Cruise Suits, Sickness and Singapore

Headline: Costa settles for $1.31 million The first reaction to this was something like "Who bought off the Italian judge?" However, on digging deeper (it's called reading further),  the settlement over the Costa Concordia accident last year is really a fine that means no criminal charges against the cruise line, ending potential liability with the… Continue reading Cruise Suits, Sickness and Singapore

Quickie Book Real Story of Triumph?

Some might call this a sign of the apocalypse…or maybe just a sign of the times in which we live. The Carnival Triumph has an engine-room fire and loses power. The ship lists in open water and five long days later is towed to Alabama. Within days of going ashore, one of the 3,470 passengers… Continue reading Quickie Book Real Story of Triumph?

Putting Perspective on the Triumph

It has been our experience that people get some kind of charge out of having an opportunity to take shots at Starbucks, Disney, Apple and cruising. The connection linking these four giants of industry is that they are perceived to be the domains of people of wealth, and every chance you get to make fun… Continue reading Putting Perspective on the Triumph

Costa Concordia's Ongoing Legacy

Earlier this week, we regaled you — okay, informed you — with things about the Titanic that were new to us. One that we couldn't squeeze in was about the legendary ship's legacy: Its demise in 1914 led to the formation of the International Ice Patrol, and from that day to this, no lives have… Continue reading Costa Concordia's Ongoing Legacy

Rivers, Concordia and Belly Flops

During a recent forum in Florida, four cruise-line executives had some interesting comments on topics that interest their customers. Here are some of the subjects and some of the comments, as recorded and reported by Tom Stieghorst of Travel Weekly… River cruising is becoming so popular that ocean-going cruise lines may get into the business:… Continue reading Rivers, Concordia and Belly Flops