Rough Seas for the cruise industry

BARGAIN Basement PRICES for a 3 night Cruise from $199 plus free upgrades! 

I went on a Cruise to The Seychelles and enjoyed the Le Meridien Fisherman Cove Hotel. The lush tropical gardens and stunning white sandy beaches were peaceful, so far from the rest of the world.
Today, there is news about a Carnival owned cruise ship adrift in the Indian Ocean on the same route my ship took to the Seychelles.  I’m not sure I want to go on another cruise, though I did take advantage of the lower air fares after 9/11. United Airlines is offering a lot of miles for cruises and you don’t even have to fly. I’d rather take my chances on a ship than fly.

There is no good news for Cruise Lines:

1. On Jan 2012 The Costa Concordia capsized near the Tuscan coast where 25 people drowned.
2. A crew member was rescued after jumping off Galveston Carnival cruise ship on the 25th Feb into the Gulf of Mexico.
3. 22  Carnival Splendor Cruise passengers were robbed at gunpoint while on a nature tour shore excursion, near the port in Puerto Vallarta.
4. On 2/27/2012 a CCL ship is adrift near The Seychelles after a fire in the generator room left the vessel without  power. 1,000+passengers are waiting  aboard the ship, for tugboats that may take 2 days to get to them and the fear is that the Somali pirates may get there before the Tugs do.
5. 3 different boats had ill people in the last couple of months. 86 people were ill in a Norovirus outbreak on The Ruby Princess Caribbean cruise from Florida and another ship had 455 sick with gastrointestinal illness. Norovirus’ symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping. Journalist Gene Sloan cites a report of a man getting kicked off a Carnival ship in Roatan, Honduras because he was sick.

If this does not put you off sailing, they are advertising up to $400 cash back & upgrades through Carnivals Leap Year sale. You get cash back on US cruises but the most cash that you get back is per state room on Transatlantic and European 12 day cruises. Another offer for a  "Fun Ship" vacation is to  Book now and sail for less than $70 per day. Free food and  WiFi is enticing?
Perhaps now is the time to cruise because they may not stay in business at this rate? The world's largest cruise operator is facing a wave of law suits from the victims' families. I can't believe that the captain of ship got himself off the ship before rescuing his passengers on Carnivals Costa Concordia. He is under investigation, accused of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship before the evacuation of more than 4,200 passengers and crew.

Through United Airlines Mileage Plus program, you can earn thousands of miles to use on future flights. In some cases, you can even earn "double miles", or twice the amount of miles you would earn otherwise, but you can not redeem miles for a cruise.

Bon Voyage !