The cruise industry is in tatters and is hoping British stoicism and keen prices will prevent a bookings backlash from would-be cruisers put off by the recent spate of headline-grabbing incidents.
Last week, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Balmoral was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. A crew member told tabloid newspapers how pirates were circling the ship, shots were fired and everyone was in tears.
According to Fred Olsen, suspicious unidentified craft were spotted on the radar, passengers were assembled inside and the captain started zig-zagging – known as aggressive manoeuvring – just in case.
More recently there was a “mutiny” on the Ship Costa Europa by passengers fed up when the ship missed four out of seven ports due to engine trouble,
Plus a passenger was injured in Palma when MSC Fantasia’s gangway collapsed, ditching him 15 metres into the sea.
P&O cruise ship Aurora has broken down in Auckland, New Zealand in the middle of a round-the-world cruise.
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