Piracy Attack Drill

[Brisbane41]

I'm sure there are people from the middle east who will not travel to the Caribbean because of Guantanamo Bay.

 

Good for them!

 

I should elaborate further as to the reasons I will not travel there. Take the united arab emirates for example. This country has certain laws that violate human rights and freedom of women in particular. As my morale standing is against their inhumane and degrading policies I simply cannot travel there on my conscience. Here is an extract from the Australian travel advisory website for that country:

 

Sex outside of marriage is illegal in the UAE. It is possible that victims of sexual assault may face criminal prosecution rather than being considered the victim of a crime. There have been cases in the UAE where sexual assault victims have been imprisoned after reporting an incident to local police or upon seeking medical assistance.

 

It is also against the law in the UAE to live together or share the same hotel room with someone of the opposite sex to whom you are not married or closely related.

 

It is also against the law in the UAE to live together or share the same hotel room with someone of the opposite sex to whom you are not married or closely related.

 

More advice for Qatar:

 

It is possible for victims of sexual assault in Qatar to face arrest, detention or criminal prosecution for having sex outside of marriage, depending on the circumstances of the assault.

 

To quote more Government travel advice would be never ending. Based on the fact that it is a hot spot for terrorism and also the fact that their laws discriminate against the way we are used to dressing, punish women who are victims of sexual assault, they prevent non-married couples from sharing hotel rooms together (our culture has less religious people these days), among other things I find the whole area to be a place I take the morale high ground and chose not to visit.

 

As you said if they choose to not want to visit the Caribbean then good for them. They have a right not to visit any place that is contrary to their customs.

 

I love the occasional alcoholic drink when I am on holidays, I like to wear shorts in the summer, I like to eat pork and bacon products, I like to date and sleep with women I am not married to. I am sure those countries are better off without my despicable habits and I am more than happy to visit countries that do not judge people based on such things. Essentially they are all the reasons that the entire region is off my list of destinations I wish to visit.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Responses to the original post the indicate that the writer thinks I am going to stay home, never travel, and huddle my house quaking at every sound are making pretty big assumptions about me.

Just so you know .... I do travel and cruise multiple times a year, visit various parts of the world, and make it a habit to stay alert and aware when out and about no matter where I am, in my neighborhood or on the other side of the globe. I try not to allow the crazies who would destroy us to dictate my lifestyle, but I also choose to not put myself in places where the crazies are concentrated (such as the Middle East). And, yes, I do realize that there are potentially dangerous people no matter where in the world one goes these days. Hence the alert and aware philosophy.

I still have many other places to go and things that I want to see!!

 

Exactly!

 

I'll take chances closer to the US. It's just a matter of time before a cruise ship gets hit. There's lots of money on board, activities on board goes against some religious beliefs in certain countries, and there's lots of people on board to kill. I'm surprised it hasn't happened already, but it will no doubt in my mind. You run the same risk and even more so just walking down the street and getting gunned down.

 

I'd be more worried about visiting parts of the US where people routinely carry guns. :eek:

 

Actually I'm surprised that many posters here actually cruise at all. What happens after embarkation and before the ship sails? A muster drill! Or, in other words, a drill where you are instructed what to do in case of emergency. Does that stop you from cruising? No, because you realise that the chance of an emergency is very small. The Pirate Drill is just an extension of that, and the chances of a cruise ship being attacked by pirates is also probably very small.

 

Although I'm not interested in visiting any of the countries in that region I would have no hesitation in transiting through that area on a ship the size of Emerald Princess.

[Potstech]

 

Yeah, not really a guess. Just didn't want to give away to much OPSEC.

 

You know what they say, "I know a guy, who knows a guy."

 

And most of the time as it goes from one guy to the next guy to the third guy and then to you the info changes. You are the one who posted that you were guessing.

[Cruise Junky]

Exactly!

 

 

 

I'd be more worried about visiting parts of the US where people routinely carry guns. :eek:

 

Actually I'm surprised that many posters here actually cruise at all. What happens after embarkation and before the ship sails? A muster drill! Or, in other words, a drill where you are instructed what to do in case of emergency. Does that stop you from cruising? No, because you realise that the chance of an emergency is very small. The Pirate Drill is just an extension of that, and the chances of a cruise ship being attacked by pirates is also probably very small.

 

Although I'm not interested in visiting any of the countries in that region I would have no hesitation in transiting through that area on a ship the size of Emerald Princess.

 

Completely agree. I do think that my nature though, some cruisers are pretty timid travellers which is why a lot pick a cruise in the first place.

[kruisey]

Exactly!

 

 

 

I'd be more worried about visiting parts of the US where people routinely carry guns. :eek:

 

Actually I'm surprised that many posters here actually cruise at all. What happens after embarkation and before the ship sails? A muster drill! Or, in other words, a drill where you are instructed what to do in case of emergency. Does that stop you from cruising? No, because you realise that the chance of an emergency is very small. The Pirate Drill is just an extension of that, and the chances of a cruise ship being attacked by pirates is also probably very small.

 

Although I'm not interested in visiting any of the countries in that region I would have no hesitation in transiting through that area on a ship the size of Emerald Princess.

Lets hope it will never happen.

Nobody ever dreamed about what was going to happen to the World trade Center.

A large ship with over 3000 on board sailing close to area of unrest were there could possibly be missiles .Versus one person with a registered hand gun.If one had to choose between the two I know which area I am avoiding that was my cancellation of my trip through Suez Canal on Emerald Princess. Changed to the Emeralds return trip Ozzie land through Pacific Islands ,Hawaii,and LA close to the USA's homeland Security.:D

[elliair]

For me I will not travel to the middle east at this stage due to the political situation and the ideology that exists in regards to freedom and human rights. It is more of a conscious vote of avoiding an area that is troublesome and has governments or (lack of government) dictators a better word, that hate our way of life. I am not prepared to invest money in their tourism scheme when they hate our way of life. When the hate things like the food we chose to eat, the clothes we choose to wear or the fact we choose to drink alcohol then I avoid the area. Respect works both ways. If they are not prepared to respect our way of life then I wont give them time of day.

 

 

^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^ Best post on this thread! 10 thumbs up!

[cruiselvr1]

Never understood why piracy does not get the death penalty any more. Best way to stop it.

Take no prisoners. In the old days they were hung, and left on the gallows to remind others this will happen to you to.

[chengkp75]

Take no prisoners. In the old days they were hung, and left on the gallows to remind others this will happen to you to.

 

However, this had really very little deterrent value on piracy in the old days. The reason piracy in the Caribbean died out was the stoppage of the Spanish treasure galleys travelling to the old world. Not much profit in hijacking a ship with food or lumber as cargo.

[cruiselvr1]

Tell that to the family of the disabled man who was tossed overboard off a cruise ship back in the 80's. It can happen again. There is no requirement for the Navy to escort ships through the area.

I read that Holland America is the only line that doesn't have arms in their armory, because they are registered in the Netherlands.

[cruiselvr1]

However, this had really very little deterrent value on piracy in the old days. The reason piracy in the Caribbean died out was the stoppage of the Spanish treasure galleys travelling to the old world. Not much profit in hijacking a ship with food or lumber as cargo.

Unfortunately, there are idiots that don't believe they will be caught.

[chengkp75]

I read that Holland America is the only line that doesn't have arms in their armory, because they are registered in the Netherlands.

 

Actually, Dutch law allows all merchant ships to have 2 weapons onboard for defense. They will also provide a "Vessel Protection Detail" from the military for those ships who request it and are operating in dangerous areas.

[AlanFromFL]

We'll just stick to the Caribbean, where the only pirates we'd likely encounter will look like this.

[Micahs Grandad]

However, this had really very little deterrent value on piracy in the old days. The reason piracy in the Caribbean died out was the stoppage of the Spanish treasure galleys travelling to the old world. Not much profit in hijacking a ship with food or lumber as cargo.

 

Good point but if pirates know they will forfeit their lives if caught they might look to find a new and honest way to earn a living.

 

Besides a dead pirate wont get back in the game

[Bill B]

The Somalis became pirates when their old honest way to earn a living (fishing) was destroyed by giant factory trawlers from South Korea, Japan and Spain in an illegal, international "free for all" plundering of their stocks.

[Cruise Junky]

I think it would be really exciting! I would LOVE to see Dubai, Abu Dhabi and most of all, the Suez Canal. The low potential risk of attack wouldn't stop me for a minute. Everyone weighs the risks differently. To me, seeing those amazing places would be worth the small amount of risk and I seriously think we may not even have this option in the coming years. Do it now while you can!

 

Agreed. We just booked Celebrity Constellation Rome to Dubai for next November. Can't wait.

[Hlitner]

Deleted because not sure the Mods have a sense of humor to deal with my post.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Hlitner