Disturbing Article on CNN

Of course , this will not affect my future plans to cruise ( little will!) , but I found it a bit unsettling.

http://articles.cnn.com/2012-04-30/world/world_al-qaeda-documents-future_1_al-qaeda-leader-senior-al-cruise-ships?_s=PM:WORLD

I think terrorists are looking for any target that will give them great publicity and lots of deaths.

Won't change my cruising plans either.

We live by Disneyland--which I also consider a major target--still go there too!

I think terrorists are looking for any target that will give them great publicity and lots of deaths.

 

Won't change my cruising plans either.

 

We live by Disneyland--which I also consider a major target--still go there too!

Our plans are not changing, either. The article is sobering, but there have thousands of similar articles over the years and the media love to play on people's fears. I know a couple of folks who refuse to go on a cruise now because of the Costa Concordia incident!

Common sense and situational awareness are excellent tools for the traveler. We did not let the threats stop us from going to the Salt Lake City winter Olympics in February 2002, mere months after 9/11. We traveled to the UK (and London) several times in the early 1980s, when the IRA was setting bombs regularly in the Underground and across the country (we were in London when Bobby Sands died after going on a hunger strike in a Northern Ireland prison - talk about a tense situation). We, too, have visited Disneyland and Disney World many, many times. We have been to several places in South Africa and crossed the Zambezi river in small boats between Zambia and Botswana.

My thought is that you can live in fear and sit at home or acknowledge that there are risks involved in doing just about anything and go and enjoy life.

Agree on not impacting our plans. Another similar article stated the cruise-related plans were discusse by the terrorists in 2006 while this one says 2009.

I'll accept the 2006 date and just feel better.

Den

I will continue to travel and not let the terrorist win. When it is my time it is my time. :confused:

I will continue to travel and not let the terrorist win. When it is my time it is my time. :confused:

Agree with you 100%. You are taking risks every time you walk out of your home.

I think it is safe to say that the cruiselines are aware of the potential threats, and have plans to cope with such things.

Of course, that doesn't mean that stuff can't happen, but I suspect that a traveller would be in much more danger taking a taxi from the port to the airport.

I agree with he other comments. Will not change our plans.

That is scary! I also agree about not letting the terrorists win and dictate what I do to enjoy life.

I think so far it is unanimous. If we give in to fears, they win. They won' t stop us from living our lives and enjoying cruising.

I'm not changing my plans either. After 9/11 there was a specific threat against Disney World during Halloween. We already had reservations and plans in Magic Kingdom for that day and decided to go. It was our best day in Magic Kingdom, ever....

Carpe Diem!

My motto! Living here in Brazil , which is not the paragon of safety , we just create a constant awareness of our surroundings as a previous poster said.

I did read an interesting book about surviving disaster and it is good to have this awareness and have a plan in the back of your head in case of emergencies. It makes me feel better , rather than feraful , to do this.

Carpe Diem!

 

My motto! Living here in Brazil , which is not the paragon of safety , we just create a constant awareness of our surroundings as a previous poster said.

 

I did read an interesting book about surviving disaster and it is good to have this awareness and have a plan in the back of your head in case of emergencies. It makes me feel better , rather than feraful , to do this.

I also agree with everything that's been said. Living in fear really isn't "living". Care to share the name of that book? I'm interested in taking a read.

It is called : " The Unthinkable " by Amanda Ripley...some amazing stories and important ideas.Worth a read.

Kim

They should tighten up a little as you get on to a ship ..

I got the PREMIUM DRINK package :D , No worries.....LOL;)

Here is a link with an excerpt from the book:

http://pt.scribd.com/doc/16523848/The-Unthinkable-by-Amanda-Ripley-Excerpt

The author is a writer for Time magazine -very talented. I couldn´t put the book down and I found it to be a truly enlightening , even uplifting read. I beat if you read the excerpt , you might very well order it ( I got it on my Kindle via IPad after reading about it in a magazine).

You can have a drink while reading it , Dano!

OK I haven't read this book but I have read a few books Brazilgirl has recommended on other threads and if she says "read this one" I say "read this one!!" LOL

That is so nice!

I used to work in a bookstore...my favorite job of all time! I will , with a slight blush , sya that I do have a knack for sniffing out good reads!

Kim

Happy to hear an intelligent attitude here. While this is the same al Qaeda that was behind 9/11, their track record has gone down hill ever since. Bin Laden thought he was safe and untouchable. Arrogance at its best. The next thing he knows, the Seals burst into his room, one of his many stupid wives tries to stop them, she's lucky and she just gets shot in the leg. Then, without words from the Seals, he gets one in the chest, and the next one takes off the top of his head (it did). Why don't you think they showed the photos of him? They weren't shooting BB guns! He was a mess! We didn't go there to capture him, we went there to kill him.

We're not playing games with these....uh.... whatever you want to call them.:cool:

Agree with you 100%. You are taking risks every time you walk out of your home.

One is taking risk not even walking out of one's home. It won't effect my traveling plan a bit.

We took a three day repositioning cruise from Vancouver down to San Diego few days right after 9/11. As another poster mentioned, when it is my time, it is my time.

Ricky

Cruise ships have guns for the security to use in case of incidents like this?

I would hope that they have plans in place if such events occur.

I am thinking the bigger the ship is, the more likely it would not be a target.

I have read about the cruise ships on the African coast sailing with special security guards with arms ( i.e. MSC incident some time back) because of the pirates....

Cruise ships have guns for the security to use in case of incidents like this? I would hope that they have plans in place if such events occur. I am thinking the bigger the ship is, the more likely it would not be a target.

Bigger is not always better!!?? In June 2006, our first cruise was on the Seabourn Spirit in the Greek Isles. This ship had been subject to a pirate attack in November 2005 at 5:50 am, 115 km off the coast of Somalia with 115 passengers aboard (normal max is 204 passengers). The ship was attacked by two pirate speedboats with machine guns fired and rocket-propelled grenades launched against this cruise ship. One of the persons we met on the ship had a balcony room where you could see some of the scared damage from the fired rocket.

It has never been clear as to what was the objective of the pirates. Robbing passengers (which might favor smaller ship with richer customers on an upscale cruise)? Trying to get ransom money from the ship owner? Just creating choas? All of above? Etc.?? As I understand from reading stories on this incident, part of "plan" was having the ship speed away from the attack boats and having high-powered "sound guns" to aim at the attackers, etc. Capturing too large of a ship could be more challenging as a smaller number of pirates would have more problems controlling and directing such a larger ship. Going after a smaller ship like the Seabourn Spirit had its "advantages". Interesting discussion topic!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 78,514 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

I don't think information like this is made public until it's no longer a threat. As Loubetti points out, all of the recently released information gathered from the Bin Laden compound points to a far weaker and ineffective Al Qaeda organization.