by Spencer Aronfeld | Jul 19, 2019 | Cruise Ship Accidents, Cruise Ship Injury
Royal Caribbean has cancelled a planned stop this week to San Juan, Puerto Rico due to a series of protests occurring in the area against Puerto Rico’s governor. These protests began last weekend after the Center for Investigative Journalism released 900 pages from the Puerto Rican governor’s private group chat. In the chats, the governor disparaged various journalists, made threats to turn political opponents over to authorities, and made a series of homophobic, profane and sexist statements. The timing of this release of information came the same week as two former officials from the governor’s administration were arrested by the FBI as part of a federal corruption investigation. Puerto Ricans took to the streets, protesting the administration and calling for his immediate resignation. In response to this political activity and out of concern for the safety of their passengers, Royal Caribbean canceled a planned stop this week for the Empress of the Seas. The ship was expected to dock in San Juan Tuesday but has been instead rerouted to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Any guests who prepaid for shore excursions in San Juan will be refunded their money. Since Tortola was already a planned stop on the ship’s itinerary, this change only means the stop will be made one day earlier than previously planned. The Empress left Miami on Saturday, setting sail for an eight-day cruise through the Caribbean. San Juan was just one of many stops listed on the ship’s itinerary. Many have questioned whether any future stops in San Juan will be cancelled. At this time, Royal Caribbean has only canceled this one planned stop...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Jul 11, 2019 | Cruise Ship Accidents
One month after a collision between a cruise vessel and a smaller boat in Venice, another cruise ship has just narrowly missed striking a yacht while it was being towed out of Venice. This near miss has sparked further debate amongst the locals who argue that this demonstrates why large vessels should not be allowed in the Venetian docks. The ship involved was the 12-deck Costa Deliziosa. The vessel is 1,000 feet in length and can carry over 3,800 passengers and crew. At the time of the accident, the ship was being towed in what were reported as stormy conditions. A Venetian writer and artist, Roberto Ferrucci, took a video of what occurred and posted it on his website. The video has been shared by individuals who are advocating for the Venetian waters to be shut down to cruise vessels. In the video, crew members on-board the yacht were seen rushing out of the ship just as the larger vessel brushed by them, which means the cruise vessel must have been close enough to the yacht to give reason for them to believe that a collision was imminent. Fortunately, the lead tugboat was able to safely pull the cruise ship away from the yacht and guide it out of the lagoon with no further incident. Another boat was not so lucky in the same vicinity just one month ago. The MSC Opera collided with a dock and a smaller tourist boat, resulting in several injuries, on June 2. Those in opposition argue that these larger boats are causing irreparable damage to the city and its ecosystem. They say that...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Jul 9, 2019 | Cruise Ship Accidents, Cruise Ship Injury
Tragedy struck over the weekend after a 1-year-old girl died following a fall on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship while it was docked in Puerto Rico on Sunday. The child was traveling from Indiana with her family, including her parents, maternal and paternal grandparents, and younger brother. It was initially reported that the child had slipped out of her grandfather’s hands and fell from the 11th floor of the Freedom of the Seas to the concrete floor on the Pan American dock II in San Juan. However, there are now differing accounts as to what caused the child’s fall and whether the cruise line could have been to blame. The family insists the toddler fell due to an open glass pane that should have been securely closed on the ship. They state that at the time of the fall, the family was gathered near the dining hall on the 11th floor. The grandfather placed the child on a railing he believed was backed by glass so she could look out, similar to what she did at her brother’s hockey games. The toddler reportedly leaned forward to touch the glass and toppled out of the open panel onto the concrete deck below. Local authorities are currently interviewing passengers who witnessed the fall. They will also be obtaining security footage from the ship to verify what exactly occurred. The ship’s departure has been delayed due to the tragedy. Earlier this year, a teenage male passenger died following a fall from the eighth-floor balcony on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship as it was docked in Haiti. He was attempting to go into...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Jul 8, 2019 | Cruise Ship Accidents, Cruise Ship Injury
No one wants to encounter an emergency while on a cruise, but many times, they cannot be avoided. Most of the major cruise lines have their own set of internal code words to use to alert staff and others on board of an emergency or other urgent situation occurring on the ship. It helps to be aware of what these code words are, in the event an emergency does occur while on your cruise. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie The ship captain is not looking for someone named Charlie if you hear “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie!” Repeating this name three times means the captain is informing the crew that a security threat has occurred onboard. If you hear this phrase, stay calm and await instruction from the crew. PVI or 30-30 If you hear the code words “PVI” or “30-30,” these two different phrases signify illness on the ship. More specifically, “PVI” stands for public vomiting and that someone has vomited on the ship. Any other messes are communicated through the 30-30 code. Kilo If you hear the word “kilo” announced, you may see cruise personnel rushing off to a certain area of the ship. “Kilo” means that the ship’s captain wants them to report to this designated post to handle an urgent matter. Bravo “Bravo” indicates that a fire has occurred somewhere on the ship. Do not panic if you hear this announced, since reacting with panic will not help the situation. It is important, though, that you be aware and wait for instructions on what to do next. Alpha or Sierra, and Operation Bright Star or Rising Star Cruise passengers...
by Spencer Aronfeld | Jul 3, 2019 | Cruise Ship Accidents, Cruise Ship Injury
Thousands of passengers are now stranded after a Norwegian cruise ship suffered mechanical problems just outside Barcelona, Spain. One Miami woman, Claudia Meijides, was one of the passengers affected by the ship’s malfunction. The Norwegian Pearl had embarked from Amsterdam on June 22 and was sailing the Mediterranean as part of a 13-day cruise when the ship began to experience technical problems. The Pearl was on its way towards Palma de Mallorca but suddenly had to divert to Barcelona due to mechanical issues. The ship docked in Barcelona on Tuesday and has been there since that time. Passengers report receiving repeated assurances from the ship’s staff that they would be leaving shortly. Despite these assurances, the ship is docked as of Wednesday night. Passengers report being told that the ship’s crew is working on technical issues involving the propeller or engine but were not given much more information than that regarding what was causing the delay in their vacations. As a result, passengers were told that calls at Monaco and Palma, Mallorca, were being skipped. Ship guests have been told they can come and go as they please but to be back to the ship no later than 5 p.m. Friday. Norwegian has released a statement to the media stating that the ship experienced a technical issue that necessitated the boat to travel at a reduced speed and to be diverted to Barcelona for further assessments. They are offering partial refunds and partial credits on a future trip, as well as money towards flight change fees to affected guests. However, the great majority of passengers, including Meijides, argue that these...
