Italian firm Grandi Navi Veloci. Allision with pier
October 30 Celebrity Constellation and Costa Magica As already reported below, Newsweek reports the Celebrity ship collided with Costa Magica on Monday in the port of La Spezia, Italy, after strong winds and stormy weather conditions reportedly broke its mooring lines. Allision
October 29 Navigator OTS The Express reports panic engulfed the ship when staff wearing life jackets rushed to deal with a flood after the ship began taking on water in the Atlantic Ocean. The cruise ship was forced to dock in Vigo following technical issues. Passengers described hearing a “loud bang” at about 3am on Sunday before the ship began to take on water. A crew member onboard said a "Bravo code" was used, which many cruise lines use to alert crew. A crew member told said: “Captain announced bravo code at night, the crew bar was full and suddenly everyone started running. “One of the stabilisers on the Navigator of the Seas broke and made a hole at the hull, they had to close an entire fire zone because it was leaking water like crazy. The ship, which had set sail from Southampton on October 26 for a 10-night tour to the Canary Islands, was forced to make an emergency stop at the nearest port. Crew members had managed to make a temporary repair until it arrived at the port of Vigo, Spain. Passenger Paul Edwards from Worcestershire said: “We were experiencing rough sea last night, and then in the early hours last night we heard a bang. “We were told there was a minor technical fault with the stabilisers and we had to dock in the Port of Vigo, Spain for 24 hours while they fixed it. The vessel was due to arrive in Vigo on November 3 as a final port of call before heading back to the UK. The ship is still docked in Vigo with passengers offered only a 25 percent of their fare to spend on board the ship and 25 percent off any future fare with the company as compensation. Some fear they could be charged for extra days, with passenger Tina blasting on Twitter: “Currently on Navigator of the Seas, can totally appreciate the ‘technical problems’ but this change of itinerary is a joke! “Just seems like a money maker for Royal Caribbean to me with the extra days at sea. 25 percent onboard credit?!” Mr Edwards added: “It feels like being in prison. Can’t do anything, can’t go anywhere.” Royal Caribbean said in a statement: “Navigator of the Seas is making repairs to resolve a technical issue. The ship is fully operational with no impact on its manoeuvrability or the safety of our guests and crew. However, because of time needed to make the repair, it was necessary to modify her current itinerary. “Navigator will now call on Vigo, Spain for an overnight stay on Sunday, October 28. It will then sail on to Gran Canaria, Canary Islands on Wednesday, Oct 31 and Tenerife, Canary Islands on Thursday, November 1. The ship will return to Southampton, England on Monday, November 5 as scheduled.” Holed - takes on water - held in port
October 29 Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Radio reports medical emergency, a search-and-rescue mission and inclement weather created a perfect storm which caused a major delay for the Halloween-week sailing of the Norwegian Breakaway as she departed New York City for her repositioning trip to New Orleans this weekend.Norwegian Cruise Line said that as a result of the problems which beset her latest voyage, the Breakaway’s itinerary “for her New York to New Orleans sailing has been modified. Breakaway will no longer call into San Juan, Puerto Rico. She will instead sail directly to Tortola. Our team is working to assist impacted guests. We apologize for any inconvenience this unforeseen change has caused.” Late departure, itineray change
October 29 Multiple ships From a reader: Italian seas are upset by bad weather. Many ships are sailing with difficulty. More than one in the last two days blocked inside the ports or unable to access them. Costa Deliziosa blocked from Saturday in Venice and Costa Luminosa left yesterday evening after a two day break. Costa Magica stops in La Spezia together with Celebrity Constellation. The latter broke the moorings for the wind and hit the bow of Magica. Costa Fascinosa and MSC Seawiew this morning unable to enter Naples waiting in the Gulf of Naples. Many other units have accumulated significant delays and canceled stopovers or are sailing as Costa Luminosa in the Southern Adriatic with Scirocco gusts over 60 knots and consequent wave motion. Delays, missed port calls, allision of two ships
October 28 Ausonia Grimaldi Lines MediTelegraph reports a fire broke out Saturday night, shortly after 3 o’clock, in the engine room of the Grimaldi Lines’ cruise ship Ausonia, sailing from Ustica to Livorno with no apparent consequence for the 262 passengers and the 85 crew members, as well as for cars, trailers, motorbikes and campers that were in the hold. The fire involved collectors leaving the ship with one engine running on three. The damaged ships was taken back to Palermo, at some 6 knots speed. Fire
October 27 Carnival Fantasy Newsweek reports a couple from Florida have spoken of their shock after they found a hidden camera pointed at their bed. In an exclusive interview set to air on Monday’s episode of Inside Edition, the couple say they’ll never set foot on another Carnival Cruise ship again. Chris and Dana White from Pensacola were staying aboard the Carnival Fantasy for a three-day Caribbean cruise from Mobile, Alabama to Mexico last October when they noticed a recording device among TV wires in their room. "I said, 'Is that what I think it is?'" Chris told Inside Edition. "And [Dana] looked at it and she became concerned. And we were just really flabbergasted that there's a camera in the room and it's plugged up and it's working." The couple immediately called security and Chris took a video of an employee on the ship inspecting the device and taking it apart. "I was thinking, 'I can't believe this is actually happening to us,'" he said. The couple say they are speaking out now because they feel Carnival did not handle the situation in an acceptable manner. Initially, a representative for the company said the device was not a camera, according to the pair. "It was a camera," Chris said. Dana added, “It was wired up. It was working. It was warm to the touch. I just immediately felt like we had been invaded; our privacy had been invaded." Carnival provided a statement to Inside Edition saying that they conducted a full investigation and acknowledged a “video transmitter” was found. However, the company say that it was “not connected to an electrical source and not capable of recording. The safety and security of our guests and crew is of paramount importance and we have taken measures so that this sort of situation does not happen again," the statement read. After the incident, the device was given to the FBI for further inspection. Hidden camera in cruise cabin
October 26 Carnival Sunsine Cruise Hive reports the ship was stuck in San Juan, Puerto Rico due to some kind of mechanical/technical issue. The ship didn’t depart until late last night which is way beyond the scheduled departure of 4:00 PM. Due to the issues, it has been decided that the ship will not call in Grand Turk on Friday, October 26 The ship only resumed service on October 21 after a major 2-week dry dock at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas. As usual when it comes to a ship drydock maintenance was also completed. There will be some question marks to why the ship has an issue less than a week after dry dock. Mechanical problems, delayed, canceled port call
October 25 AIDAnova NL Times reports arson may be involved in a fire on cruise ship AidaNova in Groningen's Eemshaven on Wednesday morning. The police started an investigation into the cause of the fire, at the request of the captain, RTV Noord reports. The ship will remain in the harbor during the investigation. A planned six days long trip was therefore canceled. Around 3 thousand people work on AidaNova, most of whom stay on board overnight. Due to the fire, owner Meyer Werft decided to book hotel rooms for the staff. Fire
October 25 Ruby Princess From a reader: I have learned that our Mexican Riviera Ruby Princess cruise Saturday (27 October) has been over sold.  Princess is paying people to “move over” to another cruise. Cruise oversold
October 23 Pacific Explorer (Carnival Corp) The Guardian reports the ship spilled 27,000 litres of food waste and grey water into the Great Barrier Reef marine park in August, a Senate estimates hearing has heard. The Greens senator Larissa Waters told the hearing a report from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority – which is investigating the incident – had been supplied to her anonymously. The report says the spill occurred on 26 August after food waste was transferred to the Pacific Explorer’s galley holding tank due to a shortage in capacity in its food waste tanks. Waste from the galley tank was then discharged by engineers in the marine park. The report says the vessel became aware of the incident late on 27 August. The hearing heard P&O reported the spill to Amsa but the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority was not informed until 4 September. After the hearing, Waters questioned why the incident had not been made public. “It shouldn’t have taken an anonymous source and me asking questions in estimates for the public to find out about this,” she said. “If a major cruise ship company thinks that the public won’t find out about their pollution, then they are less likely to take the issue seriously. “The public have a right to know about pollution breaches in our Great Barrier Reef and the government should be upfront about such incidents.” She also expressed concern the vessel was one of the ships being leased for events as part of November’s Apec summit in Port Moresby.
In its defense, the cruise line said it was an isolated incident -- in other words, they didn't expect to be caught.
Environmental violation
October 23 Carnival Victory Cruise Law News reports Carnival Victory cruise ship which departed yesterday from the port of Miami. It was supposed to sail from Miami to Key West arriving this morning around 7:30 a.m., and then sailing on to Cozumel, Mexico before returning to Miami in October 26, 2018. However, yesterday Carnival stated that an unspecified “issue” is affecting the ship’s “maximum cruising speed.” A letter to the ship’s guests signed by the Master of the cruise ship stated that although technicians were doing the “necessary work,” the ship would operate on a modified itinerary. The ship would sail to Nassau in the Bahamas where it would arrive at 10:00 a.m. today and it would then spend the day tomorrow at its private destination in Princess Cays in the Bahamas. The Carnival Victory would then spend a day at sea on Thursday and would return to Miami Friday morning. AIS shows the ship in Nassau this morning after sailing at an average speed of around 11-12 knots. Carnival was offering a $50 onboard credit and a full refund for anyone who wished to cancel the cruise. Power loss
October 23 Grand Classica Cruise Law News reports a passenger reportedly died following a fall aboard the Grand Classica cruise ship operated by the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line according to several sources. WPTV in West Palm Beach reports that the Grand Classica contacted the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday evening when an unidentified passenger fell and was injured on the cruise ship after it left the Port of Palm Beach heading toward Freeport. The Coast Guard medevaced the passenger from the cruise ship to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where hospital staff pronounced him dead. The news stations report that another passenger on the ship stated that the the man fell to his death, but the cruise line has not confirmed that account. After the medevac, the cruise ship then resumed sailing to Grand Bahama Island. A passenger on the cruise commented on Facebook, “I heard code blue I ran to the staircase where everyone was huddled … I saw a pool of blood … they were wiping the blood like nothing.” Man falls to death
October 22 Carnival Elation Jacksonville Timse Union report a 23-year-old Jacksonville man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual abuse by force when he forced himself upon a young woman with special needs late Feb. 27 aboard the locally-ported Carnival Elation cruise ship while on a trip to the Bahamas, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Brian James Holland was sentenced Monday, Special Agent-in-Charge Charles Spencer saying the case highlighted the importance of working relationships FBI Jacksonville has with local security organizations like the Carnival Cruise Lines security team, “and will continue to work with them to protect travelers while on land and at sea.” The female victim told investigators she was in the cruise ship’s Jacuzzi last winter when Holland repeatedly tried to put his arm around her, according to the federal complaint. She moved from him, but he became more aggressive and forcefully touched her sexually under her bathing suit, the complaint said. Two others in the hot tub corroborated her complaint, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The woman reported the incident to her family, who told ship security. Shipboard medical personnel examined her and found abrasions consistent with what was reported, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Authorities were waiting at Jacksonville’s cruise ship terminal when the ship returned to port in early March and arrested Holland, who pleaded guilty to his charge in July.

Sexual assault
October 18 Radiance OTS Daily Mail reports a woman was heard screaming in terror as her boyfriend allegedly attempted to throw her over the side of a luxury cruise liner. David James Fysh, 46, of Wamuran in Queensland, is tonight languishing in a Tasmanian prison cell after being charged with attempted murder. The alleged incident happened on the Radiance Of The Seas cruise ship hours before it was due to dock in Hobart. The father of three fronted the Hobart Magistrates' Court on Friday evening where he formally pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted murder. The court heard allegations Fysh attempted to throw his partner into the Tasman Sea by grabbing her under the arms from behind on a balcony about 3.30am on Thursday. The ship was in the middle of a five-night return cruise from Sydney to Tasmania. Police alleged the couple had been seen arguing before the alleged incident. Stunned witnesses told the Mercury they heard an emergency alarm and screaming in the early hours of Thursday morning. Tasmania Police were called to the Hobart Cruise Terminal to arrest Fysh when the ship docked about 8.30am. Attempted murder (by throwing overboard)
October 18 Celebrity Reflection Cruise Law News reports a crew member reportedly went overboard last night, according to a passenger on the cruise ship. The Celebrity cruise ship was sailing from Mykonos, Greece to Rhodes, Greece. A Greek news source identifies the crew member as a 36 year-old from the Ukraine. The news source says that the man went overboard around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night but the search efforts did not begin until “early on Wednesday” (at around 5:00 a.m). Crew member overboard
October 16 Mulrtiple ships CBC reports four cruise ships set to dock Tuesday in Charlottetown were forced to cancel due to a wind warning. The cancellations were a setback for businesses relying on tourism during the shoulder season.  Nessya Neemron, the owner of Nessya's Gems and Jewels and another store near the Seaport, said the cancellations have a ripple effect. "The loss is very big. It's to me personally, to the people that work with me, to my suppliers," she said. "Next year, I might … order less product because I'm left over with more product than I expected. It's unfortunate, but it's always weather related, so there's not much we can do about it." Corryn Clemence, Port Charlottetown's business development manager, said the port was expecting just over 6,000 passengers today. On October 2, four ships visited Charlottetown, offloading more than 10,000 passengers.
4 ships cancel port call
October 16 Baltic Princess YLE Finland reports the body of a woman was discovered in a cabin aboard Tallink Silja's Baltic Princess cruise ship at Turku harbour on Monday night, according to local police. Later on Tuesday, police said they do not suspect a crime was a factor in the woman's death. Police said that the woman's cause of death will be investigated. The woman, who was in her thirties, was found by ship cleaning staff after the Baltic Princess had docked in Turku, south-west Finland, at about 7:15 pm on Monday. Tallink Silja told newspaper Ilta-Sanomat the woman was a Finnish citizen. Turku police department's Detective Superintendent Jussi Helesvirta said the woman had been accompanied by her husband. According to Helesvirta, he did not notify anyone about her death but instead disembarked the vessel in Turku on his own. The ship had just arrived from Stockholm and the couple had apparently taken a 23-hour cruise. Police said they were able to locate the deceased woman's husband at the harbour area and took him into custody, according to Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). The ship was scheduled to depart Turku at 8:15 pm, but the incident caused a 90-minute delay.  Passengers were told the postponement was due to a medical emergency, the cruise line's communications chief Marika Nöjd told the paper (in Finnish). Murder?
October 16 Celebrity Solstice New Zealand Herald reports Auckland commuters aboard ferries were thrown into an aquatic holding pattern in the harbour as they were forced to wait for a cruise ship to come into dock. All inner harbour services were affected by the Celebrity Solstice docking at Princes Wharf this morning. One 9.30am ferry from Auckland to Waiheke Island had to be cancelled. "All inner harbour services were impacted, as well as Waiheke and Devonport services. "The inbound Waiheke and Devonport vessels were delayed about 20 and 15 minutes respectively, as they waited to safely enter the ferry basin," Horne said. A cruise ship of that size halted traffic for the entire ferry basin, due to its thrust it was not safe to operate any ferries in or out. Cruise ships coming in to either Queens or Princes wharf always caused some level of disruption, but many arrive before commuter hours, before 6.30 or 7am, which minimised the impact on ferry services. Cruise ship disrupts morning communters
October 10 Unknown ABC News reports a Queens man has been indicted for allegedly strangling and suffocating a woman he was dating while they were on board a cruise ship in international waters.Carlos Batista Jr., 22, was sailing from New York to the Bahamas with his girlfriend on Sept. 8 when he allegedly grabbed and choked her until she passed out. Batista allegedly pulled the woman through the hallways of the ship and covered her mouth when she screamed for help after she told him she wanted to end their relationship. He allegedly suffocated her to the point her body went limp, authorities said in the indictment. Batista allegedly dragged the woman into his cabin and assaulted her until other people were able to enter, according to the indictment. The alleged assault lasted five minutes, the FBI said. The 22-year-old was charged with one count of assault of a dating partner by strangling or suffocating, which carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Assault
October 9 AIDAprima Daily Mail reports hundreds of passengers on a luxury Mediterranean cruise were reportedly struck down with a sickness bug that left them quarantined in their cabins. Around 300 people were left suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea after a virus is thought to have swept the vessel following its departure from Palma in Majorca on September 22. The cruise liner had been bound for destinations including Corsica, Rome, Florence and Barcelona. A wave of illness also spread over one of the Prima's sister ships, the Perla, recently.  Last month dozens of passengers on it fell ill and they were quarantined on board after it moored in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. Illness outbreak
October 8 Brilliance OTS From a passenger: RCI Brilliance of the Seas could not tender in Cayman due to weather safety issues. Cancel port call
October 7 Azura (P&O) Channel News Asia reports the American captain of a massive cruise ship faces trial in Marseille on Monday (Oct 8) accused of using fuel with sulphur levels above European limits, as the Mediterranean port city grapples with the polluting effect of its drive to increase boat tourism. The Azura is one of the largest in the fleet operated by P&O Cruises, whose parent company Carnival is also being charged. Prosecutors in Marseille say it is the first time pollution charges have been lodged against a ship's captain on France's Mediterranean coast. Authorities say shipping could be responsible for 10 to 20 per cent of the damaging particulate matter inM Marseille's air, which can cause respiratory problems and lung disease. A spot check onboard the Azura in March found it was burning bunker fuel containing 1.68 per cent sulphur, above the 1.5 per cent limit. High-sulphur fuel, which is cheaper than cleaner versions, produces sulphur oxides which contribute to acid rain and the acidification of oceans. The ship's 58-year-old captain, whose name has not been disclosed, faces up to one year in prison and a 200,000 euro (US$230,000) fine. Tracked down by investigators a few days after the testing during a stop east of Marseille, he admitted using the fuel. But he did not appear at a previous court hearing in July, when Carnival lawyers argued that the company was not responsible. Environmental offense
October 5 Anthem OTS Royal Gazette reports an American cruise ship passenger was fined $4,000 yesterday after she admitted possession of cannabis and drug equipment. Magistrates’ Court heard Meghan George, 41, from Pennsylvania, George was caught with two bags of plantlike material in her purse by Customs officers as she tried to board the Anthem of the Seas in Dockyard. Officers searched her cabin and found three marijuana pipes, a grinder and an electronic cigarette cartridge holding cannabis oil in her suitcase. She was arrested the next morning and remanded in custody. Drug bust
October 2 L'Astral NZ Press reports a French cruise line company has been fined $70,000 and one of its captains $30,000 for grounding a ship on a rock in the waters near the protected sub-antarctic Snares Islands south of New Zealand. Compagnie Du Ponant runs small cruise ships in sub-antarctic waters including the L´Austral which had 356 passengers and crew on board in January 2017 when it hit a submerged rock less than 300 metres from an island.  It was captained by master mariner Regis Daumesnil who had been with the company for 23 years.
Fine for grounding
October 2 Costa Lumionosa Cruise Radio reports a Florida jury ordered a cruise line to pay a woman who tripped over a bucket while getting breakfast over a million dollars in damages. This was, however, less than she had originally been awarded. According to CaseLaw, Joyce Higgs and her family were cruising on board the Costa Luminosa in December of 2015 when, after fetching breakfast from the buffet, she fell. Higgs’ daughter Christina testified during the original trial which took place after the incident that her mother had tripped over a bucket of water left in the area — presumably by the cleaning crew. Higgs was taken first to the ship’s medical center and later to shore, where she was hospitalized in Grand Turk. While on shore, Higgs saw a doctor and had X-rays taken. With the party slated to return to the states in a few days, she decided to return to the ship, her arm in the sling, and finish out the vacation. Upon returning home, she would eventually have an operation during which a metal plate and numerous screws were inserted into her shoulder. When the resulting lawsuit went to trial, Higgs was awarded just over $1.3 million in damages… but that ruling was soon overturned by an appellate court, which ruled that a new trial should be held. The reason? During the pre-trial deposition phase, Ms. Higgs made reference to having fallen several times over the course of the previous year. This was not only blatantly untrue, but something which — because of the already-ruled-on motion, something Costa’s attorneys were unable to rebut. Taking this into consideration, the court of appeals overturned the case… and so back to court everyone went. According to Law360, the second trial culminated in a very similar outcome on Thursday, with the jury this time to award Higgs $1,211,000, approximately $100,000 less than she’d been awarded in the previous trial. Lawsuit
October 2 Unknown St. John's Source reports a cruise ship passenger enjoying the day snorkeling at St. John’s Trunk Bay died Tuesday afternoon. The V.I. Police Department said the man’s next of kin identified the victim as 67-year-old Guoquiang Wang. While the cause of death is not known, pending an autopsy, the police report indicated drowning was considered a possibility. According to the police report, at 12:53 p.m. Tuesday the 911 dispatcher received a call of an unresponsive male at Trunk Bay on St. John. Units from the National Park Service and the V.I. Police Department traveled to the scene, where emergency medical technicians concluded that the male, later identified as Wang, did not have any vital signs. Death while snorkeling
October 2 Voyager OTS Newsweek reports a dream cruise turned into a nightmare for passengers after their ship was overrun with more than a thousand men from a tobacco company who held wild parties featuring women dressed as Playboy bunnies. The cruise on the Voyager of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International, was inundated with 1,300 workers from the Indian gutka company Kamla Pasand, who came onboard for a conference just before the boat left its Sydney dock last month. Passengers described how the men proceeded to run amok, taking over the pool decks, bars and buffets. They were also said to have brought burlesque dancers onboard, who starred in parties on deck. The men would also harass other passengers and film young girls on their mobile phones, passengers said. Royal Caribbean International issued full refunds to passengers, news.com.au reported. Full refunds given
September 30 Boudicca, Fred Olsen Daily Mail reports two British women have been killed while on a coach trip excursion in the middle of an 'Authentic Arabia' cruise in the Middle East. The pair were stepping off a coach in Salalah, Oman, near the Haffa market, when they were hit by a car. The driver, who did not have a licence, had veered into the wrong lane, Royal Oman Police say.  A third person, a British man, was also seriously injured and taken to hospital where he is now said to be in a stable condition. Pax death on Shorex
Septemer 30 Carnival Fantasy WEAR TV reportsa Birmingham woman has been charged with assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction in Mobile Federal Court. Jenetrice Williams of Birmingham, Alabama is accused of cutting her boyfriend during an altercation on the Carnival Fantasy on August 19, 2018. Assault
September 29 Carnival Dream Cruise Hive reports departure of the ship is delayed on Sunday, September 30 so that essential work can be done to the ship. The cruise line has stated that no guests can be onboard during that time and the embarkation process will commence once the work is complete. The ship will now be setting sail around three hours later than usual. No details of what kind of work being done to the ship have been released. Delayed departure
September 29 Carnival Freedom Cruise Hive reports a notice has gone out that the ship will now leave at 7 PM with the final boarding time at 6 PM. Many people traveling to the ship in Port of Galveston Texas have been delayed due to significant flooding. Delayed departure
September 29 CCL, RCI, & NCL Sun Sentinel reportsthere’s a good chance you spent more than you should have on travel insurance and deserve to get paid back, according to federal lawsuits filed in South Florida. The companies targeted in the suits: Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines, and American, Delta and JetBlue airlines. The suits follow increased scrutiny of the travel insurance industry, including an August report concluding that policies sold through third parties provide dubious value to travelers The lawsuits, which seek class-action status, accuse the companies of violating Florida laws by failing to disclose to consumers that they were earning “kickbacks” from travel insurance companies for every policy sold. The travel companies misled consumers by creating the impression they were merely collecting the purchase price on behalf of the insurers providing the coverage, including Nationwide (Norwegian, Carnival), Transamerica (Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival), Arch (Royal Caribbean) or Allianz (American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue). The “kickbacks” increased the cost of the insurance to consumers beyond what they otherwise should have paid, the suits charge. Cruise line sold travel Insurace
September 25 Liberty OTS From a passenger: At approximately 1:45 AM, we are asleep in our cabin aboard the Liberty of the Seas, when we hear over the ship’s loudspeaker, “Bravo, Bravo Bravo...” in an Italian voice.  It alarms me because I have been on a few cruise ships and you never hear loudspeaker announcements in the middle of the night.  A few short minutes later, we hear another announcement, and I am waking my husband and getting dressed so I don’t really hear what they are saying, but it is also in code. Then I decide to google up “Distress signal at sea, Bravo, Bravo, Bravo” and this is what I find, ( and now I am scared shitless): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vessel_emergency_codes Update: 2:30 AM - we just heard the 3rd announcement over the loudspeaker (in an Italian accent): “All crew, all crew, we have the situation under control, you can now ignore the call. “. Then he says in a very shaky voice: “ To our guests, we are had...an emergency, a FIRE in the engine room, but it is now under control.  We are sorry to have woken you” 10:30 AM - Just had an announcement from the bridge.  Per the Captain’s announcement: One of the main engines caught fire & is now out of commission. But no concern as there are 5  more working! They did a great job of commutation to the guests today.  We are very happy the fire was put out! Fire emergency
September 20 AIDAperla MedicalXpress reports dozens of cruise ship passengers who fell ill during their voyage were temporarily held on board Thursday after the liner moored in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. The sickened passengers were on board the AIDAperla. The ship's German operator Aida Cruises said in a statement that crew increased hygiene measures after "gastro intestinal infections occurred among passengers." Local emergency services said in a statement that 70 passengers reported feeling sick and received treatment onboard. By early afternoon, port authorities and the cruise company said that all passengers were being allowed on and off the ship. Illness
September 19 Nautica Oceania BBC reports tugs had to come to the aid of a cruise liner - the Nautica - in Greenock as Storm Ali causes problems across Scotland. About 500 passengers and crew are stranded after their ship parted its mooring lines. No-one was injured. Broke from mooring
September 15 Carnival Victory From a passenger: September 13 - Captain came on intercom said there was a fire and that the smoke was from that fire.  Called a few times for fire crews and then said all was ok. Midday off Cuba coast.  
Fire
September 14 Multiple ships Juneau Empire reports waste water quality violations in Alaska this year. Princess Cruise Line accrued the most wastewater violations. The Star Princess and the Emerald Princess, both Princess Cruise Line ships, were each cited twice. Other ships that were issued wastewater discharge violations are the Noordam (Holland America Line), Sojourn (Seabourn Cruise Line), Golden Princess (Princess Cruise Line), Ruby Princess (Princess Cruise Line), Eurodam (Holland America Line), Volendam (Holland America Line) and Island Princess (Princess Cruise Line). (see www.cruisejunkie.com/alaskafines.html for a complete list) Evironmental (water) violations
September 14 Multiple ships Juneau Empire reports environmental managers issued air quality violations to eight cruise ships on Friday, Sept. 7, for violations throughout the summer cruise season. This year’s to-date total of nine air quality violations (one ship received two notices) is the highest number of violations DEC has handed out in all but four years (2000, 2001, 2008 and 2014). It’s also higher than the last three years combined: only two violations were handed out last year and zero violations were issued in 2016 or 2015. Holland America Line led the tally with four violations from four ships. Princess Cruise Line received two violations for two ships. Royal Caribbean ship Radiance of the Seas was cited twice: once in Ketchikan in on Aug. 8 and again in Seward nine days later. Norwegian Cruise Line ship the Norwegian Jewel was also cited. A full list of the violating ships includes the Norwegian Jewel (Norwegian Cruise Line), Radiance of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), Amsterdam (Holland America Line), Eurodam (Holland America Line), Nieuw Amsterdam (Holland America Line), Westerdam (Holland American Line), Emerald Princess (Princess Cruise Line) and Golden Princess (Princess Cruise Line). Most of the violations took place in Ketchikan, where DEC has more monitoring staff than elsewhere, White said. Five of the nine violations stem from the first city. Evironmental (air) violations
9 September AidaLuna CBC reports a German singer is reportedly missing from a holiday cruise off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Daniel Kueblboeck, 33, a contestant in 2003 on Germany Seeks the Superstar — the German version of talent search show Pop Idol — has gone overboard from the ship, which was travelling from Hamburg to New York, according to Aida Cruises. Kueblboeck released four successful singles and an album, as well as appearing in other reality TV shows.  The German news agency DPA and Bild newspaper have reported that the coast guard is searching for Kueblboeck. Kueblboeck was on the AidaLuna, which was due into St. John's on Sunday afternoon. The ship sent an alert to the Canadian Coast Guard around 6 a.m. Another cruise ship that was due in port Sunday has reportedly turned back to assist the AidaLuna. Aida Cruises confirmed via Twitter late Sunday morning that a person went missing early Sunday. Ship staff carried out a cabin check and confirmed that the missing person was Kueblboeck. "The ship was stopped as a precaution and returned to the place" where Kueblboeck went overboard, the company tweeted. Passenger overboard
8 September Multiple ships Travel Agent Central reports NCL has modified upcoming itineraries for both the Norwegian Escape and the Norwegian Dawn. On Norwegian Escape’s September 9 itinerary out of New York City, the ship will call in Port Canaveral, Florida, and Great Stirrup Cayand Nassau in the Bahamas to avoid the storm’s path, instead of calling in Bermuda as planned. On Norwegian Dawn’s September 7 itinerary out of Boston, the ship will call in Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; St. John, New Brunswick; and Bar Harbor, Maine, instead of calling in Bermuda. RCI Blog says Grandeur of the Seas has also modified its itinerary to avoid Bermuda. Itinerary changes (weather)
8 September Star Pride WCBV reports the vessel experienced a loss of cooling water for the engine systems causing an automatic shutdown of the propulsion and auxiliary engines while navigating Buzzards Bay Friday afternoon.  "During the time the ship was without prolusion, the Star Pride was on emergency generator power including power to navigational equipment and essential safety systems as well as basic comforts for the passengers and crew," the company said. The company said the cause of the shutdown was identified and addressed and power was restored and all ship operations about two hours later.  Late Friday, the Coast Guard ordered the vessel to have a Coast Guard inspection prior to completing its scheduled trip to Manhattan. "Under tug escort, the Star Pride will moor up in Newport to await inspectors," the Coast Guard said. It then proceeded to Newe York. Loss of power
September 6 Norwegian Pear Juneau Empire reports as exhaust emissions poured from the Norwegian Pearl’s exhaust stack on Tuesday, so too did complaints to the Department of Environmental Conservation. DEC received at least nine calls complaining about the ship’s emissions, and at least one more complaint was lodged electronically, according to Program Manager Ed White, who runs the Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance program. That number is “probably as high as any day that we’ve seen,” White told the Empire on Wednesday. Cruise ships can incur hefty fines for violating DEC air quality regulations. DEC handed out two violations last year to cruise ships, the Norwegian Jewel and the Amsterdam, which were both cited in Ketchikan. Those violations can be as high as $46,192, a fine which was raised this year from $37,500. Air emissions
September 6 Le Boreal & Le Soleal CBC reports the cancellation of two luxury cruise ships that were supposed to land in Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., this week is disappointing community members that were prepared for an influx of tourists. The ships cancelled due to difficult ice conditions in Bellot Strait and Queen Maud Gulf. The cruise ships, Le Boreal and Le Soleal, were set to land in Ulukhaktok on Sept. 3 and 9, respectively. The mayor said people in the community have had to put their plans on hold due to the cancellations, as the influx of tourists was expected to bring new dollars into the Beaufort Delta economy. "Their cancellations do impact the community a lot," she said. "It impacts the people. It impacts them, their children, their income." Port call skipped
September 6 Carnival Elation Cruise Law News reports a man from Topeka, Kansas was arraigned in United States District Court on charges of murdering his wpartner during a Carnival cruise earlier this year. On January 19, 2018, a passenger on the Carnival Elation sent us photographs of the couple’s cabin and the area where the woman fell to her death. The woman reportedly died after she fell from her balcony on the 14th deck down to the 11th deck on the Carnival cruise ship which has sailed from Jacksonville to Freeport, in the Bahamas. Husband charged with murdering wife
September 5 Celebrity Equinox A Poster at Cruise Critic reports the ship lost power and was dead in the water for a half hour or so. Loss of power - Dead in the ater
September 3 Multiple ships Los Angeles Times reportsthe Danube River has been particularly hard hit by drought in Europe, leaving cargo ships, day cruisers and river boats high and dry. River cruise operators have been forced to find alternative transportation, which usually means passengers will be traveling by coach and perhaps staying in hotels instead of ship cabins. The Upper Danube, which is the most popular river boat destination in Europe, has been especially plagued by low water issues, particularly the area between Passau and Regensburg in Germany. Budapest, Hungary, another popular Danube destination, has been closed to cruise traffic for more than a week. River boats aren't the only vessels in trouble; many cargo ships also are stranded, according to media reports. iking Cruises, the largest river boat carrier in Europe, announced on its website that: "Unseasonably hot and dry weather in Europe has resulted in low water levels on several of the European rivers ... To varying degrees, these low water levels will affect select itineraries. While ideally your ship would carry you along the full length of the river, due to water levels on sections where sailing becomes restricted, we may need to make adjustments." Those adjustments may mean travelers will be touring on a bus instead of a ship.
 
August 31 Celebrity Summit Miami New Times reportslast August, during a Celebrity Cruises trip from New Jersey to Bermuda, a woman from New York was approached by a crew member who said he was a spa director. He had a surprising offer: a "complimentary massage."  Instead, the woman says in federal court, the man "trapped her in a small room of the spa" and "intentionally persuaded [her] to undress and eventually fondled her breasts and vaginal area before she was able to get away." The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in her complaint filed against Celebrity and the Canyon Ranch spa last week in Florida's Southern District Court, says the assault happened on the Celebrity Summit. Miami-based maritime lawyer Jim Walker, who is representing the woman, argues the two companies are negligent because they "failed to adequately vet the assailant's background," which would have revealed his "dangerous propensities and unsuitability for his job." A man with the same name as Doe's assailant is on trial this week in Jordan, Minnesota, for raping a 14-year-old girl in 2003, though Walker says he's been unable to determine if he is the same man who allegedly assaulted his client on the ship. "We were aware of the trial and charges against the man in Minnesota, but we are not sure if it is the same person," Walker says. "Celebrity Cruises and Canyon Ranch are not cooperating with us and will not voluntarily provide a photograph or any background information of the crew member who assaulted our client. So we are proceeding with the lawsuit. Sexual assault
August 30 Saga Pearl II Daily Mail reports the ship ploughed into four luxury yachts while attempting to enter a harbour in Dartmouth, Devon, yesterday.  Witnesses reported seeing boat owners 'running from their vessels in pyjamas', as the liner headed towards smaller vessels which were moored in the bay. The damage was caused to the yachts while the cruise ship tried to turn as it was being piloted by the harbour master at Dartmouth, Devon. Dart Harbour Authority said it is now trying to track down the owners of all the boats involved in the incident and has launched an investigation. Steve McMillan, 54, of Brixham, Devon, who witnessed the incident, said: 'The Saga Pearl II collided with four yachts on the way in to Dartmouth. 'She turned in too wide and people were running out of their boats, in their pyjamas on a nearby pontoon adjacent to the yacht club. 'It really was close.' Collision with yachts in harbour
August 28 Carnival Horizon NY Post reports the ship struck a dock on Manhattan’s West Side; it smacked into the Pier 90 dock while mooring at Pier 88 at West 50th Street. Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen told The Post that “the impact to the bow of the ship was minor. There has been no impact to our debarkation process this morning and embarkation for today’s sailing is expected to proceed as normal" Assessments of the pier are currently underway. The Coast Guard said it was investigating the cause of the incident, which it called an “allision,” usually described as the running of one ship into another that is stationary. The city’s Department of Buildings was called to the scene at 711 12th Ave. to conduct a structural stability inspection. According to a preliminary investigation, the Horizon damaged two metal support beams and a small section of the parking level above, buildings. Allision with dock
August 25 Akademic Ioffe Nunatsiaq News reports the 117-metre-long cruise ship Akademic Ioffe, operated by One Ocean Expeditions, has been refloated after running aground in the western Gulf of Boothia near Kugaaruk yesterday morning “Following a full and successful systems check the vessel has repositioned to anchor. We remain in close contact with the captain, the coast guard, and other agencies,” One Ocean Expeditions said. The company said the vessel was refloated just after 10:30 p.m. Pacific time and that all passengers are safe and being “well-cared for.” The vessel appeared to have become grounded on a rock on the morning of Aug. 24. The Star reports there is damage to the vessel (contained) and passengers are likely to be flown home. UPDATE: Passengers were flown home and the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada have taken control of the damaged vessel and are developing a plan for moving the vessel to another location. CBC reports the ship rescue cost the Canadian Government $513,000. The amount does not reflect expenses incurred by the Canadian Coast Guard. Two of its icebreakers headed to the scene to offer assistance.  Aground - refloated
August 18 Norwegian Star BBC reports a British woman has survived after falling from a cruise ship off the coast of Croatia, the country's coastguard has said. Officials said she was rescued 10 hours after falling into the Adriatic Sea - 60 miles offshore - around midnight on Saturday. The 46-year-old, who had been on the Norwegian Star cruise ship, was taken to hospital in the town of Pula. She told reporters she fell off the back and was "very lucky to be alive". Speaking to Croatian news channel HRT after stepping off the coastguard patrol boat the Cavtat, she added: "I was in the water for 10 hours, so these wonderful guys rescued me." She was then taken to hospital in an ambulance. The rescue vessel's captain, Lovro Oreskovic, said she was found on Sunday "exhausted", adding: "We were extremely happy for saving a human life." Person overboard - rescused alive
August 18 MSC Seaview Cruise Law News reports water reportedly flooded down the central stairwell on the new MSC Seaview while the ship was cruising in the Mediterranean. The spectacle was filmed by a number of cruise passengers with one such video being posted on the home page of MSC Seaview Fans on Facebook. Some people commented that there must have been a broken pipe, although exactly what caused the water to pour from the stairwell ceiling is not clear. Other commented that there was a thunderstorm in Barcelona yesterday, although that does not really explain why the water poured into the ship.  Other comments were to the effect that this is a new ship just out of the shipyard, which had its inaugural cruise in June of this year. You can see the video here (after we posted this article the video was removed) Water damage
August 17 Emerald Star From a reader: Europe is experiencing an extended period of hot and dry weather, resulting in low water levels across sections of the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers. As a result of these conditions there are unavoidable impacts to the safe navigation of vessels on the rivers. The incidence of low water and the ability for continued cruising currently varies on a daily basis and is a situation we monitor continuously. Currently there are sailing restrictions on the upper Danube River between Passau and Regensburg. Unfortunately, due to these critical water levels we will be unable to sail this section of the river in time to meet the scheduled embarkation of your 19 August, Classic Rhine Cruise in Amsterdam. We have reviewed all options for making alternate arrangements including another Emerald Waterways Star Ship and the opportunity to sail an amended cruising itinerary. However, it has not been possible to make any suitable arrangements that would provide you with the Emerald Waterways Cruise experience that we had planned to deliver. In assessing the low water impact to your cruise, the associated disruption on the itinerary and our desire to provide you with the planned cruise experience; we have found it necessary to cancel this cruise departure. Canceled cruise
August 14 Norwegian Escape Royal Gazette reports an American tourist was fined $2,000 for attempting to import cannabis he claimed he needed for medical purposes.  James Insalaco, 24, admitted to bringing just over 20g of the controlled drug to the island aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Escape at Heritiage Wharf, Dockyard, on Wednesday. Housekeeping staff reported finding the plant material in containers in the man’s cabin. He was taken to the customs hall and later arrested. Insalaco told Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo on Friday that he used the drug that had been prescribed to him in the States owing to a boat accident that had left him in a coma for two weeks. He said: “I know it was wrong. I am a medical patient, I really need it. I have never left anywhere without it. Shouldn’t they have seized it when I left New York?” Mr Tokunbo asked to view his medical certificate which was produced. He handed Insalaco a $2,000 fine which he said had taken into consideration his medical condition. Drug bust
August 14 Unknown BerNews reports a cruise ship passenger from New Jersey pled not guilty to a charge of sexual assault. The 27-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was alleged to have committed the crime against a fellow cruise ship passenger on August 10. His trial is scheduled to begin on August 29. He was granted $10,000 bail. The was ordered to surrender his travel documents and appear at the Hamilton Police Station on Monday and Friday between the hours of 6 am and 8 pm. Sexual assault alleged
August 13 Carnival Horizon Cruise Radio reports a mechanical issue caused the ship to skip a port of call, and is impacting the speed at which it can currently travel. As a result, guests on board received a note from Captain Gaetano Gigliotti explaining the situation, and offering them a $50 onboard credit for their inconvenience (the credit is consistent with the Cruise Passenger Bill of Rights given that port fees were not paid for the canceled port call). Although the captain did not get specific about the issue in his letter, he said that it had “limited our ability to safely maneuver during this morning’s docking process” at the scheduled stop, Amber Cove. “Given the narrow channel in Amber Cove and lack of tug boat availability, it was necessary to cancel our call.” The captain went on to explain that the issue was “also impacting the ship’s maximum cruising speed” and that they were making arrangements for a technician to come aboard and make repairs. He made clear that the issues “is not impacting the operation of the ship” and that they were still expecting to arrive in New York City on Thursday. Propulsion problems
August 13 Carnival Horizon Cruise Hive reports an Indian crew member in his 30’s named Ravi Singh Bisht has sadly passed away while onboard the newest ship in the fleet. He leaves behind his wife, mother, father, sister and his brother who also works for the cruise line. Ravi was working in the Culinary Arts department since joining Carnival in 2012. It isn’t clear what actually happened to him but an anonymous source from onboard Carnival Horizon said it may have been related to a Galley party he attended the night before. He was found the following morning of Grand Turk which was August 11. We were told more but don’t think it’s right to post how he passed away and in what manner. Crew member death
August 9 Carnival Triumph From a passenger: We just disembarked from a five day cruise to Mexico aboard Carnival Triumph and a room with sealed off by security two doors down from us - we were told that a passenger was sexually assaulted in the room. Also were told a passenger had a heart attack and died on another deck and was kept in the room for 2 days... Strangest cruise we’ve been on. Sexual assault?
August 7 Norwegian Escape BerNews reports an American tourist who said he had a medical marijuana card admitted to several drug offences, including importation, and was fined $2000. Randolph Knight, 46, from Atlanta, Georgia, who was a passenger on the Norwegian Escape, pled guilty to several drug charges. Those included bringing cannabis, cartridges containing tetrahydrocannabinol, a plastic grinder, and a smoking pipe into Bermuda on August 1. Customs officers stopped Knight and a woman after disembarking from the ship. When the officers went to examine a suitcase Knight said it belonged to him and the contents of the suitcase were all his. They later searched his cabin and found more cannabis, another pipe, and a plastic grinder. After being tested, it was determined that there were 10.84 grams of cannabis and 0.2 grams in the grinder. Drug bust
August 7 Ruby Princess KHNS reports Haines wasn’t scheduled to have any cruise ships in port tomorrow. But, with high winds forecasted in Northern Lynn Canal, around 3,000 extra visitors are headed for the Chilkat Valley.  The National Weather Service is forecasting a southerly gale at 35 knots, with gusts to 50 knots and 7 ft. seas.  Based on the forecast, the Ruby Princess will dock in Haines instead of sailing to Skagway.  The Haines-Skagway fast ferry, which shuttles cruise passengers between the two towns, is also cancelled Tuesday. Change of port call
August 6 Fascination

Crew Center reports authorities in Puerto Rico are investigating the death of a man. According to the police report, the man was identified as the 22-year-old Serbian national, Nikola Arnautovic. The young man was found hanged in his cabin on Sunday at around  10.41 am (14.41 GMT) after the vessel docked at Pier 4 in San Juan. In the past years, there have been several tragic events of cruise ship employees by hanging.  On February 15, 2017, a 27-year-old dishwasher from India was found hanging in his cabin: his fellow cabin mate took him down in an attempt to revive him, to no avail. In March 2016, a 21-year-old crew member Eduardo Sanchez Smith, who was working as a cook on Island Princess was found hanging in his cabin. In July 2015, a 33-year-old British national who was working as a cook on Crystal Serenity was found hanging in the cabinwhile the ship was in Bordeaux, France.

Crew member suicide
August 3 Amsterdam Coast Guard News reports the Coast Guard suspended its search Friday for a 35 year old man reported overboard in Sitka Sound, Alaska. Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received notification at 9 p.m., Thursday, from the Amsterdam reporting the man missing after he did not show up for his shift. The master was made aware of the missing man at 7:45 p.m. The Amsterdam crew made extensive searches of the vessel, but did not locate the crew member. Weather was reported as 45-mph winds, low visibility, 7-10 foot seas, a water temperature of 55 degrees and an air temperature of 62 degrees. Crew member missing
August 2 Golden Princess KRDB reports following complaints in mid-June of a cruise ship discharging discolored water while docked in Ketchikan, city officials investigated and say the discharge was from the Golden Princess cruise ship’s exhaust scrubbers. In a July 24th memo, City Public Works Director Mark Hilson writes that those in-port discharges may not comply with regulations, and are under investigation by state and federal enforcement officials. Hilson says the ship’s agent turned off the discharge after a notification from the city. The city also has notified Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska to cease all non-compliant discharges while in port. In a separate memo, Port and Harbors Director Steve Corporon writes that the state has ocean rangers on board vessels to monitor all discharges. He writes that the discharge from scrubbers is permitted through the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The state does not have its own permit for scrubber systems. In an email exchange with Corporon, state Environmental Program Manager Ed White writes that state ocean rangers have been asked to monitor scrubber discharges, following reports of discharges that could exceed state water quality regulations. The state could intervene if those regulations are violated. NOTE: On 28 July, 2018, CLIA's SVP (Brian Salerno) told an audience in Rockland, ME that CLIA members discharge nothing while a ship is in or near port, and he said a ship NEVER DISCHARGES INTO THE WATER discharges from smokestack scrubbers. He said compliance with these mandatory CLIA requirements are a condition of membership in CLIA, Discharge scrubber sludge in port - environmental
August 2 Celebrity Summit Star Tribune reports a New Jersey man has been charged with taking an "upskirt" picture of a 13-year-old girl on a cruise ship. The U.S. attorney's office says Jeffrey Goldstein is charged with violating a voyeurism statute According to a criminal complaint, the 31-year-old Hoboken resident was on a cruise ship leaving Bayonne on July 8 when he allegedly took the picture. An adult allegedly saw Goldstein approach the girl as she was watching the sun set then point his cellphone under her skirt. Cruise ship personnel also reviewed surveillance video. Investigators say they found more than 40 similar images on Goldstein's phone. Goldstein faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. He has been released on $25,000 bond. Arrest for upskirt photograph of 13 year old girl
August 1 Viking Cinderella YLE reports an intoxicated man aboard Viking Line's Cinderella cruise ship on Tuesday night tried to light his underpants on fire while he was being detained in a cell for unruly passengers, according to police in the Åland islands. Earlier during the cruise the man, who is in his 50s and without a known fixed address in Finland, was detained by crew members for drunkenness and placed in a cell to sober up. On Tuesday night the Cinderella was on its way from Stockholm, Sweden to Mariehamn, capital of Åland, an autonomous Finnish archipelago province. The man was handed over to local police when the cruise liner arrived in Mariehamn. In the on-board holding facility, the man reportedly tried to burn his underwear, according to Christoffer Ahlfors of the Åland police. The smoke detector was activated by the burning undergarment. Crew members put out the flames with a fire extinguisher. Pax starts fire
August 1 Unknown KTOO reports the U.S. Coast Guard carried out a rescue on the Chilkat Inlet near Haines today after a canoe carrying 11 people capsized at Glacier Point, 9 miles south of the Haines townsite. The canoe was being used for a guided tour for passengers from three different cruise ships. A Jayhawk helicopter from Sitka responded. One of the passengers was unresponsive at the scene. First responders performed CPR, but the passenger remained unconscious. The Coast Guard transported the passenger to Juneau by helicopter. The Associated Press reported that Steven Tod Willis, 50, of North Las Vegas, Nevada, died. The remaining 10 passengers were transferred to a small boat operated by the company in charge of the guided canoe tour. Death on shore ex
July 29 Hapag Lloyd Bremen CBS reports Norwegian authorities said a polar bear on Saturday attacked and injured a polar bear guard who was leading tourists off a cruise ship on an Arctic archipelago. The polar bear was shot dead by another employee, the cruise company said. The Joint Rescue Coordination for Northern Norway tweeted that the attack occurred when the tourists from the MS Bremen cruise ship landed on the most northern island of the Svalbard archipelago, a region between mainland Norway and the North Pole that is known for its remote terrain, glaciers, reindeer and polar bears. The injured man was taken by helicopter to the town of Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen island. He was not identified and no further information was given on him. All cruise ships traveling in the northern region are obliged to have polar bear guards on board. Polar bear attack ashore
July 27 Unknown Cayman News Service reports police have said that a 37-year-old man from the United States who was arrested on board a cruise ship Wednesday on suspicion of assault and possession of ganja is now in hospital in critical condition. The authorities have given almost no details about the man’s situation except to say that after being taken into police custody yesterday, some time during the day he was taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital after “experiencing a medical issue”. He was arrested at 8:00am after the ship he was on docked in the George Town port and a 911 call was made. The RCIPS said that man and the woman he was travelling with had been involved in an altercation in international waters aboard the ship. When their cabin was searched by RCIPS officers they found an undisclosed quantity of ganja. He was then arrested on suspicion of assault ABH and possession of drugs. The female victim was taken to the George Town hospital for treatment for her injuries and later released. The police have not said how long after being in their custody the man became unwell or what the cause of the sudden critical illness or injury was. Pax arrested onboard - hospitalized
July 27 L'Austral Radio New Zealand reports the Southland Regional Council has been criticised for not helping large ships navigate Fiordland after a cruise ship collided with the ground in Milford Sound. French-registered passenger ship L'Austral was on a nine day cruise when it collided with the ground in Milford Sound in February last year - the ship's second crash while in New Zealand waters. It was dark and the crew were relying on the ship's navigation systems to set their course. A Transport Accident Investigation Commission investigation found the council did not fully consider the risks of navigating in with low visibility in the narrow passage. The Commission recommended the council work out how to mitigate the risks faced by large ships navigating the limited space in Fiordland as there was "little margin for error". The Commission also found the crew knew they were off-course and were alerted by safety settings, but failed to tell their pilot until it was too late. L'Austral also collided with rocks at Snares Islands a month before, in an area the Commission said was not suitable for safe navigation. Accident investigation
July 21 Zuiderdam Elliott Advocacy reports on a case where passengers were kicked off their cruise. Elaine Chan and her husband booked a 24-day cruise on Holland America’s Zuiderdam. But on day five, things went terribly wrong. “We did not expect our highly anticipated vacation to end as a nightmare in complete humiliation,” Chan explained. “We were kicked off the cruise by the Holland America captain in Helsinki.” Chan said that at 8 a.m., the captain called the couple into his office. He explained that there had been an incident during disembarkation two days earlier in St. Petersburg. The captain said that during that incident, several passengers had become verbally abusive to crew members. While leaving the ship, one passenger had escalated the situation by pushing an employee. Another crew member identified Chan’s husband as the person who did the shoving. As a result, they were no longer welcome on his ship. The shocked couple told the captain that they hadn’t been involved in any incident. The captain was unmoved and told them his decision was final. He ordered them to leave the cruise immediately. They had no recourse. Pax kikced off ship in Helsinki
July 20 Explorer OTS Cruise Law News reports two crew members, reportedly working on a lifeboat on the Explorer of the Seas, fell from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship near Victoria last evening. The two overboard ship workers were rescued by a rescue boat from the cruise ship, al;though other ships took part in the search. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre stated that “the two were working on a lifeboat on the Explorer of the Seas when they ended up in the water.” There is no indication exactly how long the workers were in the water or exactly how they fell from the cruise ship.  Royal Caribbean has work-aloft and working overboard procedures which require ship employees to be equipped with harness to prevent them from falling. Typically the work on lifeboats is permitted only after the ship employees obtain work-aloft certificates requiring that certain safety protocols set forth in the Royal Caribbean safety management system (called SQM on Royal Caribbean ship) be followed. Department heads and the staff captain typically must be aware of, approve and supervise the work. Crew Center reports: Vessel Towing & Salvage Company “C-Tow Victoria” responded to the scene and released the following video of the accident saying: “2 crew initially reported overboard the cruise ship Explorer of the Seas after rescue boat flips while either being lifted or lowered, crew fell from some height...unsure why it was being launched in these conditions. -two recovered by the pilot boat, then a potential 3rd missing, then found on the ships rescue boat along side. Ships rescue boat breaks down, towed by Vic 1 for a while before restarted, cut free and hoisted back aboard. Pilot boat returned with the crew after being checked out in Victoria by EMS and put back onboard, and the ship is back on their way...” 2 cew members accidentally go overboard in life boat accident
July 17 Norwegian Escape Bermnews reports a 41-year-old cruise ship passenger was today fined a total of $1,300 for drugs offences and resisting Customs officers. Rene Rosengart, from New York, admitted importing cannabinoid oil and what she believed to be ecstasy pills — although the pills were later found not to contain illegal drugs. Customs officials found an e-cigarette cartridge that contained cannabinoid oil which led to a search of the couple’s cabin. A container of pills was found and Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo was told Customs officials had to struggle with Rosengart, who tried to grab the pills and swallow them. Rosengart admitted importation of the oil and what she had believed to be ecstasy. Drug bust
July 15 Westerdam National Park Traveler reports a 69-year-old passenger of a Holland America cruise ship has been lost overboard at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska. In a brief news release, the park said Saturday night that it had suspended its search for the man, who was reported missing from Westerdam on Friday. The individual was reported missing at 3:50 p.m. when he did not appear for a medical appointment on board, a park release said. The Park Service was notified 7:30 Friday evening after a ship-wide search confirmed that the passenger was absent.  Searches for the unidentified passenger were conducted both from Park Service boats and from the air, supported by the U.S. Coast Guard. The release did not say where along the 65-mile Glacier Bay the man was reported missing, and park staff could not immediately be reached Sunday morning. Pax overboard
July 15 Celebrity Equinox From a passenger: Ship missed the San Juan port call due to a medical evacuation.  Glad to hear the passenger was ok. Skipped port call
July 13 Carnival Conquest Cruise Law News reports a passenger is accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl during an eastern Caribbean  cruise, according to a newspaper in West Virginia where the young man resides. U.S. Federal prosecutors reportedly filed a motion for a guilty plea hearing in U.S. District Court in Charleston, West Virginia yesterday. Judge Joseph Goodwin scheduled the motion for hearing on Monday, July 16 at 10 a.m. If convicted, Mr. Morrison faces up to 15 years in prison. The newspaper articles state that he is being prosecuted via a criminal information rather than a grand jury indictment, "which usually indicates a suspect plans to enter a guilty plea." According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Joshua Morrison, of Kenova, West Virginia, who was 18 years old a the time of the cruise and is now age 21, is accused of coercing a girl from Utah, then just age 12 years old, into performing sexual acts while the two were on a cruise aboard the Carnival Conquest. The alleged crime reportedly occurred during the cruise on January 8, 2016, when he was 18 years old. Sexual assault of minor
July 10 Seven Seas Mariner News 1130 reports a search is underway off southwest Vancouver Island for a 73-year-old man who went into the water early this morning from a cruise ship. The United States coast guard confirms the man is missing from the Seven Seas Mariner, which was heading to Victoria on the 10th day of an 11-day Alaska cruise that began in Vancouver on June 30. Petty Officer Trevor Lilburn says the captain of the cruise ship has reported the man went overboard from the balcony of his stateroom at about 4:15 a.m. KOMO reports two search helicopters and three rescue boats searched the nearby water, eventually locating the unconscious man Tuesday afternoon. He was flown to a Port Angeles hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Coast Guard said there is no indication of why the man went overboard. An investigation will help determine what happened. Pax overboard - body recovered
July 9 Norwegian Dawn WCVB reports the Sargent family sailed from Boston to Bermuda on the Norwegian Dawn last week, and every day, even after their rooms were cleaned and sheets changed, they say they noticed the same stains kept appearing.  "We noticed on our sheets there were like red bloody marks and these dark black stains," Sargent said. "I just thought they had washed the sheets with pens or markers that hadn't come out."  Looking closely at a photo of Room 8106, they saw a black bug. Still, the family said they didn't think anything of it and didn't have any kind of reaction, until they went swimming in the ocean while still vacationing. They noticed their skin was having a reaction and thought it had something to do with tropical bugs.  When they returned home over the weekend, the Sargent family said the real trouble began, seeing quarter-sized welts on their bodies.  "It started out with like five (welts) and they just kept popping up," Megan Sargent said.  A doctor informed them it wasn't something tropical causing this reaction. It was bed bugs. The reaction can be delayed and varied.  The trip of a lifetime cost the Sargent family $5,000. Now on steroids, and unsatisfied with what they call Norwegian's lack of action, they are warning others of Room 8106. WCVB reached out to Norwegian for comment. They said they are investigating. Bed Bugs
July 8 Unnamed WOWT reports the owners of a popular dinner cruise ship in Virginia are being sued by a customer who says the ship's no-skid flooring worked too well. The lawsuit in federal court accuses the Spirit of Norfolk cruise ship of inappropriately using no-skid flooring on a part of the ship where cruisers play the game cornhole. The plaintiff, 66-year-old Jeffrey Makuch, says he took a cruise on the ship in June 2016 and fell while playing cornhole. He says the no-skid floor made it impossible for him to properly shift his weight while stepping to throw a beanbag. The cruise ship owners have filed a reply denying that their flooring presents a risk. The Virginian-Pilot reports (https://bit.ly/2KPeNx9) the lawsuit seeks roughly $375,000 in damages. Lawsuit
July 7 Allure of the Seas Cruise Law News reports two cruise passengers were involved in a zip lining accident during a stop in Roatan, Honduras on July 5, 2018. A couple who arrived in Roatan on a cruise ship last Thursday collided with one another while on a zip line. The newspaper in Honduras identified the passengers as Egael Fishman and Shirf Fanken, reportedly both citizens of Israel. Mr. Fishman was killed during the accident and Ms. Fanken was seriously injured during the accident. Mr. Fishman and Ms. Fanken were taken from the scene of the accident to the Wood Medical Center in Coxen Hole; Ms Fishman was and was subsequently flown via air ambulance back to the U.S.  A newspaper in Israel state sshe died from his injuries. Death on shorex
July 6 Phoenix - Ferry Reuters reports rescuers in Thailand deployed helicopters on Friday in a search for 29 people still missing after the sinking of a tourist boat off the island of Phuket, as the death toll in the incident rose to 27. The Royal Thai Navy said “quite a few bodies” were found in the vessel, the Phoenix, after it capsized and sank in rough seas on Thursday carrying 105 passengers, comprised of 93 Chinese tourists and 12 Thai crew and tourist guides.  Police are investigating the incident, the Phuket Marine Police said, adding that the boat was properly registered and had not been overloaded at the time of the accident. Sinks
July 5 KM Lestari Maju - Ferry EDM Digest reports 34 people have been confirmed dead after an Indonesian ferry sank off the coast of Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province on Tuesday. According to local authorities, 155 people managed to swim or be pulled to safety. The latest rescue effort was initially complicated by bad weather. Heavy seas prevented large boats from approaching the KM Lestari Maju ferry and trapped some passengers on the stricken vessel overnight. The ferry reportedly was over capacity with a total of 189 passengers. In addition to the passengers, the vessel was carrying 48 cars and motorcycles. These vehicles were seen temporarily floating after the sinking. As the ship began taking on water, the captain steered the vessel toward nearby Selayar Island. Then, he deliberately crashed the ferry in the shallows to save as many lives as possible, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster management agency. Sinks
July 4 Unknown Norwegioan Eyewitness News reports investigators are probing the alleged drowning of a man near Great Stirrup Cay in the Berry Islands – the second incident of its kind in the last week.Police said it was after 1:00 p.m. when a man, who was reportedly a passenger on a cruise ship, was discovered unresponsive floating in waters off the cay.He was removed from the water and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was rendered. The man was transported to the local clinic where he was pronounced dead, police said. Last week a Chinese woman allegedly drowned on the same cay. Pax drowns at private island
July 3 Carnival Fklorida Record reports a woman recently filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Carnival Corp. after allegedly suffering an injury while aboard a cruise ship owned by the company.. The suit May 29 claiming her injuries, including a damaged rotator cuff, were the result of the company’s negligence and that the duty of care owed to her was violated. The injury occurred when Hutchinson stepped off an elevator and tripped over an elevated threshold on July 22, 2017. Her suit claims the injuries could have been avoided if warning signs had marked the threshold and adds that the design of the threshold was negligent to begin with. It is seeking damages over $75,000 as well attorney’s fees and other costs. Lawsuit - tripped
July 3 Unnamed Royal Gazette reports a woman cruise ship passenger was fined $500 today after she admitted an attack on another woman on board the ship. Gina Martell, 36, of Kingston, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to assault in Magistrates’ Court.  The court heard that victim Alexandra Thornton was at dinner in a restaurant on the cruise ship berthed in Dockyard last night.  Martell began yelling at Ms Thornton outside a restroom at about 9.30pm.  She then pulled the woman to the floor and punched her on the back of the head several times and pulled her hair. Ms Thornton suffered head pain and bruises to both knees.  She told police that Martell was a complete stranger.  Assault - Pax on Pax
July 1 Carnival Glory Times-Pacayune reports a cruise ship crew member who had gone overboard on Saturday (June 30) was found nearly a day later by another cruise ship near Cuba, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A 33-year-old crew member aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Getaway was seen going overboard 28 miles northwest of Pinar del Rio on Cuba's western side, the Coast Guard said.  A Coast Guard search for the crew member began about 10 minutes later, eventually covering 1,630 square miles, to no avail. But the following day -- about 22 hours after the crew member was seen going overboard -- the missing crew member was seen in the water by someone on the Carnival Glory about 21 miles north of Cuba. A steward saw the crew member.  Rescues person overboard
June 30 Norwegian Getaway Local10 News reports the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a cruise ship crew member who fell overboard Saturday off the coast of Cuba. The Coast Guard said a 33-year-old Filipino crew member fell overboard from the Norwegian Getaway around 3:30 p.m. about 28 miles northwest of Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Crew member overboard - rescued alive
July 29 Norwegian Sky Eyewitness News reports Berry Island Police are investigating the death of a Chinese female, after she allegedly drowned. Investigators said it was shortly after 11:00 a.m. Thursday, when the woman was discovered floating in waters off Great Stirrup Cay. Police said the unresponsive woman was removed from the water and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rendered, although it is unclear who removed her or performed the CPR. She was transported to the local clinic on Berry Island, according to police, where she was pronounced dead. Investigations are said to be ongoing. Pax drowns at private island
June 29 Nissos Rodos (Ferry) Lifelinehellas reports a 23 year old man went missing traveling from Chios Island to Pireus Greece with the Nissos Rodos. The ship departed Chios 27/6 and arrived in pireus 6.46 28/7 He is still missing, Sarantis Koliadelis. Passenger missing
June 28 Seven Seas Mariner CDC reports  38 of 652 (5.83%) passengers and  0 of 457 (0%) crew have reported gastrointestinal illness of the 20-30 June cruise. Illness outbreak
June 23 Zaandam CDC reports  58 of 1,472 (3.94%) passengers and  15 of 591 (2.54%) crew have reported gastrointestinal illness of the 18 June - July 2 cruise. UPDATE 28 June: 95 of 1,472 (6.45%) and 18 of 591 (3.05%) crew. Illness outbreak
June 21 Ferry - Indonesia CNN reports search effort for more than 190 people presumed drowned after a tourist ferry sank on a crater lake in Indonesia earlier this week has been extended a further four days, amid growing anger over the government's failure to prevent the tragedy. The boat, which was believed to be more than three times its passenger capacity, sank on Monday after encountering high-waves while crossing Lake Toba, on the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. Only 18 survivors have been found from an estimated 213 on board.
Sinks
June 17 Berlin Cruise Law News reports the ship has been stuck in Dublin, Ireland for the past several days. It arrived early in the morning of June 14, where it has remained for the past three days. The delay has already caused the passengers to miss the remaining port of call. It appears that the passengers will be disembarked today in Dublin and flown back to Bremerhaven. Embarkation for new passengers will reportedly occur tomorrow in Dublin.  "We arrived on 14 June suppose to sail same date 17.00.  Suppose to sail yesterday then said today finally this morning captain said to guest waiting for information from the home office and port authorities.  Guests were given 250 euro on their cards and refunded their excursion fares." Crew members meanwhile have not been permitted to go ashore. The cause of the delay seems to be a problem with one of its 14 lifeboats which, reportedly, is "out of order."  The exact problem with lifeboat no. 6 has not been disclosed to the guests or crew but it was discovered by port authorities during an inspection on June 14th. Maritime regulations including Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations mandated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) require a minimum number of operational lifecrafts (a combination of lifeboats and liferafts).  Dedtained in port (Dublin)
June 16 Carnival Magic Cruise Fever reports Carnival Cruise Line has altered the itinerary due to an issue with the maximum cruising speed of the vessel. Carnival Magic was scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral today on a seven night cruise to the Eastern Caribbean with port stops in Grand Turk, Amber Cove, San Juan, and St. Thomas. The cruise line has canceled the port stop in St. Thomas and will now just visit the other three ports. Carnival Cruise Line is giving all passengers on Carnival Magic $50 in onboard credit for the canceled port stop. Propulsion problems - skipped port
June 14 Carnival Splendor From a passenger: Boy do I have a story to tell you! We were on the Carnival Splendor (departed Saturday, 9 June) with scheduled calls to Cabo San Lucas (two days) and Puerto Vallarta. While underway, on Saturday night, a guest had a medical emergency. We turned around and sailed six hours towards San Diego to meet up with a coast guard helicopter. Passenger was airlifted off the ship early Sunday morning, and we proceeded south towards Cabo San Lucas. While underway to Cabo, a tropical storm that had been in the Pacific quickly became a category 2 and then category 4 hurricane (Hurricane Bud). Later that Sunday, it was announced that we would miss our first Cabo San Lucas port call due to the delay caused by the earlier medical emergency. On Monday, our unexpected sea day, it was announced that our call to Puerto Vallarta would be cancelled due to the projected path of the hurricane. In its place, they scheduled a call to Ensenada for that Friday. Despite the hurricane barreling towards Cabo, Carnival was confident they could make a port call both on Tuesday and potentially Wednesday. According to the captain, this decision was made because conditions had improved. So it's Tuesday, we've been at sea for two days, and Splendor is just off Cabo San Lucas. We stayed in the area for about three hours monitoring the weather. However, the ocean swells were just too high to operate tenders safely, and were projected to get worse. Tuesday and Wednesday's calls to Cabo San Lucas were cancelled, and replaced with a Thursday call to Catalina Island. For this inconvenience, guests were offered a $200 onboard credit and a voucher for 50% off a future cruise. An impromptu forum was scheduled with the captain, cruise director, guest services manager, etc. It was an absolute slaughter. Lots of angry guests yelling, demanding more compensation, calling the captain and Carnival reckless for sailing us into the storm, questioning the health of the guest who was evacuated, etc. As we were underway to Catalina Island, on 13 June, it was announced that for logistical reasons we were unable to call there. Instead, we would dock in San Diego.
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After the itinerary change from Catalina Island to San Diego, the compensation offer to guests was increased to 100% off a future cruise, in addition to the $200 per stateroom onboard credit. They also had a few other enticements such as free games in the arcade and 20% off liquor and Carnival logo item purchases in the Fun Shops. Guests could also invoke Carnival's 110% vacation guarantee and disembark the ship in San Diego. They would receive a 100% refund and an additional 10% towards their Sail & Sign charges. Carnival also provided transportation from San Diego to LAX, LGB, and the Long Beach cruise terminal. We decided to disembark in San Diego, and safely returned to Long Beach. All in all about half the guests elected to disembark.
Itinerary change - cruise shortened
June 14 Deutchland AIDAsol The Orcadian reports the visit to Kirkwall of the cruise ship Deutschland, which was due in alongside Hatston Pier on Thursday, has been cancelled due to the weather forecast. Earlier this week OIC Marine Services also gave advance notice that the visit of the cruise ship AIDAsol was also cancelled due to the high wind warning. Port calls cancelled (weather)
June 13 Nannamed - RCI Sydney Morning Herald reports aman whose cruise ship holiday was ruined by snoring neighbours has had his appeal to claim more than $3000 from the cruise ship company dismissed by a Brisbane court. Brendan Ritson and his partner took an 11-night cruise holiday from December 11, 2016, but, according to a tribunal decision handed down by QCAT adjudicator Michael Howe last week, “did not enjoy themselve." Mr Ritson wanted RCL Cruises LTD, trading as Royal Caribbean Cruises, to repay him $3270 for both himself and his partner, covering all his expenses, an amount that was reduced at the initial hearing to $2436 for the price of accommodation. Lawsuit - "Did not enjoy themselves" - neighbour snored and noisy
June 6 Unnamed Bernews reports police have confirmed the death of 62-year-old American cruise ship visitor Yvonne Aites, and said the autopsy results confirm the cause of death as drowning. Ms. Aites, from Massachusetts, apparently fell off of a Jet Ski into the water near Cambridge Beaches, Sandys parish Monday morning [June 4th] during a Jet Ski tour and became unconscious. Despite lifesaving efforts on the water which continued as she was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial hospital via ambulance, Ms. Aites was later pronounced dead. Pax death ashore
June 5 Voyager OTS Cruise Law News reports a Miami-Dade County jury returned a verdict against Royal Caribbean Cruises of more than $20,000,000 on behalf of an officer who was injured on the Voyager of the Seas during an accident in 2008. Royal Caribbean officer Lisa Spearman was seriously and permanently injured when a watertight door crushed her right hand when she came to the assistance of the cruise ship nurse. The ship nurse stumbled while attempting to walk past the door during an emergency test, according to the lawsuit which her attorneys filed. Ms. Spearman alleged that following the accident, Royal Caribbean refused to re-hire her and then refused to pursue disability benefits on her behalf. She sued the cruise line for negligence under the Voyager of the SeasJones Act, unseaworthiness of the vessel under the General Maritime Law, failure to provide prompt, proper and adequate medical care (also under U.S. General Maritime law), failure to pay wages under 46 U.S.C. 10313, retaliatory discharge and breach of contract. The jury returned a verdict of $20,300,000 after a three week trial. Lawsuit
June 5 Pacific Jewel News.Australia reports a holiday to celebrate Christmas has turned into a painful ordeal for a young woman who was injured by pieces of ceiling that fell on her during a P&O cruise. Wollongong woman Montana Smith, 21, was 14 years old when the incident happened on the Pacific Jewel in 2011, just two days after Christmas. She was struck on the head and shoulder by three ceiling panels, each about one metre long and 15cm thick, while she was standing on a staircase on the ship. The NSW Supreme Court has ordered P&O to pay more than $400,000 in damages to Ms Smith, as the young woman said her injuries have left her in ongoing pain that made her teenage years difficult. The court heard Ms Smith was standing in a companionway with her cousins when the panels dropped and landed on her. After months of visits to doctors and specialists, Ms Smith was found to have suffered an injury to her cervical spine — the neck vertebrae. The injury has so far cost more than $8000 in medical treatment, including painful injections, which has so far been unable to alleviate her pain. She is still likely to need surgery, more than six years after the incident. The court heard Ms Smith was a gifted athlete and dancer but many of her hobbies were impeded by her injury. Lawsuit settled
May 28 Carnival Miracle Fox13News reports ... Selfies outside Tampa’s Florida Aquarium were Plan B for this Pennsylvania family. Plan A had to be scrapped because of an unanticipated maintenance issue aboard the Carnival Miracle. “We got an email about a week ago saying the cruise was going to be delayed by two days,” said passenger Christopher Grilz. Carnival gave passengers the option to cancel and receive a full refund, or reschedule. But after months of planning his family’s vacation, Grilz chose to stick with it. “So we’re like, we’re already here, I guess were just going to sit there and go with it, and see what happens,” he said. Carnival says guests will receive a $200 credit, along with a 2-day prorated stipend for their cruise fare. Grilz said he was told about a third of the customers decided to cancel. Though he knows staff is doing all they can, he was hoping for more details. “Is it an engine issue, is it a propulsion issue? A navigation issue? That’s the question we’re at right now, we just want answers, we want to know why we’re not going out to the ocean.” With his seven-day cruise now down to five, he hopes it will be smooth sailing, come Tuesday. In a statement, Carnival Cruise Lines said in part their decision was made “With the goal of limiting the overall impact to guests.” They booked additional entertainment and activity options for guests over the next two days. Stuck in port (2 days)
May 28 Blue Horizon (ferry) Safety4Sea reports the Piraeus Port Authority and Hellenic Coast Guard authorities are searching for a man, after he reportedly fell overboard from the RoRo passenger ship 'Blue Horizon', while the ship was docked in the port of Piraeus, in the evening hours of 23 May.The incident was reported soon after the ship had departed from Piraeus, heading to the port of Heraklion, with 255 passengers and 98 crew members onboard. However, this made the vessel to come back to Piraeus. As soon as the Port Authority was notified, five patrol boats of the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Hellenic Navigation service headed to the scene in search of the missing man. In addition, three two-wheelers vehicles, as well as executives of the Special Missions Group of the Piraeus Port Authority, participated in the investigation in the port, with negative results so far. Local media suggest the missing passenger is a 25-year old man. Passenger overboard
May 24 Silver Shadow CDC reports 28 of 327 (8.56%)passengers and 8 of 290 (2.76%) crew have reported gastrointestinal illness of the 10-24 May cruise. A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program epidemiologist will travel to Seward, Alaska, to meet the ship in port on May 24, 2018, to conduct an epidemiologic investigation and monitor the ship’s sanitation procedures.  Illness
May 22 Carnival Paradise WFMY News reports a 50-year-old man from Greensboro is reportedly missing from a cruise ship and the US Coast Guard is actively searching for him. The man has been identified as Brian Lamonds. The US Coast Guard Key West watchstanders said they got the call around 10 a.m., from the cruise ship saying a man was missing and reportedly went overboard from the Carnival Paradise.Incident happened Tuesday approximately 85 miles west of Fort Myers, Fla., the Coast Guard says. Passenger missing
May 22 Vision of the Seas Cruise Law News reports the ship lost power during the early morning hours of May 22, 2018. Several passengers are reporting that the Royal Caribbean cruise ship sustained a power and propulsion outage, leaving the ship floating in the Sea of Crete with only its emergency lighting on.  Subsequent information is that the ship regained power and is now sailing slowly toward Santorini. AIS systems (right) show the ship under power at a speed of a little over 7 knots.  There is an unconfirmed rumor that the Vision allegedly struck something, although this has not been confirmed. The Vision of the Seas is sailing on a 12 day cruise from Monday, May 14 to Saturday, May 26 to the Greek Isles, leaving and returning to Barcelona, Spain.  It was sailing between Mykonos to Santorini when it experienced power failure. Power loss
May 22 Carnival Sunshine Turks and Caicos Weekly Nerws reports a 16 year old cruise passenger died when his jetski collided with another. Reports are that two jet skis, one of which the teen was operating, collided in the water causing the teenager to fall and break his neck. The other person, the teen's uncle, sustained no injuries. Death in jet ski accident
May 22 Unnamed Bernewsreports a 20-year-old visitor from the United States was fined after pleading guilty to possessing a bullet. James Lathan from Virginia was visiting Bermuda on a cruise ship when a bullet was found in his backpack during a security check, with Mr Lathan telling the Court today he was “unaware” it was there. Mr Lathan told the Court he was on his honeymoon and was “truly sorry” about the matter, saying he had “no idea it was there.” After the bullet was found, he was arrested and spent the night in jail, which he told the Court was quite “scary,” and after appearing in Court this morning, he was fined $250 to be paid forthwith Arrested for possessing one bullet
May 20 Marina Florida Record reports a woman wants a cruise line to be held liable for a slip and fall according to court documents filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on May 9. Maureen Fisher filed the complaint against Oceania Cruises Inc. after she allegedly slipped and fell on the wet deck of one the Marina ocean liner. Another patron, Maureen Starnes, reportedly fell on Fisher amid the incident. Fisher suffered right fibula fractures around her ankle, fractured ribs, and lots of bruising on the right side of her leg, which ultimately led to problems with her circulation, the lawsuit alleges. Fisher cited negligence as a cause of action. She stated it was Oceania’s responsibility, as the owner and operator of the ship, to perform reasonable care for her and other passengers on the ship. It was also the defendant’s responsibility to warn passengers of any potential harm, she argued. Lawsuit for slip and fall
May 19 Sun Princess Freemantle Gazette reports a search and rescue operation for an elderly passenger who had fallen overboard on the Sun Princess cruise ship has been called off. A Carnival Australia spokeswoman said Princess Cruises had confirmed it had called the operation off after the Australian passenger in his 80s went overboard on its way to Port Kelang. The ship is about 100 nautical miles south east of Singapore on a 12-day voyage from Fremantle to Singapore. It departed on May 13. Indonesian search and rescue authorities tonight released the Sun Princess, whose crew had searched until dark for the man. Passenger overboard
May 16 MSC Seaside NZ Herald reports a search was underway near the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday for a crew member on a cruise ship who apparently went overboard in rough seas. Geneva-based MSC Cruises said the crew member on the MSC Seaside was reported missing before dawn while the ship was en route to Puerto Rico from St. Maarten. The ship turned around to search for the crew member with the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard and other ships in the area. The effort has been hampered by large swells and winds of more than 30 mph. The Coast Guard said the man went overboard from the seventh deck of the Seaside while the ship was about 10 miles southeast of St. Thomas. The missing man was identified as 37-year-old Michael Majaba of the Philippines. Majaba reportedly went overboard from the seventh deck of the Maltese-flagged cruise ship at approximately 1 a.m. Wednesday. The cruise ship crew launched a search and contacted watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center at approximately 4 a.m. alerting them of the situation. Crew member overboard
May 13 Silver Wind Cruise Law News reports the ship recently failed a sanitation inspection by United States Public Health (USPH) inspectors, in March.  On March 18, 2018, the USPH inspected the Silver Wind in San Juan and found numerous unsanitary violations. Repeated problems were noted in the ship's potable water treatment. Inspectors located over two dozen flies in the galley, food preparation and dish washing areas. (This seems to be some type of record; it certainly is the most flies I have ever seen recorded in a cruise ship sanitation inspection report). Inspectors located food items and food service equipment hidden in crew member lockers inside a changing room near an engine and air conditioning unit. You can locate the report, read about other unsanitary conditions and the corrective action report by searching for Silver Wind here. Failed sanitation inspection
May 6 Prince Vladimir Maritime Bulletin reports Much touted in Russia cruise liner PRINCE VLADIMIR, still berthed at Sochi port, Russian, Black sea, was to kick off 2018 Crimea cruise season on Apr 29, but opening cruise was delayed due to “monitoring system failure”, whatever it may mean. PRINCE VLADIMIR was to fix problem and set sail with passengers, bound for Crimea, on May 6, but failed again, this time because of fire in engine room, which took place during the night May 5-6. No additional information was available in Russian media, it was said only, that there were no passengers on board and that “the fire was quickly extinguished”, all crew meanwhile, were evacuated. Fire
May 5 Carnival Dream WAFB reports experienced a water line break and began to flood, a broken pipe flooded around 50 cabins on the ship and sent water cascading down deck 9. .Guests affected will receive a full refund, 50 percent off a future cruise, and are being given the option to get off the ship to be flown home. The 7-day cruise left New Orleans on Sunday, April 29. Broken water pipe floods
May 4 Fantasia Irish Times reports an 80-year-old Dublin man, who fell and fractured his leg while on a Mediterranean cruise, has settled a €60,000 damages claim against MSC Cruises Limited for an undisclosed sum. In a claim before the Circuit Civil Court, Anthony Harris alleged he had just disembarked from the cruise liner Fantasiawhen he tripped and fell on a dangerous and uneven cobbled surface while walking towards Customs. The accident had happened after the Fantasia berthed at Haifa, in Israel, on February 26th 2016. He had gone back on the cruise ship for treatment by the ship’s doctor as he had not wanted to attend hospital abroad. His leg had been X-rayed and he had been prescribed a course of paracetamol. When he had returned home he had been treated by Keith Synnott, consultant orthopaedic and spinal surgeon, for a fracture of his right leg, Mr Harris and his wife had in September 2015 booked an 11-night €2000-plus cruise of the Greek Isles and Israel with Travel Escapes in Carrickmines. Mr Harris sued MSC Cruises Limited, of Uxbridge, Englandfor breach of contract and for negligence as a consumer under the General Sale of Goods and Supply Services Act 1998. Barrister Abdulla Morgan Kamber told Judge Terence O’Sullivan when the case was called that there were ongoing talks in the case and asked for time. Following negotiations with barrister Aaron Shearer, who appeared for MCS Cruises, Mr Morgan Kamber told the court the case had been settled. Lawsuit over medical care
May 2 Multiple ships ITV reports another cruise liner has cancelled its visit to Guernsey today due to poor weather conditions. There have been nine cancellations so far this year, with seven due to weather and two because of itinerary changes. Only one cruise liner has managed to visit the island in 2018. Despite this Guernsey Harbours are still expecting a busy season. Over 90 ships are scheduled to call into St Peter Port Missed port calls
April 27

Celebrity Infinity

CDC reports 111 of 2,140 (5.19%) passengers and 7 of 970 (0.72%) crew have reported gastrointestinal illness of the 17 April- 2 May cruise. A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program epidemiologist and two environmental health officers will board the ship in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on May 2, 2018, to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. illness
April 15 Carnival Vista Cruise Law News reports several passenger who disembarked today stated that there was a suspicious death on the cruise ship near the end of the eight day cruise leaving from and returning to Miami. One of the passengers stated that yesterday (Saturday) there was an announcement over the ship's intercom where a passenger's name (which I will keep anonymous) was repeatedly paged to report to guest services. The ship was approximately 20 miles from Cuba at the time.  "I just debarked from Carnival Vista. There was a death on the 6th floor and they kept someone inside their cabin with security not allowing them to leave the room . . . There was a man with a black jacket that said “Security” sitting outside of the door with a walkie talkie and a clip board with a pen." The passenger sent me a number of photos and videos which she took of the of the cabin door sealed with a sign which stated: "DO NOT ENTER This is a secured area and can only be entered with authorization by the Captain or Staff Captain" Suspicious death?
April 14 Fascination The Daily Herald report the ship did not call due to the massive dump fire that started Friday afternoon. “The decision was taken to protect the image of the country and to avoid a negative visitor experience,” according to a Port St. Maarten statement Skipped port call (NOT weather)
April 14 Marella Discovery (formerly SPlendor OTS) WINN-FM reports police have issued a statement on the death of a tourist during a dive tour in St. Kitts on Thursday morning and identified the deceased as 65-year-old Michael Henry Dunn, of the UK. Police say that Dunn and his wife visited St. Kitts aboard a cruise ship on Thursday and at about 10:30 am while out on a snorkeling excursion at Shitten Bay “witnesses say he appeared to be gasping for air after a few minutes in the water”. He was taken from the water and placed back on the vessel and the crew members administered CPR and returned to the marina at Port Zante. The Emergency Medical Service arrived at the Marina to assist when the vessel returned; however, Dunn was not breathing and was later pronounced dead by the District Medical Doctor. Pax dearth on shore ex
April 13 Anthem OTS From a passenger: Anthem of the Seas, April 7 sailing. It’s April 13, 4:45 PM EDT and they just announced a 24 yaer old male jumped from the stern intentionally. We turned around and everyone’s looking. The ship is enroute from Bahamas to New Jersey. UPDATE: The ship stopped its search at 7:00 PM and proceeded on to New Jersey. Other ships in the area apparently continued the search. Pax overboard
April 11 Pacific Dawn ABC reports a woman has fallen overboard from the P&O cruise ship Pacific Dawn, with a major search for her now underway. P&O released a statement saying a crew member saw the woman fall over the side of the ship about 4pm, 300 kilometres west of New Caledonia. According to Daily Mail, the mother who went overboard had gone on deck to be sick before she went into the water in front of her shell-shocked husband. A crew member raised the alarm after seeing the woman fall off P&O cruise-liner Pacific Dawn at about 4pm on Thursday when it was 300 kilometres west of Pacific island New Caledonia. As of 1.30am on Friday, the 245-metre ship was still battling giant Coral Sea waves as staff continued to search for the missing woman with the ship's spotlights. NOTE: The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 originally planned to raise the height of railings so passenger couldn't fall overboard. At the time, the industry argued the height was sufficient -- that passengers couldn't fall overboard, however they continue to claim when persons go overboard that they fell.owever they continue to claim when persons go overboard that they fell. Pax overboard
April 10 MSC Armonia

Cruise Law News reportsthe ship crashed into the dock in Roatan, Honduras today, according to videos which were posted on Youtube. The MSC cruise ship is shown coming into the port at a higher than normal rate of speed. In addition to the vesel damage, there was significant damage to the pier.  There are several videos of the incident. Some of the videos show damage to the ship along the forward, port side of the ship.

Collision with dock
April 10 MSC Opera Cayman Compass reports a female crew member of a cruise ship who stayed in Grand Cayman after her ship left on March 22 was sentenced to three months in prison for illegally remaining on the island for 12 days when she appeared in Summary Court on Friday. Yusmaidys Ortiz Perez, 34, who had worked as a bar waitress aboard the MSC Opera, came ashore while the cruise ship was in port on March 22 and did not return to the ship. Defense attorney Prathna Bodden told the court that Ms. Ortiz Perez “broke down” after leaving the ship because her partner in Cuba had threatened to kill her and a manager on the ship was “exploiting” her. “While on the ship, she was exploited by a manager and she was asked to perform certain duties and if she didn’t, she was told she would lose her job,” Ms. Bodden said. Jailed for not returning to ship
April 9 Star Princess Daily Astorian reports strong winds and rain prompted the Star Princess cruise ship to cancel a planned stop in Astoria on Sunday. The vessel was heading from San Francisco to Vancouver, British Columbia, and had been scheduled to stop in Astoria carrying up to 2,600 passengers. Cancel port call - weather
April 8 Norwegian Gem From a passenger: On Monday, April 2nd two passengers were removed from the 9th floor while docked in Barbados by armed ship officers. The armed officers confronted the guests and asked them to open their safe, upon which drugs were allegedly found and the passengers were subsequently hauled off to local jail. On this same ship, two different passengers that were running late to the NYC embarkation arrived at 4pm and were hurried through security WITHOUT being scanned or having their belongings put through the X-ray scanner. Again, on this same trip, two passengers on floor 11 came back to their room to find security looking through their belongings with flashlights. They were not given a reason why except for “random inspection” and guest services and housekeeping and security could were not informed about these random inspections. Drug bust / random inspections
April 7 P&O Arcadia ITV reports a drug dealer from Dunstable who used a Caribbean cruise as cover for smuggling more than two hundred thousand pounds worth of cocaine into the country has been jailed for nine-and-a-half years. 55-year-old Kevin Enright, from Milton Way, had collected the drugs while in St Lucia, but Border Force Officers intercepted him when he docked at Southampton. He had two suitcases with false linings hiding around three kilograms of cocaine. "Our investigation involved liaison with law enforcement partners in the Caribbean, and through that, we were able to prove that Enright's story was made up. It became clear that he had contacts with others involved in drug trafficking on both sides of the Atlantic. Cocaine fuels violence and exploitation on our streets, and Enright's role was a crucial one in a long criminal chain. That is reflected in the sentence he received." Drug bust
April 4 Regal Princess From a passenger: During the late evening on April 2, there were multiple announcements about an event on deck 5, sector 6.  It was subsequently clarified that there was a small fire involving a deep fat fryer during a maintenance procedure.  The Captain also reported the fire was quickly contained and extinguished without injuries. No panic was observed. Later the same day, at about 4:30 pm, there was a report of smoke in the crew quarters. It was determined that the source was an overheated cell phone charger.  No injuries were reported. Small fire
April 3 Windstar Pride From a passenger: 2nd day now on generators. No air conditioning at all. Every room is hot. Dinner was outside on the deck last night. Some passengers flew home. Seems like the boat struggled to power from Martinique to st Lucia. A lot of rooms with no power at all. Some rooms have power. Some lights are out throughout the boat. Update: So now we have been rerouted from Guadeloupe to the Castries where they will dock overnight. Full open bar now. Not sure what is coming next. Propulsion is still working. Waiting to hear more from Seattle about compensation.  Lack of electricity/AC
April 3 Radiance OTS Travel Agent Central reports RCI has canceled the upcoming 11-night cruise on Radiance of the Seasdeparting April 6. It said that it had to cancel the cruise in order to conduct necessary repairs on the ship’s Azipod propulsion system, which impacts the ship’s speed and ability to deliver future scheduled cruises. Repairs are scheduled to take place from April 6 to April 17. Cruise canceled
April 3 Norwegian Spirit Express reports a search is ongoing for a tourist who went overboard around 2am this morning. Spanish Civil Guard and coastguards are taking part in a major sea search involving several vessels. Two Spanish Coastguard helicopters and a plane have also been mobilised. The search is focusing on an area near Mazarron in Murcia, south east Spain. Norwegian Spirit, which is understood to have 3,000 holidaymakers on board, was due to dock in the Costa Blanca capital Alicante early this morning. It took part early on in the search before telling coastguards it was continuing to Alicante, although it is thought it may now carry on to Barcelona. The missing tourist, a 34-year-old described as a man of Saudi Arabian origin, has not been named. According to a passenger, a group of teenagers was nearby when it happened. They were on deck 12 for quite a long time, and saw him close to the rail, deck 12, aft, starboard. He had his belongings, backpack phone`& cable, on a table nearby. They went a bit out of sight, and not long after they heard the cleaning person shout "no, no, no". They came back, and the man was not there anymore, but his belonging were still on the table. Guests reported, they had talked to the suicide man before. He came with family onto the cruise, but there were some serious family-discussions, and the rest of his family left on the first port in Casablanca. Pax overboard
April 3 Radiance OTS From a passenger: The ship has propeller problems. Heading down east coast of Australia. Captain just announced next cruise to New Zealand has been cancelled. Lots of unhappy Americans on board who are doing b2b2b cruises. Propulsion problems - cruise canceled
April 2 Norwegian Sun Cruise Law News reports that several readers alerted to a Facebook page called Panama Canal Sun chronicling the ill-fated cruise aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sunthrough the Panama Canal which left from Miami on March 16, 2018. Construction related to a deck refinishing project reportedly began on board the NCL cruise ship almost immediately according to the website. As you can see in the numerous photographs posted online, the cruise involved the sanding of the wooden decks and the application of noxious smelling chemicals and compounds throughout the open decks of the ship. Many of the ship employees/contractors involved in the work were wearing respirators due to the dust but the passengers obviously were not wearing personal protective equipment. There are dozens of comments on the Facebook page regarding dust generated by the work covering the public spaces. The heavy construction caused NCL to shut down numerous bars, deck spaces and restaurants. The photos show paint particles and fibrous insulation covering the decks. Flammable chemicals were stored on open decks. Many passengers complained of burning, itching and runny eyes and difficulty breathing due to the strong fumes and/or particles.  One passenger who complained to guest services of what they believed to be toxic fumes which were entering her cabin from the work on the outer decks. Guest services sent a supervisor to the cabin who reportedly sprayed "Fabrese" into the vent and around the cabin. The passengers were expecting a  dream vacation on a luxurious cruise ship but paid for a construction zone which woke them up in the early morning with noise and odors which they heard and smelled throughout the day and into the night. This appears to be a project which obviously should have taken place in dry-dock, not during a cruise with nearly two thousand people aboard trying to enjoy a relaxing vacation. The Facebook page members realized that this project was not due to the fault of the captain or crew but was the result of poor leadership from NCL's corporate offices here in Miami who essentially scheduled a floating dry-dock at sea with passengers aboard in order to maximize profits.  Ongoing construction during cruise - noxious fumes
March 31 P&O Azura From a passenger: I am currently on P&O's Azura where today in Civitavecchia an “extreme, unforecasted weather event” (Capain Evans Hoyt’s words) caused Azura to break free of her berth (the mooring lines snapped) and move adrift in the port. Tugs were quickly mobilised and combined with use of the thrusters the ship was safely docked on the opposite berth in the port. Captain Hoyt praised the engineering team for bringing the engines online so quickly. More than 1000 passengers (Cruise Director’s statistic) were stuck on the pier for hours after the gangway collapsed and passengers had to move to the other side of the port. Fortunately no-one was injured. Azura is still in port at the time of writing (20:00 local time) while an investigation is completed. Broke free of berth - adrift
March 30 Norwegian Joy South China Morning Post reports a group of Chinese tourists who were angry that their cruise ship had 
been delayed by bad weather staged a protest with strong nationalist  overtones by jostling staff while loudly singing the country’s national anthem. The incident is the latest in a series of cases where Chinese tourists 
have resorted to shows of “patriotism” when inconvenienced. It was not clear exactly when the incident occurred, but images of the  incident appeared online late this week. A report published on Friday by sina.comdescribe how the mainly  middle-aged passengers angrily jostled crew members while singing the 
country’s national anthem, The March of the Volunteers. One man responded to the protest by shouting “well done” at his fellow  passengers. The vessel had been due to leave for Nagasaki in Japan on Tuesday and 
was due to return to Shanghai on Saturday. But NCL said the company had been forced to cancel the trip because of poor weather. It added that the vessel Norwegian Joy had been forced to stay in port 
because of a fog alert issued by the Shanghai Observatory.
Canceled cruise - Pax protest
Masrch 28 MSC Opera Cayman Newws Service reports a 34-year-old Cuban woman working on a cruise ship that docked in Grand Cayman Tuesday was reported missing after she failed to re-board the ship before its departure from George Town later that day. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service were told about the missing woman yesterday (Tuesday 27 March) and are asking for the public’s help in tracking down Yusmaidys Ortiz Perez, who arrived here among the crew of the MSC Opera at 8:15am but was not on board when it sailed out of port at around 3:15pm. Crew missing ashore
March 25 Pacific Princess From a passenger: The ship cancelled port calls today (Santorini) and tomorrow (Aghios Nikolais/Crete) due to rough seas and high winds.  It will instead add a port call in Corfu on March 27.
Canceled port calls - change itinerary
March 20 Carnival Glory

Cruise Law News reports a crew member is missing from the Carnival Glory which arrived in Amber Cover, Dominican Republic yesterday morning around 7:00 A.M. The ship left Miami on Saturday, March 17, 2018 and sailed at sea on Sunday, March 18th.  The crew member is reportedly a galley worker from India. Several passengers reported the ship making constant announcements for the crew member to report to the galley yesterday morning, after the ship arrived in the Dominican Republic.  Several crew members have also stated that a galley worker went overboard prior to the Carnival ship reaching Amber Cove.  The ship has not officially stated that the crew member went overboard, and Carnival refuses to respond to our request for information which we made yesterday evening.  Goa Herald reports Deepak Gad, young seamen from Velim, has gone missing from one more Carnival Glory ship from Sunday. He is reported to have been missing since Sunday, March 18, while the cruise ship was at sea, en-route to Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. The Goa Seamen Association of India has said they are in constant touch with Mr Nelson Scott from Carnival Miami head office as well as the local agent in Goa.  As per Carnival Glory shipping sources “all efforts are being made to trace the body which has been untraceable till date.” Deepak had called a night before he went missing and complained of a back pain and was on treatment on board. It is also learnt that he wanted to come home but his company told him that he has to buy his own airline ticket which he could not afford as he was only three months in his first contract. He was very depressed and disturbed according to his brother who the GSAI met on Wednesday. The Indian consulate in New York is also monitoring the situation as well as the NRI Department Government of Goa. This is second incident in less than a year from the same cruise line wherein Mr Symron Almeida from Cuncolim went missing last year and the body has still not been found. "It is a matter of concern as many seafarers are going missing lately due to work load and harassment on board. Our Government needs to be more serious in handling such cases as most of the time the families cannot get justice," says Dixon Vaz, spokesperson for GSAI.

Crew member overboard
March 19 Carnival Fantasy WKRG reports dense fog over the Gulf Coast Monday morning delayed the return of the ship to the Alabama Cruise Terminal in downtown Mobile. Subsequently, it was announced the ship will arrive in port at 7 pm tonight and some passengers that want to get off will do so, the remaining passengers will debark tomorrow morning at 7 am. No one will be boarding tonight, so folks will be looking for hotel rooms, restaurants and other things to do tonight in town. Regular boarding will commence tomorrow morning around 10:15 am for those passengers who were supposed to leave today. Delayed arrival & departure (fog)
March 19 Carnival Breeze From a passenger: March 16, 2018 on the Carnival Breeze out of Galveston. While at port in Cozumel about 1700 ship time, young male approx 18-21 yo fell from balcony stateroom. Suffered severe head injuries, treated by passengers for about 10 min before carnival medical personnel arrived. Luckily there was an Army guy and EMT within 25 feet of where he landed (head first) on railing of 5th Deck. They provided first aide until carnival employees finally showed up. Carnival Dream was in port on the same side as fall. There were multiple people with cameras taking videos and pictures.  Fall from balcony to lower deck
March 16 Disney Wonder Fox5San Diego reports a Brazilian national who pleaded guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Walt Disney Co. while working aboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship was sentenced Tuesday to 15 months in prison. Renan Dias Da Rocha Gomes, 32, admitted to making about $260,000 worth of unauthorized charges to a company bank account and loading the value of the funds onto Disney gift cards while employed as a merchandise host on the vessel over a two-year period that ended with his arrest in San Diego last October. During a search of Gomes’ cabin aboard the Disney Wonder, investigators found more than 200 gift cards, a stolen watch and $1,240 in cash, court documents state. According to his plea agreement, Gomes executed the scheme by fraudulently obtaining money through his access to an online payment system. He also admitted that he spent roughly $37,700 of the stolen funds by taking his family on a Disney World vacation last spring. Guilty of embezzling money
March 15 Astoria The Orcadian reports one of the first cruise liners due to visit Orkney this season has cancelled its stop here due to the harsh weather expected over the next few days The ship was due to tie up at Hatston Pier tomorrow morning, Friday, however, the ship’s itinerary has been changed and it will now be bypassing Orkney altogether. High winds and rough seas have been predicted for Orkney from yesterday until Saturday night.  Misssed port call (weather)
March 15 MSC Divina Royal Gazette reports the ship has cancelled its Bermuda visit today because of bad weather. It was scheduled to arrive at Heritage Wharf in Dockyard this morning and depart this evening. The Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre duty officer said the ship arrived at the pilot station on schedule at 7am. He added: “But the captain assessed the weather conditions and with the winds at the time, not less than 35 kts, decided for the safety of the vessel to cancel the call into Bermuda. The vessel continued its voyage onwards to the Azores.” Misssed port call (weather)
March 14 Regal Princess Cruise Law News reports several Princess Cruises passengers informed me that an incinerator fire occurred on the Regal Princess during the week of February 25th (two weeks ago). An alarm was sounded, and cruise passengers were later advised that the incinerator fire had been extinguished. Incinerator fire
March 13 Carnival Spirit News 9 reports a Sydney father who says he was wrongly accused of exposing himself to a young female passenger on a Carnival cruise, then beaten up by her father and interrogated by security before they noticed their obvious mistake, is now suing the company. Passenger John Sun is taking legal action against Carnival Australia after the alleged incident on an eight-day return cruise from Sydney to New Caledonia in December 2016. A statement of claim lodged with the NSW District Court claims that on December 10 onboard security was told a man had exposed and then touched himself in front of young female passengers. According to the claim, security staff showed a particular girl photographs of Mr Sun - who was travelling with his wife and daughter - and the parents of the young girl were provided with details about Mr Sun and then found him in his room. The court documents state that at 10.45pm, in front of Mr Sun's wife and daughter, the girl's father physically assaulted Mr Sun in his own stateroom and accused him of exposing himself to his child. They also state that Mr Sun called security for assistance, but on arrival, they instead marched him to a room where they grilled him for one and a half hours. The security guards are alleged to have stood in front of and behind Mr Sun. He felt he "was not at liberty to refuse the direction to accompany them"."Security staff acting on behalf of the defendant and the captain accused the plaintiff of the conduct the subject of the allegations," the statement of claims says. Mr Sun was eventually shown footage of the incident and noted that - unlike him - the man in the video was not heavily tattooed. After these "obvious physical differences" were pointed out, Mr Sun claims he was allowed back to his room about 12.45am but was not given medical attention for the physical assault. Mr Sun claims he was fearful of further attacks and suffered humiliation and damage to his reputation. "The investigation conveyed the imputation the plaintiff is a pedophile," Mr Sun's statement of claim states. The Sydney father and his family - including his parents - remained on the Carnival Spirit following the incident. He's suing the operator for breach of contract, misleading or deceptive conduct, defamation, unjustified or unlawful detention and negligence. He is seeking damages up to $100,000. A Carnival spokesman told AAP the company wouldn't comment "while the legal process is in train". Pax beaten by other pax - security no help
March 10 Queen Victoria CDC reports 65 of 1,901 (3.42%) passengers and 9 of 968 (0.93%) crew have reported gastrointestinal illness of the 21 February - 9 March cruise. A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer and an epidemiologist boarded the ship in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on March 9, 2018, to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. Illness outbreak
March 7 Norwegian Epic Crew Center reportsa passenger on board the ship was rescued after going overboard on Tuesday night, as the vessel sailed near the Bahamas. NCL has confirmed the incident saying that a female guest went over the rail and into the ocean. Crew rescue teams immediately responded to the emergency and lowered a life boat to search for the missing passenger around the ship. Passengers onboard were reporting the teen was on the top deck with her family when she leaned over the railing to take a selfie and fell overboard. Passenger overboard - rescued
March 7 Carnival Glory Cruise Law News reportsthe ship became stuck near the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico this afternoon after the cruise ship dropped several hundred feet of anchor chain and an anchor after the ship left Old San Juan. A Carnival crew member states that the cruise ship's starboard anchor became stuck after the ship left port. A crew member states that the anchor was cut and the ship finally was able to sail away. Loses anchor - stuck
March 6 Seven Seas Navigator From a passenger: Navigator grounding shortly after getting underway from Benoa, Bali last night. Captain reported cause was unexpected maneuver by fishing boat(s) in channel, forcing his turn to avoid collision. No injuries, but Navigator was grounded until high tide and tugs were able to free her just after midnight. No leakage reported, but Navigator has now returned to Benoa pier awaiting divers and Lloyd’s inspectors to confirm no underwater damage before being released to proceed. This is the Regent world cruise this year - probable result will be deletion of scheduled visit to Java.  Aground
March 5 Grand Celebration CBS 12 reports stormy conditions at sea are causing a big detour for more than a thousand cruise ship passengers in and out of West Palm Beach. The ship is docking at Port Everglades Monday because it can't get into the Port of Palm Beach. The ship has 1435 passengers on board. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line told CBS12 it has arranged for 22 buses to take passengers to West Palm Beach to collect their cars. Those same buses will take sailing passengers down to Port Everglades to board the Grand Celebration cruise ship. The last buses will leave for Port Everglades at 3 p.m. The Grand Celebration is set to return to Palm Beach on Wednesday. Diverted
March 2 Princess and others Cruise Law News reports an explosion aboard a Mexican ferry in Carmen del Playa ten days ago, followed by at least one explosive device planted on the hull of another ferry which was discovered yesterday, triggered a United States embassy's alert last night, prohibiting embassy employees from using ferries operating between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo. On February 21, 2018, we reported on a violent explosition on a ferry in Carmen del Playa which seriously injured around 25 passengers, includuing 7 U.S. citizens. The explosion on the Barcos Caribe, which has been operating a Playa del Carmen-Cozumel route, injured passengers as they were disembarking from the ferry to the dock. Mexican authorities initially said that the explosion was the result of a mechanical malfunction; however, news sources are now reporting that the explosion was the result of an explosive device.      This news comes after a second device was located on another ferry in Cozumel also owned by the Barcos Caribe company, which provides regular service to toruists between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. At least one cruise line, Princess Cruises, has cancelled excursions which use ferries between Playa del Carmen and Cancun. Narco-terrorism on ferries (Cancun)
March 1 Carnival Sensation Jamaica Observer repor is 3 Americans went missing from the Carnival Sensation Cruise ship, which arrived at a Port in Ocho Rios, St Ann yesterday. Reports are that all three passengers boarded the ship which left from Miami on Monday and arrived in the island at 10:00 am, where the passengers left the ship with baggage said to be for family members. At 5:30 pm, an official from the cruise ship in the evening was making checks when it was discovered that they were missing. Lawmen are currently investigating. 3 pax missing ashore
February 28 Carnival Elation Action News Jax reports a Florida mom is speaking out after she says her 18-year-old daughter with special needs was sexually assaulted on a Carnival cruise ship. The woman says her daughter left on a birthday cruise with her grandmother on Jacksonville-based Elation on Saturday. She said it was a girls' trip, and her daughter, who has the mental capacity of a 13-year-old, was excited. According to a statement from Carnival Cruise Line, staff was notified of an alleged act of misconduct onboard the ship Tuesday evening. "She was in the hot tub with a bunch of kids and she said the gentleman came and got in the hot tub," the mom told Action News Jax. "I honestly believe he scouted my daughter. He waited for that moment." She said the man started a conversation with her daughter before sexually attacking her, leaving scratches and marks on her body. Carnival said an adult male passenger was detained onboard. The FBI and United States Coast Guard are investigating. NOTE: The last analysis of all reports of sex related incidents on Carnival ships indicated one is 50% more likely to be sexual assaulted on a Carnival cruise ship than on land in Canada. Further analysis indicated 34% of victims of sexual assault on cruise ships are under the age of 18. Sexual assault of teen
February 22 Aida Bella Bild reports 53 year old crew member T Machias went overboard near Malaysia. Crew member overboard
February 21 Astor

9 News reports the ship became wedged against a Melbourne pier as strong winds battered Victoria overnight. It was blown on to the edge of Station Pier at St Kilda, Melbourne, during the wild weather. Tug boats had to help pull the large vessel free. A reader writes: We had a bit of excitement in the Bay at Melbourne, Australia,earlier this week in fierce easterly gale force winds – very unusual for Melbourne. After pulling the Astor away from the point of collision with the end of Station Pier using tugs it did a series of ‘holding patterns’ for several hours whilst it was examined for damage. Apparently it has a sizable dint but nobody was injured. Both the Astor and the Spirit if Tasmania eventually left Port Philip Bay at reduced speed and continued on across Bass Strait to Tasmania.

Allision with pier
February 16 Carnival Legend Daily Mail reports the savage fist fight which got 23 members of the same family group kicked off a 'cruise from hell' started when someone stood on another passenger's thong, according to a witness.  Shocking footage showed up to 30 passengers beating each other on the Carnival Legend ship while it was 220km off Jervis Bay, New South Wales at around 1am on Friday.  Desperate security guards resorted to violence to stop the alcohol-fulled brawl, which was one of many to terrorise passengers on board the 10-day cruise of the South Pacific. Brawl involving 30 pax
February 15 Marella Discovery 2 Independent reports Marella, the cruise operation of TUI, has told hundreds of holidaymakers booked on an April voyage from Jamaica to Mallorca that they will not visit Cuba, the Bahamas or Portugal.  In a letter to passengers, TUI wrote: “We start planning our future cruise schedule a long way ahead of the sailing date. And, as a result, we sometimes find we need to amend an itinerary shortly before a cruise starts so that we can offer you the best holiday experience possible.” “On this occasion, Havana, Nassau and Lisbon are no longer available for us to call at due to port congestion which means we have had to re-work the itinerary. ”An investigation by The Independent has revealed that the trigger for the removal of the three highlights was a US cruise line being given priority for docking at Havana.  There was a double-booking in the Cuban capital on the day the Marella Discovery 2 was due to call, 12 April. But the city’s Sierra Maestra cruise terminal has only one berth fit for a vessel of that size. Also planning a call in the Havana that day is Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas, which has been given preference over its UK rival. So Marella passengers who were tempted to book for the chance to visit “a city that feels like a film set, thanks to its vintage Cadillacs and candy-coloured old town” have been disappointed. Without the call in Havana, the cruise would have had an extra day at sea. Instead, additional ports were scheduled, but the knock-on impact meant that Nassau and Lisbon were deleted from the itinerary.  Ship displaced from port call by RCI ship - major itinerary change
February 15 Noordam Newshub reports emergency services have rescued eight tourists from a kayak trip in Wellington. Passengers from the Noordam cruise ship were on a guided tour of the harbour on Thursday afternoon when some of the group capsized. An elderly passenger is being treated for hypothermia. Pax in jured on shore excursion
February 15 Carnival Fantasy WEAR TV reports passengers hoping to head to Cozumel, Mexico on the Carnival Fantasy will not make it to their original destination. That's because the ship has been delayed by the heavy fog that settled along the Port City Thursday. The ship docked at 5:45 p.m. Matthews said embarkation for the next cruise is expected to begin later in the evening. At this time, guests are asked to wait and arrive at the Alabama Cruise Terminal between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Due to the delay, passengers were told in an email that the ship would not make the scheduled voyage to Cozumel. Instead, they will arrive in Progresso, Mexico Saturday at 10 a.m. Delayed arrival & departure (fog)
February 12 P&O Pacific Exoplorer Daily Mail reports the ship has been forced to turn back to Sydney after a brawl erupted after a girl allegedly 'hit a guy over the head with a bottle of wine'.  Police officers were seen arriving on board the ship at Bradley's Head, Sydney, on Sunday, where they removed six males and one female. There was a 30 minute brawl on the P&O Explorer about 1am on Sunday involving at least 15 passengers, according to witnesses. Pacific Explorer was on a three-night round trip cruise from Sydney when the brawl broke out.  Brawl - Pax arrested
Febbuary 11 Oasis of the Seas

We just boarded Oasis of the Seas and received this letter....

 

NOTE the date on the letter and the date on the first line of the letter. This must be a common form letter...?

Pic Illness / Health issue?
February 10 Carnival Elation Cruise Fever reports the ship was delayed arriving and in depoarting because of coastal fog. It was returning from a five night cruise to the Bahamas after stopping in Nassau and Half Moon Cay (Carnival Corporation’s private island in the Bahamas).    The ship is scheduled to leave Jacksonville this afternoon for another five night cruise to the Bahamas. Delayted arrival and departure
February 9 Norwegian Pearl New Orleans Advocate reports things went bad quickly after Brant Aymond was injured in a paddleboard accident, and he and his wife, Danielle, say he received substandard medical care aboard a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship. Aymond had both of his feet sliced by a piece of coral, a bloody and painful experience that got worse when the ship doctor who stitched the wounds downplayed their severity and gave him an antibiotic the Aymonds later learned was for intestinal bacteria. Aymond's worst wound become infected two weeks later. The couple rushed to a Baton Rouge hospital when the foot swelled and a rash crept up his leg. The surgeon found two pieces of coral sewn inside Brant’s foot, along with a severed tendon, the report says. Inadequate medical care
February 9 Azamara Quest San Diego Union Tribune reports the ship that docked in San Diego early Thursday and will undergo a “full barrier sanitation cleaning” after 22 passengers and two crew members came down with gastrointestinal symptoms. CDC confirms the outbreak. Illness
February 9 Igor Farkhutdinov Moscow Times reports a Russian ship ferrying passengers from the Kuril Islands in the northern Pacific to the Sakhalin peninsula has been stranded in ice for days off the coast of Japan. The \cruise ship, carrying 127 passengers and 42 shipping containers, encountered thick ice in the Sea of Okhotsk. The head of the vessel’s maritime company cited the captain’s experience and a week’s worth of fuel supplies and rations to reassure that the passengers aboard the ship were not under threat. He added that sea ice conditions could change within a day and that the passenger ship could arrive at the port of Korsakov in the Sakhalin region by Friday. Stuck in ice
February 9 Sea Princess Cairns Post reports the ship was scheduled to arrive at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal at 9am today with about 2900 passengers and crew on board. Cairns Port Development Inc secretary Emma Thirkell said the cruise ship tried three times to dock before giving up at about 3pm Missed port call
February 7 Independence of the Seas NBC Miami reports on a sexual assault of a male child on a cruise in 2015. The family boarded the ship in 2015.The mother says the trip was good until near the end of it. "The two boys decided that they would want to stay out a little later," Tonya said. Surveillance video on the ship shows the attack. In it, you can see two passengers entering the library, Arturo Martinez and Jason Lawson, both from Toledo, Ohio. The video shows the men cornering the 13 year old before pinning him against the bookcase. The victim’s older brother appears distraught on the video, rushing out of the library. Another teen is seen running away. The video shows Martinez taking off his shirt while still having the boy cornered. Lawson can be seen keeping passengers out of the library. The portion that shows what Tonya describes as the worst of the attack was edited out of the video provided to NBC 6 after it was entered into evidence in the case.
    The boys reported the attack to security, who called Tonya. Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies investigated when the ship arrived at Port Everglades. Martinez was sentenced to three years in prison for lewd and lascivious behavior with a child under 16. Lawson was given a two-year prison sentence for child abuse.
Sexual assault of minor
February 6 Sun Princess Yahoo 7 News reports a major class action is being prepared against a cruise ship company for allegedly exposing thousands of passengers to gastroenteritis. Lawyers say the class action could involve up to 16,000 people following a series of eight nightmare cruises between 2016 and 2017 aboard the Sun Princess cruise ship. During each voyage, severe vomiting and diarrhoea swept through the ship. The claim alleges Carnival Australia, the parent company of Princess Cruises, which operates the ship, failed in its duty of care to passengers. It is being accused of not adhering to adequate sanitisation or providing proper guidelines to those on board about the outbreak of norovirus. Passengers say despite having their holidays ruined due to the gastro outbreak, they never received an apology, refund or credit from the cruise liner. Carnival Cruises has told 7 News the suggestion that 16,000 people could have been affected was “absurd” and the company is standing by its health and safety procedures. Class action lawsuit for illness outbreaks
February 2 Granbdeur & Allure of the Seas Cruise Law News reports In the last month, two Royal Caribbean cruise ships have received scores barely above the failing score of 85. The Grandeur of the Seasreceived a score of 87 in an inspection which took place on January 5, 2018 which was only recently published. There were deductions for various unsanitary conditions as well as heavily corroded and difficult-to-clean steel counters in the galleys of the ship. The recent USPH report involving the Allure of the Seas shows that it received a barely-passing score of only 86. The acute gastroenteritis (AGE) logs indicated that a Royal Caribbean food handler who was symptomatic with acute gastroenteritis symptoms returned to work before the completion of the mandatory 48 hour isolation period. A second crew member exhibited acute gastroenteritis symptoms continued to eat meals in the crew mess and did not report to the ship infirmary until over two days later. Another crew member who was symptomatic with AGE symptoms proceeded to eat in crew mess and attend a work meeting, and reported to the ship's medical department only later. Even more disturbing is that the USPH inspectors found the following: "Seat cushions had storage under them in the Windjammer and decks 3, 4, and 5 of the main dining room. These storage areas were heavily soiled with debris, had raw wood, and were located above carpet and/or concrete decks. In these areas, the inspection team found: two closed gallon bottles of drinking water, several bags of neatly folded and bagged linen napkins, a bucket full of silverware, a box of gloves and wiping cloths, wrapped salad stands, several bottles of kitchen degreaser, chlorine bleach, biogel, wet plastic containers, and a large bag with dozens of serving utensils. These were also found along with brooms, dust pans, vacuum cleaners, and other nonfood equipment." Near failing health inspections
February 1 Viking Sun NZ Herald reports the ship, was unable to dock at the Napier Port on Thursday morning as wind gusts clocked just over 65km/h. Napier Port services manager Bruce Lochhead said it was the cruise liner's maiden call to the port and a missed opportunity as the ship wasn't scheduled to return this season. Port call skipped
January 30 Celebrity Solstice & Seabourn Encore Otago Daily Times reports sea fog from Dunedin's hot weather kept two cruise ships from entering Otago Harbour yesterday. The mist hung low over Taiaroa Head, meaningthe ships were unable to visit. Port call skipped (fog)
January 30 Carnival Magic Palm Bay Daily reports a Jacksonville man was arrested at Port Canaveral after he allegedly battered a woman and then masturbated in her cabin on a Carnival Cruise ship, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. Jozef Fred Senna, 63, was charged with Battery and False Imprisonment on Saturday after the ship returned to report. Details of the assault are included in the linked article. Sexual assault
January 29 Boudicca (Fred Olsen) From a reader: The ship was forced to leave the port of Cape Town and head out to sea for the night last week as the supply of fresh water was interrupted due to Cape Town's worst drought in 100 years. She had arrived ahead of schedule as her tender visit to Mossel Bay was abandoned due to unfavourable weather conditions. More details to follow.  Depature early
January 29 Queen Mary 2 From a reader: The ship was delayed in sailing from the port of Cape Town on Saturday due to the port being closed due to high winds. She sailed at approximately 07h00 on Sunday 28th January and arrived in Port Elizabeth this morning on schedule. She sails later today en route to Australia on her world cruise before stopping at Reunion and Mauritius.  Delayed departure
January 27 Carnival Vista Cruise Law News reports after miserably failing the December 2, 2017 sanitation inspection by the United States Public Health (USPH) last month, the USPH re-inspected the Carnival Vista today at the port of Miami. The Carnival cruise ship passed the re-inspection with a score of only 88, three points above the failing score of 85. Barely passes re-inspection
January 25 Carnival Liberty Miami Herald reports this is the fourth ship belonging toCarnival to fail its sanitation inspection in the span of two months. In Liberty’s Jan. 4 inspection, inspectors found at least three dead flying insects inside a dishwasher, a beverage carton in a refrigerator with a long hair on it, and corroded, dirty or broken machinery. In the Port Canaveral-based ship’s Silver Olympian Dining Room, “hundreds” of previously cleaned items were stored in an area for dirty dishes. In a Serenity whirlpool spa, the analyzer that measures bromine and pH levels was malfunctioning and had to be recalibrated. A crew member who had symptoms of acute gastroenteritis continued working before reporting the symptoms. The violations were among more than a dozen found by CDC inspectors. The received a score of 80. Other than three other Carnival ships, the only ships to fail their most recent inspections are luxury French line Ponant’s Le Boreal, which earned an 84; Peace Boat’s Ocean Dream with an 82; Victory Cruise Line’s Victory I, which earned a 78, and a little-known Caribbean ferry, Kydon, which scored a 61. Failed health inspection
January 24 Island Princess CDC reports 71 of 2,181 (3.26%) passengers and 7 of 898 (0.78%) crew reported ill on the cruise 9-24 January 2018. Three CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers and one epidemiologist will board the ship in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on January 24, 2018, to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. Causative agents: Norovirus and Campylobacter
Illness
January 24 Harmony of the Sea TMZ reports "Storm Chaser" star Joel Taylor died from a suspected overdose according to passengers on the ship. Passengers tell TMZ ... drugs on the party boat were plentiful, and they say 38-year-old Taylor was partaking. We're told among the drugs ... Ecstasy and cocaine. Passengers even posted on social media when they were boarding that several people were arrested at the Ft. Lauderdale port -- where the boat departed -- for possession of drugs. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, "It appears the death could be an overdose and Joel Taylor was consuming controlled substances."A passenger who interacted with Joel tells TMZ, Joel had consumed enough GHB on the dance floor Tuesday that he was rendered unconscious and taken off the dance floor by 2 people and back to his room. Death from drug overdose
January 22 Carnival Triumph NOLA reports Carnival is searching for a 44 year old female passenger who went overboard from one of its cruise ships Sunday night (Jan. 21) in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a statement from the company. The ship was on its way to Cozumel on the second day of a five-day cruise. Pax overboard
January 22 MSC Sinfonia From a reader: The ship docked in  Cape Town on Friday 19th January approximately 2 hours late due to high winds. Vessel arrived from Walvis Bay and was due to depart that evening for Durban. The wind intensified and the ship finally managed to sail at 00h25 on Sunday 21st. Vessel currently en route with ETA in Durban on Tuesday 23rd January 0 4h30 local time. The next cruise will omit Maputo and passengers will lose one day. Normal reimbursement procedures as per MSC terms and conditions available to all passengers who are also urged by MSC to secure their own insurance is applicable. This was the last time the ship called at Cape Town for the current cruise season and she will be based in Durban until the end of the season in April. She is to be replaced by the MSC MUSICA for the 2018/19 season.  Delayed (weather)
January 20 Carnival Sunshine News6Orlando reports multiple people aboard a docked cruise ship at Port Canaveral were taken to nearby hospitals Saturday morning. Officials said the six people on the boat, which was docked at the Carnival Cruise line terminal, were transported around 7:30 a.m. for injuries or illnesses. Crews did not immediately release details about their conditions. A spokesperson for the cruise line later told News 6 that the Carnival Sunshine was scheduled to return to the port Saturday from a 13-day trip, and that the guests were required to be checked out upon their arrival after experiencing a variety of medical issues during their stay. The spokesperson called the incident "nothing out of the ordinary."  6 pax taken to hospital
January 20 Carnival Elation News4Jax reports a woman fell from her balcony on a Jacksonville-based cruise ship and died, a Carnival spokeswoman confirmed to News4Jax. Early Friday morning, the cruise line said, the guest fell from her balcony on the Carnival Elation and landed several decks below. Cruise Law News reports the woman reportedly died after she fell from her balcony on the 14th deck down to the 11th deck. The woman was apparently celebrating her birthday. Another passenger reportedly was seen handcuffed after the incident. Police from Freeport, Bahamas reportedly boarded the ship after the fatality.  Pax "falls" to death
January 18 Multiple ships Cayman Compass reports there were no cruise ships in port Thursday after all four captains decided conditions were too rough to moor in George Town harbor. The skippers opted not to use the alternate landing point on the southern coast of the island, at Spotts Terminal, and headed back out to sea. David Carmichael, who runs Caribbean Marine Services, said his boats were ready and able to ferry the passengers to shore. He said cruise ships had been tendered in worse conditions this season and he was baffled by the decision. “We were all set up and ready to go, then one ship canceled and the rest followed suit. It was the captains’ call,” he said. The Regal Princess, MSC Opera, Carnival Breeze and Carnival Sensation were all due in port but all were listed as “missed” arrivals on the Port Authority website. 4 ships cancel port call
January 18 Swiss Crystal The Africom reports German police say 27 people sustained injuries when the Swiss hotel ship collided with a motorway bridge on the Rhine river. The water level was high at the time and the pillar is usually on land, news agency dpa reported. The crash happened Tuesday and more than 100 passengers were minorly injured as a result, four of them were transferred to the hospital and were later released Wednesday. Another nearby ship helped take the passengers to safety, while a number of fire department boats also provided assistance. As expected the cruise operator of Swiss Crystal canceled the sailing of the ship but has offered passengers to continue their journey on another river cruise ship. Collision with bridge
January 18 Carnival Triumph Daily Mail reports anewlywed couple from Missouri say their honeymoon cruise was spoiled by unsanitary conditions on board Carnival Triumph, including foul-smelling sludge oozing from their shower drain. Christine Parker and John Shoemaker got marred on November 4, 2017, in their hometown of St Louis and booked a five-day cruise aboard Carnival's 14-deck, 893-fot vessel, sailing from New Orleans. But instead of a romantic getaway, the couple say they were left exhausted, angry and 'smelling of poop.' Parker, who has a young daughter, accused crew members of trying to minimize the seriousness of the situation, even as they witnessed the stomach-turning spectacle of black liquid reeking of excrement rising out of the drain. The disgruntled passengers recorded a cellphone video showing a staffer inspecting their faulty drain and saying, 'This is very bad and it smells very bad.'  Jennifer de la Cruz, a spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Line, said in an email to DailyMail.com that the substance in the couple's shower was not sewage, bur rather water that had become trapped in a backed-up drain. Sewage bubbling up shower
January 17 NCL Escape Jamaica Observer reports police have arrested a St Lucian following the seizure of one pound of cocaine at the Falmouth Pier in Trelawny yesterday. The drug has an estimated street value of $625 million, police have said. Reports are that about 4:30 pm, security checks were being conducted on passengers and crew returning to a cruise ship that was docked at the pier when the man was searched and illicit drugs allegedly found in his possession. He was subsequently arrested. Drug bust
January 17 NCL Escape News.Com.Au reports a 52 year old passenger on NCL's Private Island, a strong swimmer, had found himself in trouble in a strong current and lifeguards from the Norwegian Escape ignored his desperate pleas for help, the family claims. “He remembers waving at the lifeguard, who ignored him, then screaming for the lifeguard, who ignored him again. He was screaming for his life and everyone thought it was a joke. He was 20 feet (6m) deep and 200ft (60m) out in the water, when two kids had found him and tried bringing him back,” Venezia said. “(Eventually) two men brought him out of the water when they called for medical. No lifeguard had helped him through it all. Isn’t that their job?” The man says he doesn’t recall all of the incident that occurred last month, as he was battling for his life but said of the rescue effort: “All of a sudden I lost all breathing capabilities. Luckily two kids around seven-years-old came to help. They helped for a maximum of five seconds. I continued to scream while kicking underwater to stay afloat. I noticed a man 50ft (15m) away and screamed at him but he looked at me like I was joking. In slow motion I saw a man jump into the water and swim for me. I was hanging on for life.” Near drowning on Private Island
January 17 Carnival Breeze & Carnival Vista Miami Herald reports aboard the Carnival Vista, Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, crew members hid trolleys of potentially hazardous food, equipment and dirty dishware from sanitation inspectors.  Fruit flies were found by the buffet and in a Parmesan cheese container. Crew failed to appropriately document illnesses on board.  On the Carnival Breeze, another of the Doral-based line’s newest vessels, machinery was found to be corroded or not functioning properly. About 25 garbage bins overflowing with waste were found by inspectors near an area where food was handled.  These violations and dozens of others landed both ships failing grades from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which routinely inspects cruise ships in an effort to control the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses. Ships must score 86 points or higher, out of 100, to pass. The Vista scored a 79; the Breeze a 77. Another Carnival failure reported in November aboard the Triumph brings Carnival’s tally to three failed inspections in the past two months. Failed Health Inspections
January 17 Tropical Breeze Casino Calvin Ayre reports a woman died this weekend after a fire broke out on a boat ferrying gamblers to a casino ship moored off the coast of Florida. On Sunday, a shuttle boat taking gamblers to the floating Tropical Breeze Casino caught fire, forcing its 36 passengers and 14 crew members to jump overboard to escape the flames. At least 15 passengers were taken to Tampa-area hospitals for treatment, and an unidentified 42-year-old female passenger succumbed to her injuries on Sunday night. The fire broke out shortly after the shuttle vessel left the Florida coast, reportedly after suffering engine trouble. Passengers and onlookers reported the fire spreading rapidly, and video of the burning vessel provides a vivid illustration of the inferno. (See bottom of page.) The cause of the fire is under investigation.. Fire - evacuation (one death)
January 13 NCL Epic Long Island News 12 reports two Kings Park brothers are accused of smuggling drugs onto a cruise ship. Police say Gino and Louis La Nasa were arrested in Florida after one of them allegedly sold an undercover agent ecstasy. Authorities say when they searched the La Nasas' Norwegian Cruise Line ship cabin, they found items indicating that the drugs had been smuggled inside body cavities. News 12 is told while agents were in the cabin, Louis also tried to swallow a plastic bag of drugs.   Drug bust
January 12 Grandeur of the Seas USA Today reports nearly 50 people have fallen sick on a cruise ship that departed from Baltimore last week, delaying its return. The ship originally was scheduled to set sail back to Baltimore on Thursday, but now won’t until Saturday, following 46 reported cases of gastrointestinal illness on board. Illness
January 12 Viking Star Daily Mail reportsat 2PM The Fantastic, a ferry, appeared to lose its engine power whilst docking and appeared to drift backwards, without any way of controlling it, until it collided with the cruise ship. At one stage, the ferry dropped anchor to try and stop it moving. A video of the accident was taken from a nearby crane. The Fantastic, 180 metres in length, had arrived from Tangier at dawn and was going to continue its journey to Genoa .At the moment the two ships are still moored in port. In addition to investigating the reasons for the collision, experts have to assess the damage on both ships to see if they can continue their respective trips. Collision
January 11 NCL Escape Miami Herald reports a family traveling on on the ship in February 2017 has filed suit allaedging a crew member sexually assaulted their 12 year old daughter inside their cabin. The crew member acknowledged that “he did, in fact, touch her buttocks and pubic region with his hand, skin to skin, while the minor victim was sleeping on the bed.” Regardless, a Florida jury trial found the crew member not guilty. Child sexual assault
January 11 QEII and Queen Victoria

Royal Gazette reports the shipshave cancelled their calls in Bermuda because of bad weather in the North Atlantic. The two ships were due to arrive in Dockyard on Sunday however the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre reported today that both vessels had cancelled their Bermuda calls “due to weather encountered on crossing”. They will head straight to their next ports of Port Everglades and New York respectively.

Canceled port call
January 10 Grandeur of the Seas WESH News reports the ship has suffered a mechanical breakdown that forced it to stop for repairs at Port Canaveral. Passengers are stuck, motionless, in Port Canaveral. "They didn’t tell us what the problems were. They just said they had a leaking hydraulic hose," Mario Miralles, a passenger on the ship, said. The ship was on its way back from the Bahamas to its home port in Baltimore when a breakdown caused the unscheduled stop. Royal Caribbean did not say what was wrong but said in a statement that, while the ship is safe to operate, in an abundance of safety, it will now make a stop at Port Canaveral. Unplanned stopped - mechnical problems
January 9 Grandeur of the Seas Cruise Law News reports Royal Caribbean is rescheduling the current cruise of the Grandeur of the Seas, in order to begin repairs to the cruise ship for what the cruise line refers to as a "technical issue which limits the operation of one of the two rudders used to steer the ship." Royal Caribbean notified its guests, at the last minute today, who were planning to board the Grandeur on Thursday, January 11, 2018 that the cruise had been rescheduled to Saturday, January 13th. This news was first reported on by the popular Royal Caribbean Blog Itinerary shortened by two days
January 8 NCL Epic News 6 reports two dozen people were arrested on drug possession charges during security checks before boarding the ship for the Holy Ship! 2018 event. Holy Ship denied a comment but on its website states that there is a zero-tolerance policy. Twenty-four people didn't heed that statement Saturday, deputies said. "It ranges from marijuana to cocaine, MDMA or ecstasy. A lot of the drugs are used in a rave scene. A lot of people with paraphernalia," Brevard County Sheriff's Office public information officer Tod Goodyear said.  The port added security this weekend knowing the cruise would set sail Saturday.  Drug bust
January 8 RCL Raw Story reports former Royal Caribbean cruise liner employee is suing the company for mistreatment from supervisors after she was raped by a coworker aboard the Majesty of the Seas in late 2015. According to the Miami New-Times, the woman (who was not named in the lawsuit due to the nature of her attack) was subjected to a brutal assault that lasted nearly an hour around Christmas 2015 that resulted in bite marks and bruises. She then reported her rape to the ship’s captain, security officer and doctor — all of whom reacted negatively. According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Jane Doe’s supervisor discouraged her from pressing charges, the ship doctor told her to “get over it” and she was forced back onto the job soon after. Despite reporting the assault to Bahamian police the day after when the boat docked on the island, the woman, who was “traumatized and at her weakest,” followed her boss’ advice and did not press charges. Sexual assault of crew
January 7 Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Law News reports that an excursion boat with cruise passengers aboard sank last week. The cruise excursion incident took place on Wednesday January 3rd, approximately 15 minutes after the boat sailed from Cozumel with ten cruise guests aboard it. The boat's crew instructed the cruise passengers to head to the bow; however, the boat took on water quickly and the guests had to jump into the water. The cruise passengers reportedly were from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and a Celebrity ship (the Celebrity Equinox). The cruise passengers were reportedly rescued from the water by other boats in the area, Local news sources state that none of the cruise passengers were physically injured. Excursion boat sinks
January 5 P&O Arcadia From a passenger: Lifeboat has fallen into the sea at Azores, Ponta Delgaado. Some crew hurt. Cruise Law News reports a lifeboat has broken from its cabling and has fallen from its davits into the sea while the cruise ship was in Ponta Delgada, Azores. A passenger states that "the back appears to have been ripped off and is still hanging from its cradle......" There reportedly were five crew members in the lifeboat at the time of the accident. One crew member's injuries are apparently serious enough for the ship employee to be hospitalized. Lifeboat accident
January 5 Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Radio reports travel professionals were alerted on Thursday that the winter storm would result in the Breakaway’s return to Manhattan being delayed… with the ripple effect impacting the following sailing, too. Due to winter storm Grayson,” reads the notification, “Norwegian Breakaway will have a delayed arrival into New York on Friday, January 5. As a result, Norwegian Breakaway’s 14-day cruise that was originally scheduled to depart on January 5 will now depart on Saturday, January 6 at 3 p.m. Due to the ship’s late arrival on Friday and the ongoing weather situation, embarking guests are encouraged to arrive to the pier on Saturday morning; all guests most be onboard by 1 p.m. on January 6th ... Guests unable to adjust their travel plans,” continued Norwegian’s missive, “are welcome to board on Friday evening between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.” CBS subsequently reported the ship had sailed through the storm, a scene of hell for passengers. Delayed departure
January 3 Sea Princess ABC News reports about 200 people have been struck down with gastro onboard a cruise ship which is set to dock in Brisbane on Thursday. The ship is completing the final leg of a two-week round trip between Brisbane and New Zealand. Queensland Health confirmed on-board testing found norovirus to be the cause of increased gastro cases. Illness outbreak
January 3 Grand Princess From a passenger: Half of the Buffett dining area was closed upon boarding for 10 day cruise because of flooding. Conditions were chaotic .  No advisory was given at registration. Good news though is that unlimited internet is now available on the ship for the first time although not properly publicized. Hopefully the Buffett will be completely operational 1-8 after replacing all of the damaged carpet. Disruption
January 2 Silver Muse (Silverseas) From a passenger: An 80-year old single female traveler from the UK purportedly jumped from her deck evening of Jan 1 / morning Jan 2, 2018. I was on board.  Silversea made no comment to passengers other than a number of Pages for the passenger. Information obtained from other passengers.   Room was taped off and balcony had roping on rail. We disembarked Ft Lauderdale today, Jan 3, 2018. Pax overboard
January 1 Oasis of the Seas From a passenger: Someone was was stabbed with a beer bottle and New Years Eve night. The boat was diverted to Nassau and docked for several hours 8am to about 3pm. I am on the ship now. The crew is very hush-hush but word has gotten around. Assault
January 1 NCL Jewel From a passenger: Male passenger arrested and taken off the ship in handcuffs by ship security and local police in Wellington, New Zealand. Had his luggage with him but no one else. No idea why. Pax arrested

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