THE Comprehensive list of Persons Overboard, 1995 - 2006

  Safety Watch -- Passenger-Documented Safety Issues 

Date	Ship Cruise Line	Event	Type of Incident
December 31	Millennium Celebrity Cruises	The Sun Sentinel reports a short circuit in its port propulsion POD . Vessel was only operating on its starboard propulsion POD until effective repairs could be made. Marine Inspector and Investigator from Sector San Juan boarded the C/S MILLENNIUM to verify the extent of the damages/ equipment failure. USCG members were met by vessel, factory technician and class representatives. It was determined by the marine inspector that the vessel was to make effective repairs to the port POD before its voyage.	Propulsion problems
December 31	QE II Cunard Line	A 62-year-old female passenger from Germany, traveling with her husband on a 16 day Christmas / New Year's cruise from Southampton (London), was reported missing this morning while the vessel was traveling between Madeira and Southampton.  A search of the ship and surrounding waters proved unsuccessful.  The ship is due back to Southampton January 2.  Website for missing person -- appealing to passengers or crew on this cruise.	Passenger Missing
December 30	Senopati Nusantara Indonesian Ferry	The passenger ferry, with over 587 passengers and 63 crew members sank in bad weather off the coast of  Central Java province late on December 29.  Reports on December 31 indicate 177 survivors have been rescued.	Sunk
December 30	Dream Princess Caspi Cruises	A 3 day New Years cruise from Dubai to Muscat was cancelled at the last minute because of a "technical fault."  Some passengers arrived at the cruise terminal at 5AM, but weren't told until 9AM that their holiday plans had been cancelled.	Cancellation
December 30	Norwegian Majesty Norwegian Cruise Line	The New Years' cruise scheduled to depart today has been cancelled.  The ship experienced engine problems on the Christmas cruise and will remain in Charleston for repairs.  The January 6 cruise is expected to depart as scheduled.  Passengers on the cancelled cruise will receive a full refund and a 50% future cruise credit (based on fare paid).	Cancellation
December 28	Carnival Valor Carnival Cruise Lines	A 55-year-old woman died after getting "in difficulty" while snorkeling on an shore excursion at Grand Cayman.  According to the tour operator (as reported by Cay Compass News Online), "Somebody swum away from the boat and got a little too far, and they got tired before they got back to the boat."	Pax death on excursion
December 27	Norwegian Star Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship arrived 3-4 hours late in Acapulco because of engine problems.  Repairs were made while in port (overnight) and the cruise continued as scheduled.  The cruise was on a 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise from Los Angeles.	Engine problems
December 23	Oosterdam Holland America Line	CBS in San Diego reports an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on the 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise ending today.  While the cruise line says there were 55 passengers and crew reporting ill, reports from passengers indicate the number was higher.  One says about room service, "So many people were sick, they stopped answering the phone."  Room service was taking as long as three hours for deliveries.	Illness
December 20	Regal Princess Princess Cruises	The ship reported that 5 of 678 crew and 75 of 1479 (4.81%) passengers had reported ill on the  7 - 27 December Panama Canal cruise from San Juan.   Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	Illness
December 20	Seabourn Spirit Seabourn Cruises	Passengers report at Cruise Critic that there was a small fire before arriving in Hong Kong.  According to one:  We went to the Verandah for Breakfast and there was soot on the table settings on the outside. We had a good view of all the fire engines and water craft coming along while we had our breakfast. The crew appeared to have everything under control and the Captain gave the all clear to the crew prior to us finishing our Breakfast. He had some of the crew on standby near where the fire had been and everything for the passengers appeared as normal. Of course one must have known something was up when the Captain called Station Bravo over the loud speaker before 7 in the morning.	Fire
December 18	Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	Passengers were notified today that the port call at Belize City was cancelled (the ship was apparently behind schedule given the need to return to Miami for a medical emergency six hours after leaving on December 17, even though the Captain said they'd make up the time).  They were told instead the ship would stop at Cozumel for 19 hours, go to Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and then back to Miami.  On December 20 passengers were told that Costa Maya could not accommodate the ship so the ship would dock at Montego Bay instead.  According to passengers, "shore excursions were disorganized and the crew were as misinformed as the passengers."  One passenger writes:  We had to tender at Cozumel the first day, then we were able to pull onto the dock when the Freedom of the Seas left, but then had to back out again when the Enchantment arrived at 9AM the next morning.  The confusion caused HUGE lines for tendering, and I personally felt like a second-class citizen being bumped out of the dock like that.  (For a sister ship!!!)  Grand Cayman was a joke, I'm sorry I ever left the ship.  Our ship made the 6th, yes that's 6 ships tendered at the tiny island of Grand Cayman.  Needless to say, the shore excursions were all booked, and crowded, and once again, the line to tender was ridiculous.	Itinerary changes
December 17	Enchantment of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	A half dozen passengers have independently reported that an older male passenger was pulled out of the water after going overboard while the ship sailed from Cozumel toward its return to Fort Lauderdale.  Reports indicate the man did not survive.  There are no news reports or press releases regarding this incident	Person overboard
December 17	Infinity Celebrity Cruises	A passenger on the 3 - 17 December South America cruise reports that one of the tenders slammed into something and was damaged in one of the ports -- the reduced number of tenders caused 1 to 2 hour waits for passengers getting back to the ship.  Also reported was a small outbreak of stomach virus --  medical charges related to the virus were waived (encouraging passengers to seek medical care) -- and passengers were not allowed to touch anything in the buffets including tongs and the tea/punch dispenser.  Those with the virus were quarantined in their cabins for 48 hours.	Damaged tender -- Illness
December 16	Noordam Holland America Line	From a passenger:  We were on the 12/06 - 12/16/2006 NYC/Caribbean 10 day r/t, and about the 3rd day received a note in all our rooms of a norovirus outbreak slightly above the normal rate.  There were members of the crew holding giant squeeze bags of Purell at all the entrances to the Dining Rooms, and offering it to everyone who walked in.	Illness
December 12	Carnival Victory Carnival Cruise Lines	The Sun Sentinel reports the ship's electrical busbar tripped of line on propulsion motor drive. This was caused by a fault in the propulsion motor circuit. At 1540 the faulty breaker was replaced and it was placed back into service, no other matters noted.	Propulsion problems
December 11	Zaandam Holland America Line	The ship reported that 4 of 617 (0.67%) crew and 64 of 1431 (14.47%) passengers had reported ill on the 26 November -11 December Hawaiian circle cruise from San Diego.   Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	Illness
December 10	Sun Princess Princess Cruises	The ship reported that 7 of 862 (0.81%) crew and 112 of 2013 (5.56%) passengers had reported ill on the  30 November - 10 December Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale.   Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	Illness
December 10	Freedom of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The ship reported that 11 crew and 97 passengers had reported ill on the  3 - 10 December cruise from Miami.   The CDC recommended the ship not sail for 48 hours due to three consecutive voyages with a high number of illnesses.  The cruise scheduled for 10 December will depart 12 December with port calls at Montego Bay and Labadee.	Illness
December 9	Ryndam Holland America Line	The ship spent the night anchored in Tampa Bay after encountering engine and electrical problems shortly after sailing.   The ship reported engine problems about an hour after sailing and stalled in the channel between the port and the Skyway Bridge.  Power was subsequently restored, but the Coast Guard said the ship would remain moored in the area overnight while they investigated the problem with the engines.	Power Loss
December 9	Norwegian Wind Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship reported that 7 of 691 (0.01%) crew and 77 of 1691 (4.61%) passengers had reported ill on the 29 November -9 December Hawaiian cruise from Honolulu.   Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	Illness
December 6	Statendam Holland America Line	At about 05001 on 6 December 2006, the Dutch registered passenger vessel Statendam with about 1,700 persons on board arrived at Port Phillip Heads to berth at Station Pier in the Port of Melbourne. In the process of picking up the pilot, the vessel altered its course to create a lee for the pilot vessel to come alongside. This action caused Statendam to head towards the shallow banks off Point Lonsdale. As soon as the pilot was on board, the master turned the vessel towards its intended track through Port Phillip Heads. When the pilot arrived on the bridge he noted that Statendam was steering close to the shallow banks off Point Lonsdale. The investigation found that Statendam was travelling over the recommended speed limit when it picked up the pilot well inside the pilot boarding ground and applied a slow rate of turn to get back on track causing it to enter shallow water. It is likely that Statendam’s port side stabiliser fin came in contact with some underwater obstruction causing it to have superficial abrasions at the outer tip and affecting its alignment in the shipside housing. See here.	Near grounded
December 6	QM2 Cunard Line	From a passenger:  Leaving Barbados, we were advised that a door on one of the bow thrusters was malfunctioning, and we could only make 18 knots.  We arrived in  St. Kits 4 hours late, and a team from Miami flew in with divers to repair.  We were treated to a party on deck before arriving in St. Kits, with free drinks as compensation.  Divers apparently cleared the damage, and we left St. Kits on time and the rest of the cruise was on schedule.  FYI, we were 3-4 hours delayed (2 December) in embarkation boarding due to immigration (?) or computer problems.  Never did get the correct story, and ship left 2 hours late.  Restaurants onboard closed at the regular time that day, leaving many late boarding guests with little or no food until dinner.	Mechanical problem
December 3	Infinity Celebrity Cruises	From a passenger:  The pod system failed and we were in Lima for  36 hrs (originally scheduled for about 11 hrs) and had to miss the port of Arica, Chile.  WHAT A BUMMER!  The ship was sailing from Fort Lauderdale (19 November) to Valparaiso (3 December). From another passenger:  1. There was a short circuit in the starboard propulsion system the night before we arrived in Lima and we sailed 16 knots instead of 22; 2. We were supposed to arrive in Lima at 06.00 am, we arrived at 18.00 instead;  3. The ship stayed overnight in Lima for a total of 30 hours (till 24.00 hrs the next day);  4. The captain came on the voice system and explained that because of the problem we would not arrive in time in Lima and the result was missing the port of call Arica;  5. Celebrity Cruises compensated us very well (US$ 500.-) shipboard credit per cabin;  6. Most people were very content, (although sorry for missing Arica) because of the fair compensation;  7. After leaving Lima we sailed at 19-10 knots and were more than on time in Valparaiso.	Propulsion problems -- 24 hour delay
December 3	Freedom of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The ship reported that 24 of 1402 (3.28%) crew and 338 of 3823 (8.84%) passengers had reported ill on the  26 November - 3 December cruise from Miami.   Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	Illness
November 30	Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Cruises	From a passenger:  I just returned from the Mariner cruise Sydney to Auckland, November 15-30. Prior to my boarding, passengers received a letter stating that the ship was operating with only 60% propulsion due to problems with one of the pods. As a result, two stops between Auckland and Los Angeles would be eliminated. Three days into the portion of my cruise, one of the three main forward elevators became inoperable and remained that way for six days without explanation. Much grumbling.	Propulsion problems
November 27	Seven Seas Voyager Regent Seven Seas Cruises	The ship's stay in dry dock has been extended 11 additional days in order to complete repairs on the ship's diesel electric motors.  The four-night cruise on 30 November and seven day cruise on 4 December have been canceled.  Passengers will receive a full refund and an incentive to book a future cruise.	Cancellations
November 26	Carnival Liberty Carnival Cruise Lines	The Miami Herald and other media report that some passengers complained of gastrointestinal illness.  The cruise line said it didn't know how many were ill, but that it was fewer than 2 percent of the 3100 passengers onboard -- that'd be less than 62.  He further said that the number of illnesses on this voyage were in the normal range for a vessel that size.	Illness
November 25	Summit Celebrity Cruises	The ship reported that 12 of 942 (1.27%) crew and 72 of 1911 (3.77%) passengers had reported ill on the  11 - 25 November cruise from Los Angeles to San Juan (Puerto Rico).  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	Illness
November 25	Serenade of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger: Ship left San Juan PR 18 November (Saturday) ... we received a letter that if we needed medical assistance because of a flu, cold or gastrointestinal illness, medical services would be complementary.  On Monday the Captain announced there were 55 cases of gastrointestinal illness.  My 10 year old son got it on Wednesday night and we were confined to the room until disembarkation 25 November.  On Thursday a nurse said they attended 80 people that day alone; the outbreak of norovirus affected around 135 people about 5% (and those are reported cases only).  Many passengers didn't report being ill when they learned they'd be confined to the room for 48 hours.  CDC Report:  3 of 848 crew (0.35%) and 101 of 2241 passengers (4.51%) reported ill.	Illness
November 21	SuperStar Libra Star Cruises	A boat used to ferry passengers from the ship to shore capsized off Kadamat Island near Lakshadweep (India).  A 14 year old girl drowned in the accident; nine other passengers were safely rescued.  There are conflicting accounts as to whether passengers were wearing life vests and also regarding the number of passengers on the ill-fated vessel.	Tendering vessel capsized
November 21	Norwegian Dawn Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship made an unscheduled port call at Norfolk because of a technical problem with its propulsion system and poor weather off North Carolina that blocked its route from New York to Florida. The ship arrived at 6:45 PM today and is expected to leave tomorrow at 5:00 PM.   Update on Tuesday: Departure has been set back until Wednesday at 5 PM at the earliest -- repairs are still being undertaken.  Given that the itinerary is "up in the air," passengers have been offered a full refund, plus 25% off a future cruise based on what they paid on this cruise, plus a $100 per stateroom onboard credit.  They have also been offered a charter bus for return to NYC Tuesday evening, for those wishing to go home.	Unscheduled Stop - - Cancellation / Delay
November 20	Lyubov Orlova Quark Expeditions	The ship with 150 passengers onboard ran aground in Whalers' Bay while visiting Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands (en route to Antarctica).  A Spanish ship responded to the distress call and after an assessment waited for high tide and began towing operations.  The Orlova was freed eight hours later and returned to Ushuaia on its own power.	Grounded
November 19	Seabourn Legend Seabourn Cruises	A male crew member (reportedly a worker in the galley) went missing and is presumed overboard.  Search of the ship and  surrounding waters proved unsuccessful and were called off after more than a full day.  Readers at Cruise Critic report the following cruise will be delayed one day because the ship will now arrive in Fort Lauderdale 22 November.  The ship's last port was Tenerife on 11 November.	Missing
November 18	Melody MSC Cruises	A 24 year old Samoan crew member who was jilted by his girlfriend and a fellow crew member threw himself overboard while the ship was cruising off the Mozambique coast at about 2 AM.  The girlfriend reported the "man overboard" and a recovery operation was undertaken.  The bridge officers calculated where the man overboard would likely be based on currents, winds, and sea conditions -- at sunrise they found the man, alive, 500m from the anticipated recovery position (17 km from where the many had gone overboard).  The rescue will delay the ships arrival in Durban by about 5 hours.	Person Overboard  --  Rescued Alive
November 18	Isle of Inishmore Irish Ferries	A 57 year old man went overboard from the ferry near the end of its journey from Rossiare to Pembroke Dock.  His body was found in a search, but he was pronounced dead on arrival to hospital.  Police say there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death but their inquiries continue.	Person overboard
November 17	Noordam Holland America Line	During a four day window starting 8 September, cabins on 10 sailings (from January to April 2007) were sold for $849 rather than $1399.  The company caught its error and is now requiring passengers to pay the difference between the original confirmed fare and the newly revised fare -- a charge of $1100 per couple.  According to the cruise line: "After fully reviewing all the facts ... our conclusion was that we were not able to offer the mistaken rate."  See USA Today for more details.	Bait and Switch?
November 17	Millennium Celebrity Cruises	Celebrity announced today that the 10 December sailing is canceled due to a problem with the propulsion system.  The ship will enter dry dock to replace a port thrust bearing, and is expected to return for the cruise scheduled for 17 December.  Guests booked on the canceled cruise will receive a full refund and a free cruise of equal value from North America of up to seven nights, departing before 31 December 2007.	Canceled Cruise
November 16	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	The Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer report that Celebrity Cruises faces a $100,000 fine for the Mercury dumping 500,000 gallons of untreated wastewater into Puget Sound.  Though it initially claimed it hadn't dumped, shipboard documents contradicted the company's claim.  The dumping happened 10 times over nine days in September and October 2005.	Environmental
November 15	Carnival Liberty Carnival Cruise Lines	It was announced to day that the cruise scheduled to depart November 19th from Port Everglades will now depart on November 21 in order to allow the company to thoroughly clean/sanitize the ship following the current cruise where many passengers reported ill.  The new itinerary will be a four day cruise to Key West and Cozumel.  Passengers choosing to take the new itinerary will receive a 50% refund on this cruise and a 50% discount on a future cruise.  Passengers can also choose to cancel the cruise and receive a full refund which will be processed within two weeks.	Itinerary Change
November 15	Norwegian Majesty Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship arrived in St. George's (Bermuda) one day late because of continuing engine problems.  It is scheduled to leave Bermuda five hours earlier than the stated itinerary in order to return to Charleston on schedule.  Plans to repair the faulty crankshaft while the ship was in Bermuda were scrapped given that the equipment will not arrive in time.	Engine Problems / Itinerary change
November 13	Pacific Sky P&O Australia owned by Carnival Corp	The Sunshine Coast Daily reports taxi drivers in Vanuatu went on strike, refusing to transport the ship's passengers and forcing them to walk 5 km to town, after it was leaned that government is investigating the illegal dumping of 500,000 litres of oil on the island.  Apparently deep holes were dug, lined with thin plastic, and then filled with oil and raw sewage.  The site is within 1 kilometer of a village and school, and is just above a river used for drinking, washing, and swimming.  The motivation:  it would cost US$30,000 to appropriate dispose of the waste at approved facilities in the region whereas dumping illegally cost less than $200.  The company faces a potential fine of $35 million.	Environmental
November 13	Carnival Liberty Carnival Cruise Lines	The ship reported that 116 of 1166  (9.94%) crew and 429 of 2804 (15.3%) passengers had reported ill with one week remaining in the cruise.  The cruise begin in Civitavecchia on 3 November and ends in Port Everglades on 19 November.   Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus) .  Additional cleaning staff and staff from the Vessel Sanitation Program of the CDC will board the ship in Phillipsburg (Sint Maarten) on 16 November. Revised numbers (according to Cruise Critic) 14 November: 154 of 1166 (13.2%) crew and 556 of 2804 (19.8%) pax	Illness
November 13	Pride of Kent P&O Ferries	A man and a woman in their 20s were presumed missing after a coach driver realized the pair failed to return to their coach party when the ferry completed its journey from Calais and docked at Dover.  They later turned up safe in Belgium.  In the interim, searches of the ship and seas had been undertaken though water temperatures made survival unlikely.	Missing
November 12	Adventure of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger:  We just returned from a 7 night southern Caribbean cruise (Nov 5-12). Many reports of illness circulated among the passengers -- the shows were pretty empty and the deck was pretty empty as well. On the fifth or sixth day, passengers received a letter stating that an abnormally large number of passengers had become ill but they didn't think there would be any adverse effect on the cruise. There were multiple reports of passengers quarantined to their rooms. When we returned to the ship in St Maarten, the family in front of us were told to report directly to the medical facility. That night, our wait staff said the CDC was returning for a second visit during that cruise. Our stateroom attendant said she was with the ship for five years and had never seen so many stricken. There was no notification to the passengers of the severity of the outbreak.  The CDC subsequently reported that 1 of 1174 (0.08%) crew and 129 of 3260 (3.96%) passengers had reported ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus.	Illness
November 12	Maasdam Holland America Line	The Sun Sentinel reports while inbound in Charlotte Amalie Harbor, St. Thomas, the P/V MAASDAM's starboard anchor released from the secured position. No injuries or damage occurred. Vessel was stopped, crew secured anchor and continued to pier. No further action necessary.	Mechanical failure
November 11	Serenade of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The ship reported that 9 of 854  (1.05%) crew and 68 of 2023 (3.36%) passengers had reported ill on the  29 October - 11 November cruise from San Diego (California) to San Juan (Puerto Rico).  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	Illness
November 11	Seven Seas Navigator Regent Seven Seas Cruises	Emergency services were assessing how to handle a medical emergency aboard the ship Seven Seas Navigator after a 74-year-old American suffered a heart problem which could be a stroke or a blood clot.  An air rescue is being considered and the ship, originally bound for the US from Europe, has been diverted to Bermuda to arrive on Saturday.  It is not clear whether this will affect the arrival day/time in Port Everglades on Monday.	Diversion for Medical Emergency
November 11	Norwegian Majesty Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship was delayed leaving Bermuda this week (Thursday evening) and is delayed leaving today on her next cruise from Charleston.  She has a snapped crankshaft.  NCL threw its Charleston-bound passengers a complimentary cocktail party and offered $100 per stateroom in onboard credit and 15 percent off the price of a future cruise. Those heading out to Bermuda will get $50 per stateroom in cruise cash or a chance to rebook as a consolation for the extra time at sea.  Norwegian Cruise Lines' Majesty was expected as of last night to steam into port at about 2 p.m., seven hours behind schedule, and head back to Bermuda on three of its four engines at 9:30 p.m.	Engine Problems / Delays
November 10	Ecstasy Carnival Cruise Lines	From a passenger:  Departed on a five day cruise from Galveston.  Early next morning the announcement came that we were diverting to Progresso, Mexico instead of continuing to Cozumel because of "propulsion problems".  This upset us more as time went on and when we found out that this has been an ongoing problem with the ship and has happened at least 3 times in recent months.  It made for a disappointing cruise.	Engine Problems / Itinerary change
November 7	Constellation Celebrity Cruises	The ship reported that 13 of 967  (1.34%) crew and 72 of 1776 (4.05%) passengers had reported ill on the  27 October - 7 November cruise to the Western Caribbean, leaving from and returning to Cape Liberty, NJ.  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)	Illness
November 6	Elation Carnival Cruise Lines	Four passengers were injured when a welded piece of the gangway gave way around 12:30 while passengers were embarking at Port Canaveral for a 5 day cruise to Turks and Caicos.  Safety ropes kept the gangway from falling more than a foot, but the jolt was enough to throw four people sprawling onto the gangway.  Three were treated and released from hospital.  None of the injured proceeded with the cruise.	Gangway Slips / Injuries
November 5	Island Princess Princess Cruises	The ship reported that 11 of 905  (1.22%) crew and 109 of 1959 (5.56%) passengers had reported ill on the 21  October - 5 November cruise to Hawai'i, leaving from and returning to Los Angeles.  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus).	Illness
November 5	Radiance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger:  Just got back from Radiance of the Seas 10/28/06 cruise to Puerto Rico, Antigua, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau. The evening we were sailing back to Ft. Lauderdale (4 November) a fire broke out in the Windjammer and the captain came on the loud speaker at 2AM to announce BRAVO - BRAVO - BRAVO, we have a fire in the Windjammer -- everyone stay tuned to for further announcements. Finally he came back on about a half an hour later to inform us that all was well and that we could go back to sleep.	Fire
November 4	Carnival Conquest Carnival Cruise Lines	A 42 year old man fell/jumped from his balcony at approximately 11:00 PM.  The ship did search and rescue and then search and recovery for 4 hours and then halted operations at 3:30 AM.  Coast Guard helicopters and several vessels (including oil rig barges) aided in the search and were later joined by a Coast Guard cutter -- they continued the search without success.  The ship resumed its course to Galveston, likely to arrive 3 or 4 hours late.	Passenger overboard
November 4	Grand Princess Princess Cruises	According to a passenger, at approx 19:20 (local time) the ship appeared to run aground while heading to sea from Livorno, Italy.  Approx 1/2 mile beyond the harbor entrance, just as the pilot appeared to have disembarked, the ship appeared to come to a soft stop. For the next 30 minutes (from our starboard balcony) it appeared that the ship's officers tried many combinations of thrusters and props at varying speeds and directions trying to twist and pivot the ship back and forth on it's axis until at about 20:00 she began to regain her way forward.  No notice was or has been given to passengers.  In an unrelated incident, a week and a half ago the Golden Princess in the waters around Rhodes reportedly scraped bottom (sustaining some damage to itself and to the reefs).	Grounded
November 3	Century Celebrity Cruises	According to a story from the Associated Press and posted by WVEC.COM, three passengers were med-evaced by the USS Wasp from the ship following injuries sustained when the ship rolled in high seas.  The ship left Malaga on 30 October, stopped in Madiera 1 November and will arrive in Miami on 9 November.	High Seas / Injuries
November 2	Century Celebrity Cruises	A 73 old British man traveling alone has gone missing from this 14 night transAtlantic cruise.  The cruise began in Barcelona 27October and ends 13 November in Miami. The passenger was reported missing 1 November after it appeared his room hadn't been used.	Passenger Missing
October 31	Enchantment of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	A strong squall of wind caused the ship to drag its anchor 300 metres before it ran into a moored barge off Pageant Beach (Georgetown, Cayman Islands).  The ship had been anchored off shore from the WHarf Restaurant area,  Other than two dents in the port side and a long 100-foot scrape, there was no damage to the ship.  Most passengers were ashore when the incident occurred.  Here's a picture from a passenger.	Collision
October 29	Norwegian Spirit Norwegian Cruise Line	A passenger disembarking today wrote describing an infestation of bed bugs on this 10 day cruise beginning and ending in NYC, 19 - 29 October.  The full text of the passenger's message can be accessed here.	Bed Bugs
October 28	Norwegian Spirit Norwegian Cruise Line	From a passenger:  At approximately 7pm, as i left my room on deck 4 and hit the elevator button, approx 6 crew members exited elevator with woman on stretcher with neck brace on. Word later from crew was that due to high seas (15-25 ft) tables and approx 10 people fell on deck 12 Italian restaurant causing multiple injuries.  We experienced rough seas and gale force winds on oct 28 -- "what an experience".  This was on the last leg of the 10 day cruise, sailing from Tortola (26 Oct) to New York (29 Oct).	High Seas / Injuries
October 27	Constellation Celebrity Cruises	The ship reported that 1 of 978  (0.10%) crew and 65 of 1955 (3.32%) passengers had reported ill on the 16 - 27 October cruise to the Northeast and Canada, leaving from and returning to Cape Liberty, NJ.  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus).  Passengers on the following cruise also report (on Cruise Critic) that a significant number of fellow passengers became ill during that cruise as well.	Illness
October 26	Oriana P&O Cruises	From a reader:  The current 13 night Mediterranean cruise from Southampton to various ports and back to Southampton (October 19 - November 1) has been hit by the norovirus bug. This has been reported on the cruise connections website of P&O where passengers on the cruise have reported this, and I have friends on board and have spoken to them. All reports state that the crew have dealt with the outbreak in excellent fashion but various things like the buffets and BarBQ's have been curtailed.	Illness
October 25	Norwegian Wind Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship "lost an engine" and had to skip today's scheduled port cal at Nawiliwili (Kauai). The next day there was a total power blackout while off Lahaina (Maui) with no AC , lights , elevators , toilets , water ,etc. These were gradually restored over a 7 hour period . Public washrooms were locked and dining rooms closed (no hot coffee after 7:45 AM ) .  At noon they had a cookout on the pool deck for both passengers and crew. Each passenger got a free drink and a $50 per cabin shipboard credit.  See Cruise Critic.	Power failure / Missed port
October 26	Mississippi Queen Majestic America Line	The seven day cruise beginning October 25 was canceled the second day after 12 passengers reported ill with norovirus.  Passengers were disembarked at Hannibal and bussed back to St. Louis.  The cruise scheduled for November 1 has also been canceled so that the ship can be thoroughly and completely disinfected.	Illness / Cancellations
October 24	Arcadia P&O Cruises	Encountered rough seas which caused several passengers being injured, at least one medevac from Ponta Delgado (Azores).  Next port of call is Antigua on 29 October.  Several passengers onboard with severe bruising from falls etc.  October 25:  Arcadia is having a bad day today too.  The fire alarms are going off all the time.  Captain is investigating the cause, as yet unknown..	High Seas / Injuries
October 23	Thomson Destiny Thomson Cruises	Passengers report that the ship's toilets have not worked for three days and there has been no hot water for 24 hours.  A series of blockages in the plumbing system have been blamed for the problem; experts have been dispatched to deal with the problem.  See article here and also one here and here.	No toilets
October 22	Mariner of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The seven day cruise ending today had some issues given a group of 500+ alternative lifestyle passengers (gay men).  There is debate about how disruptive the group was, but there appears to be no debate that some passengers were forced to leave the cruise because of individual behaviour problems.  Rather than detail the issues here, go to Cruise Critic if you'd like more information (from different perspectives).	Onboard disruptive behaviour
October 22	Mississippi Queen Majestic America Line	Ten passengers remain hospitalized with gastrointestinal illness after at least 36 passengers complained of illness, forcing the ship to dock at Paducah, Kentucky.  The illness affected approximately 20% of passengers and crew.  The cruise was ended 2 days early and the ship was cleaned while it returned (passenger-less)  to St. Louis.	Illness
October 20	Carnival Valor Carnival Cruise Lines	The ship made an unscheduled stop at Cozumel to let off a passenger who had a medical emergency.  It was on its return from Costa Maya to Miami. on this seven day cruise, due back in Miami on Sunday.  The delay created by the stop was minor and will easily be made up.	Diversion for Medical Emergency
October 19	Inspiration Carnival Cruise Lines	The five day cruise ending today had some issues around a group of 450 alternative lifestyle passengers (swingers).  There is debate about how disruptive the group was ... rather than detail the issues here, go to Cruise Critic if you'd like more information (from different perspectives).	Onboard disruptive behaviour
October 17	Adler Dania Adler-Schiffe	The Polish Coast Guard shot warning shots after the German cruise ship quickly departed from port and bolted for German waters.  The Captain took this action because (as related in Spiegel Online) the Polish customs officials presented questionable identification and demanded to inspect the ship's alcohol and cigarette supplies.	Warning shots over bow
October 14 - 21	Oosterdam Holland America Line	From a passenger:  The broken Azipod was still not repaired so HAL gave all passengers a $ 25.00 credit as well as a glass of wine.  Calls at ports were shortened somewhat, especially Puerto Vallarta.  In a conversation with the Captain, he indicated the propulsion unit would not be repaired until April during the next haul out.  The ship was able to maintain 19 knots instead of the regular 23 or 24 knots.  Docking had to be tug assisted.	Propulsion problems
October 14	Pride of America NCL America	The ship struck a 2,800 pound navigational buoy as it left Honolulu and dragged the buoy chain all the way to Maui.  The ship remained in Maui an extra day (for inspections and reap irs of the propeller, to which the chain became attached) and skipped its scheduled call at Kona on the Big Island.	Collide with Buoy / Delay
October 11	Norwegian Star Norwegian Cruise Line	A 35 year old women went overboard shortly after the ship left Cabo San Lucas. According to passengers, the ship turned around at about 7 30pm (after leaving Cabo at about 5.30) and conducted a search for about 2 hours but to no avail.  There are reports that her body washed up onshore the following day, and some passengers report that she and her partner had an argument in public before she went missing.  The ship was late in its arrival to Los Angeles, where the FBI boarded for an investigation.	Person overboard
October 10	Diamond Princess Princess Cruises	A 58 year old man was arrested in Long Beach after returning from a cruise.  He was suspected of molesting two 12 year old boys in the ship's sauna.  FBI agents interview the two alleged victims when the ship pulled into port on October 7.  Details are laid out in the Long Beach Press-Telegram.  UPDATE JUNE 11/06:  Alleged perpetrator acquitted.	Alleged Child  Molestation (Pax on Pax)
October 8	Oosterdam Holland America Line	A fire alarm went off at 6:00 AM as a result of a fire (or excessive smoke) in the engine room and affected one of the azipods.  The problem was put under control with injuries of difficulty, however one of the azipods was now disabled.  Because of reduced speeds the ship will sail a revised itinerary for the remaining cruise days, skipping Puerto Vallarta.  This is a seven day cruise from San Diego and the incident occurred the first morning of the cruises.  The ship will return to San Diego one day early and passengers will be permitted to remain onboard.  Compensation included a $150 shipboard credit and future travel discount of 25% of the fare paid for this cruise.	Fire
October 4	Imagination Carnival Cruise Lines	From a passenger: While in line to board (on Sept 30), passengers were informed of a propulsion problem that would prevent the ship from reaching maximum speed ... therefore an itinerary change was - 1 day in Nassau and 3 days in Freeport. The resulting "five day cruise to Cayman and Jamaica" was horrible considering Freeport had 2 major hotels closed due to prev. storm damage, and Carnivals only offer was 100$ onboard credit per pass.- cement factory was the view from the ship which stayed in port for most of the cruise.	Itinerary change
October 4	Star Princess Princess Cruises	A security breach while the ship was in St. John's (Newfoundland) resulted in passengers being forced to disembark while the ship was searched.  According to police, some passengers had reported seeing a stranger onboard the vessel, although the unidentified man left the ship before the search.  Three suspicious packages were found onboard and removed.  The ship left port three hours past its scheduled departure.  See article here.	Security
October 4	Athena Travelscope Holidays	The ship returned to Falmouth after a 24 day Atlantic cruise that passengers have said was "diabolical".  The ship missed St. John's (Newfoundland) because of weather, skipped Sydney (Nova Scotia) in order to go directly to Halifax (there had been a death onboard), was delayed by local authorities at Bar Habour (Maine), refused entry at Boston, and then arrived early in NYC.  See article here.	Missed ports
September 30	Carnival Conquest Carnival Cruise Lines	From Cruise Critic:  Around 3:00 PM we heard an announcement ... and then all of a sudden made a 90 degree turn on a dime. It was pretty scary, I called the pursers desk and they said that ... someone or something had fallen off the ship. I went out on our balcony to see what was going on and no one really knew. By this time, everyone on the ship was now hanging over the right side ... Come to find out later - (all speculation here) there was a young lady on 11 having an argument with her boyfriend. She was either sitting on the rail, or standing near the rail and was either pushed, fell over, or jumped off the back of the boat to her death. She missed the water and hit the balcony on level 6 landing on her back ... Speculation was that she jumped [but] no one really knows exactly what happened ...  Click here for an account from Events Page readers and the Associated Press.	Passenger Death
September 28	Ecstasy Carnival Cruise Lines	Upon embarkation, passengers were given a letter stating that due to a problem with the propulsion system, the ship could not attain maximum cruising speed, and would  be docking in Progreso rather than Cozumel.  The four-day Western Caribbean cruise embarked from Galveston.	Itinerary change
September 28	Joseph and Clara Smallwood Marine Atlantic	A search has been undertaken for a man believed to have gone overboard from a ferry running a 160-kilometre route from Port aux Basque (Newfoundland) and North Sydney (Nova Scotia).  A 54 year old man was determined missing after his car was unclaimed.  A jacket containing car keys and a bag with personal belongings were found near the railing on the stern of the ship.	Missing
September 26	Thomson Celebration Thomson Cruises	A 39-year-old Filipino crew member died from injuries sustained in an accident when one of the ship's tenders was about to be hoisted onto the vessel.  The ship had spent the day anchored off the island of Guernsey and was preparing to sail for Southampton.	Crew Accident / Death
September 25	Columbus Hapag-Lloyd	The ship scraped bottom during her visit to Sault Sainte Marie, sustaining no damage.  Return visits October 5 and 16 depend on dredging to remove high spots near the dock face.  The high spots, probably caused by sedimentation and wave action, need to be reduced 7 inches in order to accommodate the 17 feet required by the Columbus.  (Subsequent visit were cancelled.)	Scrape Bottom
September 22	Jewel of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger:  Bravo, Bravo, Bravo called during early dinner seating -- area affected is deck 2 midship.  The story onboard was that one of the Platters tossed a lit cigarette into the trash can thinking it was out. Smoke filled several cabins and the automatic sprinklers came on. The captain came on the intercom three times to explain what was going on and let the passengers know when it was under control. No major damage reported, no injuries.  According to a poster at Cruise Critic: The staff and crew had everything under control in less than 20 minutes.  Seven staterooms had to be evacuated and people reassigned to other rooms.  The rooms mostly suffered water damage from the sprinkler system.	Fire
September 19	Freedom of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	According to passengers, the ship collided with a refueling ship as it was leaving Montego Bay.  Damage was not significant and following an inspection the ship got underway.  The delay lasted approximately 30 minutes.	Collision
September 19	Norwegian Sun Norwegian Cruise Line	Alaska State Troopers are investigating a sexual assault case aboard the cruise ship as it traveled the waters of Southeast Alaska. Troopers received a report shortly after six Tuesday morning that a male crew member sexually assaulted a 25 year old female member of the crew.  The charge involved is sexual assault in the first degree.	Sexual Assault (Crew on Crew)
September 17 - 24	Rhapsody of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger:  There was a terrible vibration seven days whenever the main engines were running.  My mid-ship suite shook so hard that blossoms fell off of the flowers I had sent to our stateroom.  I had contacted Royal Caribbean months in advance to discuss with them the smoothest possible area to book a stateroom and was advised to get a suite -- I told them at the time I was a disabled Firefighter with severe neck injuries.  The continual vibrations caused me a great deal of pain.  After the cruise I found out RCI was aware of the vibration problems when I booked passage, but said nothing to me about it.  RCI offered me a 20% discount on another cruise. One extremely painful week was enough sailing for me; I declined.	Severe vibrations
September 14	Seven Seas Voyager Regent Seven Seas Cruises	From a passenger:  About 10am this morning 9 men were rescued from a capsized Zodiac type boat off the coast of Spain.  They said they were trying to get to Spain from Algeria.  They are being held under guard and were provided food and dry clothing.  They will be turned over to the Spanish authorities in Barcelona tomorrow morning (September 15)	Rescue at Sea
September 11	Imagination Carnival Cruise Line	A 35 year old woman was reported missing when the ship docked in Miami after a four-day cruise to Key West and Mexico.  The woman was reportedly least seen by relatives in the early morning hours of Saturday (10 Sept), several hours after leaving Calica.	Missing
September 10	Grandeur of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	As a result of a mechanical problem involving the rudder, the cruise ending today didn't arrive in Baltimore until 2:30.  Many passengers missed flights home.  The cruise embarking  today’s sailing is delayed until midnight Monday so that repairs can be made.  The ship was to operate a Bermuda itinerary but will instead make a three-night cruise to nowhere, returning Friday morning to Baltimore as scheduled.  Those who sail will receive a 50% refund and a 25% credit on a future cruise. Those who cancel will receive a 125% credit for a future sailing.  Those returning to Baltimore late were give up to $100 toward flight change fees.	Delay / Itinerary Change
September 9	Carnival Legend Carnival Cruise Line	The Sun Sentinel reports that the UTV MARY ALICE with the TB ROBERT GELLATLY had allided with the C/S CARNIVAL LEGEND. Vessels made contact as the barge was coming along side to conduct bunker operation to the CARNIVAL LEGEND.The CARNIVAL LEGEND was struck on the starboard stern quarter and had minor scrapes and paint chips. UTB ROBERT GELLATLY suffered a hole on its port side around midship. No pollution or injuries.	Collision
September 9	Island Princess Princess Cruises	The Sun Sentinel reports when the ship was underway in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, when the gas turbine generator (GTG) shut down causing a blackout of the vessel. The diesel generators were started and the voyage resumed. Troubleshooting determined the enclosure fan shut down because of a low temperature reading which resulted in the GTG automatically shutting down and locking out. Cause of the low temperature reading is undetermined at this time and is being investigated by the manufacturer, General Electric (GE). With the diesel generators online the GTG system was reset at 1400hrs and restarted. Full load was restored with no further problems. Sector Anchorage issued PSC Form A & B directing the vessel to obtain a class report attesting to the fitness of the gas turbines and directing the vessel to not rely on/use the gas turbines except in the case of an emergency. The class report was received and indicates troubleshooting is ongoing with GE. Sector Honolulu cleared the deficiency issued by Sector Anchorage on 25 September 2006. Case closed.	Loss of electrical power
September 9	Diamond Princess Princess Cruises	Just got off the Diamond Princess cruise to Alaska - 9/2 - 9/9/06 .. ship was delayed on 9/2/06 by three hours due to the norovirus on the previous cruise.  Before boarding we were given "Precaution Health Advisory Norovirus" letters - from Dr Grant Tarling, warning us of the illness and the precautionary measures we should take.  We received another "Health Advisory Update" letter on Thursday, 9/7/06 stating that over the last 24 hours they had "noticed an increase in new cases strongly suggestive of Norovirus" and requested our continued support with their recommended health precautions.  The CDC reports 4 of 1120 crew (0.36%) and 127 of 2643 passengers (4.81%) were reported as ill.	Illness
September 7	Radiance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The ship reported that 4 of 870  (0.46%) crew and 127 of 2131 (5.96%) passengers were ill.  The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.  The 7 day Alaska cruise will end in Seward on September 9.	Illness
September 4	Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Cruises	A passenger reports that one of the ship's propulsion pods experienced an electrical short and was subsequently shut down.  Rough weather prevented the technical crew from having access to the pod to begin repairs and arrival in Whittier was delayed almost 24 hours.  The following cruise (September 7 to Vancouver) had an altered itinerary.	Propulsion Problem / Itinerary Change
September 1	Disney Wonder Disney Cruise Line	A ship employee (food and beverage department) was arrested by Brevard County sheriff's deputies after exposing himself to three women while on the ship.  Disney fired the worker and he is likely to be deported to Turkey.	Sexual Offense
August 31	Ivory Louis Cruises	Twenty-seven passengers, ten of them children, came down with diarrhea, fever and vomiting yesterday on a cruise to the Greek islands.  The company says the illness is from a virus (i.e., norovirus) and disputed newspapers which said the illness was from food poisoning.	Illness
August 30	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	Alaska State Troopers in Ketchikan responded to a report from ship personnel that a male passenger had assaulted a female passenger.  The investigation revealed the assault had taken place, as had the assault of another passenger and two crew members.  The suspect was permanently removed from the ship along with another family member in Ketchikan.  Troopers were continuing their investigation. (Posted at the AST Website)	Assault (Pax on pax)
August 29	Sensation Carnival Cruise Line	At approximately 2:20 AM, a crew member was picked up by a female taxi driver to see his friend in Nassau. The taxi driver stopped for another male, who gun-pointed the crew member and demanded everything from his pockets.  The crew member gave up his cell phone, digital camera, and $60.00 cash to the suspect, who then asked the crew for more.  The crew member fought the armed man in the taxi and escaped through the side window where he ran back to Bay Street.  The crew member claims he cheated death and was lucky to get out of a situation like this.   He went to the local Bahamian police the next cruise to investigate, and the police claimed this was a regular set up in Nassau.  The crew member had a quick recovery but won't forget the experience.	Crew member robbed in Nassau
August 27	Serenade of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	Passengers were notified upon embarkation that there was a problem with one of the ship's azipod propulsion units and that they would be cruising at reduced speeds.  While no ports were dropped, arrival and departure times had to be adjusted.	Propulsion problem
August 27	Grandeur of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The Sun Sentinel reports as the ship entered the Port of Baltimore after transiting through the Port of Hampton Roads and noted noise when maneuvering the starboard rudder from port to starboard. During her port call the vessel had a dive survey completed which reported cracks in the rudder and the uppermost pin missing from the attachment assembly. The vessel did not report said findings to the Coast Guard per US Code and regulations. Instead the vessel departed the port and transited the Chesapeake Bay through the Port of Hampton Roads with known cracks in the starboard rudder. She in turn transited back to the Port of Baltimore though the Port of Hampton Roads on September 1st, 2006. Later that evening she departed the Port of Baltimore on a 9 day cruise transiting again through the Port of Hampton Roads and making port calls in Miami, Key West, and Port Canaveral (and two foreign ports: Cozumel, Costa Maya) without reporting the damage to the starboard rudder. During foreign port calls the vessel would conduct dive surveys and despite the increasing deterioration of the rudder failed to report its condition to the Coast Guard. Further investigation determined that on September 5, 2006 the vessel suffered a steering casualty when the rudder was jammed for an hour and a half. This steering casualty was also not reported to the Coast Guard.	Steering casualty - not reported to CG
August 26	Diamond Princess Princess Cruises	From a passenger:  Norovirus was reported on Aug 27 and the ship's Doctor sent out several memos.  Capt also mentioned hygienic precautions in at least one noontime report from the bridge. Cruise director also came down with it and spent 2 days in his cabin. Each dining room had a list of cabin numbers in quarantine. You had to give your cabin number to enter the dining room.  I got a peek at the list and there were three pages of probably 20 entries per page.  Would estimate minimum of 60 cases that were reported.  Suspect there were many others who were sick but did not report because they did not want to be quarantined.	Illness
August 25	Celebration Carnival Cruise Lines	After its accident August 15, the itinerary for the August 17 departure was altered (Freeport canceled) because the ship was operating at reduced speeds.  The August 21 cruise was canceled so the ship could be repaired.  Repairs took longer than anticipated and the cruise scheduled to begin August 26 was shortened 3 days and will embark August 28.	Cancellations
August 24	Diamond Princess Princess Cruises	From a passenger on the cruise embarking August 19:  Spike in GI incidence Thursday morning  Aug. 24, 2006 (day 5)after being in port in Skagway day before.  At noon hour staff in Horizon Court began serving all food & bread baskets no longer on table in dining room.  Captain made an announcement late afternoon advising of increased precautions & encouraging all passengers to use hand sanitizers. Masked,  gloved crew members observed removing cabin linens into sealed plastic bags. Numbers affected unknown.	Illness
August 22	Voters in Alaska approved a Cruise Tourism Ballot Initiative despite industry spending of more than $2 million to defeat the measure.  The initiative includes: a $46 excise tax on each passenger; a $4-per-passenger berth fee,a 33% tax on income from onboard gambling, onboard "ocean rangers" charged with environmental oversight, required disclosure of profits on shore excursions and revealing sales earned from shore side businesses, and authorization for citizen-initiated environmental lawsuits.		Democracy in Action
August 21	Summit Celebrity Cruises	The ship pulled into Seward with a dead humpback whale on its bow.  The whale was spotted by longshoremen after the vessel tied up.  A necropsy is scheduled to determine whether the whale was alive or dead when it was struck.	Whale Strike
August 19	After a two-year campaign to prevent construction of a cruise terminal at Gold Coast (Queensland, Australia) by Save Our Spit Alliance (a community-based, grassroots alliance with broad and diverse membership), the government announced that plans to construct a terminal on The Spit were cancelled.  The announcement was in part a result of increased pressure from Save Our Spit (with yours truly part of action) and perhaps also influenced by the fact that there is an election campaign underway.  An August 18 poll indicated 85% of voters were against the terminal.  The fight now moves to prevent development of the Spit -- an undeveloped park area where people hang out on weekends (and weekdays) to enjoy the quiet, the beach, and the water,.  See www.saveourspit.com for more information.		Democracy in Action
August 18	Celebration Carnival Cruise Line	One of the ship's propellers struck bottom while approaching the dock at Nassau spilling an estimated 200 liters of lubricating oil and affecting the operation of the engine.  The Nassau call was cancelled and the ship is en route back to its homeport, Jacksonville.	Environmental
August 15	Summit Celebrity Cruises	The Sun Sentinel reports the #3 Lifeboat engine was taken out of commission due to a broken piston and broken exhaust valve stem. This resulted in a reduction in primary lifesaving. SUMMIT maintained enough lifesaving equipment for current voyage however had to reduce the number of passengers on the next voyage due to incident. CG2692 received.	Lifeboat out of commission
August 12	Sapphire Princess Princess Cruises	A senior assistant purser was taken off the ship in Ketchikan and appeared in court on charges she stole $400,000 from the ship's safe.  A search of her cabin recovered $400,000 in US bills, Can$40, $4660 in US traveler's checks, and $9700 in credit card payment slips.	Robbery
August 10	Infinity Celebrity Cruises	Celebrity today canceled the 13 September sailing in order to replace one of the ship's two propulsion pods.  The affected pod's electrical system is failing to supply maximum cruising speed and the ship is unable to maintain itineraries as scheduled.	Propulsion problems / Cancellation
August 8	Summit Celebrity Cruises	A tour bus accident injured 15 passengers on a shore excursion from Juneau.  None of the injuries were life threatening, however one passenger remained in hospital after the ship left.  The bus driver has been cited for reckless driving.	Bus Accident
August 6	Pride of Hawai'i NCL America	When NCL America began operations there were many complaints about service and several lawsuits were filed.  In the past week I have received several messages that suggest the problems of past are returning.  Click here if you wish to read them.	Service
August 1	Ryndam Holland America Line	The Sun Sentinel reports the port propulsion motor shut down due to a ground fault. The vessel transited from Ketchikan to Juneau with only one motor working. The crew made repairs during the transit, but elected not to use the motor until a tech rep from ABB was able to attend the vessel in Juneau on 2 August 2006, confirming that the problem was fixed. The Chief Engineer suspected that moisture had gotten into the system when it was opened at 0830 on 1 August 2006 for maintenance.	Propulsion motor lost
July 31	Enchantment of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	A passenger returning from the four day cruise ending today posted a message at Cruise Critic detailing their experience with bed bugs on the ship (Stateroom 7094), and the less-than-attentive response on the part of onboard staff.  They report that when they left the ship, the room had been made up for the next passengers and it had not been fumigated.  Further passenger statement here.	Bed Bugs
July 30	Enchantment of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	Novedades (local newspaper) in Cancun reports that a short circuit caused a fire on a life boat while it was being lower from the ship while in Cozumel.  The fire was quickly extinguished and there were no injuries.  Click here for a picture of the ship.	Fire
July 29	Mariner of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	There was an outbreak of what appears to be norovirus.  328 of 3660 passengers (8.96%) and 6 of 1202 crew members (0.5%) reported illness.  The ship returns to Port Canaveral on Sunday from a seven day cruise in the Caribbean.  The ship's last outbreak was in January 2005.	Illness
July 27	Carnival Pride Carnival Cruise Line	From a reader: Carnival Pride is here in Vancouver today (!).  It normally only cruises Mexico, and it took me forever to figure out why it’s here. Someone posted saying there’s a tropical storm headed for the Mexican Riviera, so the sailing was forced to come to Canada instead (possibly due to the Jones Act?)  Someone has posted on Cruisecritic in a ‘live from the Pride 7/26) thread, but it keeps getting lost.  Most people thought it was some kind of joke.  No info is on Carnival’s site about the matter, so I am guessing they were told when they boarded the ship.	Itinerary change
July 26	Zuiderdam Holland America Line	A generator malfunction caused the ship to spew black soot and soot on Skagway, AK.  According to HAL, "there was a technical malfunction of one of the ships five diesel generators which resulted in an extraordinarily abnormal emission of heavy black smoke and some soot from its stacks. The emission was exclusively from the ship’s stacks and lasted approximately five minutes."  According to the fire chief, “It came into town at least three blocks.”	Environmental
July 26	Voyager of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	RCI issued a statement that a 22 year old woman was missing from the Voyager of the Seas, sailing in the Mediterranean.  The woman was last seen at approximately 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, when she joined her parents to sleep in their stateroom. At that time, the ship was sailing from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, to Naples, Italy.  She was reported missing by her sister at approximately 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.  A variety of onboard announcements and searches were immediately carried out,without success.	Missing
July 23 - 30	Carnival Destiny Carnival Cruise Line	A passenger reports that the ship departed San Juan one day late (because of mechanical problems) and that Aruba was skipped as a port of call.	Mechanical Problems - Itinerary change
July 20	Crown Princess Princess Cruises	The nine-day cruise scheduled for today has been delayed until Saturday and changed to a seven day cruise.  The ship will visit Bermuda and Grand Turk, but will skip San Juan and St. Thomas.  Passengers may cancel and receive a full refund, or take the cruise and receive a 50% refund plus reimbursement of airline change fees.	Itinerary change
July 19	Princess Princess Cruises	The Sun Sentinel reports on 26 July 2006, during an annual exam for Certificate of Compliance (COC) on the MV SUN PRINCESS marine inspectors asked the master if there were any outstanding conditions of class. The master replied there was one outstanding condition from a collision the vessel had with an iceberg on 19 July 2006. Pictures received by the inspection team showed extensive damage to the hull plating and approximately 10 frames bent (frames 255 - 237) on the starboard side forward in between decks 03 and 04. The vessel struck the iceberg while crossing into Tracy Arm, AK at a estimated speed of 14 knots. Vessel transited to Juneau, Seattle & Victoria, CA ports after the incident. Class surveyors issued a condition of class while the vessel was in Victoria, CA on the 22nd of July, 2006. Sector Juneau investigators contacted Alaska Board of Marine Pilots who verified collision did in fact occur. Sector Juneau did not receive immediate notification and received CG-2692 only after Coast Guard inquiries (11 days late). Ultimately, company estimated repairs will exceed $100,000. No alcohol/drug testing occurred. Case referred for enforcement.	Collision with iceberg
July 18	Crown Princess Princess Cruises	The month-old ship severely rolled (15 degrees) to one side shortly after leaving Port Canaveral (at 3:25 PM) on its return to New York City from a nine day cruise of the Western Caribbean.  Approximately 240 passengers were treated on board for various injuries, such as abrasions, bruises and fractures; 94 were transferred to local hospitals ashore for evaluation and treatment, of which three passengers and two crew members remained hospitalized the next day but were expected to make a full recovery.  Some described the roll as feeling like the ship was going to fall over.  The cruise returned to Port Canaveral and the cruise was terminated; passengers received a full refund.  Speculation is that the roll was caused by a malfunction of the auto-pilot.  A similar severe list occurred on February 4 on the Grand Princess -- see below. The Sun Sentinel reports At 1524, the ship heeled over to starboard 23 degrees. Numerous passengers and crew sustained various injuries. Investigators from NTSB, the Marine Safety Center, the Traveling Inspectors Office, Sector Jacksonville, MSD Port Canaveral and Class (LR) conducted investigation onboard the ship. On 20 July 06, the ship sailed for New York arriving on 22 July without further incident.	Severe Roll
July 18	Infinity Celebrity Cruises	The cruise was  was delayed 24 hours while a short circuit was repaired.  According to passengers, however, the ship is still having problems with the pod (propulsion system).  Sitka has been cancelled as a port of call and the stay at Hubbard Glacier has been shortened.  Passengers have been given a $500 onboard credit per cabin and a credit of $200 for their next cruise.	Propulsion Problems -- Missed Port
July 16	Infinity Celebrity Cruises	The ship experienced propulsion problems and skipped Sitka on the cruise that ended today in Vancouver.  The propulsion problems were also responsible for a late arrival in Vancouver and late debarkation (approximately 2:00 PM).  Each cabin was given $500 as an onboard credit,those having to change flights were allotted up to $100 per person, accommodations were provided for those "stuck" in Vancouver overnight, and a $200 credit for future cruises was given. The Sun Sentinel reports port pod propulsion unit inoperative due to damage caused by an insulation plate that came out of position and made contact with the windings of the stator. As well, Health Canada reported that 20 of 952  (2.10%) crew and 105 of 2282 (4.60%) passengers were ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus.  The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.	Propulsion Problems -- Missed Port -- Illness
July 16	Sun Princess Princess Cruises	Passengers were advised, with the final onboard statement delivered the last night of the cruise, that a passenger had contracted an illness presumed to be Meningococcal Meningitis and was taken to hospital in Victoria.  They were alerted that though the risk of catching the illness was low, they should consult a physician immediately if the experience any of several symptoms.  The passenger in hospital is expected to fully recover.	Meningococcal Meningitis
July 15	Enchantment of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger: On Saturday 7/15 there was a midnight buffet on the pool deck ... somewhere between 1 am and 4 am, my son heard that someone had fallen overboard or committed suicide. He said the ship stopped for approx. 1 half hour, and a lifeboat was put into the water. He asked several of the deck crew about it, and got the same response every time, "we aren't allowed to talk about it."	??Person overboard??
July 14	Costa Allegra Costa Crociere	The ship's maiden voyage (July 8 -12) from Shanghai (as a home port) received widespread passenger complaints.  The ship twice lost power for 30 minutes or so (shortly after leaving Shanghai and again on its return).  It also was scheduled to visit Jeju Island of South Korea but bad weather caused Jeju to be replaced by Okinawa.  According to Shanghai Daily, the company agreed to pay each passenger US$30 but nearly 100 refused to accept the compensation.  The 5 day cruise cost US$375 and up.	Power loss --- Itinerary change
July 13	QE II Cunard Line	From a passenger:  We were on the QE2 Iceland/Norway cruise.  One evening out in the North Sea we were caught with a following sea and for a short time the wind beam on.  The result a 5 degree roll on top of a 5 degree list that lasted 20-30 minutes -- the video clip shows the result.  The rolls were very smooth and very controlled.  I've seen the old girl rolling further but the list was more than I have seen before. Needless to say no damage was caused and everything carried on as normal.  See video by clicking here.	Minor List
July 13	Sapphire Princess Princess Cruises	The Sun Sentinel reports the Coast Guard says after speaking with Captain and Chief Engineer, visited engine room and verified loss of propulsion was a result of high cooling water temps on both main propulsion generators. All information verified and all main sea chest strainers viewed. Ship's crew able to clean clogged sea strainers and restore normal propulsion.	Loss of propulsion
July 13	Westerdam Holland America Line	16 passengers were onboard the 48-foot catamaran Ke'el when it struck a rock near Sitka and sustained heavy damage,  No passengers or crew were injured and were transferred to another vessel.  On May 31st, another tour boat owned by the same company, M/V Kalinin Express, hit a rock near Ketchikan with passengers from the Statendam.  15 passengers and 2 crew reported minor injuries in that accident.	Shore Excursion Grounded
July 7	Black Prince Fred Olsen Cruise Lines	The ship was deep-cleaned after the illness outbreak on the previous cruise.  This caused a delayed departure and shortened the cruise to Copenhagen and St. Petersburg from 12 days to 10 days.  As the cruise line materially changed the itinerary, passengers could cancel without penalty -- approximately 20 percent of passengers booked on the cruise departing today cancelled out.	Itinerary change
July 4	Black Prince Fred Olsen Cruise Lines	About 100 passengers have been affected by a vomiting virus similar to the one that hit the vessel earlier in June.  On that trip, 136 passengers were confirmed to have been affected by norovirus.  A hand full of passengers were ill on the cruise that followed and then a large outbreak on the current cruise which left Leith on June 22 and returned from its 13 day excursion of Iceland and Greenland on July 5.  The ship will be thoroughly disinfected before the next cruise (including replacement of carpets and some furnishings).	Illness
July 2	Crown Princess Princess Cruises	According to a passenger, the ship was supposed to depart at 4:30 but didn't leave until 1AM because of fuel problems -- the Captain said the fuel delivered was of improper grade and the ship refused shipment.  Fuel was then sent in from NJ and it arrived late.  We missed our first port call in Grand Turk and sailed directly to San Juan.	Delayed departure -- Missed port
June 27	Radiance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	Passengers were notified at 10:30 AM that the ship's port call at Juneau was cancelled due to satellite communication problems that delayed sending the manifest for security clearance by the US Coast Guard.  Guests were offered a $100 onboard credit for the missed port call.	Missed Port
June 24	Statendam Holland America Line	At approx. 5:30 AM the fire alarm (5 short blasts) went off.  The fire was contained in the “stack of the incinerator that burns garbage”, and a fire crew was kept standing by to make sure it didn’t flare up.  I was partially awake, therefore being able to hear the alarm.  But most of our fellow cruisers did not hear the alarm.  A “survey” was taken later that day asking the question about the speakers in the staterooms, etc.  When I asked fellow cruisers, I found out that like in my room, the “speakers” were not operational.  The captain thanked those who responded to the survey, but nothing was done to correct any of the speakers, and even to the end of the cruise, announcements were barely audible unless you opened the cabin doors. We also had an outbreak of norovirus on board -- at the completion of our cruise we were told we had to vacate our staterooms by 8:00 am so the ship could have a “deep sanitization” done.  We were told by our dining room head waiter that about 30-35 people had come down with it.	Fire --- Illness
June 21	Ocean Village Ocean Village Cruises	According to a passenger, a lifeless man was pulled out of the Crystal pool on deck 12. Medics were called, passengers were cleared from decks 12 and 14, but attempts to revive were unsuccessful.  The deck area was reopened 90 minutes later.  The man's body was taken off the ship at Civitavecchia during which time the side of the ship was closed off to all passengers to prevent them from seeing the hearse.  In contrast (and distressing to the passenger who wrote) was that the staff person in charge of music on deck 12 continued to play music whilst the attempt to revive the gentleman was going on. In his view, hearing 'Hi-Ho Silver Lining' whilst the crew were trying to revive the passenger was somewhat distasteful.	Passenger Death --- Relevant for how the situation was handled
June 21	Oosterdam Holland America Line	The Sun Sentinel reports while retuning from a fishing trip the P/C ALACRITY was transiting West bound returning to Crescent Harbor. The M/V OOSTERDAM's tender #12 was departing the O'Connell Bridge tender facility and while engaged in a port turn, struck the P/C ALACRITY on the starboard bow causing minor damage.	Collision
June 21	Imagination Carnival Cruise Line	CBS in Miami reports that a crew member was reported missing after not reporting for duty Tuesday afternoon.  The ship was en route from Miami to Grand Cayman on a five-day cruise.  A search was conducted but without results.	Crew Member Missing
June 17	Inspiration Carnival Cruise Line	An apparent onshore labour dispute in Cozumel delayed tendering operations for about two hours and caused some shore excursions to be shortened or cancelled.	Delayed tendering
June 17	Norwegian Dawn Norwegian Cruise Line	The Sun Sentinel reports concerning allision with fuel barge at the Passenger Ship Terminal, Pier 88, Berth 1, Hudson River. Investigation revealed that the UTV MARY GELLATLY, while pushing the TB LEXA GELLATLY, had allided with the moored vessel (NORWEGIAN DAWN). The LEXA GELLATLY apparently was pushed onto the NORWEGIAN DAWN. Allsion caused hull damage to the NORWEGIAN DAWN but hull did not rupture. Damage sustained is above the waterline. No damage to the LEXA GELLATLY.	Collision
June 16	Sea Diamond Louis Hellenic Cruises	More than 1000 passengers were safely evacuated following a bomb threat that proved to be a hoax.  The vessel's departure from Piraeus on a three-day cruise of the Aegean Islands was delayed.	Bomb threat
June 14	Sapphire Princess Princess Cruises	The Sun Sentinel reports the ship lost power & propulsion for two periods of approximately 6 minutes each while inbound to Juneau, AK in Gastineau Channel. Vessel had a similar incident the week prior in same location. Vessel called for tug assist & moored w/o further incident. Problem was isolated to the #1 stern thruster motor failure (faulty insulation) that caused a drop in voltage throughout electrical system & its eventual shut down. Systems were reset successfully in each incident. Remaining stern thruster was secured & vessel intends to utilize tug assist during all mooring/unmooring evolutions until all three stern thrusters are operational. ETA for thruster replacements to all three stern thrusters is 3-5 weeks. Condition of class required all thrusters to be electrically isolated from entire system until replaced/repaired. Tug assistance at masters discretion.	Loss of power and propulsion
June 14	Seabourn Pride Seabourn Cruises	A passenger has posted the following at Cruise Critic -- the ship is on a 14 day cruise from London to Copenhagen, ending June 17th:  It has been a very good cruise in general, but we have seen no sun since our magnificent departure through Tower Bridge in London.  Right now we are going through very heavy seas on our way to Bergen. Last night there was a considerable amount of water damage on board. The forward suites had broken windows and flooding. We are in a french balcony suite on deck 6 and had water cascading down the inside of our sealed french doors from the deck above. That water damaged the wiring that controls the automatic locking of the french doors by the captain. Earlier this morning the captain announced there was substantial damage but did not mention whether anyone has been hurt.	Storm damage
June 11	Pride of Aloha NCL America	From a passenger: My family just went on a cruise in Hawaii on NCL's Pride of Aloha when GI broke out (or continued to break out).  In a letter dated June 4, NCL informs passengers that 3.2% of the previous cruise's passengers took ill with GI. News reports at the time stated about 60 people. (They were offering people another cruise if they didn't want to board).  By the end of our cruise, the new letter from NCL, which was undated but that I picked up on June 10 at the reception desk, stated that 10% of passengers AND crew took ill with GI. If the ship was at or near capacity, then it's looking at roughly 300 people. (In this letter they were offering people a refund if they didn't want to board).	Illness
June 10	Oosterdam Holland America Line	Messages from several passengers report there was a small outbreak on the Alaska cruise ending today in Seattle -- the numbers may have been less than 3% (i.e., less than 55).  According to one passenger: "...passengers and crew became sick (total of about 36 I heard) with a stomach virus. The ship began taking precautions against contamination beginning about Tuesday (salt and pepper shakers disappeared, some crew wore gloves and masks, they were spraying something around the ship, lots of Purell being offered, etc.), but other than warnings to wash your hands and not shake hands, Holland America did not tell us much of what was going on."	Illness
June 10	Van Gogh Travelscope Holidays	After a week off, the number of people becoming ill was greatly reduced, though still significant.  Twenty-eight of 550 (5.09%) passengers reported ill on the cruise ending today at Harwich, Essex.	Illness
June 9	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	The ship reported that 4 of 848  (0487%) crew and 121 of 2025 (5.98%) passengers were ill.  The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.  The 7 day Alaska cruise ended in Seattle on June 9.	Illness
June 9	Black Prince Fred Olsen Cruise Lines	126 of 412 (30%) passengers contracted gastrointestinal intestinal illness during the current cruise (84 (20.38%) were reportedly quarantined).  The ship left Leith, Edinburgh on a seven day cruise to the Norwegian fjords and is due back in port on Saturday.  It will depart for its next cruise one day late in order to fully sanitize the ship.	Illness
June 9	Funchal Travelscope Holidays	Sixty-three of 482 (13.07%) passengers have been quarantined during the current cruise because of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness.  The two-week cruise began in Dundee and ends today in Hull.  It will undergo a "deep clean" before proceeding on its next cruise.	Illness
June 8	Infinity Celebrity Cruises	An accusation of passenger (male aged 47) on passenger (male aged 84) sexual assault was filed with the Alaska State Troopers.  Because the incident was purported to have occurred on June 4, when the ship was in Canadian waters, investigation will be continued by the Vancouver PD.	Sexual Assault (Pax on Pax)
June 7	Pacific Sun P&O Australia	Shortly after leaving May 30 for a 10 day cruise up the Queensland coast to Port Douglas and Willis Island, gastrointestinal illness (believed for be norovirus) spread around the ship.  The cruise line said 60 passengers were quarantined; passengers onboard said the number ill could be in the hundreds.	Illness
June 7	Norwegian Crown Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship ran aground while en route from St. Georges to Hamilton, Bermuda.  Passengers went ashore by tender.  The ship was refloated ten hours later and is expected to keep to its original itinerary.	Grounded
June 6	Pacific Princess Princess Cruises	A passenger reports at Cruise Critic on an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness affecting more than 40 passengers (5.88% of the 680 onboard).  The outbreak appeared to be kept under control through usual measures such as closing buffets and public areas and requiring use of sanitizers.  The ship is cruising southeast Asia.	Illness
June 4	Ryndam Holland America Line	On June 2, the ship reported that 5 of 574  (0.87%) crew and 64 of 1230 (5.2%) passengers were ill.  The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.  The 7 day Alaska cruise ended in Vancouver on June 4.	Illness
June 4	Pride of Aloha NCL America	According to KHON-2 in Honolulu, 60 passengers were quarantined this past week after a virus spread through the ship.  Crew said staff had been coming down sick for weeks.  Guests said they weren't told of the outbreak but did notice extra precautions being taken.	Illness
June 1	Sapphire Princess Princess Cruises	The Sun Sentinel reports the ship reported loss of main propulsion for a six minute period near Juneau, AK. The incident occurred at 0439 near Juneau Island in Gastineau Channel. Vessel was able to regain propulsion upon resetting electrical systems. Vessel maintained thrusters /steering during the event and safely moored 1/2 hour later without further incident. Cause was determined to be a ground problem when one of the six thrusters went off-line; the resulting power surge/dip was not handled by the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) system designed to deal w/ power fluctuations and resulted in propulsion systems going off-line as well. On 3 June 2006 Lloyds Register imposed a Condition of Class prohibiting the #2 Aft Thruster from being used & electrically isolating the thruster until tested under survey and requiring that the UPS system be fully tested by its service supplier.	Loss of propulsion
May 31	Sea Princess Princess Cruises	The ship will skip Lisbon and end its current cruise a day early because of a norovirus outbreak.  (The ship anchored at Vigo but passengers were no allowed to disembark.)  Many fell sick within 24 hours of embarkation; there had been a similar outbreak on the previous cruise.  The Mirror reports that 215 passengers and 15 crew had fallen sick on the current cruise and there were similar numbers the cruise before.  (Here's a collection of media reports.)	Illness
May 29	Coral Princess Princess Cruises	As passengers boarded they were asked to sign a statement indicating they had been notified that norovirus was onboard.  An unknown number of passenger were ill the previous cruise and the cruise ending June 5.	Illness
May 29	Island Escape Island Cruises	A 52-year old woman traveling with her former husband went missing while the ship was between Sicily and Naples.  She went to get a cup of tea at about 1AM and never returned to the cabin -- a search proved unsuccessful, however her body  washed ashore in Calabia in southwest Italy on May 27.   More info here and here	Passenger Overboard
May 29	Van Gogh Travelscope Holidays	The ship was detained by the coastguard because of an outbreak of norovirus.  More than 100 of 750 passengers and crew reported illness.  According to the BBC, "After discussions with the Harwich port health inspectors and the director of public health, the coastguard decided to detain the ship for at least 48 hours while the "vessel and the crew were monitored for further outbreaks".  A passenger writes:  The departure was delayed, we were informed it was due to housekeeping. We later learnt that many had been ill on the previous cruise (rumoured to be 178) and that the port authorities had required further cleaning to be carried out.  This passenger estimated that half of all passengers had become ill during the cruise.  The company apologized for canceling the next cruise; the ship will resume cruising June 3.	Illness -- Cancellation
May 27	Carnival Legend Carnival Cruise Line	A 35 year old male passenger jumped overboard in front of his wife and two young sons (5 and 3), apparently during an argument over onboard spending (gambling and alcohol).  The ship was 650 miles offshore after leaving Tortola on its return to New York.  A 12 hour search was undertaken without results.  The May 28 cruise departed late (3 AM) because of the ship's late arrival.  Embarking passengers received a $50 onboard credit.	Passenger Overboard
May 27	Legend of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The seven day cruise ending today missed calls at Lisbon and La Rochelle because of weather and high seas.  The first approach to Guernsey was cancelled but a stop on the ship's return to Southampton was successful.	Itinerary changes
May 25	River Empress Uniworld	The river boat hit a bridge on the Danube near Melk at 6 AM.  People were tossed out of beds and the dining room was wrecked.  All passengers (111) were evacuated from the boat and continued their trip by bus to Vienna and Budapest . Several people were injured and sent to hospitals. Story and pictures are available (in German) by clicking here.	Collision with bridge
May 23	Empress of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	CBS3 in Philadelphia reported on a case of a crew member diagnosed with typhoid fever and that "thousands of passengers may have been exposed to the life-threatening illness."  The bartender joined the ship April 29th, arriving from India, and was taken off duty May 11th "with flu-like symptoms."	Health Issue
May 22	Norwegian Sun Norwegian Cruise Line	On May 21, the ship reported that 6 of 924 (0.65%) crew and 71 of 2107 (3.37%) passengers were ill.  The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.  The 7 day Alaska cruise ended in Seattle.	Illness
May 22	Carnival Spirit Carnival Cruise Line	The Sun Sentinel reports officer on Watch found anchor to not be holding. While pulling the starboard anchor to reset they found that the lower section of the shank, connection pin, and the flukes were missing. Vessel re-anchored using Port Anchor. Anchor replaced in Prince Rupert Canada. the	Problems with anchor - material failure
May 21	Norwegian Star Norwegian Cruise Line	The ship was thoroughly sanitized after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on the May 14-21 Alaska cruise.  According to the CDC, 115 of 2388 (4.82%) passengers and 12 of 1063 (1.13%) crew members reported ill.  According to Associated Press, sick passengers were quarantined and seven were put off the ship in Skagway.  Embarking passengers were told of the illness.  (Here's a passenger's addition and correction.)	Illness
May 21	Ryndam Holland America Line	According to passengers, a "Code Red" was called the second night of the cruise due to gastro intestinal illness on board.  The Spa and the 2 public jacuzzi pools were closed, all meal service was conducted on a strictly controlled access basis - no self serve and staff wore vinyl gloves for practically all tasks.  The onboard shops didn't allow passengers to try on any necklaces, watches, or rings.  During the cruise, several more obvious crew members became ill - the Piano bar pianist, the Bingo caller/Asst cruise director.  While the Captain continued to reassure passengers that no actual problem existed, many passengers were  missing from dinner tables and quarantined to their cabins. One staff reported that 50 passengers had reported sick; a passenger heard that as many as 50 crew had become ill.  The CDC posted on their site June 7th (dated May 21) that 102 of 1279 (7.97%) passengers and 13 of 570 (2.28%) of crew.	Illness
May 20	Adventure of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The ship had an encounter with volcanic ash from Montserrat.  Information is available by clicking here.	Encounter with Volcanic Ash
May 20	Inspiration Carnival Cruise Line	An 82-year old man who was traveling by himself went missing and, based on a note found, is presumed to have committed suicide.	Suicide
May 19	Carnival Liberty Carnival Cruise Line	According to those onboard, many passengers (up to one-third) contracted gastrointestinal illness during the cruise 12 day cruise ending today in Civitavecchia.  By the end of the cruise, all the dishes and silverware had been removed from the buffets and passengers had to be handed their plates with their food selections by the kitchen staff.  Half way through the cruise, Carnival employees began scrubbing down all common area surfaces such as outdoor furniture, decks and walls while wearing masks and gloves.  The crew all wore gloves to handle "sign and sail" cards, etc.	Illness
May 19	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	The Sun Sentinel reports Sec Sea Port/State Officer on bd vsl for first Seattle visit w/2 mbrs of Centers for Disease Control & 2 members of King County Public Health. Purpose of the visit to welcome vsl to Puget Sound & reinforce incident reporting regulations as well as educate officers about resources available at CDC to prevent spread of communicable diseases on bd vessel. During visit w/master, he indicated a few drops of hydraulic oil earlier in the day may have entered drainage sys while making repairs to #8 port lifeboat hydraulic davit. P/S Officer also smelled alcoholic beverage on the master's breath; smell of alcoholic beverage was conf by both CDC agents & 1 Public Health agent. Sector Seattle Comd Ctr notified & investing officers dispatched. P/S Officer remained abd to investigate spilled oil & hydraulic leak. Lifeboat was found to be inoperable during testing & was not able to be lowered. Since adequate life saving was available for all pax & crew, vsl was cleared to sail.	Lifeboat failure
May 19	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	Coast Guard officers removed the captain from them ship after he failed a breath-alcohol test during a routine safety inspection.  The ship delayed its departure from Seattle until a new captain was located.  On July 31, the Captain pled guilty to  operating a ship while under the influence of alcohol; he paid 1 fine of $15,000 and placed on probation for one year.  He also was banned from entering U.S. waters as an employee of any commercial vessel for one year.	Intoxicated Captain
May 17	Vistamar Plantours & Partners	The ship was impounded on the River Thames in London because of serious safety deficiencies.  The Marine & Coastguard Agency cited safety abuses including inoperable lifeboats.	Detained
May 16	Mariner of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	A 21 year old man went overboard in an area between Cape Canaveral and the Bahamas.  He was was reported missing by friends at 11AM when they found he hadn't slept in his bed.  The US Coast Guard received the "man overboard" report around 7 PM and launched an aerial search along the liner's 120 mile long track. The man had reportedly been drinking heavily and video equipment shows him going over the railing at 2:16 AM.	Passenger Overboard
May 16	Monarch of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The Sun Sentinel reports as the MONARCH OF THE SEAS was approaching the San Diego Harbor, the vessel's no.1 main engine failed. The rubber expansion bellows for the high temperature cooling water outlet of the no. 1 main engine was cracked and leaking cooling water. A Captain of the Port Order was issued and the vessel remained outside the harbor until repairs were made. It is also reported that while a crewmember on board the vessel was replacing the rubber bellow, the crewmember suffered minor burns from leaking hot water from the cooling water outlet. The crewmember was examined and released by the vessel's medical facility. There are no other reports of vessel damage. There are no other reports of injuries.	Mechanical problems / failure
May 15	Pride of Aloha NCL America	May 17th transpacific cruise from San Francisco to Hawaii is canceled.  The ship had been delayed in dry dock for repairs of a damaged bearing in the starboard propeller shaft.  The ship is expected to begin its normal schedule on May 26.	Canceled cruise
May 13	Queen Mary 2 Cunard Line	A 40-year old crew member died after a fight with a 49-year old crew member.  Both men are Filipino.  The assailant was confined to his cabin and investigations begun.	Crew Fight - Death
May 13	Summit Celebrity Cruises	The May 20 sailing has been canceled so the ship can go into dry dock for the replacement of its starboard thrust bearing.  The ship is expected to return to service on May 27.	Canceled cruise
May 10	Summit Celebrity Cruises	Irate passengers planned protests over skipped ports after propeller troubles caused calls at Seattle and Sitka, Alaska to be cancelled.  Passengers criticized Celebrity for failing to disclose mechanical problems before the Summit left California May 7 on the 13 night cruise. A cruise line spokesman said the problem was not confirmed until the ship left port. Political Gateway reports: "There's a lot of pissed-off people here from Australia and Germany and other places who wanted to see Seattle," Vancouver passenger Patrick Regan told the Seattle Times."Greetings from the prison ship," Dr. Ira Goodkofsky of Sherman Oaks, Calif., wrote his daughter in an e-mail. "We are literally being held captive on this ship."Goodkofsky said a "huge group" of passengers planned a casino sit-in to protest, the newspaper reported.The cruise line denied it was holding passengers hostage, said most were understanding of the situation and all had been refunded $200.	Propulsion problems -- Canceled Ports
May 9	Veendam Holland America Line	On May 9, the ship reported that 8 of 556 (1.41%) crew and 67 of 1214 (5.52%) passengers were ill.  The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.  The 17 day cruise arrived in San Diego, from where it left on April 22.	Illness
May 6	Calypso Louis Cruise Lines	A "Mayday" was sent out saying the 39-year-old ship had ship was on fire, 15 miles off Beachy Head on UK coast.  The fire broke out in the early hours in the starboard engine -- it was extinguished by 6AM.  Passengers (462) and crew  (246) were at muster stations in the lifeboats, but an evacuation was not necessary.  The ship was towed to Southampton and passengers disembarked. See Marine Accident Investigation Report.	Fire
May 2	QE 2 Cunard Line	Transport Canada confirmed the ship had discharged 3,000 litres if what crew described as "paper pulp in Canadian waters off Cape Breton on September 9, 2005.  Investigators say it is unclear what was dumped, but there was some speculation it was primarily toilet paper.	Environmental
May 1	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	From a passenger:  On the 4/28-5/8 2006 sailing from San Diego to Mex. Rivera the ship missed Mazatlan due to a partial breakdown of main bearings in one of the propeller shafts.  The ship went from Cabo San Lucas to Acapulco in order to effect repairs.  The engineering staff said considerably abnormal levels of metal shavings were noted in the bearing packs indicating an imminent breakdown.  A $25/person credit was issued for missing Mazatlan -- we spent 2 days in Acapulco instead of one.	Missed Port
April 30	Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	On April 30, the ship reported that 15 of 1188 (1.26%) crew and 117 of 3292 (3.6%) passengers were ill.  The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.  The 7 day cruise arrived in Miami, from where it left on April 23.	Illness
April 29 - May 6	Empress of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger -- The ship (roundtrip from Philadelphia to Bermuda) encountered extreme sea conditions for approximately a day and a half due to a very large stationary low pressure system between Bermuda and the Eastern US seaboard.  30-foot seas and 50+ MPH winds pummeled the ship all night Sunday April 29, all day and night Sunday April 30 until early morning Monday May 1.  Forced to sail at reduced speed to keep the motion "tolerable".  Even so, the ship was thrown about violently.  Items that weren't anchored down were thrown about.  Televisions were thrown to the floor (or onto beds) in some staterooms.  The ship appeared deserted as the majority of passengers were stricken to their staterooms sickened by the seas.  Barf bags were placed throughout the ship. The severe sea conditions and reduced speed caused the ship to arrive in Bermuda one day late.  St. Georges was skipped and the ship docked in Hamilton for only two days (Tuesday at noon to Thursday at 11:00 am).  Some passengers opted to fly home at their own expense rather than risk another rough sailing home.  The ride back was actually quite smooth...a great relief to many onboard! Embarkation was completely disorganized in Philadelphia -- finally sailed at 6:30 PM, 3.5 hours late.  Apparently the ship arrived late that morning, the ground staff was shorthanded, and there were problems off-loading the luggage.  Unfortunately, no info conveyed to arriving passengers, who waited in parking lots without knowing what was going on.  Arriving guests finally started to find their own way to the luggage facility and the terminal to board the ship...causing a chaotic situation.	Storm
April 5 - 20	Rotterdam Holland America Line	After an hour delay, passengers boarding for the transatlantic crossing from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon were given a questionnaire to fill in about health issues, told there had been a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on the last cruise, and given the option to cancel the cruise (this at the last minute, after having traveled to Rio). On the ship there was no self service at the Lido etc, not even for coffee; all hot tubs, the library etc. was closed; no shaking of hands, no salt and pepper, bread/butter  on the table etc., everything was provided by the crew. According to one passenger:  They were fumigating all the time, even in the middle of the night, when I woke up because of the noise the machine was making. When I opened my door I saw a man with a mask and tank, who stopped immediately. The crew would not say how many persons were ill. On day 8, cruise passengers were told the outbreak was over and self service at the buffets etc. would start again. They kept spraying all through the end of the cruise, which sometimes hurt my eyes and made breathing a bit difficult during a short time. We heard about several people who had gone in quarantine after reporting ill.  All in all the ship handled the situation very well.	Illness
April 17	Statendam Holland America Line	Several hundred passengers and crew took ill due to Norwalk virus on the cruise which began in Osaka on April 3 and ended today in Hong Kong. The ship had guests fill out a health questionnaire prior to embarking in Osaka, which was a sign of things to come. The illness broke out in code red by day 3 with 75 cases and spread like wildfire. Several hundred passengers were ill by the cruise end. This apparently has been on-going since February, according to the crew, but this breakout was the worst. The ship was being fumigated room by room and all facilities were closed down throughout the cruise due to cleaning and the spread of the illness.  Guests embarking on 4/17/06 were also filling out the same questionnaire and the vessel was to be in code red for at  least the first four days of the subsequent sailing.  According to a passenger on that cruise: There were many restrictions during the cruise. Regardless, many people were ill, although Holland America staff downplayed just how many. Infected people and their traveling companions were quarantined to their cabins for the duration of their illness plus one day. Room service was to deliver meals, but they were hard to reach, probably due to all the calls they were receiving.	Illness
April 16	Radiance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	Passengers returning from the April 9-16 cruise report there was a norovirus outbreak during the cruise.  A letter was received midweek from the captain saying there was an outbreak and there would be increased cleaning procedures.  The ship’s crew kicked into high gear. We were served buffet items by crew members instead of self serve.  I overheard a crew member being told by his supervisor to not shake hands with anyone.  Cleaning procedures were very obvious and frequent, even to the point that use of hand sanitizers were required before and after using the rock climbing wall.	Illness
April 15	Regal Princess Princess Cruises	The ship became stuck on a sandbar in the Amazon in its current cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Manaus.  The ship was freed after 1.5 hours, "by using its bow thrusters, emptying the pools and probably grey water and some ballast."	Aground
April	Sea Princess Princess Cruises	From a passenger: My wife and I both got the Norwalk virus on  the second 14 day cruise on the Sea Princess in April, 2006. Helen got it  first and than me. They really had a big break-out but really tried to cover  it up. I asked the doctor how many cases they had on board and he told me a  few. When he was preparing a shot for me in the outer room, I noticed a  computer listing(listed all the cases by cabin and date,etc.) on his desk.  IT WAS NOT JUST A FEW-the list looked(I glanced it for about 3-4 minutes) to  be about 40/page and covered about 10 pages!!!! The doctor did not notice  that I saw it but he did turn it over when he came back into his office. The  crew was told to say nothing to us but our cabin attendant told us they had  hundreds of sick passengers and crew. I should have suspected something was  really wrong when they were cleaning everything all over the ship.	Illness
April 7	Rhapsody of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	A passenger reports that about 8:45 PM the ship listed 10 degrees.  According to the Captain it was due to a malfunction with the stabilizing mechanism.  The sudden list caused the water to dump out of the pool on the top decks, dishes to crash to the ground in the dining room, the quarters to spill out of the machines in the Casino, liquor in the shops to come crashing and spilling as it streamed all over the deck floor, and items in the stateroom were thrown about.  We rocked back and forth 4 times until the captain stabilized the boat.  You could tell by the dining staff's faces that this was an unusual event.  (Note that a similar event occurred December 17, 2005)	Sudden List
April 7	Costa Mediterranea Costa Crociere	In Grand Cayman:  Kirk Sea Tours’ Sun Runner capsized near a reef in the sandbar area of the ocean.  Passengers said the boat had been taking in some water on one side, and when everyone moved to the other side of the boat it fell on its side, plunging passengers into the water.  There were 54 cruise tourists, a cruise ship escort, and three crew members -- all were rescued with no serious injuries.	Accident on Shore Excursion
April 7	Amsterdam Holland America Line	For the second cruise in a row the ship has reported an elevated number of passengers and crew with gastrointestinal illness.  On April 6, the ship’s medical staff reported that 8 of 605 (1.32%) crew and 76 of 1294 (5.87%) passengers were ill.  The 15-day Hawaiian cruise ended in San Diego on April 6.	Illness
April 4	Carnival Victory Carnival Cruise Line	Many reports have been received from passengers on the March 26 - April 2 cruise (Eastern Caribbean from Miami) indicating a gastrointestinal illness outbreak.  One passenger was told by the ship's infirmary that over 200 people had been treated for the Norwalk virus by day 5.  There have been no reports yet by the CDC.	Illness
April 4	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	From a passenger onboard after two cruises with illness outbreaks: We left San Diego on 03/27 - 4/07 cruise to the Mexican Riviera.  Embarkation was slightly delayed so the ship could be completely sanitized as 5% of the pax on previous cruise reported symptoms of GI illness.  We were told that some sanitizing efforts would be ongoing while the ship cruised. The reality was this: On day three they began spraying every surface with chlorine bleach around the clock. Doors, walls, hand rails, chairs, tables, desks, mirrors, elevators both inside and outside. Literally everything.  We left the ship in Acapulco on Sunday (April 2) because the living conditions were unbearable.  Walls were running with chlorine, clothes were being ruined, breathing was difficult, eyes and mucus membranes irritated from exposure to the fumes.  Many pax were annoyed and angry but I guess my tolerance is far less than theirs.  Celebrity agreed to pay for a flight home from Acapulco.  Passengers remaining onboard were told Tuesday night (April 4) that they would receive a 25 percent refund of the amount paid for this sailing, and a 25 percent credit for a future Celebrity cruise (based on the amount paid for this sailing).	"Cost" of sanitization Pics from March 17 - 27 cruise
April 2	Sensation Fantasy Carnival Cruise Line	Because of continuing problems with the Sensation's propulsion, it has been reported that the two ships will switch itineraries on April 6.   Both operate out of Port Canaveral.	Ship Switch
April 1	Grand Princess Princess Cruises	Two crew members jumped ship from the Grand Princess on its turnaround day in Galveston.  As a result, crew members were restricted in shore leave in Galveston on subsequent visits.  A bit more information here.	Jump ship
April 1	Artemis P&O Cruises	The transatlantic crossing from Southampton to the Caribbean was, according to one passenger, had been the worst 9 days at sea they had ever had.  The Atlantic was rough - waves splashing  up to top deck, gale force winds, and televisions flying everywhere.  They said they were very scared. The ship wasn't able to get into port for the Azores due to the  weather so today was their first day in port. The Gastro bug has also struck and only the dining room is open to everyone. Toilets and other rooms have been closed off.	Rough Seas Illness
April 1	Holiday Carnival Cruise Line	The ship returned to Mobile from its first cruise since the lease to FEMA and like the Sensation passengers complained about the ship not being up to standards.  Hot water was inconsistent, repairs and maintenance were still being done while passengers were onboard (e.g., hot tubs were out of service and being welded with children nearby), and toilets were not working properly -- As stated by MSN-NBC, "...crew members work to prepare the ship for another five day cruise, a cruise so many others ... wish they had not taken. "I don't want that ship to leave today with another group of two thousand victims".  See here for more info.	Maintenance problems
March 31	Pacific Sun P&O Australia	The ship returned to Sydney several hours after leaving in order to evict a 29 year old male passenger who had "assaulted a female staff member and a male security guard."  The man was issued with a criminal infringement notice and fined $400.  The ship is on a fully-booked three day "Runaway to Sea" cruise to nowhere.  While P&O says it doesn't  do booze cruises, passengers describe the cruise otherwise:  "Three days on the piss," said one. "Just a grogfest, isn't it?" said another. "Like a floating RSL," reckoned another.	Passenger evicted
March 30	Arabic al-Dana	The Bahrain ferry capsized at about 9:45 PM, shortly after leaving the dock and carrying Britons, South Africans, Egyptians and Filipinos.  The ferry was apparently beyond its capacity of 100 passengers -- reportedly there was as many as 150 onboard.  57 died in the accident.	Sank (Ferry)
March 29	Navigator of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	While docked at St. Maarten, a crew member jumped overboard from one of the crew decks. He quickly climbed up a ladder on the pier and started to walk briskly toward shore. Local authorities caught up with him quickly and handcuffed him. They turned him over ship security while drug sniffing dogs were brought aboard. Before the ship departed the crew member was handed over to St. Maarten authorities. According to other crew members, the man was rumored to be carrying drugs.	Drug bust
March 29	Zuiderdam Holland America Line	The ship lost all power and was adrift for about an hour (midnight to 1 AM) while between St. Thomas and Tortola.	Power Loss
March 28	Seabourn Pride Seabourn Cruises	The transatlantic cruise ending today in Lisbon arrived several hours late -- the delay was explained as the result of heavy weather and a fault with the exhaust system which is needing repairs.  But a passenger reports meeting someone who said those crossing the Atlantic were lucky to escape with their lives as there had been a fire in the engine room on the 3rd day as well as an encounter with a rogue wave.  The fire was apparently very bad and there was lots of smoke although it was put out within 15 minutes so pax weren't called to the lifeboats.  Interestingly, the ship moored on the port side in Lisbon to hide the large mark on the side where all the paint was burned away. The captain also moored like this in Madeira but once the passengers got into town the large patch of rust was there for all to see & comment on.	Fire --- Delay
March 28	Sensation Carnival Cruise Line	The ship will have to shorten its current trip to the Bahamas, missing a stop at Grand Turk, because of a problem with the ship's propulsion system.  The Sensation is not able to travel fast enough to reach Grand Turk, and instead will stop at Freeport.  The same will be the case on the next cruise.	Itinerary change (Propulsion)
March 27	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the ship returned from a 10-day Mexican Riviera cruise during which 107 of 1976 (5.41%) passengers and 24 of 841 (2.85%) crew members reported ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus.  The cruise line's Director of Corporate Communications said the virus was brought on board by a guest, but the fact is that this is the second cruise in a row with the illness -- it was likely already on the ship.  Go here for a passenger's account of being onboard.	Illness
March 24	Empress of the North American West Steamboat	The 360-foot cruise ship with more than 250 people on board ran aground on a sandbar near Washougal, Wash; there were no injuries, the vessel wasn't sinking and a tugboat would be used to refloat it.  In the meantime, passengers were transferred to the Queen of the West, which pulled alongside in order to take aboard passengers and crew members.  The ship was refloated two days later at high tide.  It returned to service April 16th, following repairs.	Grounded
March 24	Imagination Carnival Cruise Line	The ship returned to Key West two hours after leaving because of a medical issue.  The ship then changed its next port of call from Calica (Mexico) to the Bahamas.	Itinerary change
March 23	Sensation Carnival Cruise Line	Coast Guard inspectors detained the ship at Port Canaveral until the captain and crew could fix violations related to the ship's fire-control systems.  The ship was supposed to set sail at 4 p.m. on a four-day voyage to the Bahamas, but will be delayed until late in the evening.  Inspectors found deficiencies in fire-safety systems, specifically some fire screen doors, fire station valves - which are like a fire hydrant - and watertight doors.  Repairs were made and the ship finally left more than 6 hours late.  There were apparently problems on the cruise, and 8 passengers were forcibly evicted from ship when in the Bahamas -- details can be found here and here.	Detained in Port -- Safety Violations
March 23	Star Princess Princess Cruises	At approximately 3:10 AM, as the ship was en route from Grand Cayman to Montego Bay, a fire broke out in the passenger accommodations, and spread to adjacent cabins. About 150 cabins were damaged by the fire which may have been started by a cigarette.  Passengers were immediately notified of the fire using the public address system and requested to report to their muster stations. The company confirmed that one passenger had died following a cardiac arrest, two passengers had significant smoke inhalation injuries and nine passengers with had minor complications resulting from smoke inhalation. The fire was extinguished, and the ship proceeded to Montego Bay which it reach around noon.  Passengers in the cabins affected by the fire were provided hotel rooms ashore in Montego Bay; other passengers remained on the ship until their flights home were arranged. The cruise began March 19 in Fort Lauderdale. All cruises are cancelled until May 15th.	Fire
March 23	Millennium Celebrity Cruises	Twelve people died and two were injured in a tour bus accident in Arica, Chile.  According to local news reports, the bus went off a steep cliff at approximately 4:30 p.m. The injured were taken to a local hospital, and a doctor and nurse from Millennium were sent to assist the injured and notify the families of the deceased. Celebrity is flying family members of those killed and injured to Chile on Thursday. Millennium will remain in Arica until further notice. The ship was in the fourth day of a 14-night South America cruise that departed Valparaiso, Chile, on March 19 and is scheduled to conclude in Fort Lauderdale on April 2.	Delay caused by Pax Accident
March 22	Carnival Liberty Carnival Cruise Line	There was a complete power failure that lasted approximately 1 hours (10 - 11PM) and it was another hour or so before everything appeared "back to normal".  Passengers report on this at Cruise Critic.	Power failure
March 22	Island Princess Princess Cruises	On March 14, 2006, Princess Cruises reported that an elevated number of Island Princess passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting.  On March 21, the ship’s medical staff reported that 16 of 911 (1.76%) crew and 72 of 1950 (3.69%) passengers were ill.  The ship returns to Los Angeles from a 15 day Hawaii cruise on March 22	Illness
March 22	King Tut Egyptian Nile River Cruise	An Egyptian crew member was killed when the vessel hit a bridge in Dendera, site of a pharonic temple approximately 480 km south of Cairo.  The crew member died, when the upper bridge dais collapsed under the shock of the impact, and 35 others were injured: 8 more Egyptian crew members and 27 German tourists. The “King Tut” was taking the tourists from Luxor north to Qena.	Collision with Bridge
March 22	Queen of the North BC Ferries	The 125-metre long ferry hit a rock and sank about 135 kilometers from Prince Rupert.  Approximately 100 passengers and crew were evacuated and rescued safely; 2 passengers remain missing and are presumed dead.  In the peak season, the vessel could carry 700 passengers and crew and 115 cars.	Sank
March 22	Disney Wonder Disney Cruise Line	The parents of a girl have filed suit against Disney Cruise Line after their daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted by a crew member while on the October 2, 2005 cruise from Port Canaveral.  The suit "alleges the crew member 'falsely imprisoned, sexually assaulted, exposed himself to, and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.'"  See the Orlando Sentinel for more.	Sexual assault
March 21	Amsterdam Holland America Line	On March 13, 2006, Holland America Cruise Line reported that an elevated number of Amsterdam passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting.  On March 21, the ship’s medical staff reported that 8 of 606 (1.32%) crew and 142 of 1360 (10.44%) passengers were ill.   The ship returns to San Diego from a 15 day Hawaii cruise on March 22.	Illness
March 19	Carnival Destiny Carnival Cruise Line	According to a message at Cruise Critic,  the ship was supposed to dock at 7 AM today in San Juan but was slowed because of a propulsion problem  (a propeller had been damaged).  It finally docked at 4PM; passengers were still disembarking at 1 AM. Many had waited for hours for Carnival to find them hotel rooms because the delayed arrival meant missed flights.  Embarking passengers were still boarding at 2 AM.  The following cruise (19-26 March) was apparently still plagued with propulsion problems.  One passenger writes:  "We arrived at all ports late and left all early. For instance we were supposed to leave Aruba at 10PM but left before 7PM. Cut down time on all our shore excursions. No on the ship would confirm anything. They knocked $25/pp off everyone's bill and gave out free drinks for 2 hours toward the end of the trip. Very disappointed."	Propulsion problems
March 19	Spirit of Enderby Heritage Expeditions	Passengers and crew, scheduled to arrive at volcanic Raoul Island today, have been banned from landing on the island after a volcanic eruption on Friday.  The 72m ship left from Auckland last Monday for the 1,000km trip to Raoul Island and was due to moor there today for a four-day visit. Its landing permit was cancelled because of concerns about the volcanic activity, but the ship can stay in the area.	Volcanic Eruption Cancels Port Call
March 17	Mercury Celebrity Cruises	On March 14, 2006, Celebrity Cruises reported that an elevated number of passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms consistent with acute gastroenteritis, mainly diarrhea and vomiting.  On March 17, the ship’s medical staff indicated 14 of 840 (1.67%) crew and 191 of 1902 (10.04%) passengers had reported ill. The ship is on an 11 night Mexican Riviera cruise due to end in San Diego on March 17.	Illness
March 17	Mariner of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	Three passengers (including two teenaged boys aged 15 and 16) were arrested in Ocho Rios (Jamaica) for breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act after ganja was allegedly found in their position while their were at the pier awaiting boarding on the ship.  According to police, the three men's actions aroused the suspicion of police.	Drug Bust (Onshore)
March 16	Millennium Celebrity Cruises	During the night of March 15, the ship sailed into a storm with 40 foot waves that makes it almost impossible to remain on your feet. At midnight, the Captain tried to escape the storm by diverting the ship into a Chilean fjord, but on approaching concluded that entering it was too dangerous. The ship headed back out to sea and faced the storm. During the evening and night, there was lots of damage: in the main dining room, during late seating, glasses, plates, etc. are thrown of the tables onto the floor; the huge flower vase at the bottom of the grand staircase falls and breaks. In bars, glasses and whine bottles fall and break. In the specialty restaurant, the harp falls and is damaged; wine bottles fall out of the cabinet and roll over the restaurant floor. The water of the indoor Thallasotherapy pool floods into the aft hallway and elevator banks; the elevators are put out of service. The glass sliding door between the outdoor and indoor pool shatters. The damage to the shopping mall is the worst; displays and products are spread out over the floor.	Storm encounter
March 15	Texas Treasure Corpus Christi Day Cruise	The ship's operator plead guilty to obstructing a US Coast Guard investigation into whether the ship had illegally discharged waste oil and deliberately bypassed its pollution prevention equipment.  The incidents occurred in October 2004.  Sentencing is scheduled for April 25, 2006; the proposed plea agreement includes a $300,000 fine and the institution of an Environmental Compliance Plan.	Environmental
March 13	Volendam Holland America Line	On March 13, 2006, Holland America Cruise Line reported that an elevated number of Volendam passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting.  On March 21, the ship’s medical staff reported that 3 of 613 (0.49%) crew and 51 of 1412 (3.61%) passengers were ill.   The ship returned to Port Everglades March 17 from a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise.	Illness
March 12	Funchal Classic International Cruises	Seven passengers were admitted to the Royal Hobart Hospital (Hobart, Australia) and 20 more received emergency medical treatment after a health scare on a visiting cruise ship.  The hospital's emergency department was inundated with tourists suffering respiratory illness after international cruise liner Funchal docked in Hobart on Friday.  The Australian holidaymakers were in their final week of a 35-night "around the continent" cruise, visiting various Australian locations including Broome, Darwin, the Whitsundays and Melbourne, as well as a stopover in East Timor.	Illness
March 11	Imagination Carnival Cruise Line	Messages from two passengers indicate the ship never made it to the Port of Calica "due to weather" (i.e., high winds). "We just sat at sea and waved to Calica/Playa del Carmen from the upper deck."  The only compensation given was a $25/person credit.  The only port call on the four night cruise was a half day at Key West.	Missed port
March 11	Grandeur of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	On March 8, 2006, RCI reported to the CDC that an elevated number of passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptom is diarrhea and vomiting.  On March 11, the ship reported that 11 of 754 (1.46%) crew and 130 of 2263 (5.74%) passengers were ill.  The ship was on a 5-day cruise from Tampa to Costa Maya and Cozumel.  More than 100 passengers were confined in their rooms when the ship was in Cozumel because Mexican officials were afraid the virus would spread on land.	Illness
March 9	Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Cruises	On March 5, 2006, RSSC reported to the CDC that an elevated number of Seven Seas Mariner passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptom is diarrhea.  On March 12, the ship’s medical staff reported that 13 of 444 (2.93%) crew and 26 of 582 (4.47%) passengers were ill.  The ship left Callao (Peru) Feb 28 and arrives on March 13 in Fort Lauderdale.	Illness
March 8	Millennium Celebrity Cruises	While docked at Puerto Madryn, at approximately 10 AM, sudden winds caused the ship to break away from the dock. The gangway collapsed into the sea. Celebrity was very fortunate that nobody was on it at the time. The Captain first tried to re-dock the ship, but because the winds remain strong, left port. Tendering passengers who were left ashore back to the ship through the rough seas was a challenge. (Check www.celebrityatsea.com, Millennium, Archive, Bridgecam, March 8, from 9 am onwards to see the ship drift from the dock, pulling back, and finally leaving port.)	Gangway collapse
March 4 - 11	Grand Princess Princess Cruises	It was reported by CBS TV in Dallas-Fort Worth that a couple staying in the Vasco de Gama suite had an encounter with bed bugs onboard the ship.  The family said they are disappointed the cruise line did little to eradicate the bugs while on-board.  According to the TV report, the company spokesman admitted fault and offered the family its "unreserved apology".	Bed Bugs
March 6	Pacific Sky P&O Australia	Five hours after leaving Singapore the ship experienced engine problems, came to a shuddering halt, and sat anchored in the Malacca Strait for 30 hours while crew tried to fix the problem.  The cruise finally resumed on one engine and the ship is en route to Port Kelang (Malaysia) for repairs, expecting to arrive Monday night (missing the first port: Malacca).  Ironically, some passengers  were on this cruise as a "freebie" as compensation for a previous cruise that experienced problems.  Repairs were completed while passengers were offered complimentary trips to Kuala Lumpur.  The ship was expected to leave Tuesday evening and continue a revised voyage at reduced speed, omitting Phuket and arriving in Singapore as scheduled on March 11.   Passengers will each receive A$350 compensation for the changes to the itinerary. Repairs are expected to be completed in time for Pacific Sky's scheduled departure at 10pm Saturday on a seven-night round cruise to Thailand and Malaysia.	Engine failure --- Stranded 30 Hours in Malacca Strait
March 2	Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	On February 28, 2006, RCI reported to the CDC  that an elevated number of Explorer of the Seas passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms consistent with acute gastroenteritis.  On March 4, the ship reported that 19 of 1184 (1.60%) crew were and 243 of 3252 (7.47%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting.  The cruise began February 26 and ends March 5 in Miami. From a passenger:  I just got off of that cruise. About 25 out of the 60 in our group was sick. There were also a lot more people sick than they stated. I was recovering waiting in the nurses station on Tuesday when they declared it an epidemic and that the ship was on red alert.  The last bit I had heard was that there were close to 400 cabins listed as under a 24 hour quarantine by Wednesday.  People we talked to had stopped reporting to the infirmary for fear of not being able to disembark on any of the islands when they were feeling better.	Illness
February 27	Queen Mary 2 Cunard Line	Centres for Disease Control report that an elevated number of Queen Mary 2 passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms consistent with acute gastroenteritis.  On February 22, the ship’s medical staff reported that 31 of 1271 (2.44%) crew were ill and 86 of 2498 (3.44%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptom was diarrhea.  The 14 day voyage concluded on February 22, 2006, (sailing dates: 02/08/2006-02/22/2006) in Los Angeles, CA.	Illness
February 22	Vision of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	A 35 year old woman from Sacramento, CA says she was sexually assaulted while on a Mexican Riviera cruise running 19 - 22 February.  According to a lawsuit filed later in the year (August 8), a security guard employed by the cruise line entered her cabin and sexually assaulted and battered her.	Sexual Assault
February 21	Statendam Holland America Line	The ship aborted its planned port call at the Port of Napier (New Zealand) because of "difficult sea conditions."  Extreme surge prevented the ship from being moored safely and no alternative berth was available given the surge conditions.	Cancelled port call
February 19	Norwegian Jewel Norwegian Cruise Line	From a crew member:  One of the female crew jumped overboard and committed suicide ... she was 24 years old and pregnant, had found out her boyfriend who also worked on the ship had cheated on her.  The whole thing is a huge "hush hush" thing on the ship, what crew were told, etc. and passengers have no clue"  The crew member was upset by how NCL was covering the story up and felt it should be "exposed" to further educate passengers ... S/he says what's more troubling is that this is the second staff suicide on the Jewel within 6 months; the other crew person hung himself in the closet.	Crew member suicide
February 19	Amsterdam Holland America Line	A 30 year old crew member (galley worker) apparently fell overboard early Friday about 1100 miles northeast of Hilo.  The ship was assisted by the Coast Guard in a search, which was called off mid-day on Saturday.  The ship is now en route to San Diego and will arrive one day later than scheduled.	Crew member missing
February 19	Millennium Celebrity Cruises	As was the case on the cruise ending January 22, the Falkland Islands were dropped from the itinerary.  According to a passenger,  the Captain told us the seas would be too rough to tender at the Falklands.  We had an extra day at sea and had an early  arrival at Uruguay.  I looked up the weather in the Falklands -- good seas and about 15 knots of wind.  We learned later that two other ships (one was the Albatross) stopped at the Falklands the day the Millennium skipped it.  The ship traveled rest of the cruise at about 18 knots, well below the 25 knots we were making earlier in the trip.  There was some speculation that the reason we put in to Uruguay early was to get installed  a part that was flown in, but that was just a rumor on board.	Skipped port (Falklands)
February 17	Vision of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	The cruise beginning February 19th will be delayed a day and Mazatlan is dropped as a port of call.  This is in order to repair a short circuit in the starboard propulsion motor.  The problem causes the ship to travel at slower speeds and first occurred on February 9 when the ship was maneuvering to dock in Puerto Vallarta.  The ship returned to LA from that cruise several hours late; the following cruise skipped Puerto Vallarta.  Passengers on the cruise missing Puerto Vallarta were given a $100 onboard credit; those on the shortened cruise were given a $200 onboard credit.  In both cases, passengers were given the option to cancel the cruise at the last minute and receive a full credit (not refund) toward a future sailing.	Propulsion problems -- Itinerary changes
February 14	Queen Mary 2 Cunard Line	Cunard announced two sailing would be cancelled so a propeller pod problem can be repaired.  A 12 day Mediterranean cruise in May will be replaced with a six day Norwegian fjords voyage, and a seven night Caribbean cruise in November has been cancelled .  The propulsion problem has affected other schedules.  According to a passenger who is on a Rio to New York cruise in April (as reported in the Miami Herald), "I sought assurances from Cunard that my cruise would proceed as scheduled, and was told there were no problems.  I made my final payment last week.  I now find that visits to Salvador in Brazil and Fort Lauderdale have been cancelled and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands substituted."	Cancellations / Itinerary changes
February 13	Costa Atlantica Costa Crociere	A lawsuit was filed against Costa alleging a 13 year old learning disabled boy was sexually assaulted by a crew member during a weeklong cruise out of Port Everglades in March 2005.  The teen's father learned of the assault from one of the boy's teachers to whom it had been reported.	Sexual assault
February 12	Norwegian Dawn Norwegian Cruise Line	As a result of a snowstorm the ship arrived late in NYC.  It also left late, at  approximately 2100 EST but had insufficient fuel -- apparently fuel could not be delivered while at the pier.  The ship dropped anchor in the harbor and was met by a fuel barge at in the early morning hours.  The delay caused uncertainty with the itinerary -- it appears the stop at Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled.	Delay -- Changed itinerary
February 11	Grand Princess Princess Cruises	The ship returned to Galveston 1.5 hours late at the end of the cruise (because of high winds) causing some passengers to miss flights home.  Princess-arranged bus transportation to the airports was anarchic, causing further delays.  One passenger says it took 3 hours to get to Hobby Airport, twice the time normally required because the bus driver kept getting lost on the way.  Another passenger (on the same bus) says passengers destined for Bush  Airport (IAH) were abandoned at Hobby Airport and left to find their own way to Bush.  (See thread at Cruise Critic)	Ground transportation nightmare
February 11	Ecstasy Carnival Cruise Line	The ship housing Katrina refugees broke loose from its moorings in New Orleans and  spun out into the Mississippi River, and narrowly avoided hitting a pair of Military Sea Lift Command ships moored nearby. The Ecstasy, with quick help from a river pilot and three tugs, came to rest about 300 feet from the Algiers riverbank, just down river from Algiers Point. The episode began about 5:35 a.m. when a large metal bollard holding some tie-down lines at the old wharf broke off, starting a chain reaction of line breaks.	Near catastrophe
February 8	Pride of Rotterdam P&O Ferries	A 21-year-old Polish man went missing while in the North Sea ferry. He was reported missing by friends when he failed to meet them.  The man and his two friends had boarded the P&O superferry Pride of Rotterdam at Rotterdam about 9pm on Tuesday; he was last seen in the bar on board at about 1AM Wednesday.	Passenger missing
February 5	Pacific Sun P&O Australia	While docked in Sydney, a crew member was pasting rust protection on the ship's bridge area when he fell about 23 metres (70 feet) to the wharf below.  He sustained massive head injuries and multiple fractures and died on impact.	Crew Accidental Death
February 4	Grand Princess Princess Cruises	Two hours after leaving Galveston, a passenger suffered a heart attack and required urgent onshore medical attention.  The ship made a sharp turn while traveling at 21 knots, causing 18.5 degree list (at 24 degrees the ship would be in trouble) which resulted in glassware, dishes, ornaments, and numerous objects sliding off tables in the dining room and shelves in shops.  Twenty-seven passengers and ten crew suffered injuries, mainly cuts and bruises (including some who were injured when TVs in their rooms slid off shelves -- reportedly, 82 television sets were destroyed by the list).  According to Princess, the vessel experienced a “roll greater than normal” during the execution of the turn.  The ship was met by the Coast Guard eight miles offshore to transfer the sick (reportedly dead) passenger from the ship.  An injured crew member was also taken off the ship by stretcher.  Unconfirmed reports were that 300+ passengers left the ship at its first stop, in Costa Maya	Severe List --- Injuries For pictures of shops after list, click here
February 4	Millennium Celebrity Cruises	The Daily Telegraph (UK) reports that several hundred passengers signed a petition complaining they were not adequately compensated after a South American itinerary was changed because of bad weather.  Stops at both Puerto Madryn  and the Falkland Islands were dropped on the cruise ending January 22.  According to the article: "Apart from low-key apologies from the captain, the only compensation offered was an open bar before dinner on one night ... Even then, the drinks menus were removed from the bars and we were encouraged to believe the open bar meant choosing from trays of wine or two garishly coloured fruit cocktails. We also were given some extra bingo sessions."  Passengers report, subsequent to the cruise, that their compensation requests were denied.	Missed Ports (Falklands & Puerto Madryn)
February 3	Al Salam Boccaccio 98	The Egyptian RO-RO ferry sank off Egypt in the Red Sea with almost 1000 persons losing their life.  Approximately 440 passengers/crew were rescued following the disaster which is being investigated by Egyptian authorities and the International Maritime Organization.  Most of the passengers were Egyptian citizens on the way home from work in Saudi Arabia.  (See NY Times Report, April 20, 2006)	Ferry disaster
February 2	Royal Star African Safari Club	The ship aborted its planned call at Mossel Bay (South Africa) after local taxi drivers, upset that their services were not to be used by passengers, brandished guns and blocked the harbour's entrance.  The ship began its itinerary in Mombassa and had port calls at Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Durban. For more, see here.	Cancelled port
February 1	Grand Princess Princess Cruises	A passenger has written to say that again the ship's itinerary was changed for "technical reasons," dropping Grand Cayman as a port call.  Passengers on subsequent cruises were informed:  Due to increased passenger satisfaction scores based on our recent itinerary changes, the decision has been made to enhance the itinerary for the remainder of the season, therefore the 1/2 day call to Grand Cayman has been canceled and replaced with a full day call to Playa Del Carmen on March 22, 2006, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.  In addition, the port times in Belize and Cozumel have been extended. We recognize that some passengers may be disappointed as a result of this itinerary change and are pleased to provide your clients with a non-refundable goodwill credit of usd $25 per person.  This credit will be applied to your client's onboard folio.	Itinerary change
January 30	Monarch of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	On Friday, 27 January, at least 10 suites on deck 10 were flooded from a broken pool pipe -- carpet had to be replaced in rooms and in hallway; passengers given $150 each onboard credit.  According to a passenger: "Huge mess!  ... Loud air movers blowing all weekend.  Some very pissed off passengers."  According to another passenger: "the pool pipe emptied into the 3rd floor Claude's Dinning Room about 10 feet from our table and we were chased out of the dinning hall and had only JUST finished dinner. The people who had water in their cabins said they were moved from that cabin to another, then again and not back to the original cabin. For being flooded out of our dining room we received a plate of frozen "candies" and an apology letter." On Monday, 30 January, Captain Joern Rene Klausen (38 years old) was found dead in his cabin at 4:15 AM before arriving in Los Angeles.  Police boarded the vessel in LA and disembarkation was delayed until removal of the body.  The death appeared to be from natural cases; authorities in LA will conduct an autopsy.	Cabins flooded --- Captain's death
January 30		Information about Cozumel, three months after Wilma, from a passenger recently there -- click here
January 29	Legend of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	A 34 year old Colombian crew member was arrested when the ship arrived in Tampa for an attempted rape of a 22 year old passenger.  The incident began around 3:30 AM in the bar area where the crew member worked -- he offered to take the passenger on a tour and led her to a dark room and pulled her in.  She was able to escape.  He was held in ship's brig until the ship's return to Tampa.	Attempted Rape
January 29	Island Princess Princess Cruises	A veteran harbour pilot died when he fell from a ladder and was hit by the pilot boat after navigating the ship out of Nawiliwili Harbour (Kaua'i, Hawai'i).  The accident occurred about 5PM.	Pilot slips
January 28	Caribbean Princess Princess Cruises	The Sun-Sentinel reported on Feb 4 that a 30 year old waiter from Portugal was found dead in his cabin on Jan 26.  When the cabin was searched, 2 packages of heroin (1 kg) were found wrapped in a white t-shirt stashed in the bed's headboard.  Federal authorities began investigating when the ship returned to Fort Lauderdale on January 28.	Crew death --- Drugs found
January 25	Minerva II P&O Cruises	CDC reports that 23 of 562 (4.09%) passengers and 3 of 326 (0.92%) crew had reported being ill..  The predominant symptom was diarrhea.  The ship is on a 14 day cruise cunning 1/12 - 1-26, ending in San Francisco.	Illness
January 23	Grand Princess Princess Cruises	The port call at Georgetown, Cayman Islands on January 25 is cancelled on the seven day cruise running January 21 - 28 from Galveston.  Passengers were initially told it was because the port of Georgetown was closed to all cruise ships that day.  But a passenger contacted the port and learned that was false.  The port says the ship cancelled its planned call for "technical reasons."  The ship is replacing Playa del Carmen for Cayman; passengers are being given a $75 onboard credit.  For full story see Cayman Net News.	Cancelled Port
January 22	Queen Mary 2 Cunard Line	The BBC reports that passengers have threatened mutiny over the dropping of three port calls on the voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Rio.  They complain that they weren't told of the schedule change (dropping of all port calls) until after the ship left for Rio and that they should have been given the option to not take the cruise.  Some passengers threatened to refuse to disembark when the ship arrives in Rio.  At the same time, More than 200 passengers joined in joint litigation (class action suit) against Cunard.  Shortly after an announcement on January 26 that the ship would arrive in Rio 22 hours later than scheduled, and likely in view of widespread media attention and negative publicity along with the planned legal action, Cunard capitulated and offered passengers a full refund for the cruise and airfare.  Threat of a class action suit was dropped.	Threatened Mutiny --- Class Action --- Line Capitulates
January 19	Norwegian Spirit Norwegian Cruise Line	Both WABC and WCBS reported that passengers returning from a southern Caribbean cruise complained about heavy seas and a series of high waves -- some as high as 50 feet -- during the leg from Tortola to New York.  Several windows were smashed and 11 cabins were flooded.  Passengers had to be relocated and those in cabins most effected were offered a free cruise in the future, if they want it.  Here is a QuickTime video (9 MB, so slow to load) of the seas taken an hour before waves broke through that cabin's window.	Storm at Sea
January 18	Oriana P&O Cruises	There are reports of a norovirus outbreak on the current cruise which began January 8.  The ship is embarked on a world cruise.	Illness
January 17	Queen Mary 2 Cunard Line	The ship returned to Fort Lauderdale shortly after leaving port for a 38-day trip around South America and ending in San Francisco.  The ship departed shortly after 1 PM but soon returned because something felt wrong with one of the azipods (propulsion units).  An investigation revealed that the ship touched some sort of submerged object and one of the four motor pods was damaged.  The ship left 41 hours later than its initial departure and will operate on 3 rather than 4 motors (meaning reduced speeds.  The first segment of the cruise,which began in New York and for which Fort Lauderdale was an unscheduled stop, will skip its port calls in St. Kitts, Barbados, and Salvador in order to end in Rio on January 27.  Passengers on the first segment will  receive a 50% refund; those continuing on the second and final segment ending in Los Angeles will receive a six-day pro-rata refund.	Engine problems --- Delay
January 14	Zuiderdam Holland America Line	Upon arrival onto the ship, passengers were given a notice that about 2% of the previous passengers and crew reported ill with norovirus-like symptoms (2% = 54 passengers and crew). Passengers were offered a full refund or to take the cruise.  According to one passenger, Holland America had "Purell" sanitizers EVERYWHERE. No touching of buffet tongs, no salt and pepper shakers, no jacuzzi, no sauna, no hand shaking, yada, yada. Daily announcements from the cruise director and Captain.  Some passengers reported illness.	Illness
January 12 - 20	Norwegian Star Norwegian Cruise Line	A passenger reports that scheduled stops at Acapulco and Zihuatanejo would be dropped because of engine problems.  Instead, passengers called on Mazatlan and Manzanillo and given a CAN$50 onboard credit.  It has been reported that the same happened to the cruise Nov.25th/05 and Dec.11/05.	Itinerary Change
January 11	Rotterdam Holland America Line	From a passenger: I just completed a cruise on Holland America's Rotterdam (December 20 - January 11, ending in Valparaiso, Chile), and at least 125 passengers and crew were ill with norwalk-like virus symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea).  Although every possible measure was being taken to deal with it (daily announcements, memos, staff using gloves and disinfectants) -- it still was a very difficult situation.  One of our concerns was that the staff was told clearly not to discuss it, and/or to minimize the situation -- this resulted in a lot of mixed signals coming from the staff - those who were telling the truth, and those who were covering up the events. When a passenger died on board (apparently of natural causes, and not related to the epidemic), again, the attempt at cover-up was obvious.	Illness
January 10	Carnival Legend Carnival Cruise Line	It was reported that a 65 year old man died while part of a snorkeling shore excursion at Shark Bay Alley in Belize.  The man, part of a group of nine tourists, experienced difficulties in the water and was rushed to the Caye Caulker Village Clinic where he was pronounced dead, apparently from a heart attack.  This is the third such case in as many months: in November a 68 year old man from the Norwegian Dream disappeared while snorkeling in the same area -- his body was never found; in December a woman from the Caribbean Princess who was participating in a snorkeling expedition in Sint Maarten was found dead underwater -- it is unknown whether she had a heart attack or an accident underwater.	Death on Shore Excursion (Snorkeling)
January 7-14	Norwegian Majesty Norwegian Cruise Line	A passenger reports that she contracted Legionnaire's Disease while on the ship.  Details available here.	Legionnaire's Disease
January 6	Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean International	From a passenger (in letter to Cayman Islands officials): I visited Grand Cayman on the Explorer of the Seas and was transported to shore via a locally operated tender.  I write because of the huge environmental disregard shown by the tender I was on (“Carib Hawk”).  I stood at the back of the boat during the trip and noticed an excessive amount of what looked to be oil being dumped into the ocean from the boat’s motor.  This is unacceptable and must not be allowed.  I talked to the captain of another boat about the matter and he told me that the Ministry of Environment had been in the area investigating a similar matter the day before, and also confirmed that the oil-dumping was not normal when I showed him the pictures I took through my digital camera.  The pictures may be viewed here.	Environmental
January 5	Island Princess Princess Cruises	From a passenger:  A toddler fell overboard when her mother set her on the railing on the gangway staircase.  The mother let go of the child to put her documents back into her purse.  The 3 yr old fell overboard between the ship and the dock while at port in Ensenada, MX.  The toddler was alright after staff ran to her rescue and one person jumped in.	Reminder to take care
January 5	Costa Magica Costa Crociere	A 15 year old female passenger from Ireland was reported to have jumped overboard at 2:10AM as the ship was making its way toward Cozumel. A passenger wrote: The young girl was extremely drunk.  We (and others around us) called security many times because of the noise…they even came up at least 3 times to her room.  She was partying with other kids in her family in that room. She jumped overboard (or fell when she bent over the rail to vomit).  We know this because ser sister came screaming down the hall: “My sister jumped overboard!  Help!”   I thought it was more drunken antics until security got there and she started talking with them. My two-door-down neighbor heard her tell security that she got in a fight with her boyfriend earlier and also that the bar cut her off.  Here are several photos of the search -- there's not much to see -- they can be viewed by clicking here.	Suicide or Accidental Fall?
January 4	Zuiderdam Holland America Line	On day 3 of a 7 day cruise the ship reported that 94 of 1888 (4.98%) passengers and 27 of 814 (3.32%) crew had reported ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus.  The ship is due back in Fort Lauderdale on January 7.  Note: A passenger reported an outbreak at the end of the previous cruise.  Numbers were revised on January 6:  50 of 814 (6.14%) crew reported ill and a survey of passengers found that 155 of 1023 respondents (15.2%) reported they were also ill.  From a passenger:  By Sunday there were many quarantined passengers and we decided to disembark early.  The ship's guest relation supervisor said he booked us a flight out of St Thomas -- we arrived at airport to find out Holland America staff lied ....THE FLIGHT TICKETS WERE NEVER BOOKED.  The ship left us sick, dehydrated and stranded without a care.	Illness
January 1 - 8	Carnival Conquest and Victory Carnival Cruise Line	From a passenger: Carnival Conquest's departure was delayed for over 4 hours due to fog in Galveston.  In Grand Cayman, we met up with passengers from Carnival Victory, who were told after they boarded their ship that they were not allowed to go to Cozumel.  They were infuriated when they found out that Conquest was allowed to go.	Delay -- Missed port
January 1	Island Princess Princess Cruises	From a passenger: The port call at Kona, Hawaii on Dec. 31, 2005 was cancelled due to forecast of high surf in the afternoon that would make tenders dangerous.  The Captain announced the changed itinerary at about 8:00a.m. and we proceeded directly to Ensenada, Mexico which was changed from  four hour service stop to all day stop.	Missed Port

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