Crime in the Caribbean is a serious problem. As reported in The New York Times, tourists on a nature tour arranged by a cruise line were robbed at gunpoint in the Bahamas, and according to lawyer Jim Walker of Cruise Law News, 43 cruise passengers were robbed at gunpoint over two months in 2009. Statistics such as these show that ports of call in the Caribbean can be dangerous, even for passengers participating in cruise-sponsored activities.
In February of 2010, CNN reported an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness aboard a cruise ship that resulted in 400 sick passengers. Norovirus, passed through contact with contaminated food or drink or through contact with people or objects handled by infected people, is a common cause of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships, the article states. In a closed environment of a cruise ship, it is easy for illness to spread and has become a common occurrence, with three outbreaks on cruise ships in the first two months of 2010.
In 2005 Good Morning America reported that Congress was investigating the dangers associated with cruises, particularly focusing on the disappearance of passengers during cruises in the Caribbean. In the two years before the report, an estimated 12 people had gone missing from cruises without explanation. While some may pass off the disappearances as the result of falling overboard, perhaps after drinking alcohol, others believe the disappearances to be the result of foul play. In fact, the family of a missing passenger sued the cruise line and received a settlement of over $1 million, according to Cruise Law News.
While disappearances may not always be the result of foul play, the statistics of passengers missing is a concern and a danger that should be taken into consideration when booking a Caribbean cruise.
