Breaking: Cruise crew member dead in Cozumel

by Chris Owen on

While foul play has not been ruled out, the drowning death of a Royal Caribbean crew member in Cozumel brings the safety of Mexican ports of call back into focus along with the broader issue of cruise passenger safety in general.

The body of Monika Markiewicz a musician on Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas. 32, was recovered from the ocean off the southern part of the island Saturday. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be drowning but Markiewicz also suffered a blow to the head. Police are investigating.


“Tragically, we recently became aware that the crew member was a victim of a violent crime while ashore in a remote area in Cozumel,” said Royal Caribbean spokesperson Cynthia Martinez. “We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of our crew member.”

The topic of Mexican ports of call is a hot issue with cruise lines and Mexican government officials alike. The tragic death of a crew member in Mexican waters, regardless of the reason, brings safety back into the spotlight.

Cozumel is a popular port of call for cruise ships, far removed from the drug gang violence in Mazatlan, a center of Mexican drug cartels. Cruise lines, always vigilant regarding the safety of passengers and crew recently and dropped calls to Mazatlan due to crimes against passengers and crew members.

Disney Cruise Line, Princess and Holland America dropped Mazatlan as a port of call on Mexican Rivera cruises last month. Mexican government officials responded with a cry of “no fair” saying their ports were safe, meeting with cruise line officials and promising a safe experience for cruise passengers.

“We highly value our long-standing relationships within the cruise industry, and are dedicated to ensuring that Mazatlan remains among the top cruise destinations on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Mazatlan has hosted nearly 1.5 million cruise passengers since 2008 and is widely regarded as one of the safest destinations in Mexico.” said Julio Birrueta, spokesperson for the Mazatlan Tourism Trust.

Newly relocated Disney Wonder, bumped to the West coast when new Disney Dream took over in Florida was scheduled to visit Mazatlan on a series of seven-night sailings through April. Instead, that time will be spent in what is believed to be a safer Cabo San Lucas.

Just last week, cruise lines returned to Mazatlan after they believed safety issues had been addressed. The Mexican government bolstered its tourism police force with a special unit of plain-clothes security personnel in the main tourist areas, including shore excursion sites.

Still, crime involving tourists is an ongoing problem in Mexico. Tourism officials have been accused of attempting to minimize the issue. The US Department of State has urged caution visiting Mexico issuing a Travel Warning in September of last year saying “It is imperative that U.S. citizens understand the risks involved in travel to Mexico.”

A cruise line crew member being found dead, for whatever reason, is indeed cause for concern in an ongoing look at the safety of ports around the world.

Last week, chaos and demonstrations in Cairo, Egypt sent cruise lines sailing in a different directions and land tour operators cancelling booked tours.

Cruise lines are modified itineraries for ships calling in Egypt and Tunisia, canceling all port calls in these two countries. While unrest/chaos continues in the area, cruise lines are playing it safe by keeping ships and passengers out of harms way.

Most recently, citing a “changing political environment” Disney Cruise Line as well as land tour operator Adventures by Disney is dropped Tunisia from all land and sea tours. They are just the latest of a growing number of cruise lines and tour operators to pull out of the troubled region.

“We continually evaluate our itineraries, and the decision to modify this itinerary was made in part due to the changing political environment in Tunis and the recent Travel Alert issued by the U.S. Department of State for Tunisia,” Disney spokesperson Christi Erwin Donnan told USA TODAY.

Indeed, cruise lines constantly monitor the situation at every port they call on, most commonly skipping ports for weather related reasons. More difficult to monitor but equally important, changing political environments and crime ashore too are a cause of concern regarding the safety of passengers and crew.


4 reasons why you need a Travel Expert in your pocket

by Chris Owen on

This is the person you want to have on your side when planning travel. Not a Travel Agent, many of them are order takers who fill in the blanks on computer screens. Others try to be everything to everyone and that is just not possible.

Your Travel Expert specializes in one particular area of travel. It might be cruise vacations. They will know what cruise line will work best for you, keep on top of commodity-like cruise pricing and add a great deal of value to your vacation experience. It might be trips to Russia your Travel Expert specialized in. That person will know all there is to know, have been there a bunch of times (if not lived there) and probably speak a good amount of Russian. That’s the person I want helping me plan my vacation. Here are five reasons you need one of those people.

They know what to do in an emergency. You can bet that travelers on the ground in Egypt who have a Travel Expert on their side that knows the lay of the land are glad they do. Any travel agent with the right credentials can book a trip to Egypt. Someone who has visited there a lot or lived there will know specifically what you should do. You will be one of the people that made it out of the country while others lagged behind.

They will be honest with you. Any Travel Expert will tell you without hesitation if what you are looking for is not realistic. The last thing you want is a journey planned by a “yes” man who will say anything to get a sale. If you ever feel you are getting anywhere close to that situation you are not dealing with a Travel Expert. Look for your Travel Expert to speak at functions, teach classes, be involved with travel organizations and be easy to find publicly, like via Facebook, Twitter or a simple Google search.

They will insure a rich experience for you. That same knowledge that can give you an advantage if you had to evacuate a travel destination much more commonly works to enrich your travels. A Travel Expert knows people on the ground where you are going. Regardless of how you get there and what you want or need to see, its the people that will make the difference. A Travel Expert’s recommendation will get you in the door of places you might not ever see without his or her thumbs up.

They will encourage education. Everybody wants to talk about the fabulous places you will visit and things you will see. A Travel Expert will want to give you the knowledge over time that will allow you to appreciate what you will see and experience when you travel. In the olden days they would have given you a travel guide to read, maybe one printed by AAA, a leader in those sort of things. Today they will point you to sources like specific blogs, travel guide sites, and maybe send you a copy of the book they wrote.

You may end up paying one of these people for their expert advice. Be sure that advice comes gift-wrapped with that is called an Errors and Omissions insurance policy backing. That is insurance against loss if something goes horribly wrong directly due to advice you may have received from pretty much anyone in the travel business. Travel agents have it, so do Travel Experts who make a living selling their advice.

Photo: Wiki Commons

The source of all of that soft white beach sand

by Grant Martin on

Take a walk on the beaches of Nice and compare them to the beaches of Bali and the first thing that you’ll notice is a difference in sand. In Bali, the small Indonesian island in the South Pacific, the sand is soft like confectionary sugar and feels like smooth, whipped cream between your fingers. The beaches in Nice, France, by contrast, could best be characterized as a large piles of rocks.

Tourists obviously love the soft sort of sand that one can wallow around in all day, but not all beaches have that sort of fortune. So if they’re crafty enough, they ship it in. Our resident pilot, Kent Wien happened to fly over the place where some of that sand comes from, a lost little island in the nothingness of the Carribbean near the Bahamas. If you look closely at his photo you can see where the workers foraged deep into the sea and carved out slices of soft happiness.

Who knows where the sand finally ended up — you could be sitting on it right now.

Historic cruise ship to be given a new life

by Chris Owen on

It was and still is the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the U.S. The 53,330 ton SS United States that ran transatlantic sailings until 1969, setting speed records that have still not been broken today. Still, the ships fate seemed doomed with her next stop being the scrap yard.

Built from 1950-52, the SS United States operated uninterrupted transatlantic passenger service until 1969. But the ship was withdrawn from service and bounced around from one idea to another. At one point there was talk of making it into a floating time share-like ship. Later it was stripped of its fittings that that would become furniture in a North Carolina restaurant. Most recently the ship was slated to become part of Norwegian Cruise Lines American-flagged Hawaii fleet.

The SS United States Conservancy announced Tuesday it has purchased the legendary ocean liner, berthed in Philadelphia since 1996, from Norwegian Cruise Line and its parent company for $3 million and hopes to restore the ship to its original glory in an extreme makeover the likes of which has never been seen.

They have a long way to go though.

The annual costs of upkeep tops $800,000, the ship is full of toxic PCB’s, fire-resistant chemicals once commonly used in paint which must be removed, and the refitting price tag is high at $200 million.

“While we’ve already been talking with a number of investors, municipal officials and developers, we can take these conservations to the next level because we now hold title to the vessel,” said Susan Gibbs, conservancy board president and the granddaughter of William Francis Gibbs, the ship’s Philadelphia-born designer. “Our doors are open and we’re ready for business.”

Why bother?

This is a ship that carried President John F. Kennedy and actress Grace Kelly. Prince Rainier of Monaco, England’s King Edward VIII and former Rhodes scholar Bill Clinton were on board. This is a piece of history that once gone, we will never get back. Today’s cruise ships are built in a totally different manner in foreign shipyards. This one, the one that still holds the transatlantic speed record, was built in America. How many things can you say that about these days?

While private backers are being sought to fund the enterprise, donations are being accepted via the Conservatory’s website.

Flickr photo by Mihai Bjorn

Mazatlan to cruise lines: We want you back

by Chris Owen on

Earlier this week, major cruise lines played it safe, skipping a port in Mexico, fearful of passenger safety when going ashore in Mazatlan. Attacks on passengers and crew caused Disney Cruise Line, Princess and Holland America to drop the city as a port of call on Mexican Rivera cruises. But Mazatlan tourism officials are not buying it.

“We highly value our long-standing relationships within the cruise industry, and are dedicated to ensuring that Mazatlan remains among the top cruise destinations on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Mazatlan has hosted nearly 1.5 million cruise passengers since 2008 and is widely regarded as one of the safest destinations in Mexico.” said Julio Birrueta, spokesperson for the Mazatlan Tourism Trust.

Mexico says they have taken steps to insure the safety of cruise passengers and are taking that message on the road.

Tomorrow, state and local government and law enforcement officials along with tourism and port authority executives will meet with cruise industry leaders. On Monday, government officials will meet with executives from the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA).

“Tourism is very important to Mazatlan and its residents. The destination plays host to nearly 2 million visitors per year from all over the world and the number has increased steadily for the past five years” added Birrueta

Flickr photo by Renee Silverman