My heart goes out to the families of those lost in last week’s tragic accident involving the Costa Concordia. It’s obviously disconcerting to read about such a tragedy, especially to those who have never cruised before. I have received numerous questions in the last few days about cruising safety and why I like cruising so much. I can’t comment to the safety procedures of Costa or Carnival Corporation as I’ve never set foot on one of their ships. Believe me, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so given the right set of circumstances, but I’ve frankly been so happy with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity that I just haven’t felt the need to. I’ve never felt anything less than well cared for and safe aboard any of the cruise ships I’ve sailed on (26 cruises with many more to come).
Much the same as on any aircraft, I never ignore safety drills aboard cruise ships. While remote, there is always the possibility that something unplanned could happen, and I want to be ready. This accident, while tragic, has no deterring effect on my desire to cruise much like no aircraft accident has ever deterred my desire to fly. Fortunately, such accidents are exceedingly rare.
Today, I received separate emails from both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity reiterating their commitment to safety, a commitment I never doubted. A link to a video was included and I wanted to share it with you here. Is it one company’s opinion of itself? Yes. But I’m confident that it’s true. So yes, MJonTravel will continue to cruise and I hope you will too.
It’s not just “can” inspect…the USCG does inspect. In fact, they were performing an inspection of Allure of the Seas following my cruise back in November. Here’s just a tiny bit of info on Coast Guard cruise ship policies. http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/csncoe/. And an article here: http://www.military.com/news/article/coast-guard-news/coast-guard-ensuring-cruise-ship-safety.html
The US Centers for Disease Control also performs inspections of the sanitation practices of vessels serving this country. More details here: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/.
Maritime law is what it is. That said, I won’t hesitate to take another cruise on lines that I trust, no matter where the ship is flagged. But I do want to try Pride of America too!
Well…from what I understand (and I am most definitely not a maritime lawyer), but incidents that occur at sea are covered by the law of the flag country. So say you were the victim of a crime onboard a Liberian ship – Liberian criminal jurisdiction/investigation.
As to inspections – if the ship has a port of call in the US, the USCG can inspect and stop the operation of ships that don’t meet their standards. However, they have no jurisdiction if your cruise doesn’t call on the U.S. Additionally, environmental , health and labor regulations are much more lax in those convenience countries – part of the reason cruise lines have a business reason to register their ships elsewhere.
However, I would love to try the NCL Pride of America sometime!
MJ
I love the ocean and also love the liveaboards I have been on for diving. No doubt they are amazing, but those massive sailing cities drive me crazy! Just invite me on the little sailing yachts:)!
Evan,
I wonder what USCG requirements cruise lines that serve the US market don’t have to meet when they are flagged elsewhere?
I frankly just don’t feel safe on any ship flying a flag of convenience. Knowing that the regulation & inspection is done by Liberia or the Bahamas or the Marshall Islands, where ship registry is a profit center for the country, certainly doesn’t make me feel any safer. I also think people are unaware of which nationality’s laws they are governed by while on board and behave in an unsuspecting manner. I certainly would be a more cautious traveler if I were in Liberia – which is effectively where I am on many cruise ships.
Not me! They seem like a death trap, from murders, to fights to the flu breakouts….I prefer land trips and then going out on the ocean. Plus, no offense, but the last one I was on (Royal Carribean), the people on the ship acted middle class at best.
WT2, I guess this means I should leave you off my MJ on Travel group sailing invite list? 😀