Typhoon Haiyan Elicits Belated Response from Cruise Lines

  All of us who've been on a major-market cruise ship have met and perhaps befriended somebody from the Philippines. Last Friday, Typhoon Haiyan wiped more than 1,800 Filipinos from the face of the earth and the death count is unquestionably going higher, ravaging extending families of many people who serve your meals, make your… Continue reading Typhoon Haiyan Elicits Belated Response from Cruise Lines

How Liberty of the Seas Launched the Career of a Teenager from Florida

  Sometimes you wonder how life can continue to be stranger than fiction, and yet it does. Many times, in a nice way. Like the story of Xana-Kai Nash, a Florida teenager who parlayed a first-time experience on a cruise ship into what are — as of this season — two world championships. We stumbled… Continue reading How Liberty of the Seas Launched the Career of a Teenager from Florida

Aye, Cruisemate! Pirate Incidents Down in Somalia

In another century, pirates shaped the world. This was especially true in the waters of the Caribbean, on ships that were still hundreds of years removed from the cruise ships that take tourists on what to many is the ultimate vacation — the Caribbean cruise. Pirates are extinct there, as they have been pretty well… Continue reading Aye, Cruisemate! Pirate Incidents Down in Somalia

FAA decision just a sign of the satellite times

This weekend, the FAA — Federal Aviation Agency — declared that airline passengers will be able to use their electronic devices during take-offs and landings because they don't interfere with communications from the cockpit after all. Resisted was the urge to say passengers will be left to their own devices. The message goes far beyond… Continue reading FAA decision just a sign of the satellite times

The Crazy World of Carnival Cruises

Do you hear the one about the cruise line that was being sued by the lawyer for passengers on a ship's "cruise from hell" even though the passengers weren't really on the ship? It's not a joke. It's true. And here's one for the Ripley archives…yes, Carnival. A Houston attorney named John Bruster Loyd —… Continue reading The Crazy World of Carnival Cruises