WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.940 Welcome to Cruise News, your daily update on 00:00:02.940 --> 00:00:05.440 everything happening at sea. Visit CruiseNews 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:08.539 .io to see today's stories and sign up for email 00:00:08.539 --> 00:00:11.900 alerts. It is good to be here and we have quite 00:00:11.900 --> 00:00:14.599 the lineup today. We really do. From hurricanes 00:00:14.599 --> 00:00:17.719 to, well, some really risky behavior and even 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:20.660 a man overboard search. Today's stories just 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:23.510 spotlight how quickly cruise. plans and onboard 00:00:23.510 --> 00:00:25.910 safety can change. They really can. We're looking 00:00:25.910 --> 00:00:28.609 at a historic storm scrambling itineraries for 00:00:28.609 --> 00:00:31.570 Disney Cruise Line, a tragic search operation 00:00:31.570 --> 00:00:34.469 in the Mediterranean involving Viking cruises 00:00:34.469 --> 00:00:37.310 and then a viral video from a Royal Caribbean 00:00:37.310 --> 00:00:40.590 ship that has the internet just screaming at 00:00:40.590 --> 00:00:42.869 their screens. It's a heavy mix for sure but 00:00:42.869 --> 00:00:44.909 you know if you look closely there's a thread 00:00:44.909 --> 00:00:47.170 connecting all of these events. Which is. It's 00:00:47.170 --> 00:00:49.049 about the illusion of control. I mean we get 00:00:49.049 --> 00:00:51.850 on these massive floating city ships like the 00:00:51.850 --> 00:00:54.609 Disney Treasure or Wonder of the Seas and because 00:00:54.609 --> 00:00:57.289 they have Starbucks and waterslides, we kind 00:00:57.289 --> 00:00:59.850 of forget we are in a hostile maritime environment. 00:00:59.950 --> 00:01:01.929 That is a really good point. We treat them like 00:01:01.929 --> 00:01:04.189 hotels, but hotels don't usually have to outrun 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:07.290 a category five storm. Precisely. Whether it's 00:01:07.290 --> 00:01:10.189 a captain navigating around a hurricane or a 00:01:10.189 --> 00:01:12.709 passenger deciding to climb over a balcony railing, 00:01:13.109 --> 00:01:15.549 the ocean is always waiting to remind us who 00:01:15.549 --> 00:01:18.769 is actually in charge. Well, speaking of the 00:01:18.769 --> 00:01:21.500 ocean being in charge... Let's start with that 00:01:21.500 --> 00:01:25.060 big weather news. Hurricane Melissa. What a storm. 00:01:25.180 --> 00:01:26.840 If you were watching the Weather Channel this 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:29.540 week, this thing was a monster. I mean, we are 00:01:29.540 --> 00:01:32.620 talking about a historic category five storm 00:01:32.620 --> 00:01:36.280 with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour. And 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:38.560 just to put that in perspective for everyone 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:41.739 listening, 185 miles per hour is not just bad 00:01:41.739 --> 00:01:44.659 weather. No. That is catastrophic. It's the kind 00:01:44.659 --> 00:01:46.879 of wind speed that literally strips pavement 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:50.379 off the ground. This storm made landfall in Jamaica 00:01:50.379 --> 00:01:53.000 and caused severe damage and flooding there, 00:01:53.180 --> 00:01:55.980 and in Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, 00:01:56.219 --> 00:01:58.480 too. So obviously, if you are running a cruise 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:00.280 line, you are not sending a ship anywhere near 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:02.019 that. I want to talk about the logistics here, 00:02:02.019 --> 00:02:03.780 because I think people assume you're just doing 00:02:03.780 --> 00:02:05.599 the steering wheel and go somewhere else. definitely 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:08.180 not that simple. Disney Cruise Line had to make 00:02:08.180 --> 00:02:11.620 massive changes for the Disney Treasure and the 00:02:11.620 --> 00:02:13.759 Disney Wish. Huge changes. Let's look at the 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:16.199 Disney Treasure first. This was a seven -night 00:02:16.199 --> 00:02:19.099 Halloween sailing. It left Port Canaveral on 00:02:19.099 --> 00:02:22.800 October 25th. The original plan was the Eastern 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.080 Caribbean. Right, so Tortola and the British 00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:26.939 Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and the U .S. Virgin 00:02:26.939 --> 00:02:30.039 Islands, the classic Eastern route. But Melissa 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:32.090 was just... barreling right through that corridor. 00:02:32.349 --> 00:02:34.770 That way around it. So Disney scraps the eastern 00:02:34.770 --> 00:02:36.669 planet entirely. They rerouted the ship to the 00:02:36.669 --> 00:02:39.810 western Caribbean. Instead of Tortola, guests 00:02:39.810 --> 00:02:42.930 ended up in Cozumel, Mexico. Right. And here 00:02:42.930 --> 00:02:45.330 is where I have a question. How hard is it to 00:02:45.330 --> 00:02:49.080 just switch to Cozumel? I mean, Can a ship the 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:51.740 size of the treasure just show up and park? Absolutely 00:02:51.740 --> 00:02:53.639 not. You have to imagine the Caribbean during 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:56.099 a hurricane as a high -stakes game of musical 00:02:56.099 --> 00:02:58.759 chairs. Okay. Every single cruise line, Carnival 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:01.919 Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:04.620 Cruise Line Holdings, they are all looking at 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:07.280 the exact same weather map. They all want to 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:09.319 move their ships away from the storm and into 00:03:09.319 --> 00:03:11.800 the calm waters of the Western Caribbean. So 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:14.000 Cozumel just becomes a parking lot. It becomes 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:16.590 the most competitive real estate on earth. A 00:03:16.590 --> 00:03:19.069 port like Cozumel only has a specific number 00:03:19.069 --> 00:03:22.590 of berths. Literally, the parking spots for these 00:03:22.590 --> 00:03:25.389 massive vessels. And they are booked years in 00:03:25.389 --> 00:03:28.129 advance. Wow. So when Disney decides to pivot 00:03:28.129 --> 00:03:31.189 to the west, their operations center is frantically 00:03:31.189 --> 00:03:34.569 calling port authorities, negotiating fees, and 00:03:34.569 --> 00:03:37.169 trying to secure a slot before another line takes 00:03:37.169 --> 00:03:38.669 it. That makes the fact that they pulled this 00:03:38.669 --> 00:03:40.729 off even more impressive. It is a logistical 00:03:40.729 --> 00:03:43.090 miracle. If you can't get a dock, you have to... 00:03:43.050 --> 00:03:45.750 tender, which is slower, or you just spend the 00:03:45.750 --> 00:03:49.289 day at sea burning fuel and dealing with very 00:03:49.289 --> 00:03:51.250 disappointed passengers. Well, speaking of disappointed 00:03:51.250 --> 00:03:53.729 passengers or, you know, avoiding that, Disney 00:03:53.729 --> 00:03:55.050 did something interesting with the schedule. 00:03:55.110 --> 00:03:57.610 They added an extra day at Castaway Cay. The 00:03:57.610 --> 00:04:00.569 double dip. Exactly. The Disney treasure ended 00:04:00.569 --> 00:04:04.449 up visiting Disney's private island on both October 00:04:04.449 --> 00:04:07.689 30th and October 31st, and they did something 00:04:07.689 --> 00:04:09.800 similar with the Disney Wish. That was a four 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:11.879 -night sailing. They just swapped the order, 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:14.860 Castaway Cay first, then Nassau, just to dodge 00:04:14.860 --> 00:04:17.660 the weather. Why lean so heavily on Castaway 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:20.480 Cay? Is it just because it's popular? It's popular, 00:04:20.740 --> 00:04:23.959 sure. But strategically, it is the ultimate safety 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:26.800 valve. This is the massive advantage of cruise 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:29.079 lines owning their own private destinations. 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:31.740 Oh, OK. When the rest of the Caribbean is closed 00:04:31.740 --> 00:04:34.160 or fully booked, Disney doesn't have to call 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:36.199 a foreign government to ask for permission to 00:04:36.199 --> 00:04:39.139 dock at Castaway Cay. They own the island. They 00:04:39.139 --> 00:04:41.339 own the pier. They are their own port authority. 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:44.959 Exactly. It turns a potential scheduling nightmare 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:48.220 into a bonus day for the guests. Oh, we can't 00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:50.360 go to St. Thomas, no problem. Here's another 00:04:50.360 --> 00:04:52.860 day at the beach. It saves the vacation experience. 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:55.300 And speaking of that vacation experience, I noticed 00:04:55.300 --> 00:04:57.699 Disney mentioned that port adventures for the 00:04:57.699 --> 00:05:00.199 canceled stops were automatically refunded. For 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:02.620 people who don't cruise often, are port adventures 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:06.459 just excursions? Yes. That is just Disney branding 00:05:06.459 --> 00:05:08.839 for shore excursions, snorkeling, city tours, 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:11.180 that sort of thing. But that automatic refund 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:14.319 is crucial. Why is that so important? Usually 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:16.519 that money is tied up with third -party tour 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:19.279 operators on the islands. Getting that cash back 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:21.660 to the guest instantly without them having to 00:05:21.660 --> 00:05:24.319 stand in line at guest services prevents a riot 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:26.939 at the front desk. I could imagine. It wasn't 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:28.920 just Disney, right? The whole industry was scrambling. 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:32.420 Oh, everyone was moving. We saw Royal Caribbean's 00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:35.220 Icon of the Seas and Celebrity Cruise's Celebrity 00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:38.040 Beyond shifting away from St. Martin and St. 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:40.699 Thomas, heading toward Mexico and Honduras. And 00:05:40.699 --> 00:05:43.319 what about the others? Carnival Dream and Norwegian 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:45.720 Joy couldn't even find ports. They just opted 00:05:45.720 --> 00:05:49.959 for extra sea days. And the regal princess on 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:52.839 a transatlantic crossing just skipped the Caribbean 00:05:52.839 --> 00:05:55.579 entirely. It really highlights that When a storm 00:05:55.579 --> 00:05:57.819 like Melissa spins up, the schedule just goes 00:05:57.819 --> 00:06:00.459 out the window. It has to. Safety is the only 00:06:00.459 --> 00:06:02.540 metric that matters. It creates such a stark 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:04.959 contrast, doesn't it? We're talking about avoiding 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:08.139 a storm to keep people safe. But sometimes, the 00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:10.819 danger isn't the weather outside. It's an emergency 00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:13.240 happening right on the ship. And that brings 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:15.879 us to the news out of the Mediterranean. This 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:18.379 is a much tougher story to cover. We're talking 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:21.120 about a man overboard situation involving the 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:23.779 Viking star, which is part of the Viking cruises 00:06:23.779 --> 00:06:26.779 fleet. Yes, this happened on Monday, October 00:06:26.779 --> 00:06:30.300 27th. The ship was transiting between Crete in 00:06:30.300 --> 00:06:33.680 Greece and Sicily, Italy. And we know from reports, 00:06:34.139 --> 00:06:35.980 including from a Fox News producer who happened 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:38.939 to be on board, that this occurred around 1130 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:41.620 in the morning. Horrifyingly, passengers actually 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:44.160 witnessed the crew member going overboard. I 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:45.959 just can't imagine how traumatic that is for 00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:48.199 the guests and, of course, the fellow crew members. 00:06:49.019 --> 00:06:50.879 The accounts say the crew reacted instantly. 00:06:51.540 --> 00:06:53.639 They threw an orange life ring and a smoke flare 00:06:53.639 --> 00:06:56.860 into the water. I get the life ring, but why 00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:58.740 the smoke flare? Is that just a signal for help? 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:00.980 It's not for help. It's for position. You have 00:07:00.980 --> 00:07:03.879 to understand the ocean is vast and a human head 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:06.339 is about the size of a coconut. Right. In open 00:07:06.339 --> 00:07:08.879 water, even with calm seas, you can lose sight 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:11.920 of a person in seconds. The smoke flare marks 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:14.019 the specific spot where the person hit the water. 00:07:14.420 --> 00:07:16.500 It gives the bridge a visual reference point 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:19.160 to calculate the drift. The report mentions the 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:21.480 ship maneuvered to circle back. Is that just 00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:23.939 a simple U -turn? It's much more technical than 00:07:23.939 --> 00:07:26.600 a U -turn. The bridge likely initiated what is 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:29.480 called a Williamson turn. A Williamson turn. 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:33.279 It's a standard maritime rescue maneuver. If 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:36.060 you just turn the wheel hard left, you will end 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:39.079 up parallel to your original course but miles 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:41.279 away from where the person fell because of the 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:43.699 ship's momentum. Ah, I see. A Williamson turn 00:07:43.699 --> 00:07:46.019 is a specific figure -eight maneuver designed 00:07:46.019 --> 00:07:48.480 to bring the ship back to the exact coordinates 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:50.680 of the incident, traveling in the opposite direction 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:53.939 down its own wake. It requires incredible precision. 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.339 That explains why they were searching that area 00:07:56.339 --> 00:07:58.980 so intensely. They were about 100 nautical miles 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:01.680 southeast of Calabria, and the Italian Coast 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:04.720 Guard was coordinating. But then, by Monday evening, 00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:07.000 the Viking Star was released from the search. 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:09.180 That always feels jarring to the public, doesn't 00:08:09.180 --> 00:08:11.720 it? Why did they stop looking? Exactly. It feels 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:14.040 like they're abandoning the person. They aren't. 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:16.360 But a cruise ship is not a dedicated search and 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:19.019 rescue platform. It's big, it's hard to maneuver, 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:21.560 and it has thousands of passengers to care for. 00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:24.519 So the professionals take over. Once the professional 00:08:24.519 --> 00:08:27.709 assets arrive... helicopters, Coast Guard cutters, 00:08:28.009 --> 00:08:30.069 the authorities will often release the cruise 00:08:30.069 --> 00:08:32.970 ship. The Coast Guard can search more effectively 00:08:32.970 --> 00:08:35.610 with thermal imaging and aircraft than a cruise 00:08:35.610 --> 00:08:38.470 ship can with binoculars on the bridge. Viking 00:08:38.470 --> 00:08:41.590 Cruises issued a statement saying they were deeply 00:08:41.590 --> 00:08:44.470 saddened and supporting the family, but they 00:08:44.470 --> 00:08:47.590 haven't released a name or a cause. However, 00:08:47.789 --> 00:08:50.850 there was one detail, or I guess a lack of a 00:08:50.850 --> 00:08:53.690 detail, that caught your eye. It did. Viking 00:08:53.690 --> 00:08:55.870 did not answer inquiries about whether the Viking 00:08:55.870 --> 00:08:57.830 star is equipped with an automated overboard 00:08:57.830 --> 00:09:00.309 detection system. And we hear about these systems 00:09:00.309 --> 00:09:03.850 a lot. They use thermal cameras or radar to instantly 00:09:03.850 --> 00:09:05.629 alert the bridge as something falls over, right? 00:09:05.929 --> 00:09:08.740 In theory, yes. But the industry has been slow 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:11.299 to adopt them universally. The technology still 00:09:11.299 --> 00:09:13.779 struggles with the maritime environment. Sea 00:09:13.779 --> 00:09:16.700 spray, birds, even a towel blowing off a balcony 00:09:16.700 --> 00:09:18.759 can trigger a false alarm. And if the bridge 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:21.419 gets 50 false alarms a night? They stop trusting 00:09:21.419 --> 00:09:23.519 the system. But when they work, they can save 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:25.799 precious minutes. The statistics on this are 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:28.320 just grim. You pulled some numbers from CLIA 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:31.820 and GPWild. Yes. Between 2009 and 2019, there 00:09:31.820 --> 00:09:35.480 were 212 overboard incidents. Only 48 people 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:38.500 were rescued. That is less than a 25 % survival 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:41.200 rate. And we have to be honest about why. Brian 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:44.019 Solano, a former senior VP at CLIA, has pointed 00:09:44.019 --> 00:09:46.860 this out before. Crew ship railings are high. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.539 They are chest -high on most adults. You don't 00:09:49.539 --> 00:09:51.980 just trip over them. So the implication is that 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:54.620 many of these are intentional acts. Or the result 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:57.200 of extreme recklessness. Now, we don't know the 00:09:57.200 --> 00:09:59.139 cause in the Viking Star case yet, so we shouldn't 00:09:59.139 --> 00:10:01.679 speculate. But generally speaking, staying on 00:10:01.679 --> 00:10:03.879 a cruise ship is very easy if you just keep your 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:06.299 feet on the deck. Which is a perfect, albeit 00:10:06.299 --> 00:10:09.279 frustrating, segue to our final story. Because 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:11.539 while we are mourning a likely loss of life in 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:14.039 the Mediterranean, we have a viral video showing 00:10:14.039 --> 00:10:16.980 people actively flirting with that exact - same 00:10:16.980 --> 00:10:19.519 fate. This is the story that makes maritime lawyers 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:23.000 wake up in a cold sweat. A TikTok user named 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:27.480 advancedly posted a video that has gone absolutely 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:31.429 viral. and online sleuths have linked it to Royal 00:10:31.429 --> 00:10:34.289 Caribbean's wonder of the seas. It shows two 00:10:34.289 --> 00:10:36.929 teenagers climbing between the balcony dividers. 00:10:37.129 --> 00:10:39.129 And just to be clear, they aren't just climbing 00:10:39.129 --> 00:10:41.809 over the divider on the balcony floor. They are 00:10:41.809 --> 00:10:44.049 stepping outside the protective glass barrier. 00:10:44.090 --> 00:10:47.090 Outside. They are inching along the narrow steel 00:10:47.090 --> 00:10:50.230 ledge, the ship's superstructure, that runs along 00:10:50.230 --> 00:10:52.169 the outside of the vessel. And the ship is moving. 00:10:52.330 --> 00:10:54.809 The ship is moving. They are hundreds of feet 00:10:54.809 --> 00:10:56.629 above the waterline. I think when people see 00:10:56.629 --> 00:10:58.330 these videos, they just think, oh, they were 00:10:58.330 --> 00:11:00.730 just being silly kids. But you've talked before 00:11:00.730 --> 00:11:03.070 about the physics of a moving ship. It's not 00:11:03.070 --> 00:11:05.269 like standing on a hotel balcony, is it? Not 00:11:05.269 --> 00:11:07.809 at all. First, you have the wind. If the ship 00:11:07.809 --> 00:11:10.289 is doing 20 knots, you have a 20 knot headwind, 00:11:10.470 --> 00:11:12.710 plus whatever the actual weather is doing. It 00:11:12.710 --> 00:11:14.470 creates a wind tunnel effect along the side of 00:11:14.470 --> 00:11:16.649 the hull. And then there's more. Then you have 00:11:16.649 --> 00:11:19.789 vibration from the engines. And suction. The 00:11:19.789 --> 00:11:22.529 aerodynamics of a cruise ship can create weird 00:11:22.529 --> 00:11:25.409 pressure zones along the hull. If you slip, you 00:11:25.409 --> 00:11:27.450 aren't just falling straight down. You could 00:11:27.450 --> 00:11:29.549 be pulled into the side of the ship, hitting 00:11:29.549 --> 00:11:32.750 a lifeboat, a promenade deck, or a lower balcony. 00:11:33.110 --> 00:11:35.090 It's a meat grinder. And if you fall from deck 00:11:35.090 --> 00:11:39.659 10 to deck 5. It's fatal. And it's traumatizing 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:42.179 for the hundreds of people who might see it happen. 00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:45.100 So let's talk consequences. The internet is demanding 00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:48.080 head's role. What can Royal Caribbean actually 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:51.200 do here? What is their legal leverage? It all 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:53.559 comes down to the contract of carriage. That 00:11:53.559 --> 00:11:55.799 is the fine print nobody reads when they book 00:11:55.799 --> 00:11:58.240 a cruise. Right. It basically says the captain's 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:00.919 word is law. If you endanger the safety of the 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:03.539 vessel or anyone on it, the captain has the legal 00:12:03.539 --> 00:12:05.639 right to disembark you. Which is a nice way of 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:08.210 saying kick you off. Immediately. at the next 00:12:08.210 --> 00:12:09.870 port. And this is what people don't realize. 00:12:09.970 --> 00:12:12.889 If you get kicked off in Cozumel or Nassau, the 00:12:12.889 --> 00:12:15.090 ship doesn't pay for your flight home. You are 00:12:15.090 --> 00:12:17.809 stranded. If your passport is in the ship's safe, 00:12:18.250 --> 00:12:20.669 good luck. And the penalties go beyond just being 00:12:20.669 --> 00:12:24.049 stranded. Oh, yeah. Massive fines and usually 00:12:24.049 --> 00:12:27.769 a lifetime ban. We have seen Royal Caribbean 00:12:27.769 --> 00:12:29.929 issue lifetime bans for similar stunts before. 00:12:30.029 --> 00:12:32.210 You will never set foot on their ships again. 00:12:32.629 --> 00:12:34.490 The public reaction to this has been fierce. 00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:37.840 We are seeing comments like one from a Becky 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:40.399 Rendell who wrote, parents don't care as long 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:42.639 as they're not bothering them. And another from 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:44.860 Danielle Marie saying, the number of young kids 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:47.759 roaming freely is alarming. It touches on a real 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:50.080 tension in the industry. Cruise lines market 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:52.679 themselves as these carefree, family -friendly 00:12:52.679 --> 00:12:55.620 paradises, but they are also industrial work 00:12:55.620 --> 00:12:58.159 sites operating in a dangerous environment. It 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:01.360 is that resort versus ship mentality again. Exactly. 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:03.580 Parents assume it's like a fenced -in playground, 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:06.259 but if your teenager is climbing the superstructure, 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:08.440 that is not a supervision failure. That is a 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:10.559 fundamental failure to respect the environment. 00:13:10.909 --> 00:13:13.029 Do you think this will lead to changes? I mean, 00:13:13.110 --> 00:13:14.870 we talked about the lack of automated detection 00:13:14.870 --> 00:13:17.230 on the Viking star with ships getting bigger. 00:13:17.370 --> 00:13:19.629 The wonder of the seas carries almost 7000 people. 00:13:19.870 --> 00:13:21.710 Will we see cameras pointing at the balconies? 00:13:21.970 --> 00:13:23.950 It's a privacy trade off, isn't it? People want 00:13:23.950 --> 00:13:25.750 to sit on their balcony in their robe and have 00:13:25.750 --> 00:13:27.909 coffee without Big Brother watching. Of course. 00:13:28.070 --> 00:13:30.529 But if these viral stunts keep happening and 00:13:30.529 --> 00:13:33.049 if the liability costs keep rising, the cruise 00:13:33.049 --> 00:13:35.169 lines might decide that safety trumps privacy. 00:13:35.580 --> 00:13:38.639 We might see sensors or cameras becoming standard 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:41.840 to stop this before it goes viral. It's a sobering 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:44.659 thought. We started with a hurricane, moved to 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:48.120 a tragedy, and ended with just utterly reckless 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:51.039 behavior. And the common thread is respect. You 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:53.019 have to respect the force of the weather, you 00:13:53.019 --> 00:13:55.139 have to respect the ocean, and you have to respect 00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:57.500 the rules that keep you alive. A cruise ship 00:13:57.500 --> 00:14:00.779 is a marvel of engineering, but it is not a theme 00:14:00.779 --> 00:14:03.990 park on land. It's an active vessel. It is. And 00:14:03.990 --> 00:14:05.850 whether it is the captain of the Disney treasure 00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:08.929 rerouting to avoid a storm or a passenger simply 00:14:08.929 --> 00:14:11.350 deciding not to climb a railing, adherence to 00:14:11.350 --> 00:14:13.549 safety protocols is the only thing preventing 00:14:13.549 --> 00:14:16.129 disaster. Well, on that note, we are going to 00:14:16.129 --> 00:14:18.629 wrap up this deep dive. A lot to think about 00:14:18.629 --> 00:14:21.250 before your next sailing. Thanks for listening 00:14:21.250 --> 00:14:24.210 to Cruise News. Visit CruiseNews .io to catch 00:14:24.210 --> 00:14:26.350 up on the latest updates and sign up for free 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:27.129 email alerts.