Cruise Bruise Blog
June 2, 2009
June 2, 2009
Italian Ferry Catches Fire Over 500 Evacuated
The Italian ferry company Tirrenia's Vincenzo Florio was on its way to Palermo, Italy from Naples when the ship caught fire with over 500 aboard, including 65 children. Many of the children were in a group of around 30 elementary school children, accompanied by parents and teachers, who were on a school trip.
Lifeboats were lowered and the ship was evacuated as other area ships, boats and aircraft raced to the area to assist the ship with safely evacuating the passengers and crew aboard.
The fire broke out in the hold around 0330 hours in the morning. At the start, the crew used extinguishers to fight the fire. They gained control of it and the ferry started moving again.
But suddenly, the fumes became very black and thick and people couldn't breathe. The boat was overrun by smoke so the captain gave the order around 0600 hours to lower the lifeboats as the ship was about 40 kilometers or 25 miles from Palermo, Italy.
Reports say 29 were injured during the fire, several were taken to area hospitals. The ship was towed to port where an investigation has begun into the fire. The fire is believed to have started within a car or refrigerated truck and then spread to other vehicles and ultimately to the ferry structure.
The ship had caught fire once before on a trip from Palermo to Naples in 2004.
June 2, 2009
Cruise Ship Seized By Customs May Be Charged With Smuggling
M/V Coco Explorer 2, which was seized by the Manila Bureau of Customs May 29, at the North Harbor in Manila is facing charges of smuggling.
The captain and crew of the vessel were caught off guard because it was in the middle of a tour and they had passengers and guests on board.
Personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), assisted by members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), went to Pier 6 of the North Harbor at around 1900 hours last Friday and served the warrant of seizure with forfeiture to claim the M/V Coco Explorer 2 in favor of the government.
The smuggling charges relate to the inter-island cruise firm for allegedly operating a luxury ship without paying P19 million in duties and taxes when it was brought into the country.
June 2, 2009
Marketing To A Captive Audience Aboard A Cruise Ship Gone Wrong
Dominic Adams, a Canadian-born, American entrepreneur is working and living aboard a cruise ship. He also owns a business and is using the time aboard ship and the money he earns to market one of the most unusual products in one of the worst commercials I have seen.
With thousands captive aboard the ship, perhaps Adams will be able to successfully market a product through his own one-on-one personal testimonials aboard a ship of thousands as well as with a commercial, more obnoxious than that of a man with a huge grin marketing a male "enhancement" product on late night television.
Adams' product, NodorO, (pronounced No Door O)he calls a "solution to male genital odor." and says the product personally changed his own "self hygiene and life". That is really more than we needed to know about Adams in this marketing gone wrong, shipboard scheme.
How do you start that conversation with men aboard a cruise ship? Better yet, how do you start it with women? Is it a plus to tell women you are dogging on a cruise ship for a date, to say you use a "solution to male genital odor" other than frequent bathing and ample soap? I think that falls under the category, COD, as my better half would call it, "Cologne Over Dirt".
If you feel you need to know more, or are in the mood to be more annoyed than what the Enzyte commercial has forced you to endure, you can see his Youtube video here.
Alright, I am thoroughly disgusted, let's move on to something more sickening.
June 2, 2009
Nearly 400 Sickened On Two Cruises
Carnival Cruise Line's, Carnival Liberty and Princess Cruises', Island Princess are the two latest cruise ships to be infected with Norovirus.
Aboard Carnival Liberty for the April 18 to April 25, 2009 cruise, 208 of 3253 (6.39%) passengers fell ill and 57 of 1163 (4.9%) crew fell ill, according to reports from the CDC. These cases only represent those who sought medical care aboard the ship.
While the symptoms reported were the same as on Carnival Liberty, the CDC has not identified the cause of 100 of 1954 (5.12%) passengers and 5 of 894 (0.56%) crew becoming ill with diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, and vomiting while on the April 23 to May 7, 2009 cruise.
All this in addition to the H1N1 Swine Flu cases were shutting down tourism to Mexico and threatening to endanger tourism to Australia.
