Cruise Lines, Good or Bad? Onboard Safety…

If you look on the Internet you will see several sites with the purpose of “exposing” the cruise industry. These websites allege that the cruise lines have committed and continue to commit many crimes, such as disregarding passenger safety, lack of transparency, underpaying their employees, covering up onboard crimes, environmental harm, or even not paying US taxes. When you read these websites they can sound very convincing and fair. They don’t sound like they are only telling you half truths or a twisted truth…they just sound like everything they say is right. While reading these website you really might start to question the cruise lines ethics and practices, maybe they are bad companies who care absolutely nothing about anybody.

Well all I can say is this…while not everything these websites say is false, they really only tell you a half truth, if even that. Many times the truth is twisted to serve the purposes of the website's author. I have read, on many occasions, flat out lies, mis-representations and totally absurd allegations pertaining to the cruise lines and the cruise industry as a whole. I think it is very important to keep in mind that many of these sites, which accuse the cruise lines of throwing out ethics, are written by maritime lawyers whose money comes from prosecuting against the cruise lines.

In this article I will try and present to you a fair and unbiased argument in defense of the cruise industry. Yes I know…it must seem impossible for someone like me (a shipgeek) to be unbiased when it comes to the industry that I love so dearly, but let me assure you that I will try (THE CRUISE INDUSTRY ROCKS MY SOCKS!!!)……um…….ahem…starting now...
Like I said above, some of what these site say has a certain amount to truth to them. Like any company, a cruise line is out to make a profit for its employees and shareholders, and at times the cruise lines have made mistakes…sometimes big ones.

Today though, I am going to focus on just one of these complaints against the Cruise Lines…others will come in later articles.

One of the allegations that I have heard several times is that the cruise lines do not care about passenger safety. They say the Cruise Lines only care about the bottom line and not the safety of passengers and crew. One site even says that the cruise lines incorporate outside the United States in order to avoid US safety regulations. They will site things like norovirus outbreaks, overboards, and onboard crimes to support these claims. These claims are really dubious at best (the ‘incorporating outside the US to avoid US safety laws’ isn’t even dubious...it’s ridiculous!), in fact, in regards to cruise ships, they are hardly even that.

The facts are thus…the cruise industry is regulated by several strict governing authorities including MARPOL (a international treaty which governs ship pollution and waste management - the USA and all other ‘flag states’ that the cruise lines use, are signatories and therefore subject to this treaty ), IMO (a United Nations agency charged with making sure ships are safe, secure, as well as governing pollution) and SOLAS (“Safety Of Life At Sea” an international treaty that governs all safety aspects of ships). The cruise lines meet and very often exceed the regulations set down by these agencies. On top of this, cruise ships are subject to inspections from government agencies – like the US Coast Guard – which make sure the safety onboard the ships is up to par. Other agencies – such as the CDC – also inspect cruise ships to make sure that health standards are maintained. If a cruise ship fails these inspections, they will not be allowed to carry any passengers.

And despite what these sites may say, cruise ships can be subject to the laws and safety regulations of any country they call in…for example, the US.

Like I said above, one site says that the lines are avoiding US safety laws (what's funny to me is that a few months back when President Obama signed a cruise ship safety bill into law, this same website went on and on about how the cruise lines had to start making some changes due to it…but I thought the cruise lines weren’t subject to US laws??) however, this is not true. While, yes, the flag state of any ship (((usually The Bahamas, Bermuda, Panama or Malta with cruise ships))) has ultimate control over their ships; a ship is subject to the laws of any port or country in which it calls, especially if it’s carrying that country's citizens (when you go into a foreign country, aren’t you subject to their laws? …same with ships). The aforementioned law that was signed by President Obama governs all cruise ships carrying US passengers from US ports …this law regulates cruise ship safety in and outside US waters, so if you are a cruise line and you want to sail out of the US and carry US passengers (which most lines do as the US is by far the largest cruise market)…well then, you are subject to this law. I should mention though, that even with this law being passed, the cruise lines where hardly affected. Why? Well because the cruise lines have already been doing what this law says for years now. This new law just makes the cruise line’s own safety standards official.

In short, the claim that on a cruise you are sailing on a foreign ship, with no safety regulations, is hogwash. Pure and simple. Furthermore, the claim the cruise lines don’t care about your safety is also hogwash. The cruise lines realize that the safety of their passengers and crew is a good investment (((would you want to sail on a line that had a reputation for a lack of safety?))) and one that they have invested millions into. Indeed, the cruise lines track record shows this…out of the over 15,500,000 people who will cruise this year, very few will have any kind of safety issue. One little tidbit for you as an example of a lines dedication to safety… in Cunard’s 170 year history, it has never been responsible for the loss of one human life…this is the same also with the other major cruise lines. Also, it’s not like these companies are run by a bunch of heartless people who don’t care about anyone else. I also don’t see what the benefit would be to running an un-safe ship.

A lack of safety would open the cruise lines up to lawsuits, bad reputations and a loss of business. Not to mention that a cruise lines most valuable asset, the ship itself, would be open to damage and destruction if it was run in an unsafe manner.

In conclusion…the cruise industry is not made up of a bunch of saints as it has made its fair share of mistakes, even at times, safety mistakes. I won’t deny that…but I will say one thing… your safety is still, in fact, very important to the industry. You are an investment, and for that reason your safety must be protected. That’s why over 15,000,000 people will cruise safely and happily this year alone.

Anyways, sorry about this rather quickly put together article, its probably not the best, but I hope it gets my point across.

Re-Connect

Hello fellow shipgeeks!

Finally I can connect to the internet again. My computer is still acting weird and won't connect to the internet by itself so I am using a network stick thing drive something or another. Anyway, what this mean for you is that I can finally after almost two month get back to the blog!

There is a lot to report on but in the interest of keeping this blog current I will not be writing extensively about anything that has happened in the last few weeks, unless I feel that it is important to do so.

So stay tuned. I am hoping to post the next article within the next few days!

-Mark

Blog Update

Hello Readers!

I just wanted to give you a quick update. As you, I am sure, have noticed, there has been a lack of new articles in the last week or so. Let me first say, sorry, things have been busy. Secondly, let me say, there is a lot of new things to talk about in upcoming articles, so keep reading!!

Cruise Shipping Miami, the industry's largest trade show, just took place in Miami, giving me much to say about the industry now and the future of the industry. So I will be talking about that but also Princess Cruises new ship, Royal Princess, and there will be the first of a new series of articles - "Cruise Line Reviews" - meant to help those of you who are not shipgeeks, get to know the different lines and products that we have in the cruise industry. The first will be a review of Disney Cruise Lines!

I am hoping to have it up by tomorrow (Thursday) but I make no guaranties as over the next few days, our computer will be going through a very extensive overhaul and I won't be able to post.

Thanks for reading!

-Mark the Shipgeek!

The First Lady of the United States…

Back in her day she was the fastest and greatest that had ever been produced. She was an international symbol of American power, ingenuity and quality. She was, and still is, the SS United States, the flagship of our nation and the crown jewel in our maritime crown.

Though most people wouldn’t know her, her place in our nation’s proud maritime history is irreplaceable.

Though she was, as one person put it, “a symbol of America at peace”, this beautiful liner was actually designed and built with war in mind. During WWII the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth ferried hundreds of thousands of troops to the front, safely and fast, with each voyage carrying upwards of 10,000 men. One Queen Mary voyage still holds the record for the most people ever carried at one time, with over 16,000 troops carried. The heroic and valuable wartime career of the two Cunard Queens was credited by Winston Churchill, as having lessened the war by more then a year, a fact not lost on the United States.

Because of the great war-time service of the two Queens, by the late 1940s, the United States wanted such ships for themselves. They wanted a great ocean liner to symbolize the post war power, might and ingenuity of the US, on an international level, the North Atlantic ferry. But they also wanted a ship that could provide fast, safe and reliable troop transporting services in the time of war.

To design this great ship, the US called upon the self taught Naval Architect, William Francis Gibbs, one of the pre-eminent naval architects of his day. The ship he designed was larger than any passenger ship yet built in the US, and was faster, safer and more powerful then any other ship in service. Designed with exacting Navy specifications, the ship was heavily compartmentalized to maximize survivability, was designed to be able to sail non-stop for 10,000 nautical miles, and was completely fire proof (according to legend the only wood onboard were the chopping blocks and the piano). His design was revolutionary. An awesome combination of warship and luxurious ocean liner. (photo at left- William Francis Gibbs with his creation)

Built in Newport News, Virginia, the project was a joint effort between the United States Navy and the United States Line. Of the $78 million it cost to build her, the US government contributed $50 million, while the operator, the United States Lines, contributed the remaining $28 million.

The ship was equipped with the most powerful steam turbines of any merchant ship. This gave the ship immense speed and power. On her speed trials the ship was reported to have reached over 40 knots (close to 50 mph) while other more conservative reports say the official top speed was 36 knots…to this day no one seems really sure which claim is true.

Out of all the work, testing, building and designing, came one of the most beautiful ships to ever grace the Atlantic, or any of the world's oceans. Just looking at her, she conveyed a sense of power and prestige. Her two huge red, white and blue funnels looked beautiful atop the gleaming white superstructure and her shining black hull. With a low profile, the ship looked just as fast as she was. She had the angles and structural look of a warship, but still had the graceful lines and beauty that could rival any ocean liner.

Setting off on her maiden voyage on July 3rd, 1952, the ship smashed all speed records (which have previously been held by the Queen Mary for 14 years), crossing the pond in 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes (QUEEN MARY WAS STILL GREATER!!!!!). Then again on the return crossing, she conquered the westbound record at 3 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes, officially wining the coveted Blue Riband (the unofficial accolade given to the liner with the fastest crossing time between Europe and America) for the United States; the first time the US won it in over 100 years.

(Photo above- The United States (top) passing her older fleet mate the America (bottom) in NYC)

For the next 17 years the ship sailed the line between England and her home port of New York. During that time she was the ultimate way to cross (apart from the Queen Mary of course….but that goes without saying), carrying many of the worlds elite, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, movie stars, kings, presidents (including a young President Clinton) and many others. She was safe, reliable, fast and profitable.

She was the pride of our nation’s merchant fleet, and known all over the world. Everybody wanted to cross on her (obviously because their first choice, the Queen Mary, was full so they went to the next best thing), there were books, songs and records made for, or about the ship. In fact, Walt Disney, while sailing on the United States, was so taken with her that he made her the center piece of the film, “Bon Voyage”. To sail on the SS United States was to sail on the best (after the Queen Mary).

But even all this popularity and fame could not stop a large change that was about to come to the North Atlantic. In 1957 the first jet powered crossing of the Atlantic took place and practically overnight, clumsy jets were taking over the business from the stately ocean liners. Though the United States continued sailing, not even she was safe. Over time as more and more passengers flew, passenger numbers on all the great liners began to fall drastically. Finally in 1969, the United States Lines pulled the United States out of service and laid her up in Virginia. After only 17 years of active service, she would never sail under her own power again…

In the decades following, she passed from owner to owner with several different ideas on how to utilize her. One plan was to use her as a time share cruise ship, another, considered by NCL, was to use her as their new cruise ship (before opting for the SS France instead), and yet another was to use her as a hospital ship. None of these plans even came close to materializing.

In 1984 her remaining fittings were removed and sold at auction and are now in various collections all over the country. Then in the early nineties, the ship became the center of attention because of asbestos onboard. Subsequently, the ship was towed across the Atlantic to Turkey and the Ukraine, where she underwent asbestos removal in 1994. Returning to the United States, the ship was laid up in South Philadelphia where she remains to this day.

In 2003 the most solid, though still unlikely, idea for the ship's future started to materialize when NCL bought the ship with the intention of restoring her, and returning her to active service for their newly announced NCL America initiative. The idea was that the ship would sail inter-island cruises in the Hawaiian Islands. Being US built and registered, the United States was one of only a few ships that could do this service, as the Jones Act limits the service of foreign built and flagged ships in inter-island Hawaiian cruises.

After purchasing the liner, NCL conducted studies of the ships condition and found that the she was in sound condition (a testament to the skill of her designer and builders) and it was stated that the Big U (as she is affectionately called) would be their next project. However, like all the other plans, this was not to be. NCL America ended up as a large and expensive failure. Starting off with 3 modern cruise ships, NCL America was downsized to a one ship operation after only a short time in service. This doomed any idea that the Big U would serve NCL, and in 2009 the ship was up for sale.

Enter the United States Conservancy (USC). For years now, the USC has worked hard to ensure that this wonderful ship has a positive future that would preserve it in some form for future generations, whether that be in an active cruising roll, or as a static attraction, much like the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. After years of hard work and lobbying, the Conservancy has brought attention to the sad plight of our nation's forgotten flagship, and the ship's story has appeared in many prominent news outlets around the country, gaining it any supporters.

Recently, after years of effort the USC was able to buy the ship from NCL for $3 million. NCL had previously received bids from scrappers for almost $6 million but luckily choose the USC’s smaller, but much more worthy bid. (THANK YOU NCL!!!!).

Now though, starts the real challenge. The USC only has a limited amount of time to find a home and come up with a viable idea for the ship's future. Currently several cities including New York, Miami and Philadelphia are being considered for the future home of this ship. The hope is to turn the ship into the center of a large housing, retail, convention and entertainment center. The ship could serve as a boutique hotel, with designer rooms (remember that the ship interiors were removed necessitating the installation of new ones), shops and restaurants. On top of that there could be parks, apartments and more, in the area surrounding her. (picture at left- a concept drawing of what could be)

To make sure that this happy future happen for the Big U, the conservancy needs help. I would like to encourage my readers to make any donation that you can to the United States Conservancy. I am sure I probably fail in this article to convey the great historic importance and value of this ship, but please, let me assure you that this ship is worth saving. Many other great liners and ships have gone to the breakers; this ship should be the exception. She is the last real remaining piece of America’s proud passenger ship heritage, there are none like her. Of all the great ocean liners and Ships of State, she and the Queen Mary are pretty much the last substantial examples remaining. We can’t let her go.

I find it kind of ironic that in a city famous for its American history, with things like the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, or the many other historical artifacts/sites, that a major piece of American history like the Big U can sit in disrepair, forgotten. It’s really quite sad.

Even in her current state, however, the ship still has immense presence and beauty. She’s one of my favorite ships. I love her like crazy (not as much as the Queen Mary of course), everything from the huge oversized funnels, to her unique place in our history. She’s something special. Now me, and the many others who love her, can only hope that this beautiful ship continues, preserved, for many years to come.

(The Big U sailing out of New York on one of her crossings)

Please visit the United States Conservancy website @ http://www.ssunitedstatesconservancy.org/

Rambling's New Facebook Page

Hello my dear readers!

In response to the blog's ever growing number of readers, I have decided to start a facebook page for it!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ShipGeeks-Unite/163786533672134#!/pages/ShipGeeks-Unite/163786533672134#!/CruiseCritic

By "liking' this page you will be able to stay current on all things to do with the blog, the cruise industry, Cruise news, and ships in general. You will also be able to interact with other ship and cruise geeks from all over the world.

Having this facebook page allows me to be more consistent in my updates to you. While I will still have the blog (which I promise I will try and update more frequently), you can always pop on over to our facebook page for the latest and most current industry news, and commentary, as I will be updating it everyday.

This also gives you, our readers, the chance to communicate with me and other shipgeeks....so don't be shy! On top of that you can use our facebook to connect to the cruise line's and other cruise and ship related entities' facebook pages.

Have fun and thank you for supporting my blog!

-Mark

Hello! Don't go away!

Hey Dear Readers!

Sorry for this long pause in post...its been a pretty busy week but at the same time a great one...I SAW QUEEN VICTORIA AND QUEEN ELIZABETH!!!!!! *SQUEAL!!!

Anyways, more post are on their way so be patient (spelling?? I am a horrible speller if you haven't noticed), I will try and have them up withing the next day or so!!

Keep reading!!

-Mark

A Cunard Day in NYC!

I am sorry about the lack of post over the last couple of days, I am afraid I got lost on the path way of life…basically I was busy so suck it up! ...and I mean that with all the love in the world.

This last Thursday (January 13th) a historic moment occurred as all three Queens in Cunard's fleet met in New York harbor. Lucky onlookers watched as The Glorious, The Perfect, The Alpha, The Omega, The Incredible, The Majestic, The Beautiful and by the Grace of God, Empress of the Seas, Sovereign of the Oceans, Inheritor of the greatest name in maritime history …THE RMS QUEEN MARY 2 (!!!!!), the beautiful Queen Victoria and the lovely Queen Elizabeth, sailed out of New York together. (QM2 is my favorite ship currently in service)

This is only the second time in Cunard history that Cunard has had 3 Queens in New York at once (that partially because Cunard only ever had two Queens up until recently). The Last time was 3 years ago to the day when the QM2, the beautiful Veteran queen of the ocean; QE2, and the brand new Queen Victoria sailed in and then later out together from the port.

The lucky passengers arriving at the port on the QE and QV had just had a special treat as they got to experience a tandem crossing...where both ships crossed together side by side across the Atlantic to NYC. Meanwhile, the passengers on the QM2...well they are just lucky!!!!

In honor of this historic occasion, Cunard’s Commodore Bernard Warner rang the bell (from the original Queen Elizabeth’s engine room) to signal the end of trading for the day at the New York Stock Exchange, the Empire State Building was lit in red for Cunard and passengers and land based onlookers alike, were treated to a Grucci fireworks display as the 3 grand ships lined up in the harbor by the Statue of Liberty.

It was a beautiful event! Seeing 2 or more Cunard Queens together is really something very special. I remember almost 5 years ago when the QM2 met the Queen Mary in Long Beach for the first time! I was there and nearly died from happiness!

Now that the event is over the Queen are heading their separate ways, QM2 on her world cruise (an eastbound one… grrr that means she wont come anywhere near me!), Queen Victoria is on her way here to Los Angeles where she will be based for a few weeks and Queen Elizabeth is on her first world cruise which will also bring her here to Los Angeles a day before the QV. Before that though the QV and QE will be meeting again in Ft Lauderdale, FL, today actually, then they will head off on separate cruises.

Now, I want you all to know that I am trying hard to get permission to visit and review the ships. Its pretty hard to get permission (because of security) but its not impossible, in fact a friend of mine just visited the QE in Southampton. I am trying several different routes to reach this goal…this dream, if you will, but I am not above begging so…ahem…..…PLEASE CUNARD!!!! PLEASE!!!! I WILL WRITE GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE Queens!!! PLEASE!!! I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN!!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!....pretty pretty (QM2 pretty) please? My devotion to you is undying!

...ahem....sorry...for that outburst, I just really do love Cunard! *geek squeal! Anyways whatever happens I will be there at the port to watch as these two ships sail in! It will be a glorious day!

Ramblings of a Ship-Geek is Growing!

Over the last couple of weeks Ramblings of a Ship-Geek has more than quadrupled in size, and the number of viewers everyday, now numbers in the hundreds. We have readers from all over the world, in literally dozens of countries and the numbers continue to climb faster and faster all the time.

In response to this, I have decided to try a few new things with this blog, and the over all product to try and expand it even further. I have started a YouTube Channel, a flickr account, and a flickr group for the blog. Please feel free to have a look at these pages and join, and then add to them!

I am working hard to make this blog successful and enjoyable to those who read it. Lately I have been trying to post a new article every other, to every few days. Please always feel free to comment on any post regarding anything. Your comments are important!

Thank you my readers for reading! Let’s keep this blog growing!

-Mark the Shipgeek

Here are the links to our new pages!

Rambling's new YouTube account is here! Its still pretty small but it is growing and should have more videos soon! Tell me what you think!

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/user/RamblingShipGeek

Rambling of a Ship-Geek has a new offcial (because you know how offcial I am) flickr group, "Ship-Geeks Unite". A place for fellow shipgeeks to share pictures, videos and just talk about our favorite thing..SHIPS! You are all invited to join and add your own pictures (as many as you want) and join/start any disscussion!

Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/ship-geek/

Rambling of of Ship-Geek also has a new flickr account where we will host much of the pictures you see here on the blog, and many many more. You can add us as a contact on flickr, and be the first to know when we upload new pictures or you can just look at our photostream and check out all the awesome ship photos without joining. On top of this if you have any ship pictures you would like to see on here and on our group you can send them to me and I will be more then happy to upload them. Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/people/57699850@N03/


Remember that all these pages are new and are still growing so don't forget to check them often!

You may contact me either here on the blog or through e-mail at ramblingshipgeek@yahoo.com