Sea Princess world cruise news!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4769096/Holidaymaker-reveals-cruise-ship-feared-pirates.html

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Hmm... wonder if it is fake news?? Sea Princess is supposed to be in South America?

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Hmmm, I think that is just an over-sensationalised article written by a journo and doubt it refers to the present cruise. I read it this morning in a less dramatic version and it didn't give any dates.

Hmmm, I think that is just an over-sensationalised article written by a journo and doubt it refers to the present cruise. I read it this morning in a less dramatic version and it didn't give any dates.

Isn't that the journalist who got a free trip on the world cruise?

It sounds like it was seriously over sensationalized! :eek:

I read something somewhere on CC at least a year ago about cruise ships doing the pirate drills etc in that area. It's nothing uncommon, usually just a precaution.

There were a couple of blogs from last year's world cruise. It would be interesting to see what they said about the pirate drills. If I get a chance later I'll try to track them down.

Isn't that the journalist who got a free trip on the world cruise?

No, her name was Jo. I found her blog and there was no mention of pirate drills.

Neither of the blogs from last year mentioned anything to do with pirates or ship-wide blackouts.

Sounds seriously over sensationalised. I was on QM2 from SIN to Dubai in April. Crew had regular pirate drill and the water cannons were affixed to the side of the ship in case they were required. Passengers were alerted to the risk and given instructions on what to do in the event. We had crew keeping watch and also at least one navy person (based on uniform and demeanour). One day a small boat was sighted off the port side and a careful watch was kept on its movements though it seemed to be a genuine fishing boat in the end. We also had a RAN helicopter based in Oman fly over and around us on one day, a bit of show of strength really. Exterior lights were dimmed at night in the area but nothing impacted on us as passengers.

There are several sensational comments in the article. It mentions that the author was a guest lecturer on the first leg of the current world cruise on the Sea Princess. She apparently does not realise that pirates have been active off Somalia for more than 10 years and that 2009 was their 'best' year. Since then the threat has been much less.

I don't imagine many regular cruisers would have been alarmed by the pirate drills. Many of us have been involved in these. We have several times. A person reading the article could believe that all lights were turned off all night - ridiculous. On our cruises in this area, the outside flood-lights are turned off and people with outside cabins are asked to keep the curtains drawn. They don't have to sit in the dark. Entertainment in the lounges goes on as usual and windows are not blacked out. From memory, the promenade deck 7 and the top deck are off-limits to passengers at night as security crew patrol the decks.

The reference to 'sonic booms' must mean the Long Range Acoustic Device that cruise ships have been deploying as a defensive measure for several years.

There isn't any real risk of a pirate attack on a cruise ship - it travels too fast and has too many people including security and undoubtedly many retired military and police personnel. However, it makes sense to me that the ship takes all precautions. We don't need sensational reporting like this. I was surprised at one American's concern that his enjoyment of a cruise up the Queensland coast on the Sea Princess might be disrupted by pirate drills.

From what I have read, the author's report has gone world-wide. She would have earned a 'packet' from it.

Of course it is sensationalised! It's in the Daily Mail!!

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Of course it is sensationalised! It's in the Daily Mail!!

 

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Sad to say, it is in newspapers world-wide.

Hence the reason why I am beginning to hate media and news. It is all opinion pieces and sensationalised garbage opposed to facts and the truth. On some occasions news stories are total fabrications.

I currently have no plans or desire to cruise to that part of the world so there is no chance of me getting to experience what it is really like. I do not think cruise lines should be taking those precautions when the power exists to prevent it in the first place.

During the second world war British radar became so advanced that bombers would detect the snorkel of a U-Boat, switch off their engines and glide in silently dropping bombs on them at the last minute before starting engines and flying off.

I think in modern times the world has lost their nerves to stop such things. If you are dealing with somali pirates then my solution would be to send on the drones and military aircraft and destroy every ship, boat or object that floats and departs more than a certain distance from somali shores. They would give up their piracy very quickly. Take no survivors and don't even bother sending a search party. Just keep destroying them with the same resolve the British took when they were dealing with the German U-Boats.

It is on Australian news pages now. I think the security precautions are a total over reaction by an overzealous Captain who overestimated the need to take such precautions. Some of the precautions for 10 days look totally ridiculous and worthy of a joke, perhaps the Captain was a naval washout and failed to get acceptance into the military service and decided to play his little war games here on a cruise ship. Causing a situation where passengers are calling the bridge reporting innocent fishing boats was just bad form on the part of the Captain for making them think too much into it and the calls would have disrupted the ability of the crew to work. Having seen and hear the news stories about how other cruise ships have managed it and never caused such a fuss or hassle, it is clear this Captain stepped over the mark and turned it into some sort of spectacle and worked up the passengers unnecessarily.

I trained for this sort of stuff in the Navy and consider myself knowledgeable on the subject. One of the worst things a Captain could do is create a situation where passengers nerves are so tense that they are so tense that they are ringing up the bridge reporting all visual contacts. Utterly un-believable. http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/cruise-passengers-ordered-to-switch-off-lights-and-music-at-night-to-be-prepared-for-pirate-attack/ar-AApJt8u

Brisbane41, I think the article was highly exaggerated. I've been following posts elsewhere from people who were on that cruise, and who have been on other cruises througfh that region.

Yes, there are pirate drills in certain regions. Not just on Princess but on all cruise lines.

Yes, certain precautions are taken.

But the article probably reflected more of the writer's imagination than actuality. Please don't try to validate such a ridiculous piece of over-sensationalized fiction by trying to blame the Captain or the cruise line. :mad:

Try the link I put, also there is something called "situational awareness" - https://books.google.com.au/books?id=QTkrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=uss+vincennes+situational+awareness&source=bl&ots=o8Flmy-i5n&sig=2O4cBtTW1ivLYkBPia-N6x9cKxs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjV14f88MjVAhVBQpQKHYCUCCIQ6AEITDAG#v=onepage&q=uss%20vincennes%20situational%20awareness&f=false

worth reading about in relation to the USS Vincennes shooting down and Iranian airliner in 1988. Psychologists came up with this and the military has procedures how best to manage operational situations.

I agree the first article is totally sensationalised, however the conduct of the ship and its officers does not help by creating a situation where the passengers thought they were in danger and thought it was much more serious than it was which caused them to notify all sorts of media organisations. Cruise ships go through here all the time and lo and behold the Sea Princess does it and does it differently and causes headlines.

I agree the first article is totally sensationalised, however the conduct of the ship and its officers does not help by creating a situation where the passengers thought they were in danger and thought it was much more serious than it was which caused them to notify all sorts of media organisations. Cruise ships go through here all the time and lo and behold the Sea Princess does it and does it differently and causes headlines.

Did the passengers really think they were in danger? There has not been any mention of that in blogs from the cruise.

I have read a couple of versions of her article and they contain many ridiculous inaccuracies (ship in darkness, no music or lights, sonic boom knock pirates off their feet, look the cabin door from the corridor).

I don't agree with your comment that the Sea Princess does it differently. I believe that Princess has their procedures for sailing in this part of the world. We have cruised through there 5 times in the last 6 years - twice in 2016. The issue has only caused headlines because the author has sold a sensationalized and badly-researched article to a news organisation. Maybe she had to sensationalise it to sell the article. If she told it as it actually was, maybe she would not have been paid for it. (just a suggestion.)

Exactly, Aus Traveller.

5% fact and 95% sensationalized fiction!

Cruise ships go through here all the time and lo and behold the Sea Princess does it and does it differently and causes headlines.

I have read posts by a few people who have cruised through these waters on other ships that have also held 'pirate drills'. It is not just Princess and not just the Sea Princess.

Going by the many inaccuracies in the article, I think it is reasonable to believe that her remarks about passengers being upset is also inaccurate. Or ..... maybe they were upset if she 'wound them up'. The headlines are because Ms Jasinski sold a highly sensationalized article.

I have read posts by a few people who have cruised through these waters on other ships that have also held 'pirate drills'. It is not just Princess and not just the Sea Princess.

 

Going by the many inaccuracies in the article, I think it is reasonable to believe that her remarks about passengers being upset is also inaccurate. Or ..... maybe they were upset if she 'wound them up'. The headlines are because Ms Jasinski sold a highly sensationalized article.

Which article? did you read the link to the msn one that I posted with specific mention of the fact that the Captain had to make an announcement to tell passengers to stop ringing the bridge reporting surface contacts. If that small fact is true then that is the issue I take with the situation.

All the articles come from the same source - the piece of trash written by Carolyne Jasinski.

Her "report" of the captain making such an announcement is probably as reliable as many of the other "facts" she cites.

Just because msm picked up the article doesn't make it any more accurate than when it was published by other media companies. :rolleyes:

Which article? did you read the link to the msn one that I posted with specific mention of the fact that the Captain had to make an announcement to tell passengers to stop ringing the bridge reporting surface contacts. If that small fact is true then that is the issue I take with the situation.

I have quoted the relevant part of the article:

(quote)The threat prompted passengers to constantly alert officials on board of nearby ships that emerged on the horizon and were believed to be potential threats.

“The new-found interest from passengers drove the captain nuts,” Ms Jasinski wrote.

“Many calls were made to the bridge to report suspicious boats. He had to ask passengers to stop calling and to trust in the officers who were on watch.” (end quote)

I do agree with you that the bridge has more to do than be bothered with phone calls from passengers.

But, when Ms Jasinski's article is so inaccurate in many areas, I am not inclined to believe her on this one. How many passengers would know what phone number is required to call the bridge? I don't believe that number is given out to passengers.

I have quoted the relevant part of the article:

 

(quote)The threat prompted passengers to constantly alert officials on board of nearby ships that emerged on the horizon and were believed to be potential threats.

“The new-found interest from passengers drove the captain nuts,” Ms Jasinski wrote.

“Many calls were made to the bridge to report suspicious boats. He had to ask passengers to stop calling and to trust in the officers who were on watch.” (end quote)

I do agree with you that the bridge has more to do than be bothered with phone calls from passengers.

 

But, when Ms Jasinski's article is so inaccurate in many areas, I am not inclined to believe her on this one. How many passengers would know what phone number is required to call the bridge? I don't believe that number is given out to passengers.

I agree her article is nuts and fabrications. I theorise that she seized on some facts and elaborated and expanded and turned it into some garbage.

None the less the best way of dealing with the piracy issue there is to keep calm and carry on as the motto goes and trust that everything is in good hands. There is a constant naval presence monitoring the area at the moment and guidelines for ships.

Which article? did you read the link to the msn one that I posted with specific mention of the fact that the Captain had to make an announcement to tell passengers to stop ringing the bridge reporting surface contacts. If that small fact is true then that is the issue I take with the situation.

I don't think you have to worry about the bridge being contacted by passengers. I think this is one of the fabrications in the article. I cannot recall ever being aware of the phone number for the bridge of a cruise ship. Have you been told the number to phone? (I am not saying you would phone the bridge). All I can recall is the number of the Passenger Services Desk.

I have just come across an interview that the she gave to an online travel writers radio website. She was only on until Dubai . Surprise surprise the interview is not nearly as sensational as the article in the Daily Mail reported.

If you are interested here is the link

https://player.fm/series/travel-writers-radio/palat-member-carolyne-jasinski-reports-on-cruise-piracy

Crap Crap Crap and more Crap

Shame on 7 and 9 MSN as I thought they were better than thedaily mail

Facts!

Yes pirate Drill

Yes we had some passengers who didn’t want to stop theirgame and failed to attend, yes the captain shamed them, unfortunately not byname and would have been happy to see them kicked off)

Yes between Dusk and Dawn all external light were switchedoff and the open decks were out of bounds ( well the smokers were still outthere … not sure how that was overlooked)

Inside the ship it was business as usual, the bands played,the shows were performed, the casino took your money and the only ghost townwas Legends…. Well on a world cruise need I say more!!

Carolyne was a guest speaker up until Dubai and her topicwas travel writing, I enjoyed her and she did write with that aussie humourthat we all know… but the newspapers took a snippet and ran with it….

We had a great time !

Joanne sitting in a bar on the banks of the amazon near Iquitosdrinking the cheap and refreshing local Cusquena beer. We only miss the sea princess by a day backin lima