This, indeed, is a sign of the Apocalypse.
An amateur filmmaker makes a bad movie and, because things can now go viral on YouTube, the controversy the bad movie creates has an impact on a multi-billion-dollar industry, like the one that takes people on cruises.
Hard to believe, isn't it?
The "movie" that triggered violence in the Islamic world has surely affected more multi-billion-dollar industries than cruising…but who'd have thought that because of this bad 
movie (and there seems to be unanimity on that adjective), at least three cruise lines have cancelled port stops.
Mariners of the Seas will take its Royal Caribbean passengers to Sicily and Malta instead of Alexandria, Egypt.
Holland America's Rotterdam skipped Tunisia a couple of weeks ago and went to Sardinia, Italy, instead.
The people of Alexandria also missed out on seeing Queen Elizabeth (the ship), not to mention the economic benefits that cruisers bring, when Cunard opted to send the cruise to Rhodes, Greece.
And there could be more.
The main reason is that, while the safety of ALL passengers is critical to cruise lines, all these ships carry many Americans…and the targets that radicals place on the backs of Americans are bigger than ever.
The main reason for bigger targets is a bad movie.
Caribbean Princess
7 nights
November 17, 2012
Fort Lauderdale (return): Princess Cays, Curacao, Aruba
Inside: $599
Cost per day: $85
www.princess.com