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


2007

The table below lists "events at sea" occurring after January 1, 2007, including cruise ship accidents.  It is based on media reports, passenger reports posted at on-line boards and discussion groups, and reports sent to Cruise Junkie. In reviewing the information, please keep in mind that some cruise lines are given less scrutiny by the media than others, and it is not uncommon for events to not appear in the media.  This information reflects only that which has made it into the public domain.

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THE Comprehensive list of Persons Overboard, 1995 - 2009

Events at Sea Broken Down by Cruise Line and by Ship


Events at Sea Involving Ferries

Safety Watch -- Passenger-Documented Safety Issues




FROM THE ARCHIVES

Ships that have Sunk, 1979 - 2008

Ships that have Grounded, 1972 - 2008

Disabling Accidents, collisions, and fires, 1990 - 2008

Events at Sea Broken Down by Cruise Line and by Ship
EDITORIALS

Is Drinking Water Safe on Cruise Ships?
NOTE:  See attached letter for some background.

A Crew Member's Story follows from event in 2006

Are You Safer on a Cruise Ship Today versus in 1999?  The answer is a resounding.......


Date
Ship
Cruise Line
Event
Type of Incident
December 31
Liberty of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
From a passenger: I was traveling with my family for the New Year holiday on the ship, departing Miami December 29. There were 10 other family members on board the ship with me.  I was playing in the casino and got into an argument with some high rollers in the casino on the departing night, Saturday (12/29).  There was no physical altercation just an argument.  Security broke up the argument and I was asked to leave the casino and went back to my cabin around 1:30am.  The high roller threatened me and a security guard was placed outside my cabin overnight.  The next day I was called by Guest Relations around 9:45pm and was told to meet Security in the back room at the front desk at 7:00 am Monday, which was the first port of call.  There were several gentlemen present at the meeting (head of security, guest relations) and I was told that I have 45 minutes to pack my bags and get off the ship and that I was a security risk to the ship.  I packed my bags and was escorted to the dining room.  In the dining room there were immigration officials who had to approve of my disembarkation.  Although I objected to being thrown off the ship and although the immigration officials also didn't approve of my being thrown off the ship, officials from the cruise line handed an envelope with $1,000 cash in it to the immigration official and I was then escorted off the ship to a small boat then transferred to Labadee (private reserve on the island of Haiti).  I was put in a golf cart and driven to the end of a fenced in area to a waiting jeep.  Inside the jeep were machine gun armed guards and the driver.  I was driven from a locked compound in Labadee, Haiti to a run down deserted landing strip where there was a turbo propeller plane waiting for me. On the ride to the landing strip I was advised to duck down for my safety.  I was scared for my life and thought I was going to die.  I was then escorted onto the turbo prop and was flown from Haiti to Fort Lauderdale, taking 3 hours.  I then transferred onto a commercial airliner at my cost and arrived home Monday night.  FYI, Haiti is listed on the US State Departments list of countries for Americans to avoid.  NOTE:  According to posters at Cruise Critic, a similar offloading of passengers at Labadee (from Gandeur of the Seas) occurred in November 2007. And in December (ship unknown) a couple was offloaded in the Bahamas -- the male passenger complained about cold overcooked fish and was offered a cocktail and another meal; he then received another cold piece of fish and a bill for the cocktail.  He became indignant and probably boisterous and when security showed up he was manhandled and ended up being put ashore in the Bahamas along with his partner. Passenger evicted
December 30
Queen Victoria
Cunard Line
The British media reports 80 passengers (4%) onboard the ship's 16-day Christmas/New Year's cruise have contracted norovirus and are quarantined in their cabins. The ship left London December 21 and returns January 6. This is the ship's second cruise after being christened in early December. Passengers have dubbed the trip as the "cruise from hell" after complaining about poor room service, blocked toilets, a lack of Christmas decorations, cold food, and extra charges for tea and coffee.
Illness
December 28
Fram
Hurtigruten
The ship had engine failure and was without power for about two hours while near Brown Bluff on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. According to a passenger, the ship suddenly lost power and began to drift straight toward a "towering wall of ice. It bent the railing and a lifeboat was completely crushed." The engine was restarted and the ship headed for King George Island where it will be inspected for damage. A decision will be made then about whether the cruise will continue. Collision with iceberg
December 27
Queen Mary 2
Cunard Line
The Daily Mirror reports a man was thrown off a Christmas cruise in the Caribbean after he was involved in a fight; he had to leave his daughter of nine with his parents onboard. He also had to pay for his flight back from the British Virgin Islands. But he claimed he was only defending himself from a stranger's attack. He said: "I was the victim and for that I was thrown off the ship." Cunard said: "Two guests were disembarked. The circumstances are being investigated." Passengers offloaded
December 26
Emerald Princess
Princess Cruises
The ship reported 22 of 1211 (1.82%) crew and 156 of 3209  (4.86%) passengers had reported ill on a 10 day eastern Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale. Illness
December 22
Prinsendam
Holland America Line
FROM A PASSENGER:  The ship was in dry dock for 21 days and they didn’t get everything done.  I would say they got nothing done.  The ship was late getting  to Fort Lauderdale, they did not contact us to tell us it was over 12 hours late and then shoved us into the Westin near I 95.  We could  have delayed coming as we live in Southern FL but they assured it would just be an hour or so (we were there hours with bad, dried up, cold pasta as our “luncheon”).  Lies, lies lies.  We did not leave port until the next day! We got on the ship at 7 pm and there were staterooms and public areas devoid of furniture.  The hallways on deck 5 and 6 were flooded for the first three days and several passengers have respiratory aliments.  They still smell like indoor pools that have never been cleaned.  The cabins on those decks are contaminated too.  If you have to get out of the elevators on those decks, it hits you every time.  They are painting pieces of the ship in the hallways (not the hallways themselves) and noxious fumes are everywhere.  The ship did not pass its coast guard inspection and if it doesn’t pass it on January 3 the ship isn’t going anywhere.

Every day large areas of the ship have no working plumbing.  The plumbers just drilled into the wall on the second day and flooded another deck.  The lido swimming pool is still not filled but they finally filled the aft one, which you have to navigate past the gym equipment to get to.  Since we left so late, they change the itinerary so that the first three days were at sea, with no pool at all. The air conditioning isn’t working right in the dining room and it is over 28C/ 80 F at dinner.  And people are complaining about the food and the service. The same can be said about several staterooms.  They are too hot or too cold.  There is dust everywhere on the ship and in the cabins.  When we put our clothes in the closet, they got covered with dust because the shelves and hanging bars were not washed down. There are queues of people at the front office howling for justice and relief, and the response is, “the cruise isn’t over yet, it will get better.”  I thought how could it get any worse, but it has.

After all the time in dry dock you would think the ship was sanitized.  But there are people coming down with Norwalk Virus.  And tons of respiratory ailments. The ship has not offered a single dollar worth of credit.  They have not offered to clean clothes for people who have placed them in dusty/dirty closets or sat on dirty outside chairs, nor have they offered to provide free of charge the medical care for those sickened by the moldy carpets and staterooms. The ship is on a 16 day cruise of the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.
Multiple problems
--
Not ready after dry dock
December 22
Aida Aura
Aida Cruises
The ship has suffered a mechanical failure on a voyage from her scheduled dry-docking in Genoa, Italy to Palma de Mallorca. The problem, not yet specified, seems to involve the propulsion and a return to the shipyard in Genoa has been made necessary. She was sailing without passengers when the problem occurred but her cruise from Palma de Mallorca to Aruba has been cancelled.
Propulsion problems
--
Canceled cruise
December 22
Dipolog Princess
Sulpicio Lines
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) today said they have began conducting rescue operations on the ship, carrying 825 passengers, that ran aground some 500 yards off the pier of Tagbilaran, Bohol on Friday morning. The ship hit a shallow area of the Tagbilaran Channel, which was near the Port of Tagbilaran en route to Zamboanga del Norte. The shipping company is sending sister ship Agayan Princess to fetch the passengers from the port and bring them to their destination in Zamboanga del Norte. It also sent a tugboat but it failed to pull the vessel free. Grounded
December 22
Van Gogh
Travelscope
The company has ceased operations. Passengers on the current cruise are not affected, however the cruise due to begin in Falmouth January 4th is uncertain ... indications are that arrangements have been made for the World Cruise will proceed as planned. UPDATE: The world cruise scheduled to begin January 4 will go ahead as planned.
Ceased operations
December 20 Mercury
Celebrity Cruises
The ship reported 9 (1.05%) crew and 54 (3.21%) passengers had reported ill on a 17 day cruise ending in Miami today. Illness
December 20
Norwegian Spirit
Norwegian Cruise Line
From a passenger: I'm supposed to leave on the NCL Spirit on the 23rd -- the engine is still a problem and they are cutting a port (1 of 4), no refunds and customer service was very rude. Did not let us know of problem until the 20th. I'm pretty ticked -- we could have at least been notified ahead of time to get money back .. the port that was cancelled was the reason why I signed up. Another passenger, on the December 16 cruise, reports there was an illness outbreak on the cruise (at least 15 people were quarantined in their rooms) and there were problems with service and attitude.
Engine problems
--
Illness
December 20
Pacific Star
P&O Australia
Hundreds of passengers are demanding compensation after two of five ports were missed on the 11 night cruise to Tonga and Fiji that ended today -- ports missed were Vava’u in Tonga and Yasawa-i- Rara in Fiji for which passengers were given a A$100 onboard credit. There were apparently engine problems that contributed to the problem; the engines should be repaired sometime during the next cruise, (TV story is available here), an eight-night Christmas cruise that will also skip a port -- Ouvea in the Loyalty Islands. This is to allow for an unscheduled overnight in Noumea on Sunday where she is to undergo repairs; passengers will receive a A$50 shipboard credit. Engine problems
--
Missed ports
December 15
QE II
Cunard Line
A cross-channel ferry narrowly avoided a collision with the QE2. P&O Ferries Pride of Kent had to slam on the breaks when the cruise liner failed to give way at sea off the Dover coast and sailed into the passenger ferry's path. A subsequent investigation said the QE2 was required to give way; when it became apparent that no avoiding action was being taken by the QE2, Pride of Kent reduced speed and allowed the ship to pass 0.6 mile ahead.
Near-miss of collision
December 15
Norwegian Spirit
Norwegian Cruise Line
From a passenger: There was a small fire in the engine room at around 8:45PM as the ship headed back to New Orleans.  The ship was about 140 nautical miles south of New Orleans.  The ship was adrift for about 15 minutes as all engines were shut down.  The engine shut down caused severe cavitation and “code bravo to the engine room” was announced.  Smoke was seen coming from below the smoke stack which smelled like burnt oil.  The emergency signal was given but was reported to be a false alarm 1-2 minutes later at which time they announced that there was a small fire and it was under control.  About 5 minutes later it was announced that the fire was completely out and we would arrive in New Orleans as scheduled. Fire
December 13
Empress of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
A passenger reports there was an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on the second day of sailing that ended today. Per the Captain, there were 140+ effected. Very high level of cleaning and passing out of hand wipes. I have no idea what % of the pax or crew was really involved. I was in lockdown for 2 days as 2 of 3 in my cabin had it. The ship was on a 12 day cruise of the Southern Caribbean. Illness
December 10
Norwegian Dream
Norwegian Cruise Line
The ship collided with a barge being pulled by a tug in Uruguay's main port, sending several cars and containers off the barge and shutting the port down. The ship received damages above the water line which do not appear serious.  It will remain in port for repairs. Passengers on the current cruise, a 14 day around the southern tip of South America, will miss two ports miss three ports(Port Stanley, Puerto Madryn and Ushuaia) of call before repairs are complete; they're being offered alternate shore excursions before leaving for Ushuaia. There were no injuries. The harbour remained closed for more than 24 hours, trapping Celebrity Cruises' Infinity in port and blocking Marco Polo out of port. Passengers were offered a 50% refund of cruise fare paid in addition to $150 per passenger ($300 per room) onboard credit. A group of passengers are demanding greater compensation -- see Merco Press for more info.  See here for photos.
Collision
December 10
Ecstasy &
Carnival Conquest
Carnival Cruise Lines
Thick fog closed the Port of Galveston, wreaking havoc with each ship's schedule. Conquest was supposed to sail at 5PM on Sunday but didn't leave until Monday at 2PM. Ecstasy arrived 7 hours late on Monday and may be "stuck" in port overnight.
Fog delays
December 10
Clipper Adventurer
Clipper Cruise Line
The December 18 departure to Antarctica has been cancelled due to mechanical failure. Passengers on that cruise were not given any further information. They were offered a full refund or could rebook for December 2008.
Cancellation
December 8 Carnival Freedom
Carnival Cruise Lines

The Sun Sentinel reports an equipment failure while the VSL was moored on ST Maarten. Observed crack in # 3 Stern Thruster tunnel casing, and blade on Thruster # 2 fractured. The VSL reported temporary repaired of the crack in well connection between foundation and thruster tunnel. Thruster is not going to be used. Class authorized them to sail with conditions that the VSL completed. Equipment failure.

Propulsion problems
December 8
Star Princess
Princess Cruises
Passengers that there is an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on the current cruise. The ship went from orange alert to red alert on December 7 and the conditions remain the same today. The ship is on an 18 day cruise from Civitavecchia to Fort Lauderdale (Dec 3 - 20).
Illness
December 7
Boudaccia
Fred Olsen
The cruise that began today had been branded by some as a cruise from hell -- the ship set sail for the two-week trip despite gale force winds. As it headed off to Cadiz in Spain, the Canary Islands and Casablanca in Morocco, the cruise floundered as storms lashed the ship and it was forced to head for Cherbourg. It was moored at the French harbour for three days as torrential rain lashed down. While in port a boat collided with the ship and made a massive hole just above the water line. Temporary repairs were made in Cherbourg and permanent repairs completed when the ship was in the Canary Islands.
Cruise from Hell
December 7
Norwegian Pearl
Norwegian Cruise Line
The ship reported 24 of 1097 (2.19%) crew and 335 of 2377  (14.09%) passengers had reported ill on a 8 day eastern Caribbean cruise from Miami. Illness
December 5
Lycianda
Blue Lagoon Cruises
The ship was on its way back to Lautoka when it was run aground in Rotuma by cyclone Daman. The ship suffered no damage to its hull, only minor damage to its rudders and propellers. Only crew was onboard at the time; there were no injuries. (Source: Fiji Times)
Aground
December 5
Empress of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
During a routine patrol of the K9 unit at Port Zante (St. Kitts),  a passenger was searched and a quantity vegetable material suspected to be cannabis and quantity of a white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine was found on his person. He was arrested, and investigations are ongoing. Drug Arrest onshore
December 4
Veendam
Holland America Line
The ship is continuing to have engine problems (see November 25) and according to a passenger missed San Juan on its current 14 day southern Caribbean cruise. In addition, the passenger writes: On this current cruise, a man collapsed in the Ocean Bar, and several calls were made to 911, including the bar staff, who went down to the front desk to plead for help. It took over 20 minutes for the paramedics to arrive. One of the bar staff then went down and yelled at the front desk and said “Thank you very much – the man has died!”
Engine problems
--
Missed port
December  3
Pride of America
NCL America
The ship broke several of the lines securing it to the pier while in port at Kahului (Maui). Given the wave action in the harbour, the ship cancelled its overnight stay on the island and departed to seek safety in the open ocean. December 5: Port call at Kona cancelled because of adverse weather conditions.
Broke docking  lines
December 3
Port of Los Angeles
The port was closed for about an hour when it appeared that a grenade was found in a disembarking cruise passenger's bag (the Diamond Princess and Monarch of the Seas were both in port). A Coast Guard explosives detection dog focused on the bag in a security sweep at about 8:30AM and an x-ray showed something inside that appeared to be the size and shape of a grenade. The object turned out to be a piece of coral. The port reopened at 10AM.
Port closed
December 2
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises
The Sunday Mail reports that passengers were offered compensation after the ship was battered by storms as it sailed from Bangkok (Nov. 18) to Beijing (Dec 4). Weather also caused the ship to miss several ports. The mix of rough seas, and extra days at sea and missing ports led to a near-mutiny on the part of a large group of passengers. The compensation was a gesture of goodwill, and as such it was modest.
Compensation
December 2
Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
Passengers returning from the most recent cruises say the ship continues to have electrical problems and is cruising at reduced speeds which is causing itinerary changes. (See November 15 below)
Electrical problems
December 2
M/S Aurora
Nile Cruise
Five Egyptians were killed and two wounded when a fire broke out in the engine room on the Nile cruise ship when it was anchored near the ancient Egyptian ruins of Luxor early this morning, forcing the evacuation of 43 French tourists. The five Egyptians who died were either trapped by flames as they tried to extinguish the blaze or drowned after falling into the river. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Fire
(Riverboat)
December 1
Fantasy
Carnival Cruise Lines
A 77 year old man from Hattiesburg, MS was discovered missing shortly after the ship docked at New Orleans at 4AM at the end of a 5 day cruise to Cozumel and Progresso.The man's room, which included a private balcony, was reported by the cruise line to have been locked from the inside and all of his belongings were left in his cabin. He had last been seen the previous evening at around 7PM when the ship was 28 miles from shore. The Coast Guard was notified at 10AM and a search undertaken of coastal waters. UPDATE:  The Hattiesburg American  reports the search was called off after a suicide note indicating the man was in poor health was found in his room.
Person missing
November 30
Norwegian Majesty
Norwegian Cruise Line
Newspapers in South Florida report that a 26 year old man was med evaced from the ship just outside Miami (on it was from Key West to Charleston, SC) this morning. The man reportedly fell 50 feet (from the eight floor to a deck below) on board the ship at about 4 AM and was treated onboard until onshore medical services could be secured. Details about the fall and his condition have not been reported, however there are reports that the man was intoxicated when the accident happened. (A similar accident occurred June 20 on the same ship ... see below)
Injury onboard
November 28
Explorer of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
Federal agents arrested a 50-year-old passenger on charges of transporting into the US Virgin Islands hundreds of anabolic steroids that were stashed in his cabin. Security staff aboard the ship had reported to federal officers that they suspected their passenger was transporting contraband leading agents to search the New Jersey man's cabin where they found about 380 tablets of methandrostenolone, a steroid commonly used by body builders.  The passenger  was taken into custody after the ship docked in Havensight; . The crime carries a sentence of up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum fine. SOURCE: Virgin Islands Daily News
Drug arrest
November 25
Veendam
Holland America Line
According to passengers on the 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean which ended today, there were engine problems that caused the ship to miss two ports: Key West and Cozumel. They did make the port calls at Belize and Guatemala. According to a passenger: Many guests are angry that the ship is experiencing so many problems, in addition to the engine problems, there was floodings, toilets did not work, and water was turned off several times. Engine problems
 --
Missed ports
November 24
Jewel of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
There was a small fire in the laundry room (deck 1 and 2) that was extinguished within an hour. Passengers were awakened by the 2:30 AM alert to crew, but there was no general call and passengers were not asked to leave their rooms. Some passengers report seeing thick smoke venting by the pool on deck 11. Apparently the only inconvenience, after things were brought under control, was that linens needed to be re-laundered to remove the smell of smoke.
Fire
November 23
Explorer
GAP Adventures
More than 150 passengers and crew (91 passengers, 9 expedition staff, 54 crew) on an Antarctica cruise abandoned ship near the South Shetland Islands, 120 km north of the Antarctica peninsula, after the ship hit an unidentified object (likely ice) which put a 5 - 6 hole through both hulls, took on water and listed 25 - 30 degrees and started sinking. A distress call was issued at about 3:30 AM GMT and passengers boarded lifeboats 90 minutes later in the dark.  After 4 or 5 hours in open lifeboats in active seas, passengers were transferred from life boats to Hurtigruten's Nordnorge which was in the area (it rescued passengers 10 months earlier when another ship went grounded in Antarctica January 30, 2007) . Air temperatures are around minus 5C; sea temperatures are minus 1C. Last word from the cruise ship's operator are that the ship has been stabilized and is not likely to sink, but this is disputed by news photos and reports. The ship left Ushuaia on November 11 for a 19 day cruise to the Drake Passage.  UPDATE 19:30GMT: The Chilean Navy has dispatched an icebreaker, Contraalmirante Oscar Viel Toro, to evaluate the condition of Explorer and to see if she can be righted/toed to King George Island (presently listing 45 - 50 degrees).  The passengers and crew will be spending the night at the island Chilean Navy base before flying to Punta Arenas in the morning. Chances are she could sink overnight as bad weather is forecast, but the Chilean Navy will be checking her over and maintaining a watch overnight. Ship sank overnight.  PICTURES HERE NOTE: Think about the environmental impact -- fuel oils, hydraulics, chemicals and substances in air conditioning and other systems, and arsenic and other harmful chemicals from televisions, computer screens, etc. The ship sank with 185,000 litres of fuel oil on board in addition to 1,000 litres of gasoline and 24,000 litres of lubricants. It left an oil stain five kilometers wide by eight km long. Abandon ship near Antarctica
---
Sank
---
Environmental
November 21 Carnival Legend
Carnival Cruise Lines
The Sun Sentinel reports the freewheel clutch failed on the #9 lifeboat davit system preventing the recovery of the launched lifeboat. It was determined that the cause of the failure was due to the failure of a tension spring located in the freewheel clutch, which is used to push the teeth of the clutch gear against the bushing during recovery operations. Without the spring, the teeth of the clutch gear cannot engage preventing the recovery of the lifeboat. The freewheel clutch is not necessary for the release of the lifeboat into the water. However, crewmembers could be injured or even killed during a lifeboat drill should a tension spring fail, releasing the manned lifeboat back into the water as it is in the process of being recovered. Material failure Lifeboat failure
November 21
Carnival Valor
Carnival Cruise Lines
The St. Thomas Source reports that passengers from the ship were on an open-air safari vehicle involved in an accident in which 29 people were injured and sent to hospital. One person was airlifted to Miami; another was under observation when the article was written. 15 of the injured were released from hospital by 8PM. According to the article, at about 3PM a utility truck was returning from a job when its brakes started to malfunction. The truck hit the safari bus -- loaded with 22 passengers from the cruise ship -- from the back. The truck tipped over on its side, crushing a red pickup truck and hitting a smaller white vehicle. Our thoughts go out to those who were injured.
Accident Onshore
November 20
Zaandam
Holland America Line
The ship reported  9 of 616 (1.3%) crew and 91 of 1371  (6.64%) passengers had reported ill on a 15 day Hawaii Circle cruise from San Diego. NOTE: Reported November 29 that 24 passengers reported ill on the subsequent cruise between the mainland and Hawai'i. The numbers did not exceed the 3% threshold to be classified as an outbreak. Illness
November 18
Discovery Sun
Discovery Cruise Line
49-year-old woman who was reported missing had been last seen at about 9:30 PM. She was in the lounge with her husband when she left to go smoke and never returned.The Broward Sheriff's Office and Coast Guard began its search at about 10:30 PM. The casino ship returned to Fort Lauderdale at the end of its cruise later in the night. The woman's body subsequently washed ashore in Florida the following morning around 7:30AM.
Missing passenger
November 18
Dream
Danielle Ship Management Ltd (Caspi Cruise Line)
Athens News Agency reports that the ship, which was detained in September in Rhodes and remains in port, for repairs, came loose from its moorings. It was only manned by a skeleton crew when it came loose and was adrift within the harbour, where there was a danger that it might collide with other vessels docked in harbour. The coast guard intervened and managed to tow the ship back with the help of three tug-boats.
Broke loose from mooring
November 18 Grand Mariner
American Canadian Caribbean Line
The ship reported 8  (24.20%) passengers had reported ill on a14 day cruise ending in Jacksonville. Illness
November 18
Norwegian Majesty
Norwegian Cruise Line
NCL's web site says the ship's arrival into Charleston been delayed by one day (arriving today instead of yesterday) and it will sail a revised six-day itinerary.  They cite several factor for the delay. On her return to Charleston, the ship came to the aid of a person in a sailboat who needed immediate medical attention. The passenger is currently being treated on board the ship. Also on the return, high winds and heavy seas necessitated the ship to operate at a reduced speed. In addition, planned maintenance during the ship's stay in Bermuda included the overhaul of a cylinder head on one of the main engines.  Unfortunately, after departure, a seal on the new unit developed a minor leak and required remedial work to correct it. Even if the engine had not had this issue, the ship would not be able to go any faster than the speed she is presently doing because of the heavy seas and strong wind conditions. To compensate guests for the missed cruise day, NCL will refund one-seventh of the cruise fare paid, issued as an on-board credit. In addition, they are extending a $50 per person on-board credit ($100 maximum per stateroom) as a gesture of goodwill.  And they are offering guests the option to cancel their cruise in which case cancellation fees will be waived. Delayed arrival / departure
November 17
Carnival Victory
Carnival Cruise Lines
A passenger has written to say that a crew member (a member of the entertainment staff) fell overboard this morning around 2:45AM. The ship reversed direction and he was rescued alive. He was taken to hospital when the ship returned to Miami, but he is not seriously injured (dehydration and hypothermia). The ship was on its way back to Miami from a seven day cruise of the Eastern Caribbean. This incident  has also been picked up on Cruise Critic.
Fall overboard
--
Rescued
November 15
Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The ship apparently had a power failure in the early morning and was assisted by a tug into Fort Lauderdale at the cruise's end. Departure of the next cruise, a 4 night cruise with scheduled stops in Key West and Cozumel, was delayed until midnight and Key West was dropped from the itinerary.  Also, rooms mid-ship reportedly do not have air conditioning.  UPDATE November 17 from a passenger: We made it to Cozumel. Ship has 50% propulsion. They gave each cabin $200 shipboard credit, and 25% of current fare off for future cruise. A lot of upset people, not only at itinerary change but sporadic A/C. Of the 2,300 cruising, 2,000 are first time Royal Caribbean cruisers.The Sun Sentinel reports while underway VSL experienced a complete electrical failure of the starboard side propulsion motor transformer T2 circuit breaker. VSL had an explosion inside of transformer, and experienced a black out and loss of power to the starboard propulsion. The explosion left the VSL only with port side propulsion.
Electrical problems - Explosion
--
Itinerary change
November 15
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises
The sailing of Legacy scheduled for November 17 has now been cancelled, as have the cruises on November 24 and December 3. It is unclear whether future cruises will sail or not, given the company's financial problems. The company's other ships remain idle.
Cancellations
November 14 Carnival Freedom
Carnival Cruise Lines
There was a fire in the linen room on deck-B. While there was smoke, and many towels and bath mats had combusted, the fire was quickly contained and there were no injuries. Fire
November 13
Pacific Dawn
P&O Australia
Two Australian citizens (aged 40 and 42) with a pedophile history were refused entry to New Caledonian by police in Noumea when they arrived on the ship. Noumea's daily newspaper says the two men from Perth were classified as possible re-offenders and put on a plane to return to Australia.  On October 23, New Caledonia deported another Australian man who had been convicted on multiple counts of raping minors in Australia.  The ship left Sydney November 9 on a two-week cruise of the South Pacific.
Passengers deported
November 13
Island Adventure
SeaEscape
The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a search for a crew member (an assistant cook) missing from the cruise ship. That missing crewman, identified as 44-year old Oliveiro Fernandes from India, is believed to have fallen overboard. He was reported missing after a crew check this morning, a search of the ship was fruitless. The crewman was last seen at 9:30 p.m.last night; the ship returned to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale around 12:15 a.m. this morning. Missing crewman
November 13
Artemis
P&O Cruises
A passenger on board the ship contacted the BBC to say the vessel was not allowed to land passengers in Tripoli on Tuesday morning for a planned day trip. A P&O spokeswoman said the vessel was heading to its next destination, Malta, earlier than scheduled. Cruise passengers and others have been  denied entry into the country since November 11, even if they have valid visas.
Cancelled port call
November 13
Sovereign of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The Bahama Journal reports that a 28 year old Nicaraguan man is standing trial accused of forcing himself on a 20 year old cruise passenger while she was asleep in a friend's cabin on March 7, 2007.  According to the article, the young woman had arrived in the Port of Nassau and shopped at the Straw Market that afternoon. She testified that after dropping off her packages at the cruise ship and enjoying a few drinks at Senor Frogs in downtown Nassau, she went to dinner with several of her friends. After dinner, she said she returned to the cabin with three of her friends and immediately went to sleep. She told the court she had no recollection of what happened between that time and when she awoke to discover she was naked from the waist down and the crew member was on top of her and had penetrated her. On November 19, the assailant was acquitted. The case is laid out in Bahama Journal articles, if you are interested in reading about the case.
Sexual assault
November 12
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Lines
Two separate passengers reported that the ship apparently had propulsion problems off the coast Puerto Rico -- as one person said, the ship is "parked in the ocean between Florida & San Juan" and that it appears unlikely they will arrive in San Juan at 5PM as scheduled." The ship did make it to San Juan, about an hour or so late. If additional details are received about the problem it will be posted. The 8-day Eastern Caribbean cruise began November 10 in Fort Lauderdale.
Engine problems
November 12
Aurora
P&O Cruises
A British newspaper reports that a 30 year old Indian waiter has been jailed for sexual assault of a 14 year old girl on a Mediterranean cruise. The court heard how the waiter, who befriended the girl while serving her family's table in the dining room, had persuaded the girl to follow him while she was waiting for a friend outside the restaurant one evening.  He led her around the ship to a toilet cubicle, locked the door and sexually assaulted her. He was sentenced to 15 months.
Child sexual assault
November 11
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian Cruise Line
A passenger disembarking today from the 14 day repositioning cruise from New York to Miami writes that the gastrointestinal outbreak that began on the previous cruise (see October 25) continued on this one. S/he writes: We were confined to our room for 5 days.  We were told people infected with this bug were spreading it by leaving their room.  I'm not sure how that could happen. There is no way you want to go anywhere as you can just about make it to the bathroom and back to bed. There are no words to describe how terrible this virus is.  It is nothing like any flu virus you have ever experienced.  We were extremely careful with regard to hygiene, washing our hands and sanitizing whenever possible, especially entering and exiting restaurants.  It was very obvious there was a problem onboard.  No salt and pepper shakers on tables, no sugar packs on tables.  These items were handled by tongs from the server.  No trays allowed at the buffet and you could not get your own drinks.  Always a crew member handling the cups or glasses for you.  Sanitizing measures were evident throughout the ship (thank God).  This ship needs to be dry docked for a few days to sanitize and disinfect everything.  Of course that won't happen.  It would be a loss of money.  People will continue to get sick.  It was a horrible experience and of course ruined our cruise.  We missed most of the ports and once we were cleared and allowed out of our room, the enthusiasm was gone. Illness
November 10
Lirica
MSC Cruises
The one week Mediterranean cruise scheduled for today has been cancelled in order to accommodate repairs to damage suffered by the vessel when it scraped the pier in Civitavecchia on November 2. The ship went into dry dock November 12 and is expected to depart, as scheduled on its transAtlantic cruise departing November 17. It arrives in Fort Lauderdale December 4.
Cancellation
November 9
Pride of Hawaii
NCL America
The ship reported that "about one-sixth of the 2500 passengers onboard had become ill this week with gastrointestinal illness."  The outbreak began after leaving Honolulu Harbour on Monday.  On Friday afternoon the cruise line said the illness had been confined to just the one ship -- its other two ships are not affected.   Passengers who became ill were asked along with their cab inmates to remain quarantined in their rooms for 24 hours.  Those passengers received a $200 on-ship credit. UPDATE November 12: The illness has been confirmed as norovirus and the company has lowered the number ill to 220.
Illness
November 8
Spirit of Nantucket
Cruise West
The ship's captain ran the vessel aground in Virginia Beach this morning to prevent it from sinking.  It had begun taking on water while passing through the Intercoastal Waterway after striking something at about 5:30 AM which left a 2 inch by 12 inch gash in the hull near the ned of the ship.  None of the 61 passengers or five crew members were as injured in the ship's evacuation.  The ship was on a ten day cruise from Alexandria, VA to Charleston, SC.  Passengers were given the choice of continuing their tour by bus or returning home with a refund for the remaining time of the cruise.
Grounded
November 8
Red Funnel Ferries
A 42 year old man went missing from the Isle of Wight passenger ferry. He was the only foot passenger aboard the 11:30PM ferry between East Cowes and Southampton (a one hour trip). The man's disappearance became known after the ferry docked at Southampton. His body was subsequently found in a search. It is unclear whether he fell overboard or intentionally jumped.
Person missing -- Body recovered
November 2
Norwegian Crown
Norwegian Cruise Line
A 42 year old passenger was reported in the Bermuda Sun to have pleaded guilty to importing 2.64 grams of cannabis and 1.18 grams of metamphetamine while aboard the ship.  Customs officials boarded the ship after receiving a security report of burning cannabis on one deck.  They located  the room, knocked, and the passenger admitted to having drugs.  He was fined $6000 by a Bermuda court.
Drug bust
November 2
Lirica
MSC Cruises
The ship was damaged in Civitavecchia when strong winds during the unmooring operation caused it to scrape the pier. An area between the bow and portside bulwarks was damaged. The company reported the collision to the Italian Coast Guard and classification society, and both inspected the vessel to guarantee its seaworthiness before sailing from Civitavecchia. The ship subsequently went into dry dock November 12 to repair the damage. Its final cruise of the Mediterranean season was cancelled to accommodate the repairs before the ship sails to the Fort Lauderdale for its winter season.
Scrapes pier and damage to hull
October 31
Costa Atlantica
Costa Crociere
A man reported his 40-year-old wife missing overnight.  An onboard search, and of surrounding waters, was unsuccessful.  The Eastern Mediterranean cruise was between Santorini and Katakolon (Olympia), Greece.  More details as they become available.
Person missing
October 31
Statendam
Holland America Line
Australia's The Age reports that the ship "...was damaged and came within seconds of running aground while entering Port Phillip Bay (Melbourne) without a pilot in board and without permission in December last year."  A top-level marine investigation of the December 6, 2006 incident found serious lapses by both the ship and the Port of Melbourne.  Despite compulsory pilotage, the ship continued toward the port and traveled at a speed well above the recommended limit.  The port was criticized for not challenging the ship's entry into the port.  One of the ship's stabilizer fins had been damaged; a full grounding had been narrowly averted.
Near-grounding
October 29
Radiance of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
Passenger's disembarkation  was delayed four hours because of a staffing problem onshore which delayed the screening of disembarking passengers as Lahaina (Maui).  The ship was on a 14 day cruise from Los Angeles.  It previously had to skip its call at Hilo because of 50-knot winds off the Big Island.
Delayed disembarkation
October 26
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian Cruise Line
The CDC reported on October 25 that 15 of 1061 (1.41%) crew and 149 of 2169  (6.85%) passengers had reported ill on a 12 day Atlantic Canada cruise from New York. Illness
October 26 Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Lines
The Sun Sentinel reports that while underway the VSL Gyro compass system failed because of the block of the processor of the interface PCB Card. This failure caused the loss of communication with the Gyro compass for the following navigation equipment; autopilot, digital repeaters, bearing repeaters, steering repeaters, and magnetic compass repeaters. 26 OCT 07 VSL was issued a letter of deviation. 27 OCT 07 VSL completed repairs. Equipment failure. Steering problems
October 25
Norwegian Star
Norwegian Cruise Line
The following was posted by a passenger at Cruise Critic (the ship is on an 8 day Mexican Riviera cruise to/from Los Angeles):  Well we were at the pool, got some sun...beautiful day! Went back to our state room to make some drinks and we were enjoying watching a huge whale and lots of dolphins.....
when all of the sudden the ship tilted!  Not a little....ALOT   We were listing over and our bar set up and everything in our room flew on the floor! Including the coffee maker!  The ship was finally righted, you could hear passengers screaming. The captain came on and said everything was ok.....he seemed a bit out of breath.  Today he made a formal announcment...something to affect human error...and promised it would not happen again...the waiters were saying they had never had it happen before....plates and food and drinks flying everywhere....visions of the Poseidon adventure and titanic flashed by me!  everyone on board is talking about it. I guess some people were hurt. I don't know all the details....WOW!
Severe List (Tilt)
October 25
Ecstasy
Carnival Cruise Lines
The ship's departure from Pregreso was delayed because of weather and as a result its return to Galveston was 5 hours late -- 9 PM instead of 4PM.  Embarkation of the following 4 night cruise was also delayed.  That cruise will substitute the port call at Cozumel with a stop at Progreso; passengers will receive a $100  onboard credit. 
Delayed arrival / departure
October 23
Pacific Star
P&O Australia
A 43-year-old man was arrested on the island of Lifou (New Caledonia) and deported because he was on a list of sex offenders provided to border police in the territory.  The man been convicted in Australia on a dozen counts of raping and fondling children; he did not alert Australia authorities upon leaving Australia, as required by law.  The ship was on a seven day cruise from Brisbane -- it had visited Noumea (New Caledonia) the day before and was en route from Lifou to Vanuatu.
Passenger deported
October 18
Pacific Sun
P&O Australia
According to ABC News in Australia,  A teenage girl is in a stable condition in a Hunter Valley hospital with a suspected case of meningococcal disease, which she may have contracted while on a Pacific Islands cruise aboard the ship from October 1 to 11. Close contacts of the girl believed to be at highest risk of contracting the disease have been contacted, but the risk to other cruise ship passengers is believed to be very low. Illness
October 17
Serenade of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The ship will return about six hours late to San Diego from its 15 night Hawaii cruise ending on October 20.  The delay is caused by a medical evacuation emergency which required the ship to backtrack back toward Honolulu in order for the ship to be close enough for a helicopter to meet the ship.
Delayed arrival
October 15
Stena Voyager
Stena Line
An alarm was sparked after a fire broke out on a Stranraer to Belfast ferry carrying about 600 passengers and crew.  The fire, in a sealed turbine unit in the engine room, was put out by an automatic system. Life jackets were given to everyone on board in accordance with safety procedures and the ferry continued its journey. Nobody was injured.  The incident was brought under control within less than an hour. Fire
October 4 Grandeur of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International

The Sun Sentinel reports at 1402 hrs while transiting to the Port of Baltimore the passenger vessel GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS experienced a material failure. Specifically the starboard side propulsion motor No. 1 tripped. The classification society report indicated that the interconnect jumper between bottom coils #4 and #5 were found burnt and disconnected. The damaged sections were removed and repairs were made. A work order from CONVERTEAM indicates that maintenance was conducted on the motor in April 2007 (see ECN 3076866-02-WTD). Also a maintenance report shows that an inspection was done in August 2007 with no problems found (see ECN 3076866-03-WTD pg 4). There are no indications as to why the failure occurred. The vessel has two independent propellers powered by a propulsion motor on each propeller. After the loss of one motor the vessel continued the transit with the one propulsion motor and propeller.

Propulsion problems / material failure
October 3 Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International

The Sun Sentinel reports a water leak developing that affected the emergency switchboard and gradually blacked out most of the consumers supplied through the emergencyswitchboard, including radars. After that, when the VSL was approaching the Port, it lost steering control, followed by loss of propulsion control, gyro, speed log, GPS, and ECDIS for 3 minutes. VSL dropped the starboard anchor, and gained shortly after control of the propulsion and the steering. This incident happen because the VSL was running on batteries for 3 hours, instead of main generator; because crewmembers did not reset the switch. VSL make the repairs needed, and the equipment is working properly.

Loss of steering
October
Pacific Star
P&O Australia
There was apparently a small fire in an electrical panel that caused a mustering of crew to prepare for a possible emergency. The source of the smoke/fire was located and brought under control. (See You Tube)
Fire
September 30
Oceana
P&O Cruises
A 67 year old woman died after going missing overboard on a 2 night cruise from Southampton to Zeebrugge return.  Her husband reports that she was last seen at 5:45 AM; police were notified at 7AM.  The ship was approaching Southampton when she went missing -- her body was recovered at Thyrne Channel in the Solent near Cowes (Isle of Wight). A subsequent coroner's inquest was unable to conclude a cause of the death -- it is left with an open verdict. Person overboard -- Body recovered
September 27
Island Star
Island Cruises
The cruise was cancelled after engines failed off the coast of France, plunging the ship into darkness.  Passengers were ferried to shore by the ship's tenders.  The ship first experienced problems as it left Genoa -- emergency repairs were apparently not enough.  The following cruise, scheduled to leave from Palma on September 29 was cancelled in order to accommodate repairs.
Engine failure - cruise cancelled
September 29
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises
All cruises were cancelled, at least through October 21, while the company searches for a viable plan to continue.  The company has experienced severe financial difficulty, with fierce divisions and legal battles among the family members who control the company.The 55-year-old company operates four ships ranging is size from 64 to 130 passengers.
Cruises cancelled
September 22
Norwegian Spirit
Norwegian Cruise Line
The ship's departure from New York City was delayed 3 hours following a bomb threat called into 911 -- the call was determined to be a hoax.  The ship was departing on a one-night cruise to nowhere,.
Bomb Threat
September 22
Aurora
P&O Cruises
More than a dozen passengers were told not to disembark in Halifax while Canadian officials investigated a possible outbreak of Norovirus.  Health Canada officials took tests of about 20 people suffering from acute gastroenteritis.  There have been no subsequent updates.
Illness
September 18
Dream
Danielle Ship Management Ltd (Caspi Cruise Line)
The ship was detained in Rhodes for spilling waste in the harbour -- it has been charged with willfully polluting the environment.  An inspection by port authorities found that the ship's waste tanks had overflowed and caused it to list 10 degrees to its side.  The ship's tanks held 3000 tons of waste which would take up to a week to remove.  UPDATE OCT 3:  340 crew members have remained stranded onboard the ship and have requested assistance with food and water.  The 930 Israeli passengers continued their voyage from Rhodes on charter aircraft.
Environmental
--

Ship Detained
September 18
Black Prince
Fred Olsen
A 29-night round trip voyage from Liverpool was cut short following damage to the ship's propeller.  Two subsequent cruises have also been cancelled to allow for repairs.  The ship was on its homeward leg while in the Corinth Canal when it sustained the damage; the decision to end the cruise was made after divers in Algeciras found more extensive damage than had originally been assessed.  The ship will proceed to dry dock for repairs.
Damaged Propeller -- Cruise Cancelled
September 17 Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International

The Sun Sentinel reports while in operation the number 1 Ship's service generator had an explosion on the Turbo Blower. Chief Engineer secured generators in that space and immediately release High Fogs. Ship remained in full operational condition with three available generators. SEC MIA inspectors and investigators on scene. DNV gave them permission to continue with the same itinerary, and they have thirty days to make the repairments. 1

Generator explosion
September 17
Elation
Carnival Cruise Lines
A San Diego grocer filed suit against a fellow passenger following an incident where the plaintiff was allegedly pushed down a flight of stairs several hours after sailing from San Diego.  The defendant was reported to have been confined to his room for the remainder of the five-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera from San Diego.
Pax on pax assault
September 17 Constellation
Celebrity Cruises
The ship's departure from Falmouth was delayed 2 hours because of several accidents involving tour busses.  Here is what was sent from a passenger's Blackberry:  There were 4 accidents involving tour buses:  1) bus hit a car which caught on fire; 2) Another bus hit a car and the car's driver stopped in front of the bus and acted very threatening to the passengers;  3) A independent mini excursion bus was sideswiped by a large tour bus severely damaging the sides of both buses; 4) following that accident, the mini bus ran over the foot of a pedestrian which was badly crushed.  As a result of these incidents the ship left port 2 hours late but was still able to reach Dublin on time. I don't believe any Constellaion passengers were injured.
Delayed departure
September 16
Pride of America
NCL America
The ship discharged a small amount of what appeared to be diesel fuel into Hilo Harbour, according to the state harbourmaster for the Big Island.  The spill, estimated at 10 gallons, was contained and mopped up but still left a sheen.
Environmental
September 8
QE II
Cunard Line
The ship set sail today following a 24 hour delay in Dubrovnik caused by a mechanical fault.  The ship was mid-way through a two week cruise of the Mediterranean.  The round trip cruise from Southampton began August 31 and will disembark September 15.
Mechanical problems -- Delayed in port
September 2
Freedom of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
Disembarkation from the ship was delayed four hours after security screeners spotted what they thought was a grenade in the luggage of a passenger onboard the ship.  Passengers were not allowed to disembark and the Terminal was evacuated.  When the bomb squad unit arrived, they determined the item was not a real grenade but a child's belt buckle shaped like a grenade.  Passengers were finally allowed to disembark at 11:30 AM.
Bomb scare
September 1 Carnival Spirit
Carnival Cruise Lines
The Sun Sentinel reports at 0840, a crewmember aboard the P/V CARNIVAL SPIRIT was cutting apart a barrel when the residue inside the barrel exploded tearing apart the barrel and injuring the welder. The drum was brought to a marshaling area outside of the welding shop to be offloaded at the next home port call. The drum was onboard as a result of an irregularly scheduled maintenance on the ship's sewage treatment system. It contained Isopropyl Alcohol. Over a week before the explosion, a conversation between the Chief Motorman and a Welder revealed the need for an open top drum to hold scrap bits of metal. This conversation took place and then no more interaction on the subject took place. On the day of the explosion, the welder selected a drum from the marshalling area, moved it into the welding shop and then began cutting the top off with a plasma torch. The vapor inside the drum was too rich with alcohol to cause a fire but as air and alcohol started mixing the air fuel mixture became ideal and the drum exploded. The drum was heavily damage as was the arm of the welder when parts from the drum were propelled at the welder. The welding compartment was damaged slightly by the explosion, mostly in broken light fixtures and then by water from the activated fire suppression system. Explosion / crew member injured
August 30
Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
Reported by a passenger:  Shortly after leaving Belize, about 4:30 in the afternoon, Bravo Bravo Bravo was called for a room on the 4th Deck (4550-something).  From our balcony, starboard all the way forward, we could smell acrid smoke.  We were still under pilot navigating the channel through the barrier reef and we came to a stop.  Captain Ban immediately made informational announcements and asked our cooperation in keeping the area clear. Shortly thereafter, we started moving again. About 30 minutes later it was announced that the fire was out, and that the area would be reopened as soon as cleanup was done.  Later an announcement was made that the fire had started in a closet, and that they were investigating the exact cause - the cabin was not occupied at the time the alarms went off.  We passed through that area this morning to debark, and there was still quite a bit of smoke odor, and many persons working in that area.  The ship was on a five night western Caribbean cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale. The Sun Sentinel reports a fire onboard the VSL that started on cabin # 4544. Fire was extinguished without any other casualty. A faulty lifejacket light is suspected to be the reason for starting the fire. The fire was extinguished in six minutes, and left no major damage to the VSL. DNV attended VSL to examine and verify replacement lights on all life jackets. Examination on scene indicated that fire originated in Storage locker wardrobe where life jackets were stored in that passenger cabin. SEP 26, 2007 SEC MIA received the fallowing correspondence; DNV Survey report # 02, Examination certificate, and a Preliminary Marine Fire report from Royal Caribbean Cruises with the following preliminary conclusions; initial findings indicated that the Danyang Brand lifejacket lights are the sources of at least two of the fires onboard the VSL. Fire
August 30
Salamis Glory
Salamis Lines
The Cypriot cruise ship and an Israeli freighter collided in Haifa habour -- the freighter sunk and two of the 16 crew members went missing; their bodies were recovered later.  There were no injuries on the cruise ship, however it has been detained in Haifa until problems in its navigation system, which apparently caused the crash, are fixed. 
Collision
August 28 Oosterdam
Holland America Line
The Sun Sentinel reports was underway when an overspeed tripped a generator off line causing blackout. Electrical power restored after one minute and propulsion restored after 17 minutes. Cause of casualty unknown although a stuck fuel rack is a possiblity. The problem could not be re-created for troubleshooting purposes. Loss of power and propulsion
August 28
Millennium
Celebrity Cruises
Cruise Critic reports that about 250 people have been affected by norovirus on the present 12 night cruise out of Barcelona.  Celebrity has confirmed the outbreak and says 176 of the ship's 2,242 guests [8 percent] and 22 of its 957 crew members [2 percent] experienced the illness. Illness
August 26
Norwegian Crown
Norwegian Cruise Line
The ship was due to return to New York City this afternoon, but a problem with the ship's starboard propeller shaft has caused reduced speed and will delay arrival almost 24 hours ... now arriving between 6 and 8AM on Monday morning.  The next cruise is expected to embark one day late (at 4PM) on a revised itinerary.  Passengers on the shortened cruise will be refunded one-seventh of their cruise fare plus receive a 10% future cruise credit on the cruise fare paid.  UPDATE AUGUST 27:   Necessary repairs will take longer than anticipated -- the ship will now depart on Tuesday afternoon.  Passengers on the shortened cruise will be refunded one-half of their cruise fare plus receive a 20% future cruise credit on the cruise fare paid. NCL will also refund government taxes and fees of approximately $34 to the guest's on-board account. Delayed arrival / departure
August 26
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Lines
A poster at Cruise Critic describes her "cruise from hell" on the eight day cruise ending today which embarked/disembarked from Fort Lauderdale.  She says there was a large group of 700-800 who over ran the ship and dominated most of the public areas either by design or intimidation by their behavior. My family never was able to use the Victoria lounge, the disco, the teen disco, the arcade, a large portion of the promenade deck. Carnival allowed this group to have private access to the Victoria Lounge every night, therefore denying use of this area to all other passengers.  The other areas mentioned were off limits to the other passengers on this trip because the behavior of the individuals who occupied it was so terrifying that all other passengers avoided these areas. My teen age daughters were so fearful of what went on this ship that after dinner they spend it in their cabin watching movies.  Some of the behaviors that I witnessed firsthand: drug sales; lying in wait in hall ways and on elevators and intimidating other passengers who wanted to use these areas; running, shoving and pushing fellow passengers on the promenade deck, and on the stair case in the lobby (I was shoved down the stairs by a group who were running down the spiral staircase -- After I fell they turned back and laughed); standing on furniture, placing chairs in front of doors in the teen disco and “locking” other youngsters in; on 2 separate evenings, a full blown riot on the promenade deck, involving at least 40-50 individuals who were fighting throwing furniture, punches, filthy language and breaking a bottle to use a weapon -- the entire security staff was called, bar tenders left their stations, officers arrived to break up the fight.; running and screaming in the corridors at all hours of the night; and a group of 10-20 individuals  doing laundry all night all while smoking and drinking, and laughing yelling so loud I could hear every word in my bed.  The staff of the Liberty was either unable or unwilling to enforce any limitations on the individuals in these groups. I spoke to a high ranking crew member who informed me that these passengers paid for their cruise and there was nothing they could do.  NOTE: Group cruises are occasionally a problem -- there was one on Carnival including swingers and one on Royal Caribbean including bears that got considerable attention last year.
Cruise from Hell
August 25
Celebration
Carnival Cruise Lines
The Coast Guard evacuated the terminal at Jaxport Saturday afternoon at about 12:45 PM because of a bomb scare. A bomb-sniffing dog came across something suspicious and a bomb squad was brought to the scene to investigate. During that time, no one was being allowed to board and people already on the ship were not allowed off.   Shortly after 6PM, the problem was identified (the dogs had singled out some bags later found to contain some type of heart medication.  The ship had been scheduled to depart at 4PM, heading to Key West and Nassau, Bahamas for a five-day cruise.  A statement from Carnival said the cruise was expected to leave at 10 p.m. and passengers were given a $15 ship credit for their trouble. Bomb scare
August 25
Regal Princess
Princess Cruises
Posters at Cruise Critic report that someone had fallen overboard, the ship circled and then came to a complete stop. Life boats went into the water and all the ships lights were pointed to the water.  It was subsequently determined that this was a false alarm.  The ship was between Hilo and Kona on a 15 day cruise of Hawaii embarking/disembarking in Los Angeles.
False alarm of person overboard
August 23
Brilliance of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
A reader reports that there was suspicion of a person overboard this evening.  A search of the ocean (Mediterranean) was undertaken and passengers were later asked to return to their staterooms so a full count of passengers/crew could be completed.  The following morning passengers were told that no passengers were missing.
False alarm of person overboard
August  23
Sensation
Carnival Cruise Lines
A passenger on the four day cruise ending today writes that there was a group onboard and many of the lounges/discos were closed at night for the private party. The ship looked like someone used it as their own personal garbage can (half eaten apples thrown in the stairwell, drinking glasses). I watched one woman argue (VERY loudly) with a bartender that since someone spilled her drink, HE should give her a free drink. He ended up giving it to her just to get her to shut up.  We couldn't walk up the stairs with our children without these passengers CHASING each other down them at top speed, running through the halls, knocking on cabin doors. And then to top it off, someone defecated in the CHILDREN'S pool and all who saw it swear it was an ADULT who did it. Unruly group
August 23
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises
The Wall Street Journal reports that the company has had labour problems the past few weeks, largely because workers had not been paid and went on strike (resulting in last minute cancellation of cruises).  The company also has other cash flow problems, however it appears that Windjammer is being bought by TAG Virgin Islands Corp and when the sale is complete things should settle down.
Cancellations
August 23
Brilliance of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
From a reader in Civitavecchia:  I was boarding the Legend of the Seas yesterday around 1:45pm, when a freak storm rolled in from the West.  The Brilliance of the Seas was on the opposite side of the harbour.  Once the winds picked up, we noticed the ship list a lot to the port side and   eventually the aft mooring ropes snapped. The aft of the ship swung out to the middle of the harbour.  The biggest problem is that there was another ferry coming at the same time.  The captain on that ferry attempted to turn the ship a 180 to avoid hitting the Brilliance and nearly hit the Legend while it's attempt.  At the end of the day, apparently, nobody was hurt, however both gangways for the Brilliance fell in the water and divers were contacted to attempt to locate them. 
"Near miss"
August 22 Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The Sun Sentinel reports lifeboat number seventeen caught on fire while the VSL was underway. The space was secured for maintenance before the fire started. The fire was controlled by using regular water hoses. There was no PAX or crew injured. SEC MIA on scene conducted an investigation to determine the cause of the incident. The life boat was taken out of service and the company's spare lifeboat was placed onboard as a temporary replacement. SEP 26, 2007 SEC MIA received a preliminary marine fire report from Royal Caribbean Cruises with the following preliminary conclusions; initial findings indicated that the Danyang Brand lifejacket lights are the source of at least two of the fires onboard the VSL. Fire
August 19
Spirit of Columbia
Cruise West
The ship ran aground in Prince William Sound after getting too close to shore for bear watching --  it went "soft aground" at low tide near Evans Island at about 10 a.m.  "Soft aground" means the ship essentially was stuck in the mud.  It refloated as the tide came in and by 2 p.m. was headed back to Whittier.
"Soft" Grounded
August 16
Zuiderdam
Holland America Line
9-passengers (7 of whom were on a Holland America cruise) were on board when a flightseeing aircraft went down in Traitor's Cove (near Ketchikan), just 200-feet from the water. 5-people were killed.  3 of the 4-surviving victims were medevaced to a hospital in Seattle.  The cause of the crash is under investigation – State Troopers say high winds could have been a factor and they said darkness and worsening weather ended recovery efforts on Thursday night.
Flightseeing plane crash
August 16
Norwegian Crown
Norwegian Cruise Line
Forty passengers and two crew members sought medical assistance after experiencing symptoms that include stomach cramps and nausea.  The Bermuda Department of Health took water samples to be tested.  The ship is expected to depart Bermuda for New York City on Friday afternoon. FROM A PASSENGER:  Beside this being the rudest crew ever I got the NORO virus. They gave us a "post card" for an I am sorry. Yet they refused to refund tour tickets (because 48 hours notice was not given).  We were sick for 5.5 days out of 7 days and quarantined. Even if we felt like it, we were not allowed to leave our room. In addition room service REFUSED to serve me. My family first needs a vacation now.
Illness
August 15 Norwegian Star
Norwegian Cruise Line
The Sun Sentinel reports at 1027, the NORWEGIAN STAR suffered a total blackout while moored in Skagway, AK. The blackout was caused by a short in a transformer cabinet tripping the circuit. The emergency generator shortly after power loss. The Chief Electrician and his staff found the short circuit and isolated it. Power was fully restored at 1210. The flashover of the bus bars was caused by moisture from an overhead pipe getting into an electrical substation through a ventilation hatch. The parts needed to complete repairs were some bus bar isolators and current transformers. This was ordered from the switch board manufacturer for about $2111.55. Loss of electrical power
August 13
Oriana
P&O Cruises
Whilst in Corfu the ship's crew carried out an exercise that involved lowering a ships tender with 5 crew members onboard.  When winching the tender back up, the lifting eye broke and the tender swung down breaking the other eye and plunged into the water. One crew member was rushed to hospital with severe crush injuries (spleen etc.) and 3 others were treated in the ship's medical centre.  Efforts to lift the stricken tender back on to the bow of the Oriana failed so it was in Corfu. Crew accident
August 12
Carnival Pride
Carnival Cruise Lines
The ship was delayed for two hours on Sunday after a "suspicious" boat was spotted near the ship. Crew members reported a 15- to 18-foot-long metal skiff loitering near the front end of the Carnival Pride at 11:30 a.m. Witnesses said the skiff had three men and one woman aboard, and was towing a small, bright orange inflatable dingy. One of the people aboard reportedly dove into the water near the pier's pilings and was observed by a witness pulling himself back into the boat. The vessel left the area before authorities arrived. The Port Operations Dive Group searched the pier and cruise ship hull but found nothing suspicious. The cruise ship departed at 6 p.m. Sunday. Security
August 11
Jules Verne
Vision Cruises of Alicante
The 550-passenger ship, which rescued 14 African migrants from rough seas and brought them to Malta, resumed its cruise heading for the port of Barcelona, skipping Sardinia (its next scheduled port call) because of the delay incurred bringing the migrants to Malta. The ship had plucked the migrants out of the water some 60 miles south of Malta and also escorted another boat with some 220 people believed to be African migrants until a Maltese coast guard vessel was able to take charge. The 550-passenger ship dropped the migrants off in Valletta’s Grand Harbour some 13 hours later than scheduled. They were received by Malta's immigration police and detained. The majority of the ship’s passengers were reported to have appreciated what happened and agreed that the ship had to give humanitarian help. Changed itinerary
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Refugee rescue
August 8
Mariner of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
According to The Daily Herald, The criminal session in the Court of First Instance in Phillipsburg today was devoted entirely to the so-called Mariner of the Seas case. All nine suspects on trial allegedly were involved in the import and export of drugs through the US-based cruise ship carrying this name. Authorities uncovered and intercepted a major drug smuggling operation on May 17, in which Mariner of the Seas was allegedly used to import marijuana into St. Maarten from Aruba and to transport large quantities of cocaine to Miami, Florida. Drug case
August 8
Alexey Maryshev
Seventeen tourists and a Russian sailor were injured Wednesday, four of them seriously, when the Russian cruise ship "Alexey Maryshev" came too close to Hornbreen glacier on Svalbard and a block of ice fell onto the ship's deck.  The injured were flown by helicopter to the hospital at Longyearbyen, and the two seriously injured were flown to the University Hospital in Tromsoe during the night, Pax injured
August 8
Pacific Star
P&O Australia
Hundreds of passengers are stranded at Auckland's Princes Wharf and the plug was pulled on its planned departure on Tuesday (August 7) afternoon.   P&O says the ship has been delayed due to maintenance work (a corroded ventilation pipe) and that it will depart Wednesday evening (30 hours later than planned). Because of the delay a call at Mystery Island in Vanuatu has had to be cancelled.The company is apologizing for the late departure and says every passenger will receive an on-board credit as compensation.  UPDATE 5AM August 9 (NZ time):   According to the New Zealand Herald, as of 12:30AM the ship has still not departed.  There have also been problems with toilets not working.  Update 7AM August 9 (NZ time):  The cruise has now been cancelled.  Passengers will receive a full refund and a 25% credit toward a future cruise.  The cruise was to have ended in Brisbane.  Delayed departure
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Cancellation
August 7
Thomson Spirit
Thomson Cruises
Ocean Majesty
Page and Moy
The two ships collided in the Greanger fjord (Norway) on Tuesday afternoon at the two were berthing.  The damage is reported as slight with some lifeboats and davits taking the brunt of the slow collision.  There are reports online that passengers on the Ocean Majesty have been sent home as repairs would take three days..
Collision
August 7
Pacific Sun
P&O Australia
A 31-year-old man was found unconscious in a toilet cubicle in the early hours of the morning while the cruise ship was at sea.   He was removed and treated by medical personnel but could not be revived. The ship returned to Noumea, where New Caledonian authorities boarded and began investigating. A spokeswoman for the New Caledonian Police Aux Frontieres (PAF), or border police, said they were not ready to release the results of their inquiries.  Local media reported the PAF had interviewed three passengers who had spent the night with the man.  New Caledonian authorities carried out an initial post-mortem examination, but a further autopsy will be conducted when the vessel returns to Sydney, the NSW police spokeswoman said.    Pax death
August 4
Carnival Glory
Carnival Cruise Lines
Passengers on the seven day cruise ending today at Port Canaveral indicate the ship was forced to return to Port Canaveral, less than six hours after departure, to med-evac a 16-year-old passenger who had been injured diving headfirst into one of the pools.  A passenger also wrote that during the day at sea on the way back (3rd of August) the ship came awfully close to Cuba- so close that you could make out the shoreline in the distance and they sent out 3 boats to patrol the border.  Also on the way back the ship appeared to be sailing at reduced speed and there was shaking and it was very rough despite the seas being calm. The ship skipped Nassau (the last port of call -- August 3).  Missed port
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?Engine problems?
August 2
Carnival Victory
Carnival Cruise Lines
The ship struck a pier overhang while docking on the west side of Manhattan, closing down 12th Avenue near 56th Street and causing backups on the Henry Hudson Parkway.  There were no reported injuries.  The ship was completing a 4-day round-trip cruise to Saint John, New Brunswick and was supposed to disembark passengers at 8 a.m. It was unclear which pier the ship was actually docking at when the accident occurred. Struck pier
August 2 Carnival Miracle
Carnival Cruise Lines
The Sun Sentinel reports that due to wear and tear on the hook of the wedge house from the no. 1 rescue boat, it was taken out of service. Vessel substituted the no. 1 rescue boat with no. 1 tender boat. All respective crews have been trained and briefed of the change. Material failure. Lifeboat failure
August 1
Pride of America
NCL America
Residents of Kailua-Kona report that for 20 minutes the ship discharged water they believe to have been sewage -- there were reports of odour,  feces, and debris floating in the ocean.  The cruise line claims the discoloured water was from either rinsing off the anchor when it was raised or testing its fire pumps.  Local residents are skeptical about the explanation because the sea bottom there sand and the fire pumps doesn't explain the debris and odour in the water.
?Environmental?
August 1
Carmen del Mar
Iscomar Ferries
Spanish officials impounded the vessel after its owners failed to inform the Maritime Authorities that the ship had hit a marker buoy when it was setting off from Ibiza early on Wednesday. The Alicante newspaper, Información, reports that the vessel is to remain in Ibiza until a new order comes allowing it to leave.  The ferry was held in port in Dénia in early July for health and safety reasons, after inspectors discovered cockroaches in the fridges of the ship’s kitchen, and only half its life rafts operational.
Impounded
July 28
Mariner of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
There was a fire on deck 0 in the incinerator.  Smoke could be smelled on some decks but the captain made a quick announcement that they were investigating and no one was allowed to smoke until further notice - he came back on to report that the fire was completely put out and smoking was now allowed.  There was no disruption of the cruise, which was on its last night of a seven night Eastern Caribbean cruise to/from Port Canaveral.
Fire
July 28
HD1
HD Ferries
The ferry collided with a Condor ferry when it was coming into dock at St Helier to drop off passengers.  It was attempting to turn around and hit the hull of the docked Condor ferry which was loading passengers and cars.  HD1 was left with several holes above the water line and the Condor ferry has slight scratches to its hull. This is the second ferry collision since HD Ferries started its Channel Island service to France in March.  An HD ferries captain resigned in May after HD1 collided with a Condor ferry in Jersey's harbour (see May 11 on Events by Ferries Page). An investigation found the performance of the captain was not satisfactory.
Collision
July 28
Black Watch
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
The ship, with 700 passengers, was quarantined at Stockholm after an outbreak of Legionnaires disease onboard.  Seven elderly passengers were taken to hospital while the remaining passengers were not allowed to go ashore.  The ship was disinfected and then left on its return voyage to the UK, returning to Dover two days earlier than originally scheduled.  Tests onboard the ship have not yet located the source of the illness; there is suspicion that the source may have been onshore.
Illness
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Legionnaires
July 27
Aqua Jewel
Alpha Ferries
Some 850 passengers were safely evacuated at the port of Rafina (30 km east of Athens) after a minor collision with a smaller ship.  About 75 passengers were on board the smaller ferry involved in the incident, the Evia Star, and also safely disembarked.  The Evia Star was reversing into the dock when it scraped the side of the Aqua Jewel, causing slight damage to the side of the Aqua Jewel. The damage is currently being repaired, and most of the passengers were placed on other ferries.
Collision
July 25
Delta Queen
Majestic America Line
The ship made an unplanned stop at the Demopolis (Alabama) Yacht Basin to make needed mechanical repairs. The overnight stop allowed the passengers to participate in an extended tour of the city.   as well as providing an economic boost to the business community.
Unscheduled Stop
July 24
Sun Princess
Princess Cruises
A sightseeing plane with a pilot and four cruise ship passengers (2 sisters and their husbands) crashed in steep Alaska terrain and all were killed.  The floatplane left Ketchikan (Alaska) Tuesday afternoon for a tour over Misty Fiords National Monument.  The ship was on the second day of a 7-day roundtrip cruise from Seattle.
Shore Excursion Plane Crash
July 19
Pride of America
NCL America
KITV in Honolulu reports that 21 crew members on the ship tested positive for tuberculosis.  The tests were conducted last month following a case where another worker had been diagnosed with the illness (click here for details).  He left the ship on May 22.  Health officials claim the people have a latent form of TB that is not contagious, however the watchdog group EnviroWatch is skeptical of the claim and suggests the health department is covering up the TB outbreak to protect the cruise industry.
Illness
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Tuberculosis
July 17 Carnival Miracle
Carnival Cruise Lines
The Sun Sentinel reports that due to wear and tear on the hook of the wedge house from the no. 1 rescue boat, it was taken out of service. Vessel substituted the no. 1 rescue boat with no. 1 tender boat. All respective crews have been trained and briefed of the change. Material failure. Lifeboat failure
July 13
Pacific Star
P&O Australia
According to New Zealand Herald, passengers were so ill as the ship was battered by storms off Auckland that they have been given free doctors' visits and $100 vouchers. About 1000 passengers left Auckland on Tuesday for an eight-night cruise and were hit by the atrocious conditions. People on board reported passengers being sick and damage to the boat by swells of up to 10m.  One passenger said the dream trip to Vanuatu had started like the holiday from hell. P&O Cruises spokeswoman Sandy Olsen said some of the ship's external windows and doors, as well as its television satellite equipment, were damaged in the storm. Conditions were so bad the ship has cancelled a planned stopover in Lifou, New Caledonia, and will head straight for Vila to make its scheduled Friday night stopover.  UPDATE July 15:  The ship has arrived in Vanuatu and a decision made to cancel the remainder of the cruise.  Some of the ship's windows and external doors were damaged along with it's satellite equipment during the unusually bad weather conditions encountered.  The Pacific Star will sail to Brisbane without passengers onboard and be put into dry dock for further inspection and repairs.  Passengers will receive a full refund plus a 25% discount on a future cruise.  The cruise scheduled for July 18 has also been cancelled and the same compensation provided to affected passengers.
Sail into Storm
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Cancellation
July 13
SunCruz Jacksonville
SunCruz Casinos
An investigation was initiated after a former shipboard employee tested positive for tuberculosis.  While tests of his family members cam back negative, tests of 126 employees on the cruise ship identified 8 more workers who tested positive for tuberculosis.  These individuals will undergo further tests and possibly be referred for medical treatment.
Illness
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Tuberculosis
July 12
SunCruz Jacksonville
SunCruz Casinos
A 93 year old man was attacked and beaten with a cane in a bathroom onboard the ship.  He appeared to be targeted in part because of his age, but also because of his winnings (he had $1500 in his wallet).  The man was hospitalized briefly and then released.
Passenger assault
July 12
Blue Water Princess
Blue Magic Ferries
This passenger ferry has sunk before dawn in central Philippines (off the town of San Francisco, about 220km (140 miles) south-east of Manila), leaving at least eleven people dead and an unknown number missing, officials say.  At least 106 passengers were rescued, officials say. It is believed the ferry had as many as 256 people on board. The cause of the sinking is not clear. The vessel was heading to the island of Masbate, after leaving the port of Lucena.  It grounded and rested half submerged around 500 meters from shore.
Sank
July 11
Don Pedro
Iscomar Ferries
This Spanish RO-RO multi-purpose ferry sank this morning after striking a tiny barren island a mile from Ibiza.  All 20 aboard the vessel were rescued. Seven had to be treated at hospital for minor injuries and hypothermia.  She sank at around 05:30 hrs on her way from Ibiza to Valencia and had 150 tons of diesel fuel in her tanks which are reported to be leaking. The ship sank half an hour after striking the islet.  Marine rescue services are seeking to contain the contamination from the leaking fuel. The 8762 gross tons DON PEDRO was built in 1984.
Sank
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Environmental
July 8
Millennium
Celebrity Cruises
The cruise scheduled for 12 July has been cancelled in order to accommodate repairs to the propellers.  Passengers reportedly will be given a full refund and a credit toward a future cruise.
Cancellation
July 7
Royal Express Four
SunCruz Casinos
The Port Richey Casino cruise ship ran aground as it was returning to shore.  Several passenger fell and two people were taken to hospital.  There were only minor injuries.
Grounded
July 6
Norwegian Cruise Line A Jamaican cleaner was sentenced to 18 years in prison in Bermuda for smuggling $300,00 worth of heroin and marijuana from NYC to Bermuda.  He was arrested October 6, 2006, along with his girlfriend who was sentenced to five years.
Drug sentence
July 5
Spirit of Nantucket
Cruise West
The ship cancelled its port call at Eastport, Maine because of weather and because of mechanical problems.  Local folks commented that, "The preparation invested in this visit will serve as a dress rehearsal for the expected arrival of another cruise ship in September."
Cancelled port call
July 5
Carnival Pride
Carnival Cruise Line
A 56-year-old man  went missing from the Mexican Riviera cruise, July 1-8 (port calls at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas).  He was apparently last seen by his cabin mate at 1AM on July 4.  His body was found off Puerto Vallarta on July 10.  The FBI was notified and is investigating.  The incident was made public July 16 after family members contacted Cruise Bruise.  Carnival Cruise Lines says it is not normal practice for it to disclose such events to media unless specifically asked by a media source. Missing
July 3
Millennium
Celebrity Cruises
Posted at Cruise Critic:  Unscheduled day at sea and no Florence stop... Yesterday while we were in Villefranche the boat drifted towards shore and ended up hitting submerged rocks. (Someone wasn't doing their job). Most people felt a shudder about 5pm last night, then noticed something was wrong when the cooks and mechanics were looking over aft deck 10 ... Well, after a night of silence from the bridge, we discover through a letter slipped under our door at 6am that three of the four blades on the propeller on the starboard side were damaged. We were supposed to leave port at 8pm, but didn't leave until 11pm. Because of the damage, the ship can only travel at 11 knots instead of 22. They tried to go faster, but the ship was rocking so bad it felt like a fast rolling earthquake. We're still rocking pretty good, a mechanical rocking, not wave rolling. We are going to have to pass up Florence today and travel straight to Rome so they can attempt to fix it. They did credit $ to our shipboard account because of the missed port, but it doesn't really make up for not seeing Florence. There are some very unhappy passengers here today, including myself.   This was in addition to a 5 min blackout on day 2 at Sea. Dh was in the casino and our poor tablemate was in the shower. No lights or water, the pumps stopped too.  And on July 4:  We did miss Florence yesterday and arrived in Rome last night, midnight. We we informed that partial work would be completed today with the remainder to be completed in Naples. We spend a lovely cool day touring Rome and boarded the ship to hear an announcement from the captain. The new propeller blades, 5 need to be replaced not the originally reported 3, did not arrive today. They are expecting the crew and blades to arrive tonight and work will begin about midnight, it's currently 8:15pm Wednesday. We will stay in Rome tomorrow and miss Naples as far as we can tell. The captain was pretty vague, we may have more info before the evening is over.  And on July 5:  Repairs are expected to be completed later today ... a revised itinerary was released which cancels port calls at Naples, Santorini and Athens.  Instead, the ship will go to Corfu and Dubrovnik, both previously unscheduled.  Reports of compensation say passengers will receive a 50% refund of cruise fare less the amount (ranging from $500 - $1000 per cabin) given as a credit on onboard accounts.  And on July 6:  Repairs were not completed yesterday and now the ship is scheduled to remain in Civitavecchia (port for Rome) until Saturday night (July 7) and will still stop at Corfu and Dubrovnik on the way to Venice (arriving July 12).  Passengers were notified today that they will be given a full refund for this cruise.  And on July 7:  Fifth day in Rome and still haven't left ... passengers are getting restless and understandably impatient.  Announced the evening of July 7:  Cruise has been cancelled and passengers may fly home from Rome or be transported to Venice and fly from there as originally scheduled.
Scrape bottom ----
Damaged propeller blades
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Cruise cancelled
July 2
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Line
The Coast Guard was alerted around 11:45 p.m. that a 29 year old man, appearing intoxicated, had fallen overboard.  The ship was 50 miles off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida. A helicopter and rescue boats were sent out and a Coast Guard boat pulled the man from the water alive around 12:30 a.m. Subsequent reports say the man had been drinking with his three buddies since the ship had left Fort Lauderdale at about 4 PM.  The group left the casino area after 11 PM. to go outside, where the man climbed into a lifeboat -- "He took the ax and started to chop at the ropes."  The ship's assistant chief of security came out to get him to stop. He started climbing toward the man and told him to get down. "Then he jumped into the water." He was rescued within an hour.
Jumped overboard --
Rescued alive
July 1
Ecstasy
Carnival Cruise Lines
An 18-year-old man died early Sunday after he jumped into the Gulf of Mexico. The had sailed out of Galveston for a five-day round-trip cruise to Cozumel, Mexico and on day 2  "an 18-year-old male passenger was seen jumping overboard from one of the ships upper decks" about 7:35 a.m. Officials initiated a search and notified the U.S. Coast Guard. The passenger was recovered by the crew about a half-hour later and brought on board, where he was pronounced dead. He has not been identified. The ship is en route to Cozumel and is expected to arrive Monday morning. It is scheduled to return to Galveston on Thursday. Jump overboard
June 28
Fascination
Carnival Cruise Lines
A 16 year old male was med-evaced when the ship was 120 mile off Key West.  He had lost his pinky finger when he tried to stop an elevator door from closing with his right hand but when the door closed and he pulled his hand from the door his pinky finger was severed.
Pax injury
June 27
Coral Princess
Coral Princess Cruises
A 61 year old Sydney woman drowned after an excursion to the Horizontal Falls, at Talbot Bay, in The Kimberley (Australia), part of a 10-day cruise from Broome to Darwin.   The voyage included an outing aboard an inflatable boat to the falls, but, as the boat - with four passengers and one crewman on board -  navigated through the narrow gorges of the Horizontal Falls, it overturned and the woman fell into the water.  She was pulled out and could not be revived.  Accidental Death
June 27
Disko II
Albatros Travel
The small cruise ship ran aground off Greenland's west coast and more than 50 people were evacuated safely Wednesday. It hit rocks near the island of Qeqertarsuaq, but was not believed to be seriously damaged.  The 52 passengers - all Danes - and two tour guides were taken ashore as a precaution on the ship's lifeboats and small vessels sent from a village on the island; the 18-member crew remained aboard.  The passengers would remain in Qeqertarsuaq, about 155 miles north of the Arctic Circle, while authorities investigated whether the ship (which appeared to not have suffered any damage) could continue its cruise north to Uummannaq, about 310 miles farther north. The cruise had started in Kangerlussuaq, the site of a former U.S. Air Force base in southwestern Greenland. Aground
June 25
Spirit of Yorktown
Cruise West
The ship collided with a Seattle-based fishing vessel, leaving the seiner "dead in the water" with a disabled steering mechanism.  The cruise ship appeared undamaged and continued on to Petersburg where it will arrive and be inspected tomorrow.  None of the four crew members on the fishing vessel were injured in the collision which took place at 1AM in calm seas and light winds in Chatham Strait (about 15 mile south of Angoon).
Collision
June 23
Carnival Valor
Carnival Cruise Lines
A passenger apparently fell overboard and was rescued alive.  According to passenger accounts, sometime around 19:30 ET there were a couple of blasts from the ships horn. "Around 19:50 I noticed the ship leaning to one side and people were asking why. I walked up to the 10th deck and was asked by a crew member to go to the other side of the ship. People were gathering on that deck and there were at least 20 crew members with radios. I asked what was going on and someone said they thought it was a man overboard. I went and got my husband and we went to the 11th deck just as the cruise director announced there was a passenger overboard and we were in search and rescue mode. She also said the coast guard was en route. We also saw a freight liner in the distance with a search light.  The ship had turned around and was almost stopped. From what we observed, around 9:00 pm, the Valor spotted the passenger and sent a life boat from the ship to retrieve him/her.  We saw the person swim toward the boat, a preserver being thrown to him/her and then the person was pulled on board the lifeboat. About 5 minutes later the announcement was made that the passenger was rescued by the Valor staff."  Some observed the man to have been intoxicated.
Fall overboard
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Rescued
June 20
Carnival Spirit
Carnival Cruise Lines
The ship reported that 8 of 931 (0.86%) crew and 116 of 2205  (5.26%) passengers had reported ill on a 7 day Alaska cruise from Vancouver to Whittier (13-20 June). Illness
June 20
Norwegian Majesty
Norwegian Cruise Line
A 22-year-old American man died this morning after falling four decks on board while the cruise ship was berthed in St. George's, Bermuda.  Police were called at 1.15AM. According to the Royal Gazette, “It appears that the passenger had returned to the ship with his cousin after they had a few drinks together at a nearby St. George's bar. Around 12:25AM the men were on the fifth deck of the ship intending to go to the disco on the seventh deck when the 22-year-old American man fell from the fifth deck to the first deck. Two nurses on board attended the scene and discovered the victim in an unresponsive state. They immediately gave him CPR and tended to a head wound sustained from the fall."  The man was pronounced dead at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital at 3.11a.m. Fall
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Death
June 18
Freedom of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 24 year old man who apparently fell overboard somewhere between Exuma, Bahamas and San Salvador.  The ship had left Miami Sunday en route to Puerto Rico when his family reported him missing at approximately 8:30 a.m. Monday. He had last been seen at approximately 1:45 a.m. Monday while he was resting in his stateroom balcony. The ship reversed its course in order to conduct a search along the track it sailed. and the Coast Guard is conducting an air search. A variety of onboard announcements and searches have been conducted; however, the young man has not been found. The ship returned to a revised itinerary on Tuesday. Passenger Overboard?
June 16
Isle of Inishmore
Irish Ferries
A man in his mid 30s was reported missing while the ship was traveling from Rosslare to Fishguard, at around 21:30 BST on Saturday.  The incident is said to have happened 18.5 nautical miles west-north-west of St David's Head.  A French warship and its helicopter, as well as other vessels in the area, took part in a search which was called off at around midnight. Passenger Overboard?
June 15
Carnival Valor
Carnival Cruise Lines
From a passenger:  I just got back from sailing on the Carnival Valor.  The cruise set out on June 10th.  On Friday, June 15th we were in Costa Maya, Mexico.  We found out later that night we were making an emergency stop in Cozumel.  A 4 year old girl had a near drowning in Costa Maya and progressively got worse.  The boat stopped and a smaller boat came to pick her up on a stretcher.  I just want to remind parents to keep a closer eye on their kids while on vacations. Reminder to parents
June 13
Carnival Conquest
Carnival Cruise Lines
The Jamaica Observer reports that two men held up 17 tourists from the ship who were visiting the Lethe Estate as part of a shore excursion.  "Police say that approximately 11:15 am, the visitors were on a tour of the property when they were pounced upon by the gunmen who proceeded to rob them of their valuables. No one was, however, physically harmed during the incident. Hours later, the police - who were assisted by citizens in a search of the area for the armed men - said they recovered handbags, credit cards and other items believed to be discarded by the bandits in the bushes." Robbery onshore
June 12
Pride of America
NCL America
The Honolulu Advertiser reports: "An employee on a cruise ship that stopped in Kaua'i is suspected of having tuberculosis ... the state Health Department is waiting for test results and trying to determine who the employee was in close contact with because the disease can only be transmitted through close contact for a sustained period. Meanwhile, the employee is being treated at a state hospital as if he had tuberculosis and has shown some improvement. The identity of the patient and name of the cruise ship were not released."  UPDATE JUNE 28 (reported by Honolulu Advertiser):  The crew member is confirmed to have tuberculosis.  He had left the ship on May 22 to undergo treatment. 
Illness
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Tuberculosis
June 10
Catalyn-D
San Nicolas Shipping Lines
Five people died and seven others were injured when the ferry, en route from Manila to southwestern Palawan province, caught fire in Paluan Bay in Mindoro (Philippines) Sunday.  Two passing fishing boats and a coast guard vessel rescued 255 passengers.  Reports said some of the passengers and crewmen jumped to the sea after they saw flames had already engulfed parts of the ship.  The fire is believed to have started in the ship’s cargo section.
Fire
June 9 Carnival Pride
Carnival Cruise Lines
The Sun Sentinel reports the vessel experienced failure of stbd azipod due to malfunction of the Cycloconverter1 Side A, AMC Communication control board. Problem was corrected while underway, and vessel was able to resume normal operations.the v Propulsion problems
June 7
Birka Paradise
Birka Cruises
A Swedish newspaper reports a 20 year old Swedish man, sitting on a railing smoking a cigarette, lost his balance and fell overboard while the ship was docked at the port of Mariehamn on the Baltic island of Åland.  Staff on the ship threw out a life ring but the rescue effort was hampered by the simultaneous departure of the Tallink Romantica. The current generated by the ship's propellers pushed the young man northwards. A diver who witnessed the events jumped in to the water and swam out to the man. The two men who suffered minor injuries were later picked up in a small boat.
Fall overboard
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Rescued
June 7
Island Explorer II
Island Adventures Tours
The Coast Guard said there was no sign of an oil spill or other pollution after a whale-watching ship ran aground near Deception Pass State Park (San Juan Islands, Washington State).  The boat managed to pull free after the grounding and was able to make its way under its own power to Anacortes, where all 52 people disembarked.  The hull of the vessel was damaged and water gushed into two compartments, but pumps were used to control the
flooding.
Grounding
June 6 Pacific Princess
Princess Cruises
The ship reported that 5 (1.30%) crew and 20 (3.14%) passengers had reported ill on a 10 day cruise from Honolulu (27 May - 6 June). Illness
June 6
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian Cruise Line
As reported here on March 30, the ship was in dry dock in Boston this week and last to repair a thrust bearing  the the Azipod propulsion system.  According to reports by Boston TV station WHDH, fire broke out in South Boston on Dry Dock Avenue in the area where the ship was docked. "An acetylene tank apparently caught fire while workers were doing repairs. Firefighters had to be lowered to the ship's hull to reach the fire."  Reports indicate that damage to the ship is minimal. Fire
June 3 Pride of Aloha
NCL America
From a passenger on the 7 day cruise ending today:  The air conditioning system was broken part of the time thus resulting in stateroom temps of over 100 degrees for several hours; this involved a couple dozen staterooms.  In the buffet, the food temps were not appropriate and the food handling was poor - cross contamination by the servers was observed.  One day we were served chocolate milk for our cereal because the refrigeration system supposedly broke and there was no regular milk available.  Overall, the "freestyle dining" program is useless.  Everytime we went to dinner in any of the "free" restaurants there was always a 15-20 minute wait.  When we finally got inside, we observed about half the  tables were empty.  Apparently NCL didn't have enough staff to handle the restaurants on board.  On the last day of the cruise, our stateroom toilet was non-operational for approximately one hour.  Don't know how many staterooms were involved, but. I do know it was several.  According to ship personnel there was an "unknown problem with the waste system".  This was the "perfect ending' for our cruise from hell.
Continuing service problems
June 3
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Lines
A group of passengers who had just disembarked and were waiting to board a bus to the airport were slammed into by a Greyhound bus that lurched toward them, hitting a concrete post first.  Six people were transported to hospital with injuries that were not life threatening.  See the Sun -Sentinel for more details, and here too.
Accident onshore
June 2
Serenade
Louis Cruises
The ship was slightly damaged when it grazed the pier while docking at the Greek island of Tinos.  The collision caused a small hole on the left side of the ship's bow above the water line.  It was fixed and the ship was on its way in the next hour.
Collision
June 1
Liberty of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The ship reported that 12 of 1425 (0.84%) crew members and 200 of 3846 (5.20%) passengers had reported ill on a 7 day Caribbean cruise from Miami (26 May - 2 June).   Because of the illness outbreak, boarding begins at 6:00 pm tomorrow (rather than normal time) and ship departure will be at 10:00 pm Saturday evening following a complete CDC scrub down.  Reportedly, embarking passengers will be refunded $25 for lunch and 100% refund if they choose to cancel. Illness
May 30
SuperStar Gemini
Star Cruises
The Department of Health in Hong Kong is investigating a gastroenteritis outbreak affecting 88 of 639 passengers (13.8%) and four of 465 (0.9%) crew members  aboard the ship, which arrived today after a 10-day cruise from Singapore.  Port Health Office and Centre for Health Protection staff have inspected the ship and advised control measures.  The ship will be thoroughly disinfected before the next cruise.
Illness
May 29
Kristina Regina
Kristina Cruises
The Finnish passenger vessel collided with a timber loaded deck barge in dense fog south of Gedser. The barge was towed by the tug Pioneer, flying Comoros flag. Only slight damages to the side of the Kristina Regina occurred and she could continue her voyage to Helsinki.
Collision
May 26
Bellriva
Rhine Danube Line
More than 20 British tourists were injured when the river ship struck a lock on the Rhine in Alsace, eastern France.   Thirteen of the 22 injured tourists were taken to hospital with concussion. One also had a broken leg. The ship struck a concrete wall designed to prevent vessels moving until the water is high enough at 06:30 GMT.  It had left Strasbourg early on Saturday with 208 people bound for Breisach, on the German side of the waterway separating France and Germany. Collision
May 25
Norwegian Star
Norwegian Cruise Line
The ship reported that 7 of 1100 (0.65%) crew and 177 of 2331  (7.59%) passengers had reported ill on a 7 day Alaska cruise from Seattle (19 - 26 May). Illness
May 24
Ecstasy
Carnival Cruise Lines
Disembarkation was delayed and the cruise terminal at Galveston evacuated after a sniffer dog located a suspicious package during a routine sweep of the terminal at about 8:30 AM.  The package, addressed to Carnival Cruise Lines, turned out to contain a printer -- chemicals in the printer apparently alerted the dogs.  The package was destroyed and things returned to normal by about 11:00 AM.
Bomb scare
May 24
Dalmacija
Hansa Kreuzfahrten
The ship was detained in the port of Kiel yesterday by public health authority inspectors. According to local newspaper reports, two representatives from
Kiel's health authorities found the on-board hospital to be insufficiently equipped during a routine inspection. Medical supplies ordered from a specialized pharmacy in Bremerhaven were due to arrive today.  Dalmacija was scheduled to depart for a Baltic cruise last night. The departure was postponed, and a call at Bornholm dropped in order to get the ship back on schedule. Next port of call will be Stockholm.
Detained in Port
May 24
Island Sky
Noble Caledonia
The BBC Reports that Health officials are to carry out tests after several passengers and crew fell ill with  vomiting and diarrhea during a voyage from the Western Isles to Orkney. Environmental and public health officials boarded the ship at Kirkwall from where it sailed to Leith, where City of Edinburgh Council staff plan to carry out further tests. The ship (the former Renaissance 8) has about 110 passengers on board. Illness
May 23
Finnmarken
Hurtigruten - Norwegian Coastal Voyage
The Norwegian press reports that 17 passengers (about 3% of those onboard)  have reported ill with norovirus in the past 24 hours.  A contagion prevention doctor was meeting with company officials to decide what measures should be taken.  UPDATE MAY 30:  Norway health officials say drinking water is likely the source of the illness outbreak.  "Tests we have taken on board Midnattsol and Finnmarken indicate that systems meant to cleanse the water of virus and parasites function poorly," Tom Arne Hanssen of the government's food safety authority told Aftenposten. Illness
May 22
Midnatsol
Hurtigruten - Norwegian Coastal Voyage
Scandinavian Shipping Gazette reports more than 100 of the 600 passengers has been caught up in an norovirus attack. The virus attack began just before the weekend when 50 or so passengers suffered from vomiting and diarrhea. The vessel arrived at Kirkenes on Monday ready for the return voyage to Bergen.  Health officials have had an onboard inspection and have enforced more stringent sanitation measures.  UPDATE MAY 30:  Norway health officials say drinking water is likely the source of the illness outbreak. "Tests we have taken on board Midnattsol and Finnmarken indicate that systems meant to cleanse the water of virus and parasites function poorly," Tom Arne Hanssen of the government's food safety authority told Aftenposten. Illness
May 21
Oosterdam
Holland America Line
From a passenger:  There was a small electrical fire on the cruise to Alaska. The fire alarm (which sounded eerily similar to the 'put on your life vest and head for the lifeboats' alarm) went off shortly before midnight on May 21, 2007. There were three announcements over the public address system; the final one informing us that the fire was due to an air conditioning belt in the Vista dining lounge area. The cruise proceeded as if nothing had happened.
Small fire
May 21
Astor
Transocean Tours
Hundreds of passengers were forced to spend the night in Stornoway after bad weather prevented them from returning to the ship.  They had spend the day in the Hebrides, but the weather had turned (heavy rain and wind) such that they could not be ferried back to the ship.  They will join the ship tomorrow in Invergordon, and tonight will be accommodated in local hotels, B&Bs, and private homes.
Stranded ashore
May 21
Century
Celebrity Cruises
The BBC reports that an obese passenger had to be carried off by helicopter because of his size.   The man, who weighs 450 pounds, was onboard the ship anchored in the Firth of Forth when he suffered gastric problems that required hospitalization. Forth Coastguard said that trying to get this man down the side of the ship and into a smaller boat was just not possible, so airlifting was the only answer. It called in an RAF Sea King helicopter to winch the man off the boat before carrying him to hospital. Unusual Med-evac
May 20
Seabourn Pride
Seabourn Cruises
A message was posted at Cruise Critic indicating that there is  major structural problem on the ship.  When at Belle Ille (France) yesterday, it was discovered that one of the Marina door’s hinges and bolts were missing, which compromised the other hinge and damaged the hydraulic system to move the door up and down. This door must be closed when the ship is operating.  Because the door is in an awkward position and cannot be moved, the crew spent the entire day roping the door so that it would at least remain attached to the ship. As of this morning we know the following:  the 20 ft waves of yesterday have calmed down and are in the right direction for us to sail at a very slow speed to Saint -Nazaire (about 45 nautical miles away). We expect to pick up the pilot around 5:30pm and be docked by 7 pm.  Ideally necessary repairs will be made the following day.  So, we missed the port of Belle Ille and will miss St. Malo and Guernsey for sure. It is still up in the air whether we will miss Rouen. We have to be in London by Saturday May 26. Speculation is running rampant that we will get a major reimbursement for this 2 weeks as we also missed 2 other ports on the way due to weather - or will they disembark all of us and fly us home and take the ship directly to dry dock.  UPDATE May 21:  The ship arrived at Saint-Nazaire and repairs were completed (the Marina door was welded shut) within 12 hours or so.  The ship set sail late this evening and arrived in Rouen mid-day on May 23. 
Marina Door Won't Close Properly
--
Missed Ports
May 19
Oceanic II
Louis Cruises
Rhapsody
MSC Cruises
The ships "bumped" in Rhodes due to 9 force winds. They had been berthed all morning, and in the late afternoon the winds were so strong that the mooring rope from the Oceanic snapped and the ship hit the Rhapsody's stern causing damage to the deck rail and flag pole.
Bump (Fender Bender)
May 18
Norwegian Majesty
Norwegian Cruise Line
The ship will arrive a day later than scheduled into Boston on Monday, May 21, because of a tug strike and high winds that delayed the ship's departure from Bermuda today.  It is now scheduled to depart 6 AM, May 19.  Embarkation for the May 20 Bermuda sailing will now begin on Monday, May 21 at 1 p.m.  Guests on that sailing will receive an on-board credit in the amount of one-seventh of the cruise fare paid plus a 10 percent future cruise credit based on the cruise fare paid.
Delayed Arrival / Departure
May 17
Norwegian Star
Norwegian Cruise Line
The ship was escorted into the Prince Rupert harbour by the a Canadian Coast Guard vessel following a small fire in the engine room. At 3:13 p.m., Prince Rupert’s marine communications traffic services were notified that there was an engine room fire on board.  Causing no significant damage, the fire was easily extinguished. The vessel was in U.S. waters near an area called Butterworth Rocks when the problem occurred.  Once docked in Prince Rupert a marine safety inspector conducted a preliminary investigation.  It was determined that a broken fuel line caused the accident. The unit was taken out of use and the vessel was deemed safe to resume course to Seattle. UPDATE: Associated Press subsequently reported that NCL says there was not a fire; they say a component failure knocked out one of the four main diesel engines and that the ship is safe.  Regardless of "the truth of the matter," the ship is due back in Seattle May 19th one hour behind schedule.
Engine Room Fire
May 17
Crown Princess
Princess Cruises
A 32-year-old sailor who put out a Mayday call after he lost his sails in storms and went two days without food was plucked from his stricken yacht in rough seas off Puerto Rico by the Crown Princess, which had picked up his distress signal.   Ironically, the ship's Captain and the rescued man live around the corner from one another in Warsash (UK).
It's a small world
May 16
M/V Butuan Bay
Three people were killed and 14 others injured when an explosion rocked the engine room of a passenger ship in central Philippines.  The ship, with 513 passengers and crew, had last left Cebu City, 585 km south of Manila.
Engine Fire
May 14
MS Britannia
Viking River Cruises / Travelscope
The river boat struck a pillar of the Dreirosen bridge spanning the Rhine in Basle in the morning and subsequently an arch of the bridge after its steering failed as it entered Basel from Breisach in Germany.  A steering malfunction caused the incident; all 180 passengers were evacuated and the ship moored at the St Johan dock.. Collision
14 May
Maasdam
Holland America Line
The ship's docking at Sydney (Nova Scotia) was delayed more than 5 hours because of a med-evac from the ship shortly after it departed Halifax last night.  The evacuation meant the ship -- the first to visit Cape Breton in 2007 -- arrived at 12:45PM instead of 7:30AM.
Delayed arrival
May 14
Orient Queen
Louis Cruises
An Indonesian sailor was killed and another crew member was seriously injured in an accident Monday at the island of Mykonos.  The man was killed after a mooring line snapped, as the Greek-flagged ship was preparing berth at the island -- it was extremely windy, which undoubtedly contributed to causing the tragedy.  A second Indonesian sailor was hospitalized in serious condition. Crew Member killed & injured
May 14
Empress of the North
Majestic America Line
The 360-foot long ship ran aground off the Alaskan coast and began taking on water near Hanus Reef in Lynn Canal.  It was listing 6 degrees at the southern end of Icy Strait, about 15 miles southwest of Juneau when all passengers and most crew (approx 281) were evacuated to a tugboat and barge.  By early morning the ship was moving toward Juneau with 29 crew members under Coast Guard escort.  The accident occurred on day 2 of a 7 day cruise.  For past events for this ship, check hereUPDATE 5 June:  The ship is expected to return to service July 7
Grounded / Evacuated
May 14 Carnival Destiny
Carnival Cruise Lines

The Sun Sentinel reports while in port of St. Thomas, M/V CARNIVAL DESTINY had an equipment failure of the #2 lifeboat davit. Failure was reported to classification society, Lloyd's Register, and flagstate, Bahamas. Inspector/investigator from this office boarded vessel to confirm class approval of reduced lifesaving. (See evidence) All crew and passengers assigned to lifeboat #2 were reassigned to another lifeboat and notifications made accordingly. Repairs are being made to davit. No enforcement necessary.

Lifeboat failure
May 12
Sea Princess
Princess Cruises
The cruise scheduled to depart today was cancelled at the last minute due to technical problems with one of the propulsion systems.  The cruise scheduled for May 26 is expected to sail as planned.  Passengers received a full refund plus a 25% discount on a future cruise.
Cancellation
May 7
Maasdam
Holland America Line
One hundred thirty-three (133) passengers  were denied boarding (as planned by the cruise ticket) at Savannah (Georgia) on May 6 because the port was not set up to handle cruise ship security.  Instead, these passengers were transported by bus and caught up with the ship today during its port call at Charleston (South Carolina).  HAL, in a letter to affected passengers, apologized for the missed embarkation and told passengers their onboard account would be credited for the lost day (not a refund) plus they would receive a $100 shipboard credit per person.
Embarkation screw-up
May 7
Oceana
P&O Cruises
Controversy is brewing in the UK over the ship's rescue on May 3 of even Algerians from a small boat off the Balearic Islands.  Despite the rescue, one man died; six survivors were landed at Southampton where the ship ended its cruise, though it had an intermediate stop at Gibraltar.  The British Home Office said people rescued at sea should be disembarked at the nearest place of safety (in this case Gibraltar).  The men's eligibility for admission to the UK is being considered in line with immigration rules.  See BBC News online for more.
Rescue controversy
May 5
Azamara Journey
Azamara Cruises
On May 4, Celebrity Cruises issued press releases announcing the launch of its new deluxe cruise line.  The ship's planned departure the next day was delayed because "boxes and cartons needed to be removed and additional housekeeping and finishing touches were required.  The ship was scheduled for a 7 day Bermuda cruise from Cape Liberty in Bayonne (NJ), but departure was deferred until May 6 because of an "intensive remodeling delay".  (See www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2041)  Passenger who flew in to join the ship were accommodated overnight in hotels, and the line paid for parking for those who drove.  All passengers reportedly received a full refund plus a $100 onboard credit.
Delayed departure
May 5
Sinfonia
MSC Cruises
The ship was delayed an hour and half in disembarking passengers at Malta because of containers obstructing the edge of the Quay.  Until the containers were moved, it was not possible to lower the gangways to allow passengers to disembark.
Delayed disembark
May 3
Seabourn Pride
Seabourn Cruises
The ship was unable to call in Sorrento last Thursday after being notified the port was closed following a tragic accident in which two people died while decorating for a local festivity.  The ship berthed instead at Naples from which all the planned shore excursions could be operated.

Missed port of call
May 2
Finnmarken
Hurtigruten - Norwegian Coastal Voyage
A passenger aboard the cruise that sailed from Bergen on 26th.April 2007 writes that he and his wife fell victim to this most debilitating of illnesses (the symptoms indicate norovirus) on the 6th day of the voyage. They indicate that no advice whatsoever came from officers and crew members who appeared to want to keep it low key.  In sum, he knew of 20 cabins affected plus four of the crew (if the number of passenger ill was in fact 40 passengers, the illness would have affected 6% of those onboard).  The passengers who wrote say they curtailed the last part of our holiday because of the severity of their illness.  (NOTE:  Because illness outbreaks do not have to be reported on ships that don't stop at a US port, it is difficult to keep accurate track of the frequency of these outbreaks.)
Illness
May 2
Star Flyte
Australian Ferry

A 39 year old man fell from this high speed ferry into the Indian Ocean while returning from Rottnest Island to Perth (Western Australia) via Freemantle..  He fell overboard at approximately 4:20 PM, about 3.6 kilometers west of North Mole on the northern side of the mouth of the Swan River, police believe.  Helicopters were unsuccessful in locating the man, but they did recover some clothing from the water.
Person Overboard
May 2
Sea Diamond
Louis Cruises
The English-language Greek newspaper Ekathimerini reports that the government has yet to decide how it will remove more than 400 tons of fuel still in the shipwreck 120 metres below the sea.  Some of the fuel has already started to leak, prompting a cleanup of Snatorini's beaches.  Experts fear that half the fuel oil may have already seeped from the ship; the remaining fuel could still create a serious problem for the marine environment.
Environmental
May 1
Queen Mary 2
Cunard Line
A woman secured over £3,000 compensation after an anniversary cruise on the Queen Mary 2 turned into a nightmare.  In May 2006 she was on board the ship with her husband to celebrate their wedding anniversary, traveling from Southampton to Norway.  Whilst taking in the sights on her balcony one morning, a sheet of glass fell down towards her from a deck above. The glass missed her by inches but caused her to fall backwards to the ground, injuring her right wrist and right side. She explains: "I'd never been on a cruise before and I was frightened by what happened.  Whilst having rooms with a private balcony on the first morning on board I decided to go outside to take in the sights.   Out there it all happened very quickly and I saw something like a blue sheet coming towards me from above.  I moved back to try and avoid it because if I hadn’t the glass would have hit me.  See here for more information.
Personal injury suit
May 1
All Cruise Lines
The Cayman Islands Government has banned cruise ships from anchoring near the Spotts Dock facility (an alternative location to George Town Harbour.  A cruise ship anchoring for one day can destroy nearly 1 acre of intact reef.  Cruise ships able to hold their position without anchoring will still be allowed to unload passengers at Spotts Bay.  The ban had been in place previously, but it was reinstated April 19 after officials noticed ships were anchoring again.
Environmental
April 22
Norwegian Pearl
Norwegian Cruise Line
A passenger just returning from a  9 day Southern Caribbean cruise reports that there had been an illness outbreak, but he couldn't reliably estimate the number affected.  Rumours onboard put the number reporting ill in the hundreds.  On May 17, the CDC issued a report indicating 92 of 2490 passengers (3.69%) and 7 of 1084 (0.65%) had reported ill during the cruise. Illness
April 22
Le Bretagne
Brittany Ferries
An air and sea search has been called off for a man missing from a ferry en route from Portsmouth (UK) to St Malo (France).  The 22-year-old passenger from Erdington, Birmingham, is thought to have fallen overboard on Saturday.  The man was last seen just after midnight on Saturday (April 21).
Missing
Overboard?
April 22
Volendam
Holland America Line
The ship reported that 2 of 606 (0.33%) crew and 69 of 1427  (4.84%) passengers had reported ill on a 11 day Southern Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale (12 - 22 April). Illness
April 21
Carnival Glory
Carnival Cruise Lines
A passenger on the 14 - 21 April cruise writes that there was an outbreak of illness of unknown size -- In my family alone five us came down sick.  This happened within hours of the first person getting sick ... I tried to find out info and was offered nothing but a "politician's answers."  They would say things such as rough seas, etc.  We all had to fill out CDC forms and were quarantined to our cabin the rest of the  trip.  We also came across about 6 others that had this same experience.  The passenger also writes: It also bothered me that the female dancers came out with nothing but a GO-string going up their backsides.  We were so offended that we got up an left the show.  The really crazy thing is that during "Camp Carnival" that particular night, they were going to take our children to this show. We felt this was very inappropriate on the ships behalf considering we had 7 and 9 year old boys, and and 7 year old girls.  We obviously chose to pick our children up early that night. In Poor Taste?
----
Illness
April 20
Paradise
Carnival Cruise Lines
The ship's departure from Long Beach was delayed because the company had received an anonymous bomb threat at the reservation desk in Colorado Springs, CO.  The US Coast Guard was notified at 2:20 PM and a full sweep of the ship and reinspection of passenger luggage was undertaken.  Nothing was found and the ship departed at about 6PM.
Bomb threat
April 18
Saga Ruby
Saga Cruises
The port call at Halifax was cancelled because a weather system with heavy rain and winds had engulfed the Eastern seaboard for the past several days.  This was to be the first call at Halifax for 2007.
Cancelled Port Call
April 17
Norwegian Pearl
Norwegian Cruise Line
A 35-year-old man drowned while snorkeling off the west coast of Barbados.  He was a passenger on ship and was snorkeling off a small boat with his wife and a few others. 
Pax drowns
April 16
Seven Seas Navigator
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
The ship reported that 22 of 456  (4.8%) passengers had become ill on a 12 day cruise from Fort Lauderdale and that included calls at Savannah (GA), Charleston (SC), and Bermuda (5 - 16 April).  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus) Illness
April 14
Pacific Star
P&O Australia
Sixty-five passengers were denied boarding of the a cruise for which they had confirmed reservations because the company had overbooked the ship.  The cruise left for Brisbane with calls at New Caledonia and Vanuatu.  A company spokesperson said all would have their fares refunded and had also been offered a free seven night cruise anytime in the next 12 months along with a $500 onboard credit.  A reader of this page has offered the following:  The overbooking for the Pacific Star was the result of a failure of one of the tenders (life boat) on the previous cruise ... They have to have a minimum of 25% spare capacity on life boats when they sail (IMO Regulations, SOLAS regulations) so the company had to reduce the souls on board figure from both passengers and crew. 
Overbooked -- Pax Asked to Leave
April 13
Zenith
Celebrity Cruises
The ship reported that 11 of 613 (1.79%) crew and 89 of 1363  (6.53%) passengers had reported ill on a 12 day Eastern Caribbean cruise from Tampa (2 - 13 April).  
Illness
April 11
Ryndam
Holland America Line
A passenger reports: At about 1:00 PM, April 11, I was finishing lunch in the dining room at a window table at the aft end of the ship when there was a loud clatter and the ship shuddered.  Looking out we could see that the stream from the propellers had stopped, and the ship was losing way and eventually came to a complete stop.  The Captain announced the Engineering Dept was working on it, and after awhile the ship was making 4.5 to 5 kts (per my GPS).  The was eventually increased to 14 to 17 kts, so we arrived at San Diego only some 4 hours late.  The Captain said the Coast Guard required the ship to have 2 tugboats to assist entering the harbor and docking.  The Captain said a representative of the propulsion unit manufacturer was flying to San Diego from Finland to help resolve the situation.  That evening the ships electrical power failed and the emergency lights came on.  The power was restored to some circuits after about 30 minutes, but other circuits, such as the main lighting and TV power in my cabin we not restored until after we docked in San Diego the next day.
Propulsion problems
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Power Outage
April 8
Caribbean Princess
Princess Cruises
The CDC reports that 117 people came down with what appeared to be norovirus on the cruise ending today -- six people were still in isolation when the cruise ended.  The breakdown of crew vs. passengers reporting ill was not provided -- instead the illness was minimized by saying that "about 2.5 percent of those onboard" (reportedly 4500 passengers and crew) had reported ill.  If the distribution between crew and passengers is as it usually is, the percentage is closer to 4 percent of passengers.
Illness
April 7
Disney Magic
Disney Cruise Line
The ship was reportedly late in departing for its seven day cruise to Key West, Georgetown, Cozumel, and Castaway Cay.  Local TV contained a lead story that the ship was held over and evacuated, as well as the terminal, when dogs sniffed out a suspicious package addressed to a crew member. The package turned out to contain repair parts for his computer. The ship left that night and apparently kept to its original itinerary.. Security issue
April 6
NCL America The federal government is suing the company on behalf of six Muslim me who were fired apparently because their ethnicity gave rise to suspicions they were terrorist.  The suit was filed in federal court in Honolulu by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Discrimination?
April 6
Norwegian Majesty
Norwegian Cruise Line
A 13-year-old girl was evacuated after she fell five decks down an interior stairwell.  She received immediate medical care onboard and was taken to hospital as precaution.  She suffered mid head trauma.
Pax injury
April 5
Sea Diamond
Louis Cruises
The ship hit a reef in a lagoon a half mile from shore near the main port of Santorini.  It was reported to be taking on water and listed 12 degrees but was stabilized when watertight doors were stabilized.  All 1153 passengers and all but 20 of 391 were evacuated from the ship, without injury.  Sister ship Perla is en route to Santorini to collect Sea Diamond’s passengers.  UPDATE APRIL 6:  It is reported that the ship sunk in the early morning hours and that two French passengers — a 45 year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter are missing.  NOTE:  An oil spoil, with a diameter of 100 meters was detected in the region of the sunken Sea Diamond ship in the Aegean Sea, the Greek TV channel NET reported.  Greek authorities indicated the ship had as much as 100 tons of oil  The Greek Government, fearing a serious blow to Santorini's tourist economy from oil pollution (the ship contained more than 400 tons of fuel), has announced it will sue the ship's owner and ensure it takes full responsibility for clean up operations.  FROM A PASSENGER:  Please update your information on the sinking of the Sea Diamond. I was on the ship. The ship listed at least 30 degrees, it was never stabilized, despite the closing of the watertight doors, and what's worse, the lifeboats did not work and there were no life jackets at the muster stations. There was also never an emergency signal given, nor a call to abandon ship. The
ship was also then towed to deeper waters and allowed to sink with all of our belongings on board.
Grounded
Evacuated
Sank

Environmental
April 5
Astoria
Transocean Tours
A Filipino sailor was killed on the western Greek island of Corfu in an accident during a safety drill. The 47-year-old man was killed and three other crew members were injured when a lifeboat harness snapped and the lifeboat dangled on the side of the ship. Crew Member Killed
April 4
All Cruise Lines
Jamaica Radio reports that cruise ships have defaulted on paying their debt to the country's Tourism Enhancement Fund.  A Tourism Enhancement fee was levied, beginning in 2004, as a source of funding for the ten-year tourism master plan.  But cruise ships have ignored the bills they have received.  Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism asked the Tourism Minister about the attitude of cruise lines about paying the fee.  The Tourism Minister responded, "The cruise line cannot say to a government they are not going to pay."  It isn't like the industry can't afford the fee, and this is in stark contrast to industry claims that they support development and economic well-being of the Caribbean ports they visit.
Industry's Nonpayment of Government Fees
April 4
Brilliance of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The Cayman Compass reported that a cook had spent 5 nights in custody (in Cayman Islands) after he was found to posses .52 gram of cocaine and .38 gram of ganja in a random drug search onboard while the ship was outside the territorial jurisdiction of Cayman Islands.  He was turned over to Cayman authorities by the ship's officers and the court allowed the prosecution even though the possession was discovered outside the court's jurisdiction.  The cook was fined $1150; if he can't pay, he'll spend 90 days in jail.
Crew Beware
April 3
Imagination
Carnival Cruise Lines
From a passenger:  I just returned from a trip that was supposed to include a stop at the Cayman Islands, but almost halfway there we had to return to near the Florida Keys to drop off a 'seriously ill' passenger with the Coast Guard. As a result, no Cayman Island port of call was possible on April 02. (We were able to see Ocho Rios, Jamaica as planned on April 3.)  A secondary hardship of this misadventure was that we seemed to be sailing at top speed causing extremely strong winds on the upper decks. These winds did not abate until we reached Ocho Rios and returned to our normal time schedule. I never realized how dicey was a ship's itinerary.  It is certainly something to consider, risking one of your precious vacations from work on a cruise ship that may trap you at sea for a week with cafeteria quality food in a cabin that is way too small and really very little to do. The few things I did enjoy (trivia contest and dance groups) were over in 30 minutes, or less - almost as soon as they began. My wife made the best of it - she is far less grumpy and more forgiving than I - but I suspect if she takes another Cruise vacation, it will either be solo or with her next husband. Interesting commentary
April 2
Ryndam
Holland America Line
A passenger reports that the Mexican Riviera cruise ending today had an illness outbreak.  Those arriving for the next cruise were given a letter at check in that described the situation and that gave the option of a full refund if they chose to not make the cruise.  The ship was under "condition Red" for the entire cruise, with required hand disinfection, crew serving all food at the Lido, all hot clubs closed, complete cleaning of the ship every day, no bread baskets on the tables, etc.
Illness
April 2
Oosterdam
Holland America Line
From a passenger: The hoisting mechanism for life boat 12 failed when attempting to stow the craft after using it as a tender in Cabo San Lucas.  The ship left the port at about 6PM, but at a much reduced speed until the crew was able to lash the boat to the Deck 3 railing. The Oosterdam made the next port Mazatlan on time and the hoist was repaired while in port. Life boat problems
March 31
Grandeur of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
A reader sent this picture along, taken when he was in Cozumel on 22 March 07.  It shows the dent, obviously not repaired, from when the ship struck the pier at Costa Maya on April 20, 2005.  Please be aware that the photo is high resolution and a large file (1MB)
Huge dent
March 30
Carnival Glory
Carnival Cruise Lines
The Baltimore Sun reports that Naval Academy midshipmen aboard the 10 - 17 March cruise demonstrated behaviour that was misguided/immature, but not criminal.  According to a passenger, "eight to 10 male midshipmen groped women, offered to buy alcohol for teenagers and displayed "lewd" behavior while wearing bikini swim trunks and cowboy boots."  The newspaper  includes the following quote:  "I was 'felt up' by one of the very drunk men and I was given the misfortune of watching them grab and disrespect every woman they could get close to as well as seeing them offer the underage [15- and 17-year-old] girls at our table alcohol ... I cannot tell you strongly enough how EMBARRASSED these "gentlemen" made me feel to be an American. I can only imagine what the foreigners on our ship and in port thought of us."
Sexual misconduct
March 30
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian Cruise Line
It was announced today that the ship will enter dry dock on May 29 for repairs to a thrust bearing in the Azipod propulsion system.  The May 26 and June 2 cruises were canceled. Passengers on the affected sailings will get a full refund and a 25% credit toward a future cruise. Cancellations
March 29
Sensation
Carnival Cruise Lines
Departures was delayed several hours after the US Coast Guard received an anonymous phone call about a bomb on board.  Passengers and crew were evacuated  during a two hour search of the ship.  The call was determined to be a hoax.
Bomb Threat
March 29
Aurora
P&O Cruises
A Japanese man snuck onboard for a free one-week voyage before being caught in Hawaii, police said Thursday. Osamu Ikegame, 40, said he could not stop himself when he saw the Aurora docked in Yokohama and climbed a 2.5-metre (eight-foot) fence at the harbour, according to police. He then successfully blended in with passengers and boarded the round-the-world cruise on March 20, said a spokesman for harbour police in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. The free ride ended in Hawaii after the cruise operator found out he had no ticket.  So much for ship security!!!
Security Breach
March 29
Pacific Sun
P&O Australia
According to Australian News (see here)  five passengers were detected by the drug dog squad in possession of illicit drugs -- four were charged with possessing prohibited drugs (including LSD, GBH, speed, and cannabis).  This is particularly relevant given the inquest (presently in recess) into the death of Diane Brimble, a woman who was drugged, raped, and apparently murdered on a P&O Australia cruise in 2002.
Drug Bust
March 27
Symphony
MSC Cruises
Police stopped 82 Bolivians from disembarking the ship in Cadiz, suspecting they were illegal immigrants.  The ship sailed from Fortaleza in Brazil, had stopped in Tenerife where authorities also refused to allow them onshore.  The ship heads next to Valencia.
Passengers not allowed ashore
March 26
Unspecified
The San Francisco Chronicle  reported: A cruise-ship employee has been charged in federal court with possessing child pornography after customs agents said they found sexually explicit videos (involving children as young as 6 years old) in his luggage after he flew into San Francisco International Airport from Thailand.  He entered the United States on a visa for "seamen working on cruise ships;" his employer wasn't identified in the court documents. 
Beware
March 25
Grand Princess
Princess Cruises
A 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were rescued after "accidentally" going overboard from their cabin balcony.  The two were reported to have gone overboard at 1:30 a.m. when Grand Princess was approximately 150 miles off the coast of Galveston. They were recovered after a four-hour search, one found at 5:30 a.m. and the other at 6 a.m..  The female returned to the US for medical attention; the male continued on the cruise.  UPDATE MARCH 30:  The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that the jumpers were both trained for water survival.  The 22 year-old-male is an Air Force Academy cadet with extensive training in water survival, which includes how to leap into the water from a high dive platform and how to stay afloat by inflating clothing with air.  The 20-year-old woman is a trained lifeguard.  This has led some to speculate that their going overboard was a stunt designed to demonstrate (two days before Congressional hearings) that the cruise industry could effectively and competently save passengers who go overboard.  Watch here for further updates.  UPDATE APRIL 4:  The Detroit News reports that a passenger snapped a picture of the couple right before they  went overboard.  The passenger said the couple, both of whom were on spring break, had been engaging in hanky-panky moments before their tumble. To make them aware that they were making out in full view of other people, [she]... tried to use her camera flash, but it failed to go off.  Moments after stepping back inside her cabin to check the camera, she heard a crash, followed by someone shouting a woman's name ... she immediately notified ship officials of the accident and called back to tell them she could pinpoint the time when the couple fell. People Overboard
 --
Rescued Alive
March 23
Statendam
Holland America Line
Passengers were advised by letter from the Captain that there was a highly contagious  virus aboard among crew and passengers.   The number affected by the illness and the precise nature is unknown.  The cruise began in Hong Kong on March 22 and ended in  Osaka April 5.  Given that no US ports were in the itinerary, the ship is not required to report the illness outbreak to the CDC.
Illness
March 22
Regal Princess
Princess Cruises
The ship reported that 8 of 860 crew (0.9%) and 69 of 1504 passengers (4.6%) have reported ill on a 12 day cruise from Lima (Peru) to San Juan.  The cruise ends March  25.  This is the first cruise since the ship left dry dock following its scraping bottom on a Mexican Riviera cruises (see February 20).
Illness
March 21
Empress of the North
Majestic America
Line
The ship reported that 7 of 77 crew (9.1%) and 26 of 169 passengers (15.4%) had reported ill on a 5 day Northwest River cruise that ended today.
Illness
March 18 Norwegian Crown
Norwegian Cruise Line
The ship reported that 2 (0.37%) crew and 51 (4.09%) passengers had reported ill on a 7 day cruise to/from New York City (11 - 18 March). Illness
March 17 Sea Princess
Princess Cruises
The ship reported that 5 (0.57%) crew and 82 (4.07%) passengers had reported ill on a 14 day cruise to/from Fort Lauderdale (3 - 17 March). Illness
March 16
Carnival Glory
Carnival Cruise Lines
A 35 year old man was rescued approximately eight hours after jumping or falling overboard from the ship when it was 30 miles east of Fort Lauderdale.  A witness said that the man, who was intoxicated, ran through a window and then fell 60 feet into the ocean -- it is not clear whether the window was open at the time.  The ship was en route to Nassau and will arrive slightly behind schedule.
Person Overboard
 --
Rescued Alive
March 15 Maasdam
Holland America Line
The ship reported that 5 (0.88%) crew and 43 (3.61%) passengers had reported ill on a 10 day cruise to/from Fort Lauderdale (5 - 15 March). Illness
March 13
Ryndam
Holland America Line
The ship reported that 7 of 593 (1.18%) crew and 61 of 1209  (5.05% passengers had reported ill on a 10 day cruise from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera, return (3 - 13 March).
Illness
March 11
Ryndam
Holland America Line
The cruise scheduled to begin March 13 will be delayed for two days until March 15 so that a thorough cleaning can be completed.  Although illness has not exceeded 3%, it is elevated (2.6% of passengers).Passengers on the affected cruise can cancel and receive a full refund, or take the cruise and receive a two-day refund plus onboard credits.
Illness
--
Cancellation
March 11
Pride of America
NCL America
From a passenger (March 4-11, 2007, Honolulu to Honolulu 7-day):  It was apparent that many of my fellow passengers were falling ill with the Norovirus as the ship kept stepping up their sanitation activities during the week.  It didn’t help.  I fell ill with the Norovirus on the 9th of March and was quarantined until the 11th (disembarkation day) ... The nurse and doctor looked pretty harried and worn out from going room-to-room treating passengers and their radios were constantly squawking with new cases. The ship had sanitation dispensers at every restaurant, and at entry and exit of the ship.  Everyone was required to use these dispensers constantly.  As a side note, NCLA needs to do a lot more work at improving the ‘freestyle’ dining experience as we stood in lines for EVER with angry passengers.  They also wouldn’t allow shorts in any main dining rooms…so much for Freestyle. Illness
---
?Service?
March 9
Silja Serenade
Silja Line
A power failure onboard a Swedish freighter caused a near miss with the ro-ro/passenger ferry Silja Serenade, as she sailed for Stockholm. Fast reaction from the officers on the bridge of the Silja ship prevented a collision -- relative distance vary between the ships was from 60 to 200 meters; radio contact between the ships was established only after the incident.
Near miss
March 8
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises
The ship's call at Dunedin (NZ) was cancelled because high winds (40 knots) made it too dangerous to enter Port Chalmers.
Missed port
March 7
Seven Seas Mariner
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
The ship reported that5 of 446 (1.12%) crew and 38 of 614  (6.19%) passengers had reported ill on a 12 day cruise from Lima (Peru) to Fort Lauderdale (25 Feb - 9 Mar). Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus) Illness
March 5
Aurora
P&O Cruises
The ship said it would likely cancel future calls at Nha Trang (Vietnam) because the 50 m high ship was not permitted to pass through the the Vinpearl cable car system  (which had a 49 m limit).  Nha Trang authorities said the requirement aimed to guarantee safety for ships and the cable car system, which only began operation last month.  The ship, instead, was forced to dock outside the port and to transfer passengers to other ships before they could disembark.  The ship fears its passengers would face difficulty as a result of the required transfer.  It was subsequently reported that the ship did make the stop, tendering passengers ashore approximately 2 km from the port itself.
Port dropped?
March 4
Carnival Miracle
Carnival Cruise Lines
From a passenger on the 7 day sailing (25 Feb - 4 Mar): We had a wonderful cruise for the first four days, but the night of Wednesday Feb. 28th brought gale force winds and high seas as we passed Costa Maya on our way to Belize.  On Thursday the winds diminished enough to allow passengers to partake in excursions, but the Turneffe Atoll snorkel I was scheduled for had to be redirected to a more protected location because of the rough seas.  The next morning the ship was unable to dock at Costa Maya due to rough seas -- I later learned that the same thing had happened the week before..  As the ship made its way back to the US along the Mexican coastline and passed outside of Cozumel the winds and seas began to diminish. 
Missed port
March 3
Sea Princess
Princess Cruises
From a passenger on the 14-day sailing (17 Feb - 3 Mar): The Southern Caribbean sailing experienced 3 missed ports: Princess Cays (rough water), Dominica (the captain claimed swells too large to permit safe docking, though the seas appeared calm, what appeared to be average-sized swells hitting the sea wall in port, and another cruise ship docked!), and Curacao (the captain claimed winds were too high to attempt to enter the channel into port). As a replacement port for Curacao, the Captain announced that he had obtained corporate approval and obtained allocation of a berth in Aruba. But when we arrived there, he turned the ship around and sailed away, again saying the winds were too high to dock. However, another cruise ship was observed to be docked there.  Another event was a power outage while docked in Barbados, that the captain said was due to an engine problem. The emergency power did come on very quickly, and full power came back on in about 20 minutes. Missed ports
March 2
Carnival Valor
Carnival Cruise Lines
A passenger getting off yesterday in St. Maarten never returned to the ship and wasn't seen until after a newspaper article appeared on March 7.  The 50-year-old woman had last been seen by her mother after they arrived in Phillipsburg and there was fear that something had happened.  As it turns out, she'd simply missed the boat.
Missing ashore?
March 1
Celebration
Carnival Cruise Lines
Embarkation was delayed about an hour after a disembarking passenger had found onboard and turned in at the Purser's Desk 2 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition. Coast Guard and Border Patrol inspectors insured that X-ray machines and metal detectors were operating properly and conducted an expanded security inspection of the vessel.
Security
February 28
Safari Quest
American Safari Cruises
The ship was fined $7178 for a diesel fuel spill that oiled boats and the shoreline near Richland Tacht Marina (Washington State).  The ship spilled 16 gallons of fuel while docked on October 8, 2006.
Environmental
February 27
Ryndam
Holland America Line
On February 27 the ship reported that 17 of 579 (2.94%) crew and 116 of 1260  (9.21% passengers had reported ill on a 10 day cruise from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera, return (21 Feb - 3 March).  Updated numbers 3 March:  26 of 579 (4.49%) crew and 184 of 1260  (14.4%) passengers. Illness
February 26
Ryndam
Holland America Line
The ship reported that 8 of 573 (1.4%) crew and 118 of 1153  (10.23% passengers had reported ill on a 30 day cruise from San Diego to Hawaii and the South Pacific, return (22 Jan - 21 Feb). Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)  CDC reports there is an elevated number of passengers reporting ill on the current 8 day cruise of the Mexican Riviera (21 Feb - 1 March).
Illness
February 25
Levina 1
Indonesian Ferry
The ferry involved in a deadly mid-voyage fire on Thursday has sunk with several safety investigators, police and journalists on board.  A TV cameraman has died and three others are missing, local media says.  There were 16 people on the Levina I ferry off the coast of Jakarta when it suddenly leaned to the right and sank, said a reporter who was on board.  Earlier, the death toll from Thursday's fire rose to 41 after rescuers found 21 bodies drifting at sea, officials said.
Sank
February 22
Levina 1
Indonesian Ferry
At least seven people, including two children, died after fire broke out shortly after the ferry  set sail from Jakarta.  With more than 200 people on board, the ship was 80km (50 miles) from shore en route to Bangka island when the fire broke out. Officials said 211 passengers and crew had been saved, many of them taken off the burning vessel by another ferry.
Fire
February 22
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Lines
Three muggers attempting to rob a dozen seniors on a tour bus (a privately arranged tour) in Limon (Costa Rica) were foiled.  A man, about 70 years of age, put one suspect into a head lock and broke his clavicle -- he died of asphyxiation; the other two men armed with a knife and a gun fled after the other senior citizens began defending themselves.  In December, a passenger was shot (not critically) in a robbery attempt while on a walk along a boardwalk in a Limon city park.
Pax Foil Robbery
February 20
MSC Melody
Starlight Cruises
The ship set sail from Durban yesterday for a four-day cruise to ports and cities along the Mozambique coast, but after only five hours into its journey, it was forced to turn back after reports warned that Cyclone Favio was headed for Mozambique.  It cruised into Port Elizabeth tonight.  he ship subsequently left Wednesday night for Durban.
Weather
February 20
Regal Princess
Princess Cruises
The 10-day Panama Canal cruise scheduled for February 19 has been canceled after the ship sustained damage to a ballast tank after touching bottom on Sunday’s (2/18) departure from Huatulco. The vessel arrived safely in Acapulco from where it was due to sail for San Juan. Passengers boarded the ship on the 19th and were soon told the cruise was cancelled and the would be flown home.  After temporary repairs, the ship will proceed to a dry dock  It was announced February 21 that the cruise scheduled for March 1 has also been cancelled.  The next scheduled voyage will be March 13 from Lima to San Juan.  The ship was seen leaving Acapulco  at 10:30AM on February 22.
Grounded
--
Cancellation
February 19
Pride of America
NCL America
The ship broke her bow moorings at around 3:30 PM and went adrift, breaking its water connection and dragging the passenger loading ramp off the pier.  Bow thrusters, with the assistance of a tug, corralled the ship back into place two hours later.  There were no injuries.  Fortunately there were no other ships in the harbour at the time.
Bow moorings break
February 18
Rhapsody of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The ship was apparently delayed in dry dock.  Embarkation was delayed and departure originally scheduled for 4PM was rescheduled for 11PM of midnight.  Passenger feedback indicates work had not been completed during dry dock ... the Windjammer cafe was closed for the entire cruise and there were other inconveniences.  See:  http://consumerist.com/consumer/complaints/royal-cruise-was-a-royal-disaster-273015.php
Delay
February 18
Mercury
Celebrity Cruises

On-board the Mercury: the ship was forced to return to San Diego after five hours at sea so that divers could remove fishing line and rope wrapped around the starboard propeller shaft.  When the ship finally left San Diego it was 13 hours behind schedule on its 14-day cruise to Fort Lauderdale.  The itinerary was modified to skip the first port, Cabo San Lucas, and the scheduled arrival and departure for the second, Acapulco, was altered. Staterooms received a shipboard credit that varied based on stateroom category. The Sun Sentinel reports the ship had some nylon line wrapped around the starboard shaft causing vibration. The engine and shaft were secured leaving the vessel to operate on only the port engine. The vessel's master requested permission to return to San Diego, which was granted. Divers removed the line from the shaft and the vessel sailed the following day without further incident..

Delay
--
Missed port

Loss of an engine

February 14
Disney Magic
Disney Cruise Line
From a passenger (posted at Disboards):   While doing the fireworks during the Pirates in the Caribbean deck party, there was an emergency code red call to the rear of the boat. My husband went to look and discovered that there was a misfire on the fireworks and appeared to be a fire by Palo restaurant. I am trying to find out more, and will post more later ...  Here's what happened with the fireworks --  about 1/4 of the way through one misfired and hit the side of the ship. The next one misfired and landed right next to palo's and started a fire. That set off the fire sprinklers on deck 10 aft. Our assistant server is part of the fire team. He said it was a HUGE mess because the Captain sent everyone to the Pirate buffet instead of Palo's ...  The captain then sent everyone to the right place and everything seems ok. All brunch's at Palo's today were cancelled, but dinner's were ok.  The were no reports of injury.
Small fire
February 10
Fantasy
Carnival Cruise Lines
A barge struck the ship on the Mississippi River near New Orleans, leaving a 30 foot gash (about 5 feet above the waterline) in its hull and forcing cancellation of the five day cruise that followed.  There were no injuries and no reports of pollution.  Passengers on the cancelled cruise received a full refund and a 25% discount on a future cruise of 3, 4, or 5 days.  (See New Orleans Times-Picayune)
Collision
--
Cancellation
February 9 Empress of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The ship reported that 10 (1.45%) crew and 48 (3.06% passengers had reported ill on a 12 day cruise to/from San Juan (Puerto Rico).  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus) Illness
February 8
Westerdam
Holland America Line
The ship reported that 9 of 809 (1.11%) crew and 146 of 1790  (8.16%) passengers had reported ill on a 7 day Eastern Caribbean to/from Fort Lauderdale (4  - 11 Feb).  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus). Illness
February 8
Island Princess
Princess Cruises
The ship reported that 37 of 916 4.04%) crew and 179 of 1936  (9.25%) passengers had reported ill on a 15 day Hawaii cruise to/from Los Angeles (26 Jan - 10 Feb).  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus).  One passenger suggests the number of ill passengers was 2 or more times the numbers given by the CDC -- here are his comments.
Illness
February 4
Carnival Pride
Carnival Cruise Lines
Reports from the ship state the vessel is experiencing unspecified mechanical problems and has reduced her speed from 20 to 10 knots, delaying her arrival in Long Beach by one full day.  The cruise scheduled to begin today will operate a modified 6 day schedule (canceling Puerto Vallarta) and will leave from San Pedro instead of Long Beach, but return to Long Beach.  Passengers opting to sail received a 15% refund and a $50 shipboard credit. The Sun Sentinel reports port propulsion tripped and azipod 2 (port) positioned it self 60 Deg port side. Engineering officer on duty went to the steering gear room and found a large amount of hydraulic oil on the floor. All oil was recovered and no overboard spill occurred. Crew restored oil level and started steering gear pump 1# restoring propulsion motors. While at 129 rpm felt a vibration in the port azipod and experienced oil spray from the connection of the starboard pipe, which was found to be broken. Repairs were made to the azipod.
Propulsion problems -
Delayed arrival & departure
February 3
Sea Express One
Isle of Man Steam Packet
The Sea Express One (formerly SeaCat Isle of Man) was hit twice, in heavy fog on the River Mersey at Liverpool by a tug towing the "Alaska Rainbow." cargo ship near the entrance to Alfred Dock, Birkenhead, at 11.20 on Saturday morning. None of the reported 294 passengers and crew were hurt, and the ferry is moored at Liverpool Pier Head while water is being pumped from the engine room. 80 cars remain on board, and passengers have been warned that some may have been damaged.  Here are a couple of pictures -- here and here Collision
February 2
Spirit of Nantucket
Cruise West
The ship reported that 10 of 35 (26.57%) crew and 8 of 36 (22.22%) passengers had reported ill on the 7 day Caribbean cruise to/from Crown Bay, St. Thomas, USVI ending today.  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus). Illness
February 1
Infinity
Celebrity Cruises
From Cruise Critic We were on the second floor of the dining room at about 6:30PM when we were broadsided by what must have been two enormous waves. Two folks at our table of eight, were knocked to the floor with water, wine, dishes etc spilled on them. At the table next to us, a woman was injured and taken out on a stretcher. The waiter and head waiter said they had never experienced any thing like this before and were of no help as to what we should do. The waiter said that there were broken arms and legs suffered by galley workers. Passengers throughout the ship later had stories of "where they were and what happened" when the waves hit. Every bottle of booze and all glassware all over the ship hit the floor. The books in the library were all on the ground. The Grand piano in the theater broke legs and pedals. It was a mess and the most astonishing thing is that neither the Captain, nor any of his officers got on the PA system until 36 hours later to talk about it. All he said then was "he did good since three other ships in the same waters had to delay their cruises because they suffered even more severe damage and injuries".
Rogue Wave
February 1
Volendam
Holland America Line
The ship reported that 7 of 608 (1.15%) crew and 105 of 1385 (7.58%) passengers had reported ill on the  10 day Southern Caribbean cruise returning to Fort Lauderdale today.  Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus).
Illness
January 31
Rotterdam
Holland America Line
From a passenger, Santiago to Rio, 11-31 January:  We were asked to complete a health questionnaire prior to boarding.  I know of at least a dozen folks who were quarantined to their cabins with intestinal problems, but the really big problem was a cold like illness with an uncontrollable cough that seemed to affect almost half the passengers.  The medical center told everyone that inquired that they hadn't had any complaints! Illness
January 31 Galaxy
Celebrity Cruises
The Sun Sentinel reports the ship's fire detection system was found to be inoperable after a system check. Vessel contacted Flag State, Class and Technical Support. As part of a preventive measure, a 24 hour fire patrol was established until effective repairs could be made in the Port of San Juan on 2 Febuary 2007. Equipment failure. Fire system failure
January 30
Carnival Valor
Carnival Cruise Lines
Two American tourists (brothers aged 23 and 26) arrested in Belize City with 70 grams of cocaine before reboarding the ship on January 23rd plead guilty to charges of drug trafficking and paid fines of $10,000 each.  The two had been busted at 4:30 PM at the Tourist Village.  Based on information they had received, police approached the brothers and told them a search would be conducted on them.  While being escorted to the terminal, 4 bags containing cocaine fell from one brother's pants. He was found holding another 3 bags and the other brother was six bags.
Drug Bust
January 30
Nordkapp
Norwegian Coastal Voyage
The ship touched ground near Deception Island in the Antarctic.  No one was injured and the ship sustained an 82 foot long gash to its outer hull.  Passengers will be transferred to Nordnorge (a sister ship) which will return to Ushuaia. Nordkapp will have temporary repairs before HMS Endurance escorts
her to Argentina for full repairs. Pictures of ship after being freed.  Reported Feb 1"We confirm that there has been a spill, given that traces of hydrocarbons have been detected," Raul Perez, a scientist at Spain's Antarctic base, told Spanish state radio. He said more than 5km of coast had been hit.   The spilled was estimated to be between 227 and 757 litres of diesel oil.
Grounded

Environmental
January  30
SuperStar Libra
Star Cruises
Lakshadweep port authorities 'arrested and detained' the ship in connection with the death of a 14-month-old American citizen of Indian origin, on Nov 21 last year. The arrest was on the basis of an interim order of the Kerala High Court. The ship was released an hour later after the master furnished a bank guarantee of Rs 10 lakh (US$22,696).  The child's parents have a US$10 million claim in Malaysian court for 'negligence' resulting in the death.
Ship Arrested and Detained
January 29
Splendor of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The ship is expected to return to Galveston several hours late (at 1PM) from a four day cruise (25 - 29 January) to/from Cozumel.  After leaving Cozumel Saturday, it returned early Sunday morning to offload a seriously ill passenger.  Passengers were told at 10AM that the ship's return to Galveston would be delayed and were permitted free use of telephones and internet in order to notify folks and/or to change travel arrangements.
Late arrival - Medical emergency
January 29
Princess Cruises The cruise line agreed to a plea bargain under which it pays a fine of $200,000 and restitution of $550,000 after criminal charges were filed.  The company was charged with failing to operate at a slow, safe speed while near humpback whales and in 2001 the Dawn Princess hit and killed a humpback. Fine
January 25
Pacific Star
P&O Australia
A 16-year-old girl claims she was sexually assaulted (presumably by another passenger) onboard the ship.  The police are investigating.  Unrelated, during the investigation a 23-year-old Australian man was arrested and charged with possession of a dangerous drug.
Sexual Offense (Pax on Pax)
January 24
Oosterdam
Holland America Line
A reader reports that the cruise scheduled for 21 April 07 ( 7-day Mexican Riviera from San Diego) has been canceled due to overhaul of machinery.  She writes: Trouble with this had been reported on your site BEFORE we booked the cruise, and we had our travel agent check with HAL ...  She was told the problem had been fixed.  It was to be our 55th anniversary celebration and we had reserved 3 cabins for ourselves and our sons and daughters-in-law.  We are devastated by the news as it is too late to have any choice on another cruise at the same time.  Our sons have already arranged the vacation time for the dates of that cruise.  We will get a full refund, as we're too old to try to scramble for new reservations with some cruise line, but our plans of spending time with our family have been completely wrecked thanks to HAL not being honest with us.
Cancellation
21 April 07
January 24
Freedom of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
A 71-year-old male passenger was found found floating unconscious in the water at the Sandbar (Grand Cayman). He was taken back to shore by the boat he had come out on but did not survive.  In 2006, there were 10 deaths in the Cayman Islands that were water sports related.  Seven of the 10 deaths in 2006 involved snorkelers and three involved divers. All but one of them was older than 48.
Pax death on excursion
January 21
Opera
MSC Cruises
Posted at Cruise Critic: We were standing on our balcony watching people getting off. Two members of my family just got off the gangway when a rope snapped (or the pilot boat ran over it). The ship started to drift out to sea. The gangway fell into the water. I kept watching for people to bob up in the water. They were very fortunate nobody was on the gangway. The pilot boat was dead in the water with one of the ropes in his propeller. He was attached to the ship as other ropes got tangled/sucked into the thrusters, causing the pilot boat to be bashed into the bow of the ship repeatedly. We eventually drifted about a mile or more out to sea before tugs pushed us back. Divers were in the water for about 7 hours removing rope from various places under water. Not a thing was ever said except an announcement was made that “there would be delays” in continuing the debarkation. Instead of leaving port at 6:00 or 7:00 pm we pulled out at 0200. Gangway falls
January 17
Coral Princess
Princess Cruises
Rescue at sea -- a passenger's pics of 16 Cuban refugees who were rescued off the coast of Cuba. He writes:  When our ship sent a small rescue craft over to tow them to the cruise ship, it appeared that some of the men were waving the rescue boat away.  We have since learned that Cubans refugees found at sea are returned to Cuba; if they had made it to land, they would have been able to stay. 
Rescue of Refugees
January 7-18
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian Cruise Line
Passengers report: Departure from NYC was 2 hours delayed -- one account says because it arrived late from Great Stirrup Cay; another says because of a delay in fuel bunkering.  The stop at Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled because of high winds.  There was apparently a tour bus accident in Roatan sending 11 crew members to hospital.  Departure from Belize City was delayed for an emergency evacuation.  Two passengers were arrested in Ocho Rios because it was believed they had drugs in their bags, and a passenger with a medical condition was offloaded immediately before departure. 
Delays /
Drug arrest /
Bus accident
January 18
Sky Wonder
Pullmantur Cruises
The ship ran aground in the Rio de la Plata in the early morning, three kilometres away from the port of Buenos Aires.  Authorities say there were no injuries (though one passenger was subsequently evacuated after complaining of arrhythmia) and indicated strong wind and sea currents pushed the ship to a bank of sand. After three tug-boats failed in the effort to "rescue" the ship, the plan was to wait for high tide. The ship was freed after 20 hours and was delayed a further 4 hours  while the ship underwent a full technical inspection.
Grounded
January 18
Silvery Shark
Fengdu Silvery Shark Shipping
Rescuers took 140 people off a passenger boat that stranded in the Yangtze River off Chongqing Municipality of southwestern China.  The ship ran aground about 20 meters from the bank at Dabeijiao at 4:40 a.m.. Grounded
January 14
Carnival Destiny
Carnival Cruise Lines

From a passenger:  Woke up to the Captain’s 5AM announcement of a bomb threat.  Crew did search of entire ship, while breakfast started at 6 AM for the passengers.  Some crew members downplayed incident, while others were visibly nervous.  Docking into San Juan was delayed, then passengers were held onboard until 10 AM, some missing flights, others starting excursions late.  Handled smoothly except the part of holding passengers on a ship with the potential “bomb”.   The Destiny cruises the Eastern Caribbean from San Juan as the embarkation/debarkation point.

Bomb threat / Delayed arrival
January 13
Artemis
P&O Cruises
Currently half way through her 80 night African & Asian Odyssey cruise, the ship has canceled today's call at Laem Chabang (for Bangkok) in Thailand, ‘following advice received from our security services relating to the security situation in Bangkok.’In place of the Laem Chabang calls and ‘as a gesture of compensation’ stops at Singapore and Vung Tau (Phu My) have been extended to two days.
Cancellation for security
January 12
Harshavardhana
Shipping Corp of India
According to Free Press Releases, a 30 year old man jumped overboard into the Bay of Bengal from a cruise-ferry between the Andaman Islands and Chennai (India).  The man reportedly went alone to the upper deck and in front of his co-passengers jumped off the ship into the sea. Person overboard
January 12
QE II
Cunard Line
The ship reported that 10 of 1002 (1.0%) crew and 136 of 1652 (8.23%) passengers had reported ill on the  8 - 22 January cruise from New York to Los Angeles.   Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus).   Update January 15: 22 of 1002 (2.2%) crew and 243 of 1652 (14.71%) passengers reported ill.  Update January 22:  28 of 1022 (2.79%) crew and 276 of 1652 (16.71%) passengers reported ill. Illness
January 10
Norwegian Star
Norwegian Cruise Line
A passenger disembarking yesterday from a 9 day cruise Mexican Riviera cruise to/from Los Angeles reports there were a number of people falling ill with gastrointestinal illness.  It does not appear that numbers exceeded 3% which is threshold for the CDC to indicate an "outbreak."
Illness
January 9
Norwegian Majesty
Norwegian Cruise Line
A 60-year-old woman died after getting into trouble while swimming at Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman.  These case are not normally reported, but this is the second reported swimming death in Cayman in a couple of weeks (see Carnival Valor, 28 December).  It should remind people to be careful when going for a swim, especially if it has been a while since the last time you were in the ocean.
Pax swimming death
January 7
Freedom of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
From a passenger:  The ship left late from Miami on January 7.  RCI staff were reporting that the delay in boarding was a result of a large number of foreign nationals disembarking from the earlier cruise.  Passengers waited in line both inside the terminal and outside the terminal for up to 4 hours with boarding beginning at 4:00PM.  RCI did not supply water and many passengers had reactions due to the high heat. CNN reported that the actual cause for the delayed boarding was the department of Homeland Security and local police closed the cargo area of the Port of Miami to investigate an unauthorized vehicle. The same cruise missed the port of Georgetown (Grand Cayman) on January 10, due to high winds.
Departure delayed
January 3
Fantasy
Carnival Cruise Lines
An 18 year old male was rescued by a Coast Guard Helicopter while the ship was 250 miles west of Clearwater Beach (Florida).  The teenager suffered head trauma when he fell from the ship's mast to the deck and landed on his head.  He was last reported in stable condition.  [Med Evacs are not normally reported, however this case relates to an injury suffered onboard.]
Med Evaced Injury
January 2
Millennium
Celebrity Cruises
The ship has experienced an electrical short that provides power to the ship's port propulsion system. As a result, it has been forced to slow down --
reducing its cruising speed from 22 knots to 17.  This has resulted in the cancellation of one port -- the Dominican Republic's Casa de Campo -- but the ship will make it to San Juan, its next  call, as scheduled where it is expected repairs will be made.  From a passenger (14 Jan): We left San Juan and were told the repair was complete. At midnight (after St. Thomas) the boat stopped again ... The captain said that due to further problems we would return to F ort Lauderdale and miss Nassau . A large gathering of unhappy passengers protested and demanded their money back but to no avail. Compensation varied but for us was $700 per cabin and 25% off the next cruise.
Propulsion problems
January 2
Carnival Legend
Carnival Cruise Lines
Passengers were notified this afternoon that their 8-day cruise scheduled to leave tomorrow from Fort Lauderdale will depart a day late because "The ship was forced to make a significant route deviation in order to facilitate a special medical emergency evacuation" -- the deviation was apparently between Martinique and Fort Lauderdale.  The ship will drop Belize City from its itinerary; passengers will receive a 15% refund and a 20% discount on a future 3 to 8 day cruise departing prior to December 15, 2008.
Delayed Arrival / Departure
January 2
Disney Wonder
Disney Cruise Line
A 21 year old male passenger from New York was arrested in the Bahamas after allegedly sexually assaulting a 13 year old girl onboard the ship.  The ship was on a four-day New Year's cruise from Port Canaveral to Nassau return.
Sexual Offense (Pax on Pax)
January 2
Brilliance of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International
The had been a 2.5 hour power failure during the Christmas/New Year's cruise ending today in Miami.  According to one passenger, "the ship drifted for that time.  Many people in the aft cabins were very concerned that there was a fire as there was considerable smoke.  We saw people sitting out in the hallways and some people got up and went down to the centrum" Power Failure

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