Is That A 'Cruise' Ship Wa-y-y-y Down South?

The sage of the Russian ship ice-locked in Antarctica has been a news item since Christmas Day because, well, how would you like to be one of the 74 people on a ship surrounded by frozen water and freezing air?  The likelihood that all passengers will soon be rescued — and remaining crew members will… Continue reading Is That A 'Cruise' Ship Wa-y-y-y Down South?

Drowning of a six-year-old in ship's pool raising questions of need for lifeguards

A little boy died in the swimming pool on a cruise ship this week. With nobody watching closely enough, he drowned. A woman who was poolside jumped in and pulled him from the water. Attempts were made to resuscitate him, but they failed. Once the first question (what happened?) was answered, the second question was… Continue reading Drowning of a six-year-old in ship's pool raising questions of need for lifeguards

Getting the Costa Concordia Upright Attracts Attention Around the World

Mercifully, the Costa Concordia is en route to its final destination, which is a scrapyard somewhere in Italy. It's not going to happen overnight, which is what did happen yesterday when miraculously, engineers right the 4,000-passenger cruise ship that had been lying on its  side, on the rocks, since 32 of its passengers perished off… Continue reading Getting the Costa Concordia Upright Attracts Attention Around the World

Dark Clouds Looming After Sunshine

Go directly to Venice. Do not wait. Do not pass go. Do not miss the boat. And while this is directed at those of you who cruise, there's a good reason for it. Having driven as close as you can to Venice in a car, and arrived on a cruise ship, the latter is simply… Continue reading Dark Clouds Looming After Sunshine

'Splendor' Wrong Word for Report

As the investigation begins into the horrific plane crash in San Francisco this month, one of the possibilities is that the accident was due to pilot error, but it will of course take time. The investigation into the fire that left the Carnival Splendor drifting off the coast of California is now complete — it took… Continue reading 'Splendor' Wrong Word for Report