Incontinent and impotent after fall in cruise ship spa is worth $9.5 million

by Scott Carmichael on

In 2006, British Fitness instructor Danny Simpson slipped on the wet floor of the spa on board the Norwegian Cruise line’s “Norwegian Crown”. Mr. Simpson was employed by Steiner Transocean, responsible for operating the spa facilities on the cruise line.

When he fell, he suffered a back injury that made him impotent and incontinent. And apparently, that kind of suffering is worth $9.5 million. The defendant is obviously not content with the ruling, and has already filed papers seeking a new trial, or a reduction of the award.

Sadly, not much is known about the incident itself – whether the floor was not supposed to be wet, or whether the spa operator failed to ensure wet floors were made slip free. But if a court is willing to award just under ten million Dollars, I suspect someone screwed up enough to warrant that kind of cash.

The damages were awarded to cover his economic losses, medical expenses and future pain and suffering. Nine and a half million Dollars gets you heck of a lot of Viagra and adult diapers.

Evolution of travel complaints: TSA just the latest target

by Mike Barish on

This week saw the vitriol of travelers (and travel writers) directed at the TSA. The new TSA regulations that were imposed in light of the terrorist attempt on a Northwest Airlines flight led many to unleash the proverbial hounds and attack both the TSA and Department of Homeland Security with great fervor. It became quite fashionable (and deservedly so) to use blogs and Twitter to mock the TSA’s plans for keeping us safe.

However, this hysteria is not new in the travel community. Travelers have a long history of finding a target for their angst and attacking it like cat on a Roomba. The TSA is just the latest object of travelers’ derision. There were others before it and there will be others after it.

Let’s take a look back at travel complaints through history.God – The Garden of Eden was the original all-inclusive resort. Despite the absence of a “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” policy, the Almighty actually had pretty stringent rules. While there was a veritable buffet for Adam and Eve, apples were off limits. The first guests to violate this policy were removed from the property and led management to blacklist all human visitors. Is that species profiling? Sure seems like it.

Christianity vs. Islam – Europeans have always enjoyed traveling. However, their motives for getting out and about during the Crusades were pretty shady.

India – Christopher Columbus never forgave India for not being in the Americas. Annual parades have yet to appease him.

Lack of produce – Scurvy was no joke back in the day. Now it’s a pretty good joke anytime someone offers you an orange.

Babies – They cry. They kick the back of your seat. They have little comprehension of the expletives that you’re shouting at their mothers.

People who recline their seats – I am one of these people. I make no apologies to anyone.

Airline food – Did you hear that airline food is gross? Yeah, so did every comedian in the 1990s.

Travelers vs. Tourists – The travelers vs. tourists debate is an epic one pitting blowhards against windbags. It has, however, kept the soapbox industry in business.

Cruises – When you’re the cause of a Twitter hashtag getting hijacked, you’ve officially made it as a preeminent target for travel complaints.

TSA – They’ve been accused of racial profiling, enforcing their policies arbitrarily and reacting to incidents with asinine updates to their rules. This latest episode is practically old hat for them. A hat that must be removed during the screening process, of course.

So, what’s my point here? At the end of the day, travelers will always find something about which to complain. Sometimes it will be justified while other times it will simply be a matter of opinion. People will always enjoy pointing fingers, making judgments and mounting their high horses.

But I think we can all agree that people who wear socks with sandals are just plain wrong.

Photo by Flickr user Aardvark of Fnord.

Hot travel trend for 2010 — naked cruises?

by Scott Carmichael on

The UK association of travel agents (ABTA) has just released its predictions for 2010 – and they are mostly in line with what everyone else expects.

They see Dubai becoming a hot destination, thanks to massive drops in prices. They also predict that charity and volunteer vacations (voluntourism) will be big.

So far, so good. Then we get to the one that really stands out – naked cruising. Apparently, the tourist industry is going to actively target naturists, and cruise companies will play an important role in attracting new naked customers.

I really don’t know what to make of this, but I’m also not a naturist myself. I can imagine that walking around naked on a cruise ship could be a relaxing thing to do. I just hope they use plastic covers on the seats, as the idea of sitting down for dinner on a dining room seat that was previously used by a fat nude bloke just doesn’t thrill me too much.

A quick Google search shows that none of the major cruise lines have jumped on this naked trend just yet, and I have not heard from any of my cruise PR contacts that they plan to introduce nude cruises. Still, 2010 isn’t here yet, so we may be in for a surprise.

How about you — Would you like to take a naked cruise?

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More regulation on Antarctic shipping proposed

by Kraig Becker on

While most of the world is focused on a certain conference on climate change currently underway in Copenhagen, a similar meeting is being held in New Zealand this week, where tighter regulations on travel in and around Antarctica are being proposed.

More than 80 experts from signatory nations to the Antarctic Treaty have gathered in Wellington to discuss ways of protecting the fragile Antarctic environment, while also making it safer for ships passing through the icy waters of the Southern Ocean. Some of the proposed regulations include the banning of so called “heavy fuels”, which could potentially wreak havoc on the environment and a comprehensive review of design and construction of all vessels, including passenger ships, traveling in the region.

In order for these new regulations to be ratified, the treaty nations will need to vote on them, but considering such countries as Russia, the U.K., and the U.S. are backing these changes, it seems likely that they’ll be adopted. The ban on heavy fuels, for instance, would go into effect in 2010 if it receives enough votes, meaning that all ships moving through the region will need to use fuels that have less of an impact on the environment should something go wrong.

The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, a voluntary organization whose purpose is to promote private travel to the frozen continent, is made up of travel companies that book travel to Antarctica. The IAATO has also come out in support of these new resolutions, while also introducing its own guidelines to ensure that its members provide a safe, and environmentally friendly, experience for travelers to the bottom of the world.

Antarctica remains a popular destination for adventure travelers, and it is gratifying to know that steps are being made to protect it and keep safe for future travelers to enjoy as well.

Mystery at sea: Italian Chef missing from cruise ship

by Scott Carmichael on

Colombian maritime authorities are searching the seas for Italian chef Angelo Faliva. Mr. Faliva was working in the galley on the Princess Cruises “Coral Princess” two weeks ago, when he walked out. He was last seen on a deck at 8:30 am the next morning, but that is the last they have seen of him.

A life preserver was also missing, and its nighttime flares were torn off and left on the ship. His family has been notified, and unless he’s hiding on the ship somewhere, chances are something pretty tragic has happened.

The ship was heading to Cartagena, Colombia from Aruba on a two day voyage.The Coral Princess is due in LA today, and the current investigation is being conducted by the FBI and Italian foreign ministry.