Real Pirates of the Caribbean

Due to recent increased pirate activity in areas of Kenya and Tanzania, cruise ships have had to change their itineraries in order to ensure the safety of their passengers. According to an article on cruisecritic.com, "passengers have been asked to keep cabin curtains drawn and refrain from using the promenade decks from 6:30 p.m. until 7:00 a.m." Telegraph.co.uk reports that P & O cruise ships are still passing through the Gulf of Aden, but stated that the captains have instituted safety measures on board.

During the week of April 9th, Regent Seven Seas Cruises had to amend the itinerary of its world cruise aboard the Seven Seas Voyager to avoid a region with increased pirate activity. According to the article, a letter was sent out to all of the passengers on this ship that included the phrase "as the safety and security of our guests is our number one priority, we will be amending our itinerary to avoid an area of recently increased pirate activity." As per our discussion on crisis management in my night class this past Tuesday evening, this cruise line did an excellent job handling this crisis. They notified their passengers immediately, and made sure that they knew that the safety of all of the guests on board is the number one priority. Well done, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, well done.

While it's not unusual for cruise ships to make itinerary changes to avoid areas with pirate activity, most cruise lines seem to make those decisions in advance, rather than during the actual voyage. To read the full story, click here: http://bit.ly/aqXci2

This article really jumped out at me because I never realized that pirate activity was still an issue today. Sure we've all seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but who knew that pirate activity actually still occurred today, and that it's a problem that some cruisers have to face? Have any of you had any run-ins with pirates on your cruises? Do you know of any interesting stories that deal with pirates and cruise ships? Let me know!