|
Date
|
Ship
Cruise Line
|
Event
|
Type of Incident
|
| December 31 |
Freedom of the
Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Radio
Jamaica reports an employee on the cruise, which
docked in Ocho Rios Wednesday, is now in police custody
facing drug related charges.The man is a Costa Rican native.
According to reports about 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon,
the Costa Rican was about to board the ship when he was
stopped and searched by members of the Transnational Crime
and Narcotics Division. This is a normal occurrence where
the police conducts random searches of crew and passengers.
A quantity of crack cocaine was found concealed in the
waistband of his pants. He was taken into custody and is to
be interrogated later Thursday in the presence of his
attorney. |
Drug
arrest |
| December
31 |
Monarch of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Florida
Today reports the Coast Guard is searching for a
23-year-old woman (the wife of an employee who had been
hired by RCI but had not yet begun work) who reportedly went
overboard near the Bahamas about 4 a.m. today. She went
overboard from the 12th deck of the ship near Nassau,
Bahamas. The ship is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral
on Saturday. According to RCCL, The guest was last seen
at 3:45 a.m. At that time, the ship was sailing from
Nassau to Coco Cay, Bahamas. As soon as the guest was
reported missing, various public announcements were made
onboard and a complete search of the ship, as well of
CocoCay, was initiated. Shipboard closed-circuit camera
footage captured the guest going overboard on deck 11,
portside at approximately 4:11 a.m. Government officials
have reviewed the footage and determined that the guest
jumped overboard. UPDATE: Times
of India reports the woman's family has submitted a
written complaint to police alleging that she had been
physically and mentally tortured for dowry by her husband
and in-laws. She was reported missing at 12:15AM by her
husband, a manager onboard the ship. January 3: Press
Trust of India reports police today lodged an FIR
against the husband, his parents and his sister for dowry
harassment, beating and criminal breach of trust. |
Pax overboard |
| December 31 |
Atlantic
Vision
Marine Atlantic |
CBC
reports hundreds of passengerswho were stuck aboard the
ship for 30 hours (on a 6.5 hour ferry crossing) because
of bad weather disembarked at Port aux Basque
(Newfoundland) this morning. Winds were 40 kts and the
Captain decided to wait until winds subsided. At the same
time Caribou, another ferry on the crossing from
Nova Scotia docked at and embarked from Port aux Basque. |
Delayed at sea 30 hrs
|
| December 31 |
Poesia
MSC Cruises |
The Caymanian
Compass reports a 52–year–old woman died Wednesday,
30 December following a diving trip on Cayman Islands.
About 3.55 p.m. Wednesday, the woman became unwell and
lost consciousness during an organized dive in the north
side of the island. The woman’s husband and staff from the
operator, Resort Sports, undertook CPR and conveyed the
woman to shore. She was immediately taken to George Town
hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. The
woman, an experienced diver from Utah, was a cruise ship
passenger visiting the Islands with several members of her
family. |
Death onshore
|
| December 31 |
Torejas
Phillipine ferry |
ABS-CBN
News reports the ferry ran aground after being
battered by strong waves in the waters of Sta. Cruz town
in the island province of Marinduque before dawn Thursday.
The ship was battered by big waves and pushed to Burabod
Port around 2 a.m. Authorities said the ferry's 223
passengers were not hurt despite the vessel's ordeal while
at sea. The ferry was fetched by its sistership, MV
Vanessa and brought to its point of destination. |
Aground
|
| December 29 |
Boudicca
Fred Olsen
Cruises |
Fred
Olsen Cruises has released a statement saying: the
current Christmas cruise on board Boudicca has been
affected by a gastro-enteritis type virus; and the
decision has been taken to conclude this sailing one day
early, on 4th January, to allow a most thorough deep
cleaning of the vessel , including fumigation, between
cruises. To ensure this task is as successful as
possible it is also necessary to delay the departure of
cruise D1001, Canary Islands, by 24hrs - now departing
at 2000hrs, Wednesday 6th January. In effect this
permits a three day deep clean exercise. 289 people reported ill on the cruise. |
|
| December 29 |
Independence
of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Taiwan
News reports rough seas have led Puerto Rico to
close the Bay of San Juan and change the itinerary of at
least one cruise ship - Independence of the Seas will
arrive on Thursday, two days late. Celebrity's Solstice
was permitted to dock today. But otherwise the bay is
off-limits to navigation. Officials will reopen it when
conditions improve, perhaps tomorrow. |
Port closure
|
| December 28 |
Clelia II
Travel
Dynamics International |
It has been reported that
the ship's Dec 29th cruise will be canceled. Apparently
the ship's propeller has been damaged or broken (after
hitting a rock off Petermann Island). One engine (or one
propeler) is broken, and they are limping back to Ushuaia
escorted by the Corinthian 2. The ship was originally
scheduled to arrive in Ushuaia December 29th. Update:
Merco
Press carried a story about this event on January 6.
It reports the next two cruises have been canceled as the
ship undergoes repairs in Punta Arenas, Chile. The Dec.
29-Jan. 8 and Jan. 8-18 sailings were canceled. On Dec.
26, the ship's starboard propeller struck some rocks
resulting in the shutdown of the starboard engine and the
loss of electrical power aboard ship. The port engine,
which remained operational throughout the incident, was
used to drive Clelia II off the rocks to a position
approximately one mile from shore, where the port engine
was turned off for a full systems check. With the vessel
stabilized, the bridge officers instructed the expedition
staff to continue the passenger landing. Using power from
the back-up generator, 53 passengers were landed. When
Corinthian II arrived, a stern line was attached to the
bow of Clelia II, and a full systems check was undertaken.
An hour and a half after striking the rocks, the port
engine was restarted and confirmed to be fully
operational. Normal electrical power was restored. The
line to Corinthian II was released. After passengers
re-boarded, it was decided that Clelia II would proceed
north with Corinthian II as an escort on the return to
Ushuaia. Aboard Clelia II were 65 passengers and staff,
and 65 officers and crew. Travel Dynamics International
said there was no danger to passengers and crew during the
incident. At the moment of impact to the starboard
propeller, a trace amount of lubricating oil from the
drive shaft leaked into the water. The vessel’s Zodiac
drivers kept watch as the oil dissipated. Both vessels
arrived back in Ushuaia on Dec. 30. |
Cancelation
|
| December 27 |
Carnival
Pride
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a passenger:
I was a passenger on the Carnival Pride.
Incident occurred on Carnival Pride leaving Port of
Baltimore on DEC 20 2009. On way to first port of call
in Orlando we turned back off the cost of the Carolinas
to dock at Norfolk to allow a critically injured or ill
(???) female passenger to be transported by ambulance to
the local hospital -- no further information was given
as to the condition of the passenger) Cruise resumed but
on Dec 25th 2009 while docked in Freeport the Captain
made an announcement of the passing of a young passenger
during the night then wished the passengers a Merry
Christmas? No further information was provided for the
duration of the cruise? Rumors of the cause of the
male teens death were numerous but none were confirmed.
As of the 6th of January 2010 I have yet to read of this
death or it's cause. |
Interesting tidbits
|
| December 27 |
Rhapsody of
the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The
Age (Australia) reports a woman who had to leave a
cruise ship in Melbourne after her elderly mother
fractured her skull says she felt she was escorted off the
ship and dumped ''like a common criminal''. But the cruise
company claims it took every step possible to help her.
The woman was travelling with her 81 year old mother. On
Wednesday they disembarked in Melbourne for lunch and her
mother fell and fractured her skull. Her mother,
accompanied by friends, was taken by ambulance to hospital
and later suffered bleeding in the brain. The woman
returned to the ship distraught. It was close to 4pm and
the ship was due to sail at 5pm. She said a security guard
introduced her to an administrative officer, who said:
''I'm too busy to deal with this.'' Ms Collard said
another officer then rang the hospital, hung up and told
Ms Collard: ''Your mother hasn't been seen yet. You have
to leave the boat.'' ''I was escorted to my cabin and
given 15 minutes to pack ... There were security guards
all over the place. I was escorted off the boat and left
there with two large bags and two small bags and no help
whatsoever. There was no concern and no care for me
whatsoever,'' she said. ''It was 'get rid of her'; that
was the feeling I got.'' She said the cruise company told
her she was not entitled to help because it was not an
organised tour. ''But I think they have a duty of care; if
not a legal one, then an ethical and moral one,'' she
said. A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman said yhe wpman had
been helped ''every step of the way'' and was offered a
taxi, a hotel and a trip to the hospital. The spokeswoman
said Ms Collard ''just got up and left''. ''Every single
step of the way, Royal Caribbean people have done
absolutely everything they could possibly do,'' she said. |
?Customer service?
|
| December 27 |
Baleno 9
Phillipine ferry |
BBC
reports at least three people have died and 22 remain
missing after a ferry sank in waters south of the
Philippines capital, Manila, the coast guard says. The
vessel was carrying 88 passengers and crew when it went
down near Batangas City. Ships in the area rescued more
than 60 people. The
Inquirer reports as many as 44 people remain missing
even though the passenger list indicates only 10 people
should be unaccounted for. |
Sank
|
| December 25 |
Palm Beach Princess Casino |
WPBF-TV
reports the ship's employees walked out after they didn't
receive their paycheck on Christmas Day. This left more
than 100 people on the dock with nowhere to go. The U.S.
Coast Guard previously prohibited the vessel from sailing
for more than a week because of engine problems (see
December 3 below). UPDATE: The Palm
Beach Post reports 25 of the 190 workers onboard the
ship headed home to the Phillipines today. It appears the
ship will not be sailing again soon. |
Cruise canceled
|
| December 24 |
Queen
Victoria
Cunard Line |
The ship was supposed to
depart Malaga in the morning, but heavy rains and big
winds forced it to stay put until evening. See
here for an article on the weather. |
Delayed departure
|
| December 24 |
Island
Escape
Thomson
Cruises |
The ship was supposed to
depart Malaga, but heavy rains and big winds have forced
it to stay put. It departed in the evening but then
returned to port. See
here for an article on the weather. |
Delayed departure
|
| December 24 |
Aurora
P&O Cruises |
The ship was supposed to
depart Malaga in the morning, but heavy rains and big
winds forced it to stay put until evening.See
here for an article on the weather. |
Delayed departure
|
| December 24 |
Catalyn B
Phillipine ferry |
BBC
reports at least 27 people are missing after a passenger
ferry collided with a fishing boat and sank in the
Philippines. The wooden-hulled ferry and the fishing boat
were carrying at least 73 people between them, when they
collided in Manila Bay in the early hours. Forty-six
people had been rescued from the waters. There were no
reports of bad weather conditions in the area and the
cause of the collision is not yet clear. The passenger
ferry was on its way to Lubang island southeast of Manila.
|
Collision and Sunk
|
| December 22 |
Atlantic
Vision
Marine Atlantic |
CBC
reports an accident this morning has forced the ferry
service to remove one of the vessels that operates between
Nova Scotia and Newfoundland so a puncture can be
repaired. The ship was making its final approach to the
dock in Port aux Basques at about 7:45 a.m. NT when high
winds smashed the vessel against the dock's fender system
causing a puncture in the stern about five metres above
the waterline and minor scraping along the tailfin of the
vessel. The hole is about the size of soccer ball. The
ship has been removed from service while Transport Canada
investigates, and a damage assessment is being done to
determine how long the vessel will be out of service. |
Collision with pier
|
| December 22 |
Boudicca
Fred Olsen
Cruises |
BBC
reports 50 passengers have reported ill with norovirus on
a four day mini cruise from Portsmouth to Zeebrugge and
Amsterdam that departed December 18th. This is the second
cruise in a row with an illness outbreak. |
Illness
|
| December 21 |
Statendam
Holland America
Line |
The 10 day cruise ending
today had a number of problems. According to a passenger,
the cruise started out on a troubling note as we had a
delayed departure due to mysterious "engine problems".
We had a GI outbreak, which I guess you would call "code
red". We were no longer allowed to help ourselves to
food and had to be served, salt and pepper shakers were
removed from tables, and so many of the crew got sick
that other crew members who didn't normally work in the
restaurants were now working in the restaurants. Luckily
I didn't get sick. In addition, the call at Half
Moon Cay was canceled because the captain said they had
a big storm the night before which destroyed 70% of the
beach, and Other ports throughout the cruise we arrived
late, left late, and left early. The schedule was never
stuck to and we were shorted many hours on each island.
On top of this, the shore excursion had major bus
problems, including one catching fire -- we had three
buses with three different drivers for one tour. |
Engine problems; shore
excursion problems
|
| December 18 |
Boudicca
Fred Olsen
Cruises |
The
Portsmouth News reports up to 300 passengers are
believed to have been struck by norovirus, which causes
sickness and diarrhea. The sick passengers were kept on
board while they recovered. A passenger said, 'It was a
very serious outbreak of the novovirus bug, which broke
out about four or five days into the cruise after we had
left Portsmouth. Some people, many of them quite elderly,
have been very sick." The ship left Portsmouth on Sunday 6
December on a 12 day cruise, calling at Madeira, La
Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lisbon. The BBC
reports the number ill was 180 passengers and crew. |
Illness
|
| December 18 |
Carnival
Pride
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a reader: I
was aboard the Carnival Pride on the 12/13 sailing out
of Baltimore. We missed our call at Freeport on
Friday, December 18 due to high winds and rough seas.
|
Missed port
|
| December 17 |
Carnival
Splendor
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The ship collided with the
pier at Puerto Vallarta (see
here for pics for damage to pier). According to a
statement from Carnival, Yesterday morning, at
approximately 7:40 a.m., while the Carnival Splendor was
maneuvering in the Puerto Vallarta harbor, the ship’s
stern struck the tender pier causing some damage to its
stern and to that pier. All appropriate authorities were
notified. The Carnival Splendor remained docked in
Puerto Vallarta overnight while the repairs were
completed. Unfortunately because of the delayed
departure from Puerto Vallarta, today’s scheduled call
at Matazlan has been cancelled. The vessel is now
expected to depart Puerto Vallarta this afternoon at
3:30 p.m. and will proceed to its next scheduled port of
call, Cabo San Lucas, tomorrow. |
Collision with pier
|
| December 16 |
Reef Escape
Captain Cook
Cruises |
The
Fiji Times reports monster waves and strong winds
from Cyclone Mick barrelled the cruise ship Reef Escape
onto a beach on the southern end of Naviti, in the Yasawa
Group. The ship was on a three-day cruise of southern
Yasawa. The ship had departed Denarau on Saturday. The
ship was rescued at 9.30am Tuesday. Then it was another
six hour of rough sea travel before they were offloaded at
Denarau. |
Ran aground
|
| December 15 |
Summit
Celebrity
Cruises |
Posters
at Cruise
Critic ask: Anyone know how many
people were ill with Gastro-intestinal illnesses,
norovirus, food poisoning etc on board Summit's
transatlantic sailing (November 28th)? Figures heard on
board varied from 20 to 157. It'd be interesting to know
the actual number. Another person says: According
to the info we were given on the Solstice it was high
enough to go to "Code Red". If that helps. Note:
Code Red normally means 3% of passengers reported
ill (more than 60). Given the ship had left from a
non-U.S. port, the outbreak may not be reported to the CDC
(unless its port of disembarkation is in the U.S., or is
within 15 days of arriving at a U.S. port). |
Illness
|
| December
14 |
Deutschland
Peter Deilmann
Cruises |
USA
Today reports the ship skipped its port call at
Galveston because of dense fog. |
Skipped port call |
| December
14 |
Norwegian Gem
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
Florida
Today reports a car crashed into a bus carrying 43
passengers and crew members on Merritt Island near Port
Canaveral at 2:00 PM. A person in the car was killed and
seven people on the bus were injured. Most were crew
members, possibly headed to the mall or Walmart on Merritt
Island for a shopping trip. All the crew members were
Filipino nationals. |
Car-bus accident ashore |
| December
14 |
Carnival Fantasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The ship
was unable to dock in Mobile today to disembark cruise
passengers from a four-night cruise and embark new guests
on a five-night sailing. The ship will now arrive, at the
earliest, tomorrow morning. Those booked on the upcoming
cruise (now four nights rather than five) may cancel for a
future cruise credit in the amount of the fare paid. Those
sailing will receive a one-day prorated refund of the fare
paid, and a $20 per-person onboard credit as a refund of
the government fees for the port of Calica, which has been
canceled. UPDATE: The ship arrived and
departed Tuesday morning. |
Delayed departure / itinerary
change |
| December
14 |
Carnival Conquest
Carnival Cruise Lines
|
KHOU-TV
News reports the ship, stranded since Sunday by fog,
left Galveston this afternoon. The planned stop at Roatan
has been canceled. FROM A READER: Carnival
Conquest sailed at about 2:20 Monday afternoon, but the
fog quickly closed back in. Because the Conquest did not
let their passengers off, they could go at a moment's
notice. From
another reader: We also missed our port of
call at Freeport, Bahamas and were only refunded the
port taxes as an on-board ship credit $20. We later
arrived in Key West to a driving rain which caused
street flooding and made even getting back to the ship
by trolley an adventure. All the shore package tours
were cancelled so all there was left to do was sit in
the bars and try to stay dry. The water in the bathroom
at the Hogs Breath Saloon was knee deep. |
Delayed departure / Canceled port call |
| December
14 |
Voyager of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International
|
KHOU-TV
News reports the ship has been stuck in port
(Galveston) since Sunday, and likely until Tuesday,
because of dense fog. FROM A READER: Voyager
finally left the dock about 9:20 Tuesday morning. RCCL
allowed any who wanted off to do so, by 11 last night,
and allowed them a cruise credit for a full cruise, and
apparently more than half the passengers took that
offer. So the ship is less than half full. No word yet
on if they allowed all the lower-class staterooms to
move up to newly-vacated balconies. I did see a message
indicating that RCCL gave a "refund" of what you spent
for your cabin, rather than giving a cruise credit you
could use on any 7-day cruise. Not sure what they did
for airline reservations for those wanting to leave. From
another reader: According to the cruise
director's post on cruise critic, 2500 people are
left on the ship so way less than 50% got off. |
Delayed departure / Canceled port call |
| December
14 |
Seven Seas Voyager
Regent
Seven
Seas Cruises |
From
a passenger: Aboard Seven Seas Voyager,
Rio-Ft Lauderdale. Captain came on at 9 a.m. Monday,
said we'd lost power in a pod overnight; power reduced
and skipping port call in Antigua in order to reach San
Juan as early as 9 a.m. Tuesday to investigate. We
experienced a similar delay this time last year, and the
ship had major pod damage last spring.
UPDATE December 18: We limped into Port
Everglades this morning at 7:45 on three pods. Ship was
scheduled to turn around with a full load of 700 pax for
a holiday cruise, departure scheduled for 5 p.m. but
maybe later as weather has delayed flights all over the
South. Bottom line, if the pod problem was identified in
San Juan, it was not fixed. |
Propulsion problems |
| December
14 |
Inspiration
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Bay News 9 reports heavy fog prevented at
least seven ships in the Gulf of Mexico from entering the
Port of Tampa, including Inspiration (the only
cruise ship). The ships are waiting for the Tampa Bay
pilot boats to guide the boats into the port. The Coast
Guard said there are two issues: the narrow inlet into
Tampa Bay under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and also the
channel that leads into the port, which is also narrow and
requires a pilot for guidance. A fog advisory is in effect
for the Bay area until 4 p.m. Carnival doesn't believe the
ship will dock until at least 2:30 p.m. It was supposed to
arrive about 6 a.m.
|
Delayed embarkation / disembarkation |
| December
12 |
Sun
Princess & Diamond Princess
Princess Cruises |
ABC
News (Australia) reports hundreds of cruise ship
passengers had their travels disrupted this afternoon
while police investigated a suspicious package at
Melbourne's Station Pier. The package was found just after
3:00pm (AEDT) and as a precaution the pier was closed to
all pedestrians and vehicles. Operations resumed as normal
several hours later after the bomb squad investigated. It
is believed that package contained military uniforms. |
Bomb scare |
| December 11 |
Majesty of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The Miami
Herald reports the Coast Guard found a man who was
missing at sea for about two hours after falling off the
ship near Biscayne Bay on Friday morning -- at about 4:30
AM the ship issued a distress call stating crew member
Robert Mado, 31 (an assistant purser), had gone overboard
about five miles off the Fowey Rocks. Two hours later,
authorities found Mado alive, but his health condition
remains unknown. The ship was on its way to Miami from Key
West.
|
Crew member overboard - rescued alive |
| December 11 |
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
The St.
Lucia Star reports that police in St. Lucia are
investigating a robbery of 14 cruise passengers. At about
11am Wednesday, 14 tourists who had gone to the waterfall,
were in the process of boarding a Safari Jeep, in
preparation to return to Castries, when four masked men
who were reportedly armed with firearms and cutlasses,
approached them. Reports are the visitors were allegedly
robbed of their jewelry and cash; the tour guide was
reportedly injured in the incident. |
Robbery ashore |
| December
11 |
Bleu de
France
Croisières
de France |
The
company, owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited through
Pullmantur
Cruises, announced cancellation of the ship's Red
Sea program, scheduled for Jan. 16 to March 20, citing
‘operational reasons.’ The ship was scheduled to sail the
Red Sea from Egypt’s Sharm el Sheik after completing its
current Eastern Mediterranean season. The cruise line
started in May 2008 with Pullmantur’s former Holiday
Dream, built in 1981 as Europa for Hapag-Lloyd. |
Cancellation |
| December
10 |
Carnival Dream
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Examiner
reports guests were disappointed yesterday when the ship
had to skip San Juan. It seems the ship was too big to
dock at the available berths in the port. The available
piers, built years ago, were not meant to handle a ship of
the 130,0000 ton Dream's size. Upset passengers aboard the
ship said, "Wouldn't you think the cruise line would have
checked this out before their first call at the port?" The
problem seems to be that a gigantic sculpture built
several years ago, partially funded by rival line Royal
Caribbean, prevented the ship from docking. The
dove-shaped sculpture, located at the entrance to the pier
actually blocks the docking of newer, larger ships. |
Canceled port call |
| December 9 |
Oasis of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The
Daily Herald (St. Maarten) reports the ship, sailed
into Crown Bay, St. Thomas Tuesday morning but its entry
was not without some obstruction. Despite dredging, the
ship, which has sixteen passenger decks, churned up quite
some silt from the bottom of the bay and issues with the
gangway kept passengers delayed on board for over an hour.
The delay, which also caused onshore activities and tours
to suffer some setbacks, was because the gangway needed a
boost to fill the space between Deck Two where cruisers
disembarked and the quay wall where the behemoth was
docked. There were four other ships in St. Thomas, meaning
approximately 17,000 cruise passengers were in town. |
Delayed disembarkation |
| December 9 |
Sinfonia
MSC
Cruises |
Independent
Online (South Africa) reports "drunken revelry,
debauchery and even vandalism by some passengers,
allegedly characterized a three-day party on the luxury
cruise liner MSC Sinfonia which ended in Durban yesterday.
It was claimed that some passengers "went ape" at the
Miller Rock the Boat Party on a cruise from Durban to
Mozambique." According to a passenger, some of the young
revelers "just went ape, openly bonking on the deck and
throwing deck chairs into the sea". A crew member said:
"It was unbelievable. I have never seen anything like it."
A spokesman for MSC's sales agent Starlight Cruises said
the 2 000 passengers had broken records for bar sales. |
Drunkenness / damage |
| December 5 |
Discovery
Voyages of
Discovery |
Cruise
Critic reports the 40-night "Egypt, Arabia & the
Orient" cruise was supposed to leave Barcelona on 28
November, but dry dock delays kept it in port until
December 1 and rough seas caused further mayhem with the
scheduled itinerary. Passengers boarded the ship on the
28th as planned, and lived onboard while it remained
docked in Barcelona for a few extra days. The delay in
departure resulted in the cancellation of a scheduled call
in Valletta, Malta. When Discovery finally departed, rough
seas further impacted the itinerary. Discovery is now
spending December 1 to 4 at sea, which will result in a
missed call in Alexandria, Egypt. Its visit to Port Said,
Egypt, and Suez Canal transit will each be delayed by a
day, and the ship will then skip its second day in Safaga
to get back on schedule. Passengers on this voyage will
receive a refund equal to the cost of two days of the
cruise and a £50 per person shipboard credit. |
Delayed departure / itinerary
change |
| December 4 |
Queen Victoria
Cunard Line |
From a passenger: Have just
been informed by Cunard that the upcoming Winter
Wonderland cruise next week will not be calling at
Copenhagen, due to risks of on shore riots during the
World Climate Change Conference. We shall be calling at
Amsterdam instead. |
Itinerary change |
| December 4 |
Queen Victoria
Cunard Line |
The Sunday
Mail reports on a lawsuit in which a couple was
awarded £60,000 as a result of disappointment on a cruise
-- the metal floor underneath them began to flex loudly in
high seas, creating an unbearable racket that kept them
awake. The couple sailed from Southampton on the ship's
15-week maiden voyage in January 2009 and hit heavy seas
in the Bay of Biscay when the floor began to flex loudly.
They were offered an alternative cabin for the New York to
Los Angeles leg then upgraded to a 'penthouse suite',
complete with a butler. But they 'could not unpack' and
relax as they didn't know when the couple who booked the
suite would be joining the cruise, the court heard. They
returned to their original cabin only to face the noise
once more and were offered a mid-range suite which they
rejected as it ' didn't feel right'. By now, the
experience had left them feeling like 'gipsies' so they
disembarked in Honolulu, Hawaii and spent six weeks in a
luxury hotel before returning home on the Queen Elizabeth
II. They were refunded £48,240 of the £59,052, cruise cost
and pursued a damages case. A judge at Bradford county
court awarded them £22,000, of which £15,000 was for
'distress and disappointment'. The cruise line said the
award was likely to encourage speculative court action and
the correct level was between £2,000 and £3,000. Judgment
was reserved. |
Law suit |
| December 3 |
Palm
Beach Princess Casino |
WPTB-TV
reports All bets are off for the Palm Beach Princess
Casino. The cruise ship is not sailing Wednesday night.
Unnamed sources said that the ship's workers are on strike
because they've been asked to take a 25% pay cut and no
additional pay for new, expanded hours. The cruise ship
offered another explanation. "This morning we relieved our
captain of his duties and brought in a new captain. He was
paid in full for the term of his contract. He is trying to
organize a strike and right now the company is in talks
with the crew, trying to get the situation rectified so
that we can resume sailing," said marketing director Mark
Simkins. Simkins did not provide a timeline for how long
the labor dispute will go on. He did say that the ship
will not be sailing Wednesday night. UPDATE
December 4: Palm
Beach Post reports the labour dispute has been
resolved, but on Tuesday the ship could be dry-docked by
the U.S. Coast Guard. The company that owns the ship has
until then to repair its main engine, which failed about
three months ago, or at least have a detailed repair plan.
The company, which agreed to a Dec. 8 deadline to fix the
engine, has been paying two tugboats to haul the 420-foot
ship in and out of the Port of Palm Beach since the engine
failure, as ordered by the Coast Guard. "We will either
fix the current engine or buy a new ship," Princess
spokesman Mark Simkins said Friday. If Princess officials
solve the engine problem by Tuesday, the Coast Guard will
inspect it, taking the ship for a test run in the inlet
and possibly out to the Atlantic Ocean. If the engine is
not fixed, the Coast Guard will require Princess managers
to show ordered parts and repair contracts if they are to
be granted an extension, said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Mario
Teixeira. "It would take a very detailed repair plan to
convince the Coast Guard to grant another extension,"
Teixeira said. Update December 9: The
Palm Beach Princess gaming cruise to nowhere is banned
from operating out of U.S. ports, after the ship failed to
meet a deadline Tuesday to have its main engine repaired,
the U.S. Coast Guard announced. |
Labour dispute / Engine problems / Banned
by U.S. |
| December 3 |
Wonderful Star
Robie Shipping
|
Safety
at Sea International reports a ferry involved in a
collision with a ro-ro in the Philippines is being towed
to port today. The collision endangered 519 ferry
passengers at Cebu late on Tuesday, but no serious
injuries were reported. The Roble Shipping-operated ro-pax
Wonderful Star and the Gothong Lines-owned, 15,439gt ro-ro
Subic Bay 1 were both heading into the narrow Mactan
channel, under the first Mactan-Mandaue Bridge when the
1,297gt ferry grounded. |
Collision |
| December 2 |
Lyubov
Orlova
Quark
Expeditions |
A person
has posted a video at YouTube
showing the ship "slashing the Maruba container Asia
during the approach to dock at the Port Ushuaia." Note
the black smoke coming from the ship's smokestack -- this
is what concerns environmentalists, especially given the
ship's travel to Antarctica. |
Bump / Slash |
| November
30 |
Equinox
Celebrity
Cruises |
From
a passenger: We sailed on the Nov 23
cruise. We were on deck 10 aft cabin. The area had a
terrible odor that nauseated us and caused coughing
attacks as well as headaches. After discussing this with
Claudio an Ass't Guest Relations Manager he acknowledged
that they were aware of the problem and that the
Solstice was even was even worse. He claims that have
resolved the problem with the Eclipse. |
Nauseous air quality |
| November
29 |
Norwegian Pearl
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
A poster
at Cruise
Critic says: We are nearing the end of our 1st
sea day and we went down to Blue Lagoon for a light
dinner. While sitting there with DW these two women sat
down and were talking. All of a sudden they hollered out
loudly "Dave" and this Dave character came flying up the
stairs from the Crystal Centrum screaming and yelling
expletives as these 2 ladies. The male slammed the one
girls head against the window while punching the other
woman in the face. He was screaming up a storm and
pounding on these poor girls. Looking around for
security or staff they were nowhere to be found. Myself
and a few other patrons witnessed this attack. Obviously
the guy was very drunk and kept screaming at them that
he was going to come by later and finish them off. He
was even menacing towards myself and my wife. When asked
the staff basically acted like nothing happened. I spoke
with security personnel who said they were looking into
the matter. Can't even sit in peace onboard a cruise
ship and have a dinner without some crazy idiot
assaulting and battering passengers. This guy was not a
crew member but just a passenger who needs to be tossed
off the ship and arrested. Later on I overheard the
ladies saying they didn't want to press charges. Hmm get
your head bashed against a glass window and your face
punched but they don't want to press charges. Called
down to reception later after our dinner was basically
ruined by this character and his unwarranted behavior
and reception said that they weren't doing anything
about it. So I guess now NCL thinks it's ok to be
assaulted by other passenger's and witnessed by at least
6-10 other passengers including myself but they don't
feel the need to locate this guy and put him off the
ship. We will be in Samana in the Morning and hopefully
they put this jerk off on a slow boat sit adrift in the
open Atlantic. NOTE: It appears
the discussion threat has been removed. The incident is
now only mentioned as an aside at this
URL. |
2 female passengers assaulted |
| November
29 |
Coral Princess
Princess Cruises |
Associated
Press reports Colombian maritime authorities
searched Sunday for an Italian chef believed to have gone
overboard from the ship while off Colombia's Caribbean
coast. The 31 year old man was last seen in the galley at
about 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 25 while he was working the dinner
shift while the ship was sailing between Aruba and
Cartagena, Colombia. His family was alerted Thursday that
he had been reported missing and that a life preserver was
also missing, with its nighttime illumination flares torn
off and left aboard the ship. His sister said, "He surely
didn't jump off. It wasn't suicide. We think there was an
accident or a homicide." The ship left Miami on Nov. 23
and is currently en route from Panama to Acapulco, Mexico;
it is due to dock in Los Angeles on Dec. 7, at which point
the FBI is expected to join the investigation. |
Crew member missing |
| November
29 |
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
NCL
canceled today’s five-day Western Caribbean sailing from
Miami after the ship experienced a power outage near San
Juan on Friday night (see below). Passengers reported
spending Friday night on deck because air conditioning did
not function. After partial power was restored, Norwegian
Dawn was able to reach San Juan on Saturday, where the
ship remains. NCL chartered aircraft to return passengers
to Miami during the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The
company is still looking into the cause of the engine
problem. On Sunday morning, it was not known when the ship
will be able to return to Miami. NCL is refunding the full
fare for passengers booked on today’s canceled voyage and
giving a 50% future cruise credit. UPDATE:
The ship has been repaired (December 1) and will be in
Miami for its cruise December 4th. |
Canceled cruise |
| November
27 |
Clelia
II
Travel
Dynamics International |
There is a
report the ship hit a rock in Possession Bay (Antarctica).
Damage was minor; all onboard are safe and unharmed. UPDATE:
The following was received in response to this
report -- We became aware that you carried a report
on your web site, Cruise Junkie, that the expedition
cruise ship Clelia II hit a rock on November 27, 2009 in
Possession Bay. We are the charterers and operators of
the Clelia II, and would like to state categorically
that the ship did not hit a rock in Possession Bay,
which, by the way, is in South Georgia Island and not in
Antarctica, as you wrote, or in any other place. We are
really surprised that you would post information on your
site without first checking the veracity of the report.
We ask you that you retract your statement immediately
and that you post an appropriate statement stating
clearly that your earlier report was in error. If you do
not post such a statement, we will take any and all
legal actions against you to correct the record and seek
appropriate damages. |
?Hit rock? |
| November
27 |
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
Associated
Press reports the ship temporarily lost power off
the coast of Puerto Rico. A Norwegian Cruise Line news
release says the ship lost power at 9 a.m. Friday about 95
miles off the north coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The
United States Coast Guard and local authorities were
notified immediately. The cruise line reports that all
guests on board were safe and secure. Power was restored
later Friday, and the ship was back under way. It was
expected to arrive in Miami as scheduled on Sunday. The
ship departed Miami last Friday, making stops throughout
the Caribbean. UPDATE: Jackson
NJ Online reports passengers on board say the ship
completely lost all power and Coast Guard ships and
helicopters were dispatched to the scene. All activities
on board the ship were cancelled Friday and the ship is
headed to the port of San Juan in Puerto Rico, not Miami,
this morning. Passengers were told they would have to make
accommodations to return to Miami, but were offered a 70%
discount and credits of 50% on future cruises. NCL also
offered to pay for hotel accommodations and airfare.
During the power outage, the more than 2,000 passengers on
the ship had no access to running water, electricity air
conditioning or toilet services in the hot Caribbean. The
current temperature in San Juan is partly cloudy 85
degrees with 67% humidity. Guests have been asked to
conserve water because the ship has limited capacity to
produce new fresh water. |
Engine failure / Loss of electrical power |
| November 26 |
Disney
Wonder
Disney
Cruise Line |
The Sun
Sentinel reports while in transit from St Thomas,
USVI to the Bahamas with four of the five main diesel
generators on line, the ship suffered a failure of the
number one main diesel generator, more specifically, their
was a short circuit in the alternator winding causing a
shutdown of the number one generator and a release of
internal combustion gas and smoke from the cylinder head
relief valves. The voltage drop resulting from the shutdown
of the number one generator caused under voltage shutdowns
of the numbers two, four, and five main generators fuel
pumps. The shutdown of the fuel pumps starved the two, four,
and five generators of fuel subsequently causing a shutdown
of those generators. The shutdown of the generators resulted
in a loss of main electrical power and propulsion throughout
the ship, a blackout, and the ship became adrift. The ships
transitional power operated as designed and the emergency
generator started automatically and supplied all emergency
circuits while the other generators were brought back on
line and main power and propulsion was restored. Of note,
the ships voyage data recorder, an instrument designed and
installed to help assist in post casualty analysis and
investigation failed to operate on its back up power supply
when the ship blacked out. Full power and propulsion was
restored approximately 45 minutes after the casualty
occurred and the ship resumed normal operation. The number
one generator winding failure required rewinding of the
generator at a cost of approximately $1,000,000. |
Loss of power and
propulsion |
| November
25 |
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Cruise Lines
Radiance of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Posters at
Cruise
Critic say the Carnival ship bumped the RCI ship
while maneuvering in Puerto Vallarta, denting the front of
Radiance of the Seas. |
Collision - "Bump" |
| November
25 |
Barfleur
Brittany Ferries |
The
Guardian reports a suspected illegal immigrant
sparked a five-hour air and sea search after jumping off a
cross-Channel ferry in a desperate attempt to get into
Britain. The apparent stowaway leapt into rough and
freezing seas as the boat approached Poole harbour, in
Dorset. Despite 65mph winds and 3-metre (10ft) waves, he
made it 50 metres to shore on the exclusive Sandbanks
peninsula, wearing a wetsuit under his clothes to protect
him from hypothermia. He was caught when he was spotted
dripping wet while boarding a chain ferry that crosses the
harbour. At first he told police through an interpreter
that a second man also went overboard with him and two
women colleagues were left on board. A huge search of the
harbour was launched involving some 50 lifeboat personnel,
coastguard and police officers, costing around £26,000.
The operation was called off at 5.30am and although police
continued to search the shoreline, they found no trace of
anyone else involved. The man, aged in his 40s, was
arrested on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant and is
being questioned by immigration officials in Poole. |
Pax jumps overboard - rescued |
| November
23 |
Coral Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship
was cited for one air quality violation in
Alaska during the 2009 cruise season. |
Environmental |
| November
23 |
Ryndam
Holland America
Line |
The ship
was cited for one air quality violation in
Alaska during the 2009 cruise season. |
Environmental |
| November
23 |
Oosterdam
Holland America
Line |
The ship
was cited for one air quality violation in
Alaska during the 2009 cruise season. |
Environmental |
| November
23 |
Expedition
Gap Adventures |
From a
reader: GAP's Expedition (the ship they refurbished to
replace the sunk Explorer) cancelled their two first trips
of the season, and rumor has it they will cancel two more.
I couldn't find any reliable source nor any news about it.
Its not on their site. But the ship did not show up in
Ushuaia when it was scheduled to. |
Cruises canceled |
| November
23 |
Silja
Europa
Silja Line |
Monsters
and Critics reports the ferry with almost 1,700
people onboard was to be towed to the Finnish port city of
Turku on Monday due to problems with its rudder system.
The rudder system failure was detected Sunday when the
ferry was en route from Stockholm to Turku. The ferry is
currently in the archipelago of the Aland Islands, located
in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden. The ferry
operator said the engines were working and the ship was
maneuverable. The ferry's scheduled departures Monday and
Tuesday were cancelled and tickets were refunded. UPDATE:
It was subsequently announced that all departures
have been canceled until at least December 1, while
repairs are undertaken. |
Rudder system failure |
| November
22 |
Tallink
Victoria
Tallink |
Uutiset
(Finland) reports a search and rescue operation for
a man who fell off the ship off the coast of Hanko was
called off Sunday morning. The man is now presumed
drowned. Authorities said they did everything they could
to find him, but to no avail. The ship was en route from
Tallinn to Stockholm via Mariehamn. The man went overboard
before ten p.m. on Saturday night. Nearby cargo vessels
and three cruise ships joined Coast Guard helicopters and
boats in the search for the man. "After hours of
searching, the civilian vessels returned to their routes
while the Coast Guard continued until four a.m. Generally,
hypothermia sets in between half an hour to an hour if the
water is six or seven degrees Celsius. |
Overboard - Missing |
| November 22 |
Silver Shadow
Silversea Cruises |
The Miami
Herald reports a Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued
Ronald Shulman, 62, who went overboard the cruise ship
around 3 a.m. Sunday morning. He was found swimming 20
miles southeast of Government Cut (near Miami) around 7:45
a.m. It is not known how Shulman, who was traveling alone,
went overboard. Cruise operators noticed Shulman was
missing and contacted the Coast Guard. A crew from Air
Station Miami recovered the man, lowering a rescue swimmer
from a helicopter. Shulman was back on the cruise ship
Sunday morning, with a touch of hypothermia from his long
night in the water, according to a Coast Guard
spokeswoman. |
Overboard - Rescued alive |
| November
21 |
Navigator
of the Seas & Disney Wonder
Royal
Caribbean
International
Disney
Cruise Line |
The Nassau
Guardian reports two armed men ambushed and robbed a
group of 17 tourists on tour in Nassau yesterday.
According to police, the visitors were on tour at Earth
Village, Dunmore Street, in Chippingham just before 1 p.m.
with a tour guide when two men armed with shotguns
accosted them. The Bahamian man leading the tour was tied
up and the tourists were ordered to the ground and robbed
of cash, passports, cell phones, credit cards and personal
items, said police. While this group of visitors was being
robbed, another group of tourists came on the scene and
they too were robbed. Shortly after this incident, a
43-year-old Canadian man visiting downtown Nassau along
with his brother had his wallet snatched while walking on
Bay Street near Navy Lion Road. Three officers from the
Tourism Patrol Unit gave chase and arrested the
49-year-old man police suspect was responsible for the
theft. |
Pax robbed onshore |
| November
19 |
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From
a passenger: 3 hours after leaving port in
San Juan, the ship had to turn around to return due to a
passenger being "very sick". It was reported later,
"through the grapevine" that the passenger had been
having serious breathing issues...possible heart attack.
Due to the return to San Juan, the stop at Grand Turk on
11/19 had to be canceled. Being a passenger, I was a
little disappointed about missing Grand Turk, but was
thankful that Carnival cares about individual passengers
and their health. |
Canceled port call |
| November
19 |
Black Watch
Fred Olsen
Cruises |
The
BBC reports a 23 year old man and 20 year old woman
from Surrey were detained by UK Border Agency officers as
the man disembarked at Southampton docks. HM Revenue and
Customs (HMRC) said 1.5kg (3.3lb) of cocaine with an
estimated street value of £70,000 was seized from a male
passenger. |
Drug bust |
| November
18 |
Disney
Magic
Disney
Cruise Line,
Carnival Legend
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a passenger: We have
just returned from a Disney Cruise. On our day in
Cozumel, Nov 18th, five Disney employees, celebrating
the end of their contracts from Animal Kingdom, rented a
dune buggy or Jeep ( not part of a shore excursion)
and were in an accident. Two were killed and
three hospitalized. The 6th person in their party
had decided to take a cruise endorsed shore excursion. UPDATE:
The incident was subsequently reported by Tampa
media and discussed
on a board focused on Cozumel. This what was said: There was a really bad
accident on Thursday around 2:30 PM at the entrance to the
San Gervasio ruins where a red and yellow Jeep Polar from
Executive Car Rental collided and two people were killed.
It appears that one vehicle, traveling at an undetermined
speed was coming out of the ruins when it was hit by other
other jeep which was reported to be traveling at 120
kilometers/hour (75 mph!) at the time of the crash.
Because both jeeps were overloaded, some of the cruise
passengers were hurled from the vehicles while others
remained twisted in the wreckage. One 21 year old woman
died at the scene and at least four were transported to
nearby hospitals in grave condition and where one of them
later died. The driver of the second car has been taken
into custody. |
Pax deaths onshore |
| November 18 |
Carnival Destiny
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Sun
Sentinel reports while vessel was inbound to the Port
of Grand Turk, the primary motor unit (PMU) 1 tripped due to
malfunction in the cycle converter (CC) 1 drive switch board
causing the vessel to lose the port side engine. The US Cast
Guard reports this as materuial failure. |
Loss of engine |
| November
15 |
Royal
Caribbean
International |
Jackson,
NJ.com reports travelers leaving for sunny Caribbean
vacations on RCI cruises from Bayonne (Cape Liberty) are
returning home to find their cars have been permanently
damaged. The culprit seems to be paint being used by the
nearby dry dock to repair a U.S. Navy ship being restored.
Both Royal Caribbean and the owners of the parking garage
have known about the problem for several months and failed
to warn customers of the dangers posed to their vehicles.
Calls from the newspaper to Royal Caribbean were deferred
to the Bayonne Dry dock Corporation. Calls to Central
Parking (operator of the parking lot) were also not
returned. |
Damage to parked cars (while on cruise) |
| November
15 |
Kapitan
Khlebnikov
Quark
Expeditions
|
The
Guardian reports 80 British tourists on a journey to
watch emperor penguins in the Antarctic have been stranded
for a week after their cruise ship got stuck in the ice.
The Kapitan Khlebnikov, a Russian icebreaker that takes
people through the icebergs of the Weddell Sea and to Snow
Hill Island rookery, set out on 3 November and was due to
return tomorrow. But bad weather caused the sea-ice to
compact, making it impossible for the ship, with its 105
passengers to break through. A passenger, who has asked to
remain anonymous, said: "The first three days went
according to plan, but then the weather started changing.
Now we have to wait for winds to change." The passengers
and crew are in no danger and it is expected that the ice
will decompress enough over the weekend for the ship to
navigate its way out and return to Ushuaia, Argentina.UPDATE
November 17: ABC
News reports the ship is still stuck in ice. The
ship is waiting for a stronger wind to try to begin moving
again -- it is about five miles from clear water near the
Snow Hill Island in the Weddel Sea. Update
November 20: Reports indicate the ship has now
broken free of the ice. It is scheduled to arrive in
Ushuaia November 22. Passengers on the next expedition,
which was to have begun last Monday, will embark Sunday
for an abbreviated itinerary. |
Stuck in ice |
| November
14 |
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises |
From
a passenger: I was on the cruise that
departed San Pedro, CA November 14th to Cabo San Lucas.
The was one of three ships docked offshore. The water
had moderate to strong chop with a swell of two to three
feet. The wind was from the south at approximate 10 to
15 knots. The ship's tenders were providing ferry
service in and out of Cabo that day. Other ships were
using commercial tenders or water taxis that were larger
and more stable. The trip to shore was more or less
uneventful. However, on the trip back to the ship that
afternoon, the tender lost an engine. The drived
immediately cut the other engine. The tender was bobbing
in the ocean under no power. It was rolling in heavy
swells with a pitch of approximately 35 degrees, side to
side. This was not pleasurable. The driver made a
decision to go back to port and restarted the single
functioning engine and started back. He was then
instructed to go to the ship instead and made a u-turn,
limping on one engine. He was barely able to make it
back to the ship; at no time was anything said to
passengers by the crew, and life jackets were not passed
out. Once at the ship, there was no plan in place to get
the tender under control. The driver could not control
the tender with one engine. We bobbed and rolled and
bounced off the ship several times. The shipboard crew
had a large bale of ropes and were trying to get them
untangled to toss a line. It was a Chinese fire drill,
and no one spoke English. It was a totally
unprofessional exhibition of how not to react in an
emergency. We, the passengers, were all aghast at the
total lack of seamanship of these inept crew members I
have never seen anything like it. |
Tender nightmare |
| November
12 |
Ship unknown
Thomson
Cruises |
Bolton
News (UK) reports a five-year-old boy who wears
nappies because he has Down’s Syndrome was turned away
from a children’s play area on a Thomspon ship. His
parents claim staff told them he could not join in with
fun sessions because he wore pull-up nappies. The mother
said “I couldn’t believe it. Ethan is able to use the
toilet but he does sometimes have accidents. If Ethan had
an accident, it would not have affected the others because
he had pull-ups on.“ The company apologized and said it
would investigate. The chief executive of the Down’s
Syndrome Association, said: “It does not make sense and
does sound like discrimination. The situation with the
nappies could have been got around and arrangements made
allowing the child to play with other children.” |
Child turned away from child centre |
| November
11 |
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
Received
from a passenger: I recently took a NCL
cruise. Unfortunately, I left my passport in California
and was sailing out of Miami for a week long cruise to
the Caribbean. Since I was unable to board the ship sans
passport, I sent my friend ahead and told her I would
meet her in the first port (Ship sailed on Saturday,
first port was Samana on Monday) I phoned my
family to fed ex the passport to arrive on Monday. I
phoned NCL "emergency airline" number and told what had
happened and what my plans were. I asked them if
they could assist me in getting to Samana. Upon
looking up my booking number they said "We would be able
to help you if you had purchased your entire package
from NCL" but since you only booked the cruise
portion through us we are unable to help you. (I
had used frequent flyer miles to get to Florida to keep
the cost of the trip at a minimum) I told them
that I wasn't looking for them to fly me there, I was
planning on paying for my airfare - I just needed
guidance - what airline flew there, what times, how long
would the flight take, where was the port in connection
to the airport etc. The agent said he could not
help me and suggested I contact the different carriers
or use the internet. I was aghast but thought, OK
maybe the "emergency airline" number wasn't who I should
have called, I will call corporate office and see if
they can help me with logistics. Same deal.
The person that answered the phone was unable to
help (granted it was Saturday) when I asked who I should
speak to. They had suggested I call back on
Monday....after explaining that by then it would be too
late. I hung up frustrated. But, I didn't stop
there. My next call was the the NCL excursion desk
(thinking that since it is one of their ports and they
do excursions on the island, they would know the layout)
NOPE! I did my research and flew to Dominican
Republic with American Airlines. I made the last tender
by 1/2 hour. The port is on the opposite side of
the island from the airport and it takes a $200 taxi
ride that is doubt 2hrs to get there. Once aboard the
ship, the following day I was met by customs to explain
why I boarded in Samana. With me was one other
person ( a gentleman from corporate offices of NCL) who
had also boarded in Samana. After explaining the
lack of support I got from the 3 numbers I dialed, he
suggested I write a letter - and I did, but have not
heard back. I wanted to share this story with the
readers because one thinks, that they will be taken care
of as guests should be - but in this case I was not.
|
Customer dis-service |
| November
11 |
Seven Seas Navigator
Regent
Seven
Seas
Cruises |
According
to a news report Cruise Holdings has alleged that manager
V.Ships Leisure is to blame for “potential environmental
law violations” aboard the ship.. According to a legal
filing made public this week, V.Ships was hired on a
one-year contract in 2008 to provide ship management for
three Prestige-owned Regent cruise vessels. In March,
Prestige instructed V.Ships to place Tonci Masle, a chief
engineer at Prestige-owned Oceania Cruises, aboard the
Navigator in preparation for Prestige’s takeover of
Regent’s ship management in June. Prestige claimed that
Masle found “numerous deficiencies” and “identified
potential environmental law violations onboard the Seven
Seas Navigator”. On 17 March, Prestige “instructed the
crew of the Navigator that all bilge water be discharged
to shoreside disposal facilities to avoid any further
potential violations”. Prestige also turned itself in to
the US Coast Guard and US attorney’s office. Prestige
subsequently faced “legal fees relating to the US
government’s investigation of environmental violations”.
In addition to seeking damages from V.Ships and its
president Roberto Giorgi, Prestige is also suing Italian
class society RINA, which inspected the Seven Seas
Navigator. |
Environmental |
| November 10 |
Carnival Triumph
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Travel
Weekly reports the ship's inaugural cruise from New
Orleans has been delayed by one day due to Tropical Storm
Ida. The ship will operate a three-day cruise departing
Nov. 11, instead of a four-day cruise departing Nov. 10.
Passengers will get a 50% refund of their fare or can
cancel for a full refund. |
Delayed cruise |
| November 10 |
Fantasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
WHNT-TV
(Mobile) reports the ship's inaugural cruise from Mobile
has been delayed by one day due to Tropical Storm Ida. The
ship's first cruise was supposed to depart Tuesday, but
the cruise line announced that the cruise is being delayed
until Wednesday. It will be shortened from six days to
five days. Passengers can cancel and receive a full
refund, or they can receive a prorated refund of the fare
paid for the six-day cruise. The Alabama Cruise Terminal
reports that that the Fantasy should arrive in port late
Tuesday or early Wednesday. The Fantasy is replacing a
smaller ship, the Holiday, which finished its last cruise
Saturday. |
Delayed cruise |
| November
10 |
Pacific Sun
P&O
Australia |
The
company announced today that the ship's ‘Week Fantastique’
round cruise from Brisbane next Saturday has been
cancelled. The ship has been delayed at the Forgacs
Cairncross Dockyard on the Brisbane River where she has
been undergoing routine maintenance. A replacement part
for the propulsion system has to be custom-made and fitted
before the ship is able to leave dry dock. Passengers will
receive a full refund, plus a discount of 50% of their
cancelled cruise fare for a future sailing. Pacific Sun is
scheduled to operate another seven-night ‘Week
Fantastique’ cruise to New Caledonia and Vanuatu from
Brisbane on November 21. |
Cancelled cruise |
| November 9 |
Mariner of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Contra
Costa Times reports three ambulances and about 20
paramedics and rescue personnel were sent to a cruise ship
in the Port of Los Angeles Sunday to treat three people
with serious injuries and medical complications, but the
injuries were unrelated, a fire official said. The
injuries were reported at 6:06 AM. A pregnant woman
suffering possible complications and two passengers who
had slipped and fallen on the ship were taken to San Pedro
Peninsula Hospital with "serious" injuries. Two of the
passengers were in the ship's infirmary when Los Angeles
fire paramedics arrived. The other was in a state room
onboard. |
Ship met by ambulances |
| November 8 |
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From
a passenger: Departure from Long Beach left 7
hours late... problem of some sort re a fire door
not working and had to be repaired. Next day, ship had to
change direction back towards san diego to allow a coast
guard helicopter to pick up a seriously ill passenger. The
ship managed to speed up and no major late port
arrivals took place. The captain kept us up to date on
both situations and handled both situations in a
professional manner. |
Delayed departure |
| November 8 |
Carnival Paradise
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From
a passenger: While on Carnival Paradise Nov
6-9, 2009 from Long Beach to Ensenada and back,
something serious happened. Early Sunday morning, 11/8,
the announcement “ Operation Bright Start in E-22” came
over the intercom. My girlfriend looked out to
find a man and a women in the hallway talking, and the
man saying that there had been a “terrible accident”
We docked unscheduled that morning about 5:30 AM,
for about 90 minutes, in what one crew member said was
San Clemente. After breakfast E-22 had been cleared of
beds, and a workman was seen laying down new carpeting.
The crew members were all tight-lipped. |
Mystery |
| November 6 |
Norwegian Spirit
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
Associated
Press reports a Danish tourist died Friday, two days
after being shot by robbers who tried to steal his camera
while he visited a cemetery. Police said two suspected
gang members had been arrested. The cruise passenger died
at a hospital in Guatemala City, where he was flown after
being wounded in the port city of Santo Tomas de Castillo.
He went with another tourist on a paid tour to a nearby
town Wednesday. On the way back, they asked the driver to
stop at the cemetery so they could take pictures. They
were approached by two young men who tried to steal their
cameras, and the passenger was shot in a scuffle. Police
spokesman Donald Gonzalez said two men, thought to be gang
members because of the tattoos on their faces, were
arrested. |
Pax murdered on shore |
| November 6 |
Celebrity Solstice
Celebrity
Cruises |
From a passenger: I'm a passenger
on Celebrity Solstice between Santorini and
Naples. At 9PM local time tonight, a female passenger
jumped purposefully from Deck 14. She has been identified
by the crew but the name not released. The coast guard are
conducting a search but she has not been found as yet. UPDATE
November 7: Solstice searched in the darkness
with spotlights for 10 hours assisted by at least one more
cruise ship as well as at least one coast guard boat and
an aircraft. Flares were deployed as well, but to no
avail. She was not found. We continued on toward Naples
and will arrive about an hour late. |
Pax overboard |
| November 6 |
Grand Voyager
Iberocruises |
It has been reported that
the ship left Funchal today, 21 hours later than
scheduled. I was originally scheduled to depart yesterday
evening. There have been no reports of the cause for the
delay. |
Delayed departure
|
| November 6 |
Grandeur of the
Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Hampton
Roads dot com reports a convicted sex offender has
been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after he
admitted downloading child pornography. The thirty-two
year old man was arrested in May after he debarked the
ship at the Norfolk cruise ship terminal. U.S. Customs and
Border Protection agents pulled him from the line and
searched his laptop, which contained 69 child pornography
videos. The search was conducted under a new policy that
allows agents to search any electronic device carried by
international travelers. |
Pax arrested with child
porn
|
| November 5 |
Independence
of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The Huddersfield
Examiner reports a couple is suing their travel
agent after contracting food poisoning while on aboard the
ship. According to the article, the couple left
Southampton in June for France, Portugal, Spain and
Italy. During the first few nights they sent food back
several times and also saw curdled milk and yogurts in
faulty chiller cabinets. But it was two days before the
end of their two-week holiday when they were hit by
severe diarrhea, fever and headaches. Mr Wormald became
so ill he lost 10.5lbs in weight ... Tests showed the
couple had both contracted campylobacter – a common form
of food poisoning which was treated with antibiotics. |
Food poisoning
|
| November 4 |
Norwegian
Dawn
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
The Royal
Gazette (Bermuda) reports on a trial in which a
passenger was found with 32 packages of marijuana in his
cabin, with the intent to import into Bermuda. According
to testimony, the passenger arrived on June 17. Police
noticed him acting suspiciously after he disembarked in
Dockyard. He was going from phone booth to phone booth in
an apparent attempt to contact someone. After he
re-boarded the ship, they searched his cabin and found 32
packages of cannabis in his suitcase and under his bed. |
Drug bust
|
| November 2 |
Science
News reports on an article in the November 1 issue
of Clinical Infectious Diseases entitled "Cruise
Ship Environmental Hygiene and the Risk of Norovirus
Infection Outbreaks: An Objective Assessment of 56 Vessels
over 3 Years" (pp 1321-1317; Authors: P.C. Carling, L.A.
Bruno-Murtha, and J.K. Griffiths). The article in Science
is entitled "Poorly Cleaned Public Cruise Ship Restrooms
May Predict Norovirus Outbreaks." Copied below is the
abstract from the journal article:
Background. Norovirus infection
outbreaks (NoVOs) occur frequently in closed populations,
such as cruise ship passengers. Environmental
contamination is believed to play an important role in
NoVO propagation.
Methods. Trained health care
professionals covertly evaluated the thoroughness of
disinfection cleaning (TDC) of 6 standardized objects
(toilet seat, flush handle or button, toilet stall inner
handhold, stall inner door handle, restroom inner door
handle, and baby changing table surfaces) with high
potential for fecal contamination in cruise ship public
restrooms, by means of a previously validated novel
targeting method.
Results. Fifty-six cruise ships
(∼30% of 180 vessels operated by 9 large cruise lines)
were evaluated from July 2005 through August 2008.
Overall, 37% (range, 4%–100%; 95% confidence interval,
29.2%–45.4%) of 8344 objects in 273 randomly selected
public restrooms were cleaned daily. The TDC did not
differ by cruise line and did not correlate with the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vessel
Sanitation Program inspection scores (r2, .002; P = .75).
More than half the vessels had overall TDC scores <30%,
although several of these low scoring ships had
near-perfect CDC sanitation scores. The mean TDC of the 3
ships evaluated within 4 months before a NoVO (10.3%) was
substantially less than the mean TDC of the 40 ships that
did not experience NoVOs (40.4%) (P < .004).
Conclusions. An objective evaluation of
public restroom environmental hygiene on 56 cruise ships
found that only 37% of selected toilet area objects were
cleaned on a daily basis. Low TDC scores may predict
subsequent NoVO-prone vessels. Enhanced public restroom
cleaning may prevent or moderate NoVOs on cruise ships.
|
Norovirus |
| November 2 |
Statendam
Holland America
Line |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in September. On September 16
the ship's effluent exceeded the allowable level of pH. |
Environmental |
| November 2 |
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in September. There were
three violations. The ship's effluent on September 8
exceeded the allowable level of zinc, on September 16
exceeded the allowable level of ammonia, and on September
16 exceeded the allowable level of copper. |
Environmental |
| November 2 |
Island Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in September. There were two
violations. The ship's effluent on September 3 and
September 11 exceeded the allowable level of ammonia. |
Environmental |
| November 2 |
Sea Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in September. On September 4,
the ship's effluent exceeded the allowable level of
ammonia. |
Environmental |
| November 2 |
Golden Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in September. There were two
violations. The ship's effluent on September 7 and
September 14 exceeded the allowable level of zinc. |
Environmental |
| November 2 |
Diamond Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in September. On September
15, the ship's effluent exceeded the allowable level of
zinc. |
Environmental |
| October 31 |
Iranian
cruise ship |
Press
TV (Iran) reports a cruise ship has gone down off
the port city of Genaveh in the Iranian southern province
of Bushehr. The ship went down Friday afternoon after
being hit by massive waves. It was en route from Khark
Island -- in the vicinity of Iran's major port city in the
Persian Gulf, Bushehr -- to Genaveh port city -- located
on the Persian Gulf cost between Bushehr and Daylem port
city. One life was lost and three others went missing in
the incident. Twenty-one people were recovered by boats
fishing at the site. |
Sank |
| October 30 |
Norwegian Spirit
Norwegian Cruise Line |
The CDC reports 9 of 965 (0.93%) crew and 73 of
1991 (3.66%) passengers had reported ill with
gastrointestinal illness on a 16 day cruise ending
November 8 in New Orleans. |
Illness |
| October 28 |
Norwegian
Majesty
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
The Bermuda
Sun reports a 72-year-old male passenger died of a
suspected heart attack after a helmet-diving trip off the
east end yesterday afternoon. He collapsed on board the
boat after completing a helmet dive with Peppercorn
Diving. Staff tried to revive the man, who was visiting
with his wife, but to no avail. |
Death after shore excursion |
| October 25 |
Balmoral
Fred Olsen
Cruises |
Nova
News reports: After weeks of planning and
getting ready, the ship sailed by Shelburne (Nova
Scotia) this morning to the disappointment of many. The
ship and its 1,300 passengers were scheduled to spend
the day in Shelburne, but the visit was cancelled Sunday
morning as heavy rains and high winds hit the area. |
Skipped port call |
| October 24 |
Norwegian Jewel
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
The Chronicle
Herald reports an employee that visited Halifax on
Friday was arrested after border agents allegedly found
sexually explicit images of children on his cell phone.
Menandro Lim Lanzar, 31, of the Philippines was arraigned
in Halifax provincial court on a Customs Act charge of
importing child pornography. Mr. Lanzar, quarter master on
the Norwegian Jewel, was remanded to the Central Nova
Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth until Tuesday,
when he returns to court. Blair MacDonald, a criminal
investigator with the Canada Border Services Agency, said
Mr. Lanzar was inspected as he was getting off the ship at
Pier 22. UPDATE: The Chronicle
Herald reports the crew member has been sentenced to
100 days in jail and will then be deported. |
Child pornography arrest |
| October 24 |
Brilliance
of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The
current cruise has experienced bad weather and other
problems (see October 13). The latest from a passenger is:
We were due to dock in Barcelona tomorrow morning -
update 7pm tomorrow night. Weather was very rough last
night hardly slept. So the plan is to use the ship as a
hotel tomorrow night in Barcelona and the new cruise
will lose a day. Weather now is clear and sunny but
still bumpy. According to a poster at Cruise
Critic: I'm scheduled with 7 others to cruise
the Brilliance tomorrow, Sun. Just got off the phone
with RCCL, here's the update, Boarding will be on Monday
now at 7:00 PM, Anyone who has scheduled their air with
RCCL will be met at the Barcelona airport and
transferred to a hotel, courtesy of RCCL. Outside cabins
will be given a $200pp OCB, Balcony cabins will be given
$300PP OCB. I'm just glad I called, because nowhere on
their site are these changes. There will be an extra sea
day and they will be skipping Nice, and Florence.
Needless to say am very disappointed, but I'm sure we
will make the best of it. Any day away from work is a
vacation.
|
Late disembarkation/ delayed embarkation |
| October 23 |
Hrossey
NorthLink |
The
Orcadian Daily News (Orkney Islands) reports that four
passengers on NorthLink Ferry's northbound Hrossey
sustained minor injuries in severe weather conditions on
Thursday morning. The vessel encountered heavier than
forecast south-easterly gales (force 10) off the Fair
Isle, and, in very heavy seas, a sudden roll to port led
to four passengers sustaining minor injuries.
Additionally, a number of cars were slightly damaged and a
plate glass panel was broken by a sofa. Speaking on
Thursday morning, a NorthLink spokesman commented: "Four
passengers sustained minor injuries when the vessel
lurched unexpectedly during a particularly heavy roll —
one who who sitting in the bar, one who was asleep in a
bunk and a couple who were asleep on a sofa. "So far as I
am aware, at the moment, hospitalization was not
required." |
Injuries in rough seas |
| October 23 |
Serenade
of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in August. On August 6, the
ship's effluent exceeded the allowable level of zinc. |
Environmental |
| October 23 |
Diamond Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in August. There were two
violations. The ship's effluent on August 12 exceeded the
allowable level of ammonia and zinc. |
Environmental |
| October 23 |
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in August. There were three
violations. The ship's effluent on August 11 exceeded the
allowable level of ammonia and on August 11 and AUgust 25
the ship's effluent exceeded the allowable level of
biological oxygen demand. |
Environmental |
| October 23 |
Sea Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in August. There were two
violations. The ship's effluent on August 16 and August 26
exceeded the allowable level of ammonia. |
Environmental |
| October 23 |
Pacific Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in August. On August 3, the
ship's effluent exceeded the allowable level of copper. |
Environmental |
| October 23 |
Golden Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in August. There were three
violations. The ship's effluent on August 3 exceeded the
allowable level of chlorine and on August 3 and August 10
exceeded the allowable level of zinc. |
Environmental |
| October 23 |
Island Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in August. There were two
violations. The ship's effluent on August 14 and August 20
exceeded the allowable level of ammonia. |
Environmental |
| October 22 |
Zuiderdam
Holland America
Line |
Tico
Times (Costa Rica) reports a dockworkers strike that
began Tuesday has paralyzed Costa Rica's Caribbean port of
Limón and prevented a 1,896-passenger cruise ship from
docking. On Tuesday, workers began a protest for higher
pay and proceeded to block three outgoing ships in Moín
and two in Limón. The union's administration is trying to
distance itself from the strike, calling it irresponsible
and unjustified. The strike ended the following day. |
Missed port call |
| October 22 |
Noordam
Holland America
Line |
Gibraltar
News from Panorama reports the ship sailed into
Gibraltar yesterday with food poisoning onboard. The bug
caused a stir with some tour guides and coach drivers, as
the word got round of what some were saying was an
outbreak of gastro-enteritis. A number of drivers/guides
refused to work given the nature of the outbreak. What is
regarded as surprising is that passengers were allowed to
come ashore, when in other ports it is sometimes the case
that passengers are barred to avoid the spread of a bug
onboard the ship. Questioned by PANORAMA, ship agents
Turner & Co confirmed that there had been "some food
poisoning onboard, but contained, and confined to one part
of the ship." UPDATE:
The CDC reports 16 of 784 (2.04%)
crew and 140 of 1826 (7.67%) passengers had reported ill
with
gastrointestinal illness on
a 15 day cruise ending November 1 in Ft. Lauderdale. |
Illness |
| October 21 |
Black Watch
Fred Olsen
Cruises |
A
passenger writes: I was a passenger on board the
Black Watch on 21.10.09. The pilot had been taken
on board to guide the ship into La Coruna Harbour
(Spain) at around 11.00 am. Rough winds were
battering the local coastline but the weather was
otherwise fine and the approach into La Caruna was
otherwise unremarkable. Apparently, due to the
pilot with the captain's permission misreading red and
green marker buoys, and taking the wrong line into the
harbour, the ship was steered into dangerous waters on
its approach and in a very short space of time, ie 15
minutes, was unbalanced and listed severely resulting in
passengers flying across the reception rooms on chairs,
cabins and balcony doors/windows being damaged and the
ship taking on water. |
Severe list |
| October 21 |
Ship unknown
Carnival Cruise Lines |
WPRI-TV
reports a couple was left them stranded in the Bahamas.
The passengers knew they only had a few hours on the
island when their ship dropped them off. They say the
itinerary said the ship left at 5:00. They were back to
the dock by 3:30, but the ship was gone. It was only then
that they learned the departure time had changed from 5:00
to 2:00. Their son, who did make it on the boat, says an
announcement was made early that morning, when Neila and
Carlos were asleep. |
Left stranded in port |
| October 20 |
Carnival Elation
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The US Coast Guard reports the
ship experienced a problem with "material failure." The Sun
Sentinel reports the ship suffered a loss of one
azipod while transiting in San Diego Bay. The casualty was a
result of a failure with the electronic control system. No
further incident occured as a result of this casualty. |
Material failure /
loss of azipod |
| October 19 |
Crown Princess
Princess Cruises |
The Cape
Breton Post reports ship cancelled its planned call
in Sydney(Nova Scotia) today due to weather. The port
authority said the ship was about an hour away from Sydney
this morning when the decision was made to cancel the stop
due to high winds off shore. |
Port skipped |
| October 18 |
Boudicca
Fred Olsen
Cruises |
The Daily
Mail reports sixteen passengers on a Mediterranean
cruise have been confined to their cabins after their ship
was hit by the norovirus sickness bug. They were isolated
after the ship left Venice yesterday with 850 passengers
on board. The outbreak appeared to start last week when
the ship’s doctor confined himself to his own quarters,
suspecting he had the highly contagious bug which causes
sickness and diarrhea. Update:
Travel
Weekly reports 57 passengers out of the 1,140
onboard Boudicca have so far been affected by
gastroenteritis-like symptoms. Twenty-seven passengers
remain in isolation, including six who are under
observation. The ship, which is on a 21-night cruise of
the Adriatic, departed Portsmouth on October 5 and is
due to end in Portsmouth October 26. |
Norovirus |
| October 16 |
Caribbean Princess
Princess Cruises |
Cruise
Critic reports while at sea today en route from
Halifax to New
York, the encountered gale force winds that caused the
ship to list.
According to an official statement from the cruise line,
there were no
passenger injuries and only one minor crew injury; this
crew member has
already returned to work. The severity of the list in
actual degrees is
not yet known. Cruise Critic member JohnLauben was onboard
and shares
this post on the Princess forum: "Currently onboard, off
the coast of
New England. We're in a storm, with gale-force winds up to
70 knots. We
listed a bit this morning ... several waiters in the
Horizon Court
fell, carrying trays of food or other dining supplies. A
piano in the
Explorer's Lounge slid off the stage, and was [totaled].
The galley
and backstage tours were cancelled...." From
a Reader: Seems there might be more Damage to
the Caribbean Princess, last night [Oct 19] she left Boston
late [9pm ish] due to inspections and possible repairs
[report of DECK Damage / Cracked]. According to Sources at
the port, Lloyds of London was there doing the inspection[s]
as well.See
here for more information. |
Storm damage |
| October 15 |
Discovery
Voyages
of
Discovery |
The Cruising
Forum reports: After all of the difficulties
last year that
ended up with Discovery missing ports and having more
than the usual
number of inspections...along with some very unhappy
passengers and the
eventual loss of the managing director, it appears that
the gremlins
have returned. Reports from various sources state that
the ship has
suffered another engine breakdown in September and that
caused Lisbon
to be missed. According to Paris MOU she was inspected
in Venice on
September 9th, 2009 and she again had deficiencies in
her engine room,
safety training & ancillary equipment departments.
This sort of
problem plagued her last year also. |
Engine problems |
| October 15 |
Grimaldi Lines |
The Daily
Mail reports: A couple, from Terni near
Perugia, had booked a
three-day cruise last month from with Grimaldi Lines
from Civitavecchia
to the Spanish city of Barcelona. They had booked the
holiday using
loyalty points from a supermarket. But when they arrived
at the port,
they found the ship surrounded by TV crews covering the
'Revuelta gay
cruise' - Italy's first all homosexual cruise. Lawyer
Antonio
Francesconi, who is representing them, said he had
written to Grimaldi
telling them he was taking them to court and asking for
£2,800
compensation. He said: 'I have not yet received a
response. It is not a
question of discrimination but one of lost satisfaction
because no-one
had told them their holiday was at the same time as the
gay cruise.
'When they booked the cruise, directly with the company,
no-one told
them it was also hosting the Revuelta event. They
arrived at the port
and saw the ship surrounded by the media.' They thought
it was because
someone famous was on board but it was in fact due to
the event - the
1,500 passengers were all gay and there were numerous
gay events during
the three days. 'My clients were also left embarrassed
because among
the passengers were people they knew and had no idea
that were gay,
which was uncomfortable for all parties.' Note:
There have been similar cases on mainstream cruise lines
where large
groups charter part of a vessel and passengers arrive un
prepared for
the lifestyle choice of the group. This speaks to the need
for
passengers to do their research and be informed about the
cruise they
book. |
Lawsuit |
| October 14 |
Carnival Glory
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The
Tribune (Nassau) reports eleven tourists from a
cruise ship were on
a taxi cab tour of the Nassau's historic sites when their
pleasant
visit turned to terror as they viewed the 66 steps. Two
masked men
approached on foot. One threatened the group with a
handgun while the
other stole cash and personal items from the visitors at
around 11am.
It was the first robbery in the area this year according
to
Superintendent Elsworth Moss, and taxi drivers say it
happened because
there were no police officers securing the site as usual.
A taxi driver
told The Tribune: "I am shocked it happened because
usually the
Commissioner of Police has a police presence there." The
taxi drivers
are very upset the robbery took place because their
concern is the
damaging effect it will have after the group returned to
the ship and
complained about it. "We don't like the fact that it will
have such a
tremendous impact on tourism." Like many visitors to
Nassau, the group
had been picked up from the port at Prince Charles Wharf
downtown for a
taxi tour of Fort Charlotte, Fort Fincastle, the
watertower and the
Queen's Staircase when they were robbed. For more info see
a followup story in The
Tribune. |
Robbery ashore |
| October 13 |
Brilliance of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
From
a passenger: We're onboard
the Brilliance of the Seas in Barcelona - we were due to
depart tonight
at 7pm but due to the ship arriving late after a storm (
number of
windows in deck 3/4 broken ) - which can't be repaired
until early
afternoon tomorrow we're confined to port - The ship is
in touch with
Miami at the minute - we were due to be in Cannes
tomorrow but its
cancelled !! UPDATE: We're due to
sail around noon
-- crew worked throughout the night on the repairs -
they have
penciled Cannes in on one of our last sea days.
According to
Cruisecritic poster 35 cabins were damaged. |
Delay - damage in storm |
| October 12 |
Saga Ruby
Saga
Holidays |
The Daily
Mirror reports the ship hit a concrete bollard while
berthing in
New York, and had to have emergency repairs to a hole in
the bow before
setting off back to the UK. When the incident happened, a
pilot was on
the bridge. The ship appeared to turn too fast into her
own berth.
Captain Philip Rentell threw the engines into reverse, but
it was too
late to avoid a collision. Saga issued a statement: "On
Saturday at
07:43 hrs Saga Ruby was turning into Manhattan, west side,
Pier 88
berth 1 and during the swing the stem touched the end of
the pier shore
bollard. This was a light touch so customers would not
have been aware
that the ship had touched the berth - so no injuries, just
embarrassed
pilots ! "Clipping the bollard caused some minor damage to
the stem
plate so we moved the ship to the Liberty Cruise terminal
in Bayonne
for repair. Passengers have enjoyed the extra day In New
York and we
plan to sail later today once the repair is inspected."
Ruby's next
scheduled voyage is a 14-night cruise to the Canaries,
currently
scheduled to leave Southampton on October 22. The
itinerary will have
to change, but Saga are waiting to see whether she will be
one or two
days late getting home before announcing changes. |
Collision with pier |
| October 10 |
Pacific Sun
P&O
Australia |
TheCourier
Mail reports police boarded the ship when it docked
in
Brisbane after they were notified of an alleged sexual
assault while
the ship was cruising near Noumea last week. The alleged
victim was
believed to be a juvenile. A police spokeswoman said
allegedly involved
in the incident had been spoken to by officers, but no one
had been
arrested or charged. She refused to say how many people
were involved
in the incident, or where they were from. A spokeswoman
for P&O
said when officials on the ship became aware of the
allegations on
October 6, they immediately notified police. UPDATE
October 18:The New
Zealand
Herald advises Kiwi
cruisegoers have been warned to watch their backs after an
alleged
sexual assault on "New Zealand's favourite cruise ship".
Detective
Sergeant Andy King, who heads Auckland's adult sexual
assault team,
said cruise ship passengers needed to watch out for
themselves. "The
same rules apply as if they were going out drinking. Look
after each
other, take care of your drinks," he said. "Quite often
cabins close by
make it more convenient for people to get into situations
that might be
compromising. People should use their common sense. Where
people are
socialising and drinking, issues will always arise." |
Sexual assault of minor |
| October 2 |
Queen Victoria
Cunard Line |
The
Halifax
Chronicle reports the captain abruptly ended a press
conference
when asked, “How environmentally friendly is this vessel?"
The
newspaper article says he literally went off the deep
end.“I’m not even
going to go there. No," he snapped. He muttered a few more
words and
walked off in a huff. A few metres away he turned and said
with
disdain, “You should know better than that!" In a flash he
was gone. No
explanation. No apology to the other media people taken
off guard
by the response and obviously somewhat embarrassed. The
obvious
question: what information did he not want to give? |
Environmental |
| October 2 |
Spirit of
98
Cruise West |
Oregon
Live
Online reports the ship the lock at The Dalles Dam
will remain
closed to Columbia River traffic at least through
Saturday.
Consequently, the cruise ship has been stuck on the river
since the
lock was closed Tuesday afternoon. Passengers on the
Spirit of ’98
cruise ship, anchored near The Dalles, are “sleeping on
board," said
Jerrol Golden, a spokeswoman for Cruise West, which
operates the
multi-day cruise. "There's plenty of food." |
Itinerary change |
| September
30 |
Carnival Legend
Carnival Cruise Lines
Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International
|
USA
Today reports the two ships collided in an incident
that has left
both vessels damaged. Carnival says the 2,124-passenger
Carnival Legend
had just untied from its berth at the popular Mexican
resort town when
it was caught by heavy winds and pushed into the
2,446-passenger
Enchantment of the Seas. "Extremely strong winds pushed
the vessel up
against the side of Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the
Seas," the
line says in a statement to USA TODAY. "The (Royal
Caribbean) ship was
at dock when the incident occurred. The Carnival Legend
sustained
broken glass and other minor damage to some open deck
areas." A Royal
Caribbean spokeswoman said the Enchantment suffered what
appears to be
minor damage to the stern of the ship and some railings.
Spokespeople
for both lines say they have received no reports of
injuries on board
their respective ships resulting from the incident, which
occurred at
about 6:15 pm central time. Both lines say the damage to
the ships is
not serious and the vessels will proceed with their
current
itineraries. The Enchantment of the Seas is on a
five-night Caribbean
cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. The Carnival Legend is on a
seven-night
Caribbean cruise out of Tampa. NOTE: Click
here
for two pictures of Enchantment of the Seas
sent by a reader. |
Collision |
| September
30 |
Charaideo
Assam Bengal Navigation Company |
The Telegraph
India reports the luxury river boat got stuck on a
sandbank near
Kharguli in Kamrup (metro) district. Though the Assam
Bengal Navigation
Company, which runs the cruise, said it was not abnormal
for ships to
get stuck on sandbanks, police had to rush to the spot
late last night
to guard the foreigners. The ship, which was on its way to
Orang
National Park, left for its destination this morning.
Jahnabi Phookan,
an official of the company, said the tourists boarded the
luxury ship
around 2pm from Pandu ghat for a four-night-five-day tour,
including a
trip to the Orang Rajiv Gandhi National Park. The ship got
stuck near
the Khurguli area after sailing for about half-an-hour. A
police
official said they were informed about the incident around
10pm and by
the time a patrol party reached the ship in the middle of
the
Brahmaputra, it was nearly 1.30am. “We found all the
tourists safe and
comfortable inside their respective cabins. We kept guard
all night,”
the police official said. |
Grounded |
| September
30 |
Kerala
Tourist Development Corporation |
Outlook
India reports 31 persons died (subsequently revised
upward to 39)
after a state-run double-deck boat carrying 74 tourists
suddenly
capsized in the famous Thekkady Lake in Periyar Wildlife
Sanctuary in
Idukki district. Three persons were still feared missing
after the boat
pressed into service just one month back sank after
cruising five km
from the boarding point in Thekkady from where it had set
out around 4
PM. Forty persons were either rescued or swam to safety.
According to
eyewitnesses, the tragedy occurred when the ill-fated boat
'Jalakanyaka' tilted after several tourists moved to one
side on
sighting elephants in the Wildlife Sanctuary on the banks
of the lake.
Rescue efforts were hampered as darkness fell and also due
to the cold
waters. The boat was half submerged in the mishap. Also,
no safety
measures like life jackets were in place in the ill-fated
boat. |
Tour boat capsizes |
| September
28 |
Zuiderdam
Holland America
Line |
KGW
News (Portland) reports a woman who passed out
hot-tubbing on the
ship while passing through Tillamook Bay was evacuated and
hospitalized. Tillamook Bay’s Coast Guard personnel were
called near 11
a.m. Sunday to evacuate the woman, who was found
unconscious in a hot
tub. A lifeboat hauled the woman back to the Coast Guard
station and
she was then transported to Tillamook County General
Hospital. Her
condition was unknown. |
Unconscious in hot tub |
| September
28 |
Cruise
Halong |
The
BBC
reports five people drowned when a packed boat overturned
in wild seas
off Vietnam. The vessel capsized carrying 25 passengers
and seven crew
members. Survivors were treated in hospital for shock and
hypothermia.
The incident happened in the Halong Bay area, which is
popular for its
coral reefs and weathered limestone scenery. Reports said
the boat was
hit by heavy winds as it was returning to port on Thursday
night. Sunny
Bui, manager of Cruise Halong, which runs boat trips to
Halong Bay,
said: "There was no warning. [Tour operators] usually hear
of typhoons
and strong winds in the weather forecast, but this was a
whirlwind that
only lasted for 15 or 20 minutes and nobody knew about
it."
|
Tour boat tragedy |
| September
27 |
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From
a passenger: Just came back
from Carnival cruise on Splendor to Mexico Sept 20 to
27. While in Cabo
san Lucas on Friday Sept 25, a storm came up and a
person who was
parasailing in the bay was thrown into some buildings
when a sudden
storm came up and the rope broke on the parasail.We were
on the
shore and heard that the person had been a
passenger on the
ship, and that the person had died of injuries, and
another person with
them was injured after dropping into the bay. Nothing
was said by any
personnel after we returned to the boat. Some people who
witnessed it
were talking about it, but there was no information from
the cruise
authorities. I have no idea if the person was on the
Splendor or if it
was a rumor. All the tenders were suspended for about an
hour, and the
ship moved toward Los Arcos and put her back to the wind
when the
fiercest winds were blowing. When the storm was over the
ship moved
back to her regular spot and the tenders resumed. |
Pax in parasailing accident |
| September
26 |
Costa Allegra
Costa
Crociere |
It appears
the ship's port call tomorrow at Manila has
been cancelled because of Ketsama. The ship is traveling
out into the
sea to the west of the Philippines to cross the forecast
track of
Ketsama in calm seas. As to whether the rest of her
itinerary will be
affected remains to be seen. She is due into Kotakinabalu
on Tuesday,
Bandar Seri Begawan on Wednesday & Singapore on
Friday. A couple of
weeks ago the ship was hit by tropical storm Mujigae off
Hainan Island
and had some internal damage- ceiling in casino came down
and minor
damage elsewhere. |
Tropical storm |
| September 23 |
Sapphire
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
Vancouver
Sun reports a search is underway for a 67-year-old
American woman
who boarded the ship in Alaska on Sunday but never got off
in Vancouver
when the ship docked at Canada Place on Wednesday morning.
Crew members
checked the woman's cabin where they found all her
belongings. Rescue
crews in three helicopters immediately started searching
the waters
between Comox and Vancouver on Wednesday, while Vancouver
police have
boarded the ship at Canada Place. It's not clear where the
woman may
have gone overboard or how long the search will take. UPDATE:
Subsequent reports indicate the woman jumped overboard at
6:08 AM
Tuesday morning based on video surveillance equipment. The
ship was
more than 200 miles south of Ketchikan. Earlier, the
cruise line had
said she went overboard Monday evening around 6 p.m. near
Ketchikan, in
southeast Alaska, and the Coast Guard had been searching
in that area
for two days. |
Missing
Pax (suicide) |
| September
18 |
Aurora
P&O Cruises |
From
a passenger: Aurora suffered
a loose starboard anchor during Atlantic crossing, night
of Sept
3rd/4th, requiring ship to stop and haul it back up into
its housing
and securing. On the same cruise, while leaving New York
berth, Sept.
8th, no. 2 bow thruster burned out, causing loss of
power with tugs
required to return ship to berth. Failed thruster was
isolated by ships
staff (1 of 3). Lloyds assessor inspected and
allowed ship to
continue to Newport RI, 5 hours late. During homeward
voyage the final
port of St John's was missed due to high winds in the
area south of
Newfoundland. Aurora encountered force 12 winds for a
time. Note:
4 of 17 planned port calls to St. John's, Newfoundland
have been
cancelled this year, ostensibly because of weather
conditions (Eurodam
August 22, Auror September 18, Crown Princess September
20, Norwegian
Jewel September 26).
|
Mechanical problems - missed port |
| September 17 |
Costa Atlantica
Costa
Crociere |
Il
Messaggero reports on November 5 that a 28 year old
man, a second engineer, disappeared from the ship while
enroute to Barcelona. His body was found the next day at
dawn. "His death is a tragedy but it is also a
mystery. He had just been promoted, was happy, the
family rules out suicide. But how is it possible that an
experienced sailor from falling into the sea from his
ship and drown? A mystery for all, a tragedy for the
parents and friends. And mysteries and tragedies of the
cruise ships they could tell many, too many." |
Officer overboard |
| September
16 |
Queen Victoria
Cunard Line |
The Gibraltar
Chronicle reports some passengers were not amused
yesterday when
they found they had not docked as expected. Instead, the Independence
of
the Seas had docked. One Yorkshireman aboard called
the
Chronicle from his mobile and pointed to the fact that
some elderly and
disabled passengers were not able to come on shore aboard
the tenders,
especially with choppy seas. A spokesman for MH Bland, the
agents,
however, said that the ship had been given the option to
dock alongside
an inside section of the quay but had decided against
this. |
Changed berthing |
| September
9 |
Balmoral
Fred
Olsen Cruises |
STV
reports seventy-two passengers have been struck down
by an
outbreak of norovirus. The Balmoral is currently anchored
off Portree,
Skye – with severe gales preventing it from berthing in
the harbour.
The liner departed Invergordon on Monday night with a
reported 18 cases
of the bug among its 1,280 passengers and 516 crew. Fred.
Olsen Cruise
Lines have confirmed that those affected with the virus
have been
confined to their cabins. The Press
and
Journal puts the number of ill passengers at 78;
other sources
indicate 2 crew members have reported ill. UPDATE
September 14: TTGLive
reports the current cruise arrived in Dover a day early so
the ship
could undergo deep cleaning in advance of the next cruise
- a 12 day
cruise of the Baltic. The number of passengers ill is
reported to have
been about 100. |
Norovirus |
| September 8 |
Aurora
P&O Cruises |
The US Coast Guard reports the
ship suffered a problem with "material failure" |
Material failure |
| September
8 |
Carnival Victory
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Stabroek
News reports six US passengers were detained by
police in Antigua
following an altercation with a taxi driver during the
ship’s visit on
Friday (September 4).The passengers were released today on
bail pending
a court hearing on Wednesday. The dispute arose when the
passengers
refused to pay the fare for a taxi tour because they felt
they were
being overcharged.The driver then took the group to a
police station
where a scuffle led to the alleged injury of two officers.
The
passengers face charges of malicious damage, assault and
injuring the
officers. |
Pax arrested ashore |
| September
4 |
Carnival Triumph
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Chronicle
Herald
(Halifax) reports an Indonesian crewman faces charges
after customs
officers allegedly found images of child pornography on
his computer.
Hendri Dharmawan, 29, an employee on the Carnival Triumph,
was arrested
Tuesday while the ship was docked at Pier 22 on the
Halifax waterfront.
He was arraigned in Halifax provincial court Wednesday on
a Customs Act
charge of smuggling child pornography into the country. On
Friday,
investigators added a Criminal Code charge of possession
of child
pornography. UPDATE - October 9: The Chronicle
Herald
reports the crewman is awaiting sentencing/ The newspaper
article says: Officers with the Canada Border
Services Agency conducted a
routine search of Mr. Dharmawan as he and a couple of
other crew
members were going back on board the ship at Pier 22.
After finding
child pornography on Mr. Dharmawan’s iPhone, the border
agents went to
his living quarters on the ship and examined his laptop
computer and an
external hard drive. Altogether, officers found eight
videos of child
pornography on Mr. Dharmawan’s devices. The 135 minutes
of footage
depicted girls as young as eight and boys as young as 10
being abused. |
Child pornography arrest |
| September
4 |
Freedom of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
PorEsto!
(Cozumel) reports a 50-year old male passenger from Freedom
of the
Seas died after falling overboard from the vessel
Island
Shuttle as it docked at Cozumel. The ship was
maneuvering to dock
at the pier when the passenger was thrown overboard and
was sucked into
the engine foce, severing several body parts. |
Death while ashore |
| September
3 |
Costa
Crociere |
According
to US Department of Transportation Order
2009-9-3, the cruise line was fined $35,000 and ordered to
cease and
desist from advertising that failed to state the entire
price to be
paid be a passenger for certain air transportation. |
Fine for Deceptive Advertising |
| September
3 |
Explorer of
the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The Royal
Gazette reports dozens of tourists were stranded in
St. George's
with their cruise ship leaving in mere hours after a ferry
encountered
technical problems. According to a statement from the
Department of
Marine and Ports, on Monday the 1 p.m. ferry scheduled to
travel from
St. Georges to Dockyard encountered a "mechanical
problem," forcing it
to return to the depot. Many tourists were reportedly
concerned that
they would not be able to return to the Explorer of
the Seas,
which was in port in Dockyard and scheduled to leave the
Island at 5
p.m. A spokesperson for the department said yesterday:
"The 3 p.m.
ferry operated as regularly scheduled and all passengers
were able to
board and were transported to the Explorer of the
Seas. There
were no passengers left behind." While the Department of
Marine and
Ports say that the vehicles are still getting serviced on
a regular
schedule, at least one ferry-goer said that the ferries,
some of which
have been active since the spring of 2002, are looking
worse every day.
"The problems have been there a long time, and it's been
getting
progressively worse," said the businessman, who asked not
to be
identified. "More than one third of the seats are in need
of repair. On
one of the ferries both of the toilets are out of order
and more than
one of the ferries belches black smoke when the engines
are revved."
While locals often take to the lower level, which is
better maintained,
visitors more commonly take to the upper deck, which is
more affected
by the issues." |
Ferry troubles in Bermuda |
| September
3 |
Sensation
Carnival Cruise Lines |
WPTV
West
Pam Beach reports a 34-year old male passenger who
went
overboard has been rescued overnight by a nearby Disney
cruise vessel.
A mayday emergency signal was issued at about 11:30 PM.
last night,
asking for help from any boat or ship that could help try
and locate
the missing passenger. The Disney Wonder located
the man at
about 12:40 AM. The U.S. Coast Guard says the rescue took
place
approximately 28 nautical miles (32.4 miles) off the Port
St. Lucie
shoreline. Both cruise vessels were on journeys between
Port Canaveral
and The Bahamas. It is unclear if the passenger was
injured and
required any immediate medical attention. It is also
unknown how the
man went off the Carnival ship. The Sun
Sentinel subsequently reports the jumper could be
heard arguing
with a woman on the final night of the cruise. "He
threatened to jump,
and she said, 'Go ahead,' and he did," said a fellow
passenger. "Then
we heard the man screaming, 'Help! Help!'" The Coast Guard
sent out a
helicopter and two boats, and the Sensation
launched its own
search. But it's attempts made little headway. According
to passengers,
the crew launched a rescue boat, but its sailors forgot to
untie it
from the cruise ship; the rescue boat tipped, filled with
water, and
never joined the search. A second rescue boat never
launched, despite
complaints of passengers. The ship's search lights were
weak and crew
members aimed flashlights at the water. For over an hour
he was
screaming for help and passengers shouted at him to hold
on. |
Passenger overboard - rescued |
| September
3 |
Carnival Freedom
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The St.
Petersburg
Times reports on a passenger and his family who were
forced to sign a "ban for life" on Carnival ships because
of small
scrapes on a dresser in their cabin. The ban was lifted
after the
passenger, an executive of an online travel insurance
business,
described the incident on his company's website which led
to inquiries
from the newspaper. According to the article, the
passenger was forced
to sign a letter stating that he had violated ship rules,
interfered
with the safety and/or enjoyment of other passengers or
caused harm to
Carnival. The morning the passenger had left their cabin
and were
waiting to leave the ship, they were summoned by crew
members who
pointed out the scratches and suggested someone used the
edge of the
dresser to open a beer bottle left in the room. Back home,
the
passenger found photos dated on the first and third day of
the cruise
that showed his son next to the dresser, the scratches
clearly visible,
belying the cruise line's contention that they had caused
the damage on
the last day of the cruise. On his company's website the
passenger
wrote, "When you get in the room, treat it like a rental
car — take a
few photos first. It seems like you shouldn't need to, but
our
experience says otherwise." Also see
here
for more information. |
Ban for life lifted |
| September
1 |
Ryndam
Holland America
Line |
The ship
was cited for violating Alaska Wastewater Quality
Standards in July. There were two violations. The ship's
effluent on July 21 and for the monthly average exceeded
the allowable level of fecal coliform bacteria. |
Environmental |
| September
1 |
Norwegian Pearl
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
The ship
was cited for violating Alaska Wastewater Quality
Standards in July. There were two violations. The ship's
effluent on July 7 exceeded the allowable level of fecal
coliform bacteria and on July 28 exceeded the allowable
level of pH. |
Environmental |
| September
1 |
Diamond
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship
was cited for violating Alaska Wastewater Quality
Standards in July. On July 29, the ship's effluent
exceeded the allowable level of ammonia. |
Environmental |
| September
1 |
Island
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship
was cited for violating Alaska Wastewater Quality
Standards in July. On July 9, the ship's effluent exceeded
the allowable level of ammonia. |
Environmental |
| September
1 |
Pacific
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship
was cited for violating Alaska Wastewater Quality
Standards in July. There were two violations. The ship's
effluent on July 6 and July 20 exceeded the allowable
level of copper. |
Environmental |
| September
1 |
Sapphire
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship
was cited for violating Alaska Wastewater Quality
Standards in July. There were three violations. The ship's
effluent on July 13, July 14, and July 28 exceeded the
allowable level of ammonia. |
Environmental |
| September
1 |
Sea
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship
was cited for violating Alaska Wastewater Quality
Standards in July. On July 27, the ship's effluent
exceeded the allowable level of ammonia. |
Environmental |
| September
1 |
Silver
Shadow
Silversea Cruises |
The ship
was cited for violating Alaska Wastewater Quality
Standards in July. There were two violations. The ship's
effluent on July 2 and July 24 exceeded the allowable
level of copper. |
Environmental |
| September
1 |
Prinsendam
Holland America
Line |
Hurricanes
and tropical storms have, in the past two
weeks,caused changes of itineraries in the Caribbean,
Atlantic Canada,
and the Mexican Riviera. Now, as reported by BBC,
the Prinsendam was prevented from stopping at
Greencastle in
Donegal because the captain felt it was too rough to
disembark. The
Harbourmaster at Londonderry Port said the ship had
arrived too late
for the tide. "You've got to have all the tidal conditions
right for a
vessel that size to get in. She's just at the limit of
what we can do
up in Lisahally. The ship traveled from Liverpool to near
Derry as
part of the 14-day itinerary of the Gaelic Legend cruise.
|
Weather-effect itinerary change |
| August 31 |
Freedom of
the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
A reader
sent me a copy of a letter they sent to RCI
regarding a pocket knife (measuring less than 3 inches) he
had
confiscated at embarkation, despite it being within limits
stated in
pre-boarding information. He points out the inconsistency
between
having 6-inch serrateed steak knives in the dining room
and yet
confiscating a dull pocket knife. Whether you agree with
the passenger
or with the cruise line, the letter gives some interesting
insights and
points to some security issues. RCI's response to the
letter did not
adequately address his concerns. Click
here for a
copy of the letter. |
Safety and security |
| August 28 |
Norwegian Sky
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
According
to CBS-TV
in Miami NCL has issued a statement that a passenger on
the ship and
his wife were walking on rocks by the shore on Great
Stirrup Cay in a
remote part of the island when he fell into the water
yesterday.
Following an extensive search, the man's body was
recovered this
morning. The ship's four-day Bahamas cruise departed Miami
on August
24th and returned to Miami today. |
Pax dies on private island |
| August 26 |
Seven Seas Navigator
Regent
Seven
Seas
Cruises |
Cruise
Critic reports cruises have been canceled between
November 8 and
December 18 because the ship has been forced to reschedule
dry docking
originally scheduled for January 2010. Instead of being
dry docked in
South Carolina, the work will be done in Germany, thus
requiring two
transatlantic trips without passengers. |
Cancellations |
| August 26 |
Ecstasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
WPTV
(Florida) reports a couple with the grandchildren were
involuntarily
left in Cayman Islands on the second day of the cruise
after the ship's
physician refused their return from shore because of a
health condition
of the grandmother. A physician at a Cayman hospital said
she'd have to
spend up to a month in hospital; her physician at home
wrote demanding
her release because she was fine. The family lost what
they paid for
the cruise and had to pay their own way home from Cayman. |
Family expelled from ship |
| August 25 |
Antarctic
Dream |
SvalbardPosten (Norway) reports the ship, while coming
alongside the quay in Longyearbyen this morning, collided
with the
smaller passenger vessel Langøysund. No persons
were
injured. While the crane operating the MOB boat on Langøysund
was damaged, there were only minor signs on Antarctic
Dream
after the collision. According to Antarctic Dream’s
captain
the engine did not respond as it should when he tried to
go astern. The
Norwegian Maritime authorities are in Longyearbyen and
will consider
the damage on the vessels. They are unable to say whether
Antarctic
Dream can sail from Longyearbyen as planned at 1700
this
afternoon, but most likely they will. Langøysund’s
trip (daytrip) was cancelled today. |
Collision |
| August 24 |
Costa Classica
Costa
Crociere |
Shanghai
Daily reports four Chinese tourists suffered cash
thefts on the
high seas - and there is little, if anything, they can do
about it. As
the crimes happened on a cruise ship, they come under
international
public law, a notorious legal minefield. One victim phoned
Shanghai
marine police early on Saturday as soon as the ship docked
at Shanghai
to end a week-long tour from China to Japan and South
Korea. One
passenger had US$700 and 10,000 yen (US$106) stolen from
their cabin
safe. He was the first victim to alert the ship's
management and soon
after two Beijing tourists and another from southern
Guangdong Province
also reported losses of cash. One Beijing tourist said
US$300 was
missing from his safe, while the others lost about 2,000
yuan (US$293)
in cash from wallets left behind on their beds. The
victims suspected a
middle-aged Filipino, the cleaner of all four rooms hit by
the thefts.
Ship officials searched the man and his cabin but told the
tourists
they only found a small amount of cash. Shanghai marine
police spent
nearly four hours completing Customs steps before they
were able to
board the vessel about noon on Saturday. Not surprisingly,
the marine
police found inquiries difficult as the ship, packed with
new tourists,
set off on Saturday afternoon on a new cruise. NOTE:
Carnival
Cruise Lines reported to the FBI 76 onboard thefts between
October 1,
2007 and September 30, 2008. About 75% of the thefts were
involved
passenger property taken from their in-room safe or from
their cabin. |
Thefts |
| August 22 |
Princess
Sophie |
Novinite
(Sofia News Agency) reports more than 150 passengers and
crew have been
safely rescued from a burning cruise ship near Novi Sad,
Serbia.
Bulgarian River Shipping Jsc said sailors on the Bulgarian
vessel Nayden
Kirov helped evacuate passengers from the river
cruise ship that
caught fire Friday night on the Danube River. The cruise
vessel was
anchored on the Serbian side of the Danube River when the
fire began.
The cause of the blaze was not reported. The
sailors-turned-rescuers
also helped Serbian firefighters extinguish the blaze as
the Bulgarian
vessel had to be used as a firefighting platform. No
injuries were
reported, but the rescued passengers reportedly received
assistance
from ambulance workers.
|
Fire |
| August 18 |
Zenith
Pullmantur
Cruises |
The
Local (Sweden) reports all passengers were evacuated
(two crew
members were sent to hospital for smoke inhalation) when
the ship had a
major fire while docked at Stockholm. The newspaper
reports some
passengers jumped into the water from the ship. It is not
known where
the fire began (other than in the stern of the vessel) or
the full
extent of damages - one report says the fire was caused by
a welding
torch. There was considerable smoke coming from the ship
even after the
fire was extinguished. UPDATE: The ship
sailed at
5:30 AM on August 19th (it had been scheduled to leave
yesterday
evening). One crewman was released from hospital this
morning, and the
other is expected to be released later today. The fire had
been sparked
by welding on a lower deck. Apart from smoke, there was no
damage to
the ship. UPDATE: Swedish morning
newspaper Dagens
Nyheter confirmed that the fire was started by two welders
doing work
at the front end of a lower deck. The two men
unsuccessfully tried to
bring the fire under control themselves and ended up going
to the
hospital for smoke inhalation. |
Fire |
| August 14 |
Sea
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in June. On June 17, the
ship's effluent exceeded the allowable level of ammonia. |
Environmental |
| August 14 |
Sapphire
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in June. There were six
violations. The ship's effluent on June 2, June 16, and
June 30 exceeded the allowable level of ammonia. On June 2
and June 30, it's effluent exceeded the allowable level of
copper. And on June 2 its effluent exceeded the allowable
level of nickel. |
Environmental |
| August 14 |
Island
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in June. There were two
violations. The ship's effluent on June 11 and June 25
exceeded the allowable level of ammonia. |
Environmental |
| August 14 |
Golden
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship was cited for violating Alaska
Wastewater Quality Standards in June. On June 1, the
ship's effluent exceeded the allowable level of zinc. |
Environmental |
| August 14 |
Diamond
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship was cited for
violating Alaska Wastewater Quality Standards in June.
There were two violations. The ship's effluent on June 3
and June 17 exceeded the allowable level of ammonia.
|
Environmental |
| August 13 |
Coral
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
According
to a passenger, four people were ejected from
the ship in Juneau for smoking pot onboard. The ship was
held for many
hours up to midnight while C.B.P. and state troopers
searched the ship.
The passengers reportedly were in rooms 9216 and 9218. |
Drug bust - delayed departure |
| August 13 |
Aida Vita
Aida Cruises |
Kathimerini
(Greece) reports a 29-year-old German woman who is a
member of the crew
was in stable condition at the Metropolitan Hospital in
Athens after
contracting swine flu. |
Swine flu |
| August 12 |
Navigator of
the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Kathimerini
(Greece) reports that six people on board the ship, which
docked in
Piraeus, have been confined to their cabins after testing
positive for
swine flu. Three are crew members and the other three
passengers. |
Swine flu |
| August 11 |
Marco Polo
Transocean
Cruises |
The Scotsman
reports another passenger has been struck down by
norovirus. Hilary
Brown became ill on a trip on board the Marco Polo, which
last month
had to cut short a round-Britain voyage when holidaymakers
and crew
were hit by the norovirus, also known as the winter
vomiting bug. She
boarded the ship less than a week after the vessel's visit
outbreak in
July. She said she and her husband were assured that the
vessel was
safe to travel on for a 12-day trip around the British
Isles. However
she suffered a severe stomach bug and needed injections
and was on an
intravenous drip as part of her treatment. She said: "I
was worried
about the reports of illness I had seen on the news so I
took the
precaution of calling the people I had booked with. I was
told that
everything was fine and that the Marco Polo would be the
'cleanest ship
around'. I also checked with one of the members of crew as
I boarded
the vessel and was again told that everything was fine.
"But then I
began to suffer from symptoms of diarrhea, stomach pain
and vomiting
and was given tablets to treat the diarrhea. I also had to
have
injections and was placed on a drip. I had no energy and
this really
spoilt the holiday." |
Illness |
| August 11 |
Festival
Caspi Cruises |
YNetNews
reports a group of Israeli tourists got into a squabble
with some 20
locals while on the Greeks island of Rhodes. According to
initial
information, three Israelis touring the island apparently
came across a
group of 20 locals, believed to be of Greek or Arab
origin. An
altercation soon followed, and the locals reportedly
mugged the
Israelis. The three then returned to the ship they came
aboard,
gathered some of their friends and returned to the scene
of the fight.
They quickly located the locals who mugged them, started
fighting with
them again, and were able to reclaim some of their
property. They then
boarded the ship once more and left the island, en route
to the Isle of
Marmaris. |
Pax mugged ashore |
| August 6 |
Aqua
Aqua Expeditions |
The
Telegraph (UK) reports nine armed bandits bound the
hands and feet
of the 20 passengers on a small cruiser heading up the
Ucayali River in
the Peruvian Amazon to the Pacaya-Samiria National
Reserve. The men
boarded the vessel from a small speedboat at around 7am on
Tuesday near
a hamlet called Yucuruchi, close to the confluence of the
Marañón, Ucayali and Amazon rivers. They took advantage
of heavy rain and poor visibility to stage their raid.
They are
reported to have overcome two police officers guarding the
ship after a
similar attack nine days earlier before getting the
holidaymakers out
of their beds and forcing them to hand over their
valuables at
gunpoint. One of the officers received first aid for head
injuries but
the tourists were unharmed. Police reinforcements arrived
after crew
radioed for help. The robbers fled with cameras, cash,
jewellery and
designer clothes amid a shoot-out with police. Officers
later recovered
some of the holidaymakers' belongings after discovering
them in the
gang's jungle base camp, where they also confiscated guns
and
walkie-talkies the armed gang are believed to have used to
coordinate
their well-planned attack. Security in the area was
stepped up in the
aftermath of the raid, the second of its kind in the last
fortnight. |
Robbery |
| August 6 |
Princess
Ashika
Shipping Corporation of
Polynesia |
eTurboNews
reports two bodies have been recovered and 46 people
remain missing
after a ferry sank last night in waters off Tonga. The
ferry sank in
waters north of the main island of Tongatapu last night. A
passenger
said the sea was rough and the waves went into the lower
deck of the
ferry where the crew were. The ferry rocked and he
believed this caused
the cargo to move to one side. The ferry then began to
overturn and
some passengers jumped off. The ferry was heading from
Nuku'alofa to
Ha'afeva, in the Nomuka Islands group, when it issued a
mayday call
just before 11pm. The first rescue boats to reach the
scene pulled 42
people from liferafts - 17 passengers and 25 crew,
including the
captain. Another 11 were subsequently found safe and well
this morning. Safety
at
Sea International reports hopes are fading today
that up to 33
passengers will be found alive from the sinking of an
inter-island
ferry last night off Tonga in the South Pacific. Local
authorities now
believe the 1972-built Princess Ashika had up to 100
people aboard when
it foundered 85km northeast of the Tongan capital of
Nuku-alofa at
about 2300 local time last night. Women and children were
said to be
sleeping when waves struck the ferry. A survivor told
reporters in
Tonga that seven of eight life rafts were filled with men,
while a
ninth drifted away empty. Many of the missing were
believed to be women
and children. Rescuers saved 53 people, and two bodies
have been
recovered. The ship, built as Olive Maru No 1, began its
temporary
Tongan deployment on 4 July, replacing Polynesia
Shipping’s Olovaha
(955gt and built in 1981). The accident is the second
South Pacific
ferry disaster in just a few weeks; a vessel sank near
Kiribati last
month with the loss of 33 lives. |
Sank |
| August 3 |
Zaandam
Holland America
Line |
Anchorage
Daily
News reports a 45-year-old woman has gone missing,
presumed
overboard, between Douglas Island and Glacier Bay National
Park. The
last known sighting of the woman was about 12:30 a.m.,
when she ordered
room service while the ship was near Douglas Island. She
was reported
missing by a friend about 9 a.m., after the ship was
already in the
park. In a statement released Monday, Holland America said
the ship's
crew conducted a thorough search and was unable to find
the woman,
whose family has been notified of her disappearance. The
ship sailed
from Seattle Friday bound for Alaska on a seven-day cruise
and departed
Juneau bound for Glacier Bay on Sunday. The Coast Guard
deployed an
MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Sitka and diverted the
patrol boats Long
Island and Liberty and launched two rescue boats from
Station Juneau.
The Civil Air Patrol is also assisting the search with two
aircraft and
the park service is combing the shoreline with multiple
vessels, the
Coast Guard said. They are focusing their search on
Stephens Passage,
Lynn Canal and Icy Strait. The water temperature in the
area is about
57 degrees. UPDATE: About 4:30 p.m. a
helicopter
found a body washed up on the west side of Douglas Island.
The tide had
apparently carried the body to shore and left it high on
the beach as
it receded. The body was taken to Juneau to be positively
identified. |
Pax Overboard |
| August 1 |
Crown
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
A
passenger posted the following at Cruise
Critic: Just disembarked the Crown Princess
British Isles
cruise yesterday morning, and there were a couple of
instances of
idiots being idiots. There were quite a few really,
really rude people
onboard but that wasn't the worst. As we were waiting to
disembark, we
learned that some idiot threw a glass at the pilot boat
in one of the
ports. Someone reported it and after reviewing the
security tapes, the
people were put off at the next port (which must have
been either
Ireland or France); because of the seriousness of this,
the UK barred
them from entering so they couldn't use their air
tickets from Heathrow
so they had to pay for all new airfare to get home.
Also, during the
last night before disembarkation, the elevators were
vandalized and
rendered unusable. They got one working among the aft
elevators and a
couple mid-ship (I don't know about the forward
elevators) but it was
chaos with only one working elevator in the aft of the
ship with people
trying to get up to the buffet or down to disembark. I
was told that
the security cameras would be reviewed and the culprits
identified. I
hope they throw the book at them. IMHO, this is a
criminal act since it
affected the safety of everyone on the ship,
particularly those with
limited mobility. |
Pax evicted / vandalism to elevators |
| July 31 |
Jewel of
the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The
Independent reports an American school teacher
cruising with his
family was ejected from the ship. His compulsory expulsion
came after
he produced and distributed a one-page flier to fellow
passengers at
one of the champagne-fuelled art auction after he did an
internet
search of allegations made against Park West Galleries,
which is facing
a number of lawsuits accusing it of selling over-priced or
fake prints
on cruise ships for more than a decade. As a result, the
passenger was
told that he had broken RCCL’s guest conduct policy and
would be
ejected when it docked in Oslo July 26th. The dispute,
which the
passenger insists amounts to a breach of his right to
freedom of
expression, left him with a £450 ($750) bill for a hotel
and air
tickets back to London, where he was reunited with his
wife and two
children and his elderly parents, who had stayed on board
to avoid the
cost of extra flights. He told The Independent yesterday:
"What
happened to me was outrageous. All I did was distribute
information. I
overheard the claims being made for the art on sale at
this auction and
was curious about the company behind it." After a search
on Google on
my laptop I found the details of the various lawsuits and
media reports
that there have been about this company. I felt that
people attending
these auctions had a right to know that there were these
claims just so
they could make up their own minds. I went out of my way
to say these
were just allegations. "Royal Caribbean obviously took a
different
view. I was shocked that because we were in international
waters, they
were able summarily inform me I had to leave the ship. One
minute I was
playing table tennis with my son, the next I was being
escorted away by
the Oslo police." The passenger, who said he only became
aware of the
claims against Park West after boarding the ship, printed
off 50 copies
of his leaflet before distributing it to passengers
shortly before one
of the auctions began. Two hours later he was called to
the ship’s
administration offices and told complaints had been made
against him by
passengers concerning the flyer. |
Passenger ejected |
| July 31 |
Voyager of
the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Reuters
reports there are dozens of victims of swine flu among the
5,000
passengers and crew docked in France Friday on its way
from the Italian
port city of Naples to Marseille. Sixty crew members were
diagnosed
with the H1N1 virus, and 70 more crew members showed signs
of the
disease. People infected with swine flu are being treated
and will stay
on board the ship, which docked at Villefranche in
southern France
Friday morning and will resume its journey Friday evening.
All other
crew members will also stay on board, though the
passengers -- 3,600
people -- will be allowed to go on land during the day. UPDATE:
Press
Association reports the crew members and two
passengers who were
suspected of having swine flu have tested negative for the
virus. RCCL
said 62 crew members and two passengers on the ship were
immediately
isolated after coming down with cold and flu-like
symptoms. It said:
"All crew members and the guests with symptoms tested
negative for
Influenza A but will remain in isolation until they are
symptom free."
The information contradicted comments by Alpes-Maritime
regional
spokeswoman Geraldine Soulier, who said about 60 crew
members had been
diagnosed with swine flu and confined to their cabins
while the ship
was in the French port of Villefranche-sur-Mer. She said
70 others were
also suspected of having the illness and isolated. Ms
Soulier said
regional authorities had been informed of the diagnosis by
Spain's
health authorities. The 60 had been diagnosed with the
A-H1N1 virus
upon boarding the ship in Barcelona, Spain, on July 26 and
immediately
placed in isolation. She said she had no information to
indicate that
the Spanish authorities' diagnosis was incorrect. UPDATE
August
1: AFP
(France) reports when the ship arrived in Mraseille
at 7:00 AM
local authorities initially barred passengers from going
ashore, but
after a team of medics carried out an enquiry on board,
the majority of
passengers were given permission to disembark. Local
official Philip
Ramon said authorization to go ashore had been given
because the risk
was deemed "extremely marginal." Only one passenger, whose
nationality
was not given, was confirmed to have had swine flu and had
now fully
recovered, he said. About 150 people remained on board in
isolation, he
added. These included 62 members of the crew, who had
presented
symptoms of A(H1N1) flu, and another 60 people who had
been in contact
with them, five passengers and around 15 other passengers
who had been
in contact with them. |
Swine flu |
| July 30 |
Grandeur
of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The Sun
Sentinel reports the vessel lost power to the
emergency switchboard. The loss of power was due to a
malfunctioning power inverter. The Chief Engineer used a
by-pass connection to restore the power to the
switchboard. This incident was isolated entirely to the
emergency switchboard. All generators were operating
correctly. The US Coast Guard lists this as loss of
electrical power. |
Loss of power /
Loss of electrical power |
| July 30 |
Oceanic
Peace Boat |
Canadian
media (here
and here)
reports the ship spilled fuel in Vancouver Harbour -- fuel
was found
blanketing the water around Canada Place in Vancouver's
Burrard Inlet.
The oil slick was reported Thursday around 5:00 a.m., but
harbour
master Yoss Leclerc said crews are still working to
determine the
severity of the spill. "We are in the middle of a rising
tide," Leclerc
said. "But we are trying to find the dimension of the
slick and what
kind of product we are dealing with." The ship has taken
responsibility
for the spill, according to the Vancouver Coast Guard.
Port staff, with
the help of coast guard and Transport Canada workers,
began cleanup
operations. Early indication is that the spill is not
bunker oil, but
light fuel oil, and that no animals have been harmed. |
Environmental |
| July 29 |
Atlantic
Vision
Marine Atlantic |
CBC
reports a Marine Atlantic passenger ferry heading to
Newfoundland returned to North Sydney, N.S. after a fire
broke out on board. Fire was reported in the ship's
thermal heating unit shortly after it set sail for
Port-aux-Basques at 6 a.m. AT. It returned to port an hour
later. The fire, which was confined to the boiler room,
has since been put out. There have been no reports of
injuries. The ferry will be out of service for at least 24
hours. |
Fire |
| July 28 |
Aqua
Aqua Expeditions |
eTurbo
News reports the riverboat was raided by armed
bandits yesterday.
Six bandits boarded the ship and robbed the 24 passengers
of money and
other valuable objects. No one was hurt during the
incident. The ship
had departed from Iquitos, Peru, on July 25 for a
seven-night cruise on
the Amazon River. The ship was scheduled to arrive in
Nauta on Monday,
and from there guests would be transferred back to
Iquitos. |
Robbery |
| July 27 |
Volendam
Holland
America Line |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship violated Alaska Wastewater
Quality
Standards in May. There were three violations. The ship's
effluent on
May 18 had 4800 fecal coliforms per 100 milliliters, while
the limit is
43 in any one day. It had a monthly average for fecal
coliform of
4800/100ml (effluent limit is 14/100ml) and was also cited
for exceeding
the allowable level of biological oxygen demand (44.1 mg/L
(effluent
limit is 30 mg/L). |
Environmental |
| July 27 |
Golden
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship twice violated Alaska
Wastewater Quality
Standards for zinc in May 2009. On May 11th the
concentration of zinc
was 0.250 mg/L (effluent limit is 0.23 mg/L); on May 18th
the
concentration of zinc was 0.290 mg/L. |
Environmental |
| July 27 |
Sea
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship violated Alaska Wastewater
Quality
Standards for ammonia in May 2009. On May 27th the
concentration of
ammonia was 99 mg/L (effluent limit is 80.4 mg/L). |
Environmental |
| July 27 |
Sapphire
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship twice violated Alaska
Wastewater Quality
Standards for ammonia in May 2009. On May 19th the
concentration of
ammonia was 99 mg/L (effluent limit is 80.4 mg/L), May
27th it was 120
mg/L. In addition, on May 19th as a result of a hose leak
that resulted
in 50 gallons of untreated graywater being released at
dock, the ship
was cited for one violation of pH, one violation of
Biological oxygen
demand, one violation of allowable total suspended solids,
and one
violation of allowable fecal coliform. |
Environmental |
| July 27 |
Island
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship violated Alaska Wastewater
Quality
Standards for ammonia three times in May 2009. On May 14th
the
concentration of ammonia was 130 mg/L (effluent limit is
80.4 mg/L),
May 27th it was 120 mg/L, and May 28th it was 160 mg/L. |
Environmental |
| July 27 |
Coral
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship violated Alaska Wastewater
Quality
Standards for ammonia in May 2009. On May 21 the
concentration of
ammonia was 91 mg/L (effluent limit is 80.4 mg/L). |
Environmental |
| July 26 |
Sea Princess
Princess Cruises |
The Sun
Sentinel reports was underway northbound in Snow
Passage when all propulsion was lost on the ship. The
momentum carried the ship through the narrows with steerage
and after 10-15 minutes, steering was restored. Inspection
determined that the port main circuit breaker tripped,
causing the port and starboard propulsion motors to
shutdown, and resulting in the loss of propulsion. Crew
reset the main circuit breaker and vessel propulsion was
back on line. The incident occurred a second time while
transiting northern Lynn Canal on 28 July 2009. Sector
Juneau Inspections reported that the port auxiliary circuit
was replaced but advised that possible problems may occur on
the three sister vessels, and have conveyed this to the
Chief Engineer for follow-up (two in Australia & one in
Europe). -- Material failure |
Loss of propulsion |
| July 26 |
Ruby Princess
Princess Cruises |
The Daily
Mail reports the ship was briefly impounded by
Italian authorities
when it arrived today in Venice. Two additional people
(passengers)
have now been reported with swine flu. An official with
the Maritime
Health Agency in Venice said that three passengers, an
American, a
Mexican and a German had been confirmed while the other
four were crew.
He added that the Mexican and German would be taken off
and treated
ashore, while the American and the crew members were
making good
progress and would be allowed to remain on the ship -- about an hour delay. The ship is in
Venice until
Tuesday (July 28) when it leaves for Dubrovnik.
(See July 24th
below for more information.) |
Impounded briefly |
| July 26 |
Blue Water
Princess
Blue Magic
Ferries |
News
24 (Philippines) reports twelve homemade bombs were
found just
before the ship left port with more than 300 passengers.
The explosives
were found in a trash can on the second deck in the port
of Lucena
City, 120 kilometres south-east of Manila. The bombs - 12
bottles
attached to electrical wirings and packed with nails and
scrap metal -
were hidden in a jute sack placed in the trash can.
Bomb-sniffing dogs
found the explosives while inspecting the ferry before its
departure.
Bomb experts removed the bombs and defused them. (The ship
previously
sunk - see July 12, 2007) |
Bombs onboard |
| July 25 |
Sapphire
Princess
Princess Cruises |
Vancouver
Sun reports the ship arrived on its return from the
Alaska run with
a female whale firmly wedged in the bulbous bow. Lisa
Spaven, a
coordinator for the B.C. Marine Mammal Response Network,
said it
appears to be about a fin whale, a threatened species in
Canada. Spaven
estimated the whale is about 70 feet long. The whale's fin
and part of
its back is protruding from the water and tourists are
snapping photos.
According to information Spaven obtained she said the
ship's captain
wasn't aware of the whale until the ship docked at Canada
Place. She
believes in all likelihood the whale was struck north of
Vancouver
Island since fin whales are not normally found in
Johnstone or Georgia
Strait. This is the second time in the last 10 years that
a cruise
vessel has come into the Port of Vancouver with a whale
caught on the
bow. In that instance, in June of 1999, the Celebrity
Cruise vessel MV
Galaxy collided with an adult male fin whale, which likely
happened as
the ship transited the Hecate Strait north of Vancouver
Island.
However, there are many more whale strikes on Alaska-bound
cruise
ships, as well as cruise ships in other parts of the world
(for
example, see January 31, 2009 below). NOTE:
In
January 2007, Princess Cruises agreed to a plea bargain
under which it
paid 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 when in
2001 the Dawn
Princess hit and killed a humpback. UPDATE:
A
necropsy determined the whale had been dead for up to a
week before it
was struck by the cruise ship. |
Whale strike |
| July 25 |
Unnamed German Cruise Ship |
GR
Reporter (News from Greece) reports panic spread
among the
authorities in Greece when announcement came in, that a
German luxury
cruise line with 4500 people on board sailed away from
Turkey to Pieria
with three people on board, infected with the H1N1 virus.
Only three
doctors are working in Pieria port, who would not be able
to manage
treating possible patients. (The ship is likely operated
by Aida
Cruises) |
Swine flu |
| July 24 |
Ruby Princess
Princess Cruises |
Earth
Times reports five people (one passenger and four
crew) discovered
with swine flu aboard the ship have been put in quarantine
by officials
in Athens. "We have advised the four crew and passenger to
remain in
their cabins and to not disembark," said Health Ministry
official
Panagiotis Efstathiou, adding that all the other
passengers have been
allowed to leave the vessel. The captain had asked the
Greek government
to inspect the ship as soon as it arrived in the port of
Piraeus from
neighboring Turkey. The Ruby Princess is scheduled to
leave for Venice,
Italy on Friday evening. |
Swine flu |
| July 23 |
Avalon
Tranquility
Avalon
Waterways |
Nachrichten
reports the riverboat collided with the tall ship
Schoenbrunn, a
1912-built paddlesteamer, while it was maneuvering in Linz
on the
Danube River in Austria. Damage to the Schoenbrunn was
extensive -- it
will be out of service for up to 12 months; damage to the
riverboat was
minimal. |
Collision |
| July 23 |
M/S Gotland
HSC Gotlandia 2
Destination Gotland AB
|
Safety
at
Sea International reports the officers of two
Swedish ferries
that collided today near Stockholm harbour in thick fog
are to be
interviewed by police. The ships collided about 1100 local
time.
Rescuers said at least 12 people were injured, with five
of them sent
to a hospital; 1,338 passengers and 76 crew were aboard
the larger M/S
Gotland, which had a 30cm hole in its hull, according to
passengers.
The smaller HSC Gotlandia 2, with 532 passengers and 19
crew onboard,
was reported seriously damaged, including a huge hole torn
at the
height of the passenger seating area. The vessel has been
declared
operationally safe and will be sent to a repair yard. A
passenger
aboard M/S Gotland told the newspaper: "The whole boat
shuddered and we
started swinging back and forth." Passengers on the
smaller ferry
reported a huge bang, quickly followed by sirens, then a
din of falling
and crushing structures all around them. A police officer
said its
starboard side was completely smashed. Reports from
passengers on the
smaller ferry indicated that it had been trying to avoid
another large
ship emerging from Nynäshamn in thick fog, which caused it
to veer
into the path of the oncoming M/S Gotland. See also The Local
(Sweden's
News in English). |
Collision |
| July 23 |
Thomson Spirit
Thomson
Cruises |
The
Journal (UK)
reports hundreds of passengers were afflicted with
norovirus on a
cruise in early May. A couple onboard are launching legal
action after
their holiday descended into chaos when the vomiting bug
swept through
the ship. Passengers had their boarding cards cancelled in
a bid to
contain the outbreak during the cruise in May. According
to a
passenger, “Hundreds of people were affected – the medical
centre was
inundated with people queuing for medical supplies and a
large number
of people were also confined to their cabins. It was
absolutely
horrendous. There was certainly a breakdown in hygiene
standards. The
ship in general was not clean, hot food at the buffet was
cold, there
were flies all over the food, toilets were not cleaned –
the list was
endless.”
|
Illness |
| July
22 |
Queen Mary 2
Cunard Line |
Cruising
Talk reports the ship broke mooring lines during
gale force winds,
which were said to reach
force 10, at Zeebrugge yesterday.
Three tugs were nearby and helped her in berthing again.
The ship was reported as having some damage to her stern
and was about
four
hours late in sailing, due to the damage, while a survey
was carried
out.
|
Breaks
mooring lines |
| July 21 |
Enchantment of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The US Coast Guard reports the
ship suffered a problem with "material failure." |
Material failure |
| July 21 |
Tahitian
Princess
Princess Cruises |
Newspapers
in St. John's (Newfoundland) and Sydney
(Nova Scotia) report unscheduled visits by the ship
yesterday and
today. The visit to St. John's was advanced one day
because the ship's
port calls to Greenland had been canceled (it sailed
directly from
Iceland); the visit to Sydney was apparently added. |
Ports canceled and added |
| July 21 |
Freewinds
Church of Scientology |
Pacific
Free
Press reports the ship docked at Bonaire and
offloaded
wastewater that was dumped into trenches ashore. The
effluent was
tested and found to be acidic and to have an high level of
ammonia.
Other water quality tests are forthcoming. The ship was
previously in
the news for asbestos contamination (see
May
11, 2008) |
Environmental |
| July
18 |
New Pacific
Quail
Cruises
|
Cruising
Talk reports the Italian Coast Guard has seized the
ship against
debts of US$14
million owed to the Genoa-based San Giorgio del Porto
shipyard.
|
Ship
seized |
| July
17 |
Equinox
Celebrity
Cruises |
Dutch
News reports all 2,100 crew and passengers on the
ship,
currently moored in the Eemshaven in Groningen, are to be
vaccinated
against measles.
Two members of the crew were diagnosed with the highly
infectious
disease earlier this week.
Twenty crew members who were in close contact with the two
sick people
have been moved to a hotel in Delfzijl as a precautionary
measure.
The brand new ship, was due to leave for Southampton,
England on
Friday afternoon. Most of the passengers work in the
travel industry
and have come from all over the world.
|
Measles |
| July
16 |
Elation
Carnival Cruise Lines |
News
6
in San Diego reports FBI agents are aboard the ship
investigating
the apparent murder of a 55-year-old
woman.
The ship was on the last leg of the cruise Tuesday in Cabo
San Lucas
when a domestic dispute broke out between a husband and
wife, according
to the FBI.
|
Murder
(Domestic violence) |
| July 16 |
Dawn Princess
Princess Cruises |
Chinese
media report five passengers on board the ship were
in isolation
due to influenza A/H1N1 as the vessel is on a stop-over in
the French
Polynesian capital of Papeete. The health ministry said
the five have
been given Tamiflu, and there is an unspecified number of
people who
were in close contact with the five, Radio New Zealand
International
reported on Thursday. The ship is carrying nearly 2,000
passengers and
almost 900 crew. It arrived from Samoa and will sail to
Bora Bora
before continuing its voyage to Hawaii and California. |
Swine flu |
| July
18 |
Costa Classica
Costa
Crociere |
Earth
Times reports a Hong Kong mother and son disappeared
while
traveling between Hong Kong and Taijin, China. The pair
were reported
missing July 7. They apparently went missing the fourth
day of the
cruise while the ship was visiting ports in Japan. A
source quoted in
the Hong Kong Standard newspaper said three letters were
found in their
cabin outlining how their assets should be distributed in
the event of
their deaths. Investigators also found several plates of
fruit
indicating the pair might have conducted a ceremony. |
Missing
Pax |
| July 12 |
Spirit of
Adventure
Saga
Holidays |
Norway's
biggest newspaper, VG
Nett, reports the ship is leaking oil in the UNESCO
World
Heritage-listed Geirangerfjorden on the western coast of
Norway. On the
pictures seen on VGs website, the ship is seen surrounded
by lenses.
Rescue boats, police, firemen and other teams rushed to
the scene as
the reports of the spill reached the officials. Norwegian
environmental
authorities also sent an airplane to provide aerial
assessment of the
possible damages caused by the spill. According to the
newspaper, the
leak was caused by an overflow, causing oil to spill into
the fjord.
The spill was reported at 8.45 AM, and officials are
quoted saying the
spill was of "significant amounts". There is no danger of
the oil
reaching the shores, Rita Berstad Maraak of Geiranger
harbour says to
VG. |
Environmental |
| July 8 |
Emerald
Princess
Princess Cruises |
Media
in
Finland report the ship docked in Helsinki this
morning.
Helsinki City health authorities have been notified that
five people
aboard the ship have contracted swine flu. On Tuesday
Helsinki City
Epidemiologist Hannele Kotilainen said any passengers or
crew members
who are infectious will not be allowed ashore while the
vessel is in
Finland. All in all, ten people have been quarantined.
When the ship
was last in Helsinki in late June (see July 2 below),
Finnish officials
were not informed that there were several people on board
at the time
who had contracted swine flu. The ship was in Finland on
June 28th
before sailing on to St. Petersburg. Cases of swine flu
onboard had
been confirmed by tests taken in Oslo four days earlier.
The infections
were reported to the European Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control
by Norwegian officials, but the information went unnoticed
by Finnish
authorities. The captain of the vessel was under
obligation to report
the infections before entering Helsinki harbour. |
Swine flu |
| July 7 |
Eurovoyager
TransEurope
Ferries
|
The Marine
Accident
Investigation Branch issued a report on an incident
November 3, 2008 where a crew member was crushed by a
watertight door,
resulting in serious injury. The report found that many of
the doors
were routinely left open at sea, which potentially
compromised the
vessel’s watertight integrity. It also lists other safety
concerns
related to the accident. |
Crew injury - Safety issue |
| July 6 |
Marco Polo
Transocean
Cruises |
BBC
reports one man has died and 150 people have been
taken ill from
(it appears) norovirus on board the ship, which is berthed
at
Invergordon in Easter Ross (Scotland). NHS Highland said
tests were
under way to establish that the outbreak was caused by
norovirus. The
cruise line issued a statement that the man's death was
not the result
of norovirus. UPDATE July 7: The Daily
Mail today reports 380 people (340 passengers, 40
crew) have
reported ill (the ship has onboard 749 passengers and 340
crew) and
that five have been treated in hospital.The present
cruise, which began
July 4, was terminated July 7 because of the outbreak. The
Herald reports July 9 that there had been an illness
outbreak on
the previous cruise to Iceland (31 passengers; 2 crew).
The ship's
master faces possible legal action because the illness
outbreak had not
been reported when the ship disembarked/embarked
passengers in London
on July 4. |
Illness |
| July 6 |
Sun Princess
Princess Cruises |
Press
in
Australia report Customs and Border Protection
successfully
prosecuted Princess Cruise Lines for allowing an
unauthorized person to
board a vessel while in port. The company was fined
$10,000 and ordered
to pay an additional $1000 in court costs. On 11 November
2007, the
ship Princess was anchored at Funnel Bay in the Whitsunday
Islands.
While the ship was anchored, an unauthorized person
boarded the vessel
for a personal visit. The cruise ship had been granted
permission under
the Customs Act 1901 for the vessel to be brought into
unproclaimed
ports in Queensland subject to a number of conditions. One
of these
conditions stated that persons are not permitted to visit
the vessel
except for work-related situations and detailed advice
must be relayed
to Customs and Border Protection if this is to occur. |
Fine (Border protection) |
| July 2 |
Emerald
Princess
Princess Cruises |
Copenhagen
Post reports doctors at Copenhagen hospitals are
awaiting the
arrival the cruise ship due to dock in Copenhagen on
Saturday that has
14 crew members on board infected with the Influenza A
H1N1 virus (see
June 29, below). Princess Cruises confirmed to the Cruise
Critic
website that some of the crew on board its Emerald
Princess cruise
liner had tested positive and are now in isolation and
being treated
with anti-viral medication. The ship has already called at
ports in
Finland, Russia and Sweden, prior to its expected arrival
in Denmark
this weekend. There are 4,400 passengers and crew on
board, but Danish
health authorities have not yet decided if passengers will
be allowed
off the ship when it reaches Copenhagen. ‘The hospitals
have been
advised that there could be a number of passengers or
others who have
to be admitted,’ said health inspector Arne Scheel
Thomsen. ‘So the
system is ready to deal with the situation.’ |
Swine flu |
| July 1 |
Freedom of
the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Associated
Press reports an amphibious tour bus veered off a
road Wednesday,
injuring about 30 cruise ship passengers who were taking a
shore
excursion in the US Virgin Islands. The Duckaneer,
which has
a boat-like hull for traveling in water and wheels for
moving on land,
was carrying 47 passengers from the ship when it went off
the road in
St. Thomas and crashed into bushes. About 30 people were
treated at
nearby Schneider Regional Medical Center for minor
injuries, hospital
spokesman Sam Topp said. One passenger suffered a broken
ankle and was
expected to be kept overnight for observation, he said. |
Injuries on shore excursion |
| June 29 |
Emerald
Princess
Princess Cruises |
RIANOVOSTI
reports the ship, with 14 A/H1N1-infected people onboard,
arrived in
St. Petersburg on Monday. Swine flu was confirmed in 13
crew members
and one passenger. The ship sailed from the Finnish
capital, Helsinki.
The infected have been quarantined in their cabins and are
being
treated with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu. The first case
of the highly
pathogenic virus was confirmed in several crew members on
June 18. When
the vessel arrived to St. Petersburg, 16 people had
already recovered
and tested negative for the virus. |
Swine
flu |
| June 29 |
San Ramon
de Bohol
Lite Shipping Corp |
Philippine
Daily
Inquirer reports ore than 200 passengers and crewmen
have
been stranded at sea for five hours now after one of the
ferry's
navigation wheels (timon) got stuck, one of the ship's
owners said. The
ferry left Cebu City port at 10 p.m. Sunday and was
expected to arrive
here at 3 a.m. Monday.Te ship was is seven nautical miles
off the coast
of Carcar, Cebu and Cabilao Island, Bohol. The shipping
line has
decided to call up one of its ferries, Lite Ferry 1, from
Siquijor to
rescue the passengers, but it has to pass by the Cebu City
port to load
food for the stranded passengers and crew. Passengers are
expected to
arrive in Tagbilaran by noon. |
Stranded at sea (ferry) |
| June 27 |
Oceanic
Peace Boat |
The New
York
Post reports the ship (with 848 passengers) was
detained after
Coast Guard inspectors found a small hole in the ship's
hull during a
routine safety inspection. About a gallon of water per
hour was coming
into the ship, according to the Coast Guard. An additional
16 safety
violations were cited. The ship arrived from Iceland and
is due to
leave tomorrow for Venezuela. Repairs are expected to be
completed by
then. Update June 28: Newsday
reports the ship is expected to be taken to a New Jersey
dry dock for
repairs; the ship's passengers will be taken to Atlantic
City hotels.
The cruise is expected o resume July 1.Update:
The
ship left Bayonne July 2nd. |
Detained - Hole in Hull |
| June 24 |
Navigator of
the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
PR-Inside
reports two women (58-year old American and 34-year-old
Italian) were
quarantined during a port call in Barcelona; both tested
positive for
swine flu. The women will remain on the ship and it will
leave as
scheduled Wednesday night for Palma, on the Mediterranean
island of
Mallorca. There doctors will examine them again. The
cruise ship began
its trip in Italy and stopped off in France before
arriving in
Barcelona. |
Passengers
quarantined |
| June 23 |
Ocean Village
Ocean
Village
Cruise Holidays |
A poster at Cruise
Critic reports a crew member fell to his death in
Palma on Tuesday,
round about lunchtime. We heard the call Man
Overboard, Muster,
but as it was called out in a low key tone we thought
nothing more of
it. But then some of us went up to top deck and leaned
over the balcony
and watched as the tender came in with what looked like
a model in the
back. We thought it was a practice but a passenger
stated (having been
told by someone) that it was indeed for real, that a
workman had fallen
from the ship and wasn't breathing. We saw the medics on
board the
tender, taking photos and feeling his limbs, then were
all moved away
from the railing. The Majorca
Daily
Bulletin says the body of the 42 year old Indian
man was 42
was spotted floating in the sea at about midday. |
Crewmember overboard |
| June 22 |
Pacific Sun
P&O
Australia |
Fiji
Times
reports five passenger that arrived in the Northern
Division yesterday
were not allowed ashore on the orders of health officials.
Officials
who are part of the quarantine team at Savusavu port
requested that the
five remain in their cabins after they showed symptoms of
seasonal flu.
Health inspectors from the Savusavu Hospital awaited the
arrival of the
cruise liner to check passengers. A health official said
the team had
already known of the five cases before the cruise liner
docked.
Ministry of Health spokesman Iliesa Tora said a team was
at the port in
the morning to carry out necessary inspection on the 1600
passengers
that disembarked. |
Passengers
quarantined |
| June 21 |
Carnival Legend
Carnival Cruise Lines |
You
Tube has a video from a cruise about a month ago. It
was called to
my attention by the following email: A friend went on
this cruise
and told me about the water in her cabin, and in the
cabins of several
people she spoke with on the cruise. It was brown in
color and smelled
badly. Comments with the video include another
passenger who
says they had the same problem in their cabin. |
Unpalatable water |
| June 21 |
Pacific Star
P&O
Australia |
Fiji
Village reports all arriving passengers were
screened for swine
flu. Health Ministry officials looked for any symptoms of
Influenza A
H1N1 amongst the 1,600 passengers of the Pacific Star
which docked at
the Savusavu wharf at around 8:30 this morning. |
Passengers screened |
| June 20 |
Crown Princess
Princess Cruises
|
From
a reader: My friend is on board the Crown
Princess
Mediterranean Explorer itinerary. She emailed me
this morning
with the following information: "Yep- we heard it from the
head of
passenger services - there was a fire on board this
morning. We heard
an announcement that said "immediate containment in
room---" Later we
were in the Sky Walker lounge and the head of
passenger services
was there to chit chat again and he volunteered the
information. Story
is- woman smoking in her room was collecting her ashes in
a napkin and
wrapping them up to put in the trash can. Destroyed her
room. She is
being escorted off tomorrow and charged for the repair of
the room. He
then told us about the sensors to pick up candles and then
smoke!! The
sprinklers do more damage than fire." Note -
This
clarification was offered by another reader: I
was
disturbed to read the last sentence. Being a firefighter,
sprinklers
SAVE LIVES, and protect property. When a sprinkler is
activated, it
contains the fire until firefighters arrive, then the
sprinklers must
be turned off at a reasonable timeframe, usually when the
firefighters
with hoses have contained the blaze. So the sentence, they
cause more
damage is just wrong! Note: Many
cruise ships
have fog nozzles rather than sprinklers in the main
crew/passenger
areas. These are just as effective, but cause less damage
should they
be activated.
|
Fire |
| June 20 |
Ocean Dream
Pullmantur
Cruises |
Radio
Jamaica
reports health authorities in Aruba have been checking
passengers and
crew from the cruise ship for signs of the Influenza A
(H1N1) virus.
The Dutch territory's health ministry said the tests were
a precaution
to prevent the spread of the virus. The ship arrived back
in Aruba late
Monday. The passengers' Caribbean trip was cut short after
three crew
members tested positive for the H1N1 virus while eleven
others showed
symptoms. Authorities in Aruba have not ruled out some of
the
passengers spending more time on the vessel. The people on
board were
said to be calm but frustrated by the long wait and lack
of
information. UPDATE: Taiwan
News reports all but one passenger disembarked
Saturday (June 20)
and 400 crew members will disembark Tuesday. The single
passenger and
three crew members tested positive and are under
quarantine onboard the
ship. |
Swine flu |
| June 18 |
Carnival Corporation |
Seatrade Insider reports
Carnival
Corp. chairman Micky Arison said that 20 of 23 Caribbean
governments
where the company operates ships have agreed not to ban
calls due to
concerns about swine flu. ‘Over-reaction in some locations
is a
problem,’ Arison said during today’s Carnival earnings
call. He told
analysts the company is trying to deal with the issue on a
port by
port, country by country basis. He said it’s a matter of
educating
destinations about the facts. Cruise ships have rigorous
sanitation
protocols and practices that include the immediate
isolation of
passengers or crew who exhibit flu-like symptoms. These
measures
minimize the chance swine flu could spread from ship to
shore. NOTE: His comments are
interesting in the context of
Carnival's over-reaction in stopping all port calls to
Mexico when
swine flu first appeared (especially given that most of
those ill were
not in Mexico's ports).
|
Corporate pressure on ports |
| June 18 |
Royal
Princess
Princess Cruises |
Cruise
Critic
reports a fire broke out in the engine room at 8:10 p.m.
local time on
Thursday as the ship was departing from Port Said, Egypt.
A statement
from Princess says that passengers aboard were called to
their muster
stations and fire teams were deployed. All 733 passengers
and 393
crew members have been accounted for, and there have been
no resulting
injuries onboard the ship, which is currently in the
middle of a
12-night Holy Land sailing from Rome to Athens. Royal
Princess is
currently anchored off the coast of Port Said. Princess
spokeswoman
Karen Candy said there is no word yet on whether the
incident will
delay any of the ship's remaining calls in Ashdod
(Jerusalem), Haifa,
Kusadasi or Patmos Island. The ship is due in Athens on
the 25th. UPDATE:
Princess Cruises released the following statement: In
order to
fully assess the impact of the engine fire that occurred
earlier this
evening, we plan to bring Royal Princess back into Port
Said, Egypt
tomorrow. The assessment process includes flying various
technical
experts and regulatory authorities to the ship for a
complete
inspection, and they should be arriving onboard by
tomorrow evening. So
while our own assessment will occur throughout the day
tomorrow, we
expect the full assessment to be complete on Saturday.
This means Royal
Princess will be spending Friday and Saturday in Port
Said. UPDATE
June 19: Princess
reports that the current cruise and the next cruise
(June 25) will
be cancelled because damage is greater than initially
thought.
Passengers on both voyages will receive a full refund of
their fare,
plus a future cruise credit equal to 25% of the cruise
fare paid for
these sailings. |
Fire |
| June 18 |
Ocean Dream
Pullmantur
Cruises |
BBC
News
reportsVenezuela has quarantined the ship following an
outbreak of
swine flu on board. More than 1,200 passengers and crew
will be kept on
board the vessel, which has docked at the Venezuelan
island of
Margarita. They were stopped from disembarking at previous
stops in
Barbados and Grenada after three crew members were
diagnosed with the
flu virus. Eleven more crew members are reported to have
symptoms. "The
virus was detected in three crew members and the boat must
now stay in
quarantine until June 24," said Venezuelan health official
Jorge
Alchaer. UPDATE
June
19: Safety
at
Sea International reports the ship is
headed for Aruba today after 342 Venezuelan passengers
went ashore. The
cruise line issued a statement today denying that
Venezuela quarantined
the ship until 24 June, as Caracas had earlier said.
"The ship is
continuing its itinerary to Aruba, where the rest of
passengers and
affected crew members will disembark in strict
accordance with security
measures established by Aruba's health authorities,"
Pullmantur added.
Ocean Dream left Isla de Margarita off Venezuela,
carrying 198 Spanish
passengers and 151 Colombians, said the company, which
added three crew
members infected with swine flu and 11 others with flu
symptoms were
all improving. |
Swine flu |
| June 18 |
Ocean Dream
Pullmantur
Cruises |
Reuters
India reports the ship was refused entry to
Bridgetown, Barbados
because of reports of flu-like symptoms among its
occupants, shipping
agents in Bridgetown said. |
Swine flu |
| June 17 |
Crystal
Serenity
Crystal Cruises |
The Croatian
Times
reports the ship has been fined 62,000 kunas or 8,524
Euros because it
dumped ashes into the sea. The Dubrovnik harbour-master’s
office
imposed the fine today. The incident occurred last weekend
near Lokrum
Island near Dubrovnik when the ship was leaving. A local
beach was left
covered by ashes.
|
Environmental |
| June 16 |
Diamond
Princess
Princess Cruises |
News
8
reports norovirus has caused several people to not be
allowed to leave
their rooms for fear of spreading the virus. One
passengers says the
captain told them the highly contagious stomach illness
norovirus is on
board and people are cleaning the ship, hoping it will get
better. She
says, the group was told hundreds of people had norovirus.
She says
most people are being served food in their rooms to
prevent others from
getting sick at the buffet. Princess Cruises released a
statement
saying, "We have a small number of passengers with
symptoms of
norovirus -- nothing unusual or escalated." They also say
people who
are sick have been asked to stay in their rooms. Last
fall, sources say
400 British passengers were quarantined in China after
norovirus spread
aboard the Diamond Princess. |
Illness |
| June 16 |
Oriana
P&O Cruises |
From
a passenger: More cases of
novovirus on oriana on cruise starting after previous
cruise with 50
confirmed cases (see May 31 below). New passengers were
not informed of
outbreak before sailing on June 1st. When returned to
Southampton on
June 15th outbreak still ongoing. |
Illness |
| June 16 |
Sun
Princess
Princess Cruises |
TheWest
Australian reports ill passengers aboard the cruise
ship have
been tested for swine flu before docking in Fremantle
tomorrow. The
ship, which departed from Sydney on May 2 for an Indian
Ocean cruise.
is the first international cruise ship to arrive in Perth
since the
outbreak of the A/H1N1 virus. It is due to dock at
Fremantle Port at
7am tomorrow and is expected to leave at 4pm. A Princess
Cruises
spokesman said he did not know how many swabs had been
taken from
passengers for testing at a WA health laboratory but
confirmed the
ship’s doctor had sent swabs to for testing as precaution.
He said
during the 46 night cruise, which made stops in Asia,
South Africa,
India and Mauritius, only seven people had shown flu-like
symptoms of
which five were confirmed to have contracted influenza A.
In line with
national protocols, all passengers will be required to
fill out health
declaration cards before being allowed off the ship. All
sick
passengers will be assessed by WA health communicable
disease control
staff and people sharing the same cabin will be offered
Tamiflu as a
precaution if appropriate. |
Swine flu |
| June 16 |
Ocean Dream
Pullmantur
Cruises |
Grenada
Broadcasting
Network reports the ship, which was scheduled to
visit
Grenada on Monday, was turned away by health authorities.
Passengers
were prohibited from coming ashore by the Ministry of
Health because
some crew members were exhibiting flu like symptoms. Geo.
F. Huggins
& Co. (G'da) ltd; local agents for the ship, confirm
that the
company was informed by the vessel that approximately
forty (40) crew
members onboard were found to be exhibiting flu-like
symptoms. As a
precautionary measure, the Ministry of Health prohibited
the
disembarkation of any passenger or crew member. |
Swine flu |
| June 16 |
Carnival Holiday
Carnival Cruise Lines |
CNN
reports a search is underway for a passenger (50 year old woman)
who
apparently disappeared from a cruise ship in the Gulf of
Mexico. The
ship, which sailed from Mobile, Alabama, was stopped about
a third of
the way to Cozumel, Mexico, and passengers were told to
return to their
cabins for a head count. A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said
the count
was initiated because a crew member had heard a loud
splash near the
vessel. The ship appeared to be circling in Gulf waters
Tuesday.
Passengers were told in an audio message Tuesday that the
ship would
proceed to Cozumel when the Coast Guard released it, but
the ship's
arrival to the Mexican city would be delayed. The
passenger is believed
to have fallen about 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, and boats were
launched from
the cruise ship to search nearby waters.The FBI said its
violent crimes
unit is investigating Vilborg's disappearance. FBI Agent
Tim White said
agents are looking at every possible angle. UPDATE:
See follow-up
article
quoting woman's husband here. |
Person overboard |
| June 15 |
Carnival
Inspiration
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Sun
Coast
News reports crew members from a pilot vessel
rescued a 46
year old man clinging to a buoy at about 6:50 a.m., about
one mile
southeast of Mullet Key, in Fort Desoto, in St.
Petersburg. He went
overboard at 4AM when he slipped after climbing up on a
railing to get
a better view of the pilot boat. The ship was returning
from a four-day
cruise. |
Person
overboard - rescued |
| June 13 |
Millennium
Celebrity
Cruises |
From a passenger: My
wife and I were on the cruise from Seward AK
to Vancouver BC
and I experienced Norovirus. Was terribly sick for
24 hours;
ships doc arrived 13 hours after my request to see him.
Was
isolated for a second day, as well as my wife to ensure
she did not
have it. Celebrity seemed to respond very well,
requiring staff
to dispense water, juices, coffee, etc., and even
removing salt/pepper
shakers from tables. Those who were isolated were
asked to gather
at special place on ship to disembark in advance of all
other
passengers (as required by Canadian health authorities,
or so we were
told). 40 of us were in that group (including
spouses/travel
companions who may not have contracted the virus, so at
least 20 of the
~2000 passengers had been infected). Celebrity
compensated us for our
"lost days" (2 for me; 1 for my wife) - total of $1,200,
which, as I am
told, is far more than most cruiselines would do. |
Illness |
| June 11 |
Enchantment
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
News7
Belize reports that disembarkation was delayed for
more than four
hours because of a swine flu scare. Six of the ship's crew
had flu
symptoms and were quarantined on the ship. As a
precaution, passengers
weren’t allowed to de-board until a Ministry of Health
team checked out
the ship. The okay was given at mid-day and the passengers
filed off
the ship. The TV station reported that most passengers
were unaware
that there was an onboard H1N1 scare. |
Swine flu |
| June 10 |
Adventure
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
The Daily
Mail reports the ship was turned away from St. Lucia
today over
worries the vessel was carrying the H1N1 swine flu virus.
The line says
another island, Antigua, also has told the ship not to
visit as
scheduled on Thursday. The islands' decisions came after
the line
reported two crew members and a passenger on the ship had
been
experiencing flu-like symptoms. The ship departed San
Juan, Puerto Rico
Sunday on a seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise and has
stopped only
at Bridgetown, Barbados. It is scheduled to visit
Philipsburg, St.
Maarten and St. Croix, Virgin Islands later this week.
There's no word
yet on whether the two islands will allow the ship to
dock. |
Swine flu |
| June 8 |
Zaandam
Holland
America Line |
Associated
Press reports at least three crew members tested
positive for swine
flu. The seven-night, round-trip cruise had departed
Seattle on May 29
and returned Friday. It visited Ketchikan on Wednesday. A
medical
epidemiologist with the Alaska Department of Health and
Social
Services, said her department was informed Tuesday that
three crew
members were affected. More were reported with symptoms
Wednesday.
Specimens were collected and sent to the department's lab
in Fairbanks
for analysis. Swine flu was confirmed Thursday. None of
the officials
had an exact number of cases available. Subsequent reports
from Agenece
France Presse put the number at five crew members
confirmed ill with
swine flu. |
Swine flu |
| June 8 |
Coco
Explorer 2
7107 Islands Cruise |
The Manila
Standard reports the ship was seized from its owner
who imported
the vessel two years ago but did not pay P19.8 million in
taxes on it.
The ship, formerly named Coco Explorer 2, entered the Port
of Batangas
on Sept. 4, 2007, supposedly for repairs, but officials
said it was
actually brought in to be delivered to its owner, Esteban
Tajanlangit.
The ship had been operating on the Coron-Puerto
Galera-Boracay route
and is said to offer 137 rooms that can accommodate 400
guests “in
five-star luxury.” The owner had tried to avoid paying
duties on the
ship by registering it with the Philippine Economic Zone
Authority and
the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.
The Zone Authority said it did not grant the owner an
import permit for
the ship, and that it registered with it only last
September after the
vessel had already been subject to forfeiture proceedings.
Customs seized the ship in Manila on May 30, a Friday,
just as its
passengers and crew were having a party. |
Ship seized |
| June 4 |
Liberty of
the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
The Cayman
Compass reports a 62 year old woman died while
swimming off 7 mile
beach. Police said that the 911 Emergency
Communications Centre
received a call from a member of the public at around
11.45 am on
Wednesday reporting that a swimmer had been brought to
shore
unconscious in the vicinity of Royal Palms. Police and
medics responded
to the scene and the 62-year old woman was taken to
hospital where she
was unfortunately pronounced dead. Detectives
have been told
that the woman had been swimming with her husband when
she got into
difficulty. Her husband sought assistance from another
cruise ship
passenger who was in the area on a jet-ski and she was
brought to shore. |
Pax death ashore |
| June 2 |
Carnival Destiny
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Posted at
Cruise
Critic: I was attacked by fellow passenger on
the Destiny! Just
returned from the 5-28-09 sailing and on the 1st night I
had walked up
to get some pizza at about 3:30 AM for my wife and
myself. While I was
waiting fro the pizza and bread to bake I had drink at
the back pool
bar after about 10 - 15 min pizza was ready and I was
returning to my
room and I walked up on 3 young mid 20's drunk men 1 of
which was
urinating on the wall outside of my room. I will not go
into many
details here but lets just say they where not happy that
someone
challenged them on what they were doing and that I was
going to call
security on them. That is when I was Physically
assaulted, they must of
thought they could scare me off before security arrived,
well they were
wrong I was not going anywhere! After a few mins they
realized maybe
they bit off more that they could chew they ran off to
their room which
was great for me I knew just where they went. Security
finally showed
up went to both rooms took statements and pictures I did
end up with a
good shiner but the other guy ended getting removed from
the ship on
his very 1st morning plus at least a $300.00 fine for
not stopping at a
foreign port.
|
Pax on Pax assault |
| June 2 |
Dawn
Princess
Princess Cruises |
ABC
News reports the ship has been turned away from
Lifou, New
Caledonia amid fears of swine flu after up to five people
on board
started showing flu-like symptoms. Swabs have been taken
from the sick
passengers and sent to Sydney for testing. The cruise left
Sydney May
24 for a 13-day South Pacific cruise (previous port calls
at Vanuatu
and Fiji) and is now heading back to Sydney and will
arrive on Friday. |
Swine flu |
| May 31 |
Oriana
P&O Cruises
|
Posters at P&O
Cruises Community
indicate there is a norovirus outbreak on the current
cruise.
Passengers were first notified on Friday (May 29) -- one
passenger
writes: We have just sailed away from Madeira and the
Captain has
announced it is with regret that we have a norovirus
outbreak onboard.
All usual emergency procedures are now in place, anyone
else coming
down with it to ring 999 switchboard and stay in cabin,
no self service
allowed, so waiters will serve our food by tongs from
now on, and a
reminder to wash hands for 20 seconds when using the loo
etc. Another
writes today: We have not been told how many people
have noro
onboard, but it is enough to put out emergency
procedures onboard, so
enough to declare publicly we have a problem. There were
2 new cases
yesterday and 2 more today the Captain said in his
announcement at
12.15pm , 1/2 hr ago. On June
1, a passenger
says there were 50 confirmed cases. |
Illness |
| May 30 |
Amsterdam
Holland America
Line |
The ship reported 8 of 587 (1.37%) crew
and 101 of 1546 (6.53%) passengers had reported ill with
gastrointestinal illness on a 7 day cruise ending today. |
Illness |
| May 29 |
Vicenzo
Florio
Tirrenia di
Navigazione SpA |
The ferry, traveling from Naples to
Palermo,
was 25 miles from the Sicilian capital when a fire broke
out in the car
hold early today. The 526 passengers used lifeboats to
reach another
ferry and a Coast Guard ship that came to the rescue.
Initially, most
of the 35 crew members stayed aboard to help firefighters
extinguish
the blaze, however the captain later ordered a complete
evacuation
because the flames were spreading. The ship is being towed
and was
expected to reach Palermo later today.
|
Fire |
| May 27 |
Coral
Princess
Princess Cruises |
The Anchorage
Daily
News reports a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on
Sunday
sickened 108 of its 2,000 passengers and seven crew
members. The ship
arrived in Whittier on Monday shortly after noon and was
scrubbed down
before taking on a new load of passengers that evening. The CDC subsequently reported 121 of 2001
(6.05)
passengers and 7 0f 914 (0.77%) crew report ill. From
a
passenger: The first shipboard
announcement was on the
23rd. Announcements suggested people use the toilets
in their cabins,
and to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds. Only
change to
shipboard routine we saw was at the buffet line:
waiters served food to
each person as they walked by, rather than allowing
people to take
their own food. Routines in the regular dining rooms
remained
unchanged. A man in the cabin next to us said his wife
was quarantined
to her cabin and would disembark through a different
route than the
other passengers. |
Illness |
| May 27 |
Pacific Dawn
P&O
Australia |
The
Australian reports the ship will be quarantined off
Willis Island,
east of Cairns, tomorrow after three crew members tested
positive for
swine flu. The crew have been isolated and medical samples
will be sent
to Brisbane laboratories for testing. The ship has missed
scheduled
stops in the Whitsundays. It had been cleared Monday by
NSW Health to
sail on a scheduled 10-night cruise to Queensland, but
today NSW
announced it would treat all cruise ships arriving in NSW
waters as if
swine flu were onboard. Eighteen cases of infection have
now been
recorded from the cruise ship. Three crew members on the
present cruise
have been confirmed to have the illness. UPDATE:
The
ship's port call at Cairns and Port Douglas have been
cancelled by the
government in its effort to prevent spread of swine flu.
The ship will
call at Brisbane Saturday and return to Sydney Monday
(three days ahead
of schedule). UPDATE: Bloomberg
News reports 53
passengers and crew
have tested positive for the H1N1 virus after two voyages.
Most were
diagnosed after they disembarked in Sydney May 25. Cases
among people
on board the ship have been found in Canberra and the
states of New
South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, the
nation’s
health department said by e-mail today. The infections
contributed to a
more than twofold increase in Australia’s swine flu tally
to 164 since
early yesterday. |
Swine flu |
| May 25 |
Carnival
Fantasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
WWL
News reports the Coast Guard is searching for an 18
year old man
who fell overboard (some sources say
he jumped) from
a cruise ship Sunday at around 9:45 p.m., about 150 miles
southwest of
Tampa. The ship left port in New Orleans and was en-route
to Key West
when the incident occurred. A search-and-rescue mission
was launched by
the Coast Guard out of Miami, but the man has not been
found. |
Passenger
overboard |
| May 25 |
Pacific Dawn
P&O
Australia |
TheDaily
Telegraph reports a second case of swine flu
outbreak. The
paper said Monday that Sydney Harbour was in lock down
with two
children aboard the cruise ship believed to have tested
positive for
swine flu. The two passengers have been quarantined in
their cabins.
Test on four suspected cases came back positive at 6pm
revealing two
passengers were infected with the H1N1 virus (another 170
passengers
show flu-like symptoms). Passengers were apparently
allowed to
disembark, however asked to remain locked indoors at home.
The two
children (confirmed cases) were isolated on board the
cruise ship two
days after it left Sydney for the South Pacific on May 16
with what
they thought was the influenza A virus. |
Swine flu |
| May 23 |
Dawn
Princess
Princess Cruises |
The Melbourne
Herald
Sun reports ship was quarantined for several hours
on
arrival in Sydney at the end of a 35 night cruise of the
Pacific amid a
swine flu scare. Almost 2000 passengers, and another 900
crew, were
kept on the ship for more than five hours while another
2000 passengers
waiting to board were left to wait on the dock. The ship
arrived at
Darling Harbour at about 12pm (AEST) today, hours late due
to poor
weather conditions. Then, health officials were called out
and the ship
was locked down because four passengers with mild
influenza-like
symptoms were suspected to have swine flu - they underwent
tests. All
passengers and crew were subsequently allowed to leave the
ship but
told to remain in isolation in Sydney until the test
results are known. |
Swine flu |
| May 22 |
Maasdam
Holland America
Line |
Posters at
Cruise
Critic report the ship tilted sharply to the
starboard side while
on the St. Lawrence Seaway at about 9:45 PM. Things
in my
stateroom slid and crashed. I understand the china and
glasses in the
dining room ended up on the floor (just as they were
serving the baked
Alaska). Another poster says s/he was with an
officer that night
and was told that his department was heavily damaged. He
said it
was caused by the pilot error and the captain was on the
bridge at the
time and took command of his ship. The captain saw a
sand bar coming on
the sonar and took action to avoid a mishap. We saw much
damage in the
dining room and heard the bars had some damage. I hear a
bill will be
sent to the pilot and hope they have good insurance. Now
a few minutes
later we did pass by a cargo ship very closely and
wonder who was
driving that evening on the river. |
Severe list |
| May 21 |
Holiday
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The ship
missed its port call at Freeport (Bahamas)
because of rough weather. Also, a passenger reports that
on its return
to Mobile the ship ran into a storm with high winds,
causing the ship
to roll heavily to one side which resulted in dishes and
other stuff
sliding off tables and furniture in staterooms. |
Missed port |
| May 20 |
Sea
Princess
Princess Cruises |
Grimsby
Telegraph reports a norovirus outbreak on a cruise
ending in
Montego Bay (thus it will not be reported to the CDC).
According to the
newspaper, the day the cruise was to end the captain
announced there
was an outbreak of Norovirus, An elderly couple
celebrating their
golden wedding anniversary were struck with the illness
and moved by
the cruise line to the Altamont Hotel in Montego Bay,
described by the
husband as "cheap and small, situated on the Hip Strip,
with police
patrolling up and down the promenade in pairs." They say
they were not
allowed to leave the hotel for 48 hours, and claim to have
received no
information from the Princess Cruises, which organized the
trip.
Eventually, 10 more couples who were affected by the
outbreak joined
the pair in the hotel. Princess Cruises confirmed the
norovirus
outbreak. |
Illness |
| May 18 |
P&O
Express
P&O Ferries |
The
BBC reports a man with a psychiatric condition was
seen jumping
from the Larne to Troon ferry on Sunday evening. The boat,
which was
traveling at about 30 knots, turned around to look for
him. It
launched its onboard fast rescue craft and a helicopter
from Prestwick
and a RNLI lifeboat from Girvan joined the search. The man
was winched
to safety and taken to hospital after the vessel docked at
Troon. |
Person
overboard - rescued |
| May 16 |
Carnival Pride
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Sun
Sentinel reports while underway from Freeport Bahamas
to Baltimore Maryland, a fire started onboard the vessel in
the battery room. The fire was extinguished and a re-flash
watch was set. The Safety Officer reported that the area is
clear of smoke and the temperature dropped down to
acceptable values. The vessel representative notified the
COTP by email expressing his concerns of the fire. He also
stated that the battery room supported non essential safety
equipment onboard the vessel such as internet services. The
vessel docked at South Locust Point terminal with no further
incident occurring and they refilled all 35 fire
extinguishers used during the fire. |
Fire |
| May 16 |
Coral Princess
Princess Cruises
|
From
a passenger: During a 3 day
repositioning cruise on the Coral Princess from L.A. to
Vancouver at
10:30 am in the Lotus Pool on deck 14, a young woman was
severely
injured while swimming. At 2:30 pm, the Captain ordered
all upper decks
cleared as well as many staterooms on the port side, as a
Coast Guard
rescue helicopter was on its way from San Francisco to
initiate
an emergency evacuation of the young woman. They
announced
over the P.A. system, that no photography or video
cameras were
allowed during the procedure. At 3:00 PM the
rescue team
arrived and hovered over the Coral Princess mid ship pool
during the
evacuation procedure that lasted until 4:00 pm. |
Swimming pool injury |
| May 14 |
Carnival Victory
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
Safety at Sea
International Newsletter reports concerns over swine
flu have
impeded disembarkation in Barbados Wednesday, but the
cruise line
disputed a report that the ship had been quarantined.
Barbados Port CEO
Everton Walters said the ship had been quarantined and the
cruise port
had been closed. Carnival said a female crew member
exhibiting flu-like
symptoms was recently placed in isolation and upon the
ship’s arrival
in Barbados this morning, this information was provided to
local
authorities. Carnival said, “In response to the
information, local
authorities in Barbados are requiring that all guests
disembarking the
vessel there be given a screening questionnaire. The
process is
somewhat delaying debarkation. The ship will extend its
port call in
Barbados until 1930 to provide additional time in port.”
The female
crew member was quarantined shortly after the ship left
Roseau,
Dominica. See Jamaica
Observer and The
Dominican. |
Swine flu |
| May 12 |
Carnival Splendor
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The Daily
Mail reports an email identifying passengers who
opted out of a
pre-paid tip to staff was found pinned to a wall in crew
quarters by a
passenger on a behind-the-scenes tour of the ship. The
company claims
this is not standard procedure. |
Non-tippers identified |
| May 9 |
Serenade
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
While
cruise ships have dropped port calls in Mexico to
avoid swine flu, the first cases of swine flu on cruise
ships were
identified on a cruise ship in Alaska. KTUU
in
Alaska reports state health officials say a female
crew member
(dining room waiter) tested positive for the H1N1 swine
flu virus, and
that ship is now in Alaska waters. The ship was en route
to Sitka on
Sunday, traveling in the Icy Strait on a 14-night cruise
from the
Caribbean to Canada. "(Saturday) we received reports of a
probable case
of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, also called swine
flu," said Dr.
Jay Butler, the state's chief medical officer. Royal
Caribbean said in
a statement that two crew members experienced flu-like
symptoms about a
week ago. Both crew members were immediately isolated. The
illness was
subsequently confirmed to be swine flu. |
Swine flu |
| May 8 |
Enchantment
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
Two
passengers apparently had an altercation during the
muster drill at the start of the cruise -- enough to draw
blood. Both
were offloaded from the ship when it arrived at Nassau.
The incident
was taped and available on You Tube (but has since been
taken offline). |
Pax on pax assault |
| May 8 |
Zenith
Pullmantur
Cruises |
Cruising
Talk reports the ship went aground on the approach
to Copenhagen
having cruised too close to a wind farm of twenty four
turbines on
Saturday in the Oresund Strait. Local reports have said
that the ships
captain has been fined as a result of the incident. She is
at present
operating seven day cruises, departing on a Saturday, from
Copenhagen
or Helsinki with calls at Gdynia, St Petersburg, Stockholm
and Tallin.
She was about 24 hours late when she sailed at 18.45 hrs.
tonight from
Copenhagen. |
Aground |
| May 8 |
Crown Princess
Princess Cruises |
Gibraltar
Chronicle reports a British Airways plane aborted
its landing after
the ship strayed into its flight path as it sailed from
Gibraltar. “By
the time we did the final turn, it was obvious to me that
we would not
clear the ship,” one passenger told the Chronicle. The
exact position
of the cruise ship is not clear but admiralty rules
establish an
exclusion zone at either end of the runway. |
Plane aborts landing |
| May 6 |
Island Princess
Princess Cruises |
The ship reported 7 of 894 (0.56%) crew
and 100 of 1954 (5.12%) passengers had reported ill with
gastrointestinal illness on a 14 day cruise ending May 7. |
Illness |
| May 4 |
Diana
|
The
Local (Sweden) reports passengers were evacuated to
safety after
the vessel,
plying the trans-Sweden Göta Canal, ran aground near
Oxelösund in eastern Sweden. Passengers were woken with a
start
when the mayday was sounded. "The boat was listing badly
and a large
number of people were unable to stand on the deck due to
the boat's
gradient," Göran Johansson at the Swedish sea rescue
service said
to news agency TT. Four boats and a helicopter
participated in the
rescue. All 53 passengers were evacuated to safety. |
Grounded |
| April 30 |
Unnamed
(but picture looks like Melody, MSC Cruises) |
The
Telegraph reports Spanish police have smashed a drug
trafficking
ring that used pensioners to smuggle cocaine into Europe
on luxury
trans-Atlantic cruise ships. The senior citizens posed as
tourists
taking cruise holidays around South America to pick up
packages of the
drug to bring back to Spain. Two women in their sixties,
who were
chosen as "drug mules" because they were less likely to
arouse the
suspicion of authorities, were arrested as they prepared
to disembark
from a cruise ship when it docked in the port of Cadiz,
south-western
Spain. Police found 27 kilos (59 lbs) of pure cocaine
hidden in their
cabin. It is thought the drug was collected when the
cruise ship
stopped in Brazil Another seven members of the ring were
also arrested,
including two who were to collect the drugs from the women
when their
ship docked in Spain, and the alleged leader of the
operation who
attempted to flee to Brazil. |
Drug bust |
| April 30 |
SunCruz |
WDBO
News reports an 18-year-old man jumped off a
gambling cruise ship
near Port Canaveral on a $15 dare and swam to Jetty Park.
The man
jumped off the ship after accepting the dare from his
friends. He was
not injured and had not been drinking. |
Jump overboard |
| April 29 |
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The ship reported 57 of 1163 (4.9%) crew
and 208 of 3253 (6.39%) passengers had reported ill with
gastrointestinal illness on a 7 day Caribbean cruise
ending in Miami
April 25. |
Illness |
| April 27 |
Mercury
Celebrity
Cruises |
KFMB
Radio
in San Diego reports the ship arrived at 7 a.m. but
passengers didn't
get to leave the ship until three hours later (missing
flights home).
That's because the passenger count didn't match with the
number of
people on the ship -- about five or six people were
missing. The cruise
started on the U.S. East Coast with stops in Acapulco and
Cabo San
Lucas before arriving in San Diego. |
Delayed disembarkation |
| April 23 |
Amsterdam
Holland America
Line |
The ship reported 19 of 600 (3.17%) crew
and 119 of 1318 (9.03%) passengers had reported ill with
gastrointestinal illness on a 22 day Panama Canal cruise
ending in
Vancouver April 24.UPDATE
April 28: CDC has
revised the numbers to
25 crew (4.17%) and 135 passengers (10.24%). The cause
of the illness
is Cyclospora cayetanensis. |
Illness |
April 25
|
MSC Melody
|
MSC
Melody was on her Grand Cruise from Durban South
Africa back to Genoa Italy when pirates (somewhere close
to Somalia) tried to board the ship. Passengers
fought off the pirates by throwing deck chairs and tables
at the pirates.
|
Pirate attack
|
| April 19 |
Sea Cloud
Sea CLoud Cruises |
Panorama
News (Gibraltar) reports there was a fire onboard a
cruise sailing
ship at the weekend, as the ship sailed out of Gibraltar.
There were 96
passengers on the 'Sea Cloud', which had the fire
extinguished by the
fire brigade before returning back to the Rock. |
Fire |
| April 19 |
Un-named
Riverboat |
Dutch
News reports a cruise ship with 155 American
tourists on board
collided with two other cargo barges on the Waal river, a
tributary of
the Rhine, close to Nijmegen. No-one was injured and
although the
cruise ship was badly damaged, it was declared safe to
sail on to
Dordrecht. The cruise ship crashed into an oncoming tanker
carrying
2,400 tonnes of aircraft fuel during a manoeuvre to
overtake another
barge. |
Collision |
| April 18 |
Norwegian
Sky
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
The Miami
Herald reports the Coast Guard is searching early
Saturday for a
39-year-old man who went overboard the cruise ship
Norwegian Sky around
3 a.m. about 60 miles north of the Nassau, Bahamas. The
ship left Miami
for a three-day cruise, and was headed to its first port
of call,
Nassau. The name of the passenger was not released. Fellow
passengers
saw him go overboard. Also assisting in the search were
The Royal
Bahamas Defense Force, the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the
Seas cruise
ship crew, the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship crew and Disney
cruise line
smallboat crews. The search was called off at nightfall. |
Passenger overboard |
| April 17 |
Star Princess
Princess Cruises |
From
a passenger: My sister and I
were on a 10 day cruise from San Francisco to the
Mexican Rivera. At
midnight, after leaving port, we learned our luggage was
missing. We
filled out and filed a report with the passenger service
desk. We were
offered toiletries items and nothing else. We called in
the AM and told
the luggage was still missing. Since we are both
on scooters we
had no carry-on or any clothes except what we had on our
backs.
We were not offered any help with shipboard
credits for clothing
even though we were at sea for 4 days and still no
luggage. We were
questioned at one time if we were sure we brought
luggage and could we
show them airline claim check for the luggage
(ironically, the Princess
agent assisted us with our luggage because we relied on
scooters). Now
not only did we not have luggage we were now called
liars. Late
Saturday afternoon they offered to wash and dry our
clothes but they
would not be returned for 24 hours. Being those
were the only
clothes we had we declined. I instead went to the
laundrymat and did
the clothes myself in a Princess robe. Sunday
still no luggage I
called my travel agent from the ship to arrange a flight
home on
Tuesday from Acapulco. We had to pay for this
flight home even
though we had one for the end of the cruise. Still no
compensation from
Princess Cruise on board; our travel agent call the
headquarters and
since we are on board only the on board staff could help
us. Very
late Sunday our luggage was found. It had been
left in the bus
with 5 other pieces. The assistant purser called
and told us this
and also said they could not get our luggage to us in
Acapulco. I asked
if he would arrange transportation for us on Tuesday to
go to the
airport in Acapulco and he said he would. On Tuesday at
noon when we
docked there was no ride waiting for us. We
finally found the
taxi and left for the airport. During the trip to the
airport my sister
asked if this was paid for by the cruise line and was
told no we needed
to pay and it cost $70.00. UPDATE: We
have
heard back from Princess -- given a $75.00 shipboard
credit. despite
leaving the 10 day cruise on the 4th day. |
Missing luggage
|
| April 14 |
Explorer
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
From a passenger: The
June
11 sailing from Bayonne has changed its itinerary. It
now arrives
in St. Marteen at 2:00 and leaves at 10:00 PM (Was
12:00-9:00). But the
worst is San Juan - it arrives at 10:00 pm and leaves
11:30 AM Docked
(Was 7AM - 2PM one day). These are minor changes but it
really effects
the shore excursions. Many passengers are upset because
RCCI announced
the change right after the final payment was due without
an
explanation. From a Reader: The
April 11
post about RCCL's change in itinerary is not the only
change, my
sailing on May 28 th has been changed also, to the one
you have posted
for june 11, in fact, if you go to their web page and
look at the 6 or
so sailings planned, they have all been changed to the
the June
11 trip as posted.
|
Itinerary change |
| April 14 |
Super Star
Virgo
Star Cruises |
The
Star/Asia
News reports from George Town, Malaysia, that a
49-year-old man went missing while his wife was rescued
after they
accidentally fell from a cruise ship about 15 nautical
miles south of
Pulau Kendi. The woman and her husband fell about 20m into
the sea at
10am yesterday. Investigators are trying to determine how
they fell
from the ship, which was from Singapore. |
2 passengers overboard - one rescued |
| April 12 |
Freedom of
the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
From
a passenger: The cruise running
March 29 to April 5 had 100 cabins hits with norovirus
outbreak. I was
on next sailing starting April 5 which had "code
red" situation.
Lasted first 3 days. Extensive cleaning, sanitizing etc.
Seem to have
worked. Didn't hear about any new cases. Breathing bleach,
chlorine and
purel all day can't be to healthy. |
Illness |
| April 11 |
Holiday
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The US Coast Guard reports the
shgip suffered a problem with "material failure." |
Material failure |
| April 10 |
Carnival
Valor
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From
a passenger: I just returned
from the 7-day cruise April 5-12, 2009. On the morning
of April 10th,
we were supposed to be docking at Progresso. At
about the time we
should have been docking, the Captain made an
announcement that we were
not going Progresso because of excessive winds (30+ kn).
He told
us that the long channel they had to navigate through
would not be safe
due to the winds. He went on to say that the
safety of the vessel
and the passengers is most important and it wasn't worth
the risk.
We were also told that we would now be spending 2
days at sea
instead of the scheduled 1 day. Although
disappointing, it was
nice to actually hear the Captain convey the news versus
the cruise
director. We were then told that Carnival was
going to give each
passenger an on-board credit of $25. Ten minutes
later, we were
told that the credit would only be $20 per person.
About an hour later, the Captain made another
announcement regarding
his decision to skip Progresso. He reiterated his
safety concerns
and happily informed us that we would be having an
at-sea day and then
we would spend Saturday, April 11th at Key West.
Eventually, a
letter magically appeared in our stateroom telling us
that there would
not be any credits since we were now going to visit Key
West and they
had to pay dock fees, etc.
|
Itinerary change |
| April 8 |
Greenlines
Dong Song Xanh Joint Stock Company |
VOV
News reports the cruise liner suddenly collided with
a mooring buoy
during its voyage from Vung Tau to Ho Chi Minh City. The
incident left
the ship with a huge gash in the buoy but all 79
passengers were
evacuated safely. The ship was carrying 79 passengers,
including a
number of foreign tourists and 5 crew.
|
Collision |
| April 7 |
Discovery
Discovery
Cruise Line |
The Bahamas
Weekly reports the cruise line, which offers cruise
service between
South Florida and Grand Bahama Island every day of the week
except
Wednesdays, announced the cancellations of sailings through
April 12.
According to Hanns J. Hahn, General Manager of Discovery,
“Due to
urgent repairs to the port main engine, cruises to and from
Grand
Bahama Island have been cancelled until April 13.” |
Cancellation |
| April 2 |
Indian Ocean Explorer
Aquatours
|
The Associated
Press reports that tourist yacht and its crew of seven
was hijacked
by Somali pirates near the Seychelles islands off Africa's
east coast
yesterday. The yacht, which can carry up to 14 passengers,
had just
dropped off its contingent of tourists before it was seized.
The
British Navy suspects the boat would be taken to Harardhere,
a pirate
stronghold north of Mogadishu, and would be held about three
months.
All seven crew members are from the Seychelles. |
Tourist boat seized by pirates |
| April 1 |
Seven Seas
Voyager Regent
Seven
Seas
Cruises |
The
company announced today that the cruises scheduled for April
18 and May
8 have been cancelled so repairs can be made to one of the
pod
propulsion units (see March 22 below). Guests who joined the
cruise in
Dubai have been told, if they choose to remain on the ship,
that all
port call en route to Rome have been cancelled except for
Muscat,
Safaga, and Aqaba (Safaga and Aqaba notably have high priced
shore
excursions that yield considerable revenue for the company).
According
to a passenger: Shortly after checking in at
the hotel on
Monday, I met a UK couple who showed me the letter they
had received
from their travel agent early Saturday morning explaining
the situation
as it seemed then and offering three options for everyone
cruising from
Dubai to Istanbul: Full refund + $500 future cruise
credit; switch to
Mariner in Asia a week or two later at no additional
charge; continue
on with a somewhat curtailed (miss four ports) cruise with
a $400
shipboard credit + 25% refund for that segment + 25%
future cruise
credit. Ha! And that's how things stood until Tuesday
night when word
began to spread that things were worse than they appeared.
Wednesday we
were to check out of the hotel and proceed to the ship at
1PM. Once there, we boarded and were shown into the
conference and
card rooms, and greeted by the captain and various
mid-level staff to
explain our revised options: Voyager has bigger
problems than
previously thought. No Istanbul. Only ports will be
Muscat, Safage
overnight and Aqaba, then onward to Roma for 3-4 weeks of
drydock.
Grosso problemo. Our choices are: Full
refund and
they would do their best to rebook air home in same class,
tho' it
might be 2-3 days before we could get out of Dubai;
Mariner in Asia;
stay on ship & get 50% refund for 18 days on board +
100% refund
for additional days unused + flight home from Rome in same
class you
came over on + refund of travel insurance premium as
future cruise
credit. Plus I may be able to get something back
from insurance
company for cruise interruption (doubtful). Oh, and we
have until 3PM
-- less than two hours -- to decide. So it
began. Everyone has
different situations. We explain our situations to EVP
vessel
operations who confers with CEO, who is limited by what
insurance
company will pay line, but he has some wiggle room. He is
very nice,
but can only go so far. So I chose #3, the best of three
bad choices, I
guess. So, off we go limping along with one
pod. Everyone wants to
see Luxor and Petra, and if they announce that they have
to cancel one
or the other, there will be mutiny. Or at least real
lawsuits. Short of the ship actually sinking, it
could not be
worse. |
From bad to worse to horrible |
| March 28 |
Aurora
P&O
Cruises |
The Daily
Telegraph reports passengers have staged a revolt
after visiting
only two ports in 22 days. This is in the aftermath of
problems reports
below on March 3. A protest group – dubbed the Aurora
Committee – is
now threatening legal action to compensate for the cruise,
which some
passengers had saved for 20 years to afford. |
Passenger revolt |
| March 25 |
Norwegian
Majesty
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
From
a passenger: On March 20th at approximately 14:45
off the
coast of Jacksonville, FL, following a boom or rumble like
sound, large
chunks of rusty iron matter jettisoned out from ship's
funnel raining
down on guests on aft sundecks 10 & 8. This was followed
by a spray
of an oily substance and black soot that showered the entire
aft
section. Passengers were literally coated with this residue
permanently
damaging clothing and personal belongings. Crew members who
witnessed
just pointed and laughed. Ship staff tried to smooth over by
offering
free laundry and free wine + compensation for damaged
clothing through
NCL Corporate. The ship and NCL themselves have yet to
provide any
detail as to cause and/or health implications to those
affected. See
photos here. |
Sooty mess from
smokestack
|
| March 24 |
Norwegian Star
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
A man filed a lawsuit against NCL after
being
assaulted during a vacation cruise on the Norwegian Star
in March 2008.
He alleges that while traveling with his family, three men
violently
attacked him with beer bottles and punched and kicked him
in the face.
His parents asked NCL to identify the attackers and
provide a copy of
the tapes from the cruise ship's surveillance system which
recorded the
incident, but the request was denied. They hired a lawyer
for the
purpose of obtaining the names of the assailants so that
the crime
could be reported to the FBI, but NCL responded by
blocking all e-mails
from the lawyer. They have now filed a lawsuit in Federal
District
Court in Miami. See press
release here.
|
Lawsuit filed |
| March 24 |
Westerdam
Holland America
Line |
From a passenger: We
just returned from a seven day cruise on the Holland
Westerdam, March
15 thru March 22 2009. When we boarded the ship, we
noticed that the
crew was passing out the anti bacterial liquid on every
floor. Three
days in the cruise we noticed the employees were thinner
than normal.
Five days and the Captain of the ship announced that
there was indeed
some sick crew and passengers and they were trying to
contain the GI
Virus. We could not even get our own coffee or sugar. No
salt and
pepper shakers on table. It was a terrible cruise. I
would not
recommend it to anyone.
|
Illness |
| March 24 |
Eolos
Kenderis 2 NEL
Lines |
According
to GR
Reporter the ferry hit the breakwater at the
Santorini port at the
moment when the crew was trying to dock and to tie the
rope to a post
on the port. There were 26 passengers and 20 crew members
on board and
no serious injuries. There is a strong 7 Beaufort wind at
the time. The
incident, which happened around 09:30 pm, scratched the
ship right
under the water line. The ship is anchored outside the
port and will be
examined to determine whether it needs repairs or it could
continue
sailing. |
Collision with breakwater |
| March 22 |
Golden Princess
Princess Cruises |
From
a passenger: Just got back
from a 14 day cruise to Hawaii. On Sunday March 22nd
just before
midnight the ship's main fire alarm sounded off. The
assessment crew was
sent to the engine room. The Captain came on the PA
system and
announced a reported fire in the main engine room. The
crew was
scurrying around with their life vests on. I went up to
the top deck
to see the smoke stacks. The ship had slowed down to
less than half
speed and there was a strange burning smell. About 20
minutes later the
Captain came back on and announced that a turbocharger
on one of the
main engines had blown a seal, set off the smoke
detectors and blinded
the cameras. Within an hour we were back up to speed
again. Also we
aborted the port docking in Nawiliwili, Kauai. We were
told this was
due to high winds although they didn't seem all the
high? Some of the
crew members confessed that this port is missed about 1
out of 4
times?? Had I known this I might have thought twice
about booking this
cruise. |
Fire |
| March 22 |
Seven Seas
Voyager Regent
Seven
Seas
Cruises |
According
to reports from passengers on board the
Voyager, one of the pods was caught in a fishing
net. Attempts to
release the pod failed. The ship is on it's way to
Dubai at a
speed of approximately 12-14 knots. The manufacturer
of the pod
will be joining the ship shortly. The ship is
expected to be dry
docked in Dubai to fix the pod. In the meantime,
many port
cancellations have occurred (including Mumbai and Abu
Dhabi).
There appears to be no media reports as yet on this story.
NOTE: There was a similar incident November
26, 2008, when
the ship was returning to Fort Lauderdale. It arrived in
port a day
late because of reduced speeds. |
Propulsion problems |
| March 21 |
Carnival
Legend
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Sun
Sentinel reports the vessel's smoke and fire system on
Deck B-A-1 was in fault and not operating properly. It was
determined that the fault lied with the Bridge Monitoring
Panel which was replaced. Following the repair, the system
was restored to fully operational. This system is not Coast
Guard approved. |
Material failure |
| March 21 |
Carnival
Splendor
Carnival Cruise Lines |
A
passenger writes that he and his wife were among 106
passengers refused
boarding on January 31 for the 51 day circumnavigation of
South America
departing from Fort Lauderdale because they did not have
visas for
landing in Brazil. The passengers say neither Carnival or
their travel
agent told them about the need for a visa, even though they
asked
multiple times. Carnival says the travel agent is the
passenger's
representative, that they notified the travel agent, and
that the
passenger could have booked directly with Carnival instead.
In any
case, Carnival has refused to refund the passenger's fare
even though
they weren't allowed to board the cruise and the passenger
is pursuing
the matter in every way they can. The moral of the story:
check out visa
requirements whenever you travel outside your country -- the
information is normally available on the web from each
country's
department of foreign affairs (or equivalent). Another
passenger
writes: The cruise went from bad to really,
really bad. Most passengers caught the "cold" going
around. If you were
on the cruise for the three legs, you could get it three
times. The
dinning room refused to put gel dispensers outside the
dining room.
Many of the passengers asked for it. The crew was sick,
the nurses were
sick. They ran out of milk in cartons in Chile and put out
uncovered
pitchers of milk, sitting in ice. People were coughing and
sneezing
while in line for food. We went only to the dining room
near the end of
the cruise. Don't even ask about the disaster that was
immigration in
Long Beach. Carnival acted as if they had never been on a
cruise
before. This was my 8th cruise with Carnival, never, never
again. From
the way they treated the Visa people, to the way they
handled
complaints, to immigration, they were uncaring and
incompetent. Thank
goodness, the waiters, and stewards were really good. The
captain was
absent from most past cruisers cocktail parties. And
another
says: The ship ran out of medication,and we
were
were told to buy our own at ports. Only everything was in
other
languages therefore it was very difficult to do. |
Visa problems
---
Illness |
| March 20 |
Island Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a passenger: A
friend and I are currently on the 10-day Panama cruise out
of Fort
Lauderdale, FL, and suspect a norovirus outbreak. As
of
yesterday, passengers are not allowed to serve themselves
in the buffet
and dinner rolls in the restaurants are served by waiters,
not in
baskets where passengers help themselves. Staff are
everywhere with
antiseptic spray, wiping down everything all day long. |
Illness |
| March 19 |
Queen Mary
2
Cunard Line |
From
a passenger: We are
currently on the QM2 World Cruise and the ship is in
semi-lockdown with
Norovirus. no idea of the numbers but the crew are going
all out to
contain it. |
Illness |
| March 19 |
Coral
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
Posted at
www.cruise.co.uk:
Just be aware we are currently on this cruise &
have been
just told that the ships turbo is broken & we cant
go as fast !! We
have to miss Colombia, but the Captain is aiming to get
us to Aruba.If
your on this cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale next Monday
Good Luck !! |
Propulsion problems |
| March 18 |
Minerva
Swan Hellenic |
The cruise
ship was due to arrive in Tristan de Cunha
(in the South Atlantic ocean) early morning but was
delayed and arrived
at 1500hrs. No passengers were allowed ashore, so the Post
Office, and
others selling Handicrafts went onboard the vessel. She
stayed off the
settlement until 1900hrs before collecting two passengers
and departing
for Cape Town. |
Late port call |
| March 17 |
Maasdam
Holland
America Line |
The Sun
Sentinel reportsa fire on board C/S MAASDAM. Boarded
vsl and determined source of fire to be in the crew galley.
Fire started in a "tilt-pan." Tilt-pan looks very similar to
a huge deep sink that is used to cook large quantities of
food such as soups, boil large quantities of vegetables,
etc. Mess cook poured canola oil into the empty/hot "tilt
pan" which resulted in an immediate flash and fire. Crew
immediately used dry-chem extinguisher to put out fire,
vacated space, closed local FSDs, and notified bridge. Large
quantities of smoke were noted and as a precautionary
measure vsl engaged Gaylord system and discharged fixed CO2
system into ventilation ducts. Accessed space and noted no
damage in area. Fire contained to metal tilt-pan. Vsl
recharged fixed CO2 bottle in port and put back into
service. |
Fire |
| March 12 |
Costa Victoria
Costa Cruises |
The
National (United Arab Emerites) reports a French
tourist was run
down and killed today while on a pedestrian crossing in
the capital
just 90 minutes after disembarking from his cruise ship.
Witnesses said
the man was hit and killed instantly in front of the
Marina Cafe about
11.30am, as he crossed the street with his wife and a
friend. The
victim’s wife and the friend managed to jump out of the
way, as the
driver sped off. The driver, an Emirati, had abandoned his
car, a BMW
sports model, behind Marina Mall and fled on foot, but was
arrested a
short time later. A spokesman for Costa tours said it had
arranged for
a bus to take tourists to Marina Mall but why the victim,
his wife and
friend decided to walk was unknown. |
Pax death onshore |
| March 12 |
Mercury
Celebrity
Cruises |
The ship reported 4 of 834 (0.48%) crew
and 93 of 1862 (5.0%) passengers had reported ill with
gastrointestinal
illness on a 16 day circle cruise to Hawaii from San
Diego. The cruise
began February 28 and ends March 15. UPDATE
March
13: CDC has revised the numbers to 6 crew
(.72%) and
113 passengers (6.1%). |
Illness |
March 10
|
Norwegian
Sun
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
From a reader:
In
February, while on a cruise on the ship, I overheard two
crew members
discussing the fact that another crew member had
discovered $2,000
and returned it to it's rightful owner through the proper
channels. Apparently, the money was discovered in a
pair of pants
belonging to a passenger who had sent them to the laundry
to be
cleaned. Upon discovery, the laundry attendant promptly
reported the
discovery to his superior and the money was returned to
the owner.
|
Good
news story
|
March 10
|
Choke
Somboon 19
Dive Asia
|
Travel
Blackboard reports seven people are missing after
the Thai boat
bound for Phuket capsized and sank after heavy rain and
winds on Sunday
night. The boat was traveling at speeds of eight to nine
knots on its
return journey when it sank from the Similan Islands to
Phuket with 30
passengers and crew on board. 23 people were able to get
into the life
rafts and have safely returned to Phuket, but seven people
are still
missing and a search in the area was conducted [Monday]
and continues
on Tuesday. It is believed that the six-month old ship hit
a vortex
which had formed quickly, causing it to capsize. Local
fisherman, who
were nearby, raced to the scene and found the survivors
adrift in an
inflatable lifeboat.
|
Sunk |
March 9
|
Voyager of
the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
The
itinerary on this cruise from Galveston was changed
after a female passenger sustained a broken leg on one leg
and a broken
ankle on the other leg as a result of a fall down the
stairs that go
from the Royal Promenade down to the Casino and had to be
airlifted for
medical care. The Captain said due to the evacuation the
should would
be 4 hours late arriving at our first scheduled stop in
Cozumel.
Therefore the itinerary was changed and the ship went
directly to
the next scheduled ports of Roatan on Wednesday and Costa
Maya on
Thursday. The Cozumel stop would then be on Friday and
return to
Galveston as normal.
|
Itinerary change
|
March 9
|
Coral
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The Los
Angeles
Times (and Associated
Press)
reports a dining room headwaiter (a 38-year-old Portuguese
national who
has worked for Princess for 18 years) was
arrested
today on suspicion
of sexually assaulting a 42-year-old female passenger. The
crew member
was taken
into custody after the Federal Bureau of Investigation
received the
complaint about the assault and dispatched investigators
and an
evidence response team to the ship, which docked in Los
Angeles this
morning. The ship was on 14-day cruise through the Panama
Canal,
between Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Los Angeles.
|
Sexual
assault
|
March 9
|
Millennium
Celebrity
Cruises |
The cruise
scheduled for March 15 (14 day from
Auckland) has
been cancelled because
the ship requires dry docking to deal with a problem with
a bearing on
the propeller shaft. Passengers booked on the cruise will
receive: a full
refund of all monies paid to Celebrity for the sailing; a
future cruise
credit in the amount of the cruise fare paid, which may be
used for
sailings that depart on or before 3/30/10 (can to be used
on holiday or
Celebrity Xpedition sailings); and up to $250 per person
for airline
change fees. The ship will end in Auckland March 15th,
will sail to
Sydney for repairs, and is scheduled to return to Auckland
for is March
29th cruise. Source: See New
Zealand
Herald
|
Cancellation
|
March 9
|
Independence
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
Posters at
Cruise
Critic report a woman fell from the pier with her
motorized wheel
chair while the ship was docked at Cozumel this past week.
One writes: We were
walking back to this ship and we
were just passed the security guard that is outside the
boat when we
heard a man yell for help. We saw the lady in the water.
My husband and
I ran up to the ship and told the crew members who were
working (taking
sea passes, etc) and they just looked at us. After
yelling 3 times at
them that someone had fallen in the water and they
needed help, they
finally took off running to help, but without any type
of floatation
device. Then the security guard came for the life
preserver. He was in
such a panic and rush that the rope from the preserver
got caught in
the queue stands and he knocked over everything. Finally
a female crew
member jumped in the water with the lady. It seemed like
there was lots
of confusion and that they weren't really prepared for a
situation like
this. There were lots of crew standing around outside on
the pier, but
no one was really doing anything. They were yelling at
each other to
get life jackets, etc. Although we did not see the lady
actually be
lifted out of the water, she was floating fine when we
saw her. Reports
from the crew (including the female crew member who
jumped in with the
lady) said that the lady was doing fine and was on the
ship.
|
Fall from pier
|
| March 9 |
Holiday
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The US Coast Guard reports the
shgip suffered a problem with "material failure." |
Material failure |
March 8
|
Royal
Caribbean International |
Royal Caribbean Caught Infiltrating Review
Sites With Viral Marketing Team -- See
article
here
|
|
| March 5 |
Carnival
Splendor
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Cruise
Critic reports a 63 year old male passenger was
reported missing by
his wife while the ship was off the coast of Chile as part
of an 18-day
South America voyage. The guest’s wife notified shipboard
personnel at
9:30 a.m. this morning after she found a note that suggested
a planned
suicide. The missing guest was last seen at approximately
4:30 a.m. The
ship’s command immediately began a vessel-wide search for
the
individual and returned the vessel back to the area where
the guest was
last seen. All appropriate authorities were notified. The
Carnival
Splendor departed Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile, March 3 on
an 18-day
South America cruise that ends in San Francisco March 21. |
Passenger overboard?
|
| March 5 |
Fantasia
MSC
Cruises |
Think
Spain reports one person was injured early this
afternoon when a
gangway joining the ship to the passenger terminal in
Palma harbour
collapsed. Three crew members also ended up in the sea and
had to be
fished out by the rescue services. The accident occurred
as a result of
the strong winds affecting the Balearic Islands today. At
about 2.30pm
today, as the passengers were disembarking from the cruise
ship, a
strong gust of wind ripped several of the bow moorings off
the bollards
and the boat lurched away from the quay, causing the
gangway, at some
15m above the sea, to collapse. The passenger who was
crossing the
gangway at the time fell into the water, hitting their
head on the side
of the ship on the way down, prompting three crew members
to dive into
the water to rescue him. All four have been treated for
hypothermia and
the injured passenger, whilst currently in the care of the
cruise
company's medical staff, might still be moved to a
hospital in Palma. Click
here
for a video of the incident.
|
Gangway collapse |
March 5
|
Costa
Europa
Costa Cruises |
The
Telegraph reports angry passengers confronted the
captain in
protest at what they felt was an "unacceptable" offer of
compensation
after the ship became beset by engine problems. The
two-week "Jewels of
the Indian Ocean" cruise ending February 28 was beset with
propulsion
problems. The ship underwent repairs in the Kenyan port of
Mombassa,
before
sailing towards Renunion, but passengers said the vessel’s
speed
remained "erratic," while others noticed black smoke
coming from the
engines. A scheduled stop on Reunion was then reduced to a
short
"technical
stop," sparking further outrage before another
confrontation allegedly
took place between the crew and passengers. Passengers at
one point
staged a sit-in protest and began chanting for the
captain, who finally
showed up and
apologized (according to passengers, admitting the cruise
had been
‘ruined’. The company initially offered compensation of
either an
on-board credit of 300 euros or a 600-euro discount; it
later offered
both the on-board credit and discount. Some of the ship’s
passengers
have since set
up a blog
to
catalogue the alleged problems that occurred during the
voyage.
|
Propulsion problems
--
Near mutiny
|
March 4
|
Unknown
|
The Cayman
Compass reports a 57-year-old cruise passenger died
after she got
into difficulty while on a snorkeling trip. Witnesses on
Seven Mile
Beach early that afternoon saw a crew from Red Sail Sports
bringing the
woman into shore for medical assistance around 1:30pm.
Police said the
Red Sail crew tried to save the woman by performing CPR
while she was
being taken in to shore. The victim was rushed to hospital
where she
was later pronounced dead.The woman was on a trip aboard
one
of Red Sail Sports' catamarans.
|
Death on snorkeling trip
|
| March 4 |
Prince
Albert II
Silversea Cruises |
The ships
visit to Castro in Isla Chiloe (listed on the
brochure as the trip's highlight) on its cruise of
Antarctica to Chile
was cancelled because of a 15 hour delay caused by a
storm. However,
the delay was caused not just by the storm. According to a
blog
from
onboard, at 9:00 a.m., the Captain announced over
the ship's
public address system that last night's storm was
considerably worse
than anticipated, and a decision had been made to return
south to the
fjords to seek shelter. This decision was prompted, in
part, due to a
door being blown open at the front of the ship by the
force of the seas
in the early-morning hours. The Captain added that whilst
this had been
dealt with very quickly by the crew, it nonetheless led to
approximately two tonnes of seawater entering the ship.
The door had no
alarm, so it was the fire patrol that found the door open
and water
spilling into the ship. Most damage was to private
properties of the
crew members who have their cabins under the forecastle.
Some passenger
cabins (including ours) had the carpet wet, but no damage
to properties. |
Cancelled port
--
Scary event |
March 4
|
Balmoral
Fred
Olsen Cruises |
Metro.co.uk
reports the ship made emergency calls after encountering
"suspicious"
activity from two small craft in notorious waters off
Somalia. Military
sources involved in monitoring the protected zone of the
Gulf of Aden
said the incident yesterday was "a false alarm". But a
spokeswoman for
Fred Olsen said: "Balmoral encountered suspicious activity
by two small
craft, closing at high speed. The ship's master requested
passengers to
assemble in 'safe havens' as part of a pre-planned safety
procedure.
Aggressive maneuvering was implemented and contact was
made with the EU
Coalition Task Force." The ship is expected to arrive in
Salalah
tomorrow on schedule.
|
Pirate
threat
|
March 4
|
Hrossay
Northlink
Ferries
|
BBC
reports a passenger and a crewman on sailing from
Aberdeen to
Shetland were taken to hospital after being thrown against
bulkheads in
rough seas. The men were hurt at about 0610 GMT, when the
ship was hit
by large waves and rolled twice in quick succession after
it was caught
up in severe gale-force winds. In January both of
Northlink's
Shetland ferries were seriously damaged by large waves
within a week of
each other.
|
Injuries in high seas
|
March 3
|
Aurora
P&O
Cruises |
From a
passenger: We broke down - 4 hours after leaving
Sydney the Captain announced there was a major problem
with the port
propulsion system (the Port Shaft Thrust Bearing that has
gone). We can only do 13/14 knots and will miss
Wellington, Bay of
Islands, and Napier,
instead heading straight for Auckland. Instead of 2 days
it will take 4
to get there. Experts are flying to Auckland as the
repairs cannot be
done at sea. There's a general downturn in the
atmosphere... big
difference in comparison to yesterday leaving Sydney after
having 2
amazing weeks in Australia. Some staff on board are
already aware that
we are staying in port for at least 2 days. Possibly
longer. No need for a dry dock or anything as the
bearing can be
replaced internally. UPDATE March 8 (Sunday): At
18:30
this
evening the Captain came over the tannoy with some further
bad news.
He said that whilst visually the repairs completed
to date looked
satisfactory, more detailed inspections with specialist
equipment
(probably NDT) have identified the need for further
repairs. As
such, Aurora will not be leaving Auckland until Tuesday
evening at the
earliest. The news then got worse as he said the Aurora
would not now
be calling at Moorea or Tahiti, but would now be taking a
more direct
route to Honolulu. However, he gave a glimmer of
hope in that he
said there was a possibility of making a Polynesian port
of call, but
this would not be known until the repairs had been
completed and a
departure time from Auckland was known.
Compensation....he went on to say that a cheque would be
sent to the
lead passengers home address in late March, but the exact
amount has
not yet been decided by P&O's management. Update
March 11: New
Zealand
Television reports the ship is scheduled to sail
tonight (Wednesday).
However the Port
of
Aukland website says the ship will depart March 12 (Thursday)
at 5:05PM. The ship will arrive in Honolulu one day behind
schedule --
the day will be made up near the end of the world cruise
be dropping a
port call at Madiera and stopping at Ponta Delgada in the
Azores
instead.
|
Major Propulsion problems
--
Missed Ports
|
March 2
|
Azamara
Quest
Azamara Cruises
|
From a reader:
Reported from the ship's Hong Kong to Beijing leg:
Passengers did not
board Quest in Hong Kong yesterday until 6.00pm because
the ship was
being cleaned from top to bottom due to norovirus. They
were taken to
Disneyland for the afternoon. Their luggage wasn't
delivered until
8.30pm.
|
Illness |
| February
27 |
Grand
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
From
a passengers: I just
returned from a 2 week Southern Caribbean cruise from
Ft. Lauderdale.
Staff had colds the first day, including our waiter. By
the second week
every other person was sneezing and coughing. Nothing
was done to
contain this and no announcement was made. Not sure if
they even
realized how many people were sick! |
Illness |
February
27
|
Oosterdam
Holland
America Line |
KFMB-TV
in San Diego reports 84 passengers have reported ill with
gastrointestinal illness, likely caused by norovirus. The
ship returns
to San Diego tomorrow and according to the cruise line
will be
sanitized. Update
March 2: eFluxMedia
reports
the numbers are now 106 passengers and 4 crew reporting
ill. NOTE: Is it
a
coincidence that this cruise began the day after the
Zaandam cruise
(below) ended or is it possible a crew member from Zaandam
brought the
illness with him/her onto Oosterdam? UPDATE: CDC reports
the numbers ill
at 110 of 1840 (5.98%) passengers and 10 of 786 (1.27%)
crew members. |
Illness |
February
26
|
Unknown
|
The Miami
New
Times reports a man got aboard a cruise ship this
past November
at the Port of Miami -- he had three hours to kill before
the ship took
off. So, through some fancy web setup and a wireless card,
he was able
to watch about two and a half hours of a Chicago Bears
game.
Afterwards, the ship took off. When he got back home, he
found a
$28,067.31 cell phone bill! Seems AT&T was charging
him
international rates of two cents per kb. He called
AT&T to
straighten out that he was actually in the US, but the
best they could
do for him was a $6,000 bill. The Chicago
Sun-Times got on the case, and found his wireless
card was
picking up signals it shouldn't have. AT&T credited
$27,776.66 to
his bill.
|
Beware cell phone charges
|
February
26
|
Costa
Romatica
Costa Cruises
|
Merco
Press reports the ship is anchored seven miles off
the Uruguayan
sea resort of Punta del Este after having suffered last
night a brief
blackout caused by a fire in the generators room. It was
traveling from
Rio do Janeiro where it left February 23 and was expected
to reach
Buenos Aires early morning today. According to a release
from Costa
Cruises the blaze was rapidly contained with no risk for
passengers,
crew or the vessel. Travelers were immediately informed of
the incident
and electricity was immediately restored with emergency
equipment. A
team of Uruguayan experts with the support from the local
Coast Guard
are currently assessing the extent of the damages and
helping with the
repairs. The vessel is expected to resume its schedule
this evening.
Most passengers on board are Brazilian, Argentines,
Chileans and
Mexicans. Update: The
Earth
Times reports 1,429 passengers and 590 crew
members were
evacuated after efforts to repair the generator were
unsuccessful.
Those on board were evacuated in boats to the resort town
of Punta del
Esta about 13 kilometres from where the ship had anchored
and about 120
kilometres east of Uruguayan capital Montevideo. They were
then
transferred to Buenos Aires for flights home. Update: The cruise
scheduled to
depart February 26 has been canceled given the need for
repairs. As
reported at Cruising
Talk, passengers on that cruise were put up in
hotels paid for by
Costa which is in the process of arranging an alternate
vacation at a
land-based resort through March 12, when the cruise would
have ended.
Those who do not want to take the resort option will
receive a refund
of the amount paid and full assistance with their onward
travels,
whether they booked their original air arrangements on
their own or
with Costa. All guests on the canceled sailing will also
receive a
credit equivalent to 50 percent of the fare paid (for the
cruise only)
valid toward a future Costa cruise through December 31,
2010.
|
Fire
-- Ship
evacuated
|
| February 26 |
Grandeur
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
The Sun
Sentinel the ship temporarily lost two of its four
main engines en route into Tampa Bay. The vessel normally
operates with two main engines at sea and three main engines
when transiting the port as a precautionary measure. The
ship was able to maintain 12 knots with only two engines
operating, utilizing two tug assists to moor safely at the
Cruise Ship Terminal #3 without further incident. The #1 and
#3 main diesel electric engines shutdown as a result of
excess condensation collected in the crankcase vent piping
system. The condensation made its way into the crankcase and
vaporized causing the crankcase photoelectric cell (mist
detection system) to alarm automatically shutting down both
engines. |
Loss of two
engines / Material failure |
February
25
|
Serenade
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International
Island Star
Island Cruises
|
The Antigua
Sun reports a cruise passenger from SotS reportedly
fell into a
manhole on Nevis Street in St. John's (Antigua). She was
taken to the
ship for medical attention -- she sustained injuries to
her legs. One
day earlier, a passenger from Island Star suffered the
same fate,
falling into a manhole at the corner of High and Thames
Street. The
uncovered holes are expected to be repaired by the Public
Works
Department in the city.
|
Injuries onshore
|
February
23
|
Summit
Celebrity
Cruises |
Sixteen
passengers were injured when their bus
apparently lost control and drove into a ditch while it
was returning
to the ship from a shore excursion. The accident
happened outside
Roseau, Dominica; some of the injured were flown to Miami
for treatment
at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The passengers sustained
injuries,
including broken bones, bumps, bruises and
lacerations, however,
three people were more seriously injured; five of the 16
injured were
treated and released from the hospital in Dominica.
The
passengers were returning from a Caribbean Cooking
Adventure
shore excursion, in which they joined local culinary
experts to
learn how to prepare and present traditional
Caribbean dishes.
The three-and-a-half hour excursion concluded with a
scenic drive
through Roseau before returning to the pier. The ship is
sailing a
seven-night Caribbean cruise that departed San Juan on
February 21.
|
Shore
excursion
accident
|
February
23
|
Grand
Princess
Princess
Cruises
Ventura
P&O
Cruises |
Caribbean
Net
News reports strong winds prevented two of the four
scheduled
cruise ships from docking at Port Zante (St. Kitts) over
the weekend.
While Island Star and Carnival Victory were able to berth,
Ventura
aborted efforts on Saturday, after trying to berth in
winds up to 32
knots. On Sunday, unusually strong winds gusting as high
as 45 knots
forced Grand Princess to turn away. Unrelated
missed ports: In other news, several cruise ships
skipped port
calls at Guadeloupe and Martinique because of labour
unrest on the
islands. Silversea's Silver WInd skipped Sri Lanka because
of civil
unrest.
|
Missed port calls
|
February
22
|
Galaxy
Celebrity
Cruises |
From a passenger: Just came back from an 11
night cruise on
the Galaxy. We had cockroaches in our Royal Suite 1024.
The ship had
propulsion problems while in port in St Lucia that
delayed the ship for
about 4 hours. The sewer flooded in our cabin.
|
Propulsion problems
|
February
20
|
Multiple
ships
|
The Antigua
Sun reports passengers/crew on four ships were
robbed while in
Antigua yesterday. The robberies allegedly took place
between Sand
Haven and Millers by the Sea. There were four cruise ships
on island
and passengers from all of the vessels were reportedly
robbed. The
ships were the Caribbean Princess, Azamar, Costa Atlantica
and Thompson
Destiny. The police have reportedly managed to arrest a
few persons in
connection with the robberies. They responded to a 911
call of a
robbery in progress at Fort James beach, where three
youths, two 17
years old and one 19 from the Golden Grove and Villa Area
were arrested
as they attempted to rob a crew member of a cruise ship.
|
Robberies ashore
|
February
19
|
Oceanic
Discoverer
Coral
Princess
Cruises
|
The Sydney
Morning
Herald reports a 34 year old Australian crewman is
in a critical condition after being crushed by a hydraulic
door during
a fire drill while the ship was moored in Hawkes Bay. He
is in a
critical condition in Hawkes Bay hospital's intensive care
unit. The
ship is on a 12-day cruise off New Zealand's coastline,
starting in
Auckland and ending at Milford Sound. UPDATE
March 10: The man has subsequently died from his
injuries.
|
Critical
injury
|
February
17
|
Ocean Nova
Quark
Expeditions
|
Jeanne
Leblanc's
blog and Associated
Press report the ship, with 64 passengers and 41
crew members
aboard, ran aground about one mile (two kilometers) from
the San Martin
base (Antarctica), pushed by "extremely high winds" into
craggy rocks.
An initial assessment of damage indicated that there was
no imminent
danger and no threat to lives and there is no sign of
leakage of any
kind from the vessel. The ship was on its eighth day of a
nearly
two-week expedition exploring the polar circle that
embarked from
Ushuaia, Argentina's southernmost city. The company says
the ship
should be able to break free on its own as the tide rises.
UPDATE: The
Telegraph reports the ship was unable to free itself
and that
passengers will be evacuated to other ships. Update February 23:
The company
canceled today’s sailing from Ushuaia so the ship can
undergo an
estimated three days of repairs. Passengers were rebooked
on Polar Star
Expeditions' Polar Star’s Feb. 24 sailing, with Quark
providing hotel
accommodations tonight and rearranging return flights. NOTE:
Non
official sources on the Ocean Nova reports that the engine
was shut off
and some maintenance was being done in the engine room
(assume it was a
regular maintenance), but that is why they could not start
the engine
immediately when the winds picked up. They had to put
together whatever
it was that they had disassembled. |
Aground
|
February
15
|
Zaandam
Holland
America Line |
From a reader: My
mother and her husband are sailing aboard Holland
America’s Zaandam,
which departed San Diego for Hawaii on February 5.
Several days ago,
she called, saying passengers were reporting bouts of
diarrhea and
vomiting. Sick passengers were being isolated in their
rooms for 36-48
hours. According to her, self-serve buffets had been
converted to
staff-served and regular cleaning crews had been
replaced with special
personnel. Extra hand sanitizer had been placed in her
room. Tonight,
she called again, saying she and her husband had been
sick with
diarrhea, vomiting, fever and a neck rash for four days.
UPDATE: The
CDC reports 21 of 590
(3.6%) crew and 74 of 1408 (5.3) passengers have reported
ill. The
cruise ends in San Diego on February 20.
|
Illness |
February
15
|
Serenade
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship was cited for one air
quality violation in
Alaska during the 2008 cruise season. On August 28th the
ship's smoke
emissions exceeded 20% opacity. |
Environmental
|
February
15
|
Rhapsody
of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ships was cited for one air
quality violation in
Alaska during the 2008 cruise season. On May 27th the
ship's smoke
emissions exceeded 20% opacity. |
Environmental
|
| February
15 |
Norwegian
Star
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship was cited for two air
quality violations in
Alaska during the 2008 cruise season. On May 27th and
September 2nd the
ship's smoke emissions exceeded 20% opacity.
|
Environmental |
| February
15 |
Oosterdam
Holland
America Line |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship was cited for one air
quality violation in
Alaska during the 2008 cruise season. On July 24th the
ship's smoke
emissions exceeded 20% opacity. It also had an air opacity
incident on
July 2nd, but a notice of violation was not issued.
|
Environmental |
| February
15 |
Island
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship was cited for one air
quality violation in
Alaska during the 2008 cruise season. On July 11th the
ship's smoke
emissions exceeded 20% opacity. It also had air opacity
incidents on
July 3rd and July 17th, but a notice of violation was not
issued. |
Environmental |
| February
15 |
Clipper
Pacific
International Shipping
Partners
|
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship was cited for one air
quality violation in
Alaska during the 2008 cruise season. On August 20th the
ship's smoke
emissions exceeded 20% opacity. |
Environmental |
| February
15 |
Millennium
Celebrity
Cruises |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ship was cited for an air quality
violations in
Alaska during the 2008 cruise season. On August 28th the
ship's smoke
emissions exceeded 20% opacity.
|
Environmental |
| February
15 |
Mercury
Celebrity
Cruises |
The Juneau
Empire reports the ships was twice cited for air
quality violations
in Alaska during the 2008 cruise season. On July 23rd and
August 11th
the ship's smoke emissions exceeded 20% opacity.
|
Environmental |
February
13
|
Explorer
of the
Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
From
a passenger: Aboard
the
Explorer of the Seas Feb 13 voyage from Bayonne,
NJ. At
boarding we were informed that since the ship is unable
to cruise at 22
Knots, and will, instead, make only 20 Knots, the
schedule has been
adjusted slightly. The most significant change is
in San Juan
where the ship will be in port from 7AM until 11:30AM.
No details or
further explanations have been given.
|
Propulsion problems
|
February
13
|
Ecstasy
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
From Cruise
Critic: At 2:30am
I got a wake
up call that I did not request....I woke up to the fire
alarms going
off. I got up and immediately smelled smoke, I heard
yelling in the
hall. I opened my cabin door which was E189 on the
Empress Deck and
there was a lady in her undies yelling that the ship was
on fire and
for us to evacuate. I got dressed, grabbed my purse,
sail and sign
card and my life jacket. There
was NO crew members anywhere to be seen! No one telling
us if the fire
was up or down, forward or aft. All I knew was that the
Deck was hazy
with smoke and that the smell was horrible. I ended up
following others
up to the Atlantic Deck to our muster station. Still no
crew. It was
more then 15 minutes after arriving at the Starlight
that the first
crew member showed up. She just told us basically to
shut up and sit
down. An elderly lady was injured during the movement
and another had
an asthma attack due to all the smoke. I called Carnival
and spoke with
a sup. I
was told that it was a small fire (how small I don't
know, it did cause
quite a bit of smoke and several cabins on that deck
were not available
to their occupants for at least 3 hours and at least one
passenger had
to be moved - I was in line behind her at the pursers
desk - and one
couple in line to disembark were not allowed back into
their cabin
right away and their carpet was soaking wet). Carnival
is stating that
they are trying to keep it quiet. I suppose it would be
bad publicity.
So I suppose that is why there are not any reports about
it. Finally
the crew started showing up with
medical help. I do not know for sure who or what started
the fire, but
I was told that some guy set towels afire in his cabin.
I did see
someone (a male) being arrested before debarkation and
being led away
in hand cuffs off the ship by Customs agents.
According to the Sun
Sentinel, while underway to the cruise terminal
berth in Galveston, had a fire alarm sound in the
passageway of the main deck on the aft starboard side near
guest cabin M217. The fire was extinguished by the ship's
sprinkler system. All guests in the vicinity of the fire
were evacuated to their muster stations. The area was
inspected and two laundry bags set in the passageway
outside of cabin M217 were found burned and melted. Five
guests and two crewmembers suffered minor smoke
inhalation, and were cleared by the ship's doctor. Clean
up was conducted and normal operations resumed. Although
not fully proved, the cause of the fire was most likely
the two laundry bags getting hot while inadvertently
resting against the hot part of the passageway lighting
fixture. The fixtures are to be replaced with a new design
during the vessel's next yard period.
|
Fire
|
February
12
|
Emerald
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The Antigua
Sun reports the ship canceled its scheduled call to
Antigua
yesterday due to the weather conditions. The vessel had
entered the
entrance of the St. John’s Harbour channel when it decided
to turn back
because the ship’s captain became very concerned about the
ground
swells and the high winds. This forced him to cancel the
call out of
safety for his passengers and crew.The President of the
Antigua and
Barbuda Cruise Tourism Association said pilots at the
Antigua and
Barbuda Port Authority tried to reassure the captain that
they could
have brought in the cruise ship safely. This was, however,
not enough
reassurance for the captain.
|
Canceled port call
|
February
11
|
Coral
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship
reported 10 of 885 (1.13%)
crew and 164 of 1996 (8.22%) passengers had reported ill
with
gastrointestinal illness on
a 10 day Caribbean/Panama Canal cruise (Fort Lauderdale
return) that
February 3 and ends February 13. UPDATE
February 13: Numbers have been revised to 19 of
885 (2.1%)
crew and 252 of 1996 (12.6%) passengers. |
Illness |
February 9
|
Legend of
the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
A poster
at Cruise
Critic reports the ship pulled in to Key West this
morning due to a
faulty azipod. The azipod was leaking oil into the water
and was
ordered into port by the Captain of the Port. She is
moored in Key West
with a boom around her. Repairs were completed by the
evening and the
ship was again on its way.
|
Oil leak from azipod
|
| February 9 |
Aurora Expeditions |
A
passenger just returning from a cruise of the Ross
Sea (Antarctica) posted a review at TripAdvisor.
She cautions that the expedition cruise is not, as
advertised, suitable
for people of all ages and physical abilities. She cites a
fellow
traveler in her 80s who was tossed across her cabin in the
rough
weather and seriously injured. She was stretchered ashore
on our
arrival in NZ, and put into a waiting ambulance. She also
tells (which
is of greater concern) about a boatload of passengers left
alone on an
ice floe while the group expedition leader motored off in
his zodiac
because, as he said, he was “busting for a pee”. During
his absence
several ice floes came together in the current and, by the
time he
returned 15-20 minutes later, his zodiac access was
blocked. The
stranded passengers were only half-joking when they wrote
HELP in the
surface snow to attract the attention of the ship’s
helicopters flying
overhead |
Pax left on ice floe |
February 8
|
Seven Seas
Voyager
Regent Seven Seas |
From a reader: A friend of mine called from
the ship and
told me they are experiencing very rough seas in the
Tasmanian
Sea. She is a very experienced cruiser and she
said these are the
roughest seas she has ever experienced. Passengers are
not allowed on
deck, waves are crashing into the balconies and dishes
are breaking and
crashing in the dining rooms. The ship is scheduled to
reach Sydney on
the 13th. From
a passenger: Utter
nonsense. I am on board the
Voyager. Was it rough - yes, it is the Tasman Sea. There
were signs
posted asking us not to go out on decks 5 and 6 - for
our own safety. I
am on deck 7 and would not have been stupid enough to go
out on my
balcony but we were not "forbidden". Hardly the
catastrophe the poster
led the readers to believe . . . we're in Sydney today -
cool and
overcast.
|
Very rough seas
|
February 8
|
Rhapsody
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
ABC
(Australia) reports that passengers will be forced
to disembark at
a buoy in the middle of Sydney Harbour on Tuesday (Feb 10)
because all
other shipping berths are being used. They are full and
the ship will
instead anchor at a harbour buoy and its passengers taken
to land by a
smaller boat. This is a first for Sydney Harbour.
|
Strange disembarkation
|
February 6
|
Holiday
Carnival
Cruise Lines
|
WWLP-TV
in Mobile reports the ship's cruise ending yesterday
dropped the port
call at Progreso due to technical problems. Passengers
said Carnival
knew about the problems before they even got on board.
Carnival handed
the boarding passengers a letter letting them know there
was a problem
with the cruising speed so they'd only be stopping at
Cozumel. Some
passengers said even the locals in Cozumel knew the boat
was having
problems weeks ago. "All the locals telling me, don't get
on that boat,
the boat broke," said one passenger. "I said the boat is
broke? How
long has it been broke? They said for about three or four
weeks," he
said. The ship arrived late (12:30 PM) in Mobile; as a
result the
following cruise left late (9:30 PM). It, too, dropped its
port call at
Progreso.
|
Propulsion problems
|
February 6
|
Balmoral
Fred
Olsen Cruises |
The Daily
Express and BBC
reports more than 230 people (about 13%) on board an
18-day cruise
of the Canary Islands and west Africa have been taken ill
after an
outbreak of norovirus on their ship. About 50 passengers
remain
confined to their cabins by the bug. The cruise operator
said the liner
was refused entry the Cape Verde Islands following the
outbreak. The
ship was now heading for the Canary Islands. |
Illness
|
February 6
|
Athena
Classic
International |
The Adelaide
Advertiser reports the ship delayed its departure
from Outer Harbor
by more than four hours tonight, frustrating passengers
who had paid
more than $500 for a weekend cruise to Kangaroo Island.
Passengers
arrived for the three-day cruise at 5pm, as the
temperature reached
it's peak of 43.9 degrees. A short time later they were
informed that
the cruise would depart at 10.30 pm - more than four hours
after its
scheduled departure time of 6pm. One passenger, who did
not want to be
named, said he had hoped the cruise would follow the
coastline at
sunset, but that it would now leave well after dark.
|
Delayed departure
|
February 6
|
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
WPTV
reports a passenger was robbed on a Carnival cruise.
She had locked
up her wedding ring, her engagement ring and other gold
pieces in her
stateroom safe so they could go to Atlantis (Bahamas) for
the day. When
she returned, she couldn't open the safe, and she called
security who
opened it with a master key. She saw her jewelry box and
thought
nothing of it...until she got home and says four thousand
dollars in
jewelry was gone. The passenger wrote to Carnival several
times, to
which they responded saying their employees are honest,
courteous and
professional. Carnival Cruise Lines told WPTV there is
little they can
do because the passenger didn't realize the jewelry was
missing until
she got home. NOTE:
The cruise
industry reported to the FBI 128 robberies between April
1, 2007 and
April 30, 2008.
|
Theft
onboard
(Alleged)
|
February 5
|
Unknown
|
The Antigua
Sun reports that two cruise ship passengers were
reportedly
assaulted yesterday during an attempted robbery in the
tourist area and
popular business district of Redcliffe Quay. The
passengers, male and
female, were walking in Redcliffe Quay area when a man
allegedly
grabbed the woman’s handbag, after putting up a short
fight with her.
Her male companion reportedly tried to fight back but the
robber still
managed to wrestle the bag away. The woman’s screams,
however, alerted
the private security staff of Redcliffe Quay who
immediately went to
her rescue. The security officer began chasing the robber,
who
eventually dropped the bag and made good his escape.
|
Robbery ashore
|
February 5
|
Explorer
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
The Miami
Herald reports the ship was leaving Samana,
Dominican Republic, on
January 29 when a propeller on one of the ship's engines
struck an
unidentified object and was bent. The 11-day cruise
skipped its last
port call in Labadee, Haiti, and returned to Cape Liberty,
N.J., on
February 1. The present cruise skipped its port call in
San Juan,
Puerto Rico, and is now en route to St. Thomas, where
divers will
repair the propeller today. The St. Thomas port call has
been extended
six hours to 11 p.m. Thursday. From a
passenger: The incident occurred at dinner time
and vibration
was noted by several people. We were well within the
buoyed channel. We
were compensated $ 100 per person by the line and extra
activities were
planned by the crew. On the 30th, the ship stopped
near Turks and
Caicos and allowed to drift for over an hour while divers
were sent
down. They inspected and photographed the propeller and
then came back
on board. I am a radio enthusiast and heard them say there
was damage
to the blades. We then proceeded home at reduced speed.
|
Damaged propeller
|
February 4
|
Volendam
Holland
America Line |
Passengers
were notified that the ship's call to
Petropavlovsk (Kamchatka), Russia on May 10, 2009 has been
cancelled
and has been replaced with a call to Aomori, Japan.
Passengers booking
shore excursion received full refunds. Shore excursions in
Aomori will
be available in time.
|
Itinerary change
|
February 2
|
Athena
Classic
International |
The
Islander
(Australia) report two of the ship's tenders ran
aground
off Kangaroo
Island. The ship was docked at Outer Harbor in Adelaide
yesterday. One
tender ran aground with about 50 passengers and crew
aboard. The other,
with three crewmen aboard, went to its aid and also ran
aground.
Passengers were transported from the tender by a third
tender as the
Cooinda charter vessel stood by and three helicopters,
including
police, hovered in the area. Many more passengers were
left stranded at
the wharf as one tender began the slow process of bringing
them all
back to the cruise ship. The Cooinda tried to drag one
tender to deeper
water about 4pm but decided it would have to wait until
the tide was
higher, with high tide expected at 9pm. Local fisherman
and boaties
were perplexed about why the ship had anchored where it
was instead of
further into the bay where tenders would have a straighter
run to the
jetty.
|
Aground
|
| Jan/Feb
(exact date unknown) |
Hanseatic
Hapag
Lloyd |
I have
heard about two accidents with zodiac drivers
this Antarctic season, but I found absolutely no news
about them. For
one I have no details except that the driver hurt his arm
and cannot
drive zodiacs anymore. He fell from the Zodiac while the
engine was
running and his arm was hurt by the outboard engine
propeller. The
second accident involved one of the ships officers.
Many of the officers of the Hanseatic used to drive the
outboard
engines sitting on them with the accelerator stick between
the legs.
Drivers who got trained in the "old school", by an
experienced driver
from an expedition ship, will always drive standing up, by
the side of
the accelerator, holding it with one hand against one of
the legs. Most
stand to the left of the engine holding it with their
right hands, a
few to the right of the engine and hold the accelerator
with the left
hand. This is safer and gives more freedom of movements.
Many mechanics
have complained that sitting on the engine can damage the
case and
eventually the engine. The driver has no balance, as he is
leaning
against the engine. Well this driver used to sit on the
engine, and as
he "mounted" his engine, the accelerator got caught on his
pants,
accelerated the engine and he fell in water. The moving
propeller cut
his scalp open, and lots of blood fell in the water. The
boat drew a
big circle and came back to the sidegate, where people
were able to
jump aboard and rescue the officer. It is said that it was
luck
together with the cold Antarctic water that saved him.
Most people who
were watching thought he was dead instantly, but the
propeller did not
break the skull, just the scalp. |
Crew injuries |
January 31
|
Radiance
of the Seas
Royal
Caribbean International |
El
Mercurio (Chile) reports that the ship arrived
yesterday in Puerto
Montt with a 12 meter long dead humpback whale entangled
on the bow.
The Navy undertook an inspection but was unable to
determine whether
the whale was alive when it was struck. The remains of the
animal were
removed by a fishing vessel and transported to the open
sea. The two
thousand passengers on the cruise did not know of the
whale strike when
it happened, but could see the whale on the bow when they
tendered
ashore from the ship.
|
Whale
strike
|
January 31
|
Carnival
Splendor
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
From a passenger: In the port at Fort
Lauderdale there was
an incident at the port terminal. Boarding passengers
were evacuated
from
the terminal while the port
was closed. The Broward County Sheriff's Department, the
bomb squad,
dogs and and
finally robots searched through the terminal and luggage
for many
hours. I had been able to board the ship early on and
observed from
the deck what I have just described. After I spoke via
cell phone with
my friends who had been evacuated to another terminal
during the
search, I approached a ship's officer immediately after
he exited the
bridge and asked him what was occurring in the terminal.
He said he did
not know for sure, but it was
surmised by the ship's officers that a bomb threat had
been called in,
perhaps by one of the 100+
disgruntled passengers not allowed to board the ship due
to lack of
Brazilian
visas. The ship departure was
delayed about 6 hours.
The
Splendor's captain never provided any information about
the cause of
the delay,
nor did he attend any
function on board where
he
could be asked directly what had happened. The ship was
beginning a
49-day circumnavigation of South America.
|
Delayed departure
--
?Bomb threat?
|
January 29
|
Stena
Voyager
Stena
Line |
The
Herald (Scotland) reports 156 passengers and 23 crew
members were
stranded onboard after a lorry broke free and burst
through the cruise
ferry's rear door shortly after it set off from Stranraer,
Dumfries and
Galloway. The ship was forced to head back to port with
the lorry
hanging out of the back. But passengers and crew were not
able to
disembark because the ferry could not berth, leaving them
stuck on
board for a whole day. They were subsequently removed from
the ship to
shore one-by-one by a fire service cherry picker. The
lorry was later
lifted from the vessel, finally allowing the ferry to dock
at the
harbour and the other vehicles to be removed. The
lorry was a
tanker carrying non-hazardous ferrous sulphate powder and
none of the
substance had leaked.
|
Accident
|
| January 29 |
Fantasy
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
According
to the Sun
Sentinel, at approximately 2100, the M/V
FANTASY was entering Lower Mississippi River in the vicinity
of South West Pass Sea Buoy, when it experienced an
equipment failure in it's steering system. No damage,
injuries or pollution resulted from this incident. Material
failure. |
Loss of steering |
January 28
|
Ocean
Dream
Pullmantur
Cruises
|
Grenadine
police say they are investigating how a
38-year-old Colombian woman went missing after she
disembarked the
ship. The employee disembarked the vessel on an early
Tuesday port call
to the island but did not return.
|
Crew member missing
|
| January 27 |
Bremen
Hapag
Lloyd |
Otago Daily
Times reports a 40 year old Filipino crewman, whose
arm was crushed
in a self-closing watertight door, was winched from the
ship in 6 metre
swells by a New Zealand rescue helicopter about 815 km
south of
Invercargill. The crewman's worked in the laundry, and as
the laundry
is on its own separate water-tight compartment, it is
possible that he
had opened the water-tight door when it was closed. This
is not
recommended, but its a common practice. The ships normally
navigate
with the water-tight doors open, but when crossing ice
fields, close to
rocks, or under heavy weather, the doors are normally
closed. But as
crewmembers would have to go up and down stairs to move on
the same
floor, it is common that people will open the doors no
move from one
compartment to the other. |
Crewman seriously injured |
January 27
|
Vacancier
CTMA
|
CTV
reports the 300-passenger ship is stuck in the ice
of the St.
Lawrence River since yesterday. It is trapped in a massive
blanket of
ice that has frozen the ship's progress. The passengers
were en route
to a week-long cross-country ski trip in the Chic-Choc
mountains. Those
plans came to a grinding halt when the ice closed in
around the ship
near Matane, Que. UPDATE:
The
ship was freed after being stuck for 30 hours.
|
Stuck in ice
|
January 26
|
Sinfonia
MSC
Cruises |
O
Globo
reports the cruise following the outbreak reported January
8 (below)
had 46 passengers (approximately 3%) report ill. That was
on a cruise
between Rio and Buenos Aires.
|
Illness |
January 24
|
Dawn
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship's
port call at Otago (New Zealand) was delayed
because of dense fog. Rather than arriving at 8:30 AM, the
ship set
anchor and finally entered the habour at 11 AM. Its
departure from
Otago was delayed for two hours, but some shore excursions
had still
been disrupted.
|
Fog-caused delay
|
| January 24 |
Pride of America
NCL America |
Snooper
News Blogspot reports the NCL reported a norovirus
outbreak on a cruise in Hawaiian Waters: more than 67 of
the 1,837 passengers aboard the "Pride of America" between
January 17th and the 24th were stricken by the virus. In
addition, 14 employees reported ill. |
Illness |
January 22
|
Golden
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
Associated
Press reports that a commercial fishing vessel
nearly collided with
the cruise ship in Los Angeles harbor's main channel. A
Coast Guard
spokesperson said a 31-foot-long fishing vessel
"erratically" crossed
within about 30 feet of the front of the cruise ship as it
entered the
harbor. The incident is under investigation. Federal law
prohibits
vessels from coming within 200 yards in front and 100
yards behind or
to the sides of a cruise ship that is moving.
|
Near collision
|
| January 20 |
Holiday
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The US Coast Guard reports the
shgip suffered a problem with "material failure." |
Material failure |
January 20
|
Balmoral
Fred
Olsen Cruises |
BBC
reports that two passengers have been taken to
hospital with broken
bones after the ship was hit by 50ft waves and winds of 60
mph in the
Bay of Biscay. The ship docked in the Spanish port of La
Coruna after
setting sail from Dover January 17; it is due back in
Dover on 27
January.
|
Injuries in high seas
|
January 19
|
Tahitian
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
A blogger
onboard reports: At
approximately 4.30 PM there was an announcement by the
Captain over the
speaker
system on the ship, broadcasting not only in the public
areas but also
into the cabins (this indicated something of great
importance) to say
that there had been an outbreak of the 'Norwalk Virus'
on board and
that a number of people had been confined to their
cabins and the
remainder of us should take extra care with hand washing
etc., in order
to eradicate the problem. NOTE:
Because the ship is cruising to South America, the number
of passengers
becoming ill will not be reported to or by the Centres for
Disease
Control. However, it has been reported that 86
passengers were ill. |
Illness |
January 19
|
Ecstasy
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
Posters at
Cruise
Critic report that ship is having
propulsion problems -- one person says the ship had been
operating on
half power since Friday. It arrived late at Galveston
today and there
is speculation the problem may influence the itinerary on
the cruise
departing today.
|
Propulsion problems
|
January 16
|
Paradise
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
An elderly
couple (aged 90 and 79) were reported
missing,
and cruise officials say they likely went overboard before
the ship
docked in Long Beach. Carnival says the couple's cabin
door was double
locked from the inside with a "do not disturb" sign on
the
handle. The couple's personal belongings remained inside
the cabin and
the door leading from the cabin to the balcony was
unlocked.
|
Passengers overboard
|
January 15
|
Golden
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
The ship
was anchored offshore from Lahaina (Maui) and
unable to disembark passengers because of rough seas and
weather
conditions. The ship was scheduled to allow passengers to
go onshore at
Lahaina Harbor, but the captain feared the weather
conditions would
deteriorate Thursday afternoon, making it unsafe for
passengers who
would need to use a tender to get back to the ship. He was
concerned
about having a large number of passengers onshore during
the one-day
stop before going on to Ensenada, Mexico. If they were
unable to
reboard, they would have to be flown to Ensenada.
|
Canceled port call
|
January 15
|
Carnival
Conquest
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The Southeast
Texas
Record reports a lawsuit has been filed alleging a
13-year-old girl was sexually assaulted during a cruise
last summer.
The girl was aboard the ship the afternoon of June 24 when
a male
employee - a waiter at the ship's Lido Deck Buffet
- approached the teen as she went toward her cabin and
made an
inappropriate pass at her, court papers say. "During the
encounter in
the hallway, the Carnival employee made inappropriate and
sexually
suggestive comments to the minor, grabbed her arm, and
forcibly
attempted to pull her into an
elevator," the original petition says. The plaintiffs
argue the waiter
also tried to kiss the girl's face and neck.
|
Sexual
assault of
minor
|
January 15
|
Oceania
P&O
Cruises |
Holiday
Insiders reports police are investigating how a male
passenger died
during a planned scuba diving trip during the
ship's stop
in Tortola. The company said “Onboard sales of that
particular
excursion have been suspended pending an investigation.
The dive was
for PADI certified and experienced divers only and was
operated in full
cooperation with PADI best practice and procedures.
|
Death
on shore
excursion
|
January 14
|
MV
Barranda (Tourist Yacht) -
Ecuador
|
News
Agency
Trend News reports a yacht carrying 15 tourists
caught fire
near Ecuador's national park on the Galapagos Islands but
caused no
injuries. The fire broke out at about 1:00 a.m. (0600 GMT)
on Bartolome
Island of the Galapagos Archipelago. All 15 tourists
aboard were
immediately evacuated by another two tourist ships near
the scene. UPDATE:
The
Telegraph reports passengers had to go into the
water and wait 30
minutes to be rescued. Shortly before the evacuation they
had been told
the waters were known to be shark-infested.
|
Fire
|
January 13
|
Pacific
Dawn
P&O
Australia |
The
Sydney
Morning Herald reports that a 22 year old man has
been
rescued after jumping from the ship when it was 20
miles off
Vila, Vanuatu at about 5am. The man, who had been in a
restricted area,
was seen by a staff member who raised the alarm. A life
buoy and smoke
flares were deployed. He was rescued within 45 minutes. A
P&O
spokesman said the ship "was traveling at half-speed,
about 12 knots,
and able to stop and then use the bow thrusters to turn
around, without
having to do a Williamson maneuver [which would have
required the ship
to complete a circular loop to turn around].'' Some
reports say the man
was drunk following an all night party.
|
Person overboard - rescued
|
| January 13 |
Zaandam
Holland
America Line |
According
to the Sun
Sentinel, the ship suffered a loss of
propulsion. The vessel is powered by electric generators.
Location - N 20-38-7 W 157-00-3 approx 5nm due south of
Palaoa Pt, Lanai. A current transformer in the alternator of
the #5 generator exploded causing the main switchboard to
ground out. The vessels emergency generator started 43
seconds after the loss of power. No injuries, fire or
further damage was discovered. The vessel regained power
generation and safely arrived at Lahaina. After the #5
generator was isolated the electrical generation plant
satisfactorily demonstrated operation and passed auto start
process for simulated generator failures. |
Loss of propulsion / Fire |
January 11
|
Ventura
P&O
Cruises |
The Sunday
Times
(London) reports on a holiday cruise, ending in
Barbados,
that has been described by some as a cruise from hell. The
article
states: "Cruising etiquette went overboard with the new
breed of
cut-price passengers, who tried to reserve sun beds all
day by draping
towels over them and allegedly sent their underage
children to the
ship’s 12 bars to stock up on alcohol. A brawl between two
families
from Manchester apparently broke out over who was drinking
the better
champagne. Children threw food at stewards and abused the
ship’s
officers when asked to stop. Even the captain was booed
when he tried
to count down to midnight on New Year’s Eve. And bad
weather meant the
ship missed three of the six islands on its itinerary.
Instead, it made
an unscheduled stop at St. Vincent to put ashore two
youths (and their
guardian) who were behaving badly.
|
Cruise
from hell
|
January 11
|
Teratai
Prima
Indonesian ferry
|
BBC
reports
that a search operation is under way after the ferry,
carrying about
250 passengers and 17 crew, sank in a storm ( a tropical
cyclone caused
waves of 5 - 6 metres) in central Indonesia. A transport
agency
spokesman earlier said 18 people were known to have
survived -- it was
not immediately clear if the authorities expected to find
more
survivors. The ferry was traveling from Pare Pare in South
Sulawesi to
Samarinda in East Kalimantan when it went down. UPDATE: As
of January
12, 245 people are still missing.
|
Sunk
|
January 10
|
Summit
Celebrity
Cruises |
Cruise
Critic reports the ship's January 31 cruise,
originally a
seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan, has
been
shortened by a day -- the port call at Tobago has ben
cancelled. The
cruise will now end on Friday, February 6 (instead of the
7th). The
ship will then immediately head into dry dock to undergo
repairs for
what the line describes as "an electrical problem." The
dry dock is
expected to last four days. The next cruise aboard
Celebrity Summit is
on scheduled to depart from San Juan on February 14; it
was chartered
-- and therefore not open to the public for booking -- for
its February
7 departure; that cruise has been canceled.
|
Cancellation
--
Altered itinerary
|
| January 9 |
Orchestra
MSC Cruises |
Passengers on the Jam Cruise (see http://jamcruise.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8925)
report an outbreak of an influenza-type illness that
affect hundreds of
passengers. The CDC investigated the outbreak, but because
it wasn't a
gastro intestinal illness it was not reported at their web
site. |
Illness |
January 9
|
Maasdam
Holland
America Line |
From a Passenger: There
was an outbreak of what the cruise ship's medical staff
was diagnosing
as a gastrointestinal virus on the January 2-9, 2009
sailing.
Five of our family's seven members on board, in
three separate cabins, were affected and spent multiple
days in
isolation. I was told by my treating nurse that he was
brought over
from the Noordam to assist due to the number of sick
passengers. I have
not seen any reports of this anywhere yet. The
passenger also
said he was told that more than 60 passengers had been
treated for
gastrointestinal illness. The CDC subsequently
reported 8 of 561 (1.4%)
crew and 79 of 1402 (5.6%) passengers had reported ill
with
gastrointestinal illness. |
Illness |
January 9
|
Mercury
Celebrity
Cruises |
The ship
reported 3 of 859 (0.3%)
crew and 86 of 1842 (4.7%) passengers
had
reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 14 day
Panama Canal
cruise (San Diego to Fort Lauderdale) that
began January 3 and ends January 17. Update
January 13: Numbers have been revised to 5 of 859
(0.6%) crew
and 127 of 1842
(6.9%) passengers. Update
January
17: Numbers have been
revised to 7 of 859 (0.81%) crew and 150 of 1842 (8.14%)
passengers.
|
Illness |
January 8
|
Sinfonia
MSC
Cruises
|
The Associated
Press reports that more than 340 passengers were
stricken with
severe vomiting and diarrhea. The Brazilian National
Agency for
Sanitary Vigilance said in a statement that an inspection
found
problems with the amount of chlorine in the ship's
drinking water and
with the storage of some perishable food items, notably
mayonnaise. But
officials said they would not know what caused the illness
until they
wrap up their investigation. The health agency said the
outbreak was
under control, and the victims were being interviewed and
treated on
board the ship. Most fell ill on Monday and Tuesday. UPDATE: O
Globo reports the illness outbreak affected 380
people and is
attributed to norovirus. Estadao
reports: The
analysis of water was negative for all viruses and
bacteria. In the
analysis of food, were found traces of the bacterium
Escherichia coli
(known as E.coli) in samples of raw meat. |
Illness |
January 8
|
Pacific
Dawn
P&O
Australia |
From a reader:
The
ship was due in Sydney this morning (around 7am, Sydney
time) however
it is experiencing engine trouble and will not arrive in
Sydney until
at least 5pm ... some ten hours late. The next
cruise was due to
depart Sydney at 4pm, however passengers are being
told to not
turn up at the wharf until 9pm.
|
Engine problems
--
Delayed debarkation
|
| January 8 |
M/V Explorer |
The ship reported 9 (3.95%) crew and 25
(3.40%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal
illness on a
circle ending today in Fort Lauderdale. |
Illness |
January 7
|
Sun
Princess
Princess
Cruises |
Hawke's
Bay
Today reports three passengers (one a seven-year-old
boy who
needed cut on his head stitched) needed medical care
following a
traffic accident when a car crossed into the path of their
tour bus
with 26 passengers. The accident, which occurred in Napier
(New
Zealand) brought residents out to comfort the 26 shocked
passengers
with tea and biscuits while ambulance officers checked
them over.
|
Accident on Shore Excursion
|
January 6
|
Richard
With
Hurtigruten |
Cruise
Business
Review reports that the ship ran aground at the port
of
Trondheim on the west coast of Norway at 0757 this
morning. It suffered
propeller damage and took on board water through a leak in
a seal and
the 153 passengers on board have been evacuated. The ship
was so close
to the pier that the rescue operation could be conducted
by the local
emergency services from land. The vessel is now sitting on
a mud bank
and divers have been sent to investigate damage to the
hull. No damage
to the hull had been detected, but it is expected that the
ship will
have to enter dry dock for repairs and inspection.
|
Grounded
|
January 4
|
Arcadia
P&O
Cruises |
Cruising
Talk reports that the ship had an extended stay in
Barcelona due to
a mechanical problem during the current cruise. One report
said it was
the pods and another her stand-by generator. Her call at
Vigo was
cancelled and passengers have received £100.00 in
compensation.
She is due to arrive in Southampton about 06.00 hrs on the
5th January
2009 and expected to sail for Palma at 17.00 hrs. UPDATE: The ship
arrived in
Southampton early, however its departure was delayed. This
Is
Hampshire reports that a problem had developed with
the vessel's
emergency electrical back-up system forcing the ship to
stay in port.
The spare parts are being flown to Southampton from Italy.
P&O
Cruises says, "The situation is still being assessed but
it is hoped
that the ship will leave later today."
|
Engine problems
|
January 3
|
Holiday
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
From a passenger:
The ship's arrival and debarkation at Mobile (after a five
night
cruise) was delayed due to dense fog, preventing the pilot
vessel from
dropping off the pilot until 11AM. The ship finally
arrived in
port at 2:45 PM. Passengers were given
food/restaurant seating at
regular lunch time and Sign & Sail cards re-activated
until
arrival. Debarkation went very quickly after arrival.
|
Delayed debarkation / embarkation
|
| January 2 |
Regal Empress Regal Cruises |
The US Coast Guard reports the
ship suffered a fire. |
Fire |
January 1
|
Corinthians
2
Polar
Cruises
|
The ship
was supposed to leave Ushuaia tonight, but it
is
having some trouble with fuel and will stay in Ushuaia
tomorrow, and
offer a catamaran trip to their passengers.
|
Delayed departure |
January 1
|
Sensation
Carnival
Cruise Lines |
The United
States Coast Guard received a report that an
employee fell overboard approximately 20 miles off the
coast of Vero
Beach. Friends saw the 26 year old man from California
fall around 82
feet below into the water at
about 12:50AM,
threw him a life ring and notified the Coast Guard. The
Coast Guard has
launched a helicopter unit to search for the man. The
ship's docking in
Port Canaveral was delayed until 9:30AM while it
participated in the
search. Carnival said in a statement that the man, a
singer with
a band that had performed on the top deck, was not on duty
at the time
and that six other
crew members saw him fall. He was reportedly trying to
take a picture
when he went overboard. |
Crew overboard |
Click here for events in 2008 |
