Cruise Law News

02/13/2025

But the "Shocking Truth" doesn't include a discussion which cruise line or lines had such a policy on "tipping," which crew members were eligible for to receive money from "automatic tipping," the amount or percentage of "automatic gratuities" and whether the mandatory payments (at least in part) were really just going to the cruise lines to increase profits.

Cruise expert Lucy Southerton warns that skipping gratuities is a major mistake, as these tips are a crucial part of crew members' wages, not just an extra bonus.

02/11/2025

"Cruise ships are a notorious environment for foodborne outbreaks, thanks to the close living conditions and shared dining common to them. But 2025 is already looking to be an especially bad year for cruise vacations, gastrointestinal-wise. This latest outbreak is the seventh reported to the CDC this year and the second in February, well above the typical pace of recent years. For context, there were only two outbreaks reported through early February in 2024 and three in 2023 (there were a total of 18 reported outbreaks in 2024 and 14 outbreaks in 2023)."

There have already been seven outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses reported aboard ships that touch U.S. waters this year—well above the usual pace.

02/08/2025

Money grubbing NCL charged a guest with the flu $47,000 last week, and then recently over-charged two grandmothers . . . "they weren’t terribly kind about it.”

Two Phoenix travelers' confusion over a cruise line's charges leads to On Your Side stepping in and sorting the matter out.

02/03/2025

I was watching some of the coverage of the Miami Marathon/Half-Marathon this morning (I didn't run this year) and was aghast to see a cruise ship at PortMiami, which the 18,000 runners pass, belching over the port, in living color. It looks like a Virgin Voyage cruise ship (online data indicates the Scarlet Lady was in port) . . .

This is a screen-grab from a video posted on Only In Dade's Instagram page (see comments).

To me, it looks like the ships "scrubbers" were in full operations.

It's hard to fathom how Virgin Voyages, or the cruise lines in general (i.e., CLIA) wouldn't realize how bad this looks for the cruise industry.

01/30/2025

Norwegian Cruise Line Rip-off🛳️🏴‍☠️Business as usual on the high seas via NCL🚢🤡 . . .

A Braham man is stuck with a $47,000 medical bill after he came down with the flu on board a Norwegian Cruise Line ship earlier this month.

01/24/2025

The cruise crime data, released earlier this week as part of the quarterly reporting by the Department of Transportation (DOT), again shows that Carnival Cruise Line clearly has the most s*xual assaults and rapes as well as the most physical assault with serious personal injuries, both in total numbers and on a per capita basis.

Carnival’s number of s*xual crimes far exceed all other cruise lines. Royal Caribbean, for example, had twenty-eight (28) such s*xual crimes for 2024. The fact that Carnival has 35,000 fewer guests than Royal Caribbean at any given time but forty percent more s*xual assaults and rapes on its ships leads to a much higher per capita rate of such crimes on Carnival ships.

The cruise crime data, released earlier this week as part of the quarterly reporting by the Department of Transportation (DOT), again shows that Carnival

01/23/2025

"An Italian court has set a hearing for March 4 to decide if Schettino will win his release from prison."

The captain of the ill-fated cruise ship Costa Concordia is back in the news 13 years after the loss of the ship which created global headlines. Itali...

01/23/2025

This came up on my personal Facebook memories:

A magical look back to when President Obama signed into law the 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act which required mandatory reporting of crime aboard cruise ships . . . with friend Laurie Dishman and her Congresswoman Doris Matsui, with Congressman (Judge) Ted Poe watching.

01/20/2025

Unlike some cruise lines, particularly Carnival and Royal Caribbean, which do not permit s*xual offenders to cruise on their ships, Margaritaville at Sea permits s*x offenders to cruise without restrictions.

James Oxley, age 52, was convicted of possessing child po*******hy over a dozen years ago. Although he was listed on federal and state s*x offender databases as a convicted offender, he was welcomed by Margaritaville at Sea onto the Islander cruise ship, where he brought thousands of images of child po*******hy with him to watch during the cruise.

A resident of Polk City, Florida was arrested at the Port of Tampa on charges of possessing and transporting child po*******hy on the Margaritaville at

01/16/2025

"Best" cruise line? How is that possible for a company with the most (by far) violence leading to serious personal injury and the most (by far) s*xual assaults (rapes) on a per capita basis . . .

Carnival Cruise Line has once again earned top honors in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards 2025, being named Best Ocean Cruise Line for ...

01/13/2025

Remembering Russel Rebello . . .

Today, the body of Costa crew member Russel Rebello was found in the salvaged wreck of the Costa Concordia. His remains were the last to be removed from

01/09/2025

I forgot how the Miami Herald used to promote the cruise industry🚢🏴‍☠️before true journalists with ethics like Taylor Dolven, Anna Jean Kaiser & Vinod Sreeharsha showed up.

Jane Woolridge acts like a travel agent who rights puff pieces for her friends in exchange for free cruises . . .

It’s the best time of year to book a cruise.

12/30/2024

WTF☠️😒 of the day, apparently involving Carnival Corporation🚢🏴‍☠️ subsidiary AIDA Cruises’ AIDAmar cruise ship🛳️. . .

A tragic accident at Sint Maarten’s cruise port claimed the life of an 82-year-old cruise passenger on last Thursday. The woman reportedly fell into the water from her electric wheelchair while on the pier at the Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities. Cruise Ships Docked in St. Maarten Islan...

12/23/2024

Worth a watch . . .

As winter settles in, we dream of new places and experiences, crafting our bucket lists—yet modern travel presents complexities. A recent article in The Guardian introduced terms like "last-chance tourism" or "extinction tourism," describing visits to wildlife and habitats before they vanish. (Read The Guardian article here: https://bit.ly/4eZBU1W)

Through "Cruise Boom," we continue exploring tourism's potential and impact, using film to spark important questions and foster meaningful dialogue.

Let's keep this conversation going. Watch the documentary completely free—no subscriptions or paywalls required—on PBS.org and the PBS app until 12/15! https://to.pbs.org/4gbaGY0 and on Kanopy https://bit.ly/4elKg3P

Want to host a community screening or use "Cruise Boom" in your classroom? You can easily arrange this through New Day Films: https://bit.ly/3APEXeF

12/23/2024

Shenanigans aboard the Norwegian Sky?

We received a message from concerned crew member on Norwegian Sky, requesting anonymity due to fear of retaliation. The crew member describes a toxic work environment marked by grueling schedules, manipulated opportunities for rest, and unfair competition systems. The message highlights how...

12/22/2024

There is a reason why Carnival cruise ships have the highest per capita rate of s*xual assaults on the high seas, as this case demonstrates. 🚢🏴‍☠️

There is a reason why Carnival cruise ships have the highest per capita rate of s*xual assaults on the high seas, as this case demonstrates. Last week,