Cruise Bruise Blog
January 10, 2009
January 10, 2009
Kenya Fears Loss Of Cruise Ship Tourism Due To Pirate Attacks

Due to the recent rash of over 200 pirate attacks in the Gulf Of Aden, that borders Somalia, cruise ships have begun canceling calls at Kenyan ports including Mombassa, costing the nation much needed tourism revenue.
This comes at a time when the local tourism sector is going through lean times brought home by low arrivals due to the effects of election related violence early in the year and low travel as effects of the global financial crisis hit tourists’ wallets. 

January 10, 2009
Passengers Already Booked Take Painful Cruise In Bleak Economy

When you had already booked, and paid for the vacation of your dreams, long before the likes of The Economy Is Strong George W. Bush was ever willing to publicly admit to the world, the U.S. was in deep dog doo-doo financially, you might have felt backed into a corner, taking the cruise in spite of the economic gloom.

Passengers are chatting aboard their cruises, indicating they were stuck between a rock and hard spot. On one hand, some had just lost their jobs, or their business revenue had come crashing down. On the other hand, who could afford to lose booking deposits or their full payment, should they cancel within the no-no cancellation period.

Some say it was a hard pill to swallow, arriving at port after port, with little money to spend, knowing when they returned home, things could have gotten, and likely will be even worst than before they left. Some admit to not spending a dime aboard as well, and tipping very little if at all to the crew members aboard. The suffering was on not only the faces of the passengers, but on the crew and residents in the ports of call as well.

It is hard to justify a cruise, when all hell is breaking loose in your financial world, and thus explains how what should have been a happy, refreshing cruise, ends up being a guilt-laden retreat, in typical winter ravaged seas.


As if the pressure of taking the cruise during what some are saying is going to be labeled  "Depression 2009" was not enough, pressure was stepped up while aboard the cruise to buy, buy, buy, both aboard and in ports as the cruise industry tried to squeeze every last dollar out of those who dared board their vessels.

Hiding in the cabin to escape the product hawks offered no sanctuary. Hourly announcements throughout the ship were a constant reminder to financially stressed passengers, there was much they could not afford on this cruise, that they had eagerly, conspicuously consumed on prior cruises.

January 10, 2009
Student Cruise Delayed One Year With Families In Cash Crunch

Blow after blow is being delivered to the cruise industry, the latest a large booking of students who were to take a 13-day cruise in the summer of 2009 to Italy and Greece, has been postponed to June 2010, and the price was reduced.

The problem was many people had expressed interest in the trip organized by EF Educational Tours for their junior high and high school students, but were not able to come up with the money in the time allotted.

The now reduced cost of the cruise is $3776 for the student and $4341 for the adults.