WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520 Welcome to Cruise News, your daily update on 00:00:02.520 --> 00:00:05.139 everything happening at sea. Visit CruiseNews 00:00:05.139 --> 00:00:08.960 .io to see today's stories and sign up for email 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:11.679 alerts. You know, when we look at cruise brochures 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:15.560 or scroll through Instagram, we see a very specific 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:19.260 script. The perfect sunset, the calm seas. Exactly. 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:21.660 It's the captain clinking glasses with guests, 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:24.460 the itinerary that runs like a Swiss watch. That 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:27.339 is the dream we buy. It is. It is the polished 00:00:27.339 --> 00:00:30.079 marketing version of what is, you know, a very 00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:33.640 complex industrial operation. Exactly. But today 00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:36.340 we're going to tear up that script. We're doing 00:00:36.340 --> 00:00:38.299 a deep dive into what happens when the industry 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:40.799 goes off script. Right. Because when you are 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:42.560 on a floating city in the middle of the ocean, 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:44.920 off script can mean anything from a computer 00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:46.990 algorithm kicking you off the ship. to a winter 00:00:46.990 --> 00:00:49.310 storm trapping you in a terminal. To, in some 00:00:49.310 --> 00:00:51.909 cases, a federal investigation taking place behind 00:00:51.909 --> 00:00:54.149 sealed doors. It's a fascinating mix today. We 00:00:54.149 --> 00:00:56.229 usually talk about the fun stuff, the water slides 00:00:56.229 --> 00:00:59.429 and buffets. Sure, but the reality of running 00:00:59.429 --> 00:01:01.950 these massive vessels is that they are incredibly 00:01:01.950 --> 00:01:05.730 fragile ecosystems. They rely on perfect timing, 00:01:06.049 --> 00:01:09.950 perfect headcount, and perfect legal clarity. 00:01:10.049 --> 00:01:12.150 And when one of those things breaks... The vacation 00:01:12.150 --> 00:01:14.489 changes instantly. We have three stories that 00:01:14.489 --> 00:01:17.469 perfectly illustrate this breakdown first, what 00:01:17.469 --> 00:01:20.310 I'd call the good kind of disruption, if you're 00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:22.709 flexible enough to take it. Royal Caribbean is 00:01:22.709 --> 00:01:24.530 currently offering to pay people a significant 00:01:24.530 --> 00:01:26.709 amount of money not to sail because their ships 00:01:26.709 --> 00:01:28.890 are too full. Which sounds like a dream until 00:01:28.890 --> 00:01:31.409 you read the fine print. Always the fine print. 00:01:32.030 --> 00:01:34.549 Then we have the bad disruption. We're tracking 00:01:34.549 --> 00:01:36.989 a logistical nightmare in the mid -Atlantic right 00:01:36.989 --> 00:01:39.409 now, where winter storms are turning terminals 00:01:39.409 --> 00:01:42.790 in Baltimore and Norfolk into, well, chaotic 00:01:42.790 --> 00:01:45.409 waiting rooms. Yeah not a good scene. And finally 00:01:45.409 --> 00:01:48.310 we have to touch on the serious reality. We're 00:01:48.310 --> 00:01:50.890 looking at a major update or I guess a major 00:01:50.890 --> 00:01:54.250 non -update regarding a homicide aboard the Carnival 00:01:54.250 --> 00:01:57.030 Horizon. It is a heavy topic but it sheds a lot 00:01:57.030 --> 00:01:59.329 of light on how justice works or maybe doesn't 00:01:59.329 --> 00:02:01.209 work when a tragedy happens in international 00:02:01.209 --> 00:02:04.090 waters. It is a lot to unpack so let's dive right 00:02:04.090 --> 00:02:06.409 in. I want to start with this email from Royal 00:02:06.409 --> 00:02:08.870 Caribbean. This is about the oasis of the seas. 00:02:09.289 --> 00:02:12.830 for the sailing coming up on February 7, 2026, 00:02:13.229 --> 00:02:16.830 out of Fort Lauderdale. A massive ship. How many 00:02:16.830 --> 00:02:19.009 people are we talking about? Well, the Oasis 00:02:19.009 --> 00:02:21.250 class redefined the industry. You're looking 00:02:21.250 --> 00:02:24.650 at over 5 ,600 passengers at double occupancy. 00:02:25.189 --> 00:02:27.669 If every single bed is full, so kids and pull 00:02:27.669 --> 00:02:30.849 -out couches, upper berths, you could be at nearly 00:02:30.849 --> 00:02:34.699 6 ,800 people. So, guests booked on this sailing 00:02:34.699 --> 00:02:37.699 open their inbox and see a voluntary cancellation 00:02:37.699 --> 00:02:40.800 offer. It basically says, we messed up, we sold 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:43.400 too many tickets, please don't come. Essentially, 00:02:43.659 --> 00:02:46.930 yes. They are offering a 100 % refund of everything 00:02:46.930 --> 00:02:50.050 you paid. That includes non -refundable deposits, 00:02:50.129 --> 00:02:52.389 which is rare. Plus, they're offering a future 00:02:52.389 --> 00:02:55.289 cruise credit, an FCC, worth 50 % of your cruise 00:02:55.289 --> 00:02:57.069 fare. And what about flights and hotels? They'll 00:02:57.069 --> 00:02:59.349 even reimburse non -refundable travel costs for 00:02:59.349 --> 00:03:01.050 things like that you've already booked. OK, let's 00:03:01.050 --> 00:03:02.849 pause there. Because if I'm a listener holding 00:03:02.849 --> 00:03:05.270 a ticket for this cruise, my brain immediately 00:03:05.270 --> 00:03:07.909 goes to, I just made a 50 % profit for sitting 00:03:07.909 --> 00:03:11.930 on my couch. It feels like free money. It does. 00:03:12.189 --> 00:03:16.289 But knowing the cruise industry, that word fair 00:03:16.289 --> 00:03:19.270 is a slippery word. It is the most important 00:03:19.270 --> 00:03:22.009 definition in the contract. This is the aha moment 00:03:22.009 --> 00:03:26.150 for the listener. Your cruise fare is not the 00:03:26.150 --> 00:03:28.270 total amount you are charged. Walk us through 00:03:28.270 --> 00:03:31.289 that math. Okay, let's say you paid $3 ,000 total 00:03:31.289 --> 00:03:34.789 for a balcony stateroom. You assume your 50 % 00:03:34.789 --> 00:03:37.900 bonus credit will be $1 ,500. Right. But that 00:03:37.900 --> 00:03:41.479 $3 ,000 total includes port taxes, government 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:45.280 fees, prepaid gratuities, maybe a Wi -Fi package, 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:47.479 or travel insurance. All the add -ons. All the 00:03:47.479 --> 00:03:50.639 add -ons. The actual base fare, the revenue that 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:52.759 goes to the cruise line for the cabin itself, 00:03:53.180 --> 00:03:56.240 might only be, say, $1 ,800 of that total. Oh, 00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:58.319 wow. So the bonus credit is calculated on the 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:00.879 $1 ,800, not the $3 ,000. Exactly. So instead 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:04.000 of a $1 ,500 credit, you're getting a $900 credit. 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:05.819 Which is still a good deal. It is still a good 00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:10.219 deal. plus 900 for a future trip, but it is not 00:04:10.219 --> 00:04:12.479 the windfall people think it is. You know, there 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:14.479 are restrictions on when you can use it. There 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:17.720 are. You have to use that credit on a sailing 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:22.339 that departs by February 7, 2027. You have exactly 00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:26.290 one year. 365 days. Right. And if your job doesn't 00:04:26.290 --> 00:04:28.170 let you take vacation next year, or if you have 00:04:28.170 --> 00:04:30.629 a baby on the way, that credit could expire and 00:04:30.629 --> 00:04:33.170 become worthless. That is a crucial detail. Yeah. 00:04:33.269 --> 00:04:35.649 But why is Royal Caribbean doing this? Did someone 00:04:35.649 --> 00:04:38.620 just, you know... Hit an extra zero on the booking 00:04:38.620 --> 00:04:41.519 computer? No, it's intentional. It's called inventory 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:43.959 management. It is the exact same logic airlines 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:46.779 use. OK. They have decades of data that say, 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:50.019 for a February sailing out of Florida, 5 % of 00:04:50.019 --> 00:04:52.339 people usually cancel last minute. People get 00:04:52.339 --> 00:04:54.339 the flu. They miss flights. They have family 00:04:54.339 --> 00:04:56.220 emergency. So they sell more cabins than they 00:04:56.220 --> 00:04:58.899 have. They sell 105 % of the cabins, banking 00:04:58.899 --> 00:05:02.160 on that 5 % drop off. But in 2026, people aren't 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:05.410 dropping off. Exactly. Post -COVID travel habits 00:05:05.410 --> 00:05:08.009 have shifted. People are committing. Cancellation 00:05:08.009 --> 00:05:10.589 rates are at historic lows. So when everyone 00:05:10.589 --> 00:05:13.009 actually shows up, the math breaks. And this 00:05:13.009 --> 00:05:15.250 is better than the alternative. Oh, much better. 00:05:15.550 --> 00:05:18.509 Paying people to stay home voluntarily is much 00:05:18.509 --> 00:05:22.170 cheaper and better PR than involuntarily denying 00:05:22.170 --> 00:05:23.970 them boarding. Which is basically dragging them 00:05:23.970 --> 00:05:26.550 off, kicking and screaming. Well, not quite. 00:05:26.829 --> 00:05:29.250 But we saw it happen with the quantum of the 00:05:29.250 --> 00:05:33.069 seas in Brisbane back in November 2023. Oh, I 00:05:33.069 --> 00:05:35.269 remember that. Guests showed up at the terminal, 00:05:35.509 --> 00:05:38.189 luggage in hand, excitement at peak levels, and 00:05:38.189 --> 00:05:41.050 were told at the check -in desk, sorry, no room 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:43.709 at the inn. That is a nightmare. I can't imagine 00:05:43.709 --> 00:05:45.810 standing at the pier with my kids and being turned 00:05:45.810 --> 00:05:48.569 away. It was a disaster. And in that case, because 00:05:48.569 --> 00:05:51.009 it was involuntary, the compensation was actually 00:05:51.009 --> 00:05:53.850 worse. They got a full refund, but only a 25 00:05:53.850 --> 00:05:56.430 % future credit. So they've learned their lesson. 00:05:56.550 --> 00:05:59.110 Royal Caribbean learned from that. Now they try 00:05:59.110 --> 00:06:01.129 to solve the problem a week in advance with these 00:06:01.129 --> 00:06:03.389 volunteer offers. It's almost gamified, isn't 00:06:03.389 --> 00:06:05.319 it? The source mentioned you have to fill out 00:06:05.319 --> 00:06:06.839 a survey and then wait to see if you get picked. 00:06:07.100 --> 00:06:09.860 Yes, it is an opt -in situation. You raise your 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:12.319 hand, but you aren't guaranteed to be chosen. 00:06:12.360 --> 00:06:15.139 So what happens then? If not enough people volunteer, 00:06:15.540 --> 00:06:17.540 they might send a second email with a sweeter 00:06:17.540 --> 00:06:20.740 offer, maybe extra onboard credit. But if too 00:06:20.740 --> 00:06:23.259 many people volunteer, their algorithm kicks 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:25.600 in again. And who do they pick? They will pick 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:27.939 the passengers who paid the lowest fares to stay 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:30.660 home. They want to keep the big spenders on the 00:06:30.660 --> 00:06:32.939 ship. That's fascinating. So even when they are 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:35.660 apologizing, they're optimizing revenue. Always. 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:37.860 A cruise ship is a business first, a vacation 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:41.220 second. So for the listener, if you get one of 00:06:41.220 --> 00:06:44.259 these emails, do the math on the base fare, check 00:06:44.259 --> 00:06:46.819 your calendar for next year, and realize you're 00:06:46.819 --> 00:06:49.500 entering a negotiation with a very smart computer. 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:51.779 Precisely. Don't be blinded by the percentage 00:06:51.779 --> 00:06:53.939 sign. All right, let's shift gears. We've talked 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:55.959 about too many people. Now let's talk about too 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:58.680 much weather. If you are near the mid -Atlantic 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.420 coast right now, you know it is nasty out there. 00:07:01.560 --> 00:07:04.040 It is a classic February winter storm system. 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:06.800 And for Carnival, it is causing some significant 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:09.540 headaches in Baltimore and Norfolk. Well, the 00:07:09.540 --> 00:07:11.459 Carnival pride in Baltimore and the Carnival 00:07:11.459 --> 00:07:14.060 sunshine in Norfolk. Let's start with the pride. 00:07:14.540 --> 00:07:17.680 OK, a spirit class ship, usually very reliable. 00:07:18.540 --> 00:07:21.519 But this past Sunday, February 8th, it was not 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:23.839 having a good time. What happened? The ship was 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:26.660 delayed, returning to port by five hours. The 00:07:26.660 --> 00:07:30.399 seas were around 15 feet and the winds were gusting. 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:33.120 But the ship can handle that, can't it? Oh, the 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:35.040 ship can handle the waves. Yeah. The problem 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:37.459 was the pilot boat couldn't get to the ship. 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:40.459 Explain that for a second. Why does a massive 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:43.939 cruise ship need a tiny boat to dock? It's maritime 00:07:43.939 --> 00:07:47.370 law and safety. A local expert captain, the pilot, 00:07:47.829 --> 00:07:50.230 has to board the ship to navigate the specific 00:07:50.230 --> 00:07:52.529 channels of the harbor. Right. They usually jump 00:07:52.529 --> 00:07:54.529 from a small boat onto the cruise ship while 00:07:54.529 --> 00:07:56.829 both are moving. If the seas are too rough, that 00:07:56.829 --> 00:07:59.209 transfer is deadly. So the pilot stays home and 00:07:59.209 --> 00:08:01.069 the cruise ship has to do circles in the ocean 00:08:01.069 --> 00:08:03.189 until the weather calms down. So the pride is 00:08:03.189 --> 00:08:05.189 five hours late. That doesn't sound catastrophic. 00:08:05.290 --> 00:08:07.790 Why is that such a big deal? Because a cruise 00:08:07.790 --> 00:08:10.230 terminal is a flow through facility, not a waiting 00:08:10.230 --> 00:08:13.420 room. Right. You have 2 ,500 people trying to 00:08:13.420 --> 00:08:15.639 get off the ship with thousands of suitcases. 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:18.279 And you have another 2 ,500 people in the parking 00:08:18.279 --> 00:08:20.639 lot trying to get on. And you just compress their 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:23.699 turnaround window by five hours. Exactly. And 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:26.439 those two groups collide. I can visualize the 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:28.819 chaos. Carnival sent out alerts telling people, 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:31.579 do not arrive early. They did. They shifted the 00:08:31.579 --> 00:08:34.659 check -in windows. If your arrival time was noon, 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:37.700 your new time was 5 PM. But push yourself in 00:08:37.700 --> 00:08:40.600 the passenger's shoes. Yep. checked out of your 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:43.879 hotel at 11 a .m. It is 35 degrees and raining 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:46.919 in Baltimore. You have your luggage. Where do 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:49.100 you go for six hours? You go to the terminal 00:08:49.100 --> 00:08:50.740 anyway, which is exactly what they don't want. 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:53.159 Exactly. And then you have the bottleneck at 00:08:53.159 --> 00:08:56.240 customs. The agents can't process the new passengers 00:08:56.240 --> 00:08:58.200 until the old ones are completely cleared out. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.320 It just becomes gridlock. And I read that this 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:02.580 spilled over onto the ship itself. They had to 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:04.600 scrap the dining schedule. They had no choice. 00:09:04.789 --> 00:09:08.129 Usually dinner is a choreographed ballet, early 00:09:08.129 --> 00:09:10.990 seating, late seating. Right. But because boarding 00:09:10.990 --> 00:09:13.269 was happening during dinnertime, the galley couldn't 00:09:13.269 --> 00:09:15.070 track who was on board. They just threw open 00:09:15.070 --> 00:09:17.750 the dining room doors. Open seating for everyone. 00:09:18.110 --> 00:09:21.090 Which sounds democratic. But in reality, it means 00:09:21.090 --> 00:09:24.610 long lines, confused waiters, and a very stressful 00:09:24.610 --> 00:09:27.230 start to the vacation. It sets a frantic tone 00:09:27.230 --> 00:09:29.090 for the whole trip. And the Carnival Sunshine 00:09:29.090 --> 00:09:32.519 in Norfolk had it even worse. Worse. The port 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:35.720 actually closed on February 7th. The ship couldn't 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:38.559 dock at all. So it was delayed a full day. Yes. 00:09:38.899 --> 00:09:41.799 It arrived on Sunday, February 8th. So if you 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:43.440 were booked on that cruise, your eight -night 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:46.340 vacation instantly became a seven -night vacation. 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:49.700 Oof. That hurts. Do they get that day back? They 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:52.399 get a prorated refund. So you get one -eighth 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:54.379 of your fare back. But you can't get back the 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:56.899 time. And the itinerary is ruined. Where were 00:09:56.899 --> 00:09:58.519 they headed? They were supposed to go to Half 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:01.649 Moon Cay, Grand Turk, and Amber Cove. When you 00:10:01.649 --> 00:10:04.009 lose 24 hours, you have to cut a port or burn 00:10:04.009 --> 00:10:06.190 a massive amount of fuel to sail faster. And 00:10:06.190 --> 00:10:08.070 it seems like the sunshine is constantly battling 00:10:08.070 --> 00:10:10.649 the weather. It is a pattern. This is the third 00:10:10.649 --> 00:10:13.049 consecutive voyage for sunshine impacted by weather. 00:10:13.610 --> 00:10:15.990 They had to skip Bimini on the last trip. So 00:10:15.990 --> 00:10:17.929 this is a risk of sailing from those ports in 00:10:17.929 --> 00:10:20.549 winter. It really highlights a specific risk. 00:10:20.889 --> 00:10:23.389 When you choose a home port like Norfolk or Baltimore 00:10:23.389 --> 00:10:26.799 in the winter, you are gambling. You save money 00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:29.639 on airfare by driving to the port, sure, but 00:10:29.639 --> 00:10:32.080 you are at the mercy of the North Atlantic Ocean. 00:10:32.340 --> 00:10:34.059 It just challenges the idea that these ships 00:10:34.059 --> 00:10:36.940 run on a schedule like trains. We think they 00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:39.659 are invincible, but one's gorm system throws 00:10:39.659 --> 00:10:42.440 thousands of people's plans into a blender. And 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:45.139 it connects back to the overbooking story. In 00:10:45.139 --> 00:10:48.179 both cases, the cruise line is trying to maximize 00:10:48.179 --> 00:10:50.519 efficiency. The ships are scheduled to arrive 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:52.460 in the morning and leave in the afternoon. Zero 00:10:52.460 --> 00:10:56.340 buffer. There is zero buffer. When nature intervenes 00:10:56.340 --> 00:10:58.799 or an algorithm fails, the system breaks down 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:01.840 very quickly. Those are logistical issues, annoying, 00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:04.659 expensive, but ultimately just travel headaches. 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:07.259 I want to move to our third story now, which 00:11:07.259 --> 00:11:10.360 is much more serious. This is a story that has 00:11:10.360 --> 00:11:13.740 been developing quietly for years, and it touches 00:11:13.740 --> 00:11:16.960 on the very real, very complex legal environment 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:19.610 at sea. Yes, we need to talk about the investigation 00:11:19.610 --> 00:11:21.850 into the death of Anna Kepner aboard the Carnival 00:11:21.850 --> 00:11:23.769 Horizon. For those who haven't followed this, 00:11:23.909 --> 00:11:25.490 can you give us the background? This goes back 00:11:25.490 --> 00:11:29.070 to November 2022. It does. Anna Kepner was just 00:11:29.070 --> 00:11:31.870 18 years old. She was a high school senior from 00:11:31.870 --> 00:11:34.909 Titusville, Florida. And by all accounts, she 00:11:34.909 --> 00:11:37.549 was an incredible young woman, a cheerleader. 00:11:37.649 --> 00:11:39.970 She planned to join the Navy. She wanted to be 00:11:39.970 --> 00:11:42.470 a canine officer. And she was on a family vacation 00:11:42.470 --> 00:11:45.149 on the Carnival Horizon. She was. And midway 00:11:45.149 --> 00:11:48.110 through the trip, on November 7th, 2022, she 00:11:48.110 --> 00:11:50.789 was found dead in her cabin. And the cause of 00:11:50.789 --> 00:11:52.690 death. The medical examiner later determined 00:11:52.690 --> 00:11:55.950 it was homicide by mechanical asphyxiation. She 00:11:55.950 --> 00:11:58.110 was found concealed under a bed in the cabin 00:11:58.110 --> 00:12:00.309 she was sharing with her stepbrother. Her stepbrother, 00:12:00.330 --> 00:12:02.429 who was a minor at the time. He was 16 years 00:12:02.429 --> 00:12:05.820 old. And that detail, his age, is what turns 00:12:05.820 --> 00:12:08.980 this from a tragic news story into a very complex 00:12:08.980 --> 00:12:11.500 lesson on maritime law. We were recording this 00:12:11.500 --> 00:12:14.279 in February 2026. It has been nearly four years. 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:16.840 We just got an update this week, but the update 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:19.919 is mysterious. It is. A hearing took place in 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:22.559 federal court in Miami just this past week, but 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:24.419 it was a sealed hearing. What does that mean, 00:12:24.419 --> 00:12:27.340 sealed? The doors were locked, the docket number, 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:30.779 the case file ID is sealed, the press and the 00:12:30.779 --> 00:12:33.419 public were barred from entering. If this happened 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:36.580 on land, say, in a house in Orlando, we would 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:38.259 know everything. There would be arrest records, 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:40.600 probable cause affidavits, public court dates. 00:12:41.059 --> 00:12:43.899 Why is this so secretive? Two main reasons. First, 00:12:44.340 --> 00:12:47.120 jurisdiction. Because the crime happened in international 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:49.879 waters, local Florida police have no authority. 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:53.190 This falls to the FBI. It is a federal case. 00:12:53.429 --> 00:12:56.070 And the second reason? The suspect's age. The 00:12:56.070 --> 00:12:58.370 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act 00:12:58.370 --> 00:13:01.090 provides massive privacy protections for minors 00:13:01.090 --> 00:13:03.149 in the federal system. Even though he's an adult 00:13:03.149 --> 00:13:05.149 now? Even though the stepbrother is now an adult, 00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:07.929 the legal proceedings relate to a crime allegedly 00:13:07.929 --> 00:13:10.509 committed when he was 16. The federal system 00:13:10.509 --> 00:13:13.289 defaults to secrecy for juveniles, unlike many 00:13:13.289 --> 00:13:16.169 state courts. But four years. That seems like 00:13:16.169 --> 00:13:18.110 an incredibly long time for an investigation. 00:13:18.389 --> 00:13:21.059 Why is it moving so slowly? This is where the 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:23.860 at -sea factor complicates everything. I was 00:13:23.860 --> 00:13:26.159 reading some analysis from Scott Robinson, a 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:28.919 maritime defense lawyer. He isn't involved in 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:31.679 this specific case, but he explained the logistical 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:34.620 nightmare of a shipboard crime. He mentioned 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:37.080 the sheer number of people, right? Exactly. He 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:40.470 said... There are thousands of people on the 00:13:40.470 --> 00:13:43.370 cruise ship. Think about it. If a crime happens 00:13:43.370 --> 00:13:45.850 in a neighborhood, the witnesses stay in the 00:13:45.850 --> 00:13:50.049 neighborhood. Right. On a ship, you have 4 ,000 00:13:50.049 --> 00:13:53.230 potential witnesses who all disembark on Saturday 00:13:53.230 --> 00:13:56.710 and fly home to 50 different states and 10 different 00:13:56.710 --> 00:13:58.649 countries. So the FBI has to track them down 00:13:58.649 --> 00:14:01.350 one by one. Precisely. And they have to be meticulous. 00:14:01.549 --> 00:14:04.190 You have CCTV footage from hundreds of cameras 00:14:04.190 --> 00:14:06.690 to review. You have a crime scene, a cabin that 00:14:06.690 --> 00:14:08.549 might have been cleaned by stewards before the 00:14:08.549 --> 00:14:10.950 crime was discovered. It's a huge undertaking. 00:14:11.169 --> 00:14:12.990 So the delay is actually a sign that they're 00:14:12.990 --> 00:14:15.029 trying to do it right. That was Robinson's point. 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:18.220 The burden of proof in federal court is incredibly 00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:20.720 high. It is better for the prosecutors to take 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:23.200 four years and build an airtight case than to 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:25.480 rush it and have it thrown out on a technicality. 00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:28.480 It is just devastating to think about the families 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.019 involved. You have the victim, Anna, who had 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:33.220 her whole life ahead of her, and you have this 00:14:33.220 --> 00:14:37.059 complex family dynamic. Court records show custody 00:14:37.059 --> 00:14:39.740 disputes, mentions of the stepbrother being in 00:14:39.740 --> 00:14:42.799 a facility in therapy. It is a tragedy on every 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:45.169 level. It is, and it highlights a reality we 00:14:45.169 --> 00:14:47.929 rarely discuss. When you step onto a cruise ship, 00:14:47.950 --> 00:14:50.669 you are leaving the legal protections and processes 00:14:50.669 --> 00:14:53.049 of your home state. You're entering a different 00:14:53.049 --> 00:14:56.250 zone. A legal island, essentially. Exactly. You 00:14:56.250 --> 00:14:58.649 are in a place where the FBI has to fly out to 00:14:58.649 --> 00:15:00.789 meet the ship, where the investigation happens 00:15:00.789 --> 00:15:03.169 behind closed doors, and where justice can move 00:15:03.169 --> 00:15:06.590 at a glacial pace. It is a stark contrast to 00:15:06.590 --> 00:15:09.509 the front -and -sun image of cruising. It definitely 00:15:09.509 --> 00:15:11.309 changes how I look at the contract of carriage 00:15:11.309 --> 00:15:13.429 that we all click agree on without reading. We 00:15:13.429 --> 00:15:16.600 all do it. I do it. The track dictates everything 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:18.980 from your refund rights when the algorithm overbooks 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:21.379 you to your compensation when the weather delays 00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:24.100 you to your legal recourse if a tragedy strikes. 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:27.100 If we connect these three stories, the Oasis 00:15:27.100 --> 00:15:30.000 Overbooking, the Pride Delay, and the Horizon 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:32.740 Investigation, what is the common thread for 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:36.519 you? Isolation. A cruise ship is a contained 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:39.500 city. When the algorithm fails, you can't just 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:41.960 walk to another hotel. You are stranded at the 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.820 pier. You are trapped in the terminal. And when 00:15:44.820 --> 00:15:47.519 a crime happens, you are in a legal jurisdiction 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:49.659 that operates completely separately from the 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:51.940 normal world. That is a really powerful way to 00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:55.139 put it. We love the isolation when it means disconnecting 00:15:55.139 --> 00:15:57.379 from work and sipping a cocktail. We call it 00:15:57.379 --> 00:16:00.450 an escape. Right. But when things go off script, 00:16:00.750 --> 00:16:03.929 that escape becomes a vulnerability. You realize 00:16:03.929 --> 00:16:06.149 that you have surrendered a massive amount of 00:16:06.149 --> 00:16:08.470 control to the cruise line, to the captain, and 00:16:08.470 --> 00:16:11.190 to maritime law. It's a sobering reality check. 00:16:11.269 --> 00:16:13.529 It doesn't mean we stop cruising, but maybe we 00:16:13.529 --> 00:16:15.750 cruise with our eyes a little more open. Exactly. 00:16:16.129 --> 00:16:18.710 Understand the risks. Read the fine print on 00:16:18.710 --> 00:16:21.230 the volunteer offers. Buy the travel insurance 00:16:21.230 --> 00:16:23.549 for the weather delays. And understand that you 00:16:23.549 --> 00:16:25.730 are entering a unique environment where the rules 00:16:25.730 --> 00:16:28.889 of land don't always apply. Before we go, I want 00:16:28.889 --> 00:16:30.490 to leave the listener with a thought to chew 00:16:30.490 --> 00:16:33.070 on. We accept refunds for overbooked flights, 00:16:33.350 --> 00:16:35.429 and we accept rain delays for baseball games. 00:16:35.789 --> 00:16:38.269 We understand those systems. But when a cruise 00:16:38.269 --> 00:16:41.690 goes off script, we feel uniquely helpless. It 00:16:41.690 --> 00:16:44.169 raises the question, when we step onto that gangway, 00:16:44.309 --> 00:16:46.470 do we fully understand how much autonomy we are 00:16:46.470 --> 00:16:49.129 trading for convenience? Are we prepared for 00:16:49.129 --> 00:16:51.289 what happens when the floating city stops working? 00:16:52.110 --> 00:16:54.090 Thanks for listening to Cruise News. Visit CruiseNews 00:16:54.090 --> 00:16:56.350 .io to catch up on the latest updates and sign 00:16:56.350 --> 00:16:57.629 up for free email alerts.