Cruise Injury Blog

 

If you’re a frequent cruise traveler, you may have found that one of the biggest hassles of planning a cruise vacation can be the uncertainty. With all the jumbled up laws concerning maritime law and the fact that cruise lines have long been allowed to conceal certain information from the public, booking a cruise can sometimes feel like making a leap of faith.

 

Luckily, recent years have seen some large-scale campaigns to change this and make cruise line information more available and visible to the public. One of the most recent examples of this is the Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) Cruise Forward program.

 

What Is Cruise Forward?

 

Launched in 2012, the CLIA’s Cruise Forward program is designed to educate the public about the practices of the world’s leading cruise lines. According to its website, Cruise Forward is “an information

For as long as cruise lines have been in operation, they have been allowed to keep their crime statistics private. This has always been one of the main drawbacks to planning your cruise vacation—the fact that you never quite know the whole story behind the company in which you’re temporarily placing so much trust.

 

Up until now, cruise lines were required only to reveal information about crimes that the FBI investigated and closed, and they were under no obligation at all to reveal any additional crime information. For vacationers, this meant that no matter how much planning and research they did, they never quite had all the information.

 

However, with the new law that was signed into effect in December of 2014, the game has changed. As NBC reported, cruise lines are now required to disclose all their crime statistics to the

If you embark and disembark on a cruise ship in Miami—or anywhere else in the United States—it makes sense that you might think that the ship is an American vessel. However, this is usually not the case.

 

Currently, only one major cruise ship is registered in America—NCL America’s Pride of America. All other cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Princess, are registered in foreign countries. This practice of registering ships in foreign countries is referred to as “sailing under ‘flags of convenience’” and while it may be a convenient practice for owners of the cruise lines, it can be critically dangerous for passengers.

 

What are Flags of Convenience?

 

To find out which flag your cruise ship sails under, look at the flag being flown aboard the ship. While that flag may seem like nothing more than a simple aesthetic

 

Avid cruisegoers know that the peak time to head to the Bahamas is from December to February. People travel there from colder climates everywhere to kiss the snow goodbye and bask in temperatures that typically range from the low 60s to the high 70s – warm enough for sandals and shorts, but cool enough that they don’t have to worry about baking in the sun.

 

Unfortunately, everything during this time period fills up so quickly that you often need to book months in advance just to get there. Because of this, people may be excited to hear that a new cruise line will be offering more trips to the Bahamas this February out of the Port of Palm Beach. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line will offer two-night cruises to Grand Bahama every other day in February, offering those who just have to get

You plan to go on a cruise sometime in the next year. What’s the first thing you think about? Your destination, right? Do you want to relax on the beaches of the Bahamas or see the icy beauty of Alaska? Get some Latin flavor in a South American country or tour the historic ports of Europe?

But while your destination is obviously very important, don’t neglect another important decision: your departure port. The United States is home to no fewer than 20 ports (if you include Vancouver) where you can board your cruise and head out for adventure. Knowing where these ports are and which cruises depart from them can make your travel easier, shorter, and much less expensive.

Below you’ll find a guide to all 20 ports in the country.

 

Norfolk. If you like friendly locals, Colonial history, and being surrounded by

 

Most people are familiar with the pre-vacation To Do’s—get someone to watch the pets, make sure you’ve packed all the essentials (cell phone, passport, tickets), and get things squared away at work. But when it comes to cruises, there are a few significant additions that you’ll need to include on that list.

 

When you travel within the United States, there are certain things that you generally just don’t have to think about—for example, access to medical care, problems that could arise as a result of citizenship, and various significant legal issues. When you’re on a cruise, though, all of these things—and more—need to be taken into account before you leave.

Important Things to Remember

 

 

Because cruises fall under maritime law, legal issues that arise on cruises can be complicated and very different from what most people are familiar with. Maritime

The cruise industry has come a long way over the last few years, making technological advances, improving safety measures, and introducing new amenities. But—like all of us—they still have plenty of room for improvements.

 

Here are some resolutions cruise lines should consider making for 2015 to improve passenger health, safety, and satisfaction.

 

Hire lifeguards. There have been numerous instances of drownings and near drownings aboard major cruise ships, but many cruise lines still don’t hire lifeguards to supervise their pools. Cruise ships carry thousands of children each year and should have a responsibility to provide reasonable protection with respect to their attractions to their young passengers. In order to prevent future tragedies and wrongful deaths, cruise lines should resolve to bring trained and certified lifeguards aboard for every single pool on all of their ships.

 

Stop over-serving. It’s high time for