Passengers on a recent 16-day Canary Islands cruise aboard Cunard’s brand new megaship Queen Victoria were infected by a norovirus-type bug

http://www.msnbc.msn.com By Christopher Elliott
It’s virus season, and that means you’ll probably be enduring a lot more stories like these:
Passengers on a recent 16-day Canary Islands cruise aboard Cunard’s brand new megaship Queen Victoria were infected by a norovirus-type bug whose symptoms included diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The British press called it the “Curse of Camilla” in honor of the Duchess of Cornwall, who christened the vessel.

California Considers Legislation to Put Independent Officers on Cruise Ships

Press Release: Ocean Ranger Bill Introduced in California
SAMMAMISH, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The International Cruise Victims Association(ICV) a not-for-profit corporation formed by victims and families of victims of cruise crimes, is pleased to announce that major legislation has been introduced in California. Senator Joe Simitian has introduced a bill sponsored by the Earth Island Institute to protect California waters from cruise ship pollution and cruise ship passengers from crimes on the high seas. The legislation will establish the California Ocean Ranger program, placing independent officers with certifications in marine engineering and public safety on every cruise ship transiting California waters.
The Ocean Rangers will perform three important tasks:
-- Oversee wastewater discharge practices and the maintenance and operation of pollution control equipment. The cruise industry has been convicted for dumping, tampering with pollution control equipment, and falsifying logbooks. California must protect its coastal waters.
-- Deter crime and ensure important criminal evidence is not destroyed or improperly handled. The incidence of serious crimes on cruise ships (thefts, rapes, assaults, and suspected homicides) has reached epidemic proportions.
-- Coordinate with Homeland Security agencies to be a first line of defense against terrorism attacks in U.S. ports of call. Tens of thousands of foreign nationals have direct access to U.S. port cities every day via cruise ships, with minimal or no oversight.

Crew Member Accuses Carnival Cruise Lines of Slavery

usatoday.com

A crew member has accused Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines of forced labor, slavery and human trafficking for allegedly violating her contract by putting her in a lower-paying job, Florida Today reports.
Attorneys for 33-year-old Reshma Harilal, a resident of South Africa with a U.S. tourist visa, filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District in Florida.
They want her taken off the Carnival Glory and returned to Miami. The suit also wants her passport returned, and seeks the wages agreed to under the contract she signed.
Read the entire lawsuit (pdf).
“Based on what our client has told us, there are other crew members who are also working in lower positions and at a lower pay than they agreed when they boarded the vessel,” Tonya Meister of the Miami law firm Lipcon Margulies & Alsina told Florida Today. (Like USA TODAY it is owned by Gannett.)
No response yet from Carnival.
The suit alleges that Harilal traveled from South Africa and signed a contract to work as a cabin steward. Once aboard, however, she was told to work as an assistant cabin steward instead, the suit claims. Cabin stewards are paid $1,500 every two weeks, while the assistant earns $250 to $300 biweekly.
The complaint has been faxed to the Glory, which is in Belize today. It's expected to arrive in the Bahamas by Friday, and Harilal's attorneys hope she'll then be returned to Miami. The ship is due back at Port Canaveral on Saturday.
floridatoday.com 2/12/08
BY DONNA BALANCIA FLORIDA TODAY

Carnival Cruise Lines Honored with Record Number of Awards

money.cnn.com
CNNMoney.com - USA16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Carnival Cruise Lines, the world's largest cruise operator, raked in a record number of awards during the past year, ...

Here is an award, CARNIVAL will Not Be Bragging about:
Of the 96 individuals that have gone overboard since the year 2000, half of them have been from cruise ships owned by the CARNIVAL CORPORATION! http://www.cruisejunkie.com/Overboard.html
Are they proud to be number one. What are they doing about it?

Crewmember Missing from Cruise Ship "Carnival Glory"

Military.com - 02/01/2008
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,161242,00.html
MIAMI - Coast Guard aircrafts and cutters are searching approximately 1,350 square miles of ocean for a missing cruise ship crewmember believed to have fallen overboard about 45 miles north of Nassau, Bahamas, Friday...
The crew of the Carnival Glory searched the ship and reviewed security tapes before notifying the Coast Guard around 12:30 p.m. which is standard practice when a passenger or crewmember is missing...

Of the 96 individuals that have gone overboard since the year 2000, half of them have been from cruise ships owned by the CARNIVAL CORPORATION! http://www.cruisejunkie.com/Overboard.html