Well, we are in the busy season to start booking your cruises. This article is going to be directed mostly to those who are maybe a tad cautious about booking a cruise with the recent reportings of safety on the cruise ship itself. Though the issues are few being reported, there are others simply not reported. It is something that is worth discussing here and to encourage all of you to go ahead and book that cruise!
Recently there were (3) three instances that made the news but each very different in the specific issues that caused the disturbances and the severity of them. I’m going to refer to these three (3) and also give some info to you to help you with awareness, and just what you might do in a circumstance that may require you to make a report.
First of all, going on a vacation, whether a cruise, a boat trip or a land tour, there is always a chance there will be persons, disruptors, who can cause it to be uncomfortable if not addressed early on your trip. Sometimes it requires writing the vendor following the trip to bring attention to them as to what is happening ‘in the field’ so to speak.
The most recent reports came from Carnival, Royal Caribbean and one Virgin Cruise ship. I’ll start with the Carnival story:
Out of Galveston, Texas the Carnival Jublilee was returning from a trip and passengers were disembarking. What happened at the port would affect many of the cruisers involved, enough so that they were all put on a NO CRUISE LIST (not to ever sail on a Carnival cruise ship again). A disruption in the luggage retrieval area, was a group traveling together when something happened between several of the participants. The result was not just a verbal confrontation, but a physical one. Security go involved after multiple people joined in the fight. Most all of those in the group of 24 involved in the altercation were identified for the NO CRUISE LIST for Carnival. What did that really mean? It means that Carnival corporation is serious about providing a secure and safe environment for all of their passenger. A couple of months ago there was a similar issue, but on the ship on Carnival. Though alcohol is involved in most all cases, the cruise lines have to be aware of other issues, ie theft, etc.
The industry at large does not have a data-base like the airlines have with identifying individuals on any LIST. Consequently, those who might be violating one line, can simply go on other cruise line ships and be fine. However, that may be changing. Some people are unaware of this but there are a couple of cruise Corporations, that manage several cruise lines. They can potentially, and some may already, cross-reference to each other and eliminate the ability to board other brands. For instance, Carnival Corporation manages the following brands: Carnival, Costa, Princess, Holland America , Cunard, P&) and Seaborn and AIDA. That eliminates a bunch of ships and itineraries!! Other examples…. Royal Caribbean Corp includes RCCL, Celebrity and Silversea. Norwegian Cruise Line NCL corp. include NCL, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas. You get the idea. Once the NO CRUISE LISTS become an inter-corporate reality, some people are just not going to be able to cruise on any of them. The demand for this “Blacklist” had truly exposed this ‘loophole’…and trust me, it is being addressed more vigorously now.
Another incidence was on a Royal Caribbean Cruise Liberty of the Seas where an 18-year old was recently assaulted in an elevator. The violator was issued a felony and RCCL (and others) are recognizing a need to monitor more public spaces. In another incident, Virgin Voyages had a guest at a bar physically assaulted, security of course intervened. This particular line is an ADULTS/ONLY line. Though they travel the world, they are very popular in the Caribbean for their short cruises, can be identified as party cruises if you know what I mean. Alcohol anybody? It is very popular for groups and single travelers. Having all three (3) happen recently has certainly exposed a vulnerability. The Carnival and RCCL lines attract families, and their vulnerability and safety is crucial for survival of their brands.
It is the cruisers themselves pushing for the industry to establish protocols for provide the BLACK LIST/No Cruise list across all major cruise lines. What they are demanding is that persons who have assault and battery, sexual harassment, reckless or dangerous behavior history, have information exchanged between all the majors lines, to provide a more safe environment for everyone. Families particularly are a popular demographic for Disney, MSC, Norwegian Cruise line, RCCL and Carnival. Sharing of data is so important to be implemented. As one publication put it: To enforce this, cruise lines may use public criminal databases and background checks. However, they primarily rely on pre-boarding screening, and without interline cooperation, they risk allowing banned passengers to reappear under new bookings.
Attention apparently in the immediate is a growing interest in targeting the U.S. based cruise terminals and barring the traveler from easily accessing other cruise lines. A shared list can be very advantageous to all concerned. A Universal List would identify violent passengers, in the least. With thousands of people, world-wide cruisingg, the necessity for this ‘collaboration’ is very obvious. Is a Federal Regulation the answer though? One publication I researched thinks so BUT, it will require lawmakers to introduce legislation to make it mandatory to have a federal system set up to track violent passengers.
As one article I read referenced, the issue at stake is not only safety, but it threatens ‘public image’ for the cruise lines that pride themselves on hospitality, security and entertainment. Establishing a unified message, law could improve the passengers confidence, something all cruise lines should want.
So that is the goal of the cruise lines, with the help of lawmakers. My tip is, the passengers themselves can help by being aware and assist the ships in safeguards for themselves, an actually everyone else onboard. Here are my tips:
Before booking, maybe check the proposed cruise lines security policies
You can check on a Google search for recent incidents reported
While onboard. Be sure to find a way to communicate between one another
Finally, and this is common sense, report any unusual behavior as soon as you can.
What we can all wish for is that the cruise lines will voluntarily work between themselves and that soon there would too be legislation to require it. It is assumed that the cruise lines will prioritize their passengers safety, otherwise, public confidence in many of the cruise lines would shatter. Those who, in the interim of non-legislation, work to promote the NO CRUISE LIST/BLACK LIST will be rewarded in a final analysis.
Cruising has grown in popularity for sure. Every year more cruise ships are built. All the major cruise lines are expanding. Some are just getting bigger and bigger in physical size too, offering so much in entertainment to cross a wide variety of demographics: families, singles, mature adults, groups and some focused on themes. It is truly a fun way to travel. Just be cautious. Follow the tips I’ve listed above and I am confident you will have a very probably conclusion to a much-anticipated vacation. Now, we just want to hope that the cruise lines and government will help insure it.
