Cruise Bruise Blog
April 30, 2009
April 30, 2009
Cruise Lines Buckle Under Public Pressure Cancel Mexican Ports

The cruise industry stood their ground in the wake of the Swine Flu outbreaks in Mexico, saying that inspite of a CDC warning for Americans to avoid Mexico unless it was "essential" to travel there they would continue to bring Americans to Mexican shores. 

With one news site after another, including Cruise Bruise, publishing the story that the cruise lines were not going to cancel calls at Mexican ports in favor of protecting their bookings and profits, the greed of the industry and total lack of concern for passenger as well as general population safety had become so obvious, they had begun to look like a bunch of jackals fighting over their prey.

A day later, mud smeared all over the faces of the industry's CEOs,  they raced to announce they had changed their minds and were canceling calls at Mexican ports, at least in the short term.

April 30, 2009
Passengers Missing On Cruise Out Of San Diego

Celebrity Mercury left the east coast headed for San Diego. When the ship arrived a head count showed five or six passengers missing. When it came time to disembark the passengers, all passengers were held aboard for about three hours longer than originally planned.

Passengers who had booked flights home immediately after the cruise missed their flights. With all the talk about not doing that, it is hard to believe some passengers are still trying to put together a tight vacation schedule that depends heavily on everything going right.


April 30, 2009
Passenger Injured During Explosion

It is unclear what a cruise ship crew member was thinking when he tossed a fire extinguisher into the back of a truck on Sunday. The extinguisher exploded, shot out the truck's window and hit a passenger getting off the cruise ship, knocking him to the ground.

Paramedics took the passenger to Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with numerous injuries.

A second container exploded about thirty minutes later when another crew member aboard the ship was unloading a carbon dioxide canister. The nozzle was jarred and the canister exploded.


April 30, 2009
Preschooler Gets Medevac Off Carnival Miracle

A United States Coast Guard (USCG) rescue helicopter transported a 3-year-old boy yesterday morning from Carnival Miracle while the ship was off the coast of North Carolina.

The boy was transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Miracle was about 200 miles southeast of Elizabeth City at 0653 hours yesterday when the helicopter crew from Elizabeth City and a Coast Guard flight surgeon responded to the emergency call.

April 30, 2009
Senior Citizens On Cruise Ship Being Used As Drug Mules

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, Spain.

Police found 59 pounds 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.

Last month police in Barcelona seized a 42-piece crockery set, consisting of bowls, plates, cups and saucers, made entirely out of 44 pounds of compressed cocaine.


April 30, 2009
Line Fined For Empress Of The North Grounding

Juneau District Court Judge Keith Levy on Friday ordered American West Steamboat Co. LLC to pay a $200,000 fine and serve 18 months of probation.

The company owns and operates the Empress of the North, a 300-foot cruise ship that struck a charted rock at Lynn Canal and Icy Strait on May 14, 2007.

April 30, 2009
Another Casino Ship Bankrupt

Horizon's Edge Casino Cruise LLC filed bankruptcy Monday to liquidate its assets. The Lynn- based gambling cruise stated its assets are valued at less than $50,000 and its liabilities are between $500,001 and $1 million.

The casino cruise ship was based in Lynn, Massachusetts, near Boston.

The Las Vegas-style casino cruise, the only one of its kind in the Boston area, featured cards, poker, craps, roulette, over 225 slot machines, a buffet and live entertainment.


April 30, 2009
Cruise Ship Collides With Cargo Barges

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 on Sunday morning.

No-one was injured and although the cruise ship was badly damaged, it was declared safe to sail on to Dordrecht, ANP news service reported.

The cruise ship crashed into an oncoming tanker carrying 2,400 tonnes of aircraft fuel during a maneuver to overtake another barge.