A crew member wishing to remain anonymous has sent us a message claiming that many Indian employees working for Norwegian Cruise Line have been fired by the company. The crew was terminated from their working positions after they finished regular contracts and without any particular reason received a letter by NCL  thanking them for their services. The crew member has sent us a copy of the so-called “Thank You Letter” signed by the Fleet Talent Management, which says:

An elderly passenger has died onboard the cruise ship MSC Splendida while the vessel was in Sir Bani Yas, United Arab Emirates on April 02, 2019. According to a passenger sailing on Splendid, the man died during dinner presumably of a heart attack. Revival was attempted by the crew, and emergency personnel came to transfer him to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

The Spanish search and rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo performed a remarkable evacuation of a Brazilian woman who was in labor on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. After experiencing contractions and almost giving birth on board MCS Seaview the woman was airlifted from the vessel some 400 miles of the coast of Gran Canaria on Monday, April 8, 2019.

The cruise ship Carnival Fantasy rescued 23 people on Sunday who had been drifting in the Gulf of Mexico for days. According to reports 22 Cuban nationals sailed from Cuba to Mexico on a wooden boat when it lost power, setting them adrift for days.  A Cuban-Mexican raised them to his sport fishing boat, but then he also suffered an engine failure and the group spent another three days at sea. They managed to establish contact with the US Coast Guard and requested evacuation from the stranded boat.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises announced Captain Serena Melani will be at the helm of their latest cruise ship Seven Seas Splendor. When the vessel joins Regent Seven Seas fleet in February 2020 this will mark the first time a woman to captain an opening team and deliver brand new cruise liner.

On Wednesday, US National Security Adviser John Bolton announced restrictions for Americans traveling to Cuba. The new regulatory changes by the United States administration will restrict traveling to Cuba to family visits only, or other official business.

The German Cruise Line AIDA has announced the construction of the world’s largest cruise ship named AIDAflex, surpassing Symphony of the Seas by size and capacity. The so-called Tethys-class mega ship scheduled to be completed in 2024, will come in at a staggering 260.900 tons. Its total capacity will be 8,400 passengers, not including crew - a new all-time record for the cruise industry.

The Spanish cruise line Pullmantur Cruceros has partnered with European Design Institute (IED) and Ad Talent to design the new uniforms for its crew members. In achieving this creative task sponsored by the prestigious Spanish designer Juanjo Oliva (fashion designer for Zara before creating his own company), a competition was organized for students to design the uniforms.

A kind-hearted crew member has been named a hero for saving an elderly passenger from drowning onboard the cruise ship Star Princess while the vessel was sailing to Hilo on 4th of April. The Indonesian Housekeeping Attendant Sugiri, was at the right place at the right time when elderly Italian gentlemen started drowning in the ship’s main pool after having a suspected heart attack symptoms.

We are sad to report that a team member has passed away onboard Carnival Sunshine on April 27, while the cruise ship was in Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship’s departure was delayed until the team member has been taken off the ship and announcement was made via PA system about this tragic event.