Interesting article

[joeyancho]

This is an interesting article.  The disturbing part is that allegedly some of the crew members state they the cruise line have told them that they are not considered employees anymore and therefore not getting paid. How much lower can they go? What's next? Charging them for their room and board?

 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33338/satellite-images-show-armadas-of-vacant-cruise-ships-huddling-together-out-at-sea

[Trimone]

Not familiar with the drive, but this is outrageous 

[tallnthensome]

I bet it will be much harder to find good experienced staff that will want to return and work on cruise lines again. Even more so if you were American or European. Bet all those stage productions with singers and the tech support that goes along with them suffer greatly. What the staff knows now and how they have been treated will make them think twice before returning and possibly going through this all over again. This and all the issues going on around surrounding this pandemic is why I have a hard time believing they will sail again this year. At this point the lines will almost have to kidnap and hold the current staff on board hostage just so they have any former employees .

[Formula280SS]

Out of the tens of thousands on the ships, the sources are not disclosed except for one commenting. 

 

So, what's the source of 'hit job on the cruise line industry?

 

CNN.   🤣

 

No surprise.

 

CNN had no problem with the actions forcing cruise line ship "out of US ports, not allowed to let crew off or ship to ship or to leave by chartered air to go home."

 

BTW, CNN hosts and guests supports the continuation for the entire USA to stay at home, forever, even it saves "just one life" and challenging all phased in returns to work and normalcy.

 

What a joke.

 

The most cases in NY this week were "those that stayed at home."

 

Again, consider the source, or lack thereof.

 

Look at some of the "news." 

 

"Not only are their operations shut down, but they became the face of a global nightmare early on, with hulking pleasure ships being turned into floating prisons rife with infection."

 

Really?  "Hulking pleasure ships."  Really?  Actually, billion dollar floating resorts would be more accurate.

 

Really?  "floating prisons."  Really?  What about all of the land-bound stay at home quarantine population in the US and around the world under,  in some places, draconian edicts?

 

Really?  "rife with infection."  Sorry, they still have to report and they are not reporting such.  What staged, fake news.

 

CNN writes what it is like for crewmen trapped on the vacant luxury liners:

 

Two comments, not even directly (see source at end), out of 57,000 crew members.  

 

"Whereas air travel and hotels, both industries that are in great jeopardy, still serve a necessary service during a pandemic and during the economic recovery that hopefully follows, these decadent and hulking ships serve no purpose other than entertainment."

 

So, we get to the MEAT of the article.

 

"these decadent and hulking ships serve no purpose other than entertainment."

 

"decadent" - degenerate, corrupt, depraved, shameful, sinful, immoral, licentious (promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters), profligate (recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources), hedonistic and so on.

 

Oh, and such a source?

 

Author's note: A big hat tip to @ai6yrham for the lead on this story. 

 

LOL checking that 'ham out.

[Corliss]

It was so ridiculous it was actually funny.  I read the part "while Norwegian now says the entire industry might not survive, at least in the form it once was" and I wondered what the heck is he talking about.  I just got done listening to Del Rio in his own voice expressing confidence. 

 

I clicked onto the link provided and it was about NCLH's 8K that was submitted with their fund raising submissions.  That poor author was so out of his element he couldn't even recognize a SEC filing and misconstrued the whole thing.

[Formula280SS]

May 4th

 

Three Norwegian cruise ships (the Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Spirit and Norwegian Encore) are docked in Portsmouth, Virginia USA through June.

 

https://www.pilotonline.com/news/vp-nw-norwegian-cruise-ships-20200504-uluoakfomjczziyteuks2nu64y-story.html

 

[Nclcruise1415]

And if you follow some of these folks on different social media platforms many are reporting how good the various lines are treating them, giving them balcony rooms to themselves, fed great meals, special deliveries by the captain(s), social distancing yoga on the pool deck, etc., etc.

 

Two sides to every story.

[Formula280SS]

2 hours ago, Nclcruise1415 said:

And if you follow some of these folks on different social media platforms many are reporting how good the various lines are treating them, giving them balcony rooms to themselves, fed great meals, special deliveries by the captain(s), social distancing yoga on the pool deck, etc., etc.

 

Two sides to every story.

 

Correct.

 

[janerd]

One network called covid-19 a HOAX the other has not. I think I'll stay with the station that's not going to do me harm. Thank you

[Formula280SS]

1 hour ago, janerd said:

One network called covid-19 a HOAX the other has not. I think I'll stay with the station that's not going to do me harm. Thank you

 

Got a link?  🙄

 

For each?

 

Thank you.

[buckeyefrank]

45 minutes ago, Formula280SS said:

 

Got a link?  🙄

 

For each?

 

Thank you.

he can't because it doesn't exist.  He has it backwards.

[spanishguy1970]

7 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

I bet it will be much harder to find good experienced staff that will want to return and work on cruise lines again. Even more so if you were American or European. Bet all those stage productions with singers and the tech support that goes along with them suffer greatly. What the staff knows now and how they have been treated will make them think twice before returning and possibly going through this all over again. This and all the issues going on around surrounding this pandemic is why I have a hard time believing they will sail again this year. At this point the lines will almost have to kidnap and hold the current staff on board hostage just so they have any former employees .

unfortunately it won't be the case. Grand majority of these employees come from the Philippines and the money they make on cruise lines is a lot of money in their country, more than they would make there. They will be back. Also lets face it, we the cruisers contribute towards the condition for some of these employees, the long hours, the sardine cramped staterooms, the low wage contracts etc. I know of a kid ( American) who worked only one contract with one of these cruise lines and decided it was enough, he rather work at home in a store or office making same wage, going to school and having better hours but alas he had that option, some of the employees from other countries don't, they need the money and a way out. IMO

[janerd]

56 minutes ago, Formula280SS said:

 

Got a link?  🙄

 

For each?

 

Thank you.

Gee here's a link from Forbes. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalentertainment/2020/04/10/covid-19-lawsuit-against-fox-news/#5efdb29c5739

[janerd]

13 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

he can't because it doesn't exist.  He has it backwards.

Trish Reagen got fired for calling it a impeachment scam. Link

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-03-27/fox-business-anchor-trish-regan-fired-coronavirus-impeachment-scam

 

[Laszlo]

1 hour ago, Formula280SS said:

 

Got a link?  🙄

 

For each?

 

Thank you.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalentertainment/2020/04/10/covid-19-lawsuit-against-fox-news/#1f04eb145739

[Laszlo]

1 hour ago, buckeyefrank said:

he can't because it doesn't exist.  He has it backwards.

Sure they do, get your head out of the sand

[Formula280SS]

2 hours ago, janerd said:

Gee here's a link from Forbes. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalentertainment/2020/04/10/covid-19-lawsuit-against-fox-news/#5efdb29c5739

 

1 hour ago, Laszlo said:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalentertainment/2020/04/10/covid-19-lawsuit-against-fox-news/#1f04eb145739

 

Yep, great source.  😲

 

I'd enter the MSM reports of Wuhan Virus not as bad as the flu, or used by POTUS to deflect impeachment, but for some it doesn't matter. 

 

Washington State Group Is 1st to Sue Fox News for Calling Coronavirus a ‘Hoax’
POSTED BY KEN STONE ON APRIL 2, 2020
By Ken Stone

An obscure Washington state group has become the first in the nation to sue Fox News over its coronavirus coverage, asking a state court to keep the cable network from airing false information about the pandemic.

 
The 10-page complaint — filed Thursday in King County — also names as defendants Fox News Corp., owner Rupert Murdoch, AT&T TV and COMCAST.

 

It seeks an injunction to prohibit the conservative-leaning outlet from “interfering with reasonable and necessary measures to contain the virus by publishing further false and deceptive content.”

Reacting in a statement, Lily Fu Claffee, general counsel for FOX News Media, told Times of San Diego: “Wrong on the facts, frivolous on the law. We will defend vigorously and seek sanctions as appropriate.”

 

According to court records, a trial has been set for March 29, 2021, following a series of other deadlines and motion hearings. Fox News was expected to respond to the suit by early May.

 

Arthur West, leader of the 3-year-old Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics, or WASHLITE, the plaintiff, said in a phone interview that its members have run into people who still believe earlier Fox News reports that the pandemic was a hoax.

 

- - - - - - -

 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-moguls-rupert-and-lachlan-murdoch-stockpile-attorneys-against-coronavirus-lawsuits

 

WASHLITE board member Arthur West, a non-lawyer and former automobile mechanic who earns what he describes as a handsome living as a professional public-interest plaintiff, told The Daily Beast that he’s not impressed by Claffee’s vow to seek retribution: “We are not afraid of the big bad Fox.”

 

As for possible sanctions against him and his group, “I’m pretty sure they’ll try something like that, because that’s what bullies do,” West said, noting that WASHLITE was launched by him and four other environmental, public interest, and open records activists around three years ago.

 

“We studied at the Rooster Cogburn school of litigation”—a reference to the fictional U.S. marshal in Charles Portis' novel True Grit and and the two John Wayne movies it inspired.

 

West, 59, said he has been arrested numerous times in protest and civil-disobedience incidents, but claimed the rewards of successful lawsuits have allowed him to afford a lovely house in Olympia, Wash., overlooking Puget Sound and a fleet of pricey sports cars. He insisted this latest litigation against Fox is not a public-relations stunt.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Formula280SS

[weberman]

Yet, here is some insight from another LA Times trave writer David Lazarus:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/column-cruise-ship-industry-sinking-120054719.html 

Lazarus makes some interesting points! I had a bout of Norovirirus on one of my cruises and it was terrible.

 

NCL will probably not survive, but no  matter as it will have little or no effect on the U.S. economy.

 

My DW and I are both 76, so we are done with cruising.

 

Lazarus made this interesting comment: 

But the larger issue, which Norwegian touched on in its filing, is the public's growing perception of cruise ships as a fast track to sickness. It should be obvious to all that you're taking an enormous gamble as soon as you step aboard.

 

The COVID19 virus makes the Norovirus look like a walk in the park!

[Formula280SS]

6 hours ago, weberman said:

Yet, here is some insight from another LA Times trave writer David Lazarus:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/column-cruise-ship-industry-sinking-120054719.html 

Lazarus makes some interesting points! I had a bout of Norovirirus on one of my cruises and it was terrible.

 

NCL will probably not survive, but no  matter as it will have little or no effect on the U.S. economy.

 

My DW and I are both 76, so we are done with cruising.

 

Lazarus made this interesting comment: 

But the larger issue, which Norwegian touched on in its filing, is the public's growing perception of cruise ships as a fast track to sickness. It should be obvious to all that you're taking an enormous gamble as soon as you step aboard.

 

The COVID19 virus makes the Norovirus look like a walk in the park!

 

Agreed.

 

Until there is a therapeutic and vaccine flying or cruising is just a touch more risky than grocery shopping. 

 

NCL C-19 data was not significant in the Wuhan infections or deaths at all, it was 2 CCL subsidiary ships with far east itineraries.

 

RE: noro (which I despise and protect against) it appears that the 'experts got it all wrong with millions infected with no symptoms at all for C-19.

 

So, we wait.

[BirdTravels]

15 hours ago, Nclcruise1415 said:

And if you follow some of these folks on different social media platforms many are reporting how good the various lines are treating them, giving them balcony rooms to themselves, fed great meals, special deliveries by the captain(s), social distancing yoga on the pool deck, etc., etc.

 

Two sides to every story.

It is called quarantine. They are locked in the rooms and have food delivered. They are not allowed to leave the rooms. Maybe the first couple of days in a guest cabin would seem like a room at the Ritz to a crew member. After a week of nothing but the bed and a balcony chair, it will get really old really fast. When they pass 2-3 weeks of quarantine virus free, they would be allowed to travel home... if the US didn't prevent them from disembarking and going to their chartered flights. 

[Mrdodgy]

16 hours ago, spanishguy1970 said:

unfortunately it won't be the case. Grand majority of these employees come from the Philippines and the money they make on cruise lines is a lot of money in their country, more than they would make there. They will be back. Also lets face it, we the cruisers contribute towards the condition for some of these employees, the long hours, the sardine cramped staterooms, the low wage contracts etc. I know of a kid ( American) who worked only one contract with one of these cruise lines and decided it was enough, he rather work at home in a store or office making same wage, going to school and having better hours but alas he had that option, some of the employees from other countries don't, they need the money and a way out. IMO

Hi I think you are missing two central points.

 

They will not be allowed to travel from these countries and even if they are will they be quarantined in the port they arrive at.

 

The cramped conditions means that the cruise lines are giving up inside staterooms and Epic solo for crew as they can not have them in the same room. The fact is that a lot of the senior crew will find land based jobs and the cruise lines will have problems recruiting. Of course they will get crew but hay simply will not be of the standard or experience of the former crew. This in turn will lead to issues. Look ay NCL Breakaway last year failed public health inspection. That would never have happened in Klaus Lugmaier days  and did not. NCL  F& B team experience has been decimated over the last few years,

 

Look at the years of experience gone Its easy to think of five key team without batting an eyelid and who have replaced them - IMHO very poor HD's and F&B who can not even get the wine supply correct.

 

 

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Mrdodgy

[Nclcruise1415]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It is called quarantine. They are locked in the rooms and have food delivered. They are not allowed to leave the rooms. Maybe the first couple of days in a guest cabin would seem like a room at the Ritz to a crew member. After a week of nothing but the bed and a balcony chair, it will get really old really fast. When they pass 2-3 weeks of quarantine virus free, they would be allowed to travel home... if the US didn't prevent them from disembarking and going to their chartered flights. 

Only you’re misinformed again. They’re free to go about the ship, eat in dining rooms, have controlled get-togethers in other spaces like bars, pool decks, etc. Many of the ships out there have not and continue to not have any positive cases of Covid-19. 
 

Don’t believe everything the media and a lot of misinformed Cruise bloggers/vloggers are telling you. You’re not getting the whole picture. 

[BirdTravels]

41 minutes ago, Nclcruise1415 said:

Only you’re misinformed again. They’re free to go about the ship, eat in dining rooms, have controlled get-togethers in other spaces like bars, pool decks, etc. Many of the ships out there have not and continue to not have any positive cases of Covid-19. 
 

Don’t believe everything the media and a lot of misinformed Cruise bloggers/vloggers are telling you. You’re not getting the whole picture. 

This has continued on many ships as isolation is required prior to disembarkation. 
https://people.com/travel/cruise-ship-worker-reveals-what-its-like-in-isolation-at-sea-coronavirus/

[beerman2]

54 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

This has continued on many ships as isolation is required prior to disembarkation. 
https://people.com/travel/cruise-ship-worker-reveals-what-its-like-in-isolation-at-sea-coronavirus/

The article is from a month ago and as we know all to well things can change rapidly. True that was happening then and even stated "14 day quarantine " which has since passed.

 

Like everything with cruise lines , it's all speculation.

[Newleno]

3 hours ago, Mrdodgy said:

 

 

Look at the years of experience gone Its easy to think of five key team without batting an eyelid and who have replaced them - IMHO very poor HD's and F&B who can not even get the wine supply correct.

 

 

 

Well there you have it, who would want to cruise under those conditions