So, will I die if I go ashore Chris?

That has been the big question floating around for those booked on a cruise that stops in the Bahamas since I reported that crime against cruise passengers was on the rise lately.

On the rise?  Like it exists at all?

Well yeah but not to worry, odds are you will probably not be held at gunpoint.

Probably??  I’d like better odd than that please

Well let me ask you this:  Can you think of a part of town where you live that is not safe to be in?  Does crime occur where you live?  Sure it does and we know to stay away from those places or at least be more careful when going there.  Traveling is a lot like that no matter where you go.  Jamaica is a great example of a port of call that has an unearned bad reputation in that area.  We always go ashore there and have always lived to tell about it, gloriously.

Cruise passengers may not believe this but there are actually people who visit islands and are not on a cruise.  I know, who would want to you might ask.  There are those who do though and also live to tell about it.  Have you seen those commercials for Beaches or some other all-inclusive land vacation in the Caribbean?  You know, the one where this great looking guy and gal are walking into a huge olympic-sized pool all by themselves enjoying the lovely island?   Well, besides the fact that the only way they got that shot was to have the other hundreds of people get out of the pool for a while, those islands have bad places too.  And bad people, they have bad people there as well.

Those people manage to have a safe and fun time too and they don’t have a ship to decide if they want to get off of or not.

The point is, don’t let the news scare you away.   There are many different ways to get in trouble on vacation.  NOT paying attention to concerns or warnings from sources such as me (I won’t tell you wrong), the newspapers, travel blogs and the like is what gets you into trouble.

Pay attention and you should be safe no matter where you go

I remember one time in Miami, we had arrived a day or two ahead of a cruise and wanted to walk down to the beach from our hotel not far from the water.   It was me and my two then-teenage daughters headed in that direction when a rough bunch of guys came walking towards us.   The appropriate thing to do on that chilly (like 55 degrees) winter night was NOT for the girls to blindly go about taking off their sweatshirts because they were warm at the exact time we passed these guys.   No need to advertise the prey to the predator I thought.  I was wrong, they didn’t hardly realize we were there but being alert to such things is important even if your children think you are being overly cautious.

Daddy had no desire to have a conflict with a half-dozen young men who surely had knives, guns, were peddling drugs, had probably just robbed a bank and would find great glee having me watch them slice and dice his kids.

Yes, it is better to overreact than go crazy.

But this is the same guy who was out racing about the neighborhood at 3:01pm if the kids, normally home at 3:00pm from school were late.  Who knows if that diligence kept one of them from being a crime victim.  The way I looked at it at the time was it sure couldn’t hurt to be vigilant.   Ok so maybe that thought has been tempered by a few years of hindsight; maybe at the time it was terror of what might be going through me that got me behind the wheel.  Again, diligence paid off and will for you too when traveling.

So pay attention to good sources of information like this one, CruiseCritic.com, USA Today’s CruiseLog, your personal travel agent and other sources.  But don’t be afraid to get off the ship!

Tropical storm delays start of two Carnival cruises

Two Carnival ships preparing for cruises from Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans will be delayed due to the path of Tropical Storm Ida.

The storm, downgraded from a hurricane on Monday morning, is expected to make landfall Tuesday morning.

The Carnival Fantasy’s first sailing from Mobile will be delayed one day due to the temporary closing of Mobile’s port. The Fantasy will now operate a modified five-day cruise leaving Nov. 11. The ship will call in Cozumel and Costa Maya.The Fantasy was originally scheduled to operate a six-day cruise departing Nov. 10.

Carnival said that passengers on the shortened trip will receive a pro-rated refund of the paid cruise. Passengers also have the option to cancel and receive a full refund.

The Carnival Triumph’s first sailing out New Orleans will also be delayed due to the closure of the port there. The Triumph will operate a three-day cruise from New Orleans departing Nov. 11, instead of a four-day cruise departing Nov. 10.

Guests on that cruise will get a 50% refund of their fare and can also cancel for a full refund. Carnival updates their website with the most current information frequently.

Oasis At Sea: Report from the Captain

Fully into the Atlantic, Captain Wright turns the ship into the ocean, slowing down to just 6 knots speed to allow for a smooth ride in near-hurricane force winds.

The ship “continues to perform wonderfully” he said in the video we have for you here today which shows those conditions at sea and gives us a glimpse of what Oasis is capable of in this environment.

The environmental impact of cruise ships is a topic that has been discussed a great deal. “The Oasis of the Seas will have such a dramatic impact that she will help more people understand all that cruising has to offer,” said Richard Fain, CEO and chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises, parent company to Royal Caribbean International. “We are seeing a halo effect on the rest of our fleet,” he added. “We saw it when the Freedom entered service, too.”

Harri Kulovaara, executive vice president of maritime, said the size is a result of responding to guest expectations, and that more “real estate” allows broader product offering, more energy efficiencies and less environmental impact, and more safety by scale (more space enables more redundancies and better engine rooms, including double hull protection).

See and hear the Captain and Today’s Report

New laws keep cruise passengers and crew safe..ok and ships too

Called a big win for everyone who sails on cruise ships departing from a United States port,  the US House of Representatives passed legislation today that will escalate efforts to make both passengers and crew safer at sea.

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety act of 2009, a provision included in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 allows funding for the U.S. Coast Guard and includes the cruise safety provision.

Far more than any previous attempts have accomplished, this act calls for specific rail heights,  peep holes in cabin doors and video systems that will help in documenting crimes at sea.  Supported by the Cruise Lines International Association which represents most major cruise lines, the legislation makes formal what most cruise lines have been doing all along.

Legislation was first introduced in 2008 by Senator John Kerry as the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008.  Reintroduced in March of 2009, consumer group Friend of the Earth noted “You wouldn’t think that minimal security requirements and environmental protections would require federal legislation,” said Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder. “But many cruise lines have failed to reduce pollution and afford their customers even these minimal protections