The Bizarre World of Captain Schettino

While it's possible that Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino will be convicted of manslaughter over the death of 32 cruise ship passengers, it's also important to remember something about a rush to judgment. The respected news agency Reuters carried a story headlined "Italy cruise ship's captain tells survivors: I'm sorry". In the story, there is… Continue reading The Bizarre World of Captain Schettino

Deep Impact of Costa Concordia

  The word "terrorism" would never be associated with the Costa Concordia, yet the impact of that disaster on cruising is somewhat similar to what 9/11 did to flying. Security has been continually accelerated at airports over the last decade, often to the point of annoyance. In cruising, it's just the beginning. Tomorrow at 8… Continue reading Deep Impact of Costa Concordia

Titanic an Old Story Now…For Now

Mark Lester de Asis laying one of the three commemorative wreaths on Balmoral's Titanic Memorial Cruise on Sunday. The easy thing to do right now is ignore the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, pretending it didn't exist or that it was at least overblown. The bottom line, however, is that people who… Continue reading Titanic an Old Story Now…For Now

Cruise Eyes on all things Titanic

This being Titanic Weekend, here are three little stories you may not have heard or read… * * * * * Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of wireless technology that is everywhere today, was supposed to be on the Titanic, 100 years ago tomorrow. His technology was in use on many ships by 1912 so he… Continue reading Cruise Eyes on all things Titanic

Will Bell Ring Again for Concordia?

Is there no depth to which our species will go in search of riches? In the case of the person(s) who stole the bell from the Costa Concordia, the depth was only about 50 feet. Yes, somebody stole the bell. It happened a couple of weeks ago and Italian authorities managed to keep it under cover that… Continue reading Will Bell Ring Again for Concordia?