Cruise line worker accused of using inside information to burglarize passengers homes

by Scott Carmichael on

A vacation planner for Royal Caribbean has been arrested and charged with breaking in to the homes of 20 South Florida cruise line passengers.

Bethsaida Sandoval allegedly used the internal computer systems at Royal Caribbean to pick passengers who were on a ship, and determine which homes to burglarize. She then passed the information on to her husband.

The two would then check the homes for alarm systems, and break in, stealing jewelry, flat screen TV’s, sports memorabilia, video games, handbags and “pretty much anything that was small enough to put in pillow cases”.

Sandoval has a history of crime, and chances are she won’t be out in public committing any new crimes for a couple of years.

There is not much you can do to protect yourself against inside jobs like this, but it doesn’t hurt to start with some basic protection like an alarm system. Another option is to provide the address of a mail box to the cruise line instead of your home address.

Cruise art seller, Park West, accused of fraud

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It looks like Royal Caribbean just dodged a bullet. The cruise line announced last month that it wasn’t going to renew its contract with art auction provider Park West – and the timing couldn’t be better. Passengers who have purchased pieces from Park West are coming out of the woodwork with accusations that Park West was peddling “fake, forged and overpriced work and using phony appraisals and certificates of authenticity,” according to USA Today.

One passenger, Marti Szosta, picked up 21 pieces from Park West while on Royal Caribbean cruises from 2005 to 2007 – some of the art market‘s hottest years – and dropped $48,000 in the process. “I was sick, I could hardly breathe” she was quoted as saying when she learned of the value of her art investment.

Says USA Today:

Szostak tells the news outlet she worked three jobs to pay for the art and then decided to sell, only to be told by art dealers that the art was largely worthless. She says experts told her signatures on limited-edition prints by Dalí she had bought at the auctions were forged.

Several buyers are now suing Park West, which faces charges of racketeering, fraud and violating consumer protection laws. Albert Scaglione, Park West’s founder, denies the allegations and says, “We have never done anything wrong.”

Royal Caribbean brings hammer down on art auctions

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you liked the art auctions on your Royal Caribbean cruises, brace yourself. In a post on his blog, the company’s president and CEO, Adam Goldstein, wrote that the contract it had with Park West Art Services to run its auctions on the ships expired and that it isn’t going to renew.

He adds that other art-related endeavors could be on the chopping block as well: “We are evaluating what if any art-related programming we may offer in the fleet in the future beyond Oasis of the Seas where Art Actually is our provider of art tours and art for purchase onboard.”

For now, Royal Caribbean and Park West Art Services are going through a “wind down period” as the art auctioneers wrap up on different ships over the next few months.

Royal Caribbean CEO issues Haiti cruise statement on Fox Business Network

by Scott Carmichael on

When Royal Caribbean docked the Independence of the Seas in their private Haitian bay just four days after the devastating earthquake, someone at their headquarters should have been awaiting the PR nightmare that hit them.

Images of tourists enjoying a splash in the ocean just 85 miles from where 200,000 people lost their lives were all over the Internet. I’m still torn on the issue – my instincts tell me that it was a really bad idea, but knowing that the ship docking meant keeping the inhabitants employed prevents me from instantly claiming the cruise line is full of insensitive bastards.

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein was interviewed by Fox Business Network about their decision to allow the vessel to dock in Haiti, and he was of course quick to point out that each ship visiting the region is filled with 40 to 60 pallets of emergency supplies.

The Royal Caribbean port keeps 500 people employed, from local vendors to relatives of workers who depend on the income from tourism. When the captain of the Independence of the Seas announced that they would be visiting Haiti, he received a standing ovation.

After hearing the response from Royal Caribbean, I’m still without an opinion. It’s really easy for us to sit here behind our desks sending money through a text message and criticize a company actively helping the citizens of Haiti. I really don’t think there is much more Royal Caribbean could do to help the people in Haiti.

Thanks to Fox Business Network for providing this content.

Cruises confounded about Haiti – to dock or not to dock?

by Annie Scott on


Private beaches in Haiti like the one in Labadee, above, have long been a stop for cruise lines like Royal Caribbean. In the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, should they stay away?

According to The Guardian, Royal Caribbean “leases a picturesque wooded peninsula and its five pristine beaches from the government for passengers to ‘cut loose’ with watersports, barbecues, and shopping for trinkets at a craft market before returning on board before dusk.” A ship like the one above docked in Haiti on Friday, just sixty miles from the earthquake zone. Another is reportedly scheduled to arrive in a few days.

Some passengers are “sickened” by the thought of vacationing on the ravaged island and refuse to leave the ship, despite the fact that the RC is bringing food (to be distributed by Food for the Poor) and donating all proceeds from the visit to Haitian relief efforts.

A statement from John Weis, vice-president of Royal Caribbean says “In the end, Labadee is critical to Haiti’s recovery; hundreds of people rely on Labadee for their livelihood.” … “We also have tremendous opportunities to use our ships as transport vessels for relief supplies and personnel to Haiti. Simply put, we cannot abandon Haiti now that they need us most.”

Royal Caribbean employs 230 Haitians and has pledged $1 million to help earthquake victims. So. Could you enjoy a luxury picnic an hour away from where 50,000 – 200,000 were recently killed in a natural disaster and thousands remain homeless and starving?

[via The Guardian]