Cruise Injury Blog

For far too long, cruise lines have been able to dodge their medical responsibilities. With all the technicalities surrounding maritime law and the different legal systems that cruise ships operate under, cruises have been shielded from certain medical obligations that would apply to any typical American vacation facility. Now, things are finally changing.

 

Unfortunately, it took the tragic death of a cruise passenger for these changes to come about. According to the Huffington Post, the passenger reportedly fell onboard a Royal Caribbean ship while it was docked. While receiving care in the ship’s medical facilities, he fell into a coma and later died as a result of negligent care. The victim’s daughter brought the matter to court, and after one court initially dismissed the lawsuit, an appellate court determined to hold the cruise line “vicariously liable” for the death.

 

Medical Malpractice in

Undoubtedly, one of the best parts of cruise vacations is the freedom to relax in the lap of cruise ship luxury. Cruise ship getaways are like vacations inside vacations—not only do you have the exciting shore excursions to look forward to, but the boat itself is a hub of entertainment, comfort, and glamour. And while almost any cruise ship out there is great for this, it’s no secret that the newer the ship, the better it is. A newer ship usually means more amenities, and more amenities—provided they’re done right—mean more luxury.

 

Lucky for anyone planning upcoming cruise vacations, a list of new cruise ships of 2015 was recently released. These new ships are worth keeping an eye on and may offer some of the best features on the sea today.

 

2015’s New Ships

 

Many different cruise lines will be introducing

 

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